Fantasy AEON OF HEROES ― World

[Arkangel]

Extended lore page for the AOH roleplay.

 

[Arkangel]

CHAPTER I. WORLD

World of Calvalon

Calvalon is one of four dimensional realms within the Aeon of Heroes setting, featuring three vast continents with rich cultures and history. It serves as a plane for mortals to reside and build their civilizations. Compared to the other dimensional realms, Calvalon is burdened with the cycle of life and death across the mainlands, caused by the combination of the gods and humanity. Despite harboring the largest population of inhabitants, it is conceptually the smallest world in terms of landmass, as it is the sole realm with finite land and water resources.

The sole advantage that Calvalon holds compared to the other realms is the amount of unique materials and ores that reside deep within the earth’s rock, which can be used for a variety of things that even the gods demand. Of these materials are Pyralite and Mythirium, both used primarily for the construction of weapons and machines that roam the sky, such as steam-powered airships and other magic-powered mechanical vehicles. As the only realm that is capable of housing entities of all types, it is where the majority of world events occur.

In the northern hemisphere exists the continent of Aegyium, devoid of organisms after a cataclysmic event that left the terrain charred and unusable. In the far east of the planet stands Kyohen, a unified land under a coalition against the common enemy, far different compared to the third continent, Paymonia, where wars are constant with one another, no matter the race or ancestry. Each region is cursed with a form of threat that challenges the way of life of its inhabitants, all connected by the events that occurred thousands of years ago when Aegyium fell from grace.

Paymonia’s vast terrain occupies three great kingdoms that rule over the jurisdiction of the world with their staggering influence over the continent. These three authoritative nations are the Exultius Sovereignty, Aeslengard Theocracy, and the Ukrethian Empire, each ruled by a system of autocracy below a celestial force with the exception of Exultius, which is ruled by their yet-alive Progenitor-Sovereign, unrivaled amongst mortal kind.

Among Calvalon, Paymonia is factually the largest with the highest population, brimming with life both feral and civil. As such, when put to scale against the other continents regarding its wild danger levels, Paymonia would scale on an eight, with the preceding continent rated at a 5. The ratings are high not because of the natural beasts that lurk in the forests, but rather because of the Paymonian exclusive Vile Beasts that terrorize villages and countries without discrimination, devouring the flesh of the innocent for their unending hunger.

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Exelica: The Divine Realm

Exelica is a separate plane of existence that is situated at the nexus between Calvalon and the "linked worlds'', allowing direct passage between different realities. It was once believed that the Arterion Gods, the governing chiefs of the divine law, also ruled these realities alongside Calvalon, but this information was never confirmed and will likely remain as such due to the genocide of the gods at the hands of the Godslayer. An absence of Exelica would mean interdimensional voyages are impossible, with no other alternative paths available.

Exelica was also once home to the gods, who survived on the boundless celestial energy of the realm. However, they ultimately faced genocide at the hands of the Godslayer, leaving only a few survivors to tell the tales of the catastrophic war. Today, Exelica is a barren wasteland, shrouded in murky clouds and surrounded by dark waters. It's impossible to travel to the realm without protection from the Fragment of Divinity.

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Sitra Achra: The Incarnadine Court

Sitra Achra, commonly referred to as the Underworld, is the realm of purgatory and purification where deceased souls travel and receive a chance at reincarnation after an autonomous system decides on a verdict. The cleansed souls eligible for reincarnation are sent back to the world above for a fresh start, with the exception that their memories will be left in Sitra Achra, along with the impurities that they have amassed during their time before death. These impurities eventually turn into remorseless creatures called Vile Beasts, which hunt and cannibalize other beasts to become larger and stronger.

Unlike its counterpart, Exelica, where one must have the Shard of Divinity or the guidance of a god to enter, Sitra Achra is strictly one-way, with no possible route of escape once entered. However, a soul may escape the infernos should they be capable of taming a Greater Vile Beast.

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Abyssal Dungeon

What connects Calvalon and Sitra Achra is the Abyssal Dungeon, a deep system of tunnels and floors that have an ecosystem of its own, similar to Calvalon. However, the ecosystem is influenced by the Vile Beasts that lurk in these caves, creating abnormal environmental hazards, hostile to adventurers that dare venture beneath in search of rare loot and materials. Home to a total of nine floors and several subfloors, its creation is largely a mystery with current excavations suggesting that it was built by a predating civilization tens of thousands of years ago.

