Name: The Guardian
Titles: The Emperor of Ullanor, The Absent Lord, The God-Marshall, The Golden Lady
Seat of Power:
The Guardian resides in an architectural wonder, a great castle the size of three cities atop a mountain whose steep slopes supplement its excessively high and thick walls in defense. A moat (more appropriately called a lake) of water, heated, brought to boiling point and replenished by the mountain’s natural geothermal activity further protects the god’s residence. Yet the castle itself is not a place a sane person would consider as livable: it is a great distance away from the nearest settlement and the lands around it have been scorched to agricultural uselessness. Not to mention: it was made solely for the defense of The Guardian’s person with mortal comforts being deemed unnecessary. There is no furniture, no decoration, not a single fireplace -- only mustering grounds, killzones, traps and armories for his soldiers who are as grim and merciless as they are divinely blessed with the liberation from pretty mortal needs.
The mountain is ominously called “The Rock” by the people; the castle itself is known as “Leviathan”.
Divine Aspects: Order, Stability and War
Appearance:
Warlord:
The Guardian takes upon the form of a large man at peak physical shape, boasting broad and thickly-corded muscles that would already have been powerful without divine powers, but, alas, were greatly enhanced by them. The skulls of mortals have been crushed with but a mere grab and squeeze of his hand and almost without effort from the god. No lesser being can hope to challenge The Guardian in this form and see victory, whether it is mortal combat in a stormy battlefield or a simple game of chess.
The Guardian’s approach to battle is unorthodox for gods like him: he would rather command than actually fight himself. Each year, he lobotomizes willing volunteers into the perfect killing machines who know no remorse, no pity, no mercy, don’t age, and lack a sense of self. He has cultivated a grand army of them over the centuries, and at his call, they are more than willing to kill -- they have absolutely no say in the matter and will follow it until they are completely destroyed.
Diplomat:
The Guardian takes upon the form of a mild-mannered woman with a voice packed with subtleties of all kinds, mortals are entranced by it. Her clothing, but a simple robe, is of the finest silk, laced with her own divine energies. Likewise and as expected of a god, her beauty is superb, and there is a recorded instance where a single smile from her pacified an entire rebellion in but a heartbeat. In this form, The Guardian is a master temptress, a skilled diplomat, and a wise advisor to those who would listen. For the first four centuries of her reign, this was the form she took on the most. As such, she is depicted like so in most art and literature, both foreign and local.
Child:
Only within the safety of Leviathan does The Guardian take on his original form, the one he was born with: that of a boy’s. The Guardian believes that the world would be a better place if everyone stayed young, and he toys with this unproven theory by taking on the form of a child. There have been exceedingly rare instances when The Guardian decides to mingle with the populace in this form, mostly with other children, whom he plays with. This is also his default form.
Artifacts:
The Gem of Ullanor: An uncut sapphire gemstone which The Guardian thoughtlessly picked up almost immediately after his birth. He carried it for no actual important reason well into the foundation of his Empire in the Center of the World. Having been in his presence for such a long time, the stone has become a reservoir of terrible divine power. The Guardian has found no use for it so far, but he keeps it just in case the balance of power in the world needs to be shifted.
Unique abilities:
By Divine Right: Mortals will, on command, bend their knee to The Guardian, follow his requests at their own peril, and hold him as all that is perfect upon the world. This is his aspect of Order, of judge, of statesman, of leader, given concrete effect. His dominion over all lesser things is his Divine Right.
Lingering Blessing: The land is made more fertile and more bountiful as The Guardian stays in it. The river-waters are much purer, the grass much greener and healthier, the soil more rich, and puppies much more active. The people are also suddenly less violent, more prone to smiling and laughing, and become quite content with the divine, subconscious suppression of excess want. This is his aspect of Stability given concrete effect. This is also why the Empire of Ullanor boasts a great population of both mortals and animals, and why its people are quite happy for reasons that do not have much weight.
