REMNANTS
The Questers:
Arlen Colden, fighter (sword, archery) - written by @Lael
Isabel Torlyn, mage/long-range fighter (archery) - written by @Silvern
Firhoun Palomino Wolframite, close-range fighter (axe) - written by @winterwolf0100
Kiirion Ayair Faelar, healer/assassin - written by @soundofmind
(1st quest) Khevit Silverband, bard/mage
(2nd quest) Enyo Luna
Kingdoms and the People:
Humans:
Humans are the most numerous of the peoples living on the continent. As a result, they are the most widespread across the land. They have shorter lifespans than elves and dwarves. They tend to resort to violence the quickest, and they fight among themselves most often. Their relationship with the other species tends to be limited to humans who live near elf and dwarf settlements, and the general mindset is to ignore their existence unless convenient or beneficial.
- Nuanore: Currently ruled by King Garem Ranning. Nuanore is the largest and most populous kingdom and has a great diversity of natural landscapes. It is the main hub of commerce and cultural shifts on the continent. Many people from other nations travel to Nuanore in hopes of a better life and opportunities for the future. The king has near-absolute power, though there is a high council of nobles who advise him and assist in administration. Succession is not determined through primogeniture, but by the ruler choosing any one of his children as the heir apparent. It is most common for males to inherit, but there have been instances of female heirs/rulers. There are many highly accomplished mages in Nuanore, with the second-most prestigious magic institution on the continent being the Nuanorean Royal Mage Academy.
- Eregos: Currently ruled by Queen Tanit Jumara. Eregos is one of the great powers on the continent, located in the snowy northern mountain ranges. Royal succession and many other Eregosian matters are normally determined by strength, especially in magic. The focus of the kingdom is on magic and natural resources. Eregos has the highest ratio of mages to total population, with fire magic being the most highly prized among the people. The crown-sponsored Ivora Institute of Magic is the oldest and the premier mage school across the land.
- Junon: Currently ruled by Queen Hersilia Cloudhoof Thana. Junon is possesses a smaller population, but vast lands comprised of grassy plains and hills, between the borders of Nuanore and Eregos (the right side is bordered by the Andarati Mountains). The Junon are a matriarchal and warrior/hunter society, and they tend to be varying degrees of nomadic/migratory depending on season, hunting, and outside interference. Though they take very little interest in continental affairs, they are fierce fighters and extremely protective of their land, to the point that trespassers/invaders are likely to lose their lives if caught. They are expert horsepeople, and horses are central to their lifestyle and culture. Magic is uncommon among the Junon, and it is regarded with high suspicion, requiring strict control and only to be used when sanctioned by the queen.
They also have a tradition of a second name, normally related to horses and the land, such as Grasswind, Thundersong, Nightrider, Lightpath, Starstrike, Blackmane. - Telya: Currently ruled by King Milo Asterius. Telya is a smaller kingdom in the southernmost part of the continent. Their main source of commerce is agriculture due to the year-round warm climate and rainy season. Mages are not common enough to warrant the formation of a royal magic institute, but there are enough for each region of the country to have a small school; most Telyan mages have flora or water magic.
Elves:
Elves are an ancient people who are known for having the longest lifespan of all peoples of the continent. They are typically very tall, well over a head taller than most of the tallest men, and described by humans as having very beautiful appearances. It is rarer to find an elf who does not possess magical ability than one who does. Though the strength of an individual's magic may not be very strong, the act of using the magic comes as easily as breathing to most elven mages. They live in heavily forested areas and tend to keep to themselves, with the exception of trading between the outer settlements and nearby humans. As such, as a whole, they avoid violence and conflict, though they will not hesitate to fight when they deem it necessary. The two elven groups have different ways of governance and community and do not often mix societies. However, all elven society believes in stewarding the nature around them. Elves tend to dislike dwarves and disdain their lifestyle, though they now do not cross paths often due to the current geography of forests and rocky/mountainous areas.
- Rumea: Currently ruled by Lady Evanthia Wyn Pagona. Of the two groups of elves, Rumea is the more collective, communal society. The majority of the Rumeans live in the heart of their territory, with interconnected networks of satellite communities spreading outward to the edges of their territory. Unlike Agmarion, Rumea is open to interaction with humans, provided it is beneficial to their society and does not harm their land.
- Agmarion: Currently ruled by High Lord Lonan Bessarion Valdir, though that title means very little in the everyday life of Agmari elves. They are the more reclusive of the two groups of elves. Almost like a confederation, they live in small, isolated, self-governing communities. The only time that the high lord has any significance to a specific community is if there is a dispute that cannot be resolved within the individual group or if it is in a time of emergency for the whole of Agmarion.
