Enkerzed
Dusty Wanderer
Characters || Main || OOC
Endless oceans.
Limitless skies.
A colossal world.
But there is something more...
Further beyond
Terrifying beasts.
Untold calamities.
A great unknown.
And protecting us all,
Each and everyday...
The Paragons
We are the watchers beyond the wall.
This is actually a reboot of an old idea that never got off the ground, but I want to make it happen now and it WILL happen gosh dangit. Compared to how it was originally, things are going to be a lot more simplified this time around, so anyone who's seen the first idea, expect there to be a few changes. Anyways, the gist of the roleplay is that there's a big ol' world out there full of giant beasties and such, and we (as in the civilized races) only occupy a mere portion of it. This 'mere portion' is roughly the size of Europe and Africa put together, but in the colossal scale of the world, it's about the equivalent of a peninsula and this 'peninsula' is separated from the rest of the world by a giant wall that keeps all the big beasties out. Problem is, they get in sometimes so that's where the Paragons come in.
Paragons are basically the people manning the wall and any one of them could be considered a demigod for the feats they're expected to pull off. Whether it's slaying dragons, swarms of giant insects, actual giants or things that simply cannot be described, they can do it and they must, because if even a single threat makes it passed the wall, it could wreak untold amounts of damage before it can be stopped. To combat such threats, Paragons make use of the two types of magic in this world: mana and ki.
The Mana arts revolve around mastering the four elements of wind, earth, water and fire, which only certain people who are born with the ability can control. Fire mages are pyromancers, wind mages are aeromancers, water hydromancers and earth geomancers. Mana energy exists everywhere in the world and the use of it is only limited by the availability of mana and the user's own stamina. Additionally, wherever there is mana in plentiful supply, a mage may live indefinitely so long as they are not deprived of it for too long. Otherwise, they will age as normal since the effects of mana deprivation tend be cumulative and irreversible.
Ki on the other hand is magic that exists from within a person's body, which anyone can use but only with extremely intense training for even the most minor of benefits. Ki involves mastery of the user's own body so qualities such as strength, speed, agility, resilience, sharpness of senses and even lifespan may all be enhanced to many times their initial state. Ki users are of 2 general types determined by the time of day when they were born, known as their Ki sign: Sungards who are stronger during the daytime and generally much stronger overall, but will not be able to use their abilities to their fullest extent at night; and visa versa for the Nightkin who are more energetic and have greater senses during the night, but considerably less so during the day. There is a 3rd type known as the Twilit, born either during sunset or dusk, whose Ki powers peak at those times, but are average at any other hour.
Another limitation is that mana and Ki cannot be used together due to their conflicting natures, so anytime a mage is using mana, they would not be able to use whatever Ki abilities they may have at the same time. It is for this reason that many mages forego developing their Ki in favour of focusing on mastery of the mana arts, though it would be possible for them to be proficient in both.
Now for the Paragons themselves, they have a rank system that generally goes like so (in order from lowest to highest): Apprentice > Paragon > Veteran > Keeper. As for how they organize themselves, they usually rotate between two different duties, sentinels and rangers. Sentinels stand guard on the wall and if any monster manages to reach or breach it, they would be the closest ones available to combat it. They also form patrols along the wall itself and spend their time training if they're not patrolling. Rangers on the other hand will venture beyond the wall to scout for threats and track or eliminate them if they wander too close. They will also generally keep an eye out for interesting objects (rare materials, plants, anything with unusual properties).
All Paragons start out as sentinels in their years as an apprentice, but their first experience beyond the wall is often what decides whether they are worthy of assuming the mantle of Paragon or not. If not, they are given the option of returning home (if they survive their training that is) or serving in another capacity on the wall. If an apprentice does become recognized as a fellow Paragon however, they are allowed to form their own missions and teams, and are trusted to follow their own initiative, but they will still listen to the advice of their more experienced peers, the veterans; those who have served a full century of service and are allowed to retire at anytime they wish. It is among the veterans that the Keepers are chosen to guide and lead their respective cohort of Paragons, though they may not necessarily be the eldest or the strongest. They are simply those who have been chosen by their fellows as the best suited for their role. There are always two, one a Sungard and the other a Nightkin, and there must always be one at their respective tower (more on that below).
