[center][quote=Recruitment Poster for the League of Explorers]Anvellor. That is the name that we have given to the land we inhabit. Though we do not know how big it is, we call this land home, and it was our ancestor’s home.

Yet, we know little of Anvellor. Sure, we know plenty of our home’s eastern coast, and the regions of Samare, Metia and Umbara, as well as Isilra, Lezin, and Amierre. But we do not know what lies further to our west, or what our world was like ages ago.

Our land is covered in ruins and relics. Tombs and dungeons. Evidence of civilizations long since gone. We inherited this world from our ancestors… but they did not leave us their history. Though we have records dating back a thousand years, nobody knows what this world was like before that. What nation once called itself the ruler of the lands we call home? What became of them?

Did they shatter in a civil war? That would explain why there are so many nations. Did it break due to an external threat? We know little about our ancestors, but not due to a lack of trying. For years, the adventurous and courageous among us traveled west, wandering through the wilderness of Anvellor and finding ruins of both great structures and simple cottages. For as long as our nations have kept records, we ventured into the unknown to uncover our history, and bring back relics of the nations that came before ours. In both war and peace, we have set out to discover our past, to no avail.

But now, some among us have faith that we will soon find out our world’s history. The League of Explorers is preparing it’s many members for a grand adventure westward to lead the way and rediscover our history. The westernmost nations are recruiting settlers to follow them, and international tensions are at it’s lowest. We might be on the verge of discovering what happened to our ancestors.

Perhaps, this is the dawn of a new age of Exploration and Discovery. An age in which our nations and peoples will thrive. One in which all our questions will be answered.

And who knows. Perhaps it could be you that leads us into this age.[/quote][/center]

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[center][h1]Tales of Anvellor[/h1][/center]
[hr]

Welcome, welcome! Welcome to Tales of Anvellor, dearest of readers!

This is an RP set on the continent of Anvellor, a large landmass that, for the most part, is unexplored and covered in ruins. It is home to several different species that have spread themselves out across the eastern coast of the continent, forming several small nations in the process.


[hider=Anvellor's Regions]
Anvellor's east coast is divided up into 6 regions. From northmost to southmost, these are:

[quote][h3]Isilra[/h3]
The cold lands in the north, dominated by snow and barely inhabited.

Isilra is divided up into three regions. There’s the tundras in the south, the only part of Isilra that is home to civilized nations. To the north of that are the wastelands, a barren land with lots of mountains and caves, inhabited only by hermits and wild animals. Even further north of that are the icecaps, a large sea mostly frozen over.

Isilra is also home to many ruins of temples dedicated to some kind of giant entity. This, combined with how common disappearances can be in the north, has led scholars to believe the north is home to a dangerous entity and cults that worship it.

[hider=Isilra Borealis]
In the north, once a month there is an Aurora Borealis-like event, which carries magical power, empowering mages in the north.

This event, known as the Isilra Borealis lasts for a day, and during it, non-blessed corpses will decompose into snow, and after it's over, they will be reborn as a Snow Spirit. Snow Spirits carry the knowledge of the previous owner, but not the experiences (so they would understand languages and the like), but cannot use magic typically. Snow Spirits usually cannot venture far from the place of their original death, usually only a mile radius or so, though it varies in small increments between spirits. If the body is destroyed, the spirit tends to revive in about a year, unless the spirit considers its death 'satisfying'. After transformed, the souls experiences cease to be, meaning the person that was transformed will never enter any afterlife, however, the spirit that was born, may enter an afterlife, if applicable (though a spirit both finding their death satisfying, and qualifying for an afterlife, is rare). Any mage in the north will notice a rejuvenating effect, as well as empowered magic, but ice and snow elemental magic is particularly empowered.'


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[/quote]

[quote][h3]Samare[/h3]
A temperate land that lies between Isilra and the Lezin Mountains, this is the most populated region of Anvellor.

Samare is home to many different nations of different sizes. Although they each have their differences, there are a few things that are often common between these nations. The majority of the nations are Republics or Kingdoms, and all but a few hold religion in high regard. In places where religion is especially important, non-priest magic users tend to be frowned upon or even mistreated, while in others mages might be treated with respect or just treated like any other person.

