Welcome to the remnants of Reath...
This world was called Reath. A small yet diverse place, it had many races and nations, cultures and practices. The most notable features of Reath were the kingdoms and nations that inhabited it. Mighty King Elrin's kingdom spread from the Yussand Coast in the southeast to the towering Thutilan Mountain Range that divides the continent in two laterally. In the northern forests, Emperor Hyryndill's reign over his fae brethren was peaceful and prosperous. Underfoot the dwarven city-states bustled with wonderous activity; smithing, enchanting, and engineering. In every nook and cranny between the three, countless peoples, religions, and factions thrived in harmony with the active trade between the relatively peaceful nations. The world was old, a thousand years these populations lived together and after countless wars and disasters, came to this place in time where they had transcended that. They turned to innovation, and the world entered an era of previously unknown tranquility. (The only enemy were the bestial races, but as they were not looked at as equal to other sentient races, this was considered inevitable.)
And that, great Mitchin decided, meant that this world was now complete and it was time to start over. The mighty leader of the Divine Pantheon descend to bountiful Reath and razed every major settlement to the ground. His divine power, backed by every member of his pantheon, destroyed the wondrous works the races of Reath had toiled to create. Now, these gods roam Reath, looking to completely eradicate all life and start anew. Some pantheons still support their child-races, but they pale in power to the Divine Pantheon. All life is scurrying to hide, before Mitchin strikes them down with his mighty hammer. You have either survived the Great Decent of 20 years past, or are a child born in this desecrated husk.
The Great Descent
In the autumn of year 1140, the end came to the people of Reath. A peaceful day, it had been, and so numerous citizens of the great cities had been outside watched, in awe and horror, as a godly form descended from the heavens. The sun was hidden by a great shadow that grew until it encompassed the entire sky. As the Great God materialized, the very sight of his pure form incinerated the young, the elderly, and the weak in close proximity. The first city to fall was Thrushall, the capital of King Elrin's domain. Mitchin's huge form wielded a mighty hammer, its head so large it must've been forged from a boulder of pure adamantite. He summoned great storms that passed over the city, which continued to wreak a path of destruction, fueled by the Great God's vast power. The city fell before the sun set, and this day is known as the First Decent.
One by one throughout the following winter, each of the five other members of the Divine Pantheon followed their All-Father to their once-beautiful creation. After that, defectors from other pantheons were drawn into the conflict. The extended Second Descent was what brought about the true end-times. The earth turned black and infertile, and the sun was dimmed. Disease, famine, and chaos spread across the continent as land that once supported life grew decrepit and caustic. The remaining mortals receded to the few places still untouched by the the Creeping Death. However, that did not guarantee that these places were safe. Living shadows and twisted monsters were released unto Reath from the outer planes. They roam freely, devouring any living creature they come across. The shadows plague what were once settlements and villages, claiming those who seek refugee in these relics of a life now passed. Great storms rage constantly and relentlessly in every terrain. But the greatest terrors of this descent were the Gods that now walk Reath. They take many forms and have no purpose but to end all life of Reath. These entities came to be called Anti-Gods.
As mortals abandoned the worship of the Divine Pantheon and other defectors they had no choice but to turn to those still above in their home plane of Calille. In turn, there was a power flux among the Gods, as their strength is dependent on their followers' worship. The Anti-Gods were once fueled by their followers as well, but in their rejection of mortals now gain influence from their fear and infamy. Many Gods that were once obscure became prominent, and the amount of notable deities increased dramatically, giving mortals access to divine magics once more. The mortals pleaded with their new saviors, and with their continued devotion gave enough power to these deities to summon Avatars to help them against the Anti-Gods. This development was the Final Descent, in which the mortals gained a fighting chance.
Previous State of the World
King Elrin ruled the human lands of heartland Reath. People of his kingdom cultivated fields and raised livestock, and provided much of the population of the world. The kingdom was incredibly diverse in cultures, nationalities/ethnicities, and specialties thanks its size. It was simply called “King Elrin’s Domain” as a whole because there were so many nations within it. These nations were all held to the same laws, taxes, and policies, with sovereign to the capital city-state, Thrushall.
In the central forests, whose sheer range included the tropical rain forests of Catanna to the taiga hills of Jinnrelion, Emperor and Lord Tanmion Hyryndill ruled with laissez-faire style policies. The elves lived mostly in clans and tribes, some even leading nomadic lifestyles. There were elven cities and settlements, all seamlessly ingrained with the world around them. Theses cities were more independent than a nation would be and less structured. They are several different types of elves, although they lived mostly in integrated communities. The only elves that lived separately were the Frost Elves.
The dwarves of Reath lived in many different city-states and territories in large underground caverns and chasms. There are several kinds of dwarves, and they most often lived in settlements with their own kind. They lived separately from each other with their own unique governments and societies, but the common ancestry of all dwarves was celebrated by the stout race universally.
