Fantasy A World Untamed

Sol · Apr 5, 2014

http://www.rpnation.com/threads/a-world-untamed.24953/ OOC

A World Untamed - We're transported to another world and we're the only magical people.

A friend of yours just graduated high school, another friend suggests that all go camping to celebrate. It also helps that yet another friend owns a cabin overlooking a lake. Now everyone was enjoying themselves, until a particularly powerful storm swept through the area. It tore apart the cabin and scattered you and your friends to wherever the wind desires to bring you.
Now you maybe wondering why you have woken up at the foot of a snow covered mountain or maybe floating in an oasis in the...

Read more about this role play...

IF YOU WANNA SIGN UP, PM ME YOUR SHEET. THE SIGN UPS TURNED INACTIVE MAINLY DUE TO MY IGNORANCE OF THINGS. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME.

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Something to listen to while you read, enjoy the John Dreamer.)

A friend of yours just graduated high school, another friend suggests that all go camping to celebrate. It also helps that yet another friend owns a cabin overlooking a lake. Now everyone was enjoying themselves, until a particularly powerful storm swept through the area. It tore apart the cabin and scattered you and your friends to wherever the wind desires to bring you.

Now you maybe wondering why you have woken up at the foot of a snow covered mountain or maybe floating in an oasis in the middle of a desert, it could be that you're lying in a field right now surrounded by rolling hills or maybe in a jungle somewhere. But that isn't the end to the strangeness, no, you can force the elements or an element to bow down to your whims. Magical is it not? But that's not the only thing that'll be magical.

Welcome to Boldan, a world untamed. The conflict between the empires of Sernn, Upolo, Ituro and Hyr have reached a fever pitch and it looks as though all out war will follow. The rusted gates of the isolated and walled nation of Iesti are finally creaking open after a thousand years. Strange creatures from legends long past awaken from their slumber and roam the land, they herald the awakening of an ancient entity.

Of course, that's the least of your worries. Your friends are out there somewhere and you need to find them. You may have already awoken with one of your friends nearby, well you should cherish that piece of home you have there.

Run along now, you have a long journey ahead of you. May destiny favor you or you could simply spit on her face and craft your own.

World Info:

The Library should have what you need. Hopefully these books are to your liking. If you need anything else, I or one of the aides will be happy to assist you. Do note that our entries regarding Sernn and Iesti are outdated. The scholars who have volunteered to document those lands are sadly no longer among us.

Now Boldan is quite a simple realm, a large landmass with the Eithon river threatening to cut it in two. As well as a few outlying islands that are usually at the Southern part of the land.

To the North are ice encrusted peaks that seek to touch the skies. Old forests ring these mountains as water from the springs nourish them. Beyond the treeline are tundras where the spring water simply cannot reach. It is in these tundras that the Hyr make their settlements, none of the Hyr have ever braved the mountains and lived to the tell the tale. They have taken to calling the mountain range as the Sky Fingers as the peaks of the larger mountains are shrouded by the clouds that gather above. The forests that ring the Sky Fingers are also considered home to the elder spirits, the patrons that supposedly watch over their little tribes and their Kaiser. I have also even entered, with the escort of a small army of very burly men who fought for me and my right of passage in the North, the tunnel networks that connect the cave settlements of Hyr. It is astounding what the need for survival can make one do. All I can truly say is that one should dress warmly when headed to the North, for whatever reason your mind has.

Now to the west is a vast expanse of desert with tall cliffs that border it from the seas and parts of the North. Now the city of Sernhold, now the Sernn Empire's seat of power, lies at the center of this desert. The city itself was built around an Oasis that never seemed to fail in providing its denizens water to use and sustain themselves. There are also sand-caked ruins nearer the north of the desert, however Sernite "specialists" are currently investigating it and have cordoned off the perimeter. Shame, it was a truly romantic spot that I brought my adventurous 6th wife to. Oh and a friendly reminder that you don't get harassed by Sernite Patrolmen, if you see sand, you're already in Sernn territory and are subject to their treatment of other races. You have been warned, I haven't, which is why I give you this warning. I will miss you though, Elisha, my sixth wife, you fought for the both of us. So now I will take on a seventh in your memory.

Speaking of my seventh wife, T'iana, a sweet elvish girl who so loved to dance, she also belonged to the south. Now the South is home to much vegetation and rare botanical specimens, a good number of them flesh eating. It is also home to the Iturian Nation. Now Ituro was a coastal city that thrived off its fishing industries, this is what fueled and allowed the Elves and the Human slaves to gain victory over the nobility of the city and their guardsmen. The fish and strange vegetation where what sustained them as they brought down their oppressive rulers. Honestly, I can't blame them, the Varone clan was quite the family of slave drivers. Anyway, I never thought I'd see a treasure trove of lovely women in this nation. Somehow I wish I was born under the Iturian banner. Bah, Iturian women also migrate to Upolo, I just have to wait. Besides, T'iana seems to be quite the capable companion so she gets to stay with me. It is also worth noting that the Avis Vir and Vesperilae also have an influence here, strange winged folk that have strange customs.

Then there's home. Upolo sits at the center of Boldan, the melting pot of all races, ideas and creeds. It is also one of the more treacherous nations in this land. Upolo may be small but the riches allow us to perform many feats. The clink of gold is enough to inspire any man, honestly. No matter their integrity, a man always has a price if Upolo is any example. Now there really isn't much that sets Upolo aside from everything else. It is built beside the Eithon river, which a mighty river that threatened to split Boldan in half, had the North not froze it. Rolling hills and open plains make for great places to raise livestock and horses, which we sell to other kingdoms. They need it and we supply it, there is no simpler way to describe our nation's importance.

To the East lie Marshes, and the gates to the Iesti nation. Dark forests, bogs, swamps, generally inhospitable terrain await one there. If I say going to the north makes you crazy, then going East has already eaten away your sanity.

-Tharlas Anver, A Traveler's Guide, foreword.
There are several races that inhabit the land but these are the one's that shape it: Humans, Elves, Golems and the Avis Vir.

Humans are possibly the most diverse populace in the entire land. The human you meet from Sernn is widely different that one you'd meet from Hyr or Ituro. Their skin color, hairstyles, general physique and the like differ from region to region. If anything, only the word "human" and the basic body structure are similar. Each human thinks differently from the next one and the next one and the one after that. They may have more power and population density within the Sernn Empire, but humans are all over Boldan.

Elves are taller, slender and more effeminate in features than a human. What sets them apart is the slightly longer life span an elf has which is 50 years more than a human's. They aren't as strong as a human, but are quite intelligent and agile. Their bodies lack the hardiness and adaptability of a human though. You would rarely see an Elf that travels north into Hyr or west into Sernn. Some do, but need to be prepared for it. The heat in Sernn is enough to give an elf a heatstroke several times over while the Northern peaks in Hyr make an elf shiver nonstop before the cold claims them. Most Elves reside in Ituro, while other seek their fortunes in Upolo. There are the darker skinned Sand Elves that reside in Sernn they have a broader features, closer to a human's.

There was another variant of the Elves, however only few remain on Boldan, the others had moved back behind the gates of Iesti. These are called the "Outcast" they are few and far in between and you're rarely able to see one in person. However, that only seems to be a brand for themselves and not the name of their subspecies. What sets them apart from their fair-skinned cousins is they extremely pale complexion, in fact they are more features look more gaunt as if they have been starved of something. Some say that they have cast their lot in with the Hyr and proven to be skilled tacticians and assassins. They aren't purely Elven but they seem to live as long as one and have a bone structure similar to it. Records of true Iesti are long gone, none needed to remember the horrors of a civilization that locked itself in.

Golems are a race of constructs made by the Magi of Theran a thousand years ago. They are the youngest and most curious race that has ever graced Boldan. You see the last mage had given one particular construct a higher intelligence. A Golem is made from a variety of parts and fueled by magic. The Golems themselves come in a myriad of forms, though the most common nowadays is one patterned after a human. The First Golem had been affected by The Last Mage's act and thus sees The Last Mage as his creator and pinnacle of perfection. It strove to remodel itself to look more human in nature. In fact only the First Golem looks anything human and even then it glows with the arcane energies that fuel it. It will never be content with itself. All Golems are possessed with a spirit of inquiry and the strength of 20 men. They marvel at the world around them like a child would. You will find few golems in your travels, though there does seem to be a concentration of them in Upolo.

The Avis Vir is a race of anthropomorphic avian creatures that used to reside in Souther Boldan, until The Theran Empire arrived and laid waste to their way of life. Their society was one ruled by anthropomorphic creatures like them, however, these treacherous birds turned on their society when Theran came along. They were the lowest rank and thus treated poorly by those above them. Only a few records ever existed about their society prior to them being assimilated into the Empire's populace. Most of them have a strange manner of speaking, but that could be attributed to the fact that they are strange beings.
The founding of the Theran Empire, which occurred when Boldan was still a land of free tribes and united people and magic still saturated the air. Large predators still roamed the lands and nature still had a large foothold in the world. It was aptly named by the soul who united the lands within the central plains, Theran. He was a human, an ordinary human who lived a relatively ordinary life on the plains of what is now known as Upolo.

Now what sparked him to rally everyone and soon become the founder of the largest empire in Boldan? It was simple, a vision, not one of prophecy and the like, but one of how he wanted to maximize everyone's potential. The tribes were always attacked by the fierce predators that prowled the lands. It was an easy thing for a tribe to be wiped off the face of the land. They all stood isolated, Theran sought to change that and began forming a sort of mobile militia of warriors that would patrol the lands of tour tribes.

He started out small, answering the pleas of besieged or hunted tribes, he and his Magi would drive out the monsters and leave one or two of their own as a garrison. Word of his deed soon spread throughout the central plains, chiefs were coming to him, begging his protection in exchange for a variety of things. Supplies, weapons, knowledge, their own numbers, some even offered their daughters to him as thanks. Soon the coverage of his protection would encompass the entire central region and by then most of the predators within the central region already went extinct. He was heralded as the Archon of the Magi.

The Magi themselves grew in number from a measly 13 souls to one that number 200 strong. Those 13 took apprentices who also took apprentices in the arts of the arcane. Magic was available to all but not everyone had the capacity to use it. One of his companions had urged him to go South while another had told him to go West, still another one begged East. None would dare suggest the inhospitable North.

A few decades later, Theran had passed away without expanding his territory. He had focused on developing the central plains into a bustling center of activity. It was then that his children would expand his lands for him. His son lead half the fighting force West and had suffered minor casualties. The west was home to other kinds of humans and Elves, his son would seize and control where his father sought to protect and serve. He laid waste to the tribes in the desert that refused to bend the knee to the Empire. The sand people were cunning but they were no match for superior weaponry and numbers. Once the West was under the control of Farok, he began the development projects and set his artisans to work in re-imagining the West.

Afterward, he had traveled South and explored the jungles and found a civilization of many strange beings that seemed to operate in a sort of caste system. The society was split between the Avis, the Formido and the Dominus. The Formido were large canines, bears, boars in feature but stood upright like humans and Elves, while the Dominus were large felines, the Avis were avian in nature. Like the Sand People before them, they offered the strange creatures the chance to bend the knee or be slaughtered. They were met with unfavorable and answers and the this time the army could not simply win through numbers alone. The war dragged on for many years, Farok had been falling ill and the people began questioning the value of these expeditions to the south. Farok's daughter, Theran's granddaughter, Ashira, had just the solution.

It was the fabrication of the Sanctum. The religion of the Theran Empire. It was a reminder to the people why their Empire stands strong now. It was because of the will of the Lord of Light who had chosen her grandfather as his vessel, the deity had sought to bring order to the chaotic world and chosen Theran to lead it to a new era. It was the only explanation of how Theran and his chosen 13 could beat back the large predators that used to prowl the lands. A lot more was attributed to him. However, it was the spark that ignited a fervor in the people's hearts and vowed their support in eliminating the threat from the South. It had even rallied the army that was threatening to collapse upon itself for the numerous failures and casualties they had sustained in the South. Before long, the Avis had bent the knee and Ituro was already being constructed on the coastline.

The momentum was lost however as the expansion had been too fast and the people needed time to settle in and the promises to be kept. Generations had passed before Ituro and Sernhold and their outlying towns and villages were completed and began flourishing. The land had known peace once more. It was then that the Northern barbarian tribes descended from the North and laid waste to the fringe towns of the Theran Empire. The Empire responded in kind and chased them to the North, where many men froze to death or were ambushed by the barbarians that roam the land.

It was around this time that a mysterious peoples from the East had come bearing the means to quell the Northerners, they called themselves Iesti. Whether that is their true name or the name of their faction still remains to be seen, even until now. They trusted the mysterious Iesti and it was the largest mistake of the Empire that heralded its down fall. It was supposed to be a simple ritual that would strengthen the resilience of the men to the cold, the Sanctum warned against it. The ritual transmogrified the men to be lifeless walking entities. It was the perfect warrior, tireless, ceaseless, relentless.

