Helix Nebula
Three fries short of a happy meal: WHACKO!!
The Mëkrafian Empire
Pact of the Mëkrafian Peoples
Members of the Pact
Avadon
Leaders
Deathblade
[info=Lord of Avadon]
Görilas son of Göliar
[info=Sovereign of the Orcs]
Races
[info=The Undead of Avadon]
The undead are vicious and unforgiving creatures, corpses mostly without skin or flesh. Although they may seem fragile and weak at first, being nothing but walking skeletons, one would definitely regret underestimating their barbaric rage in battle. These warriors were once men who would have raped and murdered their own families, for the sake of their brothers in arms and that brutish bond has only grown stronger, during the hundred years they remained dormant, awaiting for their day of resurrection.[/info]
[info=The Orcs of Knlagar]
The Knlagarians are a people of brave warriors and warlords, standing taller than any human or elf. And albeit not the most intelligent of creatures roaming this planet, these Orcs make up for their stupidity in brutal strength and willingness to die for their cause. The Knalgarians did not originally inhabit Mëkraf, but they arrived from the nearby mountains in the south one day - Fleeing from a home that no longer was inhabitable.[/info]
[info=The Mëkrafian Elves]
What once was a proud nation of elves, has now crumbled before the strength of those superior. The elves that used to rule Mëkraf, have now become prisoners and slaves of the Empire. Those that do not rot away in prisons, awaiting to be taken to labor, are either being already used as free workforce or then beat up, mutilated and sold. The elves' Undead and Orc overlords have made sure these once noble beings, would have no shreds of pride left in their souls or bodies.[/info]
[box]Racial Bonus; Rise from the Grave: Deceased enemies felled by you and allies not banished return as undead of their class before they fell.[/box]
Government
Confederation
Economic System
Primary; Controlled Bartering.
Secondary; Slave Trading.
Economic Tier
3rd
Currency
Skrhall, was the currency of Avadon in it's old ages and is now the currency of the Empire. Skrhall are coins made out of Copper, Silver or Gold. And all of them have a different skull on them.
- Copper Skhrall, have nothing but a skull on them. It is the lowest and most common form of currency. Copper Skhrall are mostly seen in the hands of normal peasants and lower-class citizen.
- Silver Skhrall, have a skull and crossbones on them. Silver Skhrall are at least twice as valuable as their copper brothers, though some merchants might charge more than their actual value is. Silver Skrhall is only owned by the "higher-class" citizen in larger amounts, and lower peasants either spend their Silver Skrhall right away on gambling or a household slave, or then they treasure the one or two coins they might get after a long time of work, as a heavenly gift.
- Gold Skhrall, have a crown-wearing skull and crossbones on them. They are four times more valuable than copper Skrhall and double the worth of Silver Skhrall. Only Deathblade, Görilas and a very few "high-class" citizen possess Gold Skhrall, as those that are worthy of the "Coin of Kings" have to really work hard to earn such pay.
Many in Mëkraf also accept anything that seems like it could be worth something, such as; Animal skins, random "treasures" and even well crafted weapons or other equipment. The Empire also accepts other slaves as payment and sometimes even pays with slaves for the things they want.
Nation Bonus
Powerful Necromancy; The Plane of Negative Energy is very strong within the Skhralians and Necromancy as well as the other dark arts of magic, are more powerful in their hands than in the hands of others.
Slave Labor; Slaves are useful for a variety of things; free manpower, free entertainment, free body shields.. Because of this, projects such as monuments and other buildings can be finished faster and without penalty even if multiple were ongoing at the same time.
History
"It has been written in legends and tales for a hundred years, that one day the Black Fortress of Avadon shall rise once more and King Deathblade shall return to power. His wrath and vengeance shall be so powerful, that the dead will awaken and those warriors that fell in the siege of Laurelmor, will once again swear their allegiance to the King of Avadon and Lord of Mëkraf. Until that dark day, I shall pray to the gods and hope, their light will protect us all."
- Unknown Author; The Story of Avadon 9:13.