In the year 1138, the Orcs invaded and captured territory on the Yussand Coast. No one had seen the uprising of the bestial race in the deserts below, no one had thought the animals capable of such thought as to make organized warfare. A large swath of land was lost from King Elrin's domain in the east. This area was inhabited by Orc troops and their war parties. There were three small settlements had been attacked, but because of how harsh the desert had been, there were few in the Orcs' way.
Current State of the World
Reath itself was torn asunder in the aftershocks of the Great Descent.
After the First Descent, large storms were created and released to range the heartlands of Reath. Miles across with no eye, they all feature driving rain, furious lightning, and violent wind. However, some storms are elemental in nature and features particularly insidious pillars of fire, or large chunks of hail. They decimate wooden structures and natural floral life. Their paths are obvious and crisscross the lands in random patterns. The sun itself was dimmed; high-sun is now only as bright as early morning used to be.
The Second Descent was the harshest blow to Reath. The five members of the Divine Pantheon released many horrors from their home plane. The Creeping Death is a sickness of the land that makes the soil turn crumbly and black. Is erodes easily, and areas that have been infected for long have air polluted with an almost soot-like substance. Nothing new grows in the black soil, and that which was once living in it gets the life sucked from it. Gaping fissures into other planes spit out all manners of creatures. Hulking giants and prowling abominations skulk the land for mortal prey. Living shadows travel in the night, taking over areas once inhabited by mortals. Spirits are no longer contained within the Underplanes, and haunt the night, possessing animals and the weak to cause trouble for the living.
The Final Descent had a much lesser impact on Reath. The Avatars of deities hold some of their power, but not enough to combat the Anti-Gods living on Reath. However, they can help combat the effects of The Great Descent. They can heal the earth of the Creeping Death, and can banish creatures back to their home plane.
The remaining mortals of Reath gather in the stretch of inhabitable land in the north-east. They are slightly nomadic, for congregated mortals attract attention. The new dangers of this world seem to sense mortals.
The People of Reath
(Playable Races are underlined)
Humans
The largest human settlement of Reath was King Elrin's Domain. He ruled justly and held a court system that protected his citizens moderately well. There were many different nations under his control that, although did not hold sovereignty of their land, were given enough freedom to develop individually. Humans are adaptable, hardy creatures that, although lead short lives, make up for it in zeal and ability. They have no natural resistances, but learn skills faster. They were the most numerous race on Reath and still are.Elves
The elves were nomadic and so were master hunters, rangers, scouts, and druids. They are highly in tune with magic and nature and have adapted the easiest to their new life style. Elves had the highest survival rate during the Great Descent. They are not as physically strong or resilient as the other races. There are several different subspecies of elves, all with different innate magical abilities. - Sun Elves: A race of tall, spindly elves that lined in the mountainous areas of central Reath. They are dark in color and typically the strongest of the elves. Sun Elves have the ability to absorb sunlight to heal themselves.
- Moon Elves: These are the elves that lived in the thickest part of the rain forests and under towering evergreens, where sunlight is less common. These elves, although pale in skin, typically have dark shades of hair while having vibrant eyes somewhere along the red spectrum. They have the ability to see in low-lighted areas and with infrared (heat) vision.
- Ground Elves: The most common species of elf, they are less specific to region as they were so widespread, and account for almost as much of the current population of Reath as humans. The have varied appearances of almost any combination. Ground Elves had the ability to create simple, harmless illusions of light, like faerie fire.
- Frost Elves: Named such for living in the taiga regions of Reath, Frost Elves are incredibly pale and light colored, and their eyes are pastel shades. Frost elves have a resistance to the cold. They have the innate ability to create sparks with their hands. They have no elemental magic and cannot produce flames, just sparks. It was this gift that allowed them to survive where others could not.
Dwarves
The dwarves of Reath have suffered heavy losses during the Descent, and many of their people are trapped underground by the Creeping Death. Some managed to flee to the surface, although they often lead suicidal missions to save their kin. There are three types of Dwarves, and although they used to all live separately, they know congregate and can be found in groups. They are strong and hardy. Dwarves have a hereditary resistance to magic. They gain a resistance from it, but also have less success manipulating it. It is very rare to see Dwarven Arcane mage, though they still put the effort into their clergy. - Iron Dwarves: The most common species of dwarf, Iron Dwarves make up a good majority of the population of dwarves on Reath. They have no certain appearance. Iron Dwarves are the strongest of their race and are skilled warriors. The dwarves of Reath lived in an honor-based system, and this ideal sometimes persists to them now.
- Rust Dwarves: The smallest species of dwarves is the Rust dwarves, which rarely exceed four feet. They have brown or red hair and dark eyes and skin. They lived the deepest underground and were known to have large, powerful forges of lava. They have a resistance to heat as well as magic.