For a significant period, the Abyssal Dungeons were home to a race of Azelthyrians, whose ancestors challenged the rule of the gods that ruled over Calvalon. When they were banished from their homes, they gathered and built their new homes deep in the Abyssal Dungeons, and left hundreds of unique artifacts and structures before they were forced to leave once more by the combined threat of increasingly violent Vile Beasts and hostile humans that sought to mimic their art and enslave them.

Beneath the deepest levels of the dungeon exists a single structure that was left untouched for thousands of years, called the Gate of Qlippoth. It acts as the astral bridge between Calvalon and Sitra Achra, with seemingly no function other than to imprison those foolish enough to enter. What the true purpose of the gate, and the architect behind the construction of this impossible structure is a complete mystery.

End

 

[Arkangel]

CHAPTER II. RACES

Human

The oldest race in Calvalon, the humans serve as one of the first beings to have walked the earth. There are no real inherent benefits to them other than their swift reproductive capabilities and swarming numbers no matter the era and conflict.

Positives.

♦ Humans are one of two races where a Chaos Root can be genetically inherited through birth. More about Chaos Roots in Chapter VII.
♦ Human discrimination is almost nonexistent throughout Paymonia, with the exception of minor countries in the Northlands.
♦ They are the only race that can perform miracles through the Fragments of Divinity.​

Negatives.

♢ They live an average lifespan of 60 years. Humans who live longer are considered rare.
♢ Raw fragile defense. This can be mitigated with the activation of a Chaos Root.​

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Nephilim

The Nephilim race is the second to the last race introduced to Calvalon and are discriminated against by the entire world outside of their homeland, Aeslengard. They have a brutal history of enslaving other races and ransacking countries and tribes during the Third Divine Conflict before their supremacy ended with the rise of the Godslayer. Nephilims once existed in every country during that war, until they were hunted down by vengeful foreigners during the Fourth Divine Conflict.

While humans and Nephilims are identical to one another in terms of appearance, their distinction begins in traditional wear. Humans sport attires befitting for their taste and class, while Nephilims are culturally locked into a single choice of attire: Armor and a custom mask. In Aeslengard, all Nephilims are required to hide their face with a mask, as showing one’s facial structure is considered an act of folly and arrogance. The civilians begin their cultural training at the age of five, making it difficult for the standard Nephilim to remove their masks outside of Aeslengard.

Nephilims that live away from Aeslengard are considered fools, waiting for their death sentence at the hands of the ‘unclean’. There is nothing rarer than seeing a Nephilim outside of their home nation.

Positives.

♦ All Nephilims are guaranteed a Chaos Root with the exception of the unfortunate few who are born with inherent defects.
♦ Nephilim blood is partially holy and is often used in elixir brewing. Thus, Nephilims can regenerate wounds in just several minutes.
♦ They cannot regenerate wounded limbs but can handle blood loss better than any other race.
♦ Mental debuffs do not affect them (blindness, dizziness, confusion, etc.).
♦ They are naturally valorous. The emotion of fear seldom affects a Nephilim.​

Negatives.

♢ Outside of Aeslengard, they are often slaughtered upon recognition or tortured for their history. They are denied service wherever they go.
♢ Divine residuals in their blood attract Vile Beasts like no other. One droplet lures them from 500 meters away.
♢ Similar lifespan as the average human and just as physically fragile.
♢ For some odd reasons, Blightfathers will always attack a Nephilim first before anyone else in the vicinity.​

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Azelthyrian

Thousands of years ago, when humanity was under the rule of the god Tythos, a group of people formed a secret society opposing his rule, and declared themselves exiled and found solace in the endless dungeons of the abyss, where they lived their lives hunting the wandering critters in the darkness. Through hardship and countless challenges, these humans found the fourth floor of the Abyssal Dungeon, where life prospered and nature imitated the surface, and built their home in the buried enclave, away from the eyes of their enraged god.

For millennia to come, humans bred and built their culture within these caves, and kept a strong bloodline of Chaos Root users. With peace and clarity, they learned to live with the Vile Beasts that occasionally raided their homes, coming straight from the gates of Sitra Achra on the eighth floor. Thus, through thousands of years of learning their only enemy, the Azelthyrians were born, their bodily features resembling that of the demonic beasts that they managed to tame.