In a time, that has now been long lost to the waves of history, Mëkraf was ruled by King Deathblade, a horrible tyrant known for his vicious ways of rule and the horrific fates of his enemies. He ruled his empire from the ghastly fortress known as Avadon, which was built of a dark stone thus gaining the infamous name, "Black Fortress". Deathblade was the blight to the lands and it's peoples, considered by some even more frightening than the creatures of the scourge. However, those that rose their swords against him faced either torture until death, or then exile into the dark lands of the scourge. Those that swore their swords for servitude under Deathblade, gained great wealth and fame doing the horrible deeds that their Lord ordered them to do. Deathblade's everlasting view was, "What I can see, I can also own. Nothing, will stand in my way." and living by those words, he claimed lands after lands, bringing down those that opposed him. But, one day he was approached by a mysterious shaman, an old man who swore to make Deathblade and his armies immortal if he in turn would invade a Kingdom that had hurt the man's pride by banishing him. Deathblade, who had always dreamed of ruling until the end of time, accepted this offer and so the shaman cast his spell and the next day, marched the armies of Avadon to this faraway land. Weeks passed and then Deathblade received word, that his armies had been defeated and that the enemy's were already on their way to Avadon. Enraged, Deathblade demanded for the shaman to explain his deeds, but when the old man claimed his innocence and said it had been but an honest mistake - Deathblade became truly angered and ordered the shaman to be killed. He in turn, told Deathblade that with his last breath he would cast a terrible curse upon Avadon, and guaranteed Avadon would fall. The shaman was beheaded and then days passed, during which Deathblade drew all of his armies back into Avadon and the city surrounding it, Laurelmor. Barricades were built and more soldiers drafted, until came the day that this new enemy arrived in Laurelmor. It didn't take two days, for the city to fall and Avadon was besieged. The drawbridge of the Black Fortress was lifted and Deathblade sealed himself, his remaining army and the people of Laurelmor hiding within the Fortress, inside. Days slithered by and Avadon's stockpiles grew thin - Yet, Deathblade sat determined on his throne and stubbornly declared; "I, am Deathblade. Lord of Avadon, ruler of all lands. I will not surrender to those that are inferior and if I am to die of hunger and thirst on this throne, then so be it! But as long as I am alive, Avadon will not fall." Perhaps he really thought he was immortal, or then he was actually afraid knowing that if he would surrender he would be punished for all the horrors he had done during the years. It was probably for the same reasons, that Deathblade's men until their very last breaths, supported their King and made sure no one left Avadon. And so it was, that the peoples of Avadon either starved to death or hung themselves to spare the suffering of waiting.
Days went by, slowly turning into weeks and then into months. The oppressed people of Mëkraf left their homes and started new lives elsewhere, and before long, months turned into years and people forgot the horrors of Deathblade and the tyranny of Avadon. Though, while the towns of Mëkraf crumbled as nature once again took over, the ghastly sight that was Avadon never did fall. It remained where it had been built, surrounded by it's 'insurmountable' moat and many imagined that inside, the rotting corpse of Deathblade still sat on his throne, awaiting for the day he could return to power. Several stories and songs were made up, about Avadon all saying that one day the gates of the Black Fortress would be opened and an army of the undead would march upon all lands, turning every living thing into beings seen only in the worst of nightmares. Despite all the tales and songs, however, eventually a new society did move into the woods of Mëkraf. A nation of refugee elves, fleeing from a civil war of their homelands, saw Mëkraf as the perfect place to build their new homes and thus settled down. These elves, united under the name "Gabíalis" (Meaning (transliterated), "Our Country") and it's banner of red, with a golden tree on it, had once been peasants and soldiers of a theocratic elven civilization in a faraway land, that had strongly believed in peace and diplomacy. However, one day their King had been assassinated and the country's unity and believes in friendship collapsed, as many tried to greedily grasp the throne, which had no legitimate heir. Eventually this lead into hostility, which lead into the different sides gathering armies to support their own cause and before long, a civil war engulfed their lands. Those of the Gabialis were all peoples who refrained from joining the fighting over the throne and when the first drops of blood were shed, they united under an elven-man known to most simply as, Šabírë, "the