Geography: Roger is from the land of Mindrel which is divided into two roughly equal parts. It is bounded to the East by the Living Sea, and to the West by the Calm Sea. The Northerm and Southern realms are divided by the Great Border and the River Aries, which flows from one Sea to the other.

Northern Half: The larger of the two halves. Mostly barren and populated by "The Shrewd" (Good Trolls), Orcs, Gnomes, Thunder-Goblins and assorted dark creatures such as wraiths.

Southern Half: Less barren, but not by much except in some places very rich in vegetation. Mostly populated by humans, Drows (Think Drizzt)and Light Elves (haven't decided if Dwarves should be included yet for good measure).

Society: The Southern realm is ruled by nobles and kings. A noble may be distinguished from the masses (by the reader) by his/her name, which is made up of english words (e.g Kingsworth). Occupants of this realm are generally wary of the Northern realm, who they see as Barbaric. It should be noted that the Elves are rather foolish and look down on the humans and drows alike even though they are neighbours.

History: Both halves lived in relative isolation till a few years after Roger was born. The Shrewd however, were being persecuted by other inhabitants of the Northen realm as a result of their fascination with humans and as a result suffered raids and assaults on their city. They appealed to the Southern realm for help but were refused by the humans and other inhabitants. Help arrived in the form of the noble of Vangalard, Bartholomew Kingsworth. Against the wishes of his own people he he went to war against the regions surrounding Tenograd, the Shrewd city. This lead to Him and his family being exiled by their own subjects to live with "their new-found friends".

Years later, a once seemingly fair and just Elven king renamed himself "The Dragon King" and abandoned his people, building a stronghold in the Northern realm. He began rallying the gnomes and other inhabitants there as a part of his plans to overthrow the entire land. The Shrewd and the Kingsworths appealed to inhabitants of the other kingdoms in the Southern realm, but were ignored. All the other races of the Northern realm united and crushed the city of Tenograd once and for all.

Magic: There are three practioners of magic in Mindrel: The Mages, the Manni and the Druids. I'll explain the Manni in more detail.

A Mannis is considered by many in the realm of Mindrel to be an “artist” of nature. Manni are NOT mages, (Mages are born with their abilities, while Manni obtain theirs through practice). Any humanoid creature can be a Manni (even trolls).They gain control of his/her/its respective element by studying its properties and trying to gain a deeper understanding of it. ALL Manni have an increased feeling of what they control. A cooking fire will "feel" tame to a fire mannis, but a forest fire will "feel" wild and angry to him/her/it. This doesn't mean that the fire is actually alive though. (A mannis can be regarded as an scholar interested in only one element, exhibiting some control over it)

Water manni: Though they can’t conjure water, and can only control it when it’s exposed to air, water manni are quite powerful. Experienced water manni can change the consistency of the water by rearranging its particles to make it harder, denser…etc. A select few can also control the very moisture in the air. They can "smell" water as a result of training.

(Roger is a water mannis, he uses this ability to reduce the bleeding of his wounds during battle, thus allowing him to last longer.)

Light manni: The least occurring manni, they can generate light of varying colours and intensity. Experienced light manni can fashion light energy into a solid (think light sabers) of whatever shape they desire, and withdraw light from an area, enshrouding it in darkness. A select few can create complex colour patterns, even to the point of illusions. They usually have good eyesight as a result of training. (I included this to explain why Roger thinks Angel is a Light Mannis, which he clearly isn't)

I'll start with the things that are relevant to the characters I'm playing and branch out from there later. So, let's get on with it.

THE CONTINENT OF YLAI

Go here to see a map:

http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff66/wordforger/?action=view¤t=MapofYlai.jpg

Elves:

There are six different races of elves. In the beginning of all things, they were one race, known only as the ancient ones. As their race grew in numbers and thrived, other races began to emerge... First the Dwarves, then humans... The elves split into four factions in an argument over how to treat these younger races. This split can still be felt quite clearly today. However, all elves still feel a common kinship to each other, even if they never really get along.

Mountain Elves:

The ones that eventually became the mountain elves saw the other races as being beneath them, meant to be dominated by the older and wiser elves. Generally lawful evil, they live in mountain strongholds like the dwarves, but are very different from the dwarves. They are strong magic users, and fair warriors, though, because of their short stature they might not always be taken so seriously by others. They have a rigidly structured government, where the monarch has absolute rule over their society. Are typically found in the Hephlanin Mountains, but there are a few strongholds in the mountains of the dwarves.

Generally between four and five feet tall, have black or dark brown hair, and eye colors between grey and blue. Usually Lawful Evil.

Prairie Elves:

The prairie elves took a more 'live and let live' approach. Leave them alone, and they'll leave us alone. They don't really care for outsiders. Any intruder on their land will be 'escorted' from their homeland. They would probably be considered neutral. Though brave, they don't stick their necks out for anyone. They are good hunters and gatherers, more tribal in their culture. They make their home on the Golden Plain, directly north of the Kingdom of Elasune.

Generally between six and seven feet tall, have red hair, and brown eyes. Usually Neutral.

Wood Elves:

The wood elves decided to give the other races a chance to prove their friendship, but made few efforts to reach out. Theirs is more of a 'let them come to us' approach. They would be more on the chaotic good side of things. They also have a monarchy, though the only real thing the ruler does is cast the final vote in arguments, lead in battles, and offer guidance. Forest Elves are generally druids. They can be typically found in either Everwood or Silverwood.

Generally between five and six feet tall, have dark gray to white hair, and eyes ranging from grey-green to deep emerald. Usually Chaotic Good.

Common Greetings: "The sun warm you and the forest shelter you."

Valley Elves:

The valley elves are the friendliest of the elven peoples, dealing freely with every other race, and famous for their hospitality. They are generally lawful good. Fine craftsmen, the valley elves generally live in merry little villages. They don't really have any leaders. All decisions are made by group consensus. They can be found in several towns in the Untamed North. They don't really have a major place where they're concentrated.

Often seen as naive because they are pacifists and pay no attention to one's raace, religion, alignment, etc. This perception can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the situation.

Generally between five and six feet tall, have hair in any shade of blonde, and blue eyes. Usually Lawful Good.

Common Greetings: "May the flowers of the fields always be beautiful to your sight."

Others:

Two other elven races emerged later, split from the existing ones.

Frost Elves:

From the mountain elves came the frost elves who, unlike their kin, are a bit kinder to travellers. They live in the tundra, though, so they don't often get visitors. Generally neutral good. They are ruled by a council of twelve elders (like the original twelve ancients) who have to make tough decisions because of their tough and forbidding landscape. They live in different places on the Northern tundra Icy Moor. Their major stronghold is at White Owl Peak, the last peak of the Hephlanin Mountain Range.

Generally between 4 and a half and five and a half feet tall, have dark hair and grey to blue eyes. Usually Lawful Neutral.

Desert Elves:

From the valley elves came the desert elves. While they're just as willing to have dealings with the other races, they're not nearly so good as their kin. Generally chaotic neutral. These are the cast-offs of valley elf society, the ones that didn't fit in with being kind to every stranger that came by. They're generally on whatever side of the law suits them most... often bandits, rogues, bounty hunters, etc. They generally make their home in the desert of the Empire, though there are quite a few that do some travelling. Valasis is a little valley oasis out in the middle of the desert where many of the desert elves live.

Generally between five and six feet tall, have brown hair, and dark blue eyes. Usually Chaotic Neutral.

Common greetings: "May the waters never dry up for you."

Elves and the number 12:

It is believed that, back when the world was newly formed, and none of the races yet existed, the unremembered goddess drew together the various elements and created the first elves, the ancients, to be her children. These first elves were said to be practically immortal, unable to be killed by anything short of a physical blow. Their number, 12, six male and six female.

Because of this, twelve is a sacred and oft seen number. There are twelve elders in the council of the frost elves. Prairie Elves often go hunting in parties of twelve. The honeyflower, sacred the the wood elves, has twelve petals...

There are two major forest areas where forest elves live:

Silverwood:

Silverwood is where Cleo was raised. It is on the southern side of the Hephlanin Mountains, somewhere to the north of the middle of the continent. The forest elf clan there is distantly related to the one to be found in the other forest.

Everwood:

Everwood is the largest forest on the whole continent and borders the Kingdom of Elasune to the west, the Golden Plains (home of the prairies elves) to the northwest, the untamed north to the east, and, at it's very southernmost edge, the Great Desert which encompasses the whole Empire of Calais.

The elves of this forest are druids, much more reclusive then their kin of Silverwood because they live in the forest's heart where few dare to venture. They form their houses from living trees, and have an absolute devotion to their Goddess, Allana. This is the forest that Arylan is most familiar with.

The Highwater Clan:

The first Ranger of this clan of Rangers was mentored by Arylan Windstorm, centuries before. (Time is warped. Sue me.) Never a particularly large clan, there are never more than twenty of them at once, and many, though their permanent home (if any) is the forest of Everwood, are often abroad, leving perhaps one or two in the forest at one time.

Magic:

Magic is very common, and not so common in this world. Petty magic items can be found everywhere you look, but anything powerful is extremely rare. The same goes for those with the gift.

Honeyflowers:

They grow in the deepest part of the forest, on bushes that bloom and grow as long as not a single blossom is plucked. They are twelve petaled, white, glow softly in moonlight, and are the most powerful healing plant in the world. A honeyflower blossom cradled in two delicate hands is the symbol of the goddess Allana.

The Kingdom of Elasune:

The Kingdom of Elasune can be found on the westernmost side of the continent, bordered by the ocean in the west, Everwood in the east, The Golden Plain to the North, and the Dwarven mountains to the south. It is a very prosperous kingdom, ruled by the Del'Axle family.

The Capital, Elomny, is well defended in the middle of a river delta, at the edge of the ocean at the northwestern edge of the kingdom.

Robyn is the Daughter of King Jarek Del'Axle (the elder of two brothers), and Salyndia Freeborn, a famous beauty among the Wood elves. It was an alliance between the elves of Everwood and the kingdom of Elasune as much as it was a marriage of love.

Robyn's cousin (through Jarek's younger brother), Fargnul, sowed doubts about her ability to rule (being half-elf and not fully human like most of her subjects), then had Jarek assassinated, and her set up to take the blame. She managed to flee, but he became king and put a price on her head.