Okay, world info. The name of the world is Ith, the name of the 'peninsula' is Tirn and its divvied up into four major nations: Yolta to the east (home of the Orcs), Nors to the west (home to humans, dwarves and halflings), Mana to the north (home of the elves) and Vaim to the south (land of the beastfolk). The wall is to the north-east, covering parts of both Yolta and Mana, and there are exactly thirty towers along it, each with about 100 Paragons at any given time and many others in supporting roles. Each tower is essentially a large self-sufficient citadel and is able to support a population of thousands, most of them families or descendants of apprentices who weren't able to become Paragons. Still, they have many responsibilities themselves and usually help Paragons by forging and enchanting their weapons and armour, keeping them well fed and well supplied, tending to their injuries, tending to their steed of choice (horse, direwolf, drake, griffin, etc.), mixing potions, keeping records, assisting with maintaining the tower and wall, and a multitude of other tasks.
So I mentioned enchanting, there's a bit to know about that. Enchanting is basically infusing materials with elemental magic and they can be as simple as a stone that can glow with fire when activated or something as sophisticated as a wind portal, which Paragons use to travel to any point in the world. Mages are able to use magic of different elements through enchanted items and non-mages are able to do the same through the use of Ki. Although mana and Ki cannot be used together, it is also because of this very contradiction that enchanted items can be used, since they are technically active all the time. Activating them with Ki essentially causes an interruption in their magical circuitry, which causes whatever effect they are designed to produce. Every enchanted item requires a power source and this can be the amount of mana they were infused with at the start, or they can be linked to an exterior source of mana (eg. the wall itself is heavily enchanted and its so immense, it taps into the power of the planet's core and acts as a source of mana as well). When the mana of an enchanted item is depleted, it can be recharged by a mage or regain mana over time the same way mages do.
Each tower along the wall has a wind portal, which is probably the most important and complex device within the tower. Because of this, only a designated aeromancer known as the 'Gatekeeper' is allowed to control and maintain the portal. The portal itself would look something like this:
And it's used in combination with the scrying pool, which is where the Keeper and a group of specialists known as 'Guides' - who essentially act as mission control for the Paragons (and some Guides may be Paragons themselves) - constantly monitor the wall, the land of Tirn and the world beyond (up to a certain distance). It is from here that the Guides observe, communicate with and requisition supplies for the Paragons should they need it, as well as providing tactical support (think any rts game) and co-ordinates for the Gatekeeper to use. The scrying pool's range covers all of Tirn and that same amount of area for the world beyond the wall in all directions. The area beyond this range is known as dark space, which cannot be seen from the scrying pool and thus marks the limits of how far a Paragon is allowed to venture. The scrying pool would look something like this:
Linked to both the wind portal and the scrying pool is the Paragon's Crest, which every Paragon will have. The Crest acts as a sort of gps for Paragons, as well as a communication device with Guides and can be used to fire a flare or return their wearers to their respective tower on the wall. Every Crest is magically personalized for each individual Paragon, so Guides will know who they're monitoring or communicating with when they track them on the scrying pool, each Paragon being represented by a dot of light. The Crest is comprised of multiple enchanted gems, one for each function, and is perhaps the most important piece of equipment for a Paragon, so losing this is a big no-no. All Crests will look something like this (what she's wearing around her neck, although Crests don't necessarily have to be worn that way):
So now we come to races. As mentioned before, there are elves, orcs, humans, dwarves, halflings and beastfolk, but each term covers a whole spectrum of different kinds of people and to complicate matters further, interbreeding is possible (but have a lower chance of success than between those of the same race). For the elves, there are high elves:
Dark elves:
Drows:
And snow elves:
All elves are inherently mana users, so any elf can be a mage if they choose to be. This also means that any elf will live indefinitely so long as they never suffer from mana deprivation. However, this goes not apply to half elves of mixed racial ancestry and it's because of this that such people are greatly discriminated against in elven society. Relationships between other elves of different types however is generally not an issue, but still open to discrimination. Due to their sheer longevity, elven culture in general is more complex and stratified than any other race in the world (though humans come a close second), with hierarchies upon hierarchies and political rivalries lasting for centuries. There are some differences and variations between different elven societies (and even different generations of the same type of elf), but universally important to almost all elves is their bloodline. Many drow families have sons and daughters who may live alongside their great grandparents and their great grandparents, all with roughly the same aged appearance but some being higher or lower on the pecking order in fixed positions for life, with the oldest patriarch or matriarch being at the top. Needless to say, the elven family is by default a political entity and power struggles are a constant occurrence. Those who can marry into or trace their ancestry to the more powerful families will enjoy the benefits of such, but in the rare event that a family's eldest progenitor should die for whatever reason, the whole family tree will splinter into all their many separate branches, with many vying for supremacy or secession and whatever other different fate may befall them. This however may not be such an issue in more meritocratic or cosmopolitan elven societies, but then again some would argue that such societies would not be elven at all if they weren't fraught with familial politics.
