The Setting

The Land is vast and virgin. Humanity has yet to spread beyond the freeholds. Wild tribes and terrifying monsters roam the wilds and threaten everything that wanders too close. Humanity has made their homes in places like the Mediterranean, Balkan, and Turkish coasts and mountains. Hot and dry summers with wet winters that rarely see snow below the mountains. Forests, grasslands, and rocky mountains cover the land. Nearer the cities and long-standing towns cobblestone and stone roads make their way through the hard terrain and over the many small rivers.

Cities differ from villages and towns specifically because they are founded with a planned design and in tribute to a God whom the people wish to gain the favour of. Because of this, most cities are either circular or square, with wide streets reaching out from the large plazas at the city-centre. There is a gathering of significant infrastructure and public services at these crossroads - a temple, marketplace, garrison house, bath house, and amphitheatre are all commonplace. Expanding outward from the center of the city in rows or blocks are the residential and private industries of the citizens. Homes are constructed of wattle and daub, with a limewash finish. Larger homes and buildings incorporate timber framing and stone foundations. Slums are also commonplace near the gates, walls, or other poor locations. These homes are often shambled together and exist in a labyrinth understood only by those who live in it.

Towns are medium gatherings of people and are commonly found under the protection of a city. Many towns have grown organically from smaller villages and lack the rigid structure of cities. Towns are small economic and urban hubs that provide most of the necessities, skills, and crafts people need. Most of the buildings in towns are small private abodes or businesses, with small and spread-out clusters of public infrastructure like baking ovens, wells, small bathhouses, and communal storage houses.

Villages and hamlets are small gatherings of people and their homes and minimal infrastructure. Most villages are small agricultural areas that specialize in a second industry, such as peat-mining, pottery making, or livestock. Villages may be under the protection of a God, though it is common to find freeholdings further away from cities and their influence. These small communities are wary of travellers and are fond of superstition and rumours. Although villages may not have many people, they often cover large areas and are made up of smaller clusters of family managed farms and land.

Divine Magic is power borrowed from a God, with their permission, to bestow miracles on the people. These miracles take the form of speeding the recovery of wounds and injuries, aiding illnesses, sicknesses, and sometimes even abetting plagues. Priests have always found that the amount of power they can draw depends on whether they are within the dominion of their God and what gifts their God has granted them. Every God and temple have a different method of calling on this power and practice different miracles.

Ritual Magic is magic that draws power from natural spirits that exist in the world. Some places are older than all the Gods and hold their own power. Druids, shamans, witches, and more make these places their home and domain. They may live among freeholds or in isolation, but all ritualistic magic is considered against the divine nature of the Gods. Ritualistic magic focuses on curses, charms, protections, and the control of fate and the weather.

Gods are the great beasts who rule the lands of mortals. They are mighty beasts who mortals cannot hope to resist. As long as man has existed so have the Gods and five commands have been dictated to all mortals by their masters:

Mortals shall obey the commands of their God.

Mortals shall pay proper tribute to their God.

Mortals shall not abandon their God.

Mortals shall not allow their God to be blasphemed.

Mortals shall not allow followers of other Gods into their homes.

Disobeying the commands of a God is punishable by execution in most cities and domains. Gods in the lands of Ahmere may not be omnipotent or all knowing, but they are beasts of divine strength and intellect. Their whims are rarely understood, and mortals strive to never fail, disrespect, or otherwise anger their God. There are stories of Gods laying waste to entire cities, devouring thousands of people, poisoning the land, and many more that serve as a warning – do not anger the Gods.

Character Application Form

For our character please consider the prompts below. I would prefer if everyone sent their initial character ideas to me through a private message unless you would like everyone to know your characters backstory and personality. I'm not strict in how you organize a character sheet, as long as I have an idea of who your character is I'm all good.

Name:
Age:
Profession:

Physical Traits:
(What does the character look like? Do they walk with a limp, what kind of clothes do they wear, how do they carry themselves in general?)

Personality Traits:
(How does your character act? Are they optimistic problem-solvers, or pessimistic problem-makers? What are their values, ideals, fears, and purpose? What are their flaws?)

Background and History:
(Where did your character come from? What are their motivations and why? Are there any events that are particularly important to your character?)

Orestes is a 36-year-old scribe from the small freehold village of Erdium. Early in his childhood a viper bit his leg and Orestes nearly died from the venom. He was moved from the village to the nearby town of Nuxa-Leri where he was miraculously healed by one of the priests. In return, Orestes became an apprentice scribe to repay the temple for saving his life. Orestes doesn’t share what made him begin travelling, though there are rumours whispered among the pilgrims that he was exiled after a large confrontation.

He is a thin man who speaks softly and avoids confrontation. His short brown hair, blue eyes, and solemn looking face all make the man appear frailer than he is. He is dressed in travelling clothes; trousers, leather sandals, and a loose-fitting shirt under his robe to protect him from the harsh sun and winds. A small dagger is hidden inside his clothing.