Re: The Faces of a Mischievous Deity.

[Loki]

Viemera

Timeline

[Loki]

Viemera: Essence Saga

Background
Seed. It is all around us, it is everywhere and in everything and everyone; the source of all life on this world. It is the very life force of the planet.

In the land of Viemera, humans have come to rely upon it as a source of power and the basis of all their advanced technology. It is believed by spiritual leaders that there is a large pool of Seed deep within the planet, and it is form this pool that life was first created and it is where the Seed arises from to touch everything on the planet. This is accepted as fact throughout Viemera by almost everyone. One fact that is based on science rather than faith, is that Seed can be transformed into a palpable form of energy, a substance called Essence. Humans have found a way to draw Seed from the planet, convert it into Essence, and store it in order to power cities and fuel technological development. From this process, many new technologies have been formed, from lighting to locomotion to guns that fire concentrated Essence, to industrial machines.

Unfortunately, this seemingly limitless and versatile power source comes with one major drawback; it relies on the existence of a single woman, born once every three generations. Without this woman, Seed lies dormant and inactive, unable to be converted to Essence and becoming essentially useless. On top of this, agricultural production seems to drop by about 20%.

This Woman is referred to as the ‘Goddess’ or ‘The Source’ and is protected under every law possible. There is also a grand Temple of the Goddess located somewhere in the mountains for the training and protection of the Goddess. If the Goddess dies, then the land suffers and the people must rely on the Essence already stored up in the factories as no more can be refined. The land must wait until the next Goddess is born and reaches her 16th birthday for her powers to emerge.

There is sometimes a “drought” where subsequent generations go without a goddess and there is not enough essence left to power their technology, resulting in a famine. This is the reason why alternate technologies are being explored and why many people use Low-Tech tools e.g. the City guards utilize Essence powered guns which fire a kind of green plasma (green being the neutral color of Essence) but also carry ordinary swords. It is these droughts that caused there to be varying technologies throughout Viemera, as if the 15th century Renaissance and early 19th century Industrial Revolution eras occurred simultaneously.

The Goddess has been noted to be able to do many strange and fantastic things, which many would term ‘magical’. However, it is a product of Seed, which is behind all great mysteries. The Goddess is not the only one who possesses paranormal powers; in fact, while uncommon it is not so rare to find many other individuals with fantastic powers, just to a lesser extent. There are people in Viemera born with a gift that manifests at the age of 16 for boys and 14 for girls.

These people are called Saturates because they have a higher saturation of seed in them than normal and their gift is two-fold: the first is the ability to directly convert the potential power of Seed into the refined power of Essence within their own bodies and even store a small amount for later use. The second is their unique ability to utilize Essence. Saturates are gifted with other special abilities and powers and can be placed into three distinct categories;

Summoners:

Spoiler:

Users:

Spoiler:

Manipulators:

Spoiler:

The History of Viemera
Modern views of The Goddess, or The Source, stems from an era of oppression while Goddess Eraclea was in power. The term “Goddess” is used loosely in this sense, for she was more commonly referred to as Demon Eraclea. In the years that she was beginning to understand her abilities, a group of Saturates, known as The Order of Dio, had managed to corrupt the young girl and fuel her insatiable desire for power. It was that same order that protected Eraclea while her powers developed and grew to a point where she was all but immortal. At this point, around her late twenties, Eraclea had full understanding of her potential to mold the various forms of Seed to her will. As a result, the elements were at her beaconing, she had the ability to rip away a person’s life with a simple thought, and her connection with Essence made her nearly omniscient to her surroundings. After a few years, Eraclea’s corruption reached a point where not all the wealth and power in the world was enough to satisfy her lust; at this point, she desired to see people’s reaction to what she was capable of doing. The emotion of terror entertained her most of all.

Many people, even whole cities, suffered for her entertainment; what little humanity she had maintained up to that point was now gone. Eraclea became infamous for her insidious methods of torture, able to keep her target alive and conscious well past what the normal body could handle, sometimes for days until the body was physically unable to sustain the life force. It is understood that all forms of life felt nothing but fear and anger when regarding The Goddess. At this point of her life, she appointed herself as unquestionable ruler of Viemera with The Order of Dio as her personal advisors. Fortunately, for the masses, of all the gifts that The Goddesses possess, immortality is not one of them. Despite years of trying to manipulate Seed and Essence, she was unable to do anything aside from prolong her inevitable demise at the age of 172.