The dominant sentient species in Samare is humans, though there are a few non-human nations. Of note is the Anubite Exile Republic, a small nation on the border of the Lezin Mountains that takes in Anubites that have been exiled from their homeland.
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[quote][h3]Lezin[/h3]
A large mountain range that separates Samare from the Metia desert. The mountain range is home to a massive cave network that spans the entire mountain range, with every cavern connected through a maze-like mess of tunnels, most of which are unexplored for obvious reasons.

The caves of Lezin are mostly uninhabited, though a few nations of dwarves exist, having slowly converted some caves into livable cities and slowly exploring the other caves in the mountains. How deep these caves go, and whether they’re natural or partially artificial is unknown. Occasionally, ancient structures can be found in unexplored caves, left behind by whoever lived in these caves first.

Most travel through Lezin is done either by traveling directly through the mountain range using dwarven communities, or through the mountain range’s many valleys
[/quote]

[quote][h3]Metia[/h3]
The great desert of the continent, home to the Anubites and the Theocracy of Nubia as it's sole great nation. Most of Metia is uninhabitable desert, with only a single large body of water, the Nubian River, flowing through it, along which the Theocracy of Nubia lies.

After Amierre, Metia is the least explored of the six core regions, and travelers still occasionally stumble across ruins of ancient structures while passing through the deadly sea of sand. Some of these structures are well-known as they make for great shelter when a sandstorm hits.
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[quote][h3]Umbara[/h3]
A savanna that lies between Metia and Amierre, mostly flat and only slightly more populated than Metia. Umbara has a large population of dangerous animals, to the point where the region is one of the most dangerous regions to travel through. It is, however, still an important region, as caravans traveling to Amierre - and specifically, the Amierre Iron Mine - have to travel overland through Amierre, as there are no nations in this regionwith big enough harbours to handle enough trade ships to take over for overland travel.
[/quote]

[quote][h3]Amierre[/h3]
The dense jungleland of the south, mostly unexplored, home to a few tribes but no civilized nations. Amierre’s jungles are almost impenetrable, and many exploration attempts have resulted in the loss of all of it’s members, either to hostile tribes, illnesses, or wild animals. That being said, there are stories of great structures deep within the jungle, just waiting to be explored and documented…

On the edge of Amierre's jungle sits the world's biggest Iron Mine. It produces so much Iron and is so big that it has grown to be the size of a tiny nation - it even has a small defense force. This mine is independent, and supplies Iron to anyone willing to pay, to the point where most nations import most of their iron from them. 
However, recently all Iron shipments have ground to a halt. No messengers sent to the Mine have returned, and most nations are struggling to secure alternative sources of Iron. The League is likely to send out some members to investigate soon. 
[/quote]

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Anvellor is also home to a large variety of species, but only six of these are known to be sentient enough to form their own nations. Beyond that, there are various types of wildlife, both passive and aggressive, as well as more dangerous species of monsters in the West.
[hider=Species of Anvellor]

[hider=Humans]
Humans, Anvellor's most common sentient being. They mainly inhabit Samare and Umbara, though they also have settlements in Isilra. Many of these human nations are either Kingdoms or Republics, though some nations are slowly giving their people more power to appease their citizens who wish for their nation’s government to be more like Lapuria.

[hider=Lapuria]
Lapuria is an… unique nation, as it is the sole true democracy in the world. It is smaller than most of it’s neighbours, but is popular among scholars, philosophers, and those exiled from other nations over political reasons. Lapuria is also home to the Council, a gathering of representatives from other nations.

The council, in theory, exists for nations to come together to agree on common laws, how to deal with common issues, and general collaboration. It is housed in the Palace of Nations, a large building with enough rooms to house a representative for each civilized nation and a small amount of accompanying staff, while the debate hall is also big enough to theoretically seat a representative for every nation.

In reality, however, most of those rooms and seats are unused. Only a few nations actually participate in the council, and most of them are small ones. The council has no true authority over any nation other than Lapuria itself, and there’s an almost constant internal struggle over various issues. One of the most common sources of disagreement is the fact that both Nubia and the Anubite Exiles have a representative in the council, and they often get into loud disagreements due to their respective nations’ views on the other.
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[hider=Raider Clans]
The Isilran Tundra is home to several small clans. These clans of humans have learned to live with the cold, and take great pride in physical skill. The cold weather in their homeland makes farming almost impossible, and so the clans are infamous for launching raids upon those who live in the more temperate region of Samare.

