Fantasy Heroes of Prophecy | Lore

[Ploegy]

REGIONS

obrua: considered the capital region of zetha and as such, the most wealthy. it has the most cities and towns. despite the wealth many areas in this region give off, there are plenty of slums that show a much darker side to the area. the best areas to train are the open fields between towns. most are full of easy to deal with monsters, even with everything that is going on. overall this region is the least effected thus far by the attacks. it is found in the center of zetha. its guardian is a dragon, though its location is unknown at the moment. obrua has been the capital region of zetha for nearly 4 centuries and is found in the center of the region.

royal family: galahad

cities / villges:
doncaster - obrua's capital city. a large, walled in city containing the royal family's castle and several smaller residential areas, where most of the wealthy reside. near the walls are where the less fortunate live. the city is has wonderful water system, powered by two large waterwheels that are next to the castle.
accreton - a small village near obrua's border with gensain. it is mostly farmlands and is far less fancy than the capital city itself, but it directly provides to it.
willowdale - another small village. this one is found on obrua's eastern border and unlike accreton is more residential and far more independent from the capital. the people of this area learned heavily from their eblarian neighbors.
pirn - the only other large city found in obrua. it is found on the southern end and people that live here are generally of higher class. due to the close proximity to wheyr shor, the people here live a rather luxurious lifestyle, often taking vacations to the tropical land below them.

brief history: obrua was the first region to exist in zetha and has almost always been a prominent leading force in its development. many of the land's most notable leaders have come from here. divine heroes of the past have always been highly respected in this area and always closely linked with the royal family. this has often lead the other regions to view obrua in a poor light, especially since the royal family / king often puts themselves first and does not help the other rulers out in times of need.

tothana: the northern most region of zetha and perhaps the most dangerous as well. this land is harsh and full of mountain ranges that can be very unforgiving to those that are unprepared. a cold region because of its nature, but its people are strong and adept fighters given the conditions they have been forced to deal with. strong monsters are frequent in this region and are quite difficult to deal with if a party is unprepared. its guardian is a large wolf that is said to roam the mountain peaks.

ruling family: nerenne

towns:
lerwick - one of tothana's only established towns. found in the eastern part of the mountains, this is the bigger of the two towns and is the home of the regions current ruling family. it is a rather small town tucked away in the biggest valley in the mountain range. a strange church is found here and its followers worship the guardians
runswick - the other town found in this region. found in the west, this town is much smaller than lerwick and is cramped into a small valley. locals often have to worry about the harsh weather that occurs around them, especially avalanches.

brief history: always a region that has struggled thanks to its climate. formerly a land of no people, those who had grown tired of how obrua was run decided to move to this area, and eventually grow it into its own region. there are many oddballs here, especially in remote areas outside the main towns. awhile back, a church was formed in this region and became a place to worship the guardians of the land. this people are now highly suspected to be tied to the change in the guardians.

eblar: one of the smaller regions of zetha and sharing the eastern coast with yafria, this region has very dense forests. at times landslides occur due to its location near the mountains from tothana. many people of this area act more primal than those from the capital and rely heavily on their senses than anything else. they are hunters at heart and heavily respect the land around them. its guardian is a manticore, which is said to roam the depths of the forests, but no one has seen it yet.

ruling family: tellall

towns:
orilon - eblar's only major town. houses here are built to fit among the forest underbrush. this town could easily be overlooked if one wasn't paying attention. despite this, it does span quite far and many notable beings from this region come from this town. it was built in this manner in order to keep from scaring prey away.

brief history: eblar hasn't changed much over the years and has always been a primitive civilization. it has always kept mostly to itself, only some times interacting with the settlements along the borders. this region is as old as obrua, though for the most part it has kept itself out of the affairs of the other regions. of all of the regions, eblar finds itself the most peace, only have minor internal conflict from time to time.

yafria: the southern of the two regions on the eastern coast, this region is similar to both eblar and wheyr shor with its northern half being forested and its southern being more tropical. its climate is rather messy, but it welcomes people are all kinds and often is considered the most accepting of all the regions zetha has to offer. many merchants have found their home here. its guardian is a large tortoise that slumbers in the nearby sea, waiting for its time to attack.

ruling family: bromeur

cities / towns:
veritas - found in central yafria, this town is a mesh of races and is a total melting pot. as such, that shows in how it functions and looks as well. there are mixture of styles found here and is easily one of the most accepting towns in all of zetha.
solaris - yafria's main city found along its south western shore. it houses the ruling family and has a very tropical vibe to it, much like its neighboring land of wheyr shor. people here enjoy seaside life.
berkton - a small town found in the northern part of yafria. the people here act much like their neighbors to the north and are more survivalist than the others of this region.