It was the months following Eraclea’s demise that most of the laws and customs regarding The Goddesses were set in place. The first, and foremost, law that was unanimously decided upon was that any person, or people, who attempt or conspire to corrupt a Goddess would be met with the death penalty. Once this law was set into place, the entire Order of Dio was hunted and exterminated until none remained, or at the very least driven so far underground that they dare not even insinuate their involvement. As a reminder to those 150 years of darkness, the calendar year was reset to 0A.E. (After Eraclea) on the day that she died to celebrate a new era of hope and freedom.

Geography and Culture
Tel Aruhn – This is the northern most continent with the capital being Veril and the cities of Cormir, Renrir, Swai, and Rurik. Aside from the planes in the center of the continent, most of the body mass is comprised of hilly and mountainous landscaping, thick with lush wilderness. Most of these people follow the Seedist way of life (see below), as such; they typically use alternative methods to provide power to their cities rather than using Essence refineries. Fortunately, the tectonic plate that the continent rests upon is unusually thin, allowing for excellent geothermal activity; so much so, that Tel Aruhn is renowned for its hot springs and vacation resorts. Cities are primarily built with simple materials, such as concrete, masonry, timber, and plaster. Steel and iron are primarily used in larger structures or for reinforcing and tools. Due to the energy required to manufacture large supplies of these materials, they are most commonly imported from Rothmor. The government of Tel Aruhn is an oligarchy in the form of a Senate. The Senate comprised of people who are of important stature and proper education as determined by the Senator whom they had replaced.

Rothmor – This is the southern continent with the capital being Gnisis. Citizens of Rothmor are very industrious and their use of Essence power plants enables their cities to grow rapidly and more densely. This readily available and massive supply of energy allows cities to be scattered throughout the continent no matter the terrain or climate. The continent has a variety of climates ranging from large planes to mountains and marshes. Citizens of Rothmor are more logical in thought as opposed to their more spiritual neighbors to the north. This way of life and dense populations cause an increase in crime rates and political corruption. Rothmor is a democratic nation where the public elects the political leader, his advising staff, and city officials.

Demora – This continent does not appear on any modern map, aside from the ruins of its once great capital, Fyr, and the peaks of its once mighty mountain range. In the beginning of Eraclea’s rule, people were outraged against her lust for power and control. As a result, Eraclea decided to put an end to the opposition with a single demonstration of her power. Within an hour, she had managed to submerge Demora deep below the ocean’s surface. After the chaos settled, its once towering mountain peaks struggled to see even the slightest hint of daylight through the depth of the water. Millions had died within a matter of minutes as the ocean overtook Demora’s lands. Those that were not swallowed by the raging tide were left to starve to death as they floated in the middle of the newly expanded ocean. That was the last day anybody was outright about their opposition against Eraclea. It wasn’t until the next Goddess came into power that the continent was raised closer to the surface of the water and these peaks once again felt air upon its surface, forming a strand of isles with on large land mass where the ruins of a once mighty city still stand. A majority of the continent still remains submerged to this day as a reminder of the destructive potential each Goddess has and a lesson to each successor how their actions have the potential to influence everything on the planet, for better or worse.

Technology
Technology has grown rapidly since Eraclea’s demise. Researchers and scientists have gained a better understanding of Seed and how to refine it into Essence, making it useful for humanity. Since the manufacturing of Essence relies on the existence of a Goddess, other (less efficient) tools and power sources are utilized to save the reserves during times of famine. The result of which means that there are several variations of technology ranging from simple man-powered devices, such as swords and pulleys, to high-tech machines, such as lasers and simple robotics. In large cities, especially those powered by Essence, these contradictions in technology is apparent through the integration of iron or steel with timber or stone in many things (i.e. buildings, roads, etc).