One particular bounty hunter, a desert elf, has been tracking her much too well for her comfort while she's been seeking out allies and gathering her forces to retake the throne. She has run into him several times. Luckily for her, he hasn't managed to see through her disguise. To explain why he's always running into her, she made claim to being a bounty hunter herself, looking for the same bounty. They've had a bit of competition going.

The Pirate:

Jean is infamous for her cruelty to enemies and allies alike. In her Hey-day, she raided towns and ships from Coppercove at the edge of the dwarven kingdom (on the southern coast) to Kandrella on the Northeast coast, keeping mostly to the waters around the Empire of Calais because of all the rich trading vessels that came through that way.

All that came to an end when a man from her crew, one that particularly hated her for her cruelty, betrayed her to the law, giving away her secrets, like how she uses blackpowder, and where to find her. When they finally caught up with her, they killed some of her crew in the battle, and captured the others to stand trial. They all were hung within a week.

Jean herself, they beat severely and left to die aboard a ship with a fire building below decks. It was a just and fitting end for her... Or would have been had she not managed to free herself from the ropes, make it to the last longboat, and drift out to sea where she was picked up by a fisherman who didn't know he had just rescued someone who, truly, deserved to die.

He took her home, nursed her back to health, and she, in one of her rare moments of compassion, only stole half his gold, and truly gave her word that she would repay it someday.

When she gives her word, which is very rare, she keeps it. Anything else she negotiates without giving her word... is up for debate.

The Empire of Calais:

*will be updaating this soon*

The 'City':

Cairosan is on the coast of the southernmost kingdom of the continent of Ylai, the Empire of Calais, formed by the Great Desert. The whole government is corrupt, except for a few minor officials. In this cutthroat kind of place good guys rarely prosper.

Cairosan is ruled by three competing factions, the noblemen and merchants, the thieves' guilds, and the Watch.

Characters:

Lana Crane

Anya Nightmoon

Cleo Ravenfeather

Arylan Windstorm

Robyn Del'Axle

Drengar Rumblerock

"Bloody" Jean Pinofet

Janlarek "the Swift" Erelthras

Liramil Nethrilas

OTHER WORLDS

Alexandra's from a fairy tale type of kingdom. They have a few random witches, or magic items and such, but not really any that anyone knows well.

Greg, Steve, and Azrael are from our universe... and yet one different from our own. Every law of the universe is carefully maintained by an immortal being that is specially equipped for the job.

First off, where was Angel Macleod born and raised?

He was born and grew up on a far-west continent called Yttaera (pronounced yi-tay-rah). The massive Varda Forest occupies the southern half, while the plains, mountains, and cities of the country Kaerna (pronounced care-nuh) cover the northern half. He was born in the city of Letara, which is near the Varda Forest.

Who occupies these regions?

The elves, drow, and fey populate the Varda Forest, while humans, halflings, and dwarves populate Kaerna. But the humans and elves are the most dominant races on the continent.

Wait a sec, Angel is a half-elf. So why weren't half-elves mentioned above?

Simple. At one point, half-elves lived hard but rewarding lives on Yttaera. But that changed when an evil half-elven archmage spread havoc amongst the continent. Yet even with the sacrifice of a human warrior and an elvish wizard to stop the archmage's terror, the people of Yttaera felt unsafe. Since the archmage was a half-elf, both the humans and the elves blamed the half-elves for this onslaught. They thought that, by humans and elves intermingling, the "pure-bloods" would produce "diry-blooded" offspring, thus corrupting their children and turning them askew. Therefore, the Varda Forest and the country of Kaerna were segregated from each other, and every half-elf was either killed or put into slavery. They believed that by doing this, the "dirty-blooded" half-elves would be erased from this world forever. Yet some disobeyed the segregation laws, and continued to spawn half-elven children who were raised in secrecy. Angel is one of those half-elves.

What kind of magic/abilities exist?

In Yttaera, magic is divided into three categories: book and scroll magic, instinctive magic, and divine magic. Book and scroll is magic learned from reading various spellbooks and scrolls and using material components to cast them. Instinctive magic is magic that is inborne and takes years to control. Divine magic is magic blessed on one of a religious order by a god or demigod, though it is nowhere near as powerful as the gods themselves. These categories are then broken down into fourteen different elements: earth, air, fire, water, ice, lightning, animal, plant, law, chaos, sun, moon, light, and darkness.

Also, there are special "warrior mages" called Blademasters, who can generate a certain element of magic and mold it into a variety of different martial and exotic weapons. Out of all the elements, fire, water, ice, plant, light, and dark Blademasters are the only ones known to exist. This ability is a type of instinctive magic, yet book and scroll magic can be used to enhance it, though the task is an extremely difficult one. Light and Dark Blademasters are thought to be the most powerful, though their numbers make up only a tenth of the total Blademasters. Angel is a Light Blademaster.

That's pretty much it unless I find something else to add.

----

Sir Metis Archeon Goodspeed, Knight of the Order of Light; any other Members of the Order of Light, Ember, Undavar, Garal, and Grep, as well as any other Characters from the World of Arithria:

***Update: 1/2/07 - Cultural Note:

Metis uses full names and formal titles almost always. You'll note that he calls Anya either Anya or Sister or Sister Anya, and at first he always called her Sister or Sister Anya, he now some times just calls her Anya, but that is due to their growing friendship.

He calls everyone else by their compleat first name, except in the case of Drengal, but that is because he sees Drengal as a child, but even so, whenever he addresses Drengal directly he calls him by name. If he in fact knew Reman's rank he would call Reman by his full title; like wise if he knew Rodger was nobility he would also address him by proper title.

At current those Metis would call friend by his definition would be: Anya, Reman, and Vrenis.

Paige, Drengal, and Rodger, he sees as his charges - people to be protected and cared for; and he sees them all more or less as children.

Lana and Angle he sees only as acquaintances, and he still does not fully trust them.

-What does the word friend mean to Metis and his people? Literally if someone from Cathros calls you friend they are addressing you as if you are family to them. As close to them, if not closer than a blood relative. This is especially true in the case of Metis because he has no knowledge of his blood relatives.

-Slave: As defined by Metis' and his personal morals a slave is any sentient being that is forced to do something they would not normally do willingly. This can be by means of physical force, possession, magical compulsion, threat of harm to said being or said beings loved ones or some other threat to said being or their loved ones well-being (e.g. food, shelter, livelihood), or corrosion (by manor of deception or threat).

-Enemy: To be an enemy of Metis' you must be two things: An immediate threat to him or another being, and be evil. If such a being is NOT an immediate threat, then Metis will NOT consider them an enemy, though he may, depending on circumstance, arrest them and see them to justice, but he will not attack them unless provoked. Likewise if a creature is an immediate threat to OTHERS (not himself) but not evil then he will defend the others from them, but again NOT consider them an enemy, therefore he will attempt to use non-lethal means to subdue them. A slave, evil or not is NEVER considered an enemy.

-Some other definitions just to make his culture a little clearer, even though it hasn't come up yet:

-Love; the word "love" or the phrase "I love you." Is literally an oath or ever lasting love and devotion, likened to a proposal of marriage if one should say it when courting another. Akin to the love of family if said persons are not courting.

-Courtship is a serious matter for Metis, as a Knight... Should he seek to bond with someone it is a sacred thing that must be "approved" by his god/temple in a ceremony, after a proposal of courtship is made. Lengths of courtships very, but usually end in a marriage.

...

Metis and the others listed above come from the world of Arithria. Those from the Order of Light come from the Kingdom of Cathros or Koad'dlees. Metis is a Knight of the Order of Light and his “home” temple is in the City of Meritis. The Feir'dal Come from The Great Wood, the Dungar (dwarves) come from Rithnor, and the Koad'dal come from Koad'dalees.

. . . . . .

Arithria: The current age that Arithria is in is “The Age of Mortals” that is because most of the people of Arithria have lost faith in the gods/goddesses (they are real in his world - kind of like the Greek gods or some similar thing). This is mainly because of two reasons 1) mortals now know that the gods can be killed - this happened during the Burning Years when the God of Hate was dethroned and killed by his son, the Prince of Hate (self proclaimed royalty), and 2) because during the War of Anguish none of the gods save Mithesious stepped in to help them battle the forces of Shrryn the Cruel (goddess of torture).

. . . . . .

***Updated: 2/25/07

The Great Wood: The Feir'dal (wild or wood elves) have ever lived in what is now just called the Great Wood. It is a huge wood that once spanned half of the world, until The Burning Years (as it was known by the elves) and the Dark Years (as it was known by Men) when The God of Hate set a blaze much of Arithria. It is still the largest wood on Arithria now, however, currently spanning about half a continent. Few save the Elves still remember the proper mane for the woods: Amile’taure, and over the centuries most have come to know it by the name of Taramil, a bastardized version of the wood's proper name, though among the general masses no name is ever given to the wood other than the "Great Wood" for great it is size and breath, and age... it is here where Panolviel first breathed life into Arithria.

THE PLANE OF GROWTH: FEIRDUN'SUL

Panolviel, the Goddess of Growth {is also known as the Mother of All. It is from her womb that sprung the first life on Arithria -- the plants, the animals, and the most ancient of the races, the Feir‘dal. Bertoxxulous (The God of Decay) followed closely behind her though, and unable to bear the suffering and destruction of her children, Panolviel retreated to the Plane of Growth, where decay could not yet reach her or her creations. Followers of Panolviel are Good.}

*** UPDATED 4/7/07: THE PLAINE OF KNOWLEDGE

Grand Librarian Mirka, the All Knowing {is the third and final neutral one in the planes. Not a God nor a mortal, the Grand Librarian always has resided in the Plane of Knowledge, and always shall. The Plane of Knowledge acts for mortals both as a gateway between Arithria and the planes and as a safe haven. As long as the Grand Librarian wills it, no God may set foot in the Plane of Knowledge. It is because of this that rumors abound even among the Gods that the Grand Librarian may be the incarnation of the Great Nameless, which is the source of all that was, is, and shall be. Even the Gods. Those who believe the Grand Librarian is the Nameless incarnate and follow him are True Neutral.}

. . . . . .

***Updated: 2/25/07

Cathros: The Kingdom from witch Sir Metis, Sir Metheron, Page Lestreena, and Page Luckus come from (predominantly human, though Elves are not uncommon here). Cathros and Koad’delees (this is an Elven kingdom where Madrith comes from) are really the only places left in Arithria where there is widespread faith in any of the gods and mainly only in Mithesious. The Order of Light is prevalent in both kingdoms. In Cathros equality between men and women is almost absolute, and equality in Koad'delees is very close.