brief history: influenced heavily by its surrounding regions, yafria has always been a melting pot of races and cultures. originally this caused the area to go through much conflict and hardship, but eventually when tensions settled, the people were able to flourish separate from both its neighboring regions. given how vastly different parts of this region are, it has always been rather fragile. the moment conflict arises here, problems will grow.

gesnain: a hilly region found on the western side of zetha. this region's guardian was the first to attack and has left the people of this area hurting. monsters of all kinds are plentiful here and it is a dangerous place to currently be in given the guardians rampage. it was previously known for its beautiful landscape, but it has long been ruined. its guardian is a griffin and has already made its presence felt. during the day it roams the skies, looking for a place to attack while at night it takes shelter hidden among the hills. it is extremely aggressive and will attack on sight.

ruling family: davenwell

towns:
dalmerlington - the most notable town that is still left standing. found near the border of obrua, this hillside town prided itself on its relaxing lifestyle and beautiful scenery, both things it no longer has. it currently serves as a safehaven for many of the people of gesnain who have found themselves without anywhere else to go. acts haven't reached it yet, and the armies of both the gesnain and obrua region are on guard.
caerdydd - the former capital of gesnain, now in ruins. the attacks in the area began here and monsters roam the area freely. sometimes the griffin takes shelter in this area.

brief history: once part of obrua, gesnain has long since declared itself free from the capital region, however the two are still tightly connected, or they at least were prior to the guardian attacks. in times of need the two would help one another out, though ever since the current king of obrua has taken the throne it has been to a lesser extent. gesnain has always prided itself on its beautiful landscape and it's ability to adapt to the land. people have learned not only how to live on the hills but within them as well. unfortunately, gesnain has now been brought mostly to ruin and has received little aid from the other regions (aside from the aid from the prince's own personal army).

wheyr shor: a tropical region along zetha's southern shore. it is a popular location to travel to in order to relax and cut loose. tourism is this area's primary source of income and it boasts itself on such. along with its beautiful beaches, this region is full of tropical forests that make ideal training spots for beginners, though the deeper one goes into these forest the more dangerous the enemies become. its guardian is a sea serpent, which much like yafria's tortoise, slumbers in the sea for now.

ruling family: pemoux

cities / towns:
doveport - a large port city found at the southern most tip of wheyr shor. it is a resort area and brings in people from all across zetha. the face of relaxation and beachside living, this is a popular location for many. the beach is often lined with people trying to relax and many people use its docks to fish. the seafood here is the best in the region. the ruling family is found here in this city.
naporia - a small town famed for its wonderful hotsprings. found in the eastern part of the region, much like the other towns of wheyr shor, it is vastly popular despite its small size.
arkala - another small town found in wheyr shor, on its western border of gesnain. this is a small town is the largest non-tourism settlement in the region. it is currently being pressued by the happening in the region above it.

brief history: wheyr shor is the youngest region of zetha and specifically rose up as a land of relaxation and escape. a land with very little troubles, most around here are laidback and carefree. somehow they are able to defend themselves and keep themselves from being overrun, though the other regions often don't even bother to try and fight it. for the longest time they have thrived on tourism which has made it the wealthiest region behind obrua.

 

[Ploegy]

DIVINE HEROS & WEAPONS

the divine heroes have existed ever since zetha first came to be, but for the early years of the land, the people were unsure how to summon them. they would learn from the guardians a ritual which was performed at the region's castle in front of a special crystal (which each castle has). upon performing this ritual the first divine heroes would be summoned and would be help defend the land from invading forces. ever since the first heroes, regions have occasionally called upon heroes to aid them, though it has been since this first time that all the heroes have been summoned together. generally only one or two have been summoned at the same time.

most previous divine heroes returned home to their native lands after accomplishing what had been tasked from them, however there are records of a few heroes giving up their divine status upon completing their duties and staying in zetha. heroes can only return home once their mission has been completed. it has also been documented that some heroes have fallen in battle, which resulted in a new hero being unable to be summoned for at least ten years in that specific region. there have also been heroes who have turned against the people of zetha and caused more harm than good. these heroes were dealt with by the guardians at the time and eventually stripped of their powers. heroes that were summoned around similar times, they often didn't interact much.

the heroes are always pulled at random from various different worlds, which explains their variety of races, cultures and backgrounds. the mages of zetha still have been unable to figure out how to control who exactly is summoned. this is still a work in progress for them.

divine heroes also have the issue of needing party members since it is hard for them to work together for extended periods of times. the weapons often cause the heroes to experience extreme pain when they are exposed to one another for more than 8 hours. this forces the heroes to act independently of one another aside from short battles. it also explains why heroes were typically summoned to regions independently.