Cultures of Interest
Theria – Therians are the people who follow the religion of Theria. This religion views the Goddess, Saturates, and Essence technology as the defiance of nature’s laws and a perversion of God’s will. Therian extremists have been known to sabotage machinery powered by Essence and assassinate Saturates. Due to the laws set in place by both governments, even the most extreme of zealots will look upon the Goddess with scorn, but make no attempt to cause her harm. Followers of this religion can be found in small groupings throughout Viemera with the largest and most fanatic of which being located in the city of Cormir.

Seedists – Seedism is a personal belief and a way of life rather than a religion. These people look upon the Goddess and Saturates with reverence, but rebuke all forms of technology that uses man-refined Essence. These people see the Goddess and Saturates as guardians of the Seed and maintainers of the planet’s balance and order. Meanwhile, the societies that forcefully draw Seed from the planet and forcefully refine it into Essence are viewed as a threat to the natural balance and are assumed to be draining planet’s life force. This mentality is common among the citizens of Tel Aruhn.

[Loki]

Story Backgrounds

Essence of the Fallen - PCs - NPCs

Essence of Extermination - PCs - NPCs

Essence of Redemption - PCs - NPCs

Essence of Deceit - PCs - NPCs
The year is 624A.E. and it has been six long years of famine. Essence reserves are running dangerously low, but hopes are high now that the planet is showing signs that hint to the next Goddess is coming of age. A majority of the population waits anxiously for her arrival, the several Goddesses following Eraclea had been everything the people of Viemera could hope for and have done well at restoring trust in their lineage. While they resided in their temple, they’ve done great deeds for humanity and strived to maintain order with the world. Despite this, there are still several who are untrusting; they understand that those preceding Goddesses have little to no influence over how the next will turn out and the risk of allowing a corrupted Goddess gaining power is too great.

The threat does not lie within the general population of Viemera, however; an organization has been planning for this day, the day that the new Goddess will come of age. For decades now, they have stuck to the shadows, avoiding every radar and agent that the government had monitoring for The Order of Dio, or any copycat organizations of its kind. All this time, they have been planning their moves and positioning themselves within society to ensure their plans come to fruition while nobody outside of its role were any the wiser to their presence or intentions. Whether they seek power, wealth, or chaos has yet to be revealed, but it is clear that the key to accomplishing their goals lies within the power of the Goddess.

[Loki]

General Necessities

World Map (After Essence of Redemption)

Character Sheet

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[b]Type:[/b] (Summoner, User, Manipulator)
[b]Powers:[/b]
[b]Bio:[/b]


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[Loki]

Essence of Deceit PCs

Name: Loki Aesir
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Weapons: Two single-bladed katars with 12 inch blades each. (Will be obtained within intro post, so experience is lacking initially.)
Appearance:

Spoiler:

Personality: Introverted and soft spoken, only really speaks when he has something important to add to the conversation. Loki is usually hesitant about meeting new people and never opens up to them until they are considered to be a friend. He has a strong sense of moral responsibility and has never been comfortable doing anything that could be considered ‘morally gray.’ Loki always tries to blend in with the group rather than to stand out and be in the public eye. As such, he doesn’t flaunt his abilities; in fact he tries to keep them hidden so as not to be noticed among the common people.
Type: User
Powers: Essence Manipulation
Guardian Wings – Although Loki refers to them as wings, don’t look like typical wings, nor do they provide him the ability of flight. These “wings” are actually eight ribbons of brilliant white Essence that extend from his back along his spine that he is able to manipulate as effortlessly as though they were his arms or legs. Each ribbon is around eight feet in length and three inches wide with no noticeable thickness. These ‘wings’ only illuminate when Loki focuses his energy through them, the amount of focus also determines their physical state. When Loki is unconscious or sleeping, the wings are no longer present. When he isn’t focusing energy through them they are almost invisible, looking similar to the movement of air over a hot surface. While focusing energy through them, Loki can control their illumination and physical state; whether the ribbons are strands of light or are actually able to interact with physical objects; with enough focus, he is able to cause them to burn whatever they touch. Typically, Loki keeps them wrapped around his body under his clothing, not only to keep them hidden from the public, but also to act as a sort of body armor. When in the physical state, each ribbon is as strong as mithral chainmail, preventing almost anything from piercing through. However, when it comes to force dampening, they offer little more protection than a shirt. So deep wounds and cuts are not a major concern for him; heavy bruising, broken bones, and internal bleeding are the most common types of injuries he will suffer.

