Ellri

The Relics

Right. Missed that initially. Then you can feel free to post it in the CS thread.

The Relics

One minor mistake, McHaggis: Amaryth is the Capital of Othea, not the capital of Kalnach. Other than that it should be good. By the way, nice to see you using formatting to make it easier to find different sections. Other than that one thing, we don't see anything that needs changing therein. Once that's fixed, feel free to post it up.

Freeshooter: First of all: nice to see you including numerous flaws that make sense and limit him noticeably. The one thing we feel is missing is his connection to the established lore. If the nations don't fit, tie him to the geography. While finer details change, its not likely that any major stuff changed. Mountain ranges may have wear, tear and growth, but they do not change on the grand scale in a span of mere centuries. Fix that, and we'd think it should be fairly good to go (unless, of course, the other GMs disagree).
EDIT: would you mind adding some formatting to the CS to make it easier for people to browse? (bold, underscore, italics, those sorts of things)

Lore:
Anyone can write such. Other than Kalesia (which is a pet project of ours) and Da-Hyun and to some degree the Dominion of Idris (which are AlidaMaria's), most nations are entirely free for people to add to. Changes to those two-three should be checked with the people claiming them. Later we imagine that other places will have similar restrictions with different people. One of the chief goals here is that no lore contradicts other lore, and that it sticks roughly to the gameplans imagined by the GM-triune.
Adding cities to Othea (and potentially other nations) is something people especially do not need to ask about. There aren't cities there yet because we've not defined them, not because they don't exist.

The Relics: Character Sheets

Thora Thorvaldsdóttir

Name: Thora Thorvaldsdóttir
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Faction/Allegiance: Initially: independent Othean.

Biography (part I):
Thora was born in the small village of Anarion, in the mountains south of Amaryth. It was a village much like hundreds of others in Othea, its denizens mostly herders of the medium-sized, goat-like Yerkis, who are known for their ability to scale pretty much any slope, and for their thick, red-tinged wool. Not everyone in the village tended the livestock, but other than the necessities like the blacksmith and the innkeeper, most the villagers worked directly with the Yerkis herds.
While her mother was a herder, Thora's father was the village blacksmith, and had fully expected her to follow in his footsteps, or rather anvil-banging. Unfortunately, Thora never really took after him in that fashion. Sure, she could work the forge, but she simply didn't care enough to truly focus upon the art of smithing. She was far too busy running up into the hills and exploring the ruins dotting the landscape.
The elders generally discouraged the children from playing in the ruins, but nobody actually expected them to listen. They were children, after all. However, unlike her peers, Thora kept moving through the ruins even after she left childhood behind. When questioned why, she never really had a good answer. While this is not something the elders particularly like, she has become well-known for doing her job properly when she's not running into the ruins. She has a reputation for never shirking her duties, so that particular idiosyncrasy is permitted to her.
Appearance (part I):
Thora looks much like any other villager her age. Maybe a bit more muscular, but not so as to stand out from other girls her age, but most have learned not to cross her, as her right hook (taught by her father), is vicious and has left more than an over-eager youth with a thoroughly aching jaw. As clothing goes, she has never been fond of bright colors. Most her clothes are homespun tunics and leggings of the faintly reddish tinge familiar to Yerkis wool, but she has also had a fondness for hooded cloaks dyed black as night.
Other than the Yerkis wool, the prime trade good of Thora's home village is the plant known locally as Rellik. Its common in higher elevations throughout Othea, but more common near Anarion than in most other regions. While the most immediately noticeable effect of treating wool with the essence of Rellik is that the cloth turns so deep a purple as to be almost black, its secondary effect is what makes it so valuable, for that effect renders it virtually impermeable to water and reduces the chances of growths of mold or other forms of decay. Since reaching adulthood, Thora has attained a fondness for clothes treated with the essence of Rellik.
Biography (part II):
While most her peers were married young, or at least mated young, Thora never quite settled down. She did not really know why, but the time simply never seemed right. She always made sure that when she did experiment, it was in the cycles of the moons where chances of conception were at a minimum. Similarly, she never gathered any truly close friends. She had friends, but always kept a sort of shell around her inner self, never opening up completely to anyone. The fact that she could, and had, beat up most of the boys in the village probably was part of the reason she never got any close friends. Most tend to be reluctant to become close friends after loosing a tooth or two.
She was twenty years old by the time she found the relic that would reshape her life in ways she could not have expected. She'd been out exploring the ruins dotting the hills when suddenly the ground fell out under her, revealing a hidden chamber. Most of what lay in the chamber was decayed beyond recognition, but a single object stood out for her. That object was a simple-looking bracer, not unlike that used by archers to protect the wrist from the bowstring. Following an urge as ancient as the relics themselves, Thora slid her arm into the leather bracer, yelping in surprise when it tightened itself once in the right position. She started tugging at it to get it off, but could find no spot to grab. The last thing she remembers from that time was a strange whisper at the back of her head, then everything was blank.
When she came to, she saw that her tunic was stained with blood, and that she was in a completely different location. She tried to think back as to what had happened, but all she got was the merest flashes of memory, but nothing that made any sort of sense. She could feel her body aching in all sort of unusual places though. She cleaned herself up in one of the many mountain streams, quite oblivious to the chill of the water, but then she had been washing in those streams all her life.
The blood easily washed away, and she returned back home. The day after, she heard that someone, one of her more distant cousins, was missing, but dared not consider the possibility that there might be a connection. She kept her tunic well over the strange bracer, hoping to ignore it for now. Over the next weeks there were occasional strange images and thoughts flashing through her head, but nothing truly made much sense. Her cousin never turned up, but everyone agreed that it had to have been one of the mountain beasts or something. It had happened before.
Appearance (part II):
As the months went by, Thora slowly started feeling different. It never in obvious ways, but rather in the most subtle manners. She took to wearing her cloak almost all the time, for the light of the sun made her uncomfortable. It didn't burn her more than others, but still she found herself disliking it. Some commented, but she paid them no heed. In time, she found that it slowly became easier to see well at night than during the day. She knew enough of the ancient legends to attribute it to the strange relic stuck to her arm, but also knew that it was best to keep this secret, for there were a few in the village who had embraced the faith the dominion of Idris. She had little doubt they would not hesitate to turn her in to the Order if they knew what she had become, what she might have done.
As she lacked access to a mirror, there was none in the village, it took her a long while to spot her other changes. Slowly her body thinned out, growing lankier, loosing what little bulk she had built up working in the smithy, yet retaining the strength for it. Her pale blue eyes turned a pale gray and rather penetrating, and her light brown hair darkened somewhat, though that last may have been an effect of it no longer being as exposed to the sun. The one bit she could not explain as anything natural, was the way her upper canines increased in length, becoming sharper. Thora remained around the same average height she had always been, but did not retain her formerly thick build. She grew even more fond of climbing and running, her body reflecting this.
Biography (part III):
Over the following year, Thora was rather good at denying to herself that there was any connection between the rare disappearances of villagers and the blackouts she had. She truly did not want to believe that she might be responsible, but with each time, the facts started to build up. One, she could not remember anything from the time. Two, she woke up somewhere else. Three, her clothes and skin was bloody. Four, someone was missing, never to be seen again. Five, the nagging thirst at the back of her throat that no amount of water would quench was inevitably sated after a blackout.
Appearance (part III):
After the fourth disappearance, Thora could no longer deny it. Nobody had seen her do it, but she knew it had to be her. Packing up a small haversack with supplies and donning the best clothes she owned, all of them dyed with essence of Rellik, she prepared to depart. After packing, she worked hard at the forge all day, smithing a pair of knives that outmatched any she had made before. They were longer and heavier than average, but not so long or heavy as to be unwieldy, but the craftsmanship was one she could not deny to be magnificent. In the afternoon, she sat quietly, fixing the hilts and sheaths for them, and two hours after night fell, she picked up her haversack, departing the village of Anarion with no intent to return until she had figured out what the relic was doing to her and how to control it.