However, they had a yearning for the living and instead attacked the towns that they were stationed in. They slaughtered men, women and children while the Iesti returned to their holes in the East. The Empire's men who weren't turned into mindless butchers gave chase to the Iesti and demanded that they undo the curse of that had turned good men and women into butchers. The response was silence, The Theran had taken several of the emissaries hostage and threatened to kill them at the gates of the Iesti, still no response. They killed a number of the Iesti they held hostage, still no response. They tried to break down the tall gates and walls of the Iesti, they did not have the time and means to do it. Butchers were roaming the northern territory of Theran and needed to be put down and the Barbarians could attack at any moment. They brought their Iesti hostages and sent them to either be executed or forced to a life of slavery with their tongues cut out, so they may not chant their dark magics. Needless to say that some found these Iesti to be exotic and made a fortune out of them in brothels and the like. Their offspring are what we call the "Outcasts" now.

The word of "Butchers of men" spread throughout the dominion and gave the Troge family, the support they needed to break away from the Theran dominion. They had the proof they needed to show the people that the Theran empire had stagnated in power all these years and that it was time to reclaim their homes. It was around this time that their agents in the South had instigated the people to rebel against the Theran. In the space of a few years, the Theran had been reduced to the central plains. The Sernn had risen and the Upolo had declared independence of the Empire.

The Emperor had sent the Magi to quell these uprisings at once but found himself unable to act as the people had finally had enough of living in fear of the Magi. With the fury of a thousand suns the people descended like a landslide on the Magi and eradicated them. They suffered much but would not suffer once more. Some of the people had decided that the constructs and golems of the Magi would be better served as stewards and the like, ones who could do menial tasks along side the slaves. The constructs were not dismantled and were left to rot where they were after realizing that the there would be no way for them to ever be useful. The Empire faded away and the Emperor dethroned. Upolo had claimed much of what remained of the Empire while Sernn returned back to the South and West to lick its wounds at the cost of annihilating the Magi.

So ended the Empire that was founded by the simple purpose of protecting the people. The Schism had given birth to the Sernn and Upolo and then eventually Ituro.
The Magi started out as Theran's personal militia to protect his tribe and the neighboring tribes. They had later became the prime force that kept the peace in the Theran Empire. They were the Emperor's trusted men and the most capable combatants the Empire had to offer. They carried out mission directly issued by the Emperor. Their role as protectors of peace was turned inside out when Ashira's grandson, Edric, had deigned to use them as his personal hit squad, eliminating his enemies within court and cementing the his hold over the land under the guise of his family's legacy.

The Magi still kept their role as peace keepers but found that 500 of them is not enough to address every dispute that erupted throughout the land. Some of them had decided to use a complex method of putting life into inanimate objects or constructs that would follow simple orders and commands and would see them through to the end. Their reputation just kept going downhill with each passing Emperor or Empress. They would want to speak against their master's wishes but are honor-bound not do so. Amazing how obedient and loyal a mage could be. Their name continued to be stained as most of the grand masters were paid to be kept obedient.

Before long they had been ordered to turn on the very people they swore to protect. All of them marched into the streets with grim faces and began slaughtering civilians, obeying the whims of a madman. Some were aware and drew the line, turning on the order they serve, while others felt duty bound to see this through to the end. Much like the constructs. Either way the order collapsed and the art of harnessing and commanding the elements was lost. Magic still saturated the air, yet all were no longer sensitive to it.

One only needed to believe and have a strong mind to bend the elements to their wills. Still there are those born sensitive to it and could use them with ease, but the strain is always there. The elements demand it.

5 Empires:

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Sernn is a nation composed largely of humans. It is because of the majority that the Sand Elves are forced into slavery by their human masters. However, some of the Sand Elves have risen up to minor nobility within Sernn ranks. The nation has very strict policies regarding immigration. Regardless of race, Sernites discriminate against other denizens of Boldan and subject them to harsh rule.
Sernn is currently under the rule of Franca Luidermos Stenhardt V, acting as regent for her father. A monarchy reigns supreme in Sernn. The King or Queen holds power over his or her subjects and rules them accordingly. Well, according to their whims. Those same monarchs are responsible for settling major disputes as well as grievous crimes and manages the kingdom on their own, dictating their wishes. The King's laws are enforced by the military which also acts as the peace-keeping force of the kingdom.
Sernn, a house of human nobles that started their own kingdom when Theran was divided. The Troge family was influential and been biding their time to overthrow the Theran. Their opportunity came when the Iesti arrived. A large part of the army had been turned into mindless killers and that was all they needed to spark the unrest within the civilians. They used the chaos to their advantage and took over Sernhold, it became the seat of the Sernn Kingdom. The kingdom itself spanned the Western to Southern region of Boldan and they had put pressure on the Theran to yield the throne. The throne was not given up and the Magi fought bravely against the tide of untrained soldiers and civilians that descended on them like a tidal wave.

In the middle of the reign of their current king, slight tremors could be felt throughout the noble's quarter of Sernhold, which ringed the royal castle. It had continued for quite some time until King Stenhardt IV had left for his voyage. Some say dark magics have befouled the castle and the King himself has left to find a way to lift the curse.

Currently, King Stenhardt IV has left Boldan with his fleet to explore the great oceans that even the Iturians are scared to traverse. He has left his daughter in charge of the Sernn during his absence and it is not yet know when he shall return.
Sernnites kept the old religion of Theran. They proclaim their faith to the Lord of Light. They still worship Theran himself as the Lord of Light incarnate. Chanting prayers to him and burning offerings for his blessings. It is a shame that only Ashira and her father who knew the real nature of the religion.

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Upolo is a melting pot of races and cultures. If it lives on Boldan, you'll find one in Upolo. The peace is maintained through mutual respect and tolerance enforced by the Talons, Upolo's own peace keeping force.
Upolo is governed by a council made up of representatives from each race and guild. Decisions are made by votes and ideas are drafted and discussed. In an effort to keep power from being consolidated and turning into a dynasty, the representatives themselves are rotated every year. The golems, humans, Avis, elves, artisans, cartographers, Talons, and traders, etc are all represented. The only exceptions to the rotation is the First Golem and the Talon commander. Lazarus represents his race and claims to be the only one with the intelligence to barely play in the political field. To that effect he could be seen as the unofficial leader of the entire nation. The Talon commander, on the other hand is replaced every decade.

It is also worth noting that a messenger from the Lord General is present to relay the news of the decisions, bills and acts to the Lord General on the field. The Lord General has no say in the matter but deems it a necessity to know what is going on in the domestic part, the last thing he needs is news that the Guild of Grain is having a poor harvest and is unable to send proper provisions to the men and women on the front lines.
Upolo was once a prosperous trading center of Theran before the empire fell. It had since increased its wealth exponentially. It declared independence of Theran when the Sernnites were launching their offensive against the Empire. Upolo had even gone as far as supply Sernn with what it needed to fuel the war. However, Upolo maintained independence even after The Emperor had been dethroned. It did not pledge itself nor allow itself to be annexed by Sernn. The Sernites themselves wouldn't dare face a fresh force after exhausting itself chasing the Theran. That was Upolo's break that gave it time to raise a proper fighting force to defend itself. That fighting force came to be known as the Talons.

After the initial declaration of independence, Upolo had been forced to quickly develop itself due to the looming threat of Sernn from both the west and the south for Ituro had not yet broken away from Sernn. Their fighting force was fresh but inexperienced as well which mean that they would not stand a chance against Sernn's disciplined and experienced fighting force. It was miracle, to say the least that Upolo had managed to stave off Sernnite raids into their territory. The Troge family did have thirst for power and authority. They had wanted to control Theran for themselves and would have if Upolo had not stayed independent. In fact, Upolo was actually struggling to keep ground against Sernn before Lazarus had mysteriously arrived and aided Upolo.

Another advantage Upolo had over Sernn was the fact that their lands were the original lands of Theran. Most of the castles were built on those lands and those castles still had their treasuries ripe for the taking. Upolo had trained a force of agents who would break into castles and steal the treasures inside. As an incentive, those agents were allowed to keep one piece of the treasure for themselves upon successful break in. They were sworn to obedience, however, and had their little fingers cut off as a sign of loyalty aside from complete indoctrination to their beliefs. It was thanks to these agents that Upolo had managed to supply an incentive to their artisans to quickly make breakthroughs in their work.

Of course those agents were disbanded once they had finished their purpose.

Now artisans themselves were split into different divisions. They were only ever artisans by name. The artisans were responsible for major breakthroughs in structural reinforcement as well as a secret hardening technique they applied on every piece of Upolonian steel. It is said that an Upolonian crafted sword would take long time to dull and repeated sharpening was not a necessity, which was a boon for the military early on. They had to respond to Sernnite threats from the west and south and Hyrian raiding parties from the north in the blink of an eye.

The military itself is a different entity from the Talons as the Talons are only ever for domestic disputes and the war against The Rats. The Talons would be pressed into defense of the country if the Lord General requests their aid. Now the military is split into three divisions, one division watches the north, one to the south and one to the west. There is a unit that is exempt from those designations as they ride all around Upolo and quickly respond to external threats reported by any of the divisions. The unit itself is the cavalry unit dubbed "Thunder" because the thunder of their hooves is a godsent sound to the tired defenders on the frontlines.

500 or so years after Upolo had managed to gain independence and began developing itself as a country, was when their reputation as a nation of merchants began. It was around that time that Ituro had risen up against Sernn and claimed the south, while the Stenhardts had overthrown the Troge family as well. Sernn had adopted a less aggressive stance and a more lax policy in terms of expansion. Ituro had proven to be quite the amiable neighbor as well as well as being the first trading partner Upolo had.

Upolo traded a percentage of their raw materials and livestock in exchange for exotic alchemical ingredients among other things with Ituro. Meanwhile, The Master Smith had urged trade with Sernn as the nation had access to rich minerals if one dug deep enough into the sand. It would immensely help with the weapons production and refinement of arms, which both sides seemed to want from Upolo. The fabled Upolonian steel was sought after by both nations and the new trade agreement with Sernn had made a steady supply to both Sernn and Ituro possible.

The Western "Bulwark" and The Southern "Aegis" divisions of Upolo is now at half strength as the uneasy peace between Upolo and Sernn and Upolo and Ituro had made most of the soldiers turn in their swords and armor for a variety of farming implements, mining implements or have pursued higher studies. The Northern "Shield" division and the "Thunder" are still in active duty, since Hyr still sends warbands south to harass Upolo every now and then.

Another thing that sets Upolo apart from most of the nations is their access to the Archives in the city of Penham. Penham itself is supposedly the city of Scholars. The Cartography Guild and the Academe make their headquarters there. The Archives have been around since Theran rule and is the greatest deposit of knowledge Boldan has ever known, at least until Iesti is fully explored. During the turbulent earlier years of Upolo, The Archives had just about the same amount of protection as Upolo city itself, those tomes contained valuable information that had led to the development of Upolo. They would be damned if Sernn had gotten their hands on The Archives, the Troges would have burned it to the ground.

Recent years have found Upolo being labelled as a nation of thieves and cutthroats. A pox on the land going by the name "The Rats" have become a widespread stain on Upolo's reputation. These Rats supposedly deal in contraband smuggled from other nations or generally harmful substances; however, there are reports of their forays into extortion as well as murder though they are few and far in between. All citizens are encouraged to report these criminals to the nearest "Aviary," what the Talons call their outposts in each city.
The Talons are headed by the Talon commander. They are the premiere peacekeeping force of Upolo and do their utmost to keep the peace. They are men and women dedicated to the goal of defending the weak and they would broker nothing less than that.

The Talons keep a tidy record and it is possible through the initiation each aspirant goes through upon passing selection. They beaten down to an inch of their life and starved mad, some die in the process but those who survive are born anew. A paragon of justice that protects the citizens from those that would dare to harm them. Most, if not all barely have any free will, except the free will to dispense justice on villains and evildoers that threaten glorious Upolo.

Now selection is a physical test to gauge the readiness of an individual for service in the Talons. Those who fail the test are usually recommended to enlist in the military and further reinforce the "Shield" division up north or be sent to the newly reactivated "Bulwark" or "Aegis" divisions to the West or South respectively. It is also way to mitigate the losses of the initiation process. If they cannot survive Selection, then they cannot survive initiation. The Guild of Grain or the Military may still have use of an able body or the individual could become a student in the Academe and propel Upolo to greater heights and it would be unfair to rob them of that prospective member.

The Talons have branches in all the cities of Upolo, the biggest of which is in Penham, which is called the "Nest," not to be confused with the filthy Rat Nests that dot Upolo. These branches are called Aviaries and usually have a statue of a bird taking flight on the building's roof. The Aviary serves as a barracks for the active Talons as well as a venue for Selection for aspirants who wish to join, the aspirants who pass selection are then sent to Penham for initiation.
Upolo tries to keep healthy trade relations with the other kingdoms in the land, opting to stay out of conflicts and maintain neutrality. It is the prime supplier for Ituro and Sernn, profiting out of the conflict that almost always erupted from the two. It had even began establishing trade routes with the Hyr, though the caravans that go north are always under heavy escort.
Upolonians do not discriminate any religions, though those who create conflict because of religions are swiftly dealt with. In fact, any instigator of any dispute is swiftly dealt with.