Wisest". He lead all those not willing to fight a war of no point, throughout the lands and their journey lasted for nearly an entire year, before they found Mëkraf; A perfect woodland, not claimed by anyone. The elves were not familiar with the stories about Avadon and hence didn't know to fear the abandoned Black Fortress in the middle of the northern forest. The elves thought Avadon was simply a relic of the past, a ruin left behind by those that were here before them. Which it was, only.. Different. The first year of the Gabíalis' stay in Mëkraf went well, and they even managed to construct their new capital; Iléabor, "Haven". The Gabíalis, had decided that from now on their peoples would no longer be ruled by a King, but a group of people who formed 'the Council'. Decisions would no longer be made by a single person, but they would be drafted, discussed and then voted on with and by the people. Šabírë went out of his way, to make it as sure as possible that their new home would never fall into the clutches of a civil war and learning from the mistakes of the past, he may have formed the first democratic system ever seen - At least on their continent. Nevertheless, the peoples of Gabíalis were more than approbative and slowly they restarted their lives in this new home. Further time passed, years going by during which the Gabíalis grew and more towns and villages were built. Life went on, peacefully and without major problems like this for another ten years. Then, came the Orcs or "Outlander Beasts" as the elves who had never seen an orc before, called these new creatures. The Orcs of Knalgar, much like the elves of Gabíalis were refugees, but unlike the elves - The Knalgarians weren't escaping a war, they were simply relocating from a land they had consumed until it had become more or less of a barren wasteland. The orcs first settled in the southern woods of Mëkraf, burning down several elven villages that "got in their way" and taking their people as prisoners. Most of the elves were shackled and put into cage, but some suffered the fates of having their ears and legs cut, after which the orcs hanged the crippled elven bodies onto stakes outside of their encampment's palisade. This outraged and horrified the elven community and their council immediately gathered into an emergency session.
It was too late, and the orc armies had moved faster than the elves had anticipated as only a day passed before the orcs were already besieging Iléabor. The council tried to plead, but soon the inevitable happened and the orcs broke through the elven lines and Iléabor was captured. All remaining elf soldiers were killed, as well as the council and then the leader of the orcs, Warlord Göliar, declared that he now ruled all of Mëkraf. It may have been the orc's declaration or then the bloodshed, but before Göliar could finish his sentence a ghastly laughter filled the air. Little did anyone know, but it had now been a hundred years since the fall of Avadon and for whatever reasons, the gates of the Black Fortress had reopened and it's drawbridge had been lowered. Perhaps the shaman in the past, had by accident cast a different spell that he thought he had, or then it was his 'curse' - Either way, an army of the undead did march out of Avadon, lead by their King, Deathblade. They all had awoken in the Black Fortress while the orcs had began their siege, and after a short time of confusion they all had turned once more, towards their beloved King who in his dark wisdom had lead his armies out of Avadon and through the forests, all the way to Iléabor. The orc warlord's statement about ruling Mëkraf, had induced great laughter from Deathblade and his men as they entered the elven city and confronted all of the frightened and horrified faces. The leader of the orcs, intimidated by these walking corpses, had charged towards Deathblade with his sword at the ready, only to feel his stomach slashed by the two infamous axes, that had slain so many of Deathblade's enemies in the past. The undead King then stood onto Göliar's corpse and once more declared his rule of Avadon and all lands. The orc warriors were already preparing to charge into battle against Deathblade's men, when a younger orc took a step forward and ordered them to halt. He introduced himself as Görilas, son of the orc Deathblade had just slain. Yet, this young orc proposed that Deathblade and he would not fight, but instead unite their forces and rule all of Mëkraf together. Without much negotiation, this did happen and as the two shook hands, they formed the Pact of the Mëkrafian Peoples.
In the following days, all remaining elven towns were brought down and their peoples enslaved. Avadon was renovated and as years passed, Laurelmor was rebuilt. What mistrust there may have been, between the undead and the orcs during the first days of the pact - Soon disappeared and before they could realize, the trust of the Pact had grown stronger than any alliance.
For the record; It has been ten years since the formation of the pact.