Unlike most civilizations, the raiding clans of Isilira do not hold mages in high regard, instead treating most of those who focus on scholarly endeavours as idiots for not focusing more on physical strength or skills, as most clans believe that strength is a more important trait for raiders. There is an exception to this, however, in the form of priests. Priests are given more respect, and so most people with the gift of magic end up becoming priests to one of the many religions in the north.

Due to the Isilran Aurora turning corpses into Snow Spirits, those who live in the north cremate their dead instead of burying them.
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[hider=Anubites]
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[img]https://i.imgur.com/JqAsruj.jpg[/img]
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Native to the Metia desert, the Anubites are a species of humanoids with tall ears and slender tails. Their skin is usually dark to tan, due to their species being native to the desert, and they often have dark hair colours. Common Anubite eye colours include brown, grey, purple, green, blue and silver.

Within Anubite society exists a caste system. At the top, the High Priests, then the Priests, Mages, Scholars, Merchants and Artisans, Citizens and Slaves. It is possible to climb the caste system through training and education, but your status is also influenced by the size of your ears. Anubite ears are tall and sensitive, and the taller one’s ears the higher their status.

Anubite tails meanwhile are essentially very weak third limbs that was used back when the Anubites were a tribal species to kick up sand in combat. They cannot be used to lift things like one could with one’s arm, but they could still be used to lift up light items. This is, however, uncommon in Anubite society. The upper classes believes it to be below them, using their tails mostly to show off by decorating them with jewelry and such, while the lower class has little use for it beyond doing simple tasks. Only some scholars and merchants really make use of it by learning to write with their tail.

[hider=Theocracy of Nubia]
The Anubite civilization, known as the Theocracy of Nubia, is the most technologically advanced nation in Anvellor, but also highly religious. The vast majority of it’s inhabitants are worshipers of Kem, an ancient deity, and the nation itself is ruled by the High Priests of Kem. All permanent inhabitants of the Theocracy are members of this religion, or are treated as untouchables; though this does not extend to travellers. Anubites that abandon the religion are exiled and their information is stored in the Anubite Archive. If an exiled Anubite returns to Nubia, they face imprisonment and a potential death penalty for blasphemy.

The Theocracy is a Magitech nation, gathering the power it uses to power its devices using pyramids and obelisks tipped with a magically-created alloy that absorbs sunlight and transforms it into usable power. As a result of the nation’s high reliance on magic, magicians - even foreign ones - are treated with respect, and Anubite Mages that go into politics often have a lot of political influence, topped only by that of the Priests and High Priests.

Peace in Anubite society is kept by the peacekeepers, who act as both a police force and a standing army. They are supported by Automatons. These machines are similar to Anubites in appearance, yet have a dog-like snout akin to the masks the High Priests wear. They are made out of metal, and are based upon ancients designs found in the same ancient structure in which the Anubites found the technology they now use to power their civilization. They are armed with a Khopesh and an oval-shaped shield, but have a small dart launcher mounted in their tail that can be used to fire off low-power darts carrying a sedative.
[/hider]