***Updated: 2/25/07

The Order of Light:

In the Order of Light men and women are viewed as completely equal.

This gets really complex so all I’ll put here is a bit about Mithesious and if you’d like to see the Code of Light (the Knight’s code that Metis follows) it’s in his charter info..

-Mithesious and the Demi-plane of Valor:

Mithesious, the God of Honor {is perhaps the only god interested in Honor and Valor as not a use or a means, but an end in and of themselves. He appears in the shining plate armor of a paladin, wielding a fiery sword rumored to be of immense power. Although only a lesser god, he is only limited by his will to do good, rather than a struggle for power like so many of the greater gods. The Plane of Valor is home to the famed (or infamous, depending upon to whom you speak) Halls of Honor, the only location in the planes where mortals are said to dwell. Amongst the most valorous and honorable in life, Mithesious chooses a select honored few to serve him in the after life in his Legion of Honor. Because of his steadfast dedication to Honor and Valor, many Paladins choose Mithesius as their guiding light, hoping to one day prove themselves worthy of serving in his Legions. Followers of Mithesious are Lawful Good.}

-Clericks of The order of Light are not held to the same strict codes that Knights are, but they do make every effort to uphold the same tenets as the Knights of the Order do. Knights are more concerned with protecting the good and innocent and eliminating evil, while Clericks are more concerned with healing of the soles of those who would wish to repent past evil ways. However both are charged with all three jobs.

***Updated 1/15/2007

Lord Zatovak and the Plane of Fire:

Lord Zatavok, the Prince of Flames {is self-proclaimed royalty, answering to no king or kingdom. Often in his interactions with mortals he takes the form of one of his more gruesome minions, devils, imps, or the like, but in his truest form, Lord Zatavok appears as a very plain, simple man. A man of average height and ageless features, who is extraordinary only insofar that he is so ridiculously and gruesomely ordinary. Followers of Zatovak are evil}

The Children of Darkness are a cult devoted to spreading Hate, destruction, and general evilness. They are also the sworn enemies of the Order of Light.

Drinker of the Blood Flame: To be a Drinker of the Blood Flame means that one has drunken the blood of Zatovok. This imbue the person with dark and magical powers, and only one who Lord Zatovok would take as one of his disciples is allowed this honor.

. . . . . .

***Updated: 2/25/07

Animus, the God of Will {takes on the appearance of the mood that suits him at the moment. It is said that Animus is the easiest of the Tribunal to read, yet the hardest to manipulate. He wears his emotions and desires on his face, but is not easily bent to see a side other than that which is best suited to his current disposition. Often the outcome of a trial has been tilted by the sad sight of Animus having awoken on the wrong side of the bed. Followers of Animus are Lawful Natural}

The Tribunal is essentially a Quart of Gods and Goddesses who pass judgment on not only the Lesser Gods, but also the souls of the dead... and the living, should they commit grievous enough of an act to get the attention of the Gods.

. . . . . .

***Updated: 2/25/06

Rithnor: The moutian Kingdome of the Dungar (Dwarves). The Dungar are rather seclusive and superstishous as a rule. While they believe in magic, mages amoung them are rare as they ten to be VERY superstishous, and quite untrusting of magic in general. The craftsmenship of the Dungar is challenged only by that of the Elves; though because of their diffrence in style they are rarely in competition for traide. The Dungar tend to pay homage to the Rathe Council of Gods in general, and Eresse of the Rocks specifically. For it was Eresse who creqated the Dungar.

THE PLANE OF EARTH

The Rathe Council {is headed by Amariel of the Earth. Amariel sits high upon a pyramid throne, surrounded by the elements of Earth. The north side of his throne is built of rich, fertile soil, and thus all the land north is ruled by Carnesh of the Soil, eventually giving way to a dense forest and the only entrance to the Plane of Earth from a lesser plane, the Plane of Growth. To the east of Amariel’s throne, Earendur of the Clay rules, who is also known as a master pottery worker. Earendur creates all of the dishes used by the Tribunal when they feast, and thus is also charged with guarding a secret back door into the Plane of Justice. To the west are the lands of Tari of the Mud, where no other has yet tread and returned to tell the tale. Tari, having long been a creature of solitude, is grateful to have been granted this empty swampland. Finally to the south lays the great rock lands of Eresse, the master stonemason who is responsible for the impressive Halls of Honor that grace the Plane of Valor.}

----

Emily Taff:

Emily comes from a world where there is almost no magic and very few beings with psi and psi-like abilities. Because of this there is a lot of suspicion about anyone who does have these types of abilities. This is the reason why Emily is such an isolationist, very timid, and quite lonely and often scared even when she shouldn’t be. The poor girl is often literally afraid to touch people and things.

Emily’s world is not very developed at the moment so that’s about all I have for her for now... hopefully I’ll have more for her latter.

----

***Updated: 2/25/07

Dorian, the clairvoyant.

Dorian is not originally a character from Arithria but with some of his language and such I have adopted some of the things from Arithria and superimposed them onto him.

Dorian is actually a D&D charter I played in a campaign... he actually died, but I love him so I wanted to resurrect him for use here. ;)

He comes from a basic D&D world and so is not overly surprised by the appearance of strange races, mages, or other "strange" things. He is witty, but also very vague as a rule. The only thing special about him is that he refuses to take an active role in any act of violence.

Dorian's Magic:

Doiran can feel when Magic auras are near him.

Although Dorian has the occasional vision (past, present, or future) these occur at random intervals and vary in frequency, length, and clarity. He can not tell when or why he has these visions (most of the time)... however he has honed his skills to be able to focus them on objects. He mainly uses three methods, he reads palms, seeing cards, and runes. He also “sees” symbols everywhere; weather or not this is him just reading to far into things is up for debate (sometimes it is, sometimes it is not).

Seeing Cards:

They were old, and well warn. If you had to guess by the look of them you would say they are millennia old. They are made of thick rough hand made paper and hand painted with images of runes, gods, goddesses, demons, celestials, dragons, and the like.

***As he uses them and specific cards are described I will update this so you can know what they look like and symbolize.

The readings however are completely made up. :P

The Cards:

*The classic "Journey" rune that looks like an angular "R". Having to do with journeys, lol. :D

*The High Priestess of the Moon Goddess: priestess in full ceremonial garb a moon rising high overhead as she stands before a large fire. She governs self discovery and mysteries. She whispers secretes and truths rarely seen or herd.

*There is one called the “fey card” it is special in that it always depicts a sprite or fairy, but it never appears to be the same one, or at least in the same position or dress. When this card is drawn it always has something to do with nature but the meaning changes for each reading.

*The Card of Changes: It is a card that always appears different. When two people look at it at the same time they will see different things. When you look at it one way or another, or turn it what each person sees changes. The only thing that ever stays the same is that it is always covered in runes and strange writings.

*The fletcher or champions rune card. This is a classic rune witch symbolizes the need or use of reflection, the “other” self and protection. It looks like an "X" with a longer line coming of the right and left side of it... so that you have 2 triangles on sticks facing each other. *Special note: The Fletcher card represents a fletch (a special type of fey) not a fletcher of arrows - though such connections may be made during a reading.

*The blank card; painted solid black: This card speaks of new beginnings and sometimes endings, but even when it speaks of endings it always promises a new beginning as well.

Runes:

The runes that Dorian uses are a collection of stones, pebbles, crystals, and small bones, all carved with various runes... some of them the classic runes and other strange and unusual. What he sees with these have no specific meanings as with the cards and each reading is individually made up. The runes offer vaguer and quicker answers than the cards.

Palms: I’ve yet to figure out how to have him read palms in this forum yet... have your charter ask for a reading, and we’ll both find out, lol. :D

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Jedi Master Mayli Sent’dal and Jedi Padawan Trace Felor:

They are basic AU Jedi characters. I will use mostly movie cannon for them, but also some of what I use is cannon from the Jedi Apprentice Novels, and then as not all areas of knowledge are covered/known by me some of it will be made up. Assume that my Jedi come from some time several years prior to Episode I.

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***Updated: 2/25/07

Undavar and Garal:

-Undavar and Garal are both from the World of Arithria, and so have a common knowledge of the gods/goddesses and basic structure of that world. Undavar found Garal's Egg on a large Plato that rises out of the "Great Wood". (See more on the great wood above under Arithria.)

-The Nature of the Link:

The link between Undavar and Garal is a sole bond whose physical manifestation appears as a binding rune on Undavar’s brow (the silver “G” rune tattoo on Undavar’s fore head). Through this bond, Undavar gains special powers from Garal --supernatural strength, and unique magical powers.

The bond is not taken lightly though. The farther from Garal, the weaker Undavar becomes. And should Garal die, Undavar looses all of his powers, becoming as weak as any equal of common blood.

Should Undavar die Garal will go on a rampage until the being(s) responsible for his death are killed or he dies in the possess of trying to kill them.

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***Update 3/11/07 Varen:

Varen is from the world or Arithria. He is a scoundrel to the core. He loves women. He is currently wanted by the local baron for getting his daughter pregnant, under penalty of hanging. He is also wanted by the king for being caught with the princess in ‘indecent circumstances’. Varen love’s any girl or woman with a pretty face, but he would charm anyone… Man, woman, child or beast if he though it would make his pockets deeper.

Varen is a master thief… He’s also wanted by SEVERAL thieves’ guilds for several thefts that he has pulled off against them Varen also picks up an occasional jobson assassin and will work as a thief for hire if the price is right.

Varen loves the chase, the game, the challenge… for him that’s half the fun. It’s no good having everything in the world after all if there is no exciting story behind how you got it.

More to come later...

Common Traits: good fighters, may turn into human, stubborn, draconic pride, males may sense females, age VERY slowly after first few years, like to hoard jewels and other riches, opposits of their nature make them sick, like to be alone mostly, deathly allergic to dragonbane, full bloods hate half bloods, followers of the Spargo are killing them off but at the moment are limiting this just to females since w/o them you can not carry on a race, too find out more look at the posts in Ty's Room.