For the orcs, there are two basic types:
Yoltan (brown skinned):
And Norsian:
Orcs have an average lifespan of at least 300 years and among all the races on Tirn, they have the most naturally powerful bodies, making them the most predisposed to developing their ki, the cultivation of which is a central aspect to all cultures in Yolta, but not so much in Nors. In the time of the ancients, the first orc ki masters and shamans taught their people to focus their energies on mastery of the self, to be in tune with their surroundings, live off the land as ascetic nomads and favour doing things the right way rather than the easy way. This was known simply as 'the Path' and required great discipline to adhere to, but those who did inevitably became great ki masters and leaders among their people. However, this created a dichotomy. Those who could not nor desired to live such a rigorous lifestyle adopted a different philosophy, which was not unlike that of the Norsians at the time but also completely counter to Yoltan values as established by the ancients.
Although they too lived as nomads, they sought to master the environment rather live in harmony with it, and rather than holding self-discipline, patience and wisdom as the highest virtues, they would celebrate ambition, cunning and above all else, strength. They also sought to do great deeds, gain immortality through fame and live with honour, which essentially meant loyalty to one's family and people above all others. Over time, the orcs following this way of thought eventually spread westwards to Nors, seeking to take as much of the land as possible for themselves, either to test themselves, gain fame and fortune, power and resources, or for the sheer thrill of adventure. Their skins paling in the colder and often sunless climate, these orcs came to be known as the 'Green Horde' or simply the 'Horde' by those they clashed with and despite the similarity of their values with the people of Nors, theirs would for many thousands of years remain a hostile relationship.
Today, most Norsian orcs are descended from these adventuring conquerors and although they are not half as aggressive as their forebears, they are still a notably vigorous people who have only relatively recently been accepted as part of Norsian society within the last age. There are some who still live as nomads and others who have fully embraced Norsian culture and values, ever changing as they are, but the concept of the Path, which remains an important aspect of life in Yolta, is now foreign to them.
And now for the beastfolk of Vaim, these are but a few of the myriad examples...
Leos:
Avian:
Ursine:
The beastfolk of Vaim are so diverse that they cannot be considered a race at all, but more like an entire animal kingdom unto themselves. Each individual tribe or kingdom will have a different way of life with differing values and philosophies. Not even an average lifespan of the beastfolk can be given as they are so greatly varied. The only thing that they all have in common is their shared origins. Descended from tribes of human shapeshifters, many of the beastfolk continue their ancient traditions of identifying themselves with the forms of the animals they take, which they now have more in common with than actual humans. That is not to say however that they literally live like the animals, although some may prefer to do so. Either way, all beastfolk would wish to be recognized as people and anything less is considered a grave insult.
In Vaim, it is often considered rude to refer to one of the beastfolk as 'beastfolk', due to the expectation that if one is living in Vaim, one would also be familiar with the many various names and terms used to refer to specific types of beastfolk, such as 'Wulven' for wolves, 'Leos' for lions, 'Avian' for birds, etc. Even then however, one would also have to take into account the specific name of the tribe or clan that an individual belongs to, as there are many different groups of Wulven, Leos, etc. and confusing them may cause great offence. Outside of Vaim however, beastfolk is simply an inoffensive generic term, though still one with no small amount of stigma attached as the beastfolk have been enslaved by humans, elves and orcs at various stages throughout history. Even now, there are many who would consider the beastfolk to be an inferior people, only a step above the animals they emulate, but such attitudes are no prevalent as they used to be.
And now, the humans, dwarves and halflings of Nors...
Humans:
Having a maximum lifespan of a hundred years and an average of only 60 - 70, humans are considered to be shortest lived race and are in fact known as the 'quick-blooded' due to how rapidly they age, mature, live and die. Their civilizations rise and fall the quickest, and they are more likely to forget the past than other races, but by the same token, they are also able to expand and raise armies the quickest, and master any skill at an astonishing rate. In fact the land of Nors, which is the largest among the four, is mostly human dominated, making humans the most numerous race on Tirn, more so than even the elves who, despite being able to live indefinitely, generally confine themselves to mana rich environments, such as in the land of Mana for which the type of magic it is named for. There are different kinds of humans depending on where they live. For example, humans will tend to have lighter skin the further west or north they go, but to the south they will have darker skin and to the east, they will have more 'Yoltish' features such as almond shaped eyes and flatter faces.