[hider=Anubite Exile Republic]
The Anubite Exile Republic, also commonly referred to as the Anubite Exiles, is a small nation in Samare that borders the Lezin mountains. It is home to the largest population of Anubites outside of Metia, as the nation takes on those exiled for turning away from Anubite Religion. It is a mostly peaceful state, though it has strained relations with any nation that has good relations with the Theocracy of Nubia.
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[hider=Half-Beasts]
Half-beasts are a rather unusual species in the world, as their origins are considered to be artificial by some scholars who claim to have proof that half-beasts were originally a mage’s experiment that were set free to spread through the world. Half-beasts are, in essence, a mix between a human and a type of animal, and are visually identical to humans - though they have animal ears, tails, and sometimes even teeth and nails. Half-beasts inherit traits from their animal ‘counterpart’. Cat Half-Beasts are good climbers and have excellent darkvision, Rabbit Half-Beasts can jump further, Wolf and Dog Half-Beasts have excellent noses, things like that. Half-beasts are capable of reproducing with not only half-beasts of their own race, but also with humans and other half-beast races. In terms of genetics, a 'pureblood' half-beast will have a 100% chance to pass on its traits if mating with a normal human, but its offspring will have about a 50% chance with each trait.
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[hider=Nereids]
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[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/630057544211103754/658805569842577418/ea8220a2901c89101c8de282fb708790.jpg[/img]
[/hider]
Nereids are a species of amphibious humanoids capable of breathing both underwater and on land. Most Nereid communities live below the waves in lakes or oceans, though some can be found on the coast as well. Due to their nature as a mostly aquatic species, Nereids are carnivores, living primarily on fish. They are great swimmers, and are capable of talking and seeing underwater the just like humans can do the same on land, though they risk drying out if they’re cut off from water for extended periods of time or if they’re in hot, dry climates. Furthermore, they asphyxiate faster than humans in situations where there is no oxygen. Nereids are easily distinguished from humans by their skin tones - ranging from blue to green - as well as their fin-like ears and partially webbed hands and feet.
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[hider=Dwarves]
Dwarves are a relatively common but reclusive species famous for it’s great mines and underground structures. .Dwarves are short but strong, allowing them to quickly delve large mines that don’t have to be as tall as human mines due to the Dwarves’ low height. Having evolved underground, Dwarves have natural darkvision that allows them to see well - though not perfectly, and without colour - in the dark. Dwarves primarily eat food that can be found underground, with other sources of food - like animals - being rare and often reserved for the rich and for special occasions. The primary food source of the Dwarves are mushrooms that grow underground, specifically the Dwarfshroom, named as such because they are primarily farmed and eaten by Dwarves. Dwarfshrooms are a good source of food, but also have the added side-effect of intoxication, and eating a lot of them causes the consumer to get drunk. This is one of the many reasons why Dwarves are so often associated with alcohol, though they do often intentionally get drunk on beer and other alcohol as well.
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[hider=Elves]
Elves are the world’s primary inhabitants of forests. Tall, and with pointy ears, they are otherwise almost identical to humans, but their behaviour is quite different. Elves live alongside and are attuned to nature, to the point that they live far longer than humans. Elves’ tall and slender frames grant them great agility and nimbleness, ensuring that elves are good climbers that can easily get around in rough terrain such as dense forests. Their pointy ears, meanwhile, give them better hearing that humans. Their attunement to nature means that Elves make great Pathfinders, Hunters, Foragers, Herbalists and Rangers. Not only that, but they can also move surprisingly quietly and stealthily, meaning that they could great Rogues and Thieves as well.
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[hider=Magic & Mana]
In this world, magic exists. Some species have a special organ, known as a Mana Heart, inside their body. This organ is responsible for creating Mana, which flows through one’s body. Unless one lacks this organ, they are capable of using devices that consume Mana. If one were to run out of Mana, they’d lose consciousness for up to sixteen hours.

The size of the Mana Heart varies from person to person. Usually the organ is smaller than the normal Heart, but in rare cases it is bigger. If that is the case, the person is capable of casting magic without the need for devices specifically built to let people with smaller Mana Hearts (known as Laymen). This allows those with bigger Mana Hearts to become mages, and study the art of Magic. The size of one’s Mana Heart can be determined using either a spell, or by certain magitech devices. Nubia is the sole creator of the former, though they sell such devices to other nations. 

It is possible for a Mana Heart to be enlarged or shrunk after birth to allow for the ability to use magic later in life, or the removal of said ability. This, however, requires use of either an expensive, painful ritual, divine intervention, or a risky organ transplant. Because the latter is an option, there is a black market for Mana Hearts…

Magic is taught at magic academies to those who have a big enough Mana Heart in some of the wealthier nations in Samare, and in Nubia it is a mandatory education provided by the state for those born with a big enough Mana Heart to cast magic, as mages are important to keep their nation’s tech functional. If a magic academy is not available, there is always the option of an apprenticeship with another mage, though not all mages are willing to take an apprentice.

When it comes to casting spells, the requirements to succesfully cast a spell can vary, depending on the caster's skill and the specific spell. Those with less experience need to first spend time charging up a spell before they can cast it by saying the spell's name, while those with more experience do not need to charge up and can sometimes even skip the incantation itself entirely if one is skilled enough.

For some spells, however, charging in the form of a chant is required. Usually this only applies to rituals and other large-scale spells, however.

The charging can be sped up by using wands or staves, as those help channel the caster's Mana. Wands and Staves can also be attuned to specific spells, allowing said items to be used to cast specific spells with very little effort. Attuning is a time-consuming ritual however, and attuning multiple spells tons single wand decreases it's effectiveness.

Wands attuned to specific spells can also be used by those without a Mana Heart big enough for the user to cast spells on their own. When used in this way, the caster can only cast the spell the wand is attuned to. (So someone with a wand attuned to Fireball can only shoot fireballs if their Mana Heart isn't big enough).