Azelthyrians are humans by nature and blood but are demons in their crafty arts and wisdom. Unlike the humans on the surface, they were at peace with their minds and remained virtuous, only ever leaving their homes when they craved adventure, only to be severely disappointed that the world outside was unforgiving and filled with unfair prejudice.

The age of peace among the Azelthyrians ended when a member was tracked by an Aeslengardian guard, spelling the end of their prosperity when the lawless humans invaded and enslaved those who were captured during the Second Divine Conflict.

[Note: Nephilims were not born during the Second Divine Conflict. The residents of Aeslengard were normal humans.]

Those who avoided capture sided with the Aerouants and later built the City of Avalon, which would lay out the groundwork for the birth of Exultius after it was utterly destroyed at the hands of the Nephilims in the Third Divine Conflict.

Positives.

♦ Azelthyrians are excellent Chaos Root users. Their bodies are far more capable of handling their potential compared to that of the other races.
♦ They have natural poison and venom immunity.
♦ Vile Beasts do not target them unless they show hostility. This benefit does not apply to Greater and Lesser Vile Beasts.
♦ Azelthyrians are valued and beloved by most for their renowned hospitality.
♦ Their skin is tough, and cannot be pierced through easily. Their horns are as tough as steel.
♦ They live an average lifespan of 500 years.​

Negatives.

♢ Any object or liquid imbued with holy is considered lethal to an Azelthyrian. A touch of holy water will burn through their skin and leave a scar that cannot be reversed.
♢ Naturally, because of their weakness against the divine and the holy, they cannot wield Astral Armaments without losing their hands. A single slash will result in excruciating pain.
♢ Elixir crafted with anything holy will instantly paralyze an Azelthyrian for a set period of time, depending on the volume of holy water used. It is technically the only type of poison that works against them.
♢ The raw blood of a Nephilim can and will cause significant harm to them on impact.​

End

Bestiard

Bestiards are a remarkable race of humanoid beast folk that live almost exclusively in Exultius and the minor countries in the Eastlands. While their origin is unclear as there are several types of Bestiards, the general agreement of their background is that they derived from Azelthyrians thousands of years ago, when opposing parties of the democratic sphere split from their tribe to live elsewhere within the Abyssal Dungeon.

As stated above, the absolute ancestry of Bestiards as a whole remains to be a mystery with no real progress. From the constant wars to the Nephilims destroying Bestiard monuments during the Third Divine Conflict, most of their sacred texts and technology were lost in flames, never again seen after the wars had ended.

Their history of receiving oppression aside, Bestiards, before their migration into the world stage through Exultius during the Fourth Divine Conflict, were a race of beings who cared for themselves more than others and were often shunned by foreigners to live in secluded areas. Bestiards are hermits by nature, preferring to live alone or in small groups. They are excellent survivalists in the wild and support their comrades through their keen intellect.

Of the many races of Paymonia, Bestiards have no enemies besides the Nephilims of the old times. However, as times changed, the elders of the Bestiard tribes agreed upon forgiveness. Not to say that there aren’t those who disagree with their decision. Especially when the Nephilims never apologized for their actions, and some continue to hunt their kind for sport to this day.

Halfling Bestiards between a human, depending on the animalistic traits of their parents, can look like humans with anthropomorphic traits such as fur ears and tails. They receive no genetic downside from being a halfling.

Positives.

♦ Bestiards are natural predators with unrivaled senses. They are capable of tracking their prey for hours without rest.
♦ Naturally, their stamina levels far exceed that of the other races, including the Aerouants.
♦ Dragons will ignore Bestiards upon interaction. They will only attack them when proven to be hostile.​

Positives (Exultius Natives).

♦ Bestiards make excellent warriors. They are capable of wielding greatswords with relative ease and often receive training to make them into the ideal super soldier.​

Positives (Other Natives).

♦ The majority of elixirs and herbal medicines sold in stores are made by Bestiards. They are amazing brewers of potions and have outstanding knowledge when it comes to antidotes and medicine.​

Negatives.