Culturally speaking, they're about as diverse as the beastfolk, but a value universal to most humans is the concept of 'honour', which basically means loyalty to one's family and people. Though not a concept unique to humans, they are the first to codify it and founded the Knights of Tirn based on it, their loyalty being to the entire land of Tirn and keeping the peace all throughout rather than any single nation or clan. However, whereas the Paragons tend to be highly respected for fending off the threats from beyond, the Knights are almost universally disliked due to their frequent interference in politics, but are seen as necessary for preventing the racial wars that were so common and devastating beyond scope in the past. Like the Paragons, anyone of any race may become a Knight, but those in positions of authority are more likely to be humans as they make up the majority of the order. Their ranking system is also slightly different. It goes like so: Apprentice > Knight > Veteran > Master > Grandmaster, with the Grandmaster being leader of the order overall and Masters also being known as 'Knight-Commander' who lead separate chapters throughout Tirn.
Dwarves:
Dwarves are not strictly speaking a Norsian race as they mostly dwell underground, their tunnels running all throughout the land of Tirn and even beyond, but those that live on the surface have more of a presence in Nors as it's a generally mountainous land, which surface dwellers tend to favor. In any case, they are considered by most to be basically like humans only shorter, though dwarves actually have more in common with giants than any other race. In fact, it's often said that giants are what you get when dwarves live on the surface after enough generations and some may say that dwarves are actually descended from giants. Either way, they are essentially cousins of giants and have an average lifespan of approx. 200 years. Despite their short stature, they are physically stronger than most humans and elves, and are perhaps more innovative as well as they are the most technologically advanced people, but that can mostly be attributed to the availability of minerals and resources they have due to living underground. Such technologies however are a jealously guarded secret and although dwarves are more than happy to trade some of their devices and raw materials to the outside world, they would never provide the actual knowledge for creating them as a matter of pride, as well as being openly hostile to outsiders and even other dwarves.
In the vast underworld beneath the soil of Tirn, dwarves compete with each other and the drow as well as other subterranean races for dominance. Every single dwarven city, kingdom or settlement is built as a citadel with the sole purpose of keeping outsiders out and every scrap of knowledge within. As a people, they are perhaps even more contentious than humans and if they lived on the surface, they would assuredly be the most dominant race, provided they stopped their petty squabbles long enough to unite. Fortunately for everyone else, they tend to keep to themselves and like it that way, and have little interest in the surface world anyway. To those that do prefer the surface however, they are invariably the more adventurous and enterprising among the dwarves. If they do not trade, they fight and if they do not fight, they drink and travel all over Tirn like a proper Norsian would. Surface dwelling dwarves are however quite rare and are one of the least numerous on Tirn... on it anyway.
Halflings:
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Considered to be a mongrel race, halflings are about as short as dwarves, have the fair features and pointed ears of elves, the short lifespans of humans with their average only being a few decades higher, and may even have beastfolk blood too with some having fur on their feet, or the large eyes of a cat or pointed teeth of a wolven, etc. Halflings are essentially what you get after many generations of interbreeding between all the different races of Tirn and they have no distinct nation or territory. They are simply considered to be a race and people of their own, with many living as roaming gypsies. Physically, they could be as diverse as the Vaimese, but they are more concentrated in Nors and are generally not very welcome wherever they go.
Halflings are notorious for the more criminally inclined among them and are thus heavily discriminated against in any region. Halflings assassins are especially reviled due to their gift for stealth, but that is course not to say that all halflings are that bad. By and large, halflings are a humble people with a 'stick-together' kind of mentality towards other halflings and half-blooded outcasts. Halfling communities are in fact the most open minded and welcoming towards anyone of any race, but due to being the least numerous race overall, halflings will of course have a worse reputation based on the actions of a thoroughly amoral few, despite there not being even half as many criminals among them as any other race.
That said however, halflings do have a natural gift for stealth, physical dexterity (they could easily catch flies with their toes with they wanted to) and perception, all of which are traits that would be most beneficial for any kind of rogue or vagrant.
And that's it on the different races of Tirn. Mind you, everything that's been written thus far is just a cursory overall glance on... well, everything that's been written about thus far. I'll be going into a lot more detail on everything when I set up the lore, but these are pretty much the bare bones you ought to know when making a character. Have cs:
Name:
Appearance: (Picture or description)
Nickname(s): (optional)
Affiliation: (Paragon, Knight, something else, N/A, etc.)
Rank: (optional of not a Paragon or Knight)
Occupation: (optional if rank is non-applicable)
Age:
Gender:
Race:
Land of Origin:
Height:
Weight:
Eye colour:
Ki Sign:
Element: (only for mages)
Personality:
History:
Relationships: (linked name of other character - word to describe relationship [eg. friend, enemy, mentor, apprentice, brother, etc.])
Ki abilities: (optional for mages)
Mana abilities: (mages only)
Limitations: (consider the character's Ki Sign, age, level of proficiency, power, stamina and reserves, etc.)