Relic Abilities:
Thora moved through the land, staying away from any of the villages. When hunger hit her, she hunted. She found that her relic granted her increased agility as well as making her vision sharper at night. Many a wild animal learned too late how good a predator she had become, for she instinctively knew exactly how to hide herself from them until she could pounce upon them and slay them.
The blackouts still happened, but more often than not, she had no bloodstains to clean off. Sometimes the strange thirst was sated afterwards, other times it wasn't. Whenever it was, she resolved to stay further away from villages in the future, but inevitably found herself straying closer nonetheless. With her quest being understanding, she did not have a specific goal in mind as she wandered. Early on, she kept mostly to the foothills, for that territory, while far from home, was familiar in style, but eventually she neared the border that Othea shared with its southern neighbor. She knew she had to turn away at that time, for something told her it was a bad idea to cross the border.
Sleeping in the wild was not the most comfortable thing, but her cloak was of the finest Anarion make, and it kept her both warm and dry. After reaching the border, she turned north, heading into the lowlands, then slowly finding herself heading parallel to the main road to the capital city of Amaryth. The blackouts, so far as she could determine, were becoming more and more frequent, and the unnatural thirst stronger each time. She reasons that if there's anyone knowing much about relics in all of Othea, he or she will no doubt be in Amaryth.

Flaws:
At this time, the relic controls Thora more than she controls it. Its not that she's weak-minded, but rather that she isn't trained to handle it. Many relics of the Old Kingdom are powerful things that can almost be said to have a will of their own. Thora's relic is just one such item.
When the relic needs (or wants) to feed, she more or less blacks out, rarely remembering much afterwards. The bloodthirst is unrelenting when it surfaces, but she mostly feeds when alone with her victims. Few notice her, but some might spot the fact that her upper canines are longer and more pointed than is normal. Thora is as of yet unwilling to admit to herself that this is a problem.
Having grown up in a fairly small village, Thora never had cause to learn how to read or write. Even now, she sees little use in learning it.