Mages with greater skill will tend to be able to be more conservative with their Mana, while inexperienced mages often use more Mana than is needed for the spell they're casting. This leads to inexperienced mages running out of Mana and losing consciousness faster than experienced mages. If a mage is running low on Mana, they will begin to feel drowsy.
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[hider=The League of Explorers]
Within the world, adventuring and exploring are both completely reasonable occupations. As most of the land is unexplored and littered with ruins that could contain valuables, there is always the possibility of making a fortune if one is lucky. Because of this, one of the few multinational organizations - The League of Explorers - has been set up.

To join the League, one must pay a monthly fee. In return, you are allowed to make use of the League’s services in towns where they have a building. Non-League members may only make use of certain services at increased cost. However, in addition to the monthly fee, the League demands you pay 15% of what you make from selling loot to them. If one refuses to pay, then the League sends other League Members after them.

Common League services include a room and food for the night, like an Inn but safer, cheaper medical and blacksmith services if a healer or smith is available, and a courier service for sending messages and packages between League establishments. The courier service is safer than most, as packages are usually escorted by other League members.

The League does, however, have some laws. Those that break either a League law or National law are immediately kicked out of the League, and handed over or reported to the authorities if possible. The League Laws are as follows:
[list]
[*]Necromancy is Forbidden.
[*]Theft is Forbidden.
[*]Murder is Forbidden (Self-Defense Exception).
[*]No lying to the League about your profits.
[/list]
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[hider=Religion in Anvellor]
Religion plays an important role in Anvellor, and while there are various smaller religions and cults in the world, there is one main religion. Simply known as the Anvellan Faith, it has a Pantheon of ten gods, after which the months on the calendar are named. People either worship the entire pantheon, or a selection of deities that best fit their personal beliefs (or desires). The deities of this religion, and the length and order of their corresponding month, are as follows:
[list]
[*]Thera, Goddess of Magic & Knowledge. 37 Days
[*]Lucian, God of Life & Protection. 38 Days
[*]Archor, God of Creation & Destruction. 37 Days
[*]Briar, Goddess of Love & Peace. 38 Days
[*]Hestus, God of Revenge & Justice. 37 Days
[*]Belphus, God of Death & Disaster. 38 Days
[*]Vinia, Goddess of Harvest & Plenty. 37 Days
[*]Rava, Goddess of Artisans & Merchants. 38 Days
[*]Mentu, God of the Elements. 37 Days
[*]Tanti, Goddess of Luck & Wealth. 38 Days
[/list]

There are, of course, many cults and smaller religions, though none of these enjoy the widespread popularity of the Anvellan Faith. The one exception to this is the Anubite religion. They worship the God of the Sun and the Goddess of the Moon, Khonos and Virtune, as the Gods responsible for all life, and view the 10 gods of the Anvellan Faith as servants of Khonos and Virtune.

The days of the week in Anvellor are named after Elements, the Moon, and the Sun; Igni, Terre, Aer, Aqu, Mun and Sol. For most religions, the week starts on Igni, but for Anubites it starts on Sol (which they call Khon) and ends on Mun (which they call Virt).
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[h3][center]Rules[/center][/h3]
[list]
[*]0: The GM has the last word in case of disputes.
[*]0.1: DM approval does allow one to get around certain rules, but only express permission.
[*]1: No invincibility, immortality, invisibility, psionic powers (these just tend to be generally powerful with few drawbacks), or flight. Use common sense, and ask if you're uncertain if something is allowed or not.
[*]2: This is common sense, but no godmodding or metagaming.
[*]3: Unlisted abilities or equipment are assumed to not exist. If you want your character to have an item or ability you did not list on your character sheet, ask me for permission first.
[*]4: One character per player, PM me if you want more characters.
[*]5: If you wish to keep parts of your character sheet secret, PM the full sheet to me for approval.
[*]6: If you want a character that isn't one of the primary races, ask.
[*]7: Really, just ask on the thread or in a PM if you want to do unique things
[/list]

[hider=Character Sheet]
Name:
Gender:
Species:
Age:
Nationality: (Optional, either pick an existing nation or create your own)
Appearance: (Image or Description, or both!)
Equipment: (If Any)
Backstory: (Optional)
Abilities: (Physical, Magical, or Both)
Other: (Optional)
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