- Diamond Dwarves: With thick black hair are crisp blue eyes, Diamond Dwarves are specific in appearance. They are the least common dwarf and had the smallest population to begin with. Diamond dwarves are master enchanters. They are not as strong as their kin but the make up for this with their determination and attention to detail.
Orcs*
Orc are almost always mindless bestial people who have a lust for war. They lived in violent clan societies, but just before the Great Descent the orcs had gathered under a common banner to wage war on the other races and gain territory of their own. The follow a single, chaotic God, and typically serve him their entire lives. They are not very intelligent and weak against magic, but they make up for that by being physically superior to the rest of the races. There may have once been different types of orcs, but inbreeding and savagery would have blurred those line ages ago.(*To be an Orc, you must have a good enough reason to be outside of Orkish society. Please PM me for permission.)
Lycanthropes
Many types of Lycanthropes exist. From tigers to wolves, from ravens to sharks, lycanthropes are rare but not unheard of. They usually travel in packs outside of society, so it is unknown how many of them fared in wake of the Great Descent. Different lycanthropes follow a mixture of human and animistic behaviors, which varies by species and their location. Lycanthropy, in this universe, can be either inherited or transmitted. Natural lycanthropes can change at will, have a half-from that is a mixture between their two bodies, and can infect others with lycanthropy at will. Those who have been turned into a lycanthrope turn uncontrollably into their animal form during fulls moons, and can only infect others in their animal form. Some very experienced turned lycathropes are said to have more control over their forms. (*To be a lycanthrope, you must have a good enough reason to be outside of a clan. Please PM me for permission. I am not accepting any more lycans.)
Dragons
Mighty creatures that bow to no man, Dragons have fared decently during the end times. They are powerful enough to withstand the onslaught of divinity, however, the toll it is taking on Reath has affected them. There are many types of dragons, differing in appearance and strength, but they are not seen too often by mortals. They, too, are being hunted by the deities, but because the focus is on mortals, the dragons have been receding and saving their strength. Godlings
A godling is a mortal champion of a deity, or a mortal with divine blood. Godlings have been caught in the middle of this conflict. Those of deities that are now Anti-Gods are mostly dead, as devout followers of deities often unintentionally give that deity sovereignty over their body. For the deities still in the sky, Champions are useful and can be powerful; however, it is difficult to become, and many do not trust the divines any longer.(Please note that race names and titles are listed in their Trade Tongue counterparts. Elves do not call Sun Elves "Sun Elves," that is just their human misnomer.)
The Pantheons
(Deities that are black are Anti-Gods, and deities that are yellow are not.)
Just because a deity is a part of a certain pantheon does not mean that only that race can worship them. Gods and goddesses affect more than their same-raced peoples. There are many more deities in every pantheon than those named below; these are just the most powerful and most prominent.
Magic
Magic on Reath is fueled my mana. Mana is a naturally-occurring energy in all living things on Reath. It physically manifests in underground pools, streams, and frozen crystals. It is powerfully potent in its natural form and requires a skilled hand to handle it. Every person has mana, but it takes training and discipline to be able to channel it. Mana is like its own strength. You can use your arm over and over again, but you get sore and eventually can't any more. The ability to channel mana, or someone's will, starts low but advances with practice. Spells with large effects take more energy and vise versa.
There are several schools of magic on Reath, and within the schools, aspects. Every spell and technique falls into an aspect and its respective school. Most often, mages choose one school of magic and several aspects from that school, in their magic style. That way, it levels across the board and the mage. To gain power in one aspect, you must practice it, so choosing too many can be a detriment.
Divine Magic is a different kind of energy than Arcane Magic on Reath. Although they are very similar, they are powered by different forces; Arcane magic comes from within, from mana, and Divine magic is gifted to priests from their patron deity. Their spells, instead of following a school of magic, relate to their deity's tenets, domains, and dogma. All priests can access the "Creation" school of magic in some way. However, priests are unique in that they do not have to follow the course of an aspect to gain power. A priest can gain high level spells, in an aspect in the same school as his other aspects, without having previous spells in that aspect. This rarely branches across schools.
A "Magic Style," as is listed in your CS, is a small description including any combination of the following; a description where your power comes from, how you learned it, what school it accesses, and what aspects your character starts with. Here's an example: Nature's Wrath: After living in the forest for much of his life, the mage has become in tune with nature. The mage has learned this style from the ranger he followed since adolescence. He can access the Primal school of magic with a focus on the elemental and natural aspects. At the start, the mage can cast simple elemental spells, but as he gains skill can come to summon massive storms. Please see my (eventual) CS for another example.
Enchantment in this setting refers to imbuing items with magic powers. The only way to do this is to work with raw mana. Dwarves are good enchanters because they live underground, which is where mana naturally appears. They have a resistance to its effects; this is also why they do not make good mages.