However, Upolo does have a formal religion to call its own. They worship the deity Ejnar, pronounced as "Ei-nar" not "Ej-nar" or Enarth, depending on your preferences.

Now Enarth is a minor god in the Theran Pantheon, a scant few only ever follow the Theran Pantheon but it is still widely recognized as a reference of sorts, at least in the former Theran territories. Ejnar was once a mortal who had been elevated to being a minor god by the Lord of Light, supposedly due to his unwavering loyalty to Lord of Light's avatar on the world, Theran,

What history shows us is that Ejnar was once part of the original thirteen Magi that Theran formed to unite and defend the lands. Theology says that each of the thirteen had been "elevated" to godhood by the Lord of Light, Kosmo himself, upon their death. Each of those thirteen embodied a certain trait that had been most prominent in them. Ejnar being the patron of knowledge and he had been lifted up into godhood under the name Enarth.

A common belief is that Enarth smiles upon those who keep the stores of knowledge safe and the smile gets wider when those of educated educate those of the ignorant. Among all of the elevated deities, Enarth would have the most docile following. There is a clear understanding that everyone is unique and that discrimination would only lead to stunted growth in learning.

Enarth also has the most zealous following, the ones truly devoted to the deity often undergo a trial that would either make them mad or enlighten them. The one's who succeed move on to be Sages and received Enarth's blessing in a ritual to which they are free to spread their knowledge to those in need of it. The one's who fail are executed immediately lest they spread false ramblings and frighten the masses, which is counter to Sage's duty.

Enarth, is a deity that understands each and every one of us. He does not require any other offering, save for the offering of teaching those ignorant of the world around them. Many have died in this noble pursuit.

His temples are the libraries and each library has a statue of him in the entrance hall, with arms wide and welcoming. A library is headed by a Sage and only a Sage may upon up a library. Librarians are the helpers of a Sage and have been chosen by the Sage aid them in their pursuit of knowledge and distribution of it, a rare sight in Library but are they are also the ones the Aides would direct you to if the required tome is not available or if one requires further understanding of a particular tome. Aides are who you normally see running around a library, there is always one standing by in the Entrance Hall ready to help those travelers thirsty of knowledge.

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[/media] (Some TSFH)

Ituro is largely a society of freed slaves, they live in tolerance of each other. However, like Sernn, they are wary of foreigners. They will treat you with hospitality but that hospitality has suspicion that comes with it and maybe a knife hidden behind this hospitality. This is maybe the only place where you'd see Avis freely roaming the streets. As a rule, most foreigners are friends until proven oppressors, it even extends to Sernnites seeking new fortune sailing the seas.
The Iturians have three representatives to guide them. A representative of the Avis Vir, another of the Elves and one from the Humans. Currently, the one known as "Camori" heads the Avis Vir while a foreigner who quickly scaled the political ladder "Kronos" has earned the trust of most of the native Elves and the passionate and charismatic "Hilde" rose to power as the voice of the Humans. The representative only changes when the acting representative is either no longer fit for duty or has died.

You'd think that a nation of freed slaves would be chaotic but the constant threat from Sernn and Upolo has given most of the denizens common cause to work together and further the interests and development of Ituro. It is relatively peaceful for one to take a walk along the shore at night or maybe in the streets of the cities and towns. The police force is also the military force of Ituro. Suffice it to say, only a Militia defends the borders of Ituro while they rely on the thick jungle to protect them.
Ituro is the youngest of all the nations in Boldan. It had only begun 500 years ago but has made quite the headway in fields like engineering and general infrastructure development. The Theran had conquered the South last and has not had sufficient time to develop it the way it had with the Central and Western regions, Upolo and Sernn respectively. Sernn did not even bother to develop the lands in Ituro while they controlled it. It wasn't until the Uprising occured and Sernn was forced out of the South when real development began.

Where Upolo had the shrewdest talkers and Sernn had the disciplined fighting force, Ituro had been renown as innovators. One of their projects was to build a bridge that connected West and East Ituro to allow the Western front access to the Eastern resources. The bridge itself spanned the great Eithon river.

Iturians were also the ones who had created the craft of sailing the seas and some basic navigation. They had not journeyed into open waters yet as their Navy was required to support the last line of defense for Ituro, their importance was further emphasized with the constant raiders Sernn had sent south toward the Western front. The off shore bombardments had been a godsend that stopped the entire Western front from collapsing. The Navy itself was given orders to demolish the bridge should either side of Ituro falls to foreign elements.

It was through the actions of King Stenhardt IV that the ceasefire between Sernn and Ituro had started. The old man had a wanderlust to him that the land just couldn't sate. Talks had begun between Ituro and Sernn and, for a while, their borders were opened to teach other though neither could still seem to stand each other.

Shortly after the borders opened, King Stenhardt IV had hired a handful of Iturian ships to use to sail the open seas. He had left the rule of Sernn to his daughter, Franca, while he went about exploring the land. Shortly after King Stenhard IV left, the borders were closed and the tension simply hardened. Neither side openly denounced or slaughtered each other but the dislike was there. The plan was to make the ceasefire last for generations so that some semblance of an easy peace could be seen.

What happened was Hilde using the recent act of the Stenhardt patriach as grounds to agitate the populace. Her point boiled down to questioning why Iturian technology had been so willingly given over to Sernnite filth. The ones who took the Theran whip after the Schism almost a thousand years ago. The ones who had been no better than the Theran oppressors for the first 500 years prior to the Uprising and the birth of Ituro. She championed that Iturians had the right to keep their advancements from those who don't know better, from looters who only ever renamed the roads and cities of the Theran Empire. That they spent blood sweat and tears to make the advancements and Sernn only had to pay words and threats to get them.

No shots have been fired since the leave of the Stenhardt patriarch but that looked like it was about to change. Talk is that the Matriarch had been acquiring Upolonian Steel for something big, weapons and armor. A mercenary company that was based in Hyr was also contracted to train the Militia.
Ituro is maintaning a ceasefire with Sernn as well as a few pacts to the ensure that nothing escalates into full conflict, courtesy of Stenhardt IV. As for Upolo, They have had maintained a healthy trade relationship with the so called Nation of Thieves despite the rumors of a "Rat infestation" plaguing Ituro. Through Upolo, Ituro has made contact with Hyr but nothing past a few diplomatic talks have been established yet. Much like all the other nations, Ituro has no relationship to Iesti.
There is no deity that Iturians worship. Rather they worship the people who have made great strides in Iturian development. They are a people of ideals and innovation, they find the other nations backwards due to their reliance on an unseen being taking credit for everything they have accomplished. In Ituro, credit is given where credit is due. Like Upolo, they do not discriminate against those who wish to follow unseen beings that most likely do not care about them.

You may discern what role an Iturian plays by what charm he wears around his neck or what statue is in his home. Rava, the Admiral Queen, a former representative of the Elves who had dared to sail the seas, she is depicted with an anchor on one hand and sword on the other. Those who follow her ideals, are the shipwrights and sailors or those who belong to the Militia. Eroyem, the Visionary, he was the one who orchestrated the Uprising and has been regarded as the father of liberty, he is depicted with a staff in his hands. Those who follow his ideals are those who pass for the elite or the rulers of Ituro; However, recent trends show that Eroyem is also the paragon for innovation as he made new grounds in making sure Ituro was safe after the Uprising. Finally there was Jedorin, the Craftsman, he was the one responsible for overseeing the construction of the great Eithon bridge, he is depicted holding a bridge and a hammer in his hands. Those who follow his ideals are regarded as the builders and the workers of Ituro, the backbone of their nation.

The first, a human, the second, an elf, the third, one of the Avis Vir. It was because of these three major paragons that the idea of their current government had been born. One representative of each race. They believed that they needed no god to help them flourish, just faith in their diversity to propel their nation to greater heights while using the paragons as an anchor for their beliefs or as a goal that they must surpass. It all boiled down to the efficiency of one in one's role in society. Burning a healthy calf to an unseen entity in the sky seemed like a waste as opposed to bringing the calf to the front lines to feed the men and women standing watch over the borders. It is worth mentioning that the view point on the paragons differ from Iturian to Iturian. Sadly it has also been grounds for heated arguments and clashing opinions.

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[/media] (some Audiomachine)

No one knows just what else dwells within that walled nation-state.
These are only stories but they say anarchy reigns supreme in Iesti.
Iesti is a unique case. It was one nation that never belonged to Theran rule or the rule of any nation after the Schism. It is a unique case, even during Theran rule, none have ever set foot in Iesti. Everything here is simply speculation of a scared people.
The Iesti supposedly practiced black magics, which what made the "butchers" in the past. They bow to no god but rather style themselves as gods. Godless heathens that must be harshly shown the error of their ways.

(Some TSFH)

Much like Upolo, Hyr does not discriminate against any race. Assuming one proves their mettle in battle or single combat. Anyone who has braved and survived the North has a place among the Hyr. The Iesti outcasts seem to be more influential here than anywhere else in Boldan, mainly due to the lack of discrimination against them.
The Hyr is governed by a Kaiser and reigns over a council of Chiefs. Each tribe has a chief that leads them, a chief is either succeeded by the next strongest warrior or a challenger to the chief's rule. Choosing a kaiser is done the same way, the chiefs fight among each other to become the Kaiser.
Hyr is a militaristic nation. They belong in the icy north, battling whatever comes their way. They are the result of the Kaiser Hyr, uniting the splintered clans in the North against The Theran Empire in the South. Like Iesti, Hyr was also not under Theran control. Much like the Theran Empire, the Hyr were united by the First Kaiser, Earert. Though the unity had always been necessary as the mountains have a habit of devouring the denizens that choose to stand alone against it. Before long, they had cobbled up a somewhat organized government and system to traverse between tribe settlements. Although the hardier people would still take the overland routes, underground tunnel networks connected each settlement.
The Hyr believe in animism and shamanism. Wisemen supposedly commune with the elder spirits to guide their path to glory and that the great spirits would one day roam the land alongside them. The barbarians....at least I respect them more than I do the Iesti.

IF YOU WANNA SIGN UP, PM ME YOUR SHEET. THE SIGN UPS TURNED INACTIVE MAINLY DUE TO MY IGNORANCE OF THINGS. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME.

(

Something to listen to while you read, enjoy the John Dreamer.)

A friend of yours just graduated high school, another friend suggests that all go camping to celebrate. It also helps that yet another friend owns a cabin overlooking a lake. Now everyone was enjoying themselves, until a particularly powerful storm swept through the area. It tore apart the cabin and scattered you and your friends to wherever the wind desires to bring you.

Now you maybe wondering why you have woken up at the foot of a snow covered mountain or maybe floating in an oasis in the middle of a desert, it could be that you're lying in a field right now surrounded by rolling hills or maybe in a jungle somewhere. But that isn't the end to the strangeness, no, you can force the elements or an element to bow down to your whims. Magical is it not? But that's not the only thing that'll be magical.

Welcome to Boldan, a world untamed. The conflict between the empires of Sernn, Upolo, Ituro and Hyr have reached a fever pitch and it looks as though all out war will follow. The rusted gates of the isolated and walled nation of Iesti are finally creaking open after a thousand years. Strange creatures from legends long past awaken from their slumber and roam the land, they herald the awakening of an ancient entity.

Of course, that's the least of your worries. Your friends are out there somewhere and you need to find them. You may have already awoken with one of your friends nearby, well you should cherish that piece of home you have there.

Run along now, you have a long journey ahead of you. May destiny favor you or you could simply spit on her face and craft your own.

World Info:

The Library should have what you need. Hopefully these books are to your liking. If you need anything else, I or one of the aides will be happy to assist you. Do note that our entries regarding Sernn and Iesti are outdated. The scholars who have volunteered to document those lands are sadly no longer among us.

Now Boldan is quite a simple realm, a large landmass with the Eithon river threatening to cut it in two. As well as a few outlying islands that are usually at the Southern part of the land.

To the North are ice encrusted peaks that seek to touch the skies. Old forests ring these mountains as water from the springs nourish them. Beyond the treeline are tundras where the spring water simply cannot reach. It is in these tundras that the Hyr make their settlements, none of the Hyr have ever braved the mountains and lived to the tell the tale. They have taken to calling the mountain range as the Sky Fingers as the peaks of the larger mountains are shrouded by the clouds that gather above. The forests that ring the Sky Fingers are also considered home to the elder spirits, the patrons that supposedly watch over their little tribes and their Kaiser. I have also even entered, with the escort of a small army of very burly men who fought for me and my right of passage in the North, the tunnel networks that connect the cave settlements of Hyr. It is astounding what the need for survival can make one do. All I can truly say is that one should dress warmly when headed to the North, for whatever reason your mind has.

Now to the west is a vast expanse of desert with tall cliffs that border it from the seas and parts of the North. Now the city of Sernhold, now the Sernn Empire's seat of power, lies at the center of this desert. The city itself was built around an Oasis that never seemed to fail in providing its denizens water to use and sustain themselves. There are also sand-caked ruins nearer the north of the desert, however Sernite "specialists" are currently investigating it and have cordoned off the perimeter. Shame, it was a truly romantic spot that I brought my adventurous 6th wife to. Oh and a friendly reminder that you don't get harassed by Sernite Patrolmen, if you see sand, you're already in Sernn territory and are subject to their treatment of other races. You have been warned, I haven't, which is why I give you this warning. I will miss you though, Elisha, my sixth wife, you fought for the both of us. So now I will take on a seventh in your memory.