divine weapons are unique to each region, and upon being summoned, are how one knows they are tied to said region. the variant of the weapon can vary from one hero to the next of the same region, but the weapon type itself does not change. these are the only weapons which the hero can wield. if a hero tries to use another weapon their hand will faze right through it. this is said to be a magical ability tied to each of the weapons and assures that the hero uses said weapon. a general rule of thumb for this, the weapons typically regard normal weaponry as a big no, so swords, lances, bows, ect., and most items outside of this would be fine. each region has the following weapon:
obrua - staff
tothana - polearm
eblar - wand/rod
yafria - chalice
gesnain - war fans
wheyr shor - energy blade

 

[Ploegy]

GUARDIANS

gesnain's griffin: the first guardian to go berserk. long ago this griffin was partnered with gesnain's first divine hero and helped them to fend of zetha's invaders. it was a kind companion, offering many perks other guardians could not, such as being a mount to ride into battle, as well as aerial mobility. it stayed shortly after the heroes departure to overlook rebuilding of the land before disappearing to sleep until present day. its guardianship has never been needed and most had long forgotten its existence because of this. why it and the other guardians have begun going berserk is unknown. the monsters that it summons are often bird or feline like creatures, covering both ground and sky.

obrua's dragon: seen as the first guardian, obrua's dragon helped the people of zetha greatly in the past by bestowing knowledge of the divine heroes and weapon upon them. despite its appearance, it was a kind soul, giving much to its people and being close to obrua's royal family for many years. much like the other guardians, it helped along side the first heroes. the dragon stuck around for awhile after the first heroes, only occasionally going to slumber for short periods. it fought alongside several heroes of its region and brought great honor to the royals that it graced with its presence. however, for the last 200 years, it has been in a long slumber, one which nobody knows where. it is suspected to be resting beneath obrua's castle.

tothana's wolf: a spiritual-like wolf guards the region of tothana. it has always been a whimsical creature, often roaming the mountain tops. a creature of vast knowledge, but also great magical strength. while it helped the first heroes, it was a skittish beast that vanished quickly afterwards, finding its time with the beings of the land to be tiresome. it rather travel around than fight, and rather hunt for knowledge than hunt foes. ever since the departure of the first heroes, this guardian has never gone into a slumber and is the one sighted most often, albeit only brief glimpses.

eblar's manticore: a beast of sheer power, much like its people. a guardian that loves to challenge the people of eblar, hoping to make them stronger. it is said that it personally trained the region's first hero and bravely fought by their side. it was close with said hero and highly respected them. this tradition between it and eblar's heroes would continue, though eventually, it was forced into hiding because it often scared game away and made hunting hard for the people of its land. seeing it could no longer easily live among them or enjoy its time with them, it hide in the depths of the forest, supposedly sealed away for the time being.

yafria's tortoise: a calm guardian that once allowed its people to build settlements upon its back so it could reside among them. this tortoise was much like obrua's dragon, teaching its people and helping them grow and thrive. it showed great acceptance of all kinds, and helped the region become the melting pot it is today. while it fought alongside the original heroes, it has always had little interest in them and has always been more focused on the people from its region rather than outsiders. when dispute broke out in its region, the tortoise gave up on its people and took to the sea to fall into a deep slumber for many centuries.

wheyr shor's sea serpent: a great golden beast of the seas that hardly interacted with its people, and has always been seen as more of a monster than a guardian. even in the times of the original divine heroes, this guardian offered little aid, given there wasn't much combat at sea. often shunned as the weakest of the guardian due to its limitations, it has grown bitter and is the most distrusting of the beings of zetha. seeing it was hardly needed to maintain its region's safety, the sea serpent has hidden itself away deep in the sea, eventually finding itself in a long term slumber. it is suspected that it might be the next to attack given its nature.

 

[Ploegy]

CHURCH OF THE GUARDIANS

this church was founded in the tothana region several centuries ago, and has since grown to be a widely accepted religion among the people of zetha. this church preaches praising the guardians of each regions, and acts as if they are gods sent to protect this world. offerings were made to the guardians, even if the people were given nothing in return. while this church was harmless at first, over the years it has grown to be something a bit more suspect, especially as it fell out of favor. while nobody can be certain, it is believed this church is the reason behind the attacks. having powerful mages in their service, most believe that some form of dark, forbidden magic was used to wake the slumbering gesnain guardian and caused it to devastate its land. this could be some kind of revenge upon the people for no longer believing in the guardians, or something entirely different. if they are the ones behind it all, their motives are unknown, which is what makes them even more dangerous.