Extra: (optional)
Endless oceans.
Limitless skies.
A colossal world.
But there is something more...
Further beyond
Terrifying beasts.
Untold calamities.
A great unknown.
And protecting us all,
Each and everyday...
The Paragons
We are the watchers beyond the wall.
This is actually a reboot of an old idea that never got off the ground, but I want to make it happen now and it WILL happen gosh dangit. Compared to how it was originally, things are going to be a lot more simplified this time around, so anyone who's seen the first idea, expect there to be a few changes. Anyways, the gist of the roleplay is that there's a big ol' world out there full of giant beasties and such, and we (as in the civilized races) only occupy a mere portion of it. This 'mere portion' is roughly the size of Europe and Africa put together, but in the colossal scale of the world, it's about the equivalent of a peninsula and this 'peninsula' is separated from the rest of the world by a giant wall that keeps all the big beasties out. Problem is, they get in sometimes so that's where the Paragons come in.
Paragons are basically the people manning the wall and any one of them could be considered a demigod for the feats they're expected to pull off. Whether it's slaying dragons, swarms of giant insects, actual giants or things that simply cannot be described, they can do it and they must, because if even a single threat makes it passed the wall, it could wreak untold amounts of damage before it can be stopped. To combat such threats, Paragons make use of the two types of magic in this world: mana and ki.
The Mana arts revolve around mastering the four elements of wind, earth, water and fire, which only certain people who are born with the ability can control. Fire mages are pyromancers, wind mages are aeromancers, water hydromancers and earth geomancers. Mana energy exists everywhere in the world and the use of it is only limited by the availability of mana and the user's own stamina. Additionally, wherever there is mana in plentiful supply, a mage may live indefinitely so long as they are not deprived of it for too long. Otherwise, they will age as normal since the effects of mana deprivation tend be cumulative and irreversible.
Ki on the other hand is magic that exists from within a person's body, which anyone can use but only with extremely intense training for even the most minor of benefits. Ki involves mastery of the user's own body so qualities such as strength, speed, agility, resilience, sharpness of senses and even lifespan may all be enhanced to many times their initial state. Ki users are of 2 general types determined by the time of day when they were born, known as their Ki sign: Sungards who are stronger during the daytime and generally much stronger overall, but will not be able to use their abilities to their fullest extent at night; and visa versa for the Nightkin who are more energetic and have greater senses during the night, but considerably less so during the day. There is a 3rd type known as the Twilit, born either during sunset or dusk, whose Ki powers peak at those times, but are average at any other hour.
Another limitation is that mana and Ki cannot be used together due to their conflicting natures, so anytime a mage is using mana, they would not be able to use whatever Ki abilities they may have at the same time. It is for this reason that many mages forego developing their Ki in favour of focusing on mastery of the mana arts, though it would be possible for them to be proficient in both.
Now for the Paragons themselves, they have a rank system that generally goes like so (in order from lowest to highest): Apprentice > Paragon > Veteran > Keeper. As for how they organize themselves, they usually rotate between two different duties, sentinels and rangers. Sentinels stand guard on the wall and if any monster manages to reach or breach it, they would be the closest ones available to combat it. They also form patrols along the wall itself and spend their time training if they're not patrolling. Rangers on the other hand will venture beyond the wall to scout for threats and track or eliminate them if they wander too close. They will also generally keep an eye out for interesting objects (rare materials, plants, anything with unusual properties).
All Paragons start out as sentinels in their years as an apprentice, but their first experience beyond the wall is often what decides whether they are worthy of assuming the mantle of Paragon or not. If not, they are given the option of returning home (if they survive their training that is) or serving in another capacity on the wall. If an apprentice does become recognized as a fellow Paragon however, they are allowed to form their own missions and teams, and are trusted to follow their own initiative, but they will still listen to the advice of their more experienced peers, the veterans; those who have served a full century of service and are allowed to retire at anytime they wish. It is among the veterans that the Keepers are chosen to guide and lead their respective cohort of Paragons, though they may not necessarily be the eldest or the strongest. They are simply those who have been chosen by their fellows as the best suited for their role. There are always two, one a Sungard and the other a Nightkin, and there must always be one at their respective tower (more on that below).