Speaking of my seventh wife, T'iana, a sweet elvish girl who so loved to dance, she also belonged to the south. Now the South is home to much vegetation and rare botanical specimens, a good number of them flesh eating. It is also home to the Iturian Nation. Now Ituro was a coastal city that thrived off its fishing industries, this is what fueled and allowed the Elves and the Human slaves to gain victory over the nobility of the city and their guardsmen. The fish and strange vegetation where what sustained them as they brought down their oppressive rulers. Honestly, I can't blame them, the Varone clan was quite the family of slave drivers. Anyway, I never thought I'd see a treasure trove of lovely women in this nation. Somehow I wish I was born under the Iturian banner. Bah, Iturian women also migrate to Upolo, I just have to wait. Besides, T'iana seems to be quite the capable companion so she gets to stay with me. It is also worth noting that the Avis Vir and Vesperilae also have an influence here, strange winged folk that have strange customs.

Then there's home. Upolo sits at the center of Boldan, the melting pot of all races, ideas and creeds. It is also one of the more treacherous nations in this land. Upolo may be small but the riches allow us to perform many feats. The clink of gold is enough to inspire any man, honestly. No matter their integrity, a man always has a price if Upolo is any example. Now there really isn't much that sets Upolo aside from everything else. It is built beside the Eithon river, which a mighty river that threatened to split Boldan in half, had the North not froze it. Rolling hills and open plains make for great places to raise livestock and horses, which we sell to other kingdoms. They need it and we supply it, there is no simpler way to describe our nation's importance.

To the East lie Marshes, and the gates to the Iesti nation. Dark forests, bogs, swamps, generally inhospitable terrain await one there. If I say going to the north makes you crazy, then going East has already eaten away your sanity.

-Tharlas Anver, A Traveler's Guide, foreword.
There are several races that inhabit the land but these are the one's that shape it: Humans, Elves, Golems and the Avis Vir.

Humans are possibly the most diverse populace in the entire land. The human you meet from Sernn is widely different that one you'd meet from Hyr or Ituro. Their skin color, hairstyles, general physique and the like differ from region to region. If anything, only the word "human" and the basic body structure are similar. Each human thinks differently from the next one and the next one and the one after that. They may have more power and population density within the Sernn Empire, but humans are all over Boldan.

Elves are taller, slender and more effeminate in features than a human. What sets them apart is the slightly longer life span an elf has which is 50 years more than a human's. They aren't as strong as a human, but are quite intelligent and agile. Their bodies lack the hardiness and adaptability of a human though. You would rarely see an Elf that travels north into Hyr or west into Sernn. Some do, but need to be prepared for it. The heat in Sernn is enough to give an elf a heatstroke several times over while the Northern peaks in Hyr make an elf shiver nonstop before the cold claims them. Most Elves reside in Ituro, while other seek their fortunes in Upolo. There are the darker skinned Sand Elves that reside in Sernn they have a broader features, closer to a human's.

There was another variant of the Elves, however only few remain on Boldan, the others had moved back behind the gates of Iesti. These are called the "Outcast" they are few and far in between and you're rarely able to see one in person. However, that only seems to be a brand for themselves and not the name of their subspecies. What sets them apart from their fair-skinned cousins is they extremely pale complexion, in fact they are more features look more gaunt as if they have been starved of something. Some say that they have cast their lot in with the Hyr and proven to be skilled tacticians and assassins. They aren't purely Elven but they seem to live as long as one and have a bone structure similar to it. Records of true Iesti are long gone, none needed to remember the horrors of a civilization that locked itself in.

Golems are a race of constructs made by the Magi of Theran a thousand years ago. They are the youngest and most curious race that has ever graced Boldan. You see the last mage had given one particular construct a higher intelligence. A Golem is made from a variety of parts and fueled by magic. The Golems themselves come in a myriad of forms, though the most common nowadays is one patterned after a human. The First Golem had been affected by The Last Mage's act and thus sees The Last Mage as his creator and pinnacle of perfection. It strove to remodel itself to look more human in nature. In fact only the First Golem looks anything human and even then it glows with the arcane energies that fuel it. It will never be content with itself. All Golems are possessed with a spirit of inquiry and the strength of 20 men. They marvel at the world around them like a child would. You will find few golems in your travels, though there does seem to be a concentration of them in Upolo.

The Avis Vir is a race of anthropomorphic avian creatures that used to reside in Souther Boldan, until The Theran Empire arrived and laid waste to their way of life. Their society was one ruled by anthropomorphic creatures like them, however, these treacherous birds turned on their society when Theran came along. They were the lowest rank and thus treated poorly by those above them. Only a few records ever existed about their society prior to them being assimilated into the Empire's populace. Most of them have a strange manner of speaking, but that could be attributed to the fact that they are strange beings.
The founding of the Theran Empire, which occurred when Boldan was still a land of free tribes and united people and magic still saturated the air. Large predators still roamed the lands and nature still had a large foothold in the world. It was aptly named by the soul who united the lands within the central plains, Theran. He was a human, an ordinary human who lived a relatively ordinary life on the plains of what is now known as Upolo.

Now what sparked him to rally everyone and soon become the founder of the largest empire in Boldan? It was simple, a vision, not one of prophecy and the like, but one of how he wanted to maximize everyone's potential. The tribes were always attacked by the fierce predators that prowled the lands. It was an easy thing for a tribe to be wiped off the face of the land. They all stood isolated, Theran sought to change that and began forming a sort of mobile militia of warriors that would patrol the lands of tour tribes.

He started out small, answering the pleas of besieged or hunted tribes, he and his Magi would drive out the monsters and leave one or two of their own as a garrison. Word of his deed soon spread throughout the central plains, chiefs were coming to him, begging his protection in exchange for a variety of things. Supplies, weapons, knowledge, their own numbers, some even offered their daughters to him as thanks. Soon the coverage of his protection would encompass the entire central region and by then most of the predators within the central region already went extinct. He was heralded as the Archon of the Magi.

The Magi themselves grew in number from a measly 13 souls to one that number 200 strong. Those 13 took apprentices who also took apprentices in the arts of the arcane. Magic was available to all but not everyone had the capacity to use it. One of his companions had urged him to go South while another had told him to go West, still another one begged East. None would dare suggest the inhospitable North.

A few decades later, Theran had passed away without expanding his territory. He had focused on developing the central plains into a bustling center of activity. It was then that his children would expand his lands for him. His son lead half the fighting force West and had suffered minor casualties. The west was home to other kinds of humans and Elves, his son would seize and control where his father sought to protect and serve. He laid waste to the tribes in the desert that refused to bend the knee to the Empire. The sand people were cunning but they were no match for superior weaponry and numbers. Once the West was under the control of Farok, he began the development projects and set his artisans to work in re-imagining the West.

Afterward, he had traveled South and explored the jungles and found a civilization of many strange beings that seemed to operate in a sort of caste system. The society was split between the Avis, the Formido and the Dominus. The Formido were large canines, bears, boars in feature but stood upright like humans and Elves, while the Dominus were large felines, the Avis were avian in nature. Like the Sand People before them, they offered the strange creatures the chance to bend the knee or be slaughtered. They were met with unfavorable and answers and the this time the army could not simply win through numbers alone. The war dragged on for many years, Farok had been falling ill and the people began questioning the value of these expeditions to the south. Farok's daughter, Theran's granddaughter, Ashira, had just the solution.

It was the fabrication of the Sanctum. The religion of the Theran Empire. It was a reminder to the people why their Empire stands strong now. It was because of the will of the Lord of Light who had chosen her grandfather as his vessel, the deity had sought to bring order to the chaotic world and chosen Theran to lead it to a new era. It was the only explanation of how Theran and his chosen 13 could beat back the large predators that used to prowl the lands. A lot more was attributed to him. However, it was the spark that ignited a fervor in the people's hearts and vowed their support in eliminating the threat from the South. It had even rallied the army that was threatening to collapse upon itself for the numerous failures and casualties they had sustained in the South. Before long, the Avis had bent the knee and Ituro was already being constructed on the coastline.

The momentum was lost however as the expansion had been too fast and the people needed time to settle in and the promises to be kept. Generations had passed before Ituro and Sernhold and their outlying towns and villages were completed and began flourishing. The land had known peace once more. It was then that the Northern barbarian tribes descended from the North and laid waste to the fringe towns of the Theran Empire. The Empire responded in kind and chased them to the North, where many men froze to death or were ambushed by the barbarians that roam the land.

It was around this time that a mysterious peoples from the East had come bearing the means to quell the Northerners, they called themselves Iesti. Whether that is their true name or the name of their faction still remains to be seen, even until now. They trusted the mysterious Iesti and it was the largest mistake of the Empire that heralded its down fall. It was supposed to be a simple ritual that would strengthen the resilience of the men to the cold, the Sanctum warned against it. The ritual transmogrified the men to be lifeless walking entities. It was the perfect warrior, tireless, ceaseless, relentless.

However, they had a yearning for the living and instead attacked the towns that they were stationed in. They slaughtered men, women and children while the Iesti returned to their holes in the East. The Empire's men who weren't turned into mindless butchers gave chase to the Iesti and demanded that they undo the curse of that had turned good men and women into butchers. The response was silence, The Theran had taken several of the emissaries hostage and threatened to kill them at the gates of the Iesti, still no response. They killed a number of the Iesti they held hostage, still no response. They tried to break down the tall gates and walls of the Iesti, they did not have the time and means to do it. Butchers were roaming the northern territory of Theran and needed to be put down and the Barbarians could attack at any moment. They brought their Iesti hostages and sent them to either be executed or forced to a life of slavery with their tongues cut out, so they may not chant their dark magics. Needless to say that some found these Iesti to be exotic and made a fortune out of them in brothels and the like. Their offspring are what we call the "Outcasts" now.

The word of "Butchers of men" spread throughout the dominion and gave the Troge family, the support they needed to break away from the Theran dominion. They had the proof they needed to show the people that the Theran empire had stagnated in power all these years and that it was time to reclaim their homes. It was around this time that their agents in the South had instigated the people to rebel against the Theran. In the space of a few years, the Theran had been reduced to the central plains. The Sernn had risen and the Upolo had declared independence of the Empire.

The Emperor had sent the Magi to quell these uprisings at once but found himself unable to act as the people had finally had enough of living in fear of the Magi. With the fury of a thousand suns the people descended like a landslide on the Magi and eradicated them. They suffered much but would not suffer once more. Some of the people had decided that the constructs and golems of the Magi would be better served as stewards and the like, ones who could do menial tasks along side the slaves. The constructs were not dismantled and were left to rot where they were after realizing that the there would be no way for them to ever be useful. The Empire faded away and the Emperor dethroned. Upolo had claimed much of what remained of the Empire while Sernn returned back to the South and West to lick its wounds at the cost of annihilating the Magi.

So ended the Empire that was founded by the simple purpose of protecting the people. The Schism had given birth to the Sernn and Upolo and then eventually Ituro.
The Magi started out as Theran's personal militia to protect his tribe and the neighboring tribes. They had later became the prime force that kept the peace in the Theran Empire. They were the Emperor's trusted men and the most capable combatants the Empire had to offer. They carried out mission directly issued by the Emperor. Their role as protectors of peace was turned inside out when Ashira's grandson, Edric, had deigned to use them as his personal hit squad, eliminating his enemies within court and cementing the his hold over the land under the guise of his family's legacy.

The Magi still kept their role as peace keepers but found that 500 of them is not enough to address every dispute that erupted throughout the land. Some of them had decided to use a complex method of putting life into inanimate objects or constructs that would follow simple orders and commands and would see them through to the end. Their reputation just kept going downhill with each passing Emperor or Empress. They would want to speak against their master's wishes but are honor-bound not do so. Amazing how obedient and loyal a mage could be. Their name continued to be stained as most of the grand masters were paid to be kept obedient.

Before long they had been ordered to turn on the very people they swore to protect. All of them marched into the streets with grim faces and began slaughtering civilians, obeying the whims of a madman. Some were aware and drew the line, turning on the order they serve, while others felt duty bound to see this through to the end. Much like the constructs. Either way the order collapsed and the art of harnessing and commanding the elements was lost. Magic still saturated the air, yet all were no longer sensitive to it.

One only needed to believe and have a strong mind to bend the elements to their wills. Still there are those born sensitive to it and could use them with ease, but the strain is always there. The elements demand it.