Dwarves:
The dwarves are a long-lived people, though not as long as the elves. Dwarves are, on average, the shortest among the peoples of the continent, with their full-grown height being that of human children, and they are also stocky and densely muscular. They are known for their strength and artistry, and they have excellent night vision. It is unknown how small or large the population truly is due to their reclusiveness and their hidden places of dwelling being within the earth. Most commonly, dwarves live in mountains and in rocky areas underground, though they may temporarily live in camps around aboveground quarries and they sometimes come aboveground to hunt and gather. Dwarves like to keep to themselves, with the exception of trade with humans. One of the things that dwarves prize the most is beauty, which they express most commonly through art. They make ornate sculptures, paintings, carvings, jewelry, weapons, armor, and many more things out of stone, gems, and precious metals. Dwarven art is highly sought after by many humans, and dwarves will often trade things they have made for food and rare materials/items. Though they prefer making art, they also have a strong body of warriors who guard the mountains from those looking for the hidden entrances to the underground civilization. Dwarves' view of humans range from disdain to respect, depending on the nation from which they hail and their behavior/attitude towards dwarves especially. They despise elves, however, as their lifestyles are vastly different and they do not often see eye to eye.
- Andarat: Andarat is a confederation of dwarven clans, with each clan living in separate parts of the territory. It is governed by the High Council, which is comprised of the heads of each dwarf clan. The High Council only convenes every fifty years and during time of emergency, though the dwarven clans hold various festivals celebrating art and beauty annually.
Miscellaneous Notes:
Half-elf or half-dwarf, half-human individuals are not highly common, as the species don't often mix, but they do exist. They are often considered as extreme oddities.
There are some places in across the land where the kingdoms have little influence. Instead, they are overrun with bandits, mercenaries, and criminal gangs. However, some believe that House Luna, one of the great houses of Nuanore which is rumored to control a large spy network across the kingdoms, even has a stronghold within these outlands.
The Magic System:
Magic is elemental. There are four elements: light, fire, water/ice, and flora.
Not all beings have innate sensitivity to magic. It is usually genetic, though sometimes a child who has no family history of magic may be born with the ability. It is rumored that those who live near deposits of magestone are infused with magical ability before birth, so this lead to the practice of (mostly human) mothers wearing magestones while pregnant in hopes that their child will display magical talent when born.
Magestones are a mineral that seems ordinary to the undiscerning eye, but anyone with magical ability can sense the energy in them. They range in color, resembling quartz when inactive, but they glow when being used. They help mages to channel the flow of their magical powers within them. Without a magestone, elemental magic is, for the most part, highly unpredictable and more difficult to control. Therefore, most mages will not dare to use magic without their magestone. Using magic without a magestone for extended periods of time can possibly lead to catastrophic repercussions on the mage. The size of the piece of magestone a mage has also affects the ease of channeling their magic. The bigger, the easier, and the smaller, the more difficult. Magestones also can serve to deepen the mage's magical reservoir and extend the period of time in which they can use their magic at once. Magestones are highly sought after and very expensive for regular people to obtain, unless they live in a magestone-rich area. This leads many to go on long journeys to these places to obtain one. Magestones can only be used if they are touching the skin or affixed within a special item the mage uses to wield magic. (This includes touching a vein of magestone, though this usually is not as effective as a refined piece of magestone.)
Each mage has a natural reservoir of magical energy that dictates how much magic they can use at once. This can be expanded through vigorous training and by use of a highly refined or large magestone, but even then, mages must be cognizant of their reserves, especially when they are using high amounts of magic. To continue to use magic well beyond one's natural reserves can lead to irreversible damage to one's body and potentially one's mind. The effectiveness of the mage when the reservoir is empty is also significantly lower.
When a child is found to have magical abilities, they are normally taught by mages around them. Elves and dwarves normally have their own methods of magical education. If human families have the means, they may send the child to a formal mage school. There are some smaller regional schools, and countries that emphasize magic such as Eregos and Nuanore have royally-backed schools, which are considered the most advanced and prestigious of all magic academies. Cutting-edge magical research is performed at these schools. There is normally a continental magical convention and council every five years, where researchers can share their findings, leaders in magic debate on new rules, and students can compete in various competitions and attend specialized lectures. However, the convention has been on hold since Eregos and Nuanore have been at war over esmaril and the respective crowns have forbid their mages from corresponding or meeting with mages of the other kingdom.
In the last decade, a new subtype of magestone has been discovered at the northern border of Nuanore and Eregos, in the region of Esmar. People have been calling it esmaril. Esmaril not only exponentially amplifies a mage's abilities, it also appears to give non-mages the ability to use magic. However, it has only been found in Mount Esmar, and the two countries quickly fell into a bitter war to gain control over the region and the esmaril. There has been no new harvesting of esmaril since the beginning of the war, so there is very little in either kingdom's possession.
There is a plant toxin that neutralizes the flow of magic in a mage's body for a short period of time, called etherbere.
Character Template:
- Code
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Role:[/b] (position in questing group)
[b]Species:[/b]
[b]Weapon(s):[/b] (sword, bow, staff, etc.)
[b]Country of Origin:[/b]
[u]1st Quest:[/u]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Background:[/b]
[b]Quirks/Miscellaneous:[/b]
[u]2nd Quest:[/u]
[b]Age:[/b] (add 7 years)
[b]Appearance:[/b] (how has it changed)
[b]Personality:[/b] (changes, consistencies, etc.)
[b]What happened to him/her after the 1st quest?:[/b] (place, physical condition, how s/he thinks about the other questers/the kingdom/etc.)
[b]Quirks/Miscellaneous:[/b] (any changes, consistencies, etc.)
Under construction! Lore/further information to come.