Okay, world info. The name of the world is Ith, the name of the 'peninsula' is Tirn and its divvied up into four major nations: Yolta to the east (home of the Orcs), Nors to the west (home to humans, dwarves and halflings), Mana to the north (home of the elves) and Vaim to the south (land of the beastfolk). The wall is to the north-east, covering parts of both Yolta and Mana, and there are exactly thirty towers along it, each with about 100 Paragons at any given time and many others in supporting roles. Each tower is essentially a large self-sufficient citadel and is able to support a population of thousands, most of them families or descendants of apprentices who weren't able to become Paragons. Still, they have many responsibilities themselves and usually help Paragons by forging and enchanting their weapons and armour, keeping them well fed and well supplied, tending to their injuries, tending to their steed of choice (horse, direwolf, drake, griffin, etc.), mixing potions, keeping records, assisting with maintaining the tower and wall, and a multitude of other tasks.
So I mentioned enchanting, there's a bit to know about that. Enchanting is basically infusing materials with elemental magic and they can be as simple as a stone that can glow with fire when activated or something as sophisticated as a wind portal, which Paragons use to travel to any point in the world. Mages are able to use magic of different elements through enchanted items and non-mages are able to do the same through the use of Ki. Although mana and Ki cannot be used together, it is also because of this very contradiction that enchanted items can be used, since they are technically active all the time. Activating them with Ki essentially causes an interruption in their magical circuitry, which causes whatever effect they are designed to produce. Every enchanted item requires a power source and this can be the amount of mana they were infused with at the start, or they can be linked to an exterior source of mana (eg. the wall itself is heavily enchanted and its so immense, it taps into the power of the planet's core and acts as a source of mana as well). When the mana of an enchanted item is depleted, it can be recharged by a mage or regain mana over time the same way mages do.
Each tower along the wall has a wind portal, which is probably the most important and complex device within the tower. Because of this, only a designated aeromancer known as the 'Gatekeeper' is allowed to control and maintain the portal. The portal itself would look something like this:
And it's used in combination with the scrying pool, which is where the Keeper and a group of specialists known as 'Guides' - who essentially act as mission control for the Paragons (and some Guides may be Paragons themselves) - constantly monitor the wall, the land of Tirn and the world beyond (up to a certain distance). It is from here that the Guides observe, communicate with and requisition supplies for the Paragons should they need it, as well as providing tactical support (think any rts game) and co-ordinates for the Gatekeeper to use. The scrying pool's range covers all of Tirn and that same amount of area for the world beyond the wall in all directions. The area beyond this range is known as dark space, which cannot be seen from the scrying pool and thus marks the limits of how far a Paragon is allowed to venture. The scrying pool would look something like this:
Linked to both the wind portal and the scrying pool is the Paragon's Crest, which every Paragon will have. The Crest acts as a sort of gps for Paragons, as well as a communication device with Guides and can be used to fire a flare or return their wearers to their respective tower on the wall. Every Crest is magically personalized for each individual Paragon, so Guides will know who they're monitoring or communicating with when they track them on the scrying pool, each Paragon being represented by a dot of light. The Crest is comprised of multiple enchanted gems, one for each function, and is perhaps the most important piece of equipment for a Paragon, so losing this is a big no-no. All Crests will look something like this (what she's wearing around her neck, although Crests don't necessarily have to be worn that way):
So now we come to races. As mentioned before, there are elves, orcs, humans, dwarves, halflings and beastfolk, but each term covers a whole spectrum of different kinds of people and to complicate matters further, interbreeding is possible (but have a lower chance of success than between those of the same race). For the elves, there are high elves:
Dark elves:
Drows:
And snow elves:
All elves are inherently mana users, so any elf can be a mage if they choose to be. This also means that any elf will live indefinitely so long as they never suffer from mana deprivation. However, this goes not apply to half elves of mixed racial ancestry and it's because of this that such people are greatly discriminated against in elven society. Relationships between other elves of different types however is generally not an issue, but still open to discrimination. Due to their sheer longevity, elven culture in general is more complex and stratified than any other race in the world (though humans come a close second), with hierarchies upon hierarchies and political rivalries lasting for centuries. There are some differences and variations between different elven societies (and even different generations of the same type of elf), but universally important to almost all elves is their bloodline. Many drow families have sons and daughters who may live alongside their great grandparents and their great grandparents, all with roughly the same aged appearance but some being higher or lower on the pecking order in fixed positions for life, with the oldest patriarch or matriarch being at the top. Needless to say, the elven family is by default a political entity and power struggles are a constant occurrence. Those who can marry into or trace their ancestry to the more powerful families will enjoy the benefits of such, but in the rare event that a family's eldest progenitor should die for whatever reason, the whole family tree will splinter into all their many separate branches, with many vying for supremacy or secession and whatever other different fate may befall them. This however may not be such an issue in more meritocratic or cosmopolitan elven societies, but then again some would argue that such societies would not be elven at all if they weren't fraught with familial politics.