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Paige:

the wolf symbol tatooed on the back of her neck represents her family. She is the grandaughter of the head person in one of the more evil mofia families. She has now discovered that she is a rogue, which is a natural emotionless killer. Her family likes to be abusive, greedy, and don't mind killing. They are widespread with other families working for them. So basically they rule the underground / black market. She comes from our time and lucky for her got pushed thru a mirror that sent her hear before breaking. She still doesn't know what to make of this place.

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Werecats: same thing as a werewolf except you just switch cat for wolf. Her opions are based more on the way a cat would see things instead of as a human. Katherina is very strong, and can change to any cat shape. Her hair/fur is always the same general color and her eye color never changes. While she can change at will she must change during the full moon. Well I think that is about it. If I forgot something I will edit later.

Symbols have great power. Badb and Rydek are both covered in them - physically. In Badb's case, they are holy - sacred to her goddess right down to the color of the ink in her tattoo. In Rydek's case they are a bit different. He was born as a slave in the Abyss - the infinite layers of the planes inhabited by demon-kind. Taken from his mother at a young age, who was herself a slave, he was sent to be cannon fodder in the Blood War. His "training" began with learning to withstand pain, as the abyssal runes that his masters used to control him, locate him, and retrieve him were carved into his back. Demons don't use anesthesia and they don't waste spells or potions on slaves.

Having managed not only to survive but acquit himself well, he drew the attention of a balor lord who purchased him and sent him for more training. Since failure, even at the smallest of things, was literally not an option, Rydek made sure that he succeeded at all he pursued on behalf of his demonic masters. As his successes accrued, he was granted increasingly better training, better food, better living conditions, etc. However, he was also thrown into increasingly dangerous situations. Drawing on his all too literal inner demon to conqueror these challenges, he soon became quite addicted to the power and almost totally immersed in the rage.

Reveling in the slaughter and destruction, the human in him became more and more submerged while the demon came more and more to the fore. Finally, he reached a point where he was so totally demonic in his nature that he could be summoned, bound, or compelled by anyone knowing the proper rituals. He was summoned into the prime, along with several other demons, by a priestess of Nergal to assist in a battle against a priest Thoth. Most of the other demons were dispatched back to the Abyss but both Rydek and the priestess were knocked unconscious. Taken prisoner, his captors pitied him for the scars that covered him.

The priests of Thoth, realizing what the runes on his back were for, defaced them effectively binding him in the prime. Even though he was kept bound in a cell, largely for the protection of the inhabitants of the temple, the priests of Thoth tried to treat him with as much kindness and compassion as one can for a ferocious demon. Unable to communicate with him, they finally sought out another tanar'ri as a translator. The shock of seeing a free tiefling being accorded courtesy and respect, if not friendship caused a fundamental shift in his thinking. He began to understand that he was kept locked up and chained for his violent behavior and not because of any inherent dislike of him.

Once he realized that his chains were largely of his own making, he began to submit occasionally to their requests. Slowly and with the guidance of the priests, the far more stable human part of his psyche began to reassert itself. At first the demon allowed this, hoping to trick the priests into releasing him on the prime, where he would be able to summon more of his kind. The priests were a smart bunch though and long before they released him, the human part of him had emerged as the dominant persona. Fearing that the demon might once more seize control of him, he keeps it on a very short leash. He does not want to go back to being what he was. Being able to roam the prime is far preferable to being a battle slave, no matter how pampered. He encountered Badb while hiding from his former masters in a flyspeck of caravan town on a prime world. He quickly ascertained that she neither knew nor cared about his past or heritage. Having finally found a woman willing to judge him by his actions alone, he determined to court her.

Having escaped his master, he fears that they will come and attempt to retrieve him. To prevent this, he has (with help), defaced the symbols on his back in such a way that they are no longer able to be used. If you want to know more, you can read about it here - Four Fold Goddess

Badb

Actions also have power. Badb's belief system is such that no action is undertaken lightly. Choices are never to be taken lightly and they must always be taken. Inaction - refusing to choose - is in itself a choice. The choices that one makes today impact the courses of action that one must choose from tomorrow. She must always consider how any action will impact her oaths - one as a paladin Oaths of a Paladin - as well as those that she has taken as part of the Four - Member of the Four - in both the short and the long term.

The gods are also dependent on their worshipers. The more worshipers any god has, the more powerful they become. To this end, her goddess sends out her paladins to be the bane to evil and so win converts. Unlike many paladins, though, this goddess espouses justice and balance. While she is a battle goddess, she is the goddess of battle in a just cause. What is deemed a just cause is somewhat arbitrary, since the goddess herself often makes the call - granting or with holding her favor as she sees fit. This causes her to occasionally take up unpopular causes.

For example, Badb was once sent to defend an orc tribe from encroaching humans. The humans began coming into orc territory in search of gold and when it was found, all the hells broke loose. The orcs had struck a deal with the goddess to convert in exchange for assistance. The humans, for their part, had not been particularly kind to or honest with the orcs. First cheating them and then resorting to whole sale slaughter and then enslavement in order to obtain what had traditionally been their lands in order to mine for gold.

Badb was sent to investigate and attempt to broker a peace. What she found was so offensive to her and her paladin-ly sensibilities that she took to arms over it. Instead of brokering a peace between the humans and the orcs, she brokered a peace between several the orc tribes. Marshalling the now massed army, she laid siege to the capitol city and threatened to overthrow the monarchy. Her demands were simple - rights for the orcs and an enforcement of a previous treaty which had ceded those lands to the orc tribes. While the orcs of the area bless her name and have remained loyal to their conversion to her goddess, the humans - angry over the loss of their profits - curse them both. Neither Badb nor her goddess really care, since what the humans were doing wasn't right or fair. It is for things like this that her goddess has a somewhat tarnished reputation.

The woman known as Morrighu Badb or simply Badb was born in the Prime on a world once called Sidhe. Her people are the Cymry and no longer exist. The full story is here - Four Fold Goddess. They were a most war-like people who were, albeit inadvertently, breeding for skill in combat. Since then, due to a long and strange series of events, she has entered the service of her goddess. She wields a full array of divine magic and is much favored by her goddess for several reasons. She has been instrumental in mass conversion of several large groups of people, which adds greatly to her goddess' power and by extension, her own. She has a sense of justice in almost every action that undertakes. This isn't some liberal, "not guilty because he had a bad childhood" sense of justice. It occasionally means that she must make hard choices. In her own words, "mortals were not meant to measure the worth of one life against another". Still, this is what she is sworn to do and she does it to the utmost of her ability.

She answers only to her goddess and only the two of them have to be comfortable with her decisions. She has, on occasion, done things that her goddess does not particularly approve of. This has landed her in quite a bit of trouble from time to time, usually in the form of a temporary suspension of some or all of her divinely granted powers. Oddly, her goddess approves of her match with Rydek.

Arenal

Arenal is relatively young. His paternal grandfather is a solar. He's been raised by his parents until about the age of 10. Since he was a mischievous little fellow, his parents packed him off to the temple for his own good. It's pretty traumatic for child to have to face an angry angel every time he swipes a cookie. With a grandfather and father that are both celestial in appearance, having them mad and yelling at you.....you get the idea. Arenal was raised in the temple and has little in the way of contact with anything off Mt. Celestia. His world view, as a result is quite skewed. Everything is mostly clearly delineated into black and white. He has a head full of unrealistic notions. For this reason, the temple elders have sent him into world to accompany Badb, and by extension, Rydek. The goddess that Badb follows is a daughter of the god that Arenal follows. They tried to place him with paladins with in their own order, but after a few unsuccessful attempts resulting in vociferous complaints, they looked outside their own temple. Badb's goddess volunteered her and while Badb has not found Arenal's company unpleasant, she has found him to be problematic. He has huge gaps in his education. While he can cast Storm of Vengance, he's unable to start a fire on his own.

My story's a little different as it takes place in the future. However, there is a form of magic and stuff like that in my story so that's why I classify it as fantasy. And... because the fantasy board's just better... yeah...

Anyway, here's my world:

Name: Earth (very inventive)

Calendar: Same as real-world

Geography: Multi-biome, five major continents, seven major countries, numerous islands, two oceans

Oceans: Lor (Eastern) Ocean (comparable to the Atlantic, but smaller), Lycras (Western) Ocean (comparable to the Pacific, but larger)

Continents: Aistris, Sanuba, Mor'skr, Elaiya, Antarctica (unpopulated)

Countries: Aistris, Bronquis, Kaigo, Hibernia, Carpathia, Milra, Seres

Continental Geography: The continent of Aistris spans a wide range of latitudes, including from the barren tundras in the north, the deciduous and evergreen forests of the northeast, to the rolling plains at its southern-most point. The Lor Ocean is located to its east and the Lycras Ocean is located to its west. Sierra City, the largest city in the entire world, is located on the Lor Peninsula, a nearly sixty thousand mile projection in the Lor Ocean. To the Lor Peninsula's north and western borders is the Morres Mountain Range. The Morres Mountains stretch the north reaches of the Aistris, climbing down the northeastern region until it ends just south of the Lor Peninsula. The country of Aistris is located here, as well as Sierra City, the major seat of Skywing power. Although the capital of Aistris is officially located at Hartford, the Aistris government takes its orders from Skywing Corporations and its officials are appointed and dismissed at Skywing's whim. The continent of Sanuba is located on the equator and is marked by the Sanuba Desert, a wasteland that covers the entire continent except for the rim. The countries of Bronquis and Kaigo are located on Sanuba. Bronquis is located to the north and is marked by having most of its cities underground to escape the burning heat. In contrast to the high-technology exhibited in Bronquis, Kaigo is mostly unpopulated. Mor'skr is the largest continent and is remarkable in that it completely encompasses the northern expanses of the world. It contains the controls of Hibernia and Carpathia. Other than a few cities on the southern rim bordering the Lor Ocean and the neighboring country of Carpathia, Hibernia is devoid of human life. Carpathia is a mountainous region to Carpathia's southeastern border. Two mountain regions, the Riemann Steppes to the northwest, the Dencker Mountains to the south mark out, Elaiya to the east, and the Lor Ocean encompassing the entire southern border mark out Carpathia's boundaries. Most of Carpathia's cities are located below sea level on the Subsea Plains. Elaiya contains one large mainland country, Milra, and a multitude of islands under the jurisdiction of the country of Seres. Milra is a very flat country located to the west of Seres and is dominated by its endless plains and rich river valleys. It has a number of cities, most of which are located either on the shores or close to the river. Seres has one main island, Asagi, roughly a quarter the size of Milra (real world comparison: around the size of Alaska) and a large number of islands broken off from it. The Ame* River cuts through Asagi, stretching from the mountains to its north, collecting at the Ame Lake before flowing out into the South Seres Sea. Since Seres is located in the mid-northern latitudes, its climate ranges from being very hot in the summer (effects of which are magnified when living in the city) to very cold in the winter.