5 Empires:

(Some TSFH while you read)

Sernn is a nation composed largely of humans. It is because of the majority that the Sand Elves are forced into slavery by their human masters. However, some of the Sand Elves have risen up to minor nobility within Sernn ranks. The nation has very strict policies regarding immigration. Regardless of race, Sernites discriminate against other denizens of Boldan and subject them to harsh rule.
Sernn is currently under the rule of Franca Luidermos Stenhardt V, acting as regent for her father. A monarchy reigns supreme in Sernn. The King or Queen holds power over his or her subjects and rules them accordingly. Well, according to their whims. Those same monarchs are responsible for settling major disputes as well as grievous crimes and manages the kingdom on their own, dictating their wishes. The King's laws are enforced by the military which also acts as the peace-keeping force of the kingdom.
Sernn, a house of human nobles that started their own kingdom when Theran was divided. The Troge family was influential and been biding their time to overthrow the Theran. Their opportunity came when the Iesti arrived. A large part of the army had been turned into mindless killers and that was all they needed to spark the unrest within the civilians. They used the chaos to their advantage and took over Sernhold, it became the seat of the Sernn Kingdom. The kingdom itself spanned the Western to Southern region of Boldan and they had put pressure on the Theran to yield the throne. The throne was not given up and the Magi fought bravely against the tide of untrained soldiers and civilians that descended on them like a tidal wave.

In the middle of the reign of their current king, slight tremors could be felt throughout the noble's quarter of Sernhold, which ringed the royal castle. It had continued for quite some time until King Stenhardt IV had left for his voyage. Some say dark magics have befouled the castle and the King himself has left to find a way to lift the curse.

Currently, King Stenhardt IV has left Boldan with his fleet to explore the great oceans that even the Iturians are scared to traverse. He has left his daughter in charge of the Sernn during his absence and it is not yet know when he shall return.
Sernnites kept the old religion of Theran. They proclaim their faith to the Lord of Light. They still worship Theran himself as the Lord of Light incarnate. Chanting prayers to him and burning offerings for his blessings. It is a shame that only Ashira and her father who knew the real nature of the religion.

(Some TSFH)

Upolo is a melting pot of races and cultures. If it lives on Boldan, you'll find one in Upolo. The peace is maintained through mutual respect and tolerance enforced by the Talons, Upolo's own peace keeping force.
Upolo is governed by a council made up of representatives from each race and guild. Decisions are made by votes and ideas are drafted and discussed. In an effort to keep power from being consolidated and turning into a dynasty, the representatives themselves are rotated every year. The golems, humans, Avis, elves, artisans, cartographers, Talons, and traders, etc are all represented. The only exceptions to the rotation is the First Golem and the Talon commander. Lazarus represents his race and claims to be the only one with the intelligence to barely play in the political field. To that effect he could be seen as the unofficial leader of the entire nation. The Talon commander, on the other hand is replaced every decade.

It is also worth noting that a messenger from the Lord General is present to relay the news of the decisions, bills and acts to the Lord General on the field. The Lord General has no say in the matter but deems it a necessity to know what is going on in the domestic part, the last thing he needs is news that the Guild of Grain is having a poor harvest and is unable to send proper provisions to the men and women on the front lines.
Upolo was once a prosperous trading center of Theran before the empire fell. It had since increased its wealth exponentially. It declared independence of Theran when the Sernnites were launching their offensive against the Empire. Upolo had even gone as far as supply Sernn with what it needed to fuel the war. However, Upolo maintained independence even after The Emperor had been dethroned. It did not pledge itself nor allow itself to be annexed by Sernn. The Sernites themselves wouldn't dare face a fresh force after exhausting itself chasing the Theran. That was Upolo's break that gave it time to raise a proper fighting force to defend itself. That fighting force came to be known as the Talons.

After the initial declaration of independence, Upolo had been forced to quickly develop itself due to the looming threat of Sernn from both the west and the south for Ituro had not yet broken away from Sernn. Their fighting force was fresh but inexperienced as well which mean that they would not stand a chance against Sernn's disciplined and experienced fighting force. It was miracle, to say the least that Upolo had managed to stave off Sernnite raids into their territory. The Troge family did have thirst for power and authority. They had wanted to control Theran for themselves and would have if Upolo had not stayed independent. In fact, Upolo was actually struggling to keep ground against Sernn before Lazarus had mysteriously arrived and aided Upolo.

Another advantage Upolo had over Sernn was the fact that their lands were the original lands of Theran. Most of the castles were built on those lands and those castles still had their treasuries ripe for the taking. Upolo had trained a force of agents who would break into castles and steal the treasures inside. As an incentive, those agents were allowed to keep one piece of the treasure for themselves upon successful break in. They were sworn to obedience, however, and had their little fingers cut off as a sign of loyalty aside from complete indoctrination to their beliefs. It was thanks to these agents that Upolo had managed to supply an incentive to their artisans to quickly make breakthroughs in their work.

Of course those agents were disbanded once they had finished their purpose.

Now artisans themselves were split into different divisions. They were only ever artisans by name. The artisans were responsible for major breakthroughs in structural reinforcement as well as a secret hardening technique they applied on every piece of Upolonian steel. It is said that an Upolonian crafted sword would take long time to dull and repeated sharpening was not a necessity, which was a boon for the military early on. They had to respond to Sernnite threats from the west and south and Hyrian raiding parties from the north in the blink of an eye.

The military itself is a different entity from the Talons as the Talons are only ever for domestic disputes and the war against The Rats. The Talons would be pressed into defense of the country if the Lord General requests their aid. Now the military is split into three divisions, one division watches the north, one to the south and one to the west. There is a unit that is exempt from those designations as they ride all around Upolo and quickly respond to external threats reported by any of the divisions. The unit itself is the cavalry unit dubbed "Thunder" because the thunder of their hooves is a godsent sound to the tired defenders on the frontlines.

500 or so years after Upolo had managed to gain independence and began developing itself as a country, was when their reputation as a nation of merchants began. It was around that time that Ituro had risen up against Sernn and claimed the south, while the Stenhardts had overthrown the Troge family as well. Sernn had adopted a less aggressive stance and a more lax policy in terms of expansion. Ituro had proven to be quite the amiable neighbor as well as well as being the first trading partner Upolo had.

Upolo traded a percentage of their raw materials and livestock in exchange for exotic alchemical ingredients among other things with Ituro. Meanwhile, The Master Smith had urged trade with Sernn as the nation had access to rich minerals if one dug deep enough into the sand. It would immensely help with the weapons production and refinement of arms, which both sides seemed to want from Upolo. The fabled Upolonian steel was sought after by both nations and the new trade agreement with Sernn had made a steady supply to both Sernn and Ituro possible.

The Western "Bulwark" and The Southern "Aegis" divisions of Upolo is now at half strength as the uneasy peace between Upolo and Sernn and Upolo and Ituro had made most of the soldiers turn in their swords and armor for a variety of farming implements, mining implements or have pursued higher studies. The Northern "Shield" division and the "Thunder" are still in active duty, since Hyr still sends warbands south to harass Upolo every now and then.

Another thing that sets Upolo apart from most of the nations is their access to the Archives in the city of Penham. Penham itself is supposedly the city of Scholars. The Cartography Guild and the Academe make their headquarters there. The Archives have been around since Theran rule and is the greatest deposit of knowledge Boldan has ever known, at least until Iesti is fully explored. During the turbulent earlier years of Upolo, The Archives had just about the same amount of protection as Upolo city itself, those tomes contained valuable information that had led to the development of Upolo. They would be damned if Sernn had gotten their hands on The Archives, the Troges would have burned it to the ground.

Recent years have found Upolo being labelled as a nation of thieves and cutthroats. A pox on the land going by the name "The Rats" have become a widespread stain on Upolo's reputation. These Rats supposedly deal in contraband smuggled from other nations or generally harmful substances; however, there are reports of their forays into extortion as well as murder though they are few and far in between. All citizens are encouraged to report these criminals to the nearest "Aviary," what the Talons call their outposts in each city.
The Talons are headed by the Talon commander. They are the premiere peacekeeping force of Upolo and do their utmost to keep the peace. They are men and women dedicated to the goal of defending the weak and they would broker nothing less than that.

The Talons keep a tidy record and it is possible through the initiation each aspirant goes through upon passing selection. They beaten down to an inch of their life and starved mad, some die in the process but those who survive are born anew. A paragon of justice that protects the citizens from those that would dare to harm them. Most, if not all barely have any free will, except the free will to dispense justice on villains and evildoers that threaten glorious Upolo.

Now selection is a physical test to gauge the readiness of an individual for service in the Talons. Those who fail the test are usually recommended to enlist in the military and further reinforce the "Shield" division up north or be sent to the newly reactivated "Bulwark" or "Aegis" divisions to the West or South respectively. It is also way to mitigate the losses of the initiation process. If they cannot survive Selection, then they cannot survive initiation. The Guild of Grain or the Military may still have use of an able body or the individual could become a student in the Academe and propel Upolo to greater heights and it would be unfair to rob them of that prospective member.

The Talons have branches in all the cities of Upolo, the biggest of which is in Penham, which is called the "Nest," not to be confused with the filthy Rat Nests that dot Upolo. These branches are called Aviaries and usually have a statue of a bird taking flight on the building's roof. The Aviary serves as a barracks for the active Talons as well as a venue for Selection for aspirants who wish to join, the aspirants who pass selection are then sent to Penham for initiation.
Upolo tries to keep healthy trade relations with the other kingdoms in the land, opting to stay out of conflicts and maintain neutrality. It is the prime supplier for Ituro and Sernn, profiting out of the conflict that almost always erupted from the two. It had even began establishing trade routes with the Hyr, though the caravans that go north are always under heavy escort.
Upolonians do not discriminate any religions, though those who create conflict because of religions are swiftly dealt with. In fact, any instigator of any dispute is swiftly dealt with.

However, Upolo does have a formal religion to call its own. They worship the deity Ejnar, pronounced as "Ei-nar" not "Ej-nar" or Enarth, depending on your preferences.

Now Enarth is a minor god in the Theran Pantheon, a scant few only ever follow the Theran Pantheon but it is still widely recognized as a reference of sorts, at least in the former Theran territories. Ejnar was once a mortal who had been elevated to being a minor god by the Lord of Light, supposedly due to his unwavering loyalty to Lord of Light's avatar on the world, Theran,

What history shows us is that Ejnar was once part of the original thirteen Magi that Theran formed to unite and defend the lands. Theology says that each of the thirteen had been "elevated" to godhood by the Lord of Light, Kosmo himself, upon their death. Each of those thirteen embodied a certain trait that had been most prominent in them. Ejnar being the patron of knowledge and he had been lifted up into godhood under the name Enarth.

A common belief is that Enarth smiles upon those who keep the stores of knowledge safe and the smile gets wider when those of educated educate those of the ignorant. Among all of the elevated deities, Enarth would have the most docile following. There is a clear understanding that everyone is unique and that discrimination would only lead to stunted growth in learning.

Enarth also has the most zealous following, the ones truly devoted to the deity often undergo a trial that would either make them mad or enlighten them. The one's who succeed move on to be Sages and received Enarth's blessing in a ritual to which they are free to spread their knowledge to those in need of it. The one's who fail are executed immediately lest they spread false ramblings and frighten the masses, which is counter to Sage's duty.

Enarth, is a deity that understands each and every one of us. He does not require any other offering, save for the offering of teaching those ignorant of the world around them. Many have died in this noble pursuit.

His temples are the libraries and each library has a statue of him in the entrance hall, with arms wide and welcoming. A library is headed by a Sage and only a Sage may upon up a library. Librarians are the helpers of a Sage and have been chosen by the Sage aid them in their pursuit of knowledge and distribution of it, a rare sight in Library but are they are also the ones the Aides would direct you to if the required tome is not available or if one requires further understanding of a particular tome. Aides are who you normally see running around a library, there is always one standing by in the Entrance Hall ready to help those travelers thirsty of knowledge.

(Some TSFH)

Ituro is largely a society of freed slaves, they live in tolerance of each other. However, like Sernn, they are wary of foreigners. They will treat you with hospitality but that hospitality has suspicion that comes with it and maybe a knife hidden behind this hospitality. This is maybe the only place where you'd see Avis freely roaming the streets. As a rule, most foreigners are friends until proven oppressors, it even extends to Sernnites seeking new fortune sailing the seas.
The Iturians have three representatives to guide them. A representative of the Avis Vir, another of the Elves and one from the Humans. Currently, the one known as "Camori" heads the Avis Vir while a foreigner who quickly scaled the political ladder "Kronos" has earned the trust of most of the native Elves and the passionate and charismatic "Hilde" rose to power as the voice of the Humans. The representative only changes when the acting representative is either no longer fit for duty or has died.

You'd think that a nation of freed slaves would be chaotic but the constant threat from Sernn and Upolo has given most of the denizens common cause to work together and further the interests and development of Ituro. It is relatively peaceful for one to take a walk along the shore at night or maybe in the streets of the cities and towns. The police force is also the military force of Ituro. Suffice it to say, only a Militia defends the borders of Ituro while they rely on the thick jungle to protect them.
Ituro is the youngest of all the nations in Boldan. It had only begun 500 years ago but has made quite the headway in fields like engineering and general infrastructure development. The Theran had conquered the South last and has not had sufficient time to develop it the way it had with the Central and Western regions, Upolo and Sernn respectively. Sernn did not even bother to develop the lands in Ituro while they controlled it. It wasn't until the Uprising occured and Sernn was forced out of the South when real development began.

Where Upolo had the shrewdest talkers and Sernn had the disciplined fighting force, Ituro had been renown as innovators. One of their projects was to build a bridge that connected West and East Ituro to allow the Western front access to the Eastern resources. The bridge itself spanned the great Eithon river.