For the orcs, there are two basic types:
Yoltan (brown skinned):
And Norsian:
Orcs have an average lifespan of at least 300 years and among all the races on Tirn, they have the most naturally powerful bodies, making them the most predisposed to developing their ki, the cultivation of which is a central aspect to all cultures in Yolta, but not so much in Nors. In the time of the ancients, the first orc ki masters and shamans taught their people to focus their energies on mastery of the self, to be in tune with their surroundings, live off the land as ascetic nomads and favour doing things the right way rather than the easy way. This was known simply as 'the Path' and required great discipline to adhere to, but those who did inevitably became great ki masters and leaders among their people. However, this created a dichotomy. Those who could not nor desired to live such a rigorous lifestyle adopted a different philosophy, which was not unlike that of the Norsians at the time but also completely counter to Yoltan values as established by the ancients.
Although they too lived as nomads, they sought to master the environment rather live in harmony with it, and rather than holding self-discipline, patience and wisdom as the highest virtues, they would celebrate ambition, cunning and above all else, strength. They also sought to do great deeds, gain immortality through fame and live with honour, which essentially meant loyalty to one's family and people above all others. Over time, the orcs following this way of thought eventually spread westwards to Nors, seeking to take as much of the land as possible for themselves, either to test themselves, gain fame and fortune, power and resources, or for the sheer thrill of adventure. Their skins paling in the colder and often sunless climate, these orcs came to be known as the 'Green Horde' or simply the 'Horde' by those they clashed with and despite the similarity of their values with the people of Nors, theirs would for many thousands of years remain a hostile relationship.
Today, most Norsian orcs are descended from these adventuring conquerors and although they are not half as aggressive as their forebears, they are still a notably vigorous people who have only relatively recently been accepted as part of Norsian society within the last age. There are some who still live as nomads and others who have fully embraced Norsian culture and values, ever changing as they are, but the concept of the Path, which remains an important aspect of life in Yolta, is now foreign to them.
And now for the beastfolk of Vaim, these are but a few of the myriad examples...
Leos:
Avian:
Ursine:
The beastfolk of Vaim are so diverse that they cannot be considered a race at all, but more like an entire animal kingdom unto themselves. Each individual tribe or kingdom will have a different way of life with differing values and philosophies. Not even an average lifespan of the beastfolk can be given as they are so greatly varied. The only thing that they all have in common is their shared origins. Descended from tribes of human shapeshifters, many of the beastfolk continue their ancient traditions of identifying themselves with the forms of the animals they take, which they now have more in common with than actual humans. That is not to say however that they literally live like the animals, although some may prefer to do so. Either way, all beastfolk would wish to be recognized as people and anything less is considered a grave insult.
In Vaim, it is often considered rude to refer to one of the beastfolk as 'beastfolk', due to the expectation that if one is living in Vaim, one would also be familiar with the many various names and terms used to refer to specific types of beastfolk, such as 'Wulven' for wolves, 'Leos' for lions, 'Avian' for birds, etc. Even then however, one would also have to take into account the specific name of the tribe or clan that an individual belongs to, as there are many different groups of Wulven, Leos, etc. and confusing them may cause great offence. Outside of Vaim however, beastfolk is simply an inoffensive generic term, though still one with no small amount of stigma attached as the beastfolk have been enslaved by humans, elves and orcs at various stages throughout history. Even now, there are many who would consider the beastfolk to be an inferior people, only a step above the animals they emulate, but such attitudes are no prevalent as they used to be.
And now, the humans, dwarves and halflings of Nors...
Humans:
Having a maximum lifespan of a hundred years and an average of only 60 - 70, humans are considered to be shortest lived race and are in fact known as the 'quick-blooded' due to how rapidly they age, mature, live and die. Their civilizations rise and fall the quickest, and they are more likely to forget the past than other races, but by the same token, they are also able to expand and raise armies the quickest, and master any skill at an astonishing rate. In fact the land of Nors, which is the largest among the four, is mostly human dominated, making humans the most numerous race on Tirn, more so than even the elves who, despite being able to live indefinitely, generally confine themselves to mana rich environments, such as in the land of Mana for which the type of magic it is named for. There are different kinds of humans depending on where they live. For example, humans will tend to have lighter skin the further west or north they go, but to the south they will have darker skin and to the east, they will have more 'Yoltish' features such as almond shaped eyes and flatter faces.