Wings Aeries – Through the Essence absorbed from wildlife, Loki has gained the ability of flight. By weaving his Guardian Wings together, he is able to form bird-like wings that are pure white with the slightest illumination from them. This ability is still quite new to him and he has yet to get used to more intricate maneuvers, but for the time he is able to sustain flight for a significant amount of time and can even carry light to moderate loads. When in this form, his wings are susceptible to attacks, even energy based ones that his Guardian Wings would be able to absorb. These wings require all of his ribbons of energy, thus removing any protection from his body.

Energy Transfer – Loki also has the ability to transfer energy through objects. Typically, he uses this ability to add a burning edge on his katars or to his punches. He is also capable of overloading things that use Essence as a power source by forcing more energy into the object than it is capable of holding, or vice versa, drain the energy out of the object. In order to transfer energy, he must be physically touching the object and it can’t be too large or require too much energy. Where his “wings” are a natural formation of his ability, transferring energy takes more focus and drains him much more rapidly by comparison. Although, the Essence his body naturally refines is much more pure and potent than they type that is refined by man; the result of which means that it would take less Essence from him to perform the same task as manmade Essence. A drawback to this difference in purity is that absorbing manmade Essence puts a strain on his body as it is processed, making it harder for him to control his abilities until the energy has time to be refined. This process can take anywhere from a few minutes to a day depending on several variables.

Bio:
Loki’s upbringing is typical for the only son of a small town Therian cleric. His father, Janus Aesir, was very strict and almost cold toward Loki; any behavior that fell short of his father’s religious morals was met swiftly with discipline. Loki’s mother, Ahnassi Aesir, was more forgiving and would usually turn a blind eye to any childhood mischief that would have been quickly put to an end if his father became aware. When Loki was 10 years old, Ahnassi was caught committing adultery after she grew tired of Janus’s uptight rule over the household. The scandal spread quickly among the townspeople who were eager to have a juicy story liven up the otherwise dull town. Ahnassi was taken before the town council, which was comprised of highly religious members of the community. Ahnassi and her lover were quickly found guilty of adultery and were publicly humiliated and exiled. Janus had enough pull within the council that he could have prevented Ahnassi’s exile; however fearing for his reputation and his pride, he stood idle. To this day Loki blames his father for banishing his mother and leaving their family in shambles. In light of Janus’s willingness to turn his back on family and without the protection from his mother, Loki became extremely fearful of his father and avoided doing anything that could incite his wrath. From that day forward, Janus’s attitude toward Loki was met with annoyance and neglect for Loki was a reminder of the shame that was brought on the family by his unfaithful wife. Then the day came when Loki turned 16…

When he awoke on the day of his birthday, he noticed there were odd movements around him as though the air was rippling ever so slightly. Deciding that it was just the lingering drowsiness that was playing tricks on him, he went about his day as if it was any other. His father never made an effort to celebrate anything involving Loki and his strict upbringing left Loki with no friends, just a few acquaintances. That afternoon, Loki was wandering through the nearby woods to treat himself to some wild strawberries when he heard a low, menacing growl coming from behind him. Fear paralyzed Loki as he turned around to see the hungry gaze of a mountain lion as it stalked closer. As a reflex, Loki lifted his arms to protect his face once he saw the cat pounce; waiting to feel pain shoot through his body as muscle and teeth made contact, but the pain never came. Curious as to what happened to the preditor; he timidly lowered his arms to see the it suspended in midair by several ribbons of a brilliant light that were stretching from behind him. Loki turned to see the source of these ribbons, only to notice that their movements matched his own. That was when he realized that they were coming from him, which filled Loki with confusion and fear. With these emotions surging through him, he noticed that they grew brighter and that the mountain lion started crying out and thrashing around to try to free itself as the ribbons started to singe hair and burn flesh where they made contact. Struggling to cope with everything that was happening so fast, adrenaline started coursing through Loki’s veins and panic overwhelmed him, causing his entire body to tense. Reacting to Loki’s emotions, the ribbons of light tightened their grip on the feline; then in one quick sudden motion the ribbons pulled in several different directions tearing the cat to shreds. Dropping into a sitting position, Loki began replaying the events that just unfolded trying to make sense of it all as the ribbons of light casually swayed around him. His posture suddenly became very rigid as several of his father’s sermons ran through his memory. Janus has always viewed man’s manipulation of Essence to be heresy, “Men profaning God’s power and stealing the very life force of the planet,” he would always rant, “and Saturates are the physical embodiment of Man’s greed and desire to become Gods themselves.”