This is a multi-plane world. A plane is a meta-physical location; you cannot physically change planes, only project yourself into them. Reath is on the Mortal Plane. Each pantheon has its own plane of existence. The leader of the Pantheon has absolute control over any entity in its plane. Each deity in the pantheon has a "domain;" this has two meanings. The first is their territory on the Divine Plane, the second are the places on the Mortal Plane over which they have influence.
Starting Point & Plot
Currently, the mortals left on Reath typically follow what was once the High Road. In most cases, the road is flat yet unadorned, making it a less-than-preferable place for living shadows to stay. It is not uncommon to come across other settlers when traveling, going in either direction. There are places that are known safe-spots, whether because of geography, religious protection, or powerful yet small human settlements. However, on bridges and high-rises, the supports typically harbor dangers. In many such spots, there are mercenary outposts: a powerful group who can offer protection will wait if they pleased, until someone who could not make it alone needed the assistance. Some do it for free, others take advantage.
You have come to the port city of Urenda. In the past, it had been a small city with a very diverse population and a trade-based economy. The city proper was once infested with shadow-walkers, but recently a sect of Relanthon Priests have taken to protecting it. They have driven most of the shadow-walkers out, and have more than a few followers living in the city. There are usually one or two traveling merchants at Urenda at one time, and these settlers have taken to tending some of the outer fields. The priests do well by their charges and work earnestly to help any mortal that comes their way.
Skill Points
Because this RP will have a lot of combat and fighting, I am going to use a point system. This way, strength is measured, ad disputes can be worked out. All fighting between player characters will be done in PM with me and posted as a collaborative post. Each character starts with six base skill points. Characters will gain points differently; they will be geared individually toward your character's actions. I will award skill points when I deem fit. Feel free to talk to me about any concerns or ideas. Just because you want something that isn't listed below doesn't mean you can't have it.
The characters in this setting are low level. That does not mean they cannot be renown, merely that they will soon be facing things that are MUCH BIGGER and BADDER than they have experienced.
Base Bonuses:
- Humans: Start with 1 extra SP
- Elves: Gain a free spell with their first magic style
- Dwarves: Can start with a weapon for 0 SP
- Orcs: Start with the "Strong" Natural Ability
- Lycanthrope: Start with the "Transfom" Natural Ability to turn into their were-animal
- Natural elven magic abilities come at no SP charge and with no prerequisites
Base Costs:
- Fighting Style: 1 SP (2 SP for second+)
- Magic Style: 1 SP (2 SP for second+)
- Natural Affinity: 1 SP (i.e., My character can run really fast / is strong / etc.)
- Skill: 1 SP (i.e., my character can pick locks / speak this language / preform this act / etc.)
- Ability: 1 AP (A technique or ability that your character can do, such as a fighting move or other physical feat
- Spell: 1 AP (Each individual spell you character can cast.
- Upgrade: 1 SP (Makes a skill you have better)
- Second Class: 5 AP
Item Costs:
- Weapon: 1 SP (To use a weapon you must have a fighting style)
- Armor: 2 SP
- Pet: 1 - 4 SP (SP cost dependent on choice of animal)
- Asset: 1 - 4 SP (SP cost dependent on influence of asset.)
- Mount: 5 SP
Starter Packs:
- Each class starts with something for free
- Warrior: Fighting Style, Weapon
- Mage: Magic Style, Spell
- Priest: Magic Style, Spell
- Ranger: Fighting Style, Small Pet
- Rogue: Skill, Upgrade
- Bard: Magic Style, Spell
- Monk: Fighting Style, Ability
- Other: I want everyone to have a starter pack, so if your desired class isn't here I'll make you one.
Rules & Notes
Rules
1. Don't be a dick
2. Follow site rules
3. Blue lightning is a thing in this RP so I will kill your character if you don't listen to me. :p I'm kidding of course, just know I'm the GM. I'm pretty open to suggestions and working things out though so hopefully no issues.
Please do not post characters in the Characters Tab! I will do that! Submit them here for review and acceptance. This is the CS! Do not edit the text in the link, please copy the sheet into RPG and then edit. You can add anything you think is missing, but please do not redact anything (you can redact "Magic Style" and "Spells" from the CS if you aren't a mage).
There are aspects of this, especially about the warfare between the deities and the enemies you will face, that are not detailed. This is because your character likely does not know about them, unless they are a priest that's been studying the subject for a bit of time (which, I will allow one besides my character). The skill point system is in place to keep characters' power in check; an important part of this RP will be physical and emotional development.
Yes. My Character has more SP than yours. Suck it.
No, but really, this is for two reasons; this is what makes this exciting for you, your characters are in situations that require them to push themselves, and because he is a model for what will most likely be your character's next SP level.