Utter Hatred: The skies themselves shake at his wrath, the very earth trembles at the boom of his voice, and the rocks that form the world split apart as The Guardian raises his sword and gives the order attack. Whatever clouds above rain oil instead of water, and lightning strikes ignite great flames that will devour entire forests. The Holy Orders that have been formed in The Guardian’s name sally out forth from their castles and fortresses, noble knights clutching their weapons tightly, as they march to war. There is no room for mercy as justice must be swift and absolute: those who have wronged The Guardian and the people of Ullanor will pay their debts in blood.
In the event of total war, The Guardian’s war aspect manifests concretely, and lands which have the privilege of his Lingering Blessing will actively work against his enemies. He is not called, and he does not call himself, “The Guardian”, for no reason: on the defensive, he is almost unstoppable as the very earth will try to protect the order he has wrought.
Personal and National History:
“I was born to lead, and it is my divine right that you, good man, follow me. I shall expand your demesne from mere duchy to kingdom. Your villages will become cities and your peasant militia shall become noble knights. No harm will befall you, and my rule shall be distant and unobtrusive. All I ask is that you bend your knee to me.”
The Guardian was born in the subcontinent called Ullanor by its natives. Created from the dust and mud of the soil and given the breath of divine life by generous Melkaia, the newborn soul took on the form of a little boy whose eyes glowed a bright silver, before settling down into a calm blue. The very first things the Guardian experienced were the heat and glare of the sun’s rays beaming down through the canopy, the constant gurgle of a nearby creek, and the stiffness of the rock which his naked butt sat upon quite contentedly. The Guardian wandered for many years as a boy, collecting himself and organizing his inborn knowledge, practicing his powers at times, and experiencing for himself the various races that populated this world.
The Guardian met the humans first, then the elves, and then the dwarves. These were civilized races, orderly peoples, and The Guardian came to love them dearly. Then he met the Centaurs, the Drows and the Satyrs, and he found them wanting, for they were overindulgent and had a complete lack of self-respect. He found a curious race of women with the upper bodies of either humans or elves but had the construction of snakes from the waist-down called the Lamia. Their culture was a mix of order and self-indulgence, but he was charmed when the elder of one of the local Lamia villages conducted a tea ceremony when he was first introduced to their race, and so he came to accept them.
But land was not infinite, and The Guardian finally exhausted the sights of what his subcontinent had to offer. West, East, North and South -- the beaches that had acted as borders had barred him from exploring any further save for hitching a boat to somewhere else, or taking the bridge that connected the Ullanor peninsula to its parent continent. However, he wasn’t keen on exploring again, as he sought to unite the peoples of his land into a single nation, his inborn traits finally showing prominently. He took on the form of a woman, and convinced easily the Lamia, the Dwaves, the Elves and the Humans to acknowledge her as their Lord with her silver tongue. The Satyrs, Drows and Centaurs, however, were not approached, owing to The Guardian’s dislike of them.
Consolidation and reorganization of the land and aristocracy of four major races took about half a century. The Guardian put into good use his inborn powers to build his new nation of Ullanor, starting as an absolute monarchy with him as Emperor. With political barriers brought down, existing cities and towns experienced a growth in multiculturalism and diversity. The currency was, by divine edict, minted in silver, and The Guardian’s natural divine flow facilitated quick prosperity. A small rebellion broke about, mainly by nobles who questioned His divinity, but it was pacified with a smile.
The Centaurs, Drows and Satyrs once saw the fledgling Empire as a threat to their own domains, but when the leaders of the first two races met with The Guardian to demand the concession of land, they made the mistake of talking to him at length: they were entranced within the hour, and were invited to join the Emperor. The Satyrs, who considered diplomacy as something alien, simply raided the outskirts of the new nation. Within twenty years, Satyrs who were natives to Ullanor became extinct. Meanwhile, the Centaurs and Drows were incorporated peacefully, and those races acclimated to the Ullanori culture of relative self-restraint rather well.