♢ Bestiards have a natural scent similar to wild animals. Unfortunately, this specific trait attracts Vile Beasts like no other. They will always be one of the first to be attacked by wild Vile Beasts.
♢ It is said that the Shamans of Evil (Tier 7) came from the dying will of the elders during the Third Great War. While it is nothing but a rumor that instills superstition, Shamans of Evil are sadistic by nature, but more so against Bestiards. Instead of trying to kill them, Shamans of Evil will torture the Bestiards by mentally breaking them.​

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Aerouant

Since ancient times during the rule of Tythos, behemoth reptiles fiercely ruled over the northern mountains through violence and territorial instinct, creating problems for many in that region. Due to their sheer threat and fear that they would one day challenge the gods, one of the first several decrees laid down by Tythos was for the hunting of wyverns and dragons to be practiced by the humans, with high rewards for those who catch the largest of the beasts.

And so, the hunting began, people uniting with one another to create parties, beginning the early ages of exploration and adventurism that spread throughout Paymonia like wildfire later on in the era. With weapons and tactics utilized by the people, the brave adventurers died in the hundreds, while bodies of dragons fell in the dozens, and were used as an offering to Tythos, and in return, they were rewarded with wealth and territory.

When hundreds of dragons lost their life from hunting, an Arterion God observed the action from above, displeased by the humans for the mistreatment of their prey. Such magnificent creatures, she believed the dragons were, and saved them from their doom. Bestowing mercy upon them, Vanhela, the Arterion God of the Beginning, snuck the creatures into Heaven and had them nurtured and tamed, and kept them as her lovable pets for hundreds of years to come.

But one stood out among the several that were saved by Vanhela. Their name forgotten by time, a dragon begged for a chance to explore the world beneath, and with the restriction of limited time, the merciful Arterion God allowed for their absence from the empyreal throne.

With the ability to change its shape and form for the sake of their safety, the dragon, who would later be known as Aerouant the Sage, explored the world below not only through Paymonia but also ventured into the wild of the other continents, bringing with him a group of followers that would later pass down their teachings.

The descendants of Aerouant and his followers, both dragons, and humans would later be known as Aerouants, and spread around the world, offering their teachings to many who wished for peace in the mind.

However, the darkness of the world spawned malice and tragedies beyond belief. Not only did they suffer at the hands of the natural enemy, the Nephilims, but they were betrayed by the gods they served and even the Godslayer who initially fought for their freedom, their race would go near extinct, but still survived thanks to the cruelty of fate.

After the destruction of the City of Avalon, the Aerouants seek refuge and hope, doing their best to keep themselves disciplined and amiable.

Positives.

♦ Aerouants do not require sleep if their stamina is stable. They slumber only when they are fatigued from combat or other physical activities.
♦ They can transform between their dragon form and human form. When they are in their dragon state, they gain extreme durability and flight, while they are in human form, they have increased firepower. They can transform infinitely without physical consequences. Aerouants cannot use their Chaos Root when they are in their dragon form.
♦ Aerouants have visible scales on some parts of their bodies that protect them from danger. While their skin is only slightly more durable than that of humans, their scales are as tough as bones.​

Negatives.

♢ Transforming into a dragon will reset the Chaos Root marks.
♢ Healing magic and elixirs do not have strong effects on wounds. Once they take damage, it is difficult to repair the cells using traditional means.
♢ An Aerouant’s greatest weak point is its horns. If one of them were to be broken, they will experience severe mental pain and that part of their face will feel numb. This will also result in dysfunctional transformations. Horns cannot be healed, but treated.​

End

Draculus

Draculi (plural of Draculus), formerly known as Nightwalkers by the residents of Paymonia, is a species of cursed vampiric humanoids with the lowest population in the world. They are incapable of reproduction through traditional means and have low pain receptors because of their unique nerve system which can be considered positive and negative.

To speak of the origin of Draculi, one must first understand where Nightwalkers came from to deserve such a title. During the Second Great War when Tythos returned from Sitra Achra to wreak havoc on the world in the name of vengeance, a plague struck the lands that affected mortals and gods alike, killing the majority of people who caught its disease. Of the many that perished, some survived, but with the cost that their bodies would steadily change over time, turning them into a race of mutated people.

At this time, the term “Nightwalker” was coined by the villagers who witnessed them lurking in the forests. With a grotesque physique and their craving for human meat, many were captured and executed on the spot, for the villagers feared that they would have used tricks to convince them of their innocence.