Culturally speaking, they're about as diverse as the beastfolk, but a value universal to most humans is the concept of 'honour', which basically means loyalty to one's family and people. Though not a concept unique to humans, they are the first to codify it and founded the Knights of Tirn based on it, their loyalty being to the entire land of Tirn and keeping the peace all throughout rather than any single nation or clan. However, whereas the Paragons tend to be highly respected for fending off the threats from beyond, the Knights are almost universally disliked due to their frequent interference in politics, but are seen as necessary for preventing the racial wars that were so common and devastating beyond scope in the past. Like the Paragons, anyone of any race may become a Knight, but those in positions of authority are more likely to be humans as they make up the majority of the order. Their ranking system is also slightly different. It goes like so: Apprentice > Knight > Veteran > Master > Grandmaster, with the Grandmaster being leader of the order overall and Masters also being known as 'Knight-Commander' who lead separate chapters throughout Tirn.
Dwarves:
Dwarves are not strictly speaking a Norsian race as they mostly dwell underground, their tunnels running all throughout the land of Tirn and even beyond, but those that live on the surface have more of a presence in Nors as it's a generally mountainous land, which surface dwellers tend to favor. In any case, they are considered by most to be basically like humans only shorter, though dwarves actually have more in common with giants than any other race. In fact, it's often said that giants are what you get when dwarves live on the surface after enough generations and some may say that dwarves are actually descended from giants. Either way, they are essentially cousins of giants and have an average lifespan of approx. 200 years. Despite their short stature, they are physically stronger than most humans and elves, and are perhaps more innovative as well as they are the most technologically advanced people, but that can mostly be attributed to the availability of minerals and resources they have due to living underground. Such technologies however are a jealously guarded secret and although dwarves are more than happy to trade some of their devices and raw materials to the outside world, they would never provide the actual knowledge for creating them as a matter of pride, as well as being openly hostile to outsiders and even other dwarves.
In the vast underworld beneath the soil of Tirn, dwarves compete with each other and the drow as well as other subterranean races for dominance. Every single dwarven city, kingdom or settlement is built as a citadel with the sole purpose of keeping outsiders out and every scrap of knowledge within. As a people, they are perhaps even more contentious than humans and if they lived on the surface, they would assuredly be the most dominant race, provided they stopped their petty squabbles long enough to unite. Fortunately for everyone else, they tend to keep to themselves and like it that way, and have little interest in the surface world anyway. To those that do prefer the surface however, they are invariably the more adventurous and enterprising among the dwarves. If they do not trade, they fight and if they do not fight, they drink and travel all over Tirn like a proper Norsian would. Surface dwelling dwarves are however quite rare and are one of the least numerous on Tirn... on it anyway.
Halflings:
Considered to be a mongrel race, halflings are about as short as dwarves, have the fair features and pointed ears of elves, the short lifespans of humans with their average only being a few decades higher, and may even have beastfolk blood too with some having fur on their feet, or the large eyes of a cat or pointed teeth of a wolven, etc. Halflings are essentially what you get after many generations of interbreeding between all the different races of Tirn and they have no distinct nation or territory. They are simply considered to be a race and people of their own, with many living as roaming gypsies. Physically, they could be as diverse as the Vaimese, but they are more concentrated in Nors and are generally not very welcome wherever they go.
Halflings are notorious for the more criminally inclined among them and are thus heavily discriminated against in any region. Halflings assassins are especially reviled due to their gift for stealth, but that is course not to say that all halflings are that bad. By and large, halflings are a humble people with a 'stick-together' kind of mentality towards other halflings and half-blooded outcasts. Halfling communities are in fact the most open minded and welcoming towards anyone of any race, but due to being the least numerous race overall, halflings will of course have a worse reputation based on the actions of a thoroughly amoral few, despite there not being even half as many criminals among them as any other race.
That said however, halflings do have a natural gift for stealth, physical dexterity (they could easily catch flies with their toes with they wanted to) and perception, all of which are traits that would be most beneficial for any kind of rogue or vagrant.
And that's it on the different races of Tirn. Mind you, everything that's been written thus far is just a cursory overall glance on... well, everything that's been written about thus far. I'll be going into a lot more detail on everything when I set up the lore, but these are pretty much the bare bones you ought to know when making a character. Have cs:
Name:
Appearance: (Picture or description)
Nickname(s): (optional)
Affiliation: (Paragon, Knight, something else, N/A, etc.)
Rank: (optional of not a Paragon or Knight)
Occupation: (optional if rank is non-applicable)
Age:
Gender:
Race:
Land of Origin:
Height:
Weight:
Eye colour:
Ki Sign:
Element: (only for mages)
Personality:
History:
Relationships: (linked name of other character - word to describe relationship [eg. friend, enemy, mentor, apprentice, brother, etc.])
Ki abilities: (optional for mages)
Mana abilities: (mages only)
Limitations: (consider the character's Ki Sign, age, level of proficiency, power, stamina and reserves, etc.)
Extra: (optional)
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