It only took him a few hours to learn how to manipulate the transparency of his wings, as he referred to them, thus allowing him to return home without incident. Over the next year, he was able to sneak off into the woods and continue to hone his abilities. At first it was to ensure that he can keep them hidden from everybody, but he quickly embraced his abilities and found all of the new things he was able to do to be entertaining. Janus either suspected nothing was different or just didn’t care, either way, Loki was glad to find time alone. After a few months, he got used to moving them independently from one another, and now they feel as natural moving as though they were his arms and legs. By the time he was 17, Loki had mastered illumination control and had gotten used to allowing them to interact with physical objects. He even discovered that he could focus the energy to his hands, which would scorch anything he touched. This leads us to present day…

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Name: Tsume
Gender: Male
Affiliation: Temple of the Goddess
Age: Mid-30's
Weapon(s): Spear
Appearance:

Spoiler:

Personality: Although he is still a relatively young monk for the Temple of the Goddess, he is quick to assume the leadership position when the need arises. Tsume has a steadfast dedication to his duties as a Monk and will not hesitate to put himself in harm's way to defend the Goddess or perform is obligations.
Type: Summoner
Powers:
Summon Spear – A eight foot long spear that has the typical appearance as of a summoned weapon. The tip is a eight inch long diamond point with a razor edge that makes slashing a viable option. Years of determined training with this weapon makes it seemingly weightless to the user.

Summon Alco – Alco is a golden brown Griffin that is approximately the size of a small horse with enough strength to easily carry Tsume into combat. A recent conflict had destroyed Alco's experienced body and even after hours of meditate, the Griffin has only grown to the size of a full grown Labrador.

Earth Manipulation – Through the sacrifice of nature, Tsume gained Essence from the earth and the ability to manipulate it at will. Although the ability is still new to him, he is able to encase himself in portions of earth that acts as a very strong armor after being reinforced with Essence. Tsume is also able to raise portions of stone from the ground to act as obstacles and barriers, but is yet unable to cause them to cause them to levitate from the ground.

Bio: Tsume appears to have been raised to be a Temple Monk from a young age, learning all the skills and secrets that come with the trade. A plot to abduct the Young Goddess once she came of age had caused the Temple to use all of the resources it has available to find her and bring her safely to the Temple before she can be corrupted by an unknown organization. Tsume is one of the many Monks who had been dispatched through out the continent to complete this objective. Not much else has been revealed of Tsume's distant past as of yet.

[Loki]

Essence of Deceit NPCs

Name: Marinik
Gender: Male
Age: Mid-30’s
Weapon(s): Energy Pistol & Explosives
Appearance:

Type: User
Powers: Wind Control
Air Pressure – This is one of the most common uses of his ability and one he is most skilled with.  Marinik is capable of creating focused pockets of wind to shove people a great distance with an impact similar to being hit in the chest with a club.  On the opposite end of the same ability, he is able to force all of the air out of a localized area, creating a complete vacuum.  Anybody found inside of this vacuum has all of the air pulled out of their lungs as well, causing an effect similar to drowning or suffocation.

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Name: Rayne
Gender: Male
Age: Early 40’s
Weapon(s): ?
Appearance: ?
Type: Manipulator
Powers: Shape Shifter
Assume Form – Rayne is capable of storing up to ten human or animal forms at any given time, as long as they are no larger than twice his size or smaller than half of his size.  Since humanoids are so similar in shape and appearance, Rayne regenerates his Essence supply faster than it is consumed when in a human shape, allowing him to maintain such a form indefinitely.  Other forms consume more Essence to maintain; the more drastic the change the more Essence that is consumed.