However, the history of the Nightwalkers would change when a particular Nightwalker was captured by the knights of a noble, who demanded them to be burnt at the stake for the public to enjoy, after hundreds of years of harassment they had received from their race. And so, the Nightwalker, who would later be known as Lilith, would be chained on a stake and burned alive in front of the cheering crowd, listening to the horrifying screech of the monster echoing throughout the noble’s domain.

Unbeknownst to the people, however, the fire lasted longer than it should have, as it seemed to have a slower effect on the Nightwalker than they had hoped. The screams of the Nightwalker gradually became quiet as the flames engulfed them, later revealing a humanoid figure once the flames perished, leaving a beautiful young girl with features unseen throughout the human race.

The noble in charge of the execution, bewitched by her beauty and exotic facial features and hair that seemed alluring to no end, would denounce the execution via fire and sentenced her to death through the guillotine, which would later be proven as a false statement when in reality, the noble married the confused girl whose memories of her past remained forgotten.

She was given the name ‘Lilith Draculus’ as she lived her new life with wealth and power, until the downfall of the Draculus name when she witnessed a Nightwalker raid the wagon in which she and her husband were in, killing everyone except for her, leaving her to cry for help as she watched the Nightwalker feast on the corpse of her beloved.

However, when the Nightwalker noticed that she was attempting to escape, a voice escaped its bloody lips, capable of language that no human, except for Lilith, who was formerly a Nightwalker, could ever understand. When it spoke, she understood its speech and remained stunned on the ground. They conversed for longer than they should have until the cavalry arrived, rescuing the noble lady, but not before they struck a holy spear into the chest of the Nightwalker, the monster crying for help as they died in agony.

What came after was the discovery of Nightwalker tribes in the Southlands, hiding in the forest away from civilization, feasting on adventurers and unguarded merchants. With the assistance of the Ukrethian Empire, the people armed themselves and traveled to the Southlands for revenge, only to be stopped by their beloved noble lady, Lilith.

Lilith, in a fit of rage and disgust, gathered the Nightwalkers and ambushed the civilians when they were unprepared, and slaughtered the rest of the population by raiding the villages.

With the townsfolk slaughtered and no one to take the lands, Lilith found and gathered the rest of the Nightwalkers and subjected them to the same treatment she received to become humanoid, burning them at the stake to remove their exterior, spawning in a new race of Draculus.

They lived in harmony and law, receiving threats from Ukrethia for their slaughter of the townsfolk prior. But as the Third Divine Conflict arose and the empire was occupied with the war efforts, the Draculus race prospered and amassed wealth beyond what they initially intended, and created many weapons that would be sold to Aeslengard, sparing them of their wrath in exchange for their advanced steel swords.

The ageless vampiric beings, who started from a single village, would later become a community of villages spread across the Southlands, only to later be betrayed by their only allies, the Nephilims, during the end of the Third Divine Conflict after their methods of blacksmithing were stolen and mimicked.

Lilith and her people were enslaved until they were massacred in the thousands during the Godslayer’s rise, in fear that their intellect would be used against them.

It is unknown whether or not Lilith has survived, but those who did after the killing scattered throughout the world, with now only a few hundred living in the wild.

Positives.

♦ Their low pain receptors allow them to tank most damages without suffering much consequences. Because their organs are not vital for their survival, the only physical weakness of a Draculus is their brain.
♦ Fortified by the unique attributes in their blood, their bones are as tough as iron. This makes killing them extremely difficult.
♦ Strangely enough, the element of fire does not deal any harm to their bodies. Instead, it heals their wounds. It is theorized that because the virus during the plague was a mutation of the Vile Beast’s, and because Vile Beasts cannot be killed by flames and instead heals their wounds, the same was applied to the Draculus race, who are technically made of survivors of the plague.
♦ All Draculus are unparalleled beauties, both male and female. They possess an alluring charm that no other race has.
♦ They are immune to holy and demonic powers.​

Negatives.

♢ Obsidian is their greatest enemy. While it cannot cut through their bones, any obsidian weapon that makes contact with the blood of a Draculus will deal significant damage.
♢ Along with low pain receptors, Draculus cannot feel the effects of venom. This means that any venomous bites going unnoticed will have huge consequences.
♢ The Nightwalkers consumed flesh for their survival, but Draculus does not have to rely on such acts of brutality. Blood is usually enough to calm their hunger. However, because Draculi are not protected by any countries around the world, they must find their own way to provide themselves with blood.​

End