*"Ame" is pronounced "a-me", not "aim", and it has an accent on the "me"

History: There are two major acknowledged political powers in my world: Skywing Corporations and the Senate of Nations. However, most of the Senate of Nations is under the indirect control of Skywing Corporations, whether through Skywing Security presence in their country or because of its dependence on Skywing's economic help. Of course, there is opposition to Skywing's control, most of which is concentrated in Seres, the only country Skywing has little power over. Under normal circumstances, Skywing would simply declare Seres a terrorist threat to the civilized world but the fact that Seramic, a composite material composed of pressurized crystal, metal, and ceramic components, is produced only in Seres stays Skywing's hand. However, Seres has got the military power, the economic muscle, or political cards to do anything to change the status quo. Thus, Seres stays quiet and mostly content with its position until certain events in my story come to pass.

Much of Skywing's prominent role in the world requires an explanation spanning 50 years of history. In 2251 (Chiaroscuro begins in 2302), the leaders of Bronquis and Kaigo reached an agreement that angered a particular ethnic group known as the Yuzaak originally under the jurisdiction of Kaigo. A faltering nation ripped apart by civil war, Kaigo required a great deal of money to restart its dead economy. As a manufacturing and commercial superpower, Bronquis was willing to hand over a hundred billion credits (1 dollar is equal to roughly 100 credits, give or take 50 credits based on yearly inflation and deflation) if Kaigo was willing to relinquish part of an area on its northern border rich in minerals. This area was populated by the Yuzaak, an ancient people that had lived there for over a thousand years. The Yuzaak originated from first groups to come down from the Mor'skr continent in the distant past when Mor'skr and Sanuba were connected. Eventually, the Yuzaak adapted their lifestyle to work around the sweltering heat, taking to the Sanuban caves and building a complex social structure within their underground confines. Gradually, the Yuzaak became increasingly isolated and apart from the rest of the world. This is in sharp contrast to a world where over 54% of the human population is classified as "multinational" (meaning there genetic make-up exhibits at least ten different ethnic groups) and less than 5% is classified as "single-national" (meaning of over 50% of any one ethnicity). Although the Yuzaak broke their years of isolation and protested this action, Bronquis and Kaigo went through with it. About half of the Yuzaak caves went over the Bronquis while the rest remained in Kaigan hands. The Yuzaak threatened war but they were judged as a backward people of a backwater nation and were deemed too little of a threat to matter. However, they were wrong.

In 2263, a new terrorist organization later called the Iron Hand exploded into the world scene. As the politicians and media watched, a contingent of troops wearing Bronquis military uniforms marched into Kaigan-controlled Yuzaak areas at high noon, declaring them captured under the Bronquis flag. Within two hours and no explanation from the Bronquis, the Kaigan military marched across the border and decimated the major Bronquis city of Byzantine. The next day, the two countries were in all-out war.

Unbeknowst to the world was that this entire was a orchestrated by the Yuzaak. The invading Bronquis divisions were actually Yuzaak operatives. The lack of communication between Bronquis and Kaigo was due to the fact that the primitive telegraph lines the Kaigans used were cut an hour prior to the Bronquis attack. Because the Bronquis "attack" and the frantic Kaigan dispatches to Bronquis occurred at mid-day under the murderous Sanuban heat, the Bronquis could not reply. In addition, the Bronquis seriously underestimated the Kaigan military and were completely unprepared for the torching of Byzantine. By the time communications were back up again, the two countries were already at war.

Some of the other countries (most notable among those that didn't was Seres) attempted to reconcile the two nations. However, the Yuzaak attempted to kill as many diplomats as possible. Eventually, Aistris and Milra stopped sending out emissaries while the other countries provided heavily-armed escorts for their diplomats, an action that seriously disturbed the host country. The Yuzaak saw an opportunity in this. Using the same idea as before, the Yuzaak exploded what was originally a regional war into that of a world war.

On September 14, 2264, the Yuzaak began what became known as the Decapitation Incident. During a multi-nation summit, a meeting during which Milra were absent, a Yuzaak strike force outfitted in Milra military gear attacked from opposite ends of the Bronquis capital, Grandius. What followed was a fifteen-hour operation to put down the attack. The pinnacle of the incident was the night of September 14 when the "Milra" attack force took the Grandius Capital Building where the summit meeting was taking place. As the media watched, the head of a Milra squad unsheathed a sword and sliced the head off of an Aistris diplomat who wouldn't stop screaming.

The media released the video, instigating a tumultuous roar within the Aistris. On September 16, the Aistris Congress declared war against Milra and refused to listen to what they believed were excuses. Reluctantly, the Milra government declared war as well on September 20. Milra's allies, Carpathia and Hibernia, declared war on Aistris as well on September 18.

The years of 2264 and 2265 were the bloodiest ever. The world was exhausted from combat, falling into a month-long lull. Seeing an opportunity, the Iron Hand leaders revealed themselves to Bronquis and explained their role in bringing out the current status of the world. The Iron Hand and the Bronquis government agreed to meet at an island close to the capital of Aistris. The Bronquis landed on the island, intentionally aggravating the Aistris Parliament. The Aistris government issued an ultimatum to the Bronquis government to leave within two weeks or risk war, an ultimatum that the Bronquis ignored. Over the next week and a half, the Bronquis and the Iron Hand met at the island and discussed their options. The Iron Hand was eventually able to convince the Bronquis to return the Yuzaak caves in exchange for a yearly tax. It was during these meetings that the Aistris government, already paranoid from successive attacks from Milra, preemptively bombed the island into oblivion before the deadline they gave was over. Outraged, the Bronquis government and the Iron Hand declared war on Aistris. The pause ended and the war began again.

The end of 2265 was marked by Skywing Corporations' entry into war. Skywing Corporations was a pharmaceutical company based in Aistris that was formed in the mid 2230s. Over the years, they gained more prestige before ending up as the leading pharmaceutical company in the world. The CEO at the time, Christopher Londal, saw an opportunity in the war. He oversaw the development of Serum HK-3, an injection that prompted the rapid healing of injuries. Londal was able to get his contacts in the Aistris government to witness the effects of Serum H. Impressed, the Aistris government emptied its treasury purchasing Serum HK-3. It was Serum HK-3 that proved to be the decisive factor in ending the war.

Bronquis took heavy losses as the soldiers they shot kept getting back up again as if they couldn't die. Frustrated, they decided to lash out against the producers of Serum HK-3, Skywing Corporations. The Bronquis government ordered the Iron Hand (who had caved into Bronquis demands after the deaths of all their major leaders) to send their operatives to make their attacks against Skywing Corporations. The Iron Hand operatives were highly successful, destroying five major Skywing factories before Londal was able to convince the Aistris government to send a contingent of soldiers to save Skywing Headquarters from destruction. It was this delay that prompted Londal to begin the organization of Skywing Security, a highly trained professional army created by Skywing Corporations. Skywing Security was originally designed purely for the protection of Skywing's interests but Londal sent them to Bronquis and Milra during the final year of the war in 2266.

The state of the world in 2266 could be described as nothing less than disastrous. The original opening of the war was forgotten. Kaigo ceased to exist. Bronquis, originally one of the world powers, was decimated, its vaunted economy diminished and its political powers stripped. The eastern coast of Milra was a bombed-out shell, as was the western coast of Aistris. The only country that came out relatively unscathed was Seres. The unmarked state of Seres angered much of the rest of the world. Skywing Corporations contributed billions to the reconstruction of Aistris and later to the reconstruction of the world. It helped restart the economies of the other countries and installed Skywing Security garrisons all over the world to prevent future terrorist actions. Skywing also began expanding its markets beyond that of medicine. Within ten years and without any opposition, Skywing controlled over 80% of the world market in everything from sports drinks to sloop (basically, flying cars) manufacturing. It was also during this interim period that the Senate of Nations was organized to facilitate communication between countries to stop what had occurred during what is now known in the history textbooks as the Iron Hand War.

New conflicts broke out in 2285 when trouble began brewing between Seres and Skywing Corporations. Seres discovered a formula to create a light but strong composite material known as Seramic. One of Seres' major companies was Skywing Corporations who used the material to create the armor for the top tier of Skywing Security, the shocktroops. In 2285, Seres had exhausted its supply of easily mined crystals required for Seramic manufacturing. It requested submarine miners from Skywing, a move that was contested by the other countries of the world angered by Serenese prosperity. It took a lot of work on Seres' part to get the miners they required. In return, Seres sell Seramic to Skywing at 75% for the a year. As predicted, Skywing made advance purchases during that year that was five times its usual amount. this action resulted in bankruptcy for a number of the smaller companies that failed to deliver the promised Seramic. In response, Skywing asked for access to the subterranean caves so that they could harvest the minerals themselves. Of course, the Serenese government carefully refused. In the meantime, the Serenese population had to deal with rising unemployment from Skywing's actions. New businesses couldn't start because Skywing had already controlled the market. Anger from not only Seres but other nations as well began rising against Skywing's prohibitive actions in regard to the economy.

In 2292, new reports of Skywing's abuses of power came to the forefront. A report published by Shiroyuki Kisaragi, an exchange student at Icarus University from Seres, raised rumors of a "massacre" by Skywing Security Forces against former soldiers in the Iron Hand War. Apparently, Serum HK-3 resulted in mental psychosis and dementia among those who had taken them in heavy quantities. Kisaragi researched the mysterious deaths of over fifty mental patients who were veterans in the Iron Hand War. He linked over forty of them to them to the same poison that resulted in severe flu-like symptoms and then linked the poison to Skywing Security. Kisaragi then correctly guessed that there was something wrong with Serum HK-3. Kisaragi's report was banned from being printed, one of his professors mysteriously disappeared, another was killed, and still another would die in 2298 during the June 4 Incident. A little while afterward, Kisaragi disappeared himself.

In 2298, tensions came to a head. A new political organization had come to the forefront within the last three years calling for breaking Skywing's monopoly on money and power. Sensationally calling itself the "Exiled", it found a great following among the Serenese, the impoverished, and university students and professors. Skywing struck against its own city, installing shocktroops on Icarus University campuses despite the protests of the dean and arrested students and professors suspected of supporting the Exiled. In May of 2298, the arrest of a popular professor, Gabriel Keyes, led a number of his students to organize a protest against Skywing. The protest eventually escalated to the point where anyone with any issue against Skywing began protesting as well. The Exiled took hold of the situation in an effort to control it before it became a riot. However, Skywing saw it as an organized rebellion. Surprisingly, Skywing failed to respond immediately. The new CEO, the brilliant Alexia Kazeal, had become CEO at the age of 16 in 2294 with the aid of her mentor, Skywing Executive Trimal Sakata. Despite her best efforts, Alexia couldn't fix all the problems her predecessor, Christopher Londal, and the Executives under her created. Though loved by many, even the Exiled by the mysterious Exiled leader who called her "the best person he had ever met", Alexia was assassinated on June 2, 2298. Her death was attributed the protesters to the outrage of all. On June 3, 2298, one of the senior Skywing Executives, Darius Videl, became the substitute CEO and ordered the Market Square (where the protesters had gathered) to be encircled by Skywing shocktroops and ordered the protesters to leave unless they had a death wish. Defiantly, the Exiled remained. On the night of June 4, the Skywing shocktroops responded to harassment by the protesters and emptied several rounds in to the crowd, interrupting a speech by the Exiled leader. The protesters responded angrily, attacking the shocktroops and escaping the cordoned-off Market Square. What followed was an all-night riot that lasted until the late hours of the morning. Eventually, the riots died down and order was restored on June 5. What followed on June 5 was later called the Tank Man Incident and was later imprinted in the minds of all those who saw it.

On June 6, 2298, Alexia Kazeal's funeral took place and Leon Kazeal, her younger but equally intelligent brother, became CEO. He furiously researched his sister's murder and found Videl guilty. Leon had Videl executed on August 10, 2298. Over the next four years until the beginning of Chiaroscuro in 2302, Leon consolidated his power and stripped the power of Executives to merely advisers.

AN: Wow... that was really long. The history of the Airis, the Fraegal, and the Transposed, all of which are highly important and relevant to the story is important but can't revealed because it would have too many spoilers. The "short" history lesson I gave was general information known by the all the main characters so it wouldn't give anything away. If you noticed, I purposely concealed the name of the mysterious Exiled leader...

Yeah... if you liked that, read my story!

My story is a almost now (year past? year future?) Earth where Heaven and Hell exist. In this basically all that is believed in exist - Roman gods, Greek gods, Christian gods, Muslim gods, the lot.

Mines not entirely fantasy but then I thought push my main through a time machine and see how he copes.

Anyway, there are agents and non-agents in the dead worlds. Psycho is the world from an agent's perspective the missions being one of the worse days Satan has had, while the others I've created are from non-agent perspective and are romantic fluff but back to basiics.

Agents each have abilities which can help them do their jobs, where no two people have the exact same abilities. Typically the dead cannot die again but then - there are ways of killing someone twice. As far is known there is nothing after being killed twice. (You can only die once).

That's about it really. More is revealed in the story but then I don't like to give away secrets. ::))

"Magic," in the series these two characters come from, is not magic at all; it is the remnants of a vast network of energy and nanotech left behind by the ancient human civilizations. Nobody alive still understands how it works, so it is viewed by most as magic and not technology.

In a basic sense, magic focuses itself around individuals' will and intelligence. For characters able to use the magic "sense" to feel the currents around them, it appears thus as a thickening haze around other individuals. This is said person's "aura," their natural resistance to the magic of all other users. Within that space all magic responds only to their will. It protects them from hostile magic, and allows them to perform it themselves. An actual magic user is someone who has the ability to use their aura in order to draw additional magic away from the network and into their will. Non-magical characters have a limited ability to perform simple magical actions, but are limited into what energy is currently stored in their own auras.

Once accessed, there are three different methods of using that power. All of them require drastically different modes of thought, and so a mage who is exceptionally skilled at one may be ineffective at another. Although they are classified as white, red, and black magic, one type is not more "good" or "evil" than another; all of them can be used for both constructive and destructive ends.

White magic is the practice of using drawn energy in order to work with or strengthen an aura. Most defensive spells and healing are accomplished thus. White magic can only work provided that the will of the person it is being performed on allows the intent of the spell; if a healing spell is attempted on someone who does not want to be healed, their aura would attempt to block the action. For this reason, white magic can generally be performed only on oneself or those the caster knows and is trusted by. It is also possible for white magic to be used to extremely destructive ends, provided said trust is misplaced, due to the fact that a spell used against a null resistance is far more devastating than one designed to force its way through.

Black magic uses the drawn energy in direct opposition with a target's resistance. It is impossible to cast on oneself: your aura cannot attempt an action that it is also resisting. Black magic's most common use is combat, in which it is used to directly harm or weaken one's opponent, but it also serves medical purposes as well. In an unconscious state, all beings' auras revert to their instincts, often directly opposing life saving actions such as the removal of a weapon or poison from the body. In this situation, black magic is necessary in order to save a person instead of harm them.

The most common form of magic is red magic. It is an oddball category in the sense that it does not involve interaction with the target's aura at all. Most of its uses are routine, involving anything from food preparation to entertainment, but it has essential and sometimes devastating combat techniques. Because all of its effects involve the manipulation of inanimate objects instead of living ones, it is the only type of magic that can circumvent an unguarded resistance: The strongest aura in the world can't stop a two ton brick from hurtling towards your head if you haven't been given time to build a shield. Against combat red magic, the only real defense is to get out of the way. Other uses involve the manipulation of an environment, such as generating total silence or darkness over an aria in attempt to give tactical advantage to one side of a conflict or another.

From the three different types of magic comes the seven basic alignments:

White: 6/6 White Magic

Yellow: 4/6 White Magic, 2/6 Red Magic.

Blue: 3/6 White Magic, 2/6 Red Magic, 1/6 Black Magic.

Red: 2/6 White magic, 2/6 Red Magic, 2/6 Black Magic.

Green: 1/6 White Magic, 2/6 Red Magic, 3/6 Black Magic.

Grey: 2/6 Red Magic, 4/6 Black Magic.

Black: 6/6 Black Magic.

In the case of some creatures and races, the particular alignment of an individual is immediately apparent. Dragons, for instance, were coded at their creation to pigment based on their alignment. They are generally classified based on their colors, though this is often referred to as silver, gold, sapphire, rust, copper, shadow, and midnight dragons, respectively.

When in actual use, magic appears as a series of lines and fields enveloping a caster and/or target. It is largely geometric when viewed from a magical sense, though there is some debate as to whether this is the result of its physical location or a mind's eye interpretation.

Defenses constructed of magic will general appear one of three ways: Either as strong, specific lines, flat, geometric barriers, or thin, curved skins. Generally, lines are used to build defenses against high strength, broad attacks such as melee weapons, barriers are used to deflect projectiles, and skins are used to strengthen one's natural resistance to direct magical attacks. Other defenses of increased complexity are possible as well, but because of the concentration necessary to create and maintain them they are generally a trade off of direct defensive strength in favor of unpredictability. In most cases said complex defenses would be used against other magical users, in order to wear down an opponent with the concentration necessary to break a complex pattern each time an offensive spell is cast.

Offensive spells' appearances differ based on their purposes as well. A basic "strike" spell consists of a single, focused line of will coupled with a malicious intent such as bodily harm. They appear as bright, impossibly thin lines, and generally will be focused on a single point in their target's resistance in an attempt to burn through the aura at that point in order to reach its destination. They can be strait, curved, or shaped in any manner necessary in order to maintain unpredictability, though the more complexity a strike is patterned with the more concentration it requires to perform. A strike with a less direct rout will also require more energy, as the longer the strike's line is, the more force is needed to manipulate it.

Another common offensive spell is the "curse." A curse is self-sustained the moment it leaves the caster. Curses settle themselves on a target's aura, and generate a field of resistance against their target's aura. Curses will either gradually work their way deeper into an aura until they reach a target destination and perform a set action, or they will attempt to integrate themselves into an aura in order to obstruct its proper function. All curses have a duration limited to the time it takes for the energy within the curse to be burnt out by the energy within the aura, though some have been known to prolong this process by feeding on the aura itself.

The final offensive spell is called the "taint." In appearance a taint is almost imperceptible. They are large, broad attacks that take the form of a rushing haze, designed to simply wash around and through the artificial defenses an opponent has set up in order to directly affect their aura. They are generally weak and simple, and do little more than to weaken an aura slightly, but can be devastating against those with little to no natural magical resistance. A basic taint will collide with an aura and attempt to burn it out by canceling the energy between the two. If the taint is strong enough, an aura may be temporarily destroyed, leaving an opponent completely defenseless to a magical attack. They may also be coupled with the same damaging effects strikes and curses have built into their cores, in order to devastate large numbers of unprotected opponents. Against another magic user, however, a taint is largely ineffective. The amount of energy needed to be built into one in order to wear down a well-strengthened aura is counterproductive, and even the most basic defensive skin will cause most of the taint to simply wash around the aura and dissipate, provided the taint is poorly directed.

The Races

Humans: Although amongst the races with the shortest life spans, Humans are the most ancient race in CLL. It was their ancestors who first created and meddled with the forces of magic, from which all other intelligent races on the planet were created. Being by far the most populated race, Humans are common within all facets of good and evil, so much so that many would deny that there is a difference between the two.

Alignment Range: White-Black

Life expectancy: 70 years

Maximum life expectancy: 120 years

Trolls: Originally created as an efficient labor-caste variant of the human race, trolls are able to walk unnoticed within human society with less effort than most. If one ignores the greenish tint of their skin and their two fanglike, enlarged canine teeth, a troll appears much like a human of above average height. Trolls tend to be physically stronger than the average human despite their wiry appearances, and occasionally exhibit remarkable dexterity. They also possess the unique ability to heal extremely quickly and even regenerate lost limbs, or in some cases crucial organs.

Life expectancy: 30 years

Maximum life expectancy: 150 years

History:

-Trolls were created to be more-efficient replacements for humans in certain, less than desirable jobs within the ancient human civilization. Although possessing similar focus of mind to that of a human, much of their higher sentient functions were removed in order to make them less capable of dissent, revolt, or even dissatisfaction with their slave-like social stations. Both their strength and speed were enhanced beyond that of a human and, in order to increase the trauma they could withstand while retaining usefulness, they were designed to heal at a rate far beyond that of a human and even be able to regenerate crucial components.

-It was this regenerative ability that led to the revolt and eventual escape of the troll race. Because of the accelerated healing and rapid expenditure of nutrients and energy involved in their regeneration, a troll in the process of growing back lost flesh must consume a much larger quantity of food than what would normally be required. The inability to do so would cause the troll to enter a state of extreme hunger, mentally akin to that of starvation but without the physical loss of strength. Trolls in this state would become violent, and isolated reports of property destruction, human injury, and even deaths resulting from an enraged troll prompted many troll owners to take drastic preventative measures. Some even went so far as to have any and all seriously wounded trolls to be put down. Trolls under such ownership quickly learned that such serious injury left them with no hope for survival, and for the first time tension rose between them and their owners, despite the mental handicaps placed upon them by design.

-Disaster struck shortly after the Great War began. In an effort to bring the city Lyamari to its knees, saboteurs attempted destabilized the city’s structure from the foundation up. Although the upper reaches of the city received only minimal initial damage, the extensive structural damage to the lower levels brought the city to a grinding halt. Most importantly, the vast material reprocessing system, which comprised the larger portion of the city’s Troll populace, was critically damaged. The system became completely cut off from the rest of the city, and those trolls that were injured were unable to seek help. Worse, by being seen as an expendable resource, their rescue was placed on lowest priority.

-By the time the reprocessing system was reconnected with the remainder of the city, what trolls survived had ferociously succumbed to their inherent berserker rage. In the end the saboteurs’ mission resulted in the city’s complete destruction not because they had broken the buildings beyond repair, but because all but the highest reaches of the city were overrun by the Troll horde. What trolls survived the battle fled the city, and remained to disguise themselves as best they could within the human society. Shortly thereafter, factory Troll production was discontinued in favor of more combat-safe races, to be used in both offense and defense during the Great War.

Oh, By the way, it doesn't have a name. It's "the world" the same way the universe is... well, the universe, you don't name it, it just is. For the purpose of the Tavern it could be called the northlands because of the colder climate and fact that I always refer to it as being north of most worlds.

PHYSICAL:

Maps:

Map of major nations: http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z166/LimsatMMORPG/Map-Nations.jpg

Map of geography: http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z166/LimsatMMORPG/Map-blank.jpg

Map of races and climates: http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z166/LimsatMMORPG/map-races.jpg

Geography: There is one major continent in the world, It is split into an eastern and western halves by a great sea that connects to the ocean at the southern end of the continent. The eastern half of the world is unexplored, no one has ever traveled that far. The eastern half of the continent is split north-central/south by a huge mountain range. There is only one safe pass through the mountains (because they're dragon infested). There is a peninsula on the south-eastern tip of the continent. Off the peninsula there is a huge archipelago of islands. These islands spread out into the sea and then curve northwards. In the far north-west of the world there is a small continent called Dunland, which is split in two by a narrow channel of water.

Climate: This world is colder then most. The north is an almost inhospitable tundra. Even in the south it sometimes snows, although its much warmer then up north. To the north of the mountains it is a cold barren land of pine forests and tundra. The mountains themselves are even colder and more inhospitable. To the far north an icecap covers the ocean. Below the mountains the weather is more temperate, but still cold. (think New England or Michigan weather). The peninsula to the south is warm. It snows only a couple weeks out of the year. To the east of the mountains is a vast area of forests and swampland. The archipelago is warm, with the actual climate varying from island to island. Dunland weather is temperate with a colder slant.

Creatures: This world is similar to own own except that it lacks some of the warmer climate species like elephants, girafs and such. There are also some creatures that are more accommodated to the cold. This includes the wyvern, a creature similar to a dragon but much smaller (around the size of a car); Orcs, a non-sentient creature that travels in packs and will eat just about anything; and yeti's, huge white furred creatures that stalk the northern tundras.

RACES: There are three races in this world, Elves, humans, and Saurians. Elves and humans are genetically similar enough to procreate together. Saurians are closer to dragons then the other sentient races.

Humans: by far the most successful race. They occupy the entire eastern side of the main continent, the archipelago, and Dunland. Their cultures are wide and varied. Physically stronger then the other races, they are also the most warlike.

There are several ethnicities of Humans:

Northmen: these people are white skinned, strong and very tall. These men usualy live north of the mountains. They have fair complexions, light hair and eyes are common.

Dunlain: people of this ethnicity are shorter then most and have bronze/brownish skin, similar to an arab. They generally have black or red hair and green or brown eyes.

Common: Although this ethnicity rarely identifies itself as a single group, often falling into several subgroups, they have similar features.

Elves: The Elves stay in their small homeland. The forests on the northern shore of the inland sea. They live to around a hundred years old, have milk white skin and are physically weak compared to most species. Their technology surpasses humans and saurians, allowing them to defend their homeland even though their numbers are inferior to the humans. Elves procreate slowly, having only two or three children in a lifetime. They rely on their intelligence and technology to support them.

Saurian: Saurian are dissimilar to the other races. They look like raptors, normally with green or red skin. They are not as "intelligent" as the other races. But they have better senses and empathy then the others. Saurian are nomadic, they have no homeland of their own.

Dragons: Dragons in this world are huge, small ones being large enough to sit on the melting pot. They come in two species: Drakes and serpents. Drakes are smaller, fly and breath fire. They enjoy tormenting others and are generally very confident of their power. serpents are similar to snakes, long and dark. However they have legs and claws. They are often large enough to cover a slope or surround a village. Although they are malicious they are wise, often guarding places of power.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Technology: The different races are at different points in their technological development. Humans are just coming out of the dark ages and experimenting with new systems of government and innovation. Saurians are tribal people, but are not so far behind as they seem. Elves are far ahead, using things like indoor plumbing (think urban Rome).

governments: There are about seven major governments, however these resemble collaborations of tribes more then actual nations.

The Academy: The Academy is a center of human learning. It is built on the site of the well, a huge quicksilver reservoir (see magic). The Academy rules through subterfuge and manipulation. Being a friend or vassal grants protection, access to knowledge, trade, and wealth. The Academy has a near monopoly on knowledge and magic. It rules the central-eastern shore of the main continent.

Economic system: Varies with vassels; Assymitry of knowledge.

Religion: varies with vassels; mostly polytheistic.

Government: Oligarchy.

Emblem: A purple sash, usually of high quality.

Ilandi: Illandi is a chivalric kingdom that sits on the southern peninsula. They rebelled against The Academy and lean instead on the church, an organization of healing mages who believe in a monotheistic God. Ilandi is famous for its chivalry, patriotism and horses.

Economic system: Feudal

Religion: The church

Government: Monarchy

Emblem: A rider with sword drawn below a six-pointed star.

The Empire: The empire rules the entirety of land above the dragon infested mountains. It is ruled with an iron fist by the Emperor. Most men from the empire are cruel and warlike because of the harsh landscape and government.

Economic system: Tribal

Religion: polytheistic or shamanistic

Government: Tribal, with a monarchy of emperors who have limited power outside of the cities.

The Archipelago: The archipelago is ruled by the king of the isles. A young lord who forcefully conquored the many islands through tactics, brute determination and a huge navy. The nation's economy thrives on trade from the different peoples along the coast.

Economic system: Trade

Religion: Many

Government: New Monarchy

Dunland: Dunland is inhabited by a tribe of humans who were driven from their ancestral home generations before. It is a collection of tribes and cities that hold together through nationalism and a common heritage. Dunlain are master archers and horsemen.

Economic system: tribal/capitalistic.

Religion: Polytheism/shamanism

Government: Clans, with a national republic.

The Elvin Lands: The Elvin lands are largely urban and isolated. It is ruled by a heavily beaurocratic government that has no true leader. Elvin technology is far ahead of the other races. They have mastered magic to a high level, being able to channel elvin lightning, create portals and enchant objects. All skills that no other nation or race has mastered.

Economic system: Capitalist with a definate class system.

Religion: Egotism/nihilism.

Government: Oligarchy of beaurocrats.

Safinon: The small kingdom of saurians who have re-inhabited the ancient cities of their once great race. Saurian generally avoid confrontation with the other races, preferring to keep their heads down and care for their own lands.

Economic system: Tribal

Religion: Shamanistic

Government: Tribal

Magic:

Magic in the northlands is more of a science then most. It revolves around channeling pure energy into different forms and using them to accomplish whatever "spell" the caster wishes. The terminology of "casting a spell" is rather incorrect, magic is more similar to channeling power then a single "spell". Channeling takes great skill, scientific knowledge, and above all: concentration.

Because energy does not naturally stay in a pure state spell casters have to draw it from some source. The most common source is a liquid called quicksilver. Quicksilver is clear as air and only a little heavier then water. However, when it is disturbed it ripples a shining silver color. Quicksilver can easily be torn apart to yield large amounts of arcane energy, however it is rather rare and valuable. Another way to get energy is to tear it from a physical object, such as a rock or normal water. Unfortunately objects hold together very well, and even evoking energy from water takes monumentous willpower. Sunlight can also be tapped into to yield energy, but only a few have managed to share the technique for absorbing it, and they're not telling.

There are many distinct types of magic wielders that have become commonly known throughout the world:

Mage: A master of all schools of magic. Is often someone of high political authority. Becoming a mage can take two or more decades of careful study.

Wizard: A master of one school of magic and well-versed in most others. Becoming a wizard takes about half the time and study of a mage while still being a formidable opponent.

Sorceror: Someone who learns elementary charge and defense magic along with melee skills. Sorcerors use their magic to augment their melee fighting skills, they can be quite deadly.

Witch: Female magic user with no official training. Often a country practitioner with little skill, though some witches can be quite dangerous.

magician: Someone with modest magic skills. A run-of-the-mill caster without great skill or power.

Paladin: A knight or warrior who gives his allegiance to the church and learns basic fighting and healing magic.

Priest: Nearly all priests of the church know healing magic. The word has become synonymous with a skilled magic healer.

SunWielder: A cult member from the brotherhood of the Sun. Uses sunlight as the energy source for his/her magic.

Religion:

Most people in the northlands are pagan, following polytheistic or shamanistic practices. The elves are not known to have any true religion at all, although the philosophy of elvish imperialism is strong. There is a small cult called the draconics who worship dragons (from a safe distance).

There is also the organization known as the church. Founded by a group of mages and philosophers in the Academy. They reasoned that only a monotheistic and all-powerful God was worth worshipping. To worship anything else was pointless, as those beings were inferior. The founders swore off offensive magic, focusing instead on healing and protection. They preached around the world, gaining many converts but no real popularity. When Ilandi rebelled against the Academy the church assisted them, using their magic to counter the Academies. The church is now the official religion of Ilandi.

Post Note: As you can probably tell from reading the information, this world is not a happy or pleasant place. Anyone who has lived to adulthood has done so in spite of everything. Not a place for anyone who can't take care of themselves.

Earth

In my characters' world, it's basically a post-cataclysm Earth. Some city names, like Venice have changed (to Venetta). Most sentient life has mass migrated to Central Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa.

Races:

Bestowed: Humans, Ad'ran'i, demons, sidhe and generally any sentient being that was affected by the Fall in having their genetics mucked around with.

Some types include:

The five categories of shapeshifters (Granu is considered a Category 3, which allows for multiple forms, but has mental aspects carried over from one side to another, e.g. she thinks like a Loch ness monster sometimes, especially close to the full moon)

Telepaths

Advanced magery (such as probability influencing types)

Basic forms of fortune telling

Summoning.

Advanced shapeshifting (for Ad'ran'i)

Demons: Like your standard Western demon, excepting for the fact that they come in shades of gray and not just generally evil. Basic unit is a clan of demons.

Ad'ran'i: A form of racial shapeshifters. They have the ability to shapeshift into a bird of prey-like wyvern. As such, mental and physical traits are carried over from one form to another (such as feathers in sapient form and presence of opposable thumbs in avian form). Their culture is very similar to that of the Mongolians; they are mostly steppe momads travelling from one good pasturing are to another looking for good grazing for their livestock. Not necessaily warlike, but they are aggressive enough. Their way of thinking is extremely birdlike.

Humans: Your standard homo sapien.

Sidhe: Literally, the Celtic Fair Folk. They have an empress and are fairly organized. They are considered to have the most mages and witches ethnically. Generally, they are the race that have the least contact with the outside world, contrary to popular myth.

Magic is well established in forms or magery, witchery, sorcery, etc. Most magery is math based, while witchery is a family skill generally employing basic talent and gut feelings.

The Army

Units:

-Regional Command: Subdivision of the army into four large groups, by region.

-Regiment: Broad grouping within a command, containing both operational and support units. It is at this level of subdivision that the smaller units are coordinated so that they support each other via personnel, logistic, and defensive integration. (Generally comprised of 10-20 Columns.)

-Column: Mission-oriented unit, each responsible for a specific tactical service of some sort, to include Combat Columns, Supply Columns, etc. Each column will generally contain a variety of several detachments, such as Infantry, Calvary, Siege, etc. (Generally comprised of 4-8 Detachments.)

-Detachment: Smallest unit level, containing a single type of combat/support soldier as well as minimal self-support. (Generally comprised of 30-120 members.)

Officer Ranks:

-Grand General: The Grand General is the overseer of the entire army, though his duties are often more political and administrative in nature. The Grand General is the army's voice in the King's court, and the final voice for military policy and operation within the kingdom. The Grand General is also the commander of the reserve forces that guard the nation's capital, and the staff beneath him is responsible for managing the movements of personnel between the four regions of the kingdom.

-High General: There are four High Generals in the kingdom, each maintaining a more direct control of the various regions of the kingdom: The wilderness to the north and east, the western coastline, and the southern borders. They are responsible for the true tactical planning within their regions, though historically some will consider this duty from a more hands-on perspective, while others will allow greater freedom of decision to the Generals below them.

-General/Colonel: Generals and Colonels are in command of a single Regiment, responsible for the tactical success and failure of its operation. Most often, a General will be placed in command of Combat Columns, while a Colonel would command one of the various support-based columns.

-Major: Though the General/Colonel of a respective Column is responsible for all aspects of its operation, most administrative duties will be delegated to their staff. Most often, this consists of a Major heading several enlisted personnel.

-Captain: Captains are detachment-level commanders, in charge of no more than 120 individuals at any point in time. They are the face-to-face leaders of the enlisted corps, and along with Lieutenants the most combat oriented as well.

-Lieutenant: A Lieutenant has only recently been commissioned into the officer ranks. They are generally placed under a detachment commander, and viewed as "captains in training."

Enlisted Ranks:

-Grand Marshal: The Grand Marshal is the highest ranking enlisted member, and serves on the Grand General's staff. They act as an adviser to the Grand Marshal concerning the enlisted ranks, and perform other administrative duties as delegated by the Grand Marshal.

-High Marshal: High Marshals are similar to the Grand marshal, with the inherent difference that they serve one of the four High Generals.

-Marshal: A Marshal performs administrative duties for a Column commander, and may sometimes inherent some authority of said commander, as delegated.

-Sergeant: Individual sections of a Detachment will be headed by a Sergeant. Sergeants are highly experienced in combat, and are spread between Detachments in order to mentor the younger soldiers. Sergeants are also eligible to serve as staff for the commanders of the higher unit types, from Headquarters to Regiment.

-Line Sergeant: Line sergeant is the lowest rank at which a member may have other soldiers placed within their charge. They are eligible also eligible to serve as staff for the commanders of Regiments and Columns, and may also be selected as an Aid, a position effectively rendering them the "first mate" for a detachment's Captain.

-Corporal: Experienced soldiers, generally having survived several battles. Little changes between this and the lower enlisted ranks, with the exception that a Corporal is eligible for service as an Aid.

-Line Soldier: The largest portion of the enlisted ranks, and the actual "grunts" of the army. In unofficial settings, a Line Soldier will simply be referred to as a Soldier, since little of their actual duties have changed.

-Soldier: Inexperienced Soldiers have only recently entered service, and are paired with a Line Soldier at all times. Usually seen as more of a hindrance than a help, a "Raw Soldier" is the units green troops, and are automatically promoted after surviving their first battle.

Enlisted to Officer

-Enlisted members of all ranks are eligible to be sponsored by a Major or above for commissioning into the officer ranks. Beyond Sergeant, however, this rarely occurs, since lieutenants are generally expected and desired to be less experienced than the captains they are placed under.

Civil Ranks:

-The Civil Ranks run parallel to the Military Ranks, and are controlled by the king rather than the Grand General. They are more concerned with law and local disputes than national defense, though they may be deployed with the regular army under conditions of "dire need."

Grand Knight:

-The Grand Knight is the king's adviser on all things military and serves an honorary, if somewhat ignored position on the Grand General's staff. Other duties are ceremonial in nature, as the head of the knights' order. Only the Grand Knight or the King may authorize the augmenting of the regular army with Knights.

Regional Knight: Four Regional Knights are selected by the Grand Knight to serve as the king's voice to each of the Regional Generals. They are not referred to by their rank, but rather by their region, such as "Knight of the East" etc.

Knight: A knight is a full-fledged member of the civil order, and may serve as any position from a king's judge to a royal guard to the head of the watch for any specific outpost in the kingdom. They are well-trained in combat, though often they are more experienced with small scuffles than large-scale battle.

Page: The youngest members of the Guard are often selected to become Pages, and be trained by a single knight to join the order. During this time, the knight and the page act as a single unit, and are for no reason separated.

Guard: Guards act as the local law for the capitol and its surrounding towns and outposts. It is generally viewed more as a career choice than a duty, and Guards maintain the right to decline sponsorship by a knight as a page. Unlike in the Military Ranks, a guard will be selected for sponsorship based on moral performance rather than combat, generally by the knight they are commanded by.

Source of energy:

There are six classes of magic, concerning source, at least. In order of increasing potency: thought, word, scripture, dance, flesh, ancient.

Thought comes from perception within the mind. Naturally, it is more versatile, but due to its lack of founding in the physical realm, it is weaker.

Word comes from the uttered notion. It is the most popular, since it is easiest to use.

Scripture comes from the written concept. It is common for those who wish to enchant items, since it has a more permanent effect than the others.

Dance comes from motion. Considered to be the most artistic of all magic types.

Flesh comes from the living spirit. It has many negative connotations, but there are those who practice it innocuously, using animals, themselves, and volunteers for magic. Those whose energy has been drawn from do not always die, but it is possible with more potent spells. Due to the intense level of energy required for necromancy, most necromancers utilize flesh magic.

Ancient magic comes from the very concept of existence itself. Very few can use ancient magic; in the story Recudat and Namok come from, only the sigato (dark elves) and a few elder beings can use it. It is even speculated whether or not it even exists.

A common diagram to explain this is the hexagram; one triangle is for conceptual magic (thought, word, and scripture) and the other is for material magic (dance, flesh, and magic). Each point represents a different type, and points against its polar opposite.

The opposites are as follows: thought and ancient, scripture and dance, word and flesh.

Combinations are done by experienced magic-users. Namok does it several times in Q #10.

In the world, there is an energy in every living creature that is essential for it to continue to function. This energy is called khi. When khi is used to move, eat breathe, or any other mundane activity, this creates a byproduct called aura. The aura feeds the “dead” matter of the world, allowing it to continue to exist. As a byproduct of this, the dead things create an energy called seid. Seid is what needs to be taken in for the body to process its chi. This is the cycle of life.

DEMONS

Demonic creatures from a place that lies closer to the chaos on the alignment scale than law. The world lies slightly closer to the chaos realm, though is called "Equivolance" in terms of it's position. Our would be halfway between Equivolance and Serenity, the pure plane of law.

Few can say demons are inheritly 'evil' though they tend to have distructive habits due to their constant drive for survival and their heavy adabtability. Power is one of the single most important things to a demon, only seconded by survival. Thus, when demons form packs, they generally are highly unstable, and never get too large due to most being's tendencies of extinguishing them.

Now, where possession is concerned, the demon that is in the host functions on a completely different energy system, thus can not interact with our world, or even see anything in it. Through a process, these beings can be made to see an aura of a human, which it immediately goes to. It absorbs the aura that is being produced, and “reproduces” at the same time. By reproducing, it gives a small part of it’s own energy and being, putting it into the khi of the creature it is infecting. As soon as the energy is mixed with the khi, a whole new identity is created. This creature is instantly mature, and seeks to overthrow the mind of the “host,” taking its body as its own. The possession, and even creating of a new being,