Iturians were also the ones who had created the craft of sailing the seas and some basic navigation. They had not journeyed into open waters yet as their Navy was required to support the last line of defense for Ituro, their importance was further emphasized with the constant raiders Sernn had sent south toward the Western front. The off shore bombardments had been a godsend that stopped the entire Western front from collapsing. The Navy itself was given orders to demolish the bridge should either side of Ituro falls to foreign elements.

It was through the actions of King Stenhardt IV that the ceasefire between Sernn and Ituro had started. The old man had a wanderlust to him that the land just couldn't sate. Talks had begun between Ituro and Sernn and, for a while, their borders were opened to teach other though neither could still seem to stand each other.

Shortly after the borders opened, King Stenhardt IV had hired a handful of Iturian ships to use to sail the open seas. He had left the rule of Sernn to his daughter, Franca, while he went about exploring the land. Shortly after King Stenhard IV left, the borders were closed and the tension simply hardened. Neither side openly denounced or slaughtered each other but the dislike was there. The plan was to make the ceasefire last for generations so that some semblance of an easy peace could be seen.

What happened was Hilde using the recent act of the Stenhardt patriach as grounds to agitate the populace. Her point boiled down to questioning why Iturian technology had been so willingly given over to Sernnite filth. The ones who took the Theran whip after the Schism almost a thousand years ago. The ones who had been no better than the Theran oppressors for the first 500 years prior to the Uprising and the birth of Ituro. She championed that Iturians had the right to keep their advancements from those who don't know better, from looters who only ever renamed the roads and cities of the Theran Empire. That they spent blood sweat and tears to make the advancements and Sernn only had to pay words and threats to get them.

No shots have been fired since the leave of the Stenhardt patriarch but that looked like it was about to change. Talk is that the Matriarch had been acquiring Upolonian Steel for something big, weapons and armor. A mercenary company that was based in Hyr was also contracted to train the Militia.
Ituro is maintaning a ceasefire with Sernn as well as a few pacts to the ensure that nothing escalates into full conflict, courtesy of Stenhardt IV. As for Upolo, They have had maintained a healthy trade relationship with the so called Nation of Thieves despite the rumors of a "Rat infestation" plaguing Ituro. Through Upolo, Ituro has made contact with Hyr but nothing past a few diplomatic talks have been established yet. Much like all the other nations, Ituro has no relationship to Iesti.
There is no deity that Iturians worship. Rather they worship the people who have made great strides in Iturian development. They are a people of ideals and innovation, they find the other nations backwards due to their reliance on an unseen being taking credit for everything they have accomplished. In Ituro, credit is given where credit is due. Like Upolo, they do not discriminate against those who wish to follow unseen beings that most likely do not care about them.

You may discern what role an Iturian plays by what charm he wears around his neck or what statue is in his home. Rava, the Admiral Queen, a former representative of the Elves who had dared to sail the seas, she is depicted with an anchor on one hand and sword on the other. Those who follow her ideals, are the shipwrights and sailors or those who belong to the Militia. Eroyem, the Visionary, he was the one who orchestrated the Uprising and has been regarded as the father of liberty, he is depicted with a staff in his hands. Those who follow his ideals are those who pass for the elite or the rulers of Ituro; However, recent trends show that Eroyem is also the paragon for innovation as he made new grounds in making sure Ituro was safe after the Uprising. Finally there was Jedorin, the Craftsman, he was the one responsible for overseeing the construction of the great Eithon bridge, he is depicted holding a bridge and a hammer in his hands. Those who follow his ideals are regarded as the builders and the workers of Ituro, the backbone of their nation.

The first, a human, the second, an elf, the third, one of the Avis Vir. It was because of these three major paragons that the idea of their current government had been born. One representative of each race. They believed that they needed no god to help them flourish, just faith in their diversity to propel their nation to greater heights while using the paragons as an anchor for their beliefs or as a goal that they must surpass. It all boiled down to the efficiency of one in one's role in society. Burning a healthy calf to an unseen entity in the sky seemed like a waste as opposed to bringing the calf to the front lines to feed the men and women standing watch over the borders. It is worth mentioning that the view point on the paragons differ from Iturian to Iturian. Sadly it has also been grounds for heated arguments and clashing opinions.

(some Audiomachine)

No one knows just what else dwells within that walled nation-state.
These are only stories but they say anarchy reigns supreme in Iesti.
Iesti is a unique case. It was one nation that never belonged to Theran rule or the rule of any nation after the Schism. It is a unique case, even during Theran rule, none have ever set foot in Iesti. Everything here is simply speculation of a scared people.
The Iesti supposedly practiced black magics, which what made the "butchers" in the past. They bow to no god but rather style themselves as gods. Godless heathens that must be harshly shown the error of their ways.

(Some TSFH)

Much like Upolo, Hyr does not discriminate against any race. Assuming one proves their mettle in battle or single combat. Anyone who has braved and survived the North has a place among the Hyr. The Iesti outcasts seem to be more influential here than anywhere else in Boldan, mainly due to the lack of discrimination against them.
The Hyr is governed by a Kaiser and reigns over a council of Chiefs. Each tribe has a chief that leads them, a chief is either succeeded by the next strongest warrior or a challenger to the chief's rule. Choosing a kaiser is done the same way, the chiefs fight among each other to become the Kaiser.
Hyr is a militaristic nation. They belong in the icy north, battling whatever comes their way. They are the result of the Kaiser Hyr, uniting the splintered clans in the North against The Theran Empire in the South. Like Iesti, Hyr was also not under Theran control. Much like the Theran Empire, the Hyr were united by the First Kaiser, Earert. Though the unity had always been necessary as the mountains have a habit of devouring the denizens that choose to stand alone against it. Before long, they had cobbled up a somewhat organized government and system to traverse between tribe settlements. Although the hardier people would still take the overland routes, underground tunnel networks connected each settlement.
The Hyr believe in animism and shamanism. Wisemen supposedly commune with the elder spirits to guide their path to glory and that the great spirits would one day roam the land alongside them. The barbarians....at least I respect them more than I do the Iesti.

We still have a copy of the old map, however a new had been decided via tourney. 16 entries, single combat to the death, under orders of the new Guildmaster who had also been decided by single combat to the death.

-OLD MAP-

View attachment 46917

-New Map-

View attachment 46916

A royal decree from King Stenhardt IV:

-You shall not bunny your fellow Sernnite's characters. The penalty for doing so is losing your hand.

-You shall not godmod. The penalty for doing so is hanging by the neck until dead.

-You shall not go beyond PG-13 scenes. The penalty of doing so is a public beheading.

-You shall try to limit your one liners, unless the situation calls for it. Failure to do so shall see you thrown into the arena, where you will fight for your freedom or be devoured by the beasts.

-The standard rules of the RpN realm also apply here. Failure to follow will result in immediate exile.

Sol · Apr 8, 2014

Sol updated A World Untamed with a new update entry:

THE DEVELOPMENT IS DONE, CBT IS NOW OPEN

I think I've fleshed out what I need to flesh out, though if you find something lacking be sure to tell me and we'll rectify it right away. The RP is open!

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Sol · Apr 9, 2014

Sol updated A World Untamed with a new update entry:

A minor change in lore.

I have changed a few elements to Sernn's lore, feel free to check it out if you wish. The role of Franca is already reserved by Vainrochester though.

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Sol · Apr 10, 2014

Sol updated A World Untamed with a new update entry:

3 maps

There are 3 maps in the maps tab now due to Syrenrei saying that the "new map" was a broken image.

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Sol · Apr 11, 2014

Sol updated A World Untamed with a new update entry:

Cartography Guild's Annual Tourney Results

Due to popular demand we decided to just make the maps attachments.

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Sol · Apr 12, 2014

Sol updated A World Untamed with a new update entry:

DISCLAIMER/WARNING/CAUTION/ATTENTION

Stupid decisions, actions and the will get you killed in this RP. Keep your wits sharp and stay frosty. This also applies to me. A hundred men can overwhelm you regardless of power or skill.

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Humans

Name (Mundane)- Power

Chickadee Kelsa Black (@pastel stitchings )- Can make anything that resembles a living things become animated
Oliver Quinn (@ILikeStarWars )- Conjuration; he is able to make certain things from nothing, depending on fatigue
Charleene Clayfield (@The Empress of Ice )- Illusion manipulation & water manipulation
Thane Solcier (@Jason Rorstiel )- Shadow manipulation
Alli "Red" Vorona (@Kal )- Air manipulation
Jenna Marie Anderson (@Syrenrei )- Regeneration
Lily Marceline Valdez (@L u n a )- Can morph into anything at will
Kazuto Leya (@Saito )- Battle mage (kinetic force manipulation?)
Marcus Orwell (@Sol )- Earth manipulation
Daniel Owens (@VainRochester )- None
Meredith Hall (@Killigrew )- Electricity/lightning

Boldan Residents

Name (Mundane)- Race- Nation- Profession

Sage Vienne (@Yannie )- Elf- Upolo- Healer
Kronos (@minusultra ) -Elf- Ituro- Leader of Ituro (Governor)
Iso (@minusultra ) -Elf- Ituro- N/A (child)
Camori (@Sol )- Avis Vir- Ituro- Leader of Ituro (Governor)
Lazurus (@Sol )- Golem- Upolo- Leader of Upolo (Council Member)
Franca Luidermos Stenhardt V (@VainRochester )- Human- Sernn- Princess & Reagant of the Sernn throne
Arcden (@Syrenrei )- Half elf- Iesti- Assassin
Greyden ( @Syrenrei )- Half elf- Iesti- Assassin
Zelkyrie (@Tsukaiza )- Human- Hyr- Trader
Zaria L'Inst (@Auren )- Elf- Iesti- Spy
Faina, daughter of Svetlan (@Killigrew )- Human- Hyr- Warrior of of the overland Khodynt Tribe
Ichadta (@xCADx )- Avis Vir- Upolo- N/A (child)
Einreir (@Sol )- Human- Hyr- Kaiser of Hyr
Lake (@JellyFish )- Human-Iesti- Mad scientist
Brunhilde Valesti (@Sol )- Human- Ituro- Leader of Ituro (Governor)
Aldric Emmanuel Voss (@DoomyMcDoomferdstein )- Human- Sernn- Knight
Axel Valesti(@L u n a )- Human- Ituro- Valesti heir (Governor's son)
Ederra Kearia Mara Sternhardt (@The Empress of Ice )- Human- Sernn- Princess (child)

I THINK WE HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Marcus Orwell, Grad Ceremony.

This would be the day, when the people below him would graduate into the real world. Some would choose to go down the same path he has taken or go their separate ways. High School is what he would call the "Better Years" in life, but college was still pretty much the best. He had several reasons for attending the grad ceremony, but it all boiled down to seeing his underclassmen, well the important underclassmen, graduate. He wanted to be there on their special day, to congratulate them on a job well done and to scare them of the life to come. Of course the last one was no joke, the real world will chew them like gum that never loses flavor.

The rush of nostalgia washed over him as the ceremony began with the principal's customary hour long speech that contained the same thing over the years. Now that he was on the audience's side and not the graduates' seats made him realize just how much discipline he used to have to sit through everything without being plugged into his music. He applauded them and himself for lasting so long.

He felt a little tear welling up in his eye. It was beautiful to see all their smiling faces as take they diploma and go to their seats like the robots they are. It was beautiful and somewhat depressing, so it is a tear of happiness and sadness. It was a shame that all of them would be cogs to a machine. Still he had to keep his smile and emotion up for appearances. There was only ever one person up there he felt genuinely happy for, it felt very happy and kind of sobering to see her face again. Hopefully the ceremony would end soon, there was so much catching up to do with a lot of people and he kinda, maybe, really skipped out on his special classes for this. Grades are just numbers right?

minusultra · Apr 12, 2014

Kronos, Land of Ituro, State of the Union Address

Kronos yawned once more, he had gotten very little sleep in preparation for this day. The weekly State of the Union address always had him feeling this way. The three rulers of Ituro, their advisors, and the secretary (who kept hours) would come together once a week to discuss where Ituro stood and where it should be heading. The meetings use to be held monthly, but with the threat of war becoming more like a promise, it was only natural to incress the number of meetings. One couldn't be over prepared after all.

Kronos entered the conference hall and was immediately swarmed by one of his advisors.

"Here are the hours from the last address," Serrah said pushing some papers into Kronos' hands. "It would do you well to look over them before the start of this address. You were dozing off during the last one." Serrah, an elven girl about ten years Kronos' senior, always seemed to catch every one of Kronos' mishaps. She was one of Ajaar's advisors alongside Kronos and had never truly gotten over the fact that Ajaar had chosen him over her.

"Thank you Serrah," Kronos said tossing her a smile. "I'll make it a point to keep my eyes open this time."

"I'll make it a point to see that you do," Serrah promised before leaving his side.

A sigh escaped Kronos' lips.