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Name: Maeve
Gender: Female
Age: 25
Appearance:

Spoiler:

Weapon(s): 9” long kris
Personality: Maeve comes off as calm and whimsical, though she is also a master at the art of manipulation and seduction.  She is always friendly, cheerful, and passionate to everybody she meets, even if they are complete strangers.  A lot of the time, however, that smile is just a distraction from the dagger that is poised to stab them in the back.  To those that do not know her, she is interesting, appealing, and easily welcomed into one’s company; to those that do know her, she is not to be trusted unless they are sure that they are not targets, and even then it is best to remain cautious.

Type: Manipulator
Powers: Dream Reaver
Induce Slumber – Maeve is able to utilize her will to urge her targets to sleep as long as they are within her line of sight.  It is brutally effective against those who are unaware, having the same effect as those succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning.  Those that are aware of it are able to resist it, but they will still feel fatigued until they either give in or break her concentration.

Influence Dreams – In close proximity, Maeve is able to infiltrate a person’s dream and bend it to her will.  She is able to show them things that they desire and fashion a world around what they crave the most.  Conversely, she is also able to inflict horrors that do not even appear in their worst nightmares and can do so with such intensity that it can rend the target insane.  When combined with her Induce Slumber ability, the target will be unable to wake under their own free will no matter how disturbing the dream.  This ability is also able to be performed from an infinite distance as long as she has a sample of the target’s DNA; be it blood, hair, skin, etc.  Even samples that contain direct elements of the target’s DNA can work, such as that from a parent or child.

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Name: David Smith
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Weapon(s): none
Appearance:


Personality: N/A
Type: User
Powers: Control over water. Can make water do whatever he wants due to it being his sole weapon he is very proficient in his user ability.

Water control – With this ability he can create any shape made out of water and hold it for a short amount of time. He usually creates a column of water to horizontally attack or drop on targets from above them. He can also flood rooms with this ability without flooding the entire building. He can control the amount of pressure the water has and control its density.

Ice control – With this ability he creates water and changes the density to that of ice to create shapes with ice. Usually using spikes of ice to attack targets he can also drop blocks of solid ice on targets or make a shielding wall made entirely out of ice.

Fog control – With this ability he creates water and changes the density to that of water vapor causing a cloud of fog to form. He uses this ability to cover his moves making it harder for people to see him while preparing for the next attack.

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Name: Lord Udonis
Gender: Male
Age: 80 (appears 35)
Appearance:


Weapon(s): None
Personality: ?
Type: Manipulator
Powers:
*Manipulator Ability: Absorb Power
*Power of the Goddess
*Summoner Ability: Vox & Rapier
*Manipulator Ability: Regeneration
*User Ability: Force

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Name: Brycen Rhetori
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Appearance:


Weapon(s): 2 Kukri Blades
Type: Manipulator
Powers:
Cut Space - Brycen is capable of tearing a hole in space, linking two distant places through a single point.  Maintaining the waypoint requires constant effort, without which it would collapse instantly and harshly causing a sort of backlash.  Choosing a distant location requires some sort of foci for him to lock on to, whether it is in the form of recalling the location from a previous visit or tracing a specific person or object he's familiar with.  Anything caught between locations will be severed cleanly where the gate closes upon them.  This ability can become very taxing, the effort required to hold the manipulation grows logarithmically every couple moments.

Loophole - Similar to tearing a hole in space between distant locations; Brycen is able to quickly open two adjacent gateways.  This is a technique Brycen utilizes as a shield, not only to stop something from inflicting harm upon him, but also being able to redirect it back towards the one who attempted to inflict it or to another target of his choosing.

[Loki]

Viemera: Sprite Saga

Background

Rothmor (Rothmorans)
Sprites are elemental spirits (earth, water, fire, wind, metal, and wood) that inhabit all aspects of Viemera. Some are small and cannot be seen, and others are powerful enough to manifest when called upon by their wielders. There also exist "Great Sprites," the most powerful and ancient of these spirits, by which Rothmorans swear and curse. They manifest as geographic formations of great elemental power, such as volcanoes and oceans, and are far more often restrained or provoked than explicitly commanded, and then only by crafters of exceptional strength. Many Rothmorans are unaware of the Great Sprites' actual existence, imagining them to be more mythic than real, but this disbelief is incorrect.

The Rothmoran people at the present day manifest personal sprites in their early childhood or adolescent years, and control them with their minds. They are used to aid them in whatever task undertaken from housework to combat. This sprite-based magic is accomplished in one of two forms. First, an Rothmoran may draw from the strength of their fury to increase their own. For example, earth crafters often draw physical might from the ground, through their sprites, to allow them to lift loads far too heavy for normal people, while wind crafters can increase their speed and metal crafters their endurance. The second form of crafting is to "manifest" a sprite. This involves the sprite taking a visible form, often the shape of an animal, though taking the shape of a human is not unheard of. Manifested sprites are necessary for the most powerful forms of crafting, including flight (wind crafting) and healing (water crafting).

Most Rothmorans display rudimentary ability in all areas of crafting, but are highly skilled in only one or two types. The ruling class and their offspring generally show considerable talent in all areas of crafting well beyond the capabilities of a typical person, indicating that heredity plays some role in crafting. Residents of large cities typically treat furies as generic entities while those in rural areas forge close personal bonds with specific sprites usually tied closely to particular natural landmarks.

Water.......... Earth Wood Fire Air Metal

Used in healing, communicating over large distances, reading emotions, shape shifting, keeping a youthful appearance, and manipulating water; disrupted by fire. Used to gain strength, tracking and hunting, manipulate the earth, calm animals, and inspire lust. A manifest earth fury can attack directly and can carry a crafter across ground as if on a raft. Earthcraft is necessary to travel swiftly on furycrafted roads throughout Alera. Earthcraft is disrupted when contact with the ground is lost. Used in manipulating plants, tracking and for camouflage; used by archers to bend massive bows to allow arrows to fly further and faster, and to increase accuracy of arrows. Also used to instantly create wooden tools. Requires nearby wood or plant matter, living or dead, in order to use. Disrupted by surrounding the user with metal. Used to control firelight to subliminally manipulate passionate feelings such as joy, anger, and fear; used to create and manipulate flames for either constructive or massively destructive purposes; can be used to create cold by extracting heat from an object; manifested fire furies may attack directly; the most powerful firecrafters can create white-hot spheres that vaporize anything within them and sear all objects within a large radius; disrupted by water. Used to fly, control the wind, and to increase speed and agility; Also able to bend air into a lens to see farther or into an echo chamber to allow voice communication without the need for watercrafting, however the effective range is much shorter; strong crafters may be able to bend the air to make objects or people seem invisible; can be used to manipulate the weather, including the creation of lightning. One blind wind crafter was said to be able to "see" by sense the currents of air in the room. Windcraft is disrupted by earth, particularly in the form of salt. Used in sword play heavily as crafters can change the hardness of metal, allowing them to strike with diamond-hard blades. Combat can be totally in the dark as metalcrafters do not need light to sense nearby metal. Shields can also be made more flexible to absorb a greater amount of impact force than normal. Also used in forging weapons and other precise metal objects, and metalcrafters also have dramatically increased pain tolerance and physical endurance. Although they gain speed, accuracy and deadly ability in combat, metalcrafters do not become physically stronger, nor does metalcraft give them skills they have not learned, and they still require metal weapons/armor to make the most of their abilities. The most deadly swordmasters are those who augment their abilities with earth and wind also. Disrupted by wood.

Tel Aruhn (Aruhn)
The Aruhn are a silver-haired, pale-skinned people who reside on a continent connected to Rothmor via a land bridge. The Aruhn appear in many ways to simply be barbaric humans, but their culture and physiology show several key differences, including night vision and exceptional physical abilities. They are an aggressive race who routinely fight one another in small scale conflicts. The Aruhn bind themselves to another creature (such as a Wolf, Herdbane, Gargant, Horse, etc.) and call this creature their Totem (chala), gaining many of the creature's strengths and abilities; for example, the members of the Gargant clan have exceptional strength, while those of the Horse clan are faster than other Aruhn. They are also known for "partaking" in their fallen enemies, where they eat their adversaries (sometimes alive) in combat to gain their strength. It has not been shown whether this actually improves the physical abilities of a Aruhn or is merely superstition.

Their society is based upon several roaming tribes who unify based upon their chala. For example, Aruhn who have a wolf as their totem will naturally be part of the Wolf Clan, even if they were born from a differing clan. Bonding with a totem has more to do with personality than anything else; it is a link established once an Aruhn and animal of very similar personalities make eye contact. Once the bond has been made, there is nothing that can break it; not that either party would want to. It brings about it a deep sense of brotherhood between them, as though they had been born twins and established a close relationship since birth. They are as closer than their direct family members from that instant on. Those who don't understand their culture, specifically the Rothmorans, tend to skew it as a more "physically intimate" relationship, which is not the case.

It is common for tribes to have open conflict with one another. Though it is an act of proving their collective power (and by extension, authority), which stops once it has been determined. Very rarely do the conflicts actually progress to full extermination of the weaker clan. Each clan follows their own clanmaster, whom in turn follows the headmaster. The headmaster is the leader of the clan who has proven themselves superior than the others by trial either in a dual between headmasters or between the two clans as a whole.

They all follow a spiritual path that believes that everything is an important part of the whole. To summarize it as the circle of life is a gross under appreciation of this belief when it actually encompasses much more than the food cycle. It also incorporates the rolls each part, no matter how mundane, is part of the purpose of being that is just as crucial to the whole. It is this belief that inspires their disputes (which are settled by a trial between the conflicting pair) to be fought before "The One", or at high noon where the Sun can overlook the disagreement. It is a common misconception from outsiders that the Aruhn worship the Sun as their God when in actuality the Sun serves as a representative for the whole as an ambassador would for their respective nation.



Fyr (Furians)
The Furians are dark-haired, bronzed-skinned people who reside in the wastern-most continent. Little is known about them, except that they have a caste-like social hierarchy, are susceptible to political in-fighting, and are absolutely fierce warriors. There are several ranges (nations) upon Fyr that act independently from one another and often dispute in open conflicts. Most contact with the Furians is through Furian raids along the west coast of Rothmor. They are capable of some form of sorcery, which is fueled by the blood of living (or formerly living) intelligent beings.

* The warrior caste consists of the elite warriors. These professional soldiers are just that; their sole role in society is to hone their deadly arts. They are taller and stronger than the other castes and much more disciplined. As a result, they also take their honor very seriously and will not hesitate to fight to the death to defend it. They are issued military standard armor and weapons.

* The Maker caste is the farmers, the crafters of the Furian population. They are not very disciplined and pose a threat because of their numbers and sheer Furian strength. They are just as willing to go to battle as their warrior counterparts; though they are less skilled, they still have a decisive advantage in raw power over any single Rothmoran fighter. It is this caste whom the others seek for approval, which ultimately gives the most respected caste the closest thing to ruling authority. For without them, society as a whole could crumble since they are relied upon for the goods that sustains their nation.

* The Ritualist caste are the Furian spellcasters. They gain their power from the blood of intelligent creatures. Their abilities are precious to the Maker caste though their ability to heal injuries, cure disease, enrich harvests, bless family lines, among countless other roles. Furthermore, their magic can be used in more aggressive techniques that rival powerful Rothmoran crafters without being limited to specific elements. By extension, they are viewed upon as spiritual leaders by the Maker caste and usually have favor over the Warrior caste. As a result of the great benefits they could bring with their abilities, they typically exchange their services for claim over the blood of the individual seeking their aid. It is a contract where the Ritualist has the right to take any quantity of the individual's blood at any time, even if it would mean the individual's death. For that reason, the Warrior caste (who is almost always at ends with the Ritualist caste) would more often allow themselves to succumb to their wounds in the glory of battle than to be healed by Ritualist sorcery only to be bled out where they would find no honor in their death.

* The Hunters are the spies, scouts, and assassins of the Furians. They use short black lengths of chain, small javelins, and iron bars for throwing. These light weapons allow the hunters to sneak up on people. Unlike the other castes, they have no overt authority, remaining as pure covert operatives. They are considered to already be dead, having received their blood song (Furian form of last rites) when they became hunters. This belief not only makes them absolutely deadly, but it also allows them to disregard the concept of honor that inhibits the Warrior caste's actions.

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Story Backgrounds

Sprites of a New World - PCs - NPCs
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Sprites of the Conquest - PCs - NPCs

Sprites of the Forgotten - PCs - NPCs
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Sprites of a New World PCs

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Sprites of a New World NPCs

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