Tension between the races gradually lessened over the years as The Guardian’s Lingering Blessing continued to strengthen its hold. Its effect on the minds of the people of Ullanor were remarkable: half-elves, half-dwarves and lamia abounded as social stigma centered on race-mixing died out. To some, it was horrifying: how could a human produce offspring with an elf? And what kind of woman would let herself be mounted by a centaur?! These questions, The Guardian merely brushed off. What was important was stability, order and peace. If one can hold these virtues true, then what happens in the bedchamber is none of The Guardian-Emperor’s business.
Bountiful harvests brought about by divinely-blessed land brought about constant food surpluses, which translated to higher birth rates. Couples averaged about five children each, and medieval society demanded that children work with their parents, and thus there wasn’t a shortage of labor. By the next century, a happy populace built churches and shrines dedicated to The Guardian. The Imperial Cult became, unofficially, the state religion, and soon enough, Holy Orders dedicated to providing The Guardian with a standing army of mortals as well as doing charity work for the unfortunate were founded as well. At this point, overseas trade with other nations that possessed the capability was established. The Empire spanned the whole small continent of Ullanor by the second century of The Guardian’s reign.
It was a peaceful nation. Unfortunately, a young warlike god named Daikami mistook peacefulness for weakness. The southern city of Aragorn was invaded by Daikami and his men, and a massacre ensued. The Guardian was, understandably, angered, and personally lead the charge against Daikami. The latter god was defeated and set sail with a tattered army and fleet. Unfortunately for him, The Guardian followed. The small archipelago nation of Ryukyu was swiftly conquered by the Ullanori, and its God-Emperor, Daikami, was beheaded in front of his own people. Ullanor’s massive population and economy made reconstruction of both Aragorn and Ryukyu quite easy.
Ryukyu housed a strange species: the Kitsune. These were people who had functioning fox ears and tails. They can interbreed with elves and humans. The Guardian was once again charmed with a tea ceremony, and they were swiftly incorporated into the Empire.
By the fourth century of his reign, The Guardian has seen it fit to decentralize his rule. He declared five provinces: North, South, East, West and Ryukyu. These were to be ruled by kings elected by the noble houses. Instituting a policy of nation-building and peaceful expansion, The Guardian then retired to Leviathan to watch his Empire grow, while fiddling with the very fibers of reality to uncover the truth of his conception: a subject which he has no foreknowledge of, interestingly so.
The Age of Five Kings has lasted for well over two centuries now and The Guardian only rarely makes public appearances, too busy studying metaphysical pre-history within Leviathan. The only development worthy of note in this Age is the Sultanate of Hukbalahap’s (a small island nation southwest of Ullanor) acceptance of Ullanor’s offer of vassalation.
Personality:
“The people live their lives in peace, order and harmony, and I am here to safeguard them. I like to think myself magnanimous and a good ruler. The Empire of Ullanor has certainly been prosperous, if not rather uneventful, for the course of its life so far.”
The Guardian has a mild personality in all aspects unless angered: something which happens only in special circumstance. Being a god of order, he values self-restraint and loathes the excess, and has pressed his beliefs successfully into the culture of the Empire. Hedonism is looked down upon in his eyes and thus it is looked down in his nation.
He is a careful god: before he makes any decision, he stops and thinks deeply, utilizing fully his godly intellect even into what some would consider as trivial matters.
Rule of Ullanor has left him rather tired. The Five Kings do well enough, and so he is quite content to study the metaphysical world instead of taking the throne.
Name: The Empire of Ullanor (Colloquial), Imperium Ullanorum (Formal)
Nicknames: The Empire at the Center of the World
Location: Located into what is traditionally held as the center of the world, Ullanor is an nation consisting fully of its namesake subcontinent plus the neighboring archipelago of Ryukyu. Great plains utilized as perfect farmland can be found at its south while a mountain range, akin to a backbone, juts out from the center and runs all the way to the end of the north, whose topography is covered in forests of pine, where dwarves clad in hard, thick leather labor under snowfall. It rains often on Ullanor, and a marked trait of the land is its constant cloud cover. Shadowed and thus cooled down, the people of the Empire are rather pale in skin color.
Its position on the world makes its climate temperate. Light snowfall is a part of everyday life in the North, and winter over there is brutal, turning pine needles into icicles.
Ullanor is not blessed with a variety of biomes: there are no deserts to contrast its plains and farmlands, and the only active volcano was tamed by The Guardian, who built Leviathan on its peak.
Government: Absolute Monarchy with Five Kings acting as regents in The Guardian’s absence from his throne.
Dominant race:Ullanor is a multicultural empire that boasts cities housing a variety of peoples while also keeping many settlements that have remained pure-blooded. The Guardian cares not for your race so long as you can be civil. Humans, Dwarves and Lamia are the most populous, in descending order, followed by Kitsune, Centaurs and Drows, also in that order. Elves have the smallest population.
Races of Interest:
- Lamia: A peculiar monogendered race of women of either elvish or human features whose bodies are snake-like beginning from the waist and continuing downwards. Before integration into the Empire, they would have to kidnap males from other races in order to reproduce. Lamia lay eggs and their children will always be female, but bearing some characteristics of the father. The stigma associated with mating with them has disappeared through the centuries under The Guardian’s rule.
Their muscular bodies make them excellent shock troops, and their lack of menstruation and infinitely less obvious pregnancies eliminates the disadvantages that would hold a woman back when soldiering. The length of their figures is such that it requires two hearts to pump blood all the way: one in their humanoid chests, and another in their snake bellies.
- Kitsune: A peculiar race looking most similarly to humans. They have functioning fox ears and tails, and can reach very old ages, up to five hundred years. The number of tails an individual kitsune has increases as they age, with the maximum amount of tails being nine. With such a long lifespan, it is not a surprise that they produce amazing artisans who are masters at their craft.
- Drows: An Elvish people with skin tones that range from blue to purple. They are known for their inborn promiscuity and are given to overindulgence, which has been lessened due to the subconscious effects of the Lingering Blessing. In tune with the night, they are excellent skirmishers, assassins and spies. Almost all spymasters in the Empire are Drows.
Other races: Ostriches, cows, sheep, pigs make excellent livestock, and the good-quality cotton provides a sizable and wealthy industry. Horses are bred for both war and agricultural purposes.
Wild Flora/Fauna:Ullanor’s flora and fauna are not very remarkable.
Specialization: Peace and Stability.
Though part of The Guardian’s inborn nature is that of war, fate has steered him away from that path. In all objective aspects, the Empire of Ullanor is a thriving nation and a model for lesser ones to follow.
Alliances:-The Sultanate of Hukbalahap
Enemies:-The Satyr Tribes (Destroyed)
-The Despotate of Ryukyu (Conquered)
Notable People:The Five Kings: The elected monarchs who rule the land in The Guardian’s stead. These nobles are greatly respected throughout the land.
- The King in the North: The person who governs the Northern Province of Ullanor. Traditionally, because of demographics, the monarch is a male dwarf.
- The Lord of the East: The person who governs the Eastern Province of Ullanor. Traditionally, because of demographics, the monarch is a lamia.
- The Despot of the West: The person who governs the Western Province of Ullanor. Traditionally, because of demographics, the monarch is a male human.
- The Khan of the South: The person who governs the Southern Province of Ullanor. Traditionally, because of demographics, the monarch is a centauress.
- The Daimyo of Ryukyu: The person who governs the Archipelago of Ryukyu. Traditionally, because of demographics, the monarch is a kitsune who has proven his- or herself by defeating their fellow claimants in single combat.
Imperator Ullanorum: The Emperor of Ullanor. The Guardian has always had this position ever since he started to exercise his divine right of dominion over the people of his land. He will not cede it unless there is great reason to.
Ariamis,
PrinceAlexus,
Thayr