As the young elf looked over last meetings hours his thought drifted to Ajaar. It was hard to believer that two years had passes since the passing of the former elven leader of Ituro. Kronos missed him dearly. The man was a second father to him and his brother. Kronos would not be where he stood today if it wasn't for Ajaar giving him a chance. Kronos paused in his reading. Would Ajaar be proud of how he was leading? Sometimes Kronos didn't know. He had come a long way since that scared teen who lied his way past the the gates of Ituro. Still, Kronos always wondered if he was doing enough for the land that had given him the life he had dreamt of, for not only him, but his brother as well.

Sol · Apr 12, 2014

Sol updated A World Untamed with a new update entry:

A FEW MORE STUFF I'LL JUST POINT OUT

Regarding your powers:
-I just want to say that landing in Boldan will give you powers but that doesn't mean your characters know of its existence. It'll have to have like some sort unconscious trigger for it, like let's say you're in a lot of danger and suddenly you realized you could actually shoot jagged rocks at your opponents.

-It feels more natural that you land in there, know nothing of the world and then accidentally discover your powers.

-Just because you have your powers does not...

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Kal · Apr 12, 2014

Alli Vorona, Grad Ceremony.

From her toes to her nose, she could feel it. The surging amount of giddy energy from the sheer glee. It was happening, this moment was finally happening, after four (well, technically three) long years of hard work, she was here! The principal's speech all but went in one ear and out the other as Alli discretely motioned her head from left to right, looking out at all her fellow grads in their robes, looking to see who all were paying attention, who all were just as inattentive as her, and who all were sleeping sitting up. "Fft!" she quickly brought a fist up to stifle the laugh as she saw a friend of hers doing exactly that, dozing off as his cap tilted dangerously to the side, threatening to fall off.

After the speech, each individual was called up to get their diploma. When Alli took the sheet of paper her hands, she beamed. "Congratulations, Ms. Vorona," The Vice principal stated to Alli as she had stated to every student who'd been handed a diploma. The woman held out her hand. Alli altogether ignored the hand and warmly hugged the woman. "Thank you so much, Mrs. B!" Not wanting to hold up the line any longer than she already had, she quickly shook the hands of the rest of the High School authorities in the line before walking down between the rows and rows of robed students and returning to her seat. Radiating joy all the way back.

Babel · Apr 12, 2014

When Kelsa was given her diploma she had wanted to jump into the principles arms and give him a deathly tight hug. But, she managed to contain herself and just give everybody a very enthusuiastic handshake. Finally, after those four years of seemingly never-ending projects, essays, and tests (and not to mention the constant flow of unnessassary drama), she finally had that one sheet of paper everybody in the room had strived for. Thank goodness.

Kelss scurried off to her seat after the handshakes and doing a little victory dance on stage. She just had to. She sat down and looked at the roll of paper in her hands. Right when she got home, that thing was going to be framed in the prettiest frame she could find. Kelss looked back up and watched the other go up and come back down.

Sol · Apr 12, 2014

Sol updated A World Untamed with a new update entry:

ONE MORE UPDATE.

AFTER MUCH DELIBERATION WITH ROCHE AND DOOMY WE HAVE COME TO THIS CONCLUSION:
Due to Ice leaving and putting a failed assassination attempt in her Ederra's CS, we have decided to make the attempt as success which will ignite ALL OUT WAR between SERNN and ITURO. So please watch your ass accordingly.

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Syrenrei · Apr 12, 2014

Boldan- "The twins"

The twins got along most of the time. In fact, they had a eery synergy as they went about their business of creating corpses. Greyden had decided that 'killing' and 'murdering' had too negative of a connotation for such exemplary work. 'Creating corpses' sounded much more creative and, while unsettling, was more pleasant to the ears. Arcden didn't much care what they called it and humored his brother. Yet here they were on their major point of dissonance: money. Neither saved their money as it was quite obvious 'settling down' was not part of the equation. In Iesti they were human half-breeds and undesirable; the rest of Boldan found the half-Iesti-elf part undesirable. It was a lose/lose situation if there ever was one. With no home, wife, or children for either to save for, they found much less impressive things to squander their earnings on.

"You have a sword. You have five swords," Greyden objected. Not that it did him any good to attempt to scold Arcden. His slightly elder sibling indulged himself by purchasing new swords after every few dozen kills. The old swords were traded or sold to upgrade to something that was usually only minimally better. The edge might be slightly more honed, the hilt a little more smooth to the touch, or the engraving more aesthetically pleasing. Four daggers were on Arcden's belt, one of which was usually reserved for more mundane tasks such as skinning a fresh kill for dinner. The remaining two (and there were always two) were of a longer length and were usually reserved for combat that would render a dagger less effective. Greyden had three swords: one longer one and two daggers. None of them had been 'upgraded' in quite some time.

"I do not consider a dagger a sword," Arcden stated. He did not waiver under the excited motions of Greyden. He raised his eyes to gaze upon his mirror reflection and consider exactly how ridiculous he would look if he indulged in such emotional displays of duress. Then again, it was simply easier not to argue. Neither one of them would change their spending habits. Greyden had three loves besides him: liquor, food, and brothels. The lack of the first and latter of the list meant that he was becoming slightly unhinged as of late. He sighed. "Did you spend all of yours?"

"No, no," Greyden affirmed. It was a poorly veiled lie. He was too proud to admit that he had indulged in not one, not two, but three feasts in the last town they passed by. Such lavish meals were not exactly cheap- but they were very filling. He convinced himself he had no regrets but then faltered at the notion that he could 'borrow' money from Arcden to get completely smashed off of. Didn't he deserve a reward for his excellent application of a dagger to the back of a very, very bad man? "Well, maybe most of it."

Arcden sighed.

"Forget it! I don't want your damned help. You can have your six SWORDS," he announced. "But on the next job, I think you should pay me a fee for doing all the talking for you. How does... 10% of your cut sound?" Arcden started to frown. "Nevermind," Greyden grumbled before letting himself let go of his agitation. "But we do need another job."

@Auren

Sol · Apr 12, 2014

Ituro city, Ituro. Matriarch Valesti.

"Was it a success?"

"Yes, my lady. All is according to plan."

"Good, you are dismissed, send the payment to the mercenaries. Tell them that Ituro will have more lucrative offers for them in the future."

"Of course, my lady."

Such was the first step in Hilde's plan to exact revenge on Sernn for her father all those decades ago. The matriarch was on the balcony of her manse, overlooking the port area of beautiful coastal Ituro. A smile played on her lips as the news of the successful assassination reached her ears. It seems as though the information network was correct for once. Like a humble woman of her stature, she had the best bottle of red wine brought up to her chambers. Today was a day of celebration, it is a shame that her no good son was out there with the people. Still it worked in her favor, the populace was beginning to adore her even more because of her son. He may not have the stomach for blood but Axel had his uses.

Uriah had arrived not long after with the bottle of wine that Hilde asked for. He knocked on the door and waited for the clearance to come in.

"Enter."

"My lady, here is the vintage that you asked for."

Uriah spoke as he entered Hilde's chambers.

"Good man....Uriah, do you know why I've called for this small celebration?"

"I am afraid I do not know, my lady."

"Well you should rejoice alongside me..."

Hilde turned back to gaze upon the Iturian port with arms outstretched.

"Ederra Kearia Mara Stenhardt is dead! The spawn of that wretched Stenhardt is dead."

She turned back to Uriah and grabbed him by the collar and stared deep into his soul.

"That is the first step on my road to vengeance, which has been put on hold for far too long for this farce I call a family. War, Uriah, war, that is what will come next. Franca will exact revenge for her little sister's death and that is exactly what I want to happen. She is young, she is vengeful, she is brash and she is stupid. But she will prove to be quite the warm up for when Stenhardt himself returns to Boldan at the news of both his daughters crushed underfoot. He will come with fury and will meet that fury with mine own that has been nurtured for the past 30 years. Honed like a sharp blade, precise like spear tip, Uriah!"

She let go of him and dismissed him, pouring herself a glass of the sweet vintage that she imagine was the young Ederra's own blood. There is much to be done and this is but the beginning.

"The sweet appetizer of vengeance."

Syrenrei · Apr 12, 2014

Graduation Ceremony- Jenna

For the majority of the ceremony, Jenna's head was bowed and her eyes were focused squarely on her lap. For the speeches she had been enjoying Final Fantasy Tactics on her phone. More than a few heads turned when she let out little happy noises at her victories as the speeches themselves were not exactly riveting. Somewhere down her aisle an older man was dozing and waking up for the rounds of applause. A few helicopter mothers eyed her sternly but there was little they could do. None of them were her parents after all. Once the speeches were completed she moved onto Tokiemeki Memorial Girl's Side on her Gameboy. Her phone was used to help her translate the dialogue as she went along- she wasn't quite motivated enough to learn a foreign language yet. This second game produced furrowed brows and all manner of sighs. Sometimes she sighed loudly and forlornly when she realized her 'true love' was not pleased with her choice of attire for the date. Occasionally her cheeks lit up in a girlish blush at the reactions of her paramour complimenting her. If there was every anyone who took her games too seriously, it was Jenna. A copy of Slaughterhouse Five had been tucked into her purse 'just in case' and was protruding from a side pocket. Jenna wanted to make absolutely certain she remained entertained.

For every senior she knew, she cheered. It didn't matter if they liked her or disliked her (not that she'd notice if they did). It didn't matter if she had known them two days or two years. Her exuberance echoed down her aisle, section, and throughout the ceremony. For someone so small she had quite a pool of energy to draw upon. When Meredith's name was announced, however, she could not let the lack of other cheering persons upset her dear friend. She howled, cheered, and screamed in an embarrassing display of friendship that would make anyone with a slight sense of shyness hide under their seat. As a few raised brows were cast in her direction but she only smiled ridiculously large and took it as a sign of approval. Then, as if her efforts were not enough, she waved (with both arms) to Meredith. She then calmly took her seat once the graduate was off the stage and took up her GameBoy. Oh no! He didn't like the date location? Time to go back to the last save.

A text was sent to all the graduates- Kelsa, Thane, Red, Lily, Kaz, and Meredith with a gigantic, "CONGRATULATIONS!!!! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!!" It was appropriate to add all that capitalization and exclamation points as it was something she'd do in personal as well.

Babel · Apr 12, 2014

Kelsa felt her phone buzz in her purse and took it out. She smiled at the message and at the exessive amount of exclamation marks and the capatilzation of the words. "Awww, thank you!" she texted back, adding a smiley face at the end. She never used "text-talk". Never. She was fond of literature amd wanted to become a journalist, so grammar amd spelling were big things for her, even when texting.

Kelsa set her phone down and impatiently waited for all the graduates to get their diplomas. She wanted to get out of there and start celebrating with her friends and family. As she sat there waiting, Kelsa let her hair down from the fancy up-do her mother had insisted she do. It was pretty, but very uncomfortable on her head. She ran her hand through her hair and resumed watching.

What did the others plan on doing after all of this was over? She knew one girl that wanted to bevome a fashion designer, which she could definitely do, and this guy that was interested in becoming a weather man. Kelsa smiled a little then put her hair up in a ponytail.

minusultra · Apr 12, 2014

Kronos, Ituro.

As usual Kronos was the first one in the conference hall. He made it a top priority to be seen as an equal among Hilde and Camori. They had years of experience against his mere two and Kronos always felt like he was a step behind them. So he came early and stayed late. Brushed up on all his history. And spent more time then he's like to admit Ajaar's old study readying anything he could get his hand on. Kronos wanted to be seen as Hilde and Camori were, so them those like Serrah wouldn't look down on him. Kronos took his seat at the table and waited for the other two leaders to enter.

Iso, Ituro, Street market.

When the cat's away the mice will play.

That's how that saying went right? It was Iso's favorite. With his older brother tied up in all these meeting, Iso was free to do what he pleased. The watchful eye of Kronos wasn't around to tell him otherwise. The second Iso's older brother left, he slipped out from under his tutors nose and was at the market in minutes. That's another thing Iso hated. Why did he have to have a tutor anyway? All the other kids got to go to school, but Iso was stuck in his boring home. Always at home. And it would be better if Kronos was there with him, but he always seemed to have to be somewhere. Ever since Kronos became the elven leader of Ituro, he had no time for Iso.

Iso shoved a danish into his mouth chewed a few times and swallowed hard. It was bad enough that Kronos made it so Iso had little no no contact with people his age, but in these past months it seemed that he had little to no contact with Kronos himself. So to spite his brother's wishes to stay indoors, Iso would often sneak out and find himself at market square. Spending as much as his allowance would allow on goodies and sweets.

Auren · Apr 13, 2014

xBoldan - Just Outside Hyr - Zaria L’instxxxxxxx

Zaria listened as the twins bickered. It was a common enough occurrence, but she found that they both used their earnings in the same useless ways. Without a home, she couldn’t blame them. They enjoyed their pleasures. She used her own simple dagger, made for only a quick defense should she need it, to carve into a piece of wood. She was thinking, and when she thought about things, she tended to carve. This current one was intricate enough, taking on the shape of an eagle.

“We can go into Hyr,” she started, her concentration on a certain part of the wood. “Well, I can go into Hyr. I’ve heard rumors of a few nobles needing some loose ends or another to be taken care of.” She held the carving up, pausing to look at it fully before returning to her task. The twins weren’t the only ones suffering from a lack in funds. She needed more parchment for the maps she had been working on, as well as for her letters. The spymaster would be expecting word from her soon.

“There was a man who had sent a bird not long ago requesting some assistance in the disposal of a very irrational fellow. I believe he lives in the upper edge of Hyr, just outside the city,” she winced as the knife slipped on a knot in the wood, slicing her thumb. The cut was small, but that didn’t stop the sting. Nor did it stop the blood. She put her thumb to her mouth and frowned. She supposed that was her cue to stop carving. Sliding the eagle into her pocket and removing her thumb from her mouth, she looked back up at the boys. She hadn’t told them about the the message before, as it seemed insignificant since they were in Upolo at the time. She watched their reaction before glancing to the city.

Syrenrei · Apr 13, 2014

Boldan- "The somewhat insufferable twin assassins" Good thing they're easy on the eyes...

"We'll take it," Arcden decided for both of them. Greyden shrugged and made no argument; that was now they operated anyway. What Arcden decided the pair would do was final. They had very rarely made bad decisions under his leadership. The few times that there had been an unwanted side effect from their job, Arcden had personally seen to it that their employer had known their feelings. Complimentary corpse creation was not well received when it involved a family member.

The slightly-younger brother opened his pouch and took out a piece of fabric that he handed to Zaria. "You should cover that," he noted with a little gesture at the cut. Even if it was a small wound, Greyden was conscientious of their friend. It wasn't like they had many friends, even if she was a little quiet and aloof. Never had she said a disparaging remark about their human mother or indicated that she thought lessor of them for it. Not only that, she was competent, resourceful, and efficient. Somewhere along the line he had simply started to view her as 'skilled spy' instead of 'female Iesti elf.' Now he furrowed his brows and considered her more slight figure. "Are you sure you'd be okay in Hyr? You aren't very... combat-oriented."

"They regard Iesti well enough." Arcden was much less concerned. Hyr men and women were much more reliant on strength and fortitude than they were, but they were also slower. Elven agility was not to be underestimated. What use was all that muscle if they could simply sneak upon an opponent and eliminate that threat so simply? Besides, no potential employer would allow their hired assassins to be attacked outright on the streets.

"You're going to need warmer clothes," Greyden sighed. He didn't really have the coin to afford a luxurious winter coat or cloak that would keep him much warmer than he already was. His full belly would do little against the wintery north they would need to travel to. The only upside was that Arcden and he wore the same garments and he could potentially try to extensively borrow the 'surplus.' Yes, that was a fantastic idea. Arcden had almost certainly already come to the same conclusion and predicted his plotting. "We should pick something up before he finds another sword," he whispered to Zaria loudly.

Killigrew · Apr 13, 2014

Meredith

Graduation Ceremony

"Meredith Hall."

Tedious.

The voice rang out, booming, as it had with every name.

Dull.

Mereth's lips curled upward in a smile and she raised her head, stepping carefully, methodically slow, across the stage. Her hands were raised ahead of time, taking the diploma in one hand as the other met the principal's, embracing his, gently grasping it.

Her eyes met the man's and she could see the falsity.

Spreads all around.

She had only just moved away, and a loud, screaming voice, wild with abandon, called out in congratulations. Mereth stopped, the movement halting, and raised her head to survey the crowd.

She found her easily. In stark contrast to the bored half-claps, to the wooden, slouched bodies, one girl was a flurry of congratulatory movements. Jenna, the dear girl. Her dedication was so amusing. Mereth's smile spread sincere. She raised a hand, tilting it, waving.

She would've watched Jenna longer. But the next name was called in quick succession, and Mereth was made to find her seat once more.

Sythril · Apr 13, 2014

Graduation Ceremony | Lily Marceline Valdez

Click. Click. Click.

Slide. Scroll. Send.

Look around.

Wave or nod at fellow graduates and parents.

Put head down.

Wonder when she'll get her diploma.

Almost throw phone in the air. Almost.

This was pretty much her routine for the day. For this celebration, in exact.

Lily focused on her cellphone, trying her best to cheer for every senior, respond to the countless texts on her cellphone, not get caught, wait for her turn, and do lots more--all at the same time. Not that she was not used to multi-tasking. If anything, it was her school life that taught her this more than anything or anyone.

"Lily Marceline Valdez."

Some time passed.

"Lily Marceline Valdez?"

It was her turn.

Almost throw phone in the air.

Surprisingly, that action was done twice in a row. She managed to hurriedly put her phone in one of her pockets and walk up to the principal, who gave her diplomat.

This was it. This was finally it.

"Congratulations, Ms. Valde--"

"Thank you!" Lily shamelessly exclaimed out of sheer delight, perhaps louder than anyone would expect her to. After all, who in the universes wouldn't be happy when they were finally graduating? A grin tugged at a corner of Lily's lip as she did her best not to do an exhibition onstage, in front of everybody. She promised quite a few people that she'd behave at this very last moment. Specifically, her parents and older brother. Especially her older brother. She waved cheerily at her family before getting back to her place beside the other graduates, and got enough time to look back and see her parents waving back, and her older brother rolling his eyes, but waving slightly too.

After about a few seconds (or hours as she perceived it), her cell phone buzzed slightly, indicating that there was another message there for her. "Shoot," she muttered, flipping her phone open and swiftly responding to each and every text message until she reached the last one. Turns out, it was from Jenna, and a group message too, at that.

"samE TO ALL OF YOU!!!11 DD," Lily pushed buttons and sent back a message to all of them, not bothering to correct any text mistakes. After all, she wasn't that kind of person, and everyone probably already knew that. Before playing around with her cellphone again (or possibly repeating her routine for this celebration), she thought of sending them just another text.

WE should have a party!!! She sent a text to not just the ones she sent to earlier, but basically also adding a few other graduates, especially remembering Thane. There was no way she was to forget one of her best, and awesome childhood friends. Heck, she thinks everyone is awesome, but there were certain levels for that.

Message sent.

Sol · Apr 13, 2014

Ituro City, Ituro, Camori.

Camori walked toward the conference hall. The weight of all these accessories was still heavy despite the fact that he has held the position for almost 10 years. He has made numerous headway into the domestic development in Ituro as well as establish healthy trade with Upolo among a host of other things. The guards posted outside the conference hall's entrance stood at attention as the towering Avis Vir strode past them, offering them a greeting each before shoving the large double doors aside.

Kronos, the Elven representative was already in the conference hall. The lad had much enthusiasm for the job yet he still lacked the clout to deal with the external nations. He couldn't fault Kronos for that though, he was young and still had much to learn. Thankfully, Ajaar had allowed the boy into his study and access to his library. That would help him make some headway into the political scene when he Camori would be indisposed of and Kronos was needed to treat with the other leaders.

"Hail, Kronos. It is very encouraging to see the young take part in making Ituro a proud nation. Take your seat, you know how Hilde is."

He walked over to his seat on the council and sat down.

"Tell, what news do you have, young one?"

Babel · Apr 13, 2014

Chickadee's left leg began hopping up and down with impatience. Come on, come on, come on! She wanted to be out of there! They were at the V's now in last names. Good, but she knew there was somebody with a Z-last name. It was like Zillabra or something. Chickadee clapped as Lily got her diploma and soon got the text. A party? Hell yeah!

"That would be AWESOME!!!" Chickadee texted back, adding a bunch of smiley faces. at the end to show how much she agreed with that idea. She loved her parents, but they were so proper and boring. They were going to celebrate with just a special dinner of some kind of weird fish that could kill you if not cooked properly. No thank you. Then they would invite all the dull old people in the neighborhood. But now, that possibly didn't have to happen if a party was going to take place!

VainRochester · Apr 13, 2014

Daniel Owens

He stood quite a distance away, a silhoutte in the crowd. Even if someone were actively looking for him, he was extremely difficult to see. But he didn't care. All he wanted to do here was to while away time. After all, Meredith was graduating. He wouldn't miss it, even for the world. He wouldn't miss anything that she achieved. She was nearly everything in his life. He'll be there for her. He'll always be there for her. The crowd around him bustled aboutat every name called, some bumping into him. Some apologized. Some didn't. It didn't matter. He was only here for her. He didn't care about them.

"Meredith Hall."

At last. His Snow White. His amazing, bright star of wondrous beauty. Her blood-red lips, eternal eyes, long, luscious locks of brown hair. Clean or drenched in blood, she was beautiful. So beautiful. He didn't care if she saw him. He didn't care if she only regarded him as a...business partner. As long as he could keep gazing at her, keep watching over her, he was content.

Her glory was shortlived, as the next name was called and she left the limelight of the stage. Owens' rarely brightly lit face slipped back into an emotionless, disinterested line as his star left the sky. He'd wait for it to end before meeting her after the ceremony. Congratulate her or something. He ran a sequence of lines he could say to her through her head. All of them seemed too casual. Too normal. Too...unlike him. He gripped the bouquet of roses in his hand tightly. If they had thorns, they could have drawn blood, and he wouldn't even notice. It was too much a hassle to think of something now. He'll just say something at the brink of the moment when he saw her later. That could be good. He gave a sigh and waited until he could gaze into the eyes of the pale beauty once more.

minusultra · Apr 13, 2014

Kronos, Ituro.

Kronos stood at hearing Camori's voice. He offered the Avis Vir leader a bright smile as he took his seat. "Good morning Camori." Kronos placed a finger to his chin as he thought. "No, I have not seen Hilde yet. It is unlike her to be late though. She must have a good reason. Some good news perhaps?" Kronos crossed his fingers. "One can only hope. But while we wait for her arrival I'd like to share with you some thoughts I had about our situation with Serrn. It is no secret that our military is considerably smaller then that of Serrn's and though we have no shortage of citizens ready to lay down their lives for Ituro, I fear that we lack the man power to go up against a military as established as Serrn's. Especially with that ruthless leader of their. At least not now anyway. Do not get me wrong, I have faith in our people, Unnecessary blood shed is just not something I like to see. I know that we are on the brink of war, but maybe it is time to think of a treaty?"

Sol · Apr 13, 2014

Hilde Valesti, Ituro.

She was late to the meeting of the governors but she would be damned if she couldn't take time to savor the news she had waited two years to hear. Planning the hit to occur in Upolo was a masterstroke that of course, the Upolonians would keep under wraps. Not everyone was privy to the hit she had ordered two years ago and if word got out then, Sernn would strike at Upolo. Ituro would creep behind Sernn and eradicate them in a fairly simple pincer. Taking out Sernn and putting Upolo in her debt would have given her control of the former Theran territories.

Still though, the fact that the news reached her ears two years later was a relief. It was a relief worth celebrating. Upolo was quite meticulous in covering up the death though, she had to give them respect for that. Two years until something finally leaks out of their tight information network.

She strode on through to the conference hall where Kronos was just giving his naive thoughts on several matters to the wisened coward called Camori. Both were idiots in their own right that would only get in the way of her vengeance.

"What treaty are we talking about, Kronos? A peace treaty to Sernn? You know that the only one with brains in that family has left the land. Franca is an mindless dog left to guard the throne of the real master, she's just waiting for her father to toss her a bone. She doesn't possess the ability to think for herself. She would spit in the face of your treaty and kill you with the parchment, Kronos."

She raised her hand up at Camori who was obviously irritated with her current behavior.

"Sit yourself down, bird. I have news to tell you. Remember the missing princess Ederra? The one who journeyed out of Sernn two years ago and has not returned since? Well my sources tell me that Upolo is responsible for her death. The second daughter of King Stenhardt and his youngest child lies dead at the hands of a country that claims neutrality. Now how do you suppose Franca would take this news?"

"She would take the fight to Upolo, she'll raze the nation...."

"Good that you have a brain on you, bird. Now what do we do to an exhausted army that just razed a nation to the ground? We swoop in and kill them, that's what."

"This is madness! Hilde explain yourself, this reeks of you!"

"Ah yes birds are renowned for their sight, not smell. I did nothing, I am not mad. Upolo is the one that is mad. Lazarus is mad. Why the young princess was killed on their soil, not ours. I mean why else would Lazarus depart from the Upolonian council and then disappear into the wilds if not to flee Franca's wrath? Do I not make sense to you, Kronos? I mean we did not have anything to do with Ederra's death now do we? Upolo is responsible for it, her blood is on their lands. What say you Kronos? Do we just leave he Upolonian's the wrath of a rabid dog or do we send aid?"

"It was during one of her run away times that an outcast had attacked their camp and in the midst of battle, left a small scar on the seven year old Princess Ederra's body. She has hated their kind every since.

Now, she has settled down but she did inform me that she is to soon head over to Upolo again. On the other hand, she was sad to see His Highness go away and she supports her sisters every decision."

That line in Ice's CS gave me the idea that she died in Upolo, not Sernn, not Ituro. Upolo. It would be impossible in Sernn and I doubt that the guard would let her wander Ituro without their numbers doubled. Upolo claimed to be neutral and it was perfect and logical to incite a raid from less than happy Iesti outcast slaves.

Are there any objections? I will change it if there are issues.

DO NOTE THAT THIS IS ME TRYING TO THINK AT 1:00am or so, so yeah.

This isn't set in stone and I have no idea how this all plays out.

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