It's still a huge work in progress.... But sure I'll post what I have here.
Be warned, this is a long one.
Characters:
Epithes Alamaire- Lead Protagonist. Lives in Athrendale.
Kor Alamaire- Lead antagonist. Lives in Athrendale.
Alnerath Alamaire- Kor's Son.
Som Hieron- Grandmaster of the Dragon temple/ Caretaker of artifacts. Lives in Athrendale.
Eleanor (Ella) Coravarte- Heir to the Coravarte Line, Epithes love interest.
Catherine Gyraw- Love interest to Kor.
Alyssa Coravarte- Younger sister to Ella.
Emmin Coravarte- Warden of the elvish realm. Father to Ella.
Rantomaru Alaysian- Mercenary (Ultimately bad).
Moraion- Varinchellan Church Leader.
Ekleneth- Elder of Dark
Sulvi- Elder of Light
Tiaom Ghaldu- Mercenary (Ultimately good)
Loet Nezis- Battle Mage (Ultimately Bad)
Amal Syndrake- Battle Mage (Ultimately Good)
Alexandier- Drake under human guise (Balances line between Good and bad but ultimately good).
Krod- Half-Orc Thief who uses cunning to care for his family (Ultimately Good).
Amadeus Le Rosham- Bard with a penchant for dramatics (ultimately good)
Sigmund Tenne- Fighter, former captain of the guard. Sided with Varinchella (Ultimately Bad)
“The Admiral”- Mysterious youth who runs a naval operation in the south, loyalties unknown (Ultimately good)
Ulfang The Black- Orc working with Varinchella, highly intelligent but with a furious rage. Not aligned with orc host
Jo- Shell of the Water Elder, blind and eccentric. Highly powerful mage
Schtan ‘Mountain’- Shell of the Fire Elder, Giant man, slightly slow and mellow, Highly powerful swordsman
Ezekiel- Shopkeep who has a wealth of knowledge on a wide range of topics. Very excitable and has a lazy eye
World: Amthyria; Amthians
Countries:
Athrendale- Neutral Territory
Vivaci- Affinity for Fire
Gylar- Affinity for Wind
Ydra- Affinity for Water
Duirn- Affinity for Earth
Jraz- Affinity for Light
Phylact- Affinity for Dark
Elemental Affinities and their respective Elder/Deity:
Aether: non corporeal being, an essence that flows through everything
Fire- Thaniros, Sigil is an ornate and immense hammer
Water- Kirsythne, Sigil is an ornate lance(trident maybe)
Earth- Gsoir, Sigil is
Wind- Bur'sel, Sigil is bow of great beauty
Light- Sulvi, Sigil is a Sword with a dragon carved face in hilt
Dark- Ekleneth, Sigil is a golden gemstone
Caretakers:
Som- Temple of the Six Dragons
Moraion- Varinchella
Initial Conflict:
-Ekleneth subverts Gsoir and uses the shell to create Moraion and then creates the Varinchella to perform his will
-With no counter to Bur'sel, Sulvi seals him and uses his shell to create Som
-Moraion becomes the leader and caretaker for the Varinchella
-Som Becomes the caretaker of knowledge for the Elders
-In order to avoid more disaster Thaniros and Kirsythne seal each other away
-Their Shells are lost to the annals of time, or so it is thought
-Final battle between Sulvi and Ekleneth leaves them both sealed
-While this battle is taking place the world around them begins to experience more pronounced natural events (Tornados, Earthquakes, etc..)
Result of Conflict:
-The world is no longer in perfect harmony, it fluctuates between the elements, strength ebbing and flowing between them in unpredictable cycles
-The once contiguous landmass is broken apart by unyielding natural events
-The first peoples are thrown asunder and forced to adapt to their new lands
-New races emerge after thousands of years of adapting
-Each race is imbued with the element from their lands
-Some areas are imbued with parts of two elements, creating hybrid cousins to races
-Religions spring up devoted to the elements, the aether and various self-created ideas
Races: Humans, Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, Drakes, Forest Folk, goblins, trolls, giants, etc...
Arothen- (Human) Hearty, Rugged, Brash, Valiant, Joyful, Good with Crafting, Blacksmiths and armorers Mountainous
Cagat- (Elves) Agile, Lanky, introverted, skittish, distrusting, Lean, Reactive Deep Forest
Ryben- (Dwarves) Humble, Passionate, Dutiful, Friendly Plains/Agriculture
Xagen- (Dwarves) Crass, Lewd, Introvert Mining culture
Kechat- (Humans) Lean-Overweight, Calculating, Xenophobic, Unappreciative of wealth, covet wealth, desire to be important, social order and classes predominant here Plains
Sihan- (Human) Lean and muscled, Calculating, Cool, Intelligent, Tacticians, Master Shipbuilders, Friendly but slow to warm to outsiders Waterways
Vyzat- (Elves) Tall, Strong, adept diplomats, join cultures throughout the realms, knowledge seekers and collectors Nomadic
Points of interest(Temples, Cities, highways used, etc...):
-Cavern of tenebrous death, prison for the worst sorts
-Cathedral of Broken Worlds, Varinchella headquarters
-Tower of the Wyrm Tyrant, seat of power for drakes
-Habrycg, Capital of the Mountain Dwarves
-Dreadwood Vale, nomadic Forest folk gather here
-Tower of Broken Worlds, Attempted forwards operating station for Varinchella
-Orwirion The Throne of the Gods, Scarred landscape rumored to be the battleground of a gigantic war of the heavens. Marked by a single hill with life, surroundings barren.
-Temple Of Eternal Night, Temple for those who worship Ekleneth (NON VARINCHELLA SIMPLY WORSHIP THE CHIEF DEITY OF COUNTRY)
-Hastov City of Grace, Coastal tropical city with booming market and economy. Shipbuilders test their worth here.
-Poisoned Weald, wooded area populated by Orcs, Goblins and other creatures of Varinchellan control/experimentation.
-Rockport, Extremely merchant oriented city. Huge sprawling bazaar where anything can be found. Various races and cultures mingle here, specializing in minerals and hard to come by items. Lucrative black market calls it home.
-Temple Of The Six Dragons, the home of Epithes and Kor. Som is the grandmaster, this is an academy on the fringe of the world and teaches all styles and forms of fighting as well as extensive histories.
-Hoeg Arden Vale, Community that rests between mountain homes of Dwarves and the Forest homes of Elves. High tension, high conflict area. Elves conserve, Dwarves destroy.
Map:
Magic:
Physical- Most common and revolves around people performing feats of strength and endurance. They cannot actively use magic but they are gifted when it comes to anything that requires fitness.
Arcane- Uncommon and revolves around people able to manipulate their own life energy into spells and produce magical effects. These people are less physical in nature and their bodies are slightly emaciated from their use of magic.
Combination- Exceedingly rare and is a combination of both Physical and Arcane. Only a few cases of these people have ever been documented and they have held extreme power. The original Six Dragons were all of this type and since those times it is debated that there has never been so many people of that type in one place.
Free Magic- Roams earth as remnants of the original days of Aether. It is Old and very powerful, it feels allegiance to no one and generally keeps to itself. However, it will attack if it feels threatened. some documented cases of malevolent and benevolent entities.
Timeline(Rough):
0-630 Those Who Came Before Lived among the Aether
630-3548 Those Who Came Before lived under the Elders
3548-7243 Worlds shifted apart into what we have today
7243 Murder of Epithes and Kor’s parents, relocation to live with Som at Dragon Temple
7255 Kor discovers clues to the location of Artifacts
7256 Kor and Epithes Find Artifacts
7257 Kor Leaves Dragon Temple
7258 Epithes Leaves Dragon Temple
7265 Kor murders wife, succumbs to Ekleneth and joins the Varinchella
7265 Kor blames Epithes for what has happened and makes a point to rid himself of his brother. Before he can kill Epithes, he has a moment of lucidity which gives his brother enough time to escape. Issues a warning that next time he might not be able to subdue himself.
7268 Epithes is hiding out in remote locations of the realm. The Varinchella taken the world by storm
Working History:
In the beginning there was only the Aether. It existed as a shapeless and formless entity encompassing all things that were and that ever would be. Knowledge, Life, Death, and even Magic all have their roots within the confines of the Aether. Wherever the Aether flowed, it left creation and change in its wake, slowly taming the world into something much more malleable. In those first days when the world was still in its infancy, beings that we simply refer to as Those Who Came Before found their way into the world and called it home. Elves, Dwarves and Humans dotted this perennial landscape forming the first cultures and civilizations of our history. While we call these ancient beings by modern day names, Elves, Dwarves and Human; they were as different from what we know today as you can possibly imagine. Even the landscape they lived in would be foreign to us; instead of the seas and oceans we all know, they lived on a single supercontinent. You see, through the millennia global catastrophe has rocked the planet causing it’s landscapes to shift dramatically from those first moments of life. If you were to take a map and study the shape of what these primordial peoples lived on you would come to find that the landmasses that we live on today, with some slight tinkering, match up near perfectly to this ancient supercontinent.
Those Who Came Before lived in perfect harmony and peace under the Aether. They devoted their lives to the pursuit of knowledge and towards the cultivation of community. It truly was a magnificent time to be alive; culture and science and wellbeing all blossomed to form great civilizations that were free from the vices of our modern world. Each distinct race worked towards common goals, factioned together for the betterment of all. For hundreds of years Those Who Came Before thrived without conflict, without anything to disrupt their well established order. They harnessed the power of the Aether and created massive monuments that can still be seen in the world today. Their power and their knowledge was truly a wonder that we shall most likely never see in the world again. It is said that every facet of their lives were in some way touched by their connection to the Aether, from the mundane to the extraordinary, they were at one with the forces of the world. Completely and utterly in balance with life.
Like all good things though, their existence was not to last. As much as the Aether is strong it is as equally unpredictable. Without warning nor cause, the Aether simply fractured itself off into pieces creating physical deities to watch over the world it had created. One deity was created for every aspect of The Aether: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, and Dark. Each deity was given it’s own realm to govern and all 6 were to collectively rule and keep the planet’s balance. In the process of creating these separated realms, it had a changing effect on the world itself. Each realm began to take on more and more traits of it’s elemental overseer. The bellies of mountains rumbled with lava, rivers overfilled with excess, the earth itself rumbled with discontent. Yet, everything held together and worked as one. Balance was kept. The Elders were in control.
For three thousand years the Elders ruled justly over their provinces. The realms of the world carried on as if nothing had happened, their world still at the same peaceful balance it as had been at. While the races did begin to drift apart and settle into their respective realms, there were no overshadowing wars to speak of. It was an extenuation of the peaceful years seen under the Aether, the only difference being that now the races began to adapt to new environments. Without cataclysm forcing their hands to a realm, each individual was free to go where they pleased. The old civilizations fell and new more expansive ones took their place. Varied economies sprung up, people began to specialise depending on where they were. The mountains gave way to extensive mining and craftsmanship of the earthly materials it harbored. The coastal cities gave birth to bustling meccas of commerce and shipbuilding. The plains harvested animals and the woods around them. While the races no longer worked in unison to achieve goals, they still worked together in order to accomplish their lifes works.
Peaceful coexistence reigned supreme for a millennia, creating the foundation for our modern world. Yet though there was prosperity and happiness, not all were happy with the status quo of tradition. Believing that without strife and without adversity the culture and progression of the world would stagnate into nothingness, the elder for the realm of darkness, Ekleneth, began to veer from his path of balance. Hiding his intentions away from the Council of Elders, he spent hundreds of years studying the intricacies of magic until finally he had his plan. It was treason but he would have to depose one of his fellow Elders in order for his plan to work. [NOTE: EXPLAIN SIGILS AT SOME POINT] Luring the elder for the earth realm away from the prying eyes of the council, Ekleneth sealed him away within his [INSERT SIGIL HERE]. In