Skills:
In the months since she left her village she grew up in, Thora has become quite skilled as a hunter-gatherer, even gained some skill at constructing simple shelters. During her youth, she learned how to climb, how to be quite inquisitive and curious, as well as how to manage a forge. Not quite on a master's level, but far above a journeyman's level.

Personality/motivation:
The things that most motivate Thora in her life now is the will to understand her relic. She is frequently confused by the blackouts, and she does not understand how the relic is slowly changing her. Thus she travels out to find someone that can help her get rid of this confusion.
But of course the relic has already changed her in a number of significant ways, as such, the thirst for blood also motivates her, even if she has no real control over it. When she does remember the flashes of what she has done in her blackouts, she pushes these back, trying to deny them.

Relations:
To be fixed. Feel free to suggest relations with her.

Final Point - Secrets:
Thora's greatest secret is one she does not know herself, that of the relic she has bonded with. In the days of the Old Kingdom, relics like hers were crafted as part of the many wars that wracked that ancient realm. None now remember those wars, but rather think that ancient kingdom was all peaceful. Thora's relic was either designed for warriors or for assassins, specialized for nighttime. The warriors and assassins wearing these relics were infamous for just how powerful and effective they were, legends attributing many things to them that they never could have done. They were said to see perfectly at night, to move like the wind and react like a shadow. They trained for years before touching their relics, disciplining their minds to handle its power. It is doubtful that anyone knows more than a fraction of this at this time in history, and most of that is probably intermixed with the false rumors about such relics.
She also has no idea how significant the other changes the Relic has in mind for her.
She has never revealed her relic to anyone.

The Relics

Essentially yes, Echo. Unless you happen to want to tweak it somehow, of course.

If anyone wants to work out lore for the place marked "haunted hills" on the map, then feel free to do so.
Only imagined lore so far is that it might have been something major in the Old Kingdom. Maybe some extensive system fortresses, or the capital. Or it could be something else entirely. The lore for this world should be built by everyone, not just the triune (of GMs).

Review for your character concept will come later, Freeshooter, but we can say we like this concept better than the one in Relics v1.

The Relics

The Gray Dust: other than in the relics, magic currently is essentially inaccessible. That might change later, but not soon. Relics are more commonly seen now than before, but what else they will do is yet to be seen.
Without access to 'proper' magic and with the knowledge of how they were made lost, modern relics are lost. Some relics have gifting as an ability, and that generally relies upon some object to store the power in. However, while empowered such objects aren't truly relics.

All accessible magic to characters comes from relics. Your character needs to be alive in that sense, not some artificially animated thing. But people don't really know much about magic, so they can easily be gulped into thinking all sorts of things. Just beware that certain people don't like magic or relics.

McHaggis: good character. Just one area we'd recommend tweaking. The church in Kalnach is much more present and overbearing than in Othea. Even far from capital and so forth, they would pursue anything remotely magical. We'd suggest that he was forced to flee after an inquisitor came to investigate his village. That'll give him extra reason to be in Othea.

Maki: don't worry just fit your old concept more or less to the new CS framework and make sure it meets the stuff described in lore about relics and you should be quite good. In other words, minor tweaks. We only revised ours completely because we wanted to.
Also, if you're good at creating IntCks Maki, then yes, feel free to do so.

Echo: new lore if major and/or Possibly conflicting with anything, post it here. Sections that are generally agreed upon by many, post there. Review here, really. The goal is to keep that thread fairly clean. Fewer post by each being better. Hikers are useful there. Later we might add a table of contents to the lore OP.

To those we've not answered questions for and such: Hai.

The Relics

hai thar, Maki.

We're actually taking this opportunity to revise our character sheet from Relics v1.

Thora Thorvaldsdóttir

Name: Thora Thorvaldsdóttir
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Faction/Allegiance: Initially: independent Othean.
Relic Description: Thora found her relic in one of the thousands of ancient ruins dotting the Kingdom of Othea, near the small village she grew up in. She knew not what it was the moment she found it, but when she did, she had the same urge that hits so many evokers upon seeing the relic they will bond with - an urge to touch it, to take it up. The moment she did so, she blacked out.

When she woke back up, she could remember nothing but vague flashes of what had happened after she picked it up. She found it sealed to her body, utterly impossible to remove and no tool she found could even scratch it, let alone remove it. The people of her village called her murderer and chased her away, utterly unwilling to explain what they meant, despite her questions and protests.

In the weeks and months afterwards, she had no choice but to travel the land, trying to understand all that was happening. Of the things she’s noticed, chief is the fact that bright light hurts, making her feel a need to squint in order to see well at all. In turn, she has found that she can see better in dim light and even to some degree darkness. She is also possessed of an otherworldly thirst that she cannot find out how to quench, frequently blacking out only to find it sated and blood staining her face. Her upper canines have sharpened slightly, growing a little longer, but not enough to make her stand out in a crowd.

Beyond these changes, Thora has begun to suspect that her reaction time has decreased and that everything is easier, but over the past few weeks, the blackouts have become more frequent, and the flashbacks more horrifying. She has taken to wearing a thick black robe with a deep hood to protect herself from the light, for while it does not physically burn her, it sure feels like it does.

What else this relic does, or for that matter how it does it she either doesn’t know or won’t admit to herself.
Appearance: As mentioned earlier, Thora wears a thick woolen robe with a deep hood. Underneath it she wears a simple homespun belted tunic and leggings with fur-based boots. At her waist she has a serviceable dagger that she uses for almost everything. She has a small haversack on her back, where she carries the very few objects she owns in the world.
Flaws: She has no control over her relic yet. When its needs surface, they control her. Her thirst for blood frequently overwhelms her and she refuses to admit to herself that this is her problem. Had she been born over a thousand years earlier, she would have been trained for years to be ready for such a forceful relic, but she had zero training to prepare her.
She is also completely illiterate.
Skills: After months of being forced to rely upon the bounty of nature for survival, she’s become a decent hunter/gatherer, has pretty good health and quite passable skill at building temporary shelters.
Biography: Other than the aforementioned details about how she found her relic, Thora is
Personality/motivation: The first motivation is confusion. She wants to understand her relic, to understand what is happening to her. Alas, she has no idea how to go about this.
The second thing that motivates her is the thirst. It is always present, and she cannot understand how to sate it. What she gets from her flashbacks she denies, as it is too horrifying to accept.
The third drive is an inexplicable need to move west, leading her towards the capital city of Amaryth, a place she has never before been.
Relations: To be fixed. Feel free to suggest relations with her.

Final Point - Secrets: Her relic is a remnant of an Old Kingdom war, crafted to aid nighttime warriors to excel. They were trained for years before ever being bound to such a relic, for it is a powerful item. Only those with such experience can be sure to control it (instead of being controlled by it). This is something she does not know, nor is it likely anyone else knows it.
She also has no idea how significant the other changes the Relic has in mind for her.
The exact appearance of her relic is secret.

The Relics: Lore

Relics
Some sort of common thread(s). Relics should probably have wildly different end powers, but what makes the powers work should be similar.
Types of powers:
Blood/lifeforce - These make sense to be the more war-like.
Life/death - Surely something could be based on this? To give life, you have to take it. Possibly related to blood/lifeforce.
Elemental (fire/earth/water/air/spirit) - It would make sense for these to be strong in one element but weak to its opposite. Draw from nature itself, maybe? Mind control would be in under spirit.
Gifting - These relics grant a significant bonus to theirs owners, then a certain percent of that to those the Evoker gifts with it.
Light/dark - Not sure about power source, but these are intangible. You can’t grab light or darkness.
Attraction/Repulsion - This can be used in so many ways. Maybe this will be powered by self?
Relics could use just one of those or several, but no one would have access to more than a few. For balance and all that.
With the Relics stemming from the era of the Old Kingdom, it is likely that there was some sort of aptitude common to the people of that era towards the relics. When that realm fell, the people intermingled with others, causing the ability to link with relics to spread among almost everyone. In some, it is more common than in others.

Azukhar
Seasons: When it is winter in one part of Azukhar, it is so in all other parts of the continent as well. (Granted, in the warmer climates, the winter might be more of a rainy season, but still…)
Moons: The world upon which Azukhar exists has three moons. Reliquia (lunar cycle: ten days), Gammel (lunar cycle: seventeen days) and Forlorn (lunar cycle: thirty-two days).

Language: While all languages on Azukhar originate from the language spoken in the Old Kingdom, over the course of a thousand and three years, each region has developed its own language. It is however rather easy to learn different languages (especially from neighboring countries) due to their shared linguistic origins. For the sake of communication and trade, an easy common language has been developed a few centuries ago. All people with a basic education are at least taught this language.

Kalesian Empire

Location: East of Othea (red on map), beyond the impassable Karak Claw mountains.
Relics: Evokers who loyally serve the Empress (may she live forever) are treated well by most Kalesians. They are, after all, agents of the Empire. Those who do not do so, are hunted and distrusted. If such a person should be captured, he or she will be put through “reeducation” so that (s)he can correct his/her ways. If this fails, the evoker is never heard from again, but rumors persist of a mysterious place deep inside the Older parts of the Empire where evokers are supposedly bred.
Culture: The Culture of Kalesia is well-balanced. Men and women have equal rights. Membership in the nobility is merit-based rather than inherited. While the Kalesian borders aren’t closed the way the borders of the Dominion of Idris are, not much is known about the workings of the empire within Othea.
Military: The Kalesian war machine is massive and advanced. It relies heavily upon creatures native to the Empire, including Mauler cavalry, Soldiers mounted upon the bear-like Bargals and Kalbeasts, who are essentially walking armored battering rams (they resemble a scaled-up crossing of rhinoceroses and Elephants). They also field massive armies of infantry and expert siege engineers. But even with these fearsome elements, it is the imperial war evokers who are most feared by nations sharing a border with the empire that isn’t made up like the impassable Karak Claw Mountains.
Climate: The climate and terrain of the empire is varied.
In the north near the mountains the climate is colder, dominated by evergreen forests.
Further south vast, lush grasslands are dominating, broken up only by the numerous rivers.
The southwestern region, commonly known as the riverlands, is extensively farmed by the empire and is commonly known as the “Breadbasket” of the Empire.
Political Climate: Stabilized. The Empress (may she live forever) rules supreme. The nobility, which is merit-based, is well-respected and the army in firm control. The citizens are on average very pleased with the situation.
Religion: In Kalesia, there is only one goddess, of whom the empress is the corporal incarnation. Worship of the Goddess is simple, which is why religions in assimilated nations rarely survive many generations. Procreation (and attempts to do so). However, it is considered blasphemous if one party in the worship is unwilling (i.e. rape).
Vocators: Rumors exist in the Empire of a mysterious order of Imperial agents called Vocators, but little is known about them. They are essentially unknown outside the borders of the Empire. Exactly what they are, how many they are, who they are and where they are based is unknown. All that people in authority know is that they answer directly to the Empress herself (may she live forever).

Vocators expanded

Vocators:
The vocators are a sort of secret society within the empire, who answer only to their superiors, a select few in the imperial army, and the empress. If they have heard of them at all, people in the empire never really know much about them, and half of what they do know is partially or entirely wrong. The only thing that is certain is their unflinching loyalty to the Empress (may she live forever). Outside the empire, they are no more than a myth, with any who have seen them assuming they are some sort of branch of the Imperial army.

All estimates put the Vocator order at around forty-five members at any one time, with one commander, for lieutenants and forty subordinates. However, keeping track of this is almost impossible, for not only are they dressed identically, but their personalities are almost identical, and they prefer not to answer to their birthnames. Its not because of shame or anything like that, but rather because they like to add to the mysticism surrounding them.

All vocators are female, and they are all dressed in form-fitting black leather armor. This armor, while it covers everything except their heads, leaves no doubt as to their gender. They might wear robes, cloaks or similar on top of the armor to conceal it, but they do not like to be seen in public not wearing it.

Vocators are trained to wield a plethora of weapons, from knives to swords to axes to throwing blades. But the signature weapon they are trained with is the sovnya, a long polearm with a viciously curved steel blade on the end. It has happened on more than one occasion that a single vocator has slaughtered an entire unit of soldiers using this weapon.

While most Vocators themselves aren't evokers, they all are connected to a relic, that of the Vocator commander. The commander's relic is one of the rare “gifter” relics, capable of transferring some of its power into another object, which then imbues another person with that power. This ability is limited, which is why there are only forty-five vocators at any one time. However, when one vocator dies, the power fades from the object they carry, and the commander can imbue another object with said power. At the vocator sanctum, there are hundreds of women training to become vocators, ensuring that whenever someone is raised to become one, she will be the best of the best. This also means that while vocators may on occasion die, the ranks of the Vocators never drop for long.

Most often, the object used by the regular vocators is an unadorned ring or bracelet, while the lieutenants have a necklace. Whatever the object is, it is concealed beneath the ebony-black leather armor. What this gifting grants the vocator is increased strength, agility, endurance and so forth. For the regulars, it is ten percent, while the lieutenants have a twenty-five percent increase. The commander has a fifty percent increase.

The goal of any vocator, beyond serving the empress of course, is to rise through the ranks. So long as a vocator has her artifact, her personality and behavior will slowly be molded, ensuring that if she should get the chance, she is capable of bonding with the commander's relic. After a few years of being a Vocator, a woman's personality and behavior has changed to such a degree that she is in many ways identical to all other vocators, and is capable of taking up the relic. The only way to advance through the ranks is through a highly formalized system of challenges, where one vocator may challenge a lieutenant, or a lieutenant may challenge the commander. Exactly how this goes is unknown, for no one outside the vocators (and the empress, may she live forever) has ever observed one of these rites. One can only assume that if the challenger wins, the loser does not survive.

Kalnach

Location: North/Northeast of Othea. (Light green on map)
Relics: Among the lower classes, Relics are typically a road to a quick death unless some noble has use for you and hides you from the church. For women of any birth, being an evoker is a death sentence. No matter how noble your blood, the Inquisitors will see such a woman dead. In this, The Order of Idris also has full support from the nobility, who do not wish their power to be threatened.
Culture: Male-dominated. Women are hardly more than property, with the men of their families (or their husbands) having all the rights in society.
Dowries are common among the higher classes. The lower classes have severely limited rights in conflicts with the higher classes.
Serfs belong to the land, which in turn belongs to some noble. This essentially makes them property. Not quite as low as a slave, but effectively much the same. They cannot be traded the way slaves can, but come with the land, so when a Noble daughter is wed with a dowry of land, it will come with serfs to work it. Some nobles treat their serfs better than others, but none treat them particularly well.
Slavery is utterly forbidden in Kalnach. Anyone even accused of dealing in slaves is leaned heavily upon by the Kalnachi Inquisitors. This leaning is generally very changing for their dealings, or rather deadly, depending on how harsh the offense was. Sure, Serfdom, which is very much the practice in Kalnach is not much better, but a serf has some rights, a slave has none. Female serfs have particularly few rights.
It is not unusual for some nobles to use their female serfs basically as whores. Children born of such unions generally adopt their mother’s caste, unless the noble has other wishes.
Crime, when done against the lower classes, is rarely paid much attention to by the higher classes, provided it does not inconvenience them.
Military: The Kalnachi are decent when it comes to their military, but they are no geniuses. Among the Nobility, minor wars and large tournaments are
They are notorious for certain military traits:
Assaulting fortified positions (i.e. Siege)
Defending fortified positions
Mounted close-combat cavalry
Archery. Kalnachi longbowmen, who train from early childhood, are the greatest archers in all of Azukhar. Mounted on tall fortified positions, they can hold off whole armies with remarkable ease. It is these in particular who have made the Kalanchi a nation not to be trifled with. The unclaimed border territory between the Kalesian Empire and Kalnach far to the north near the coast is known as the field of bones because of these archers’ skill.
However, while the above traits are areas they do well, they have never been experts at fielding regular infantry or extended mobile campaigns. They are generally too busy fighting each other for any attempts at expansive invasions to work out. As such, The borders of Kalnach have essentially remained static for several centuries, safe for the years of the Oragos Dominion.
Climate: Temperate. Fields, mixed forests and what comes with that.
Political Climate: Remarkably steady. The society is feudal, with a small royal family and decent-sized nobility. The classes below the noble class are larger. The largest caste is that of the Serfs.
Religion: The most notable religion in Kalnach is a derivative of the Church of Idris. Though they essentially worship the same god, they do not feel beholden to Idris. The Inquisitors of Kalnach hold firm dominion over the lives of the common people. Anyone showing any hint of being an evoker, proven or not, is of great interest to them. No matter what class they belong to, female evokers hunted down and executed.
Since not all means can kill all evokers, the inquisitors are thorough about being sure someone is fully slain.
First of all, they burn the prisoner at the stake. Then they are drawn and quartered. Their bones are ground to meal, and their flesh, if any remains, is put in jars. Inquisitors take extreme pleasure in performing this rite.
If they can’t destroy the relic themselves, they will ship it to Idris for them to try destroy it, or if that too fails, for safe storage where none can get at them.

Othea

Relics: Evokers are usually left alone by the commoners in Othea, although the Royal Relic Constabulary hunts down evokers for the sake of employing their service for the good of the realm. The actual royals have tried to remain neutral on the issue.
Gender: Women are treated with respect, have the right to own their own capital and are seen as heirs. However, the gender equality doesn't go all that much further than the economic aspect of life. Women do have chances to join the army, though are usually associated with weakness, so it will harder for them to climb the social ladder.
Climate: I was thinking that they would have a temperate climate, combined with the fertility of the soil makes Othea a blessed country to live in. Perhaps a combination of meadows, farmlands and forests. The forests would be mainly in the slightly less fertile areas near the mountains (in which a variety of local tribes live).
Political Climate: Othea was very warlike in the past, especially after they gained their independence from the Oragossi dominion (which was about 200 years ago.) but the last few kings have successfully brought their country peace. Aside from a few skirmishes now and then on the Oragossian border, the Kingdom has enjoyed peace for a few decades. The current king is not very popular, but the prince and the other members of the royal family are respected much more.
How is the nobility viewed? The merchants? The “rabble”?

Religion: The current king is very faithful to the church of Idris, who have helped him stay on his throne. As a non-evoker with power, he is ever fearful of being supplanted by some random person with a relic. The Archons of Idris, the leaders of the church, have used this to great effect to gain influence in Othea.
However, the crown prince, Aral, (Milian?) has seen with disgust how the church manipulated his father and curries favor with the people, hoping to unite the kingdom even further upon his ascension to the throne. Exactly how deep their faith in the royal family is, can be questioned. The more the king curries favor with the Church, the further the less fanatic portions of Otheans are alienated.

Map of Amaryth

Oragos

Location: West of Othea, East of Da-hyun.
Relics: The Oragossi government, being essentially puppets of Idris, tend not to want anything to do with Relics and Evokers, gladly passing them over to the Order of Idris. They care not what happens after that.
Culture: Women have an increasingly worsening position in Oragossi society. In many ways, they are hardly more than slaves and livestock, having no rights to property. Rape is virtually without punishment, especially if the man responsible is in any way associated with the Conclave or the Military. The culture is very much signified by the rule of the strong.
Military: The Oragossi military is plagued by highly inefficient bureaucracy. It has potential for greatness, and has proven its worth during the time of the Oragos Dominion, but with the current political leadership, it won’t be possible for the nation to extend its borders.
Climate: Oragos is a country dominated by rivers, canals and embanked grassland. These lands used to be boggy peatland, until the Oragossi developed a way to drain water from the multiple marches, leaving very fertile grounds. Because of these fertile soils, the number of inhabitants is relatively high. The system of drainage has also been used the other way around as a military tactic to create flood large pieces of land used for defensive purposes. While not utterly impassable, deep trenches hidden under the water surface0 makes advancing far into Oragos extremely difficult, with high losses to be expected for any invader.
Political Climate: Oragos used to be a great empire. That empire lasted about a hundred years, after conquering much of the western half of the continent. Upon the assassination of its emperor and all his heirs, the empire fell apart. The nations who broke out of the Oragos Empire at that time still look upon Oragos with suspicion, if not outright hatred. The leaders of the now-shrunken Oragos, try to regain their old power and glory. It is not unusual for them to attempt issuing commands and proclaiming to their former subject nations, but these decrees have no real effect beyond alienating them further.
The Oragos Conclave, all that remains of the Empire’s ruling body, has widely fluctuating membership, frequently plagued with assassinations.
However, should a single ruler once more rise to power without being toppled, the chances of Oragos reclaiming some of their former glory is quite possible.
Religion: These days, the Order of Idris is basically the only religion with any power in Oragos, after a treaty they made a few decades back. Before the order came to Oragos, the only religion that was present in Oragos was a small cult of nature worshippers. They were soon supplanted by the more organized, militaristic and religiously fanatic Church of Idris.

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

And so it came to pass that it be launched.
http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/65034/posts/ooc?page=1#post-2018019

The Relics

Original concept by GuiltySpark

Introduction

A thousand and three years ago, the continent of Azukhar was dominated by a single, massive kingdom. All knowledge of the cataclysm that made it fall apart has been lost to the ages. All that remains now, are remnants of their culture, some architecture and, most importantly, the relics of a lost age. These relics, worshiped by some, hated by others, look just like normal trinkets. Their remarkable powers were as numerous as they were powerful, linking themselves to people born of the right blood, whatever that means. They can be anything from baubles to cheap rings, to pieces of armor to garments or books. As such, relics have often been passed over by treasure hunters, or if taken, been sold cheaply to wander the land. The secret to uncovering these relics lies not in you recognizing them, but in them recognizing something in you. Only when a relic senses someone compatible will its power unlock, and even then only for that someone. How exactly that works has been a subject of debate for centuries, with several schools of thought being believed throughout Azukhar.

Whenever a relic of the Old Kingdom finds a compatible user, who in many nations is called an Evoker, it bonds to that man or woman. The power it grants can vary greatly, but it is always the same for each unique relic, and it is tailored to their personality and the abilities the relic senses the person has potential for. As such, a relic might enhance an already existing attribute or skill, or it could grant one the person doesn’t yet have. As relics have wandered the land for over a thousand years, they can be found virtually anywhere. A ruin or a marketplace, a family heirloom or a gift. Anywhere.

However, should you ever find yourself bonded to a relic, beware one thing: Do not lose it or stay away from it too long. You will find that if you do, you will sicken and eventually die.
Another thing you should be wary of is that not all nations and faiths look fondly upon evokers. In particular, the Order of Idris is infamous for its hatred of all things related to the Old Kingdom, the relics and their evokers in particular.

While many a nation has opened their borders to the Order of Idris and their harsh view of anything stemming back to the Old Kingdom, not all nations have done this. In the mysterious eastern Empire of Kalesia, the Order of Idris is considered an enemy of the state, and their knights are killed on sight. However, that Empire is far away from where you find yourself, with treacherous mountains blocking their path. You are somewhere in the proud kingdom of Othea, in or near the lakeside capital of Amaryth. You have no doubt heard of the upcoming birthday of King Hrodlaf the third. He hasn’t shown himself in public for a few months now, and whispers say that the king is sickly. Either way, the Royal birthday festival is promising to become a great spectacle. How you came to be here and how long you’ve been here is up to you to reveal on your own.

The RP

• This is intended to be a free-form roleplay, with much of the world being constructed by the players and characters rather than by the GM. There is a rough plot being continually plotted by the GM, but this still means that if you have an idea you think will work, you are essentially free to implement it. However, if you think it might be extreme or it will change the balance in major ways, we recommend checking it with one (or more) of the GM. We are all looking for players who take initiative and roll around only to come up running when someone throws a wrench into their carefully laid plans, players who enjoy building on what others compose.
• About your powers: They can be as simple as manipulating one of the prime elements (earth/fire/water/wind), or as complex as physical mutations, mind control or granting others increased abilities. As long as they are practical, not overpowered and have some means of providing the “fuel” for the abilities, you are free to compose as you wish. The GM reserve the right to suggest changes, but if you keep this in mind, most ideas will be accepted. Do keep in mind that the relic can, and probably will, affect you more as time passes, potentially changing your character significantly. Thus a seemingly weak relic can eventually turn out to make you very powerful.
• We tell you now, in case you did not get it earlier… While there is a plan, it is not the plan. It can, and probably will, be changed by what you players do. If you do not thrive in such an environment, if you need to be led along a well-defined plot to work, this might not be the RP for you. On the other hand, with several players leading the way, it could still be just the RP for you. Leaders do after all need followers.
• This RP utilizes IRC a lot, so while the OoC is also used, it contains less than other OoC threads might do. the channel used for the IRC is #Aftermath. So long as you don't flood the OoC with anything or break the guild rules, we don't care overmuch what you put up in the OoC.

Map of Azukhar

Full-size map of Azukhar

Map of Amaryth

Full-size map of Amaryth

Rules

• All characters must be tied into existing lore somehow. New players can implement some new lore for them, but they also have to use some pre-existing lore for their characters. This is to ensure that characters and events can more easily be connected.
• All players can expand the world’s lore, but its best to talk it out with at least a few others before adding major stuff.
• Initially, all players will be in or near the city of Amaryth in Othea. Whether they are Othean or born of another nation is up to whomever creates said character.
• All relics must have some power to their relics, but it cannot be unlimited. The larger the area of effect, the less the power should be able to do.
• Physically tangible effects like gravity, fire, stone, etc. cannot have as large an area of effect as intangible effects like simple light, darkness, emotions, communications, etc.
• For example, no one should be able to level mountains on a whim or control entire armies with their minds.
• It would be preferred if all relics have some sort of source powering them (Evoker’s own energy, blood/lifeforce, lunar effects, photosynthesis, etc.)

Approved Character Sheets
The Lore of Azukhar

Edit access to the lore is granted on request. New players are advised to read at least some of it, in particular the first section. When you choose a nation for your character, read that nation's section.
If you've got questions, feel free to drop by the IRC and ask us. We, or someone else in Relics, are usually around in the #aftermath channel. Or post them here in the OoC. Or PM us. Whatever floats your goat.

The Relics: Character Sheets

NOTE: Please do not post your CS here until it has been approved by a GM.

Character Sheet Template
Name:
Age:
Gender: (Or a disguise, doesn't have to be their real gender.)
Faction/Allegiance: (Whom does your character answer to? This can vary greatly, but at this point you have to be part of the same faction as another player, preferably loyal to either Othea, Kalesia, Kalnach or the Dominion of Idris.)
Relic Description: (Include the relics appearance and abilities)
Appearance: (if using a picture, please pick something that you’d get away with wearing in public and that would make sense for the era. Same goes for text-based description.)
Flaws: (The more, the merrier)
Skills: (What sort of non-relic skills/abilities make your character stand out?)
Biography: (you know, regular background stuff. Its up to you if you want to have just a couple of paragraphs or half an essay, but quality will trump quantity.)
Personality/motivation: (Explain how your character works. What makes it tick? What sort of quirks are there to him/her? What motivates him/her?)
Relations: (Does your character have any sort of relationship/relations with any of the others? Friendship? family? Sworn enemy? worked together? etc.)
Final Point - Secrets: (this point can be PM’d to one or all of the GMs if you want. If you want it secret from someone, specify that, please.)
Theme Song: (Never asked for one of these before, thought it would set the mood while I read CSes. Totally optional.)

If there is any point in the above framework you don’t feel works for you to fill out before playing a bit, you can skip it. One of the primary goals here is for the GMs to get a rough idea of what your character is like. Its not the end of the world if it turns out your character doesn’t work as first described, so don’t worry about making any mistakes in your concept.

Current characters:
Ellri: Thora Thorvaldsdóttir
McHaggis: Leander
Freeshooter: Baron Isaiah Markul
Fallenreaper: Roan Adonis
LiverisGood: Amy Lockwood
Maki Casanova: Kaiden Belzer
No Bite and All Bark: Barron Blackwill
Ellri: Angie Nic Cuán & NPC Sevan Vlahovic
Sundered Echo: Alessia
Enalais: Garet
WilsonTurner: Myth

Characters no longer in the RP:
AlidaMaria: Marcus & Shin
Sep: Malich
Apokalipse: Lavica Nizak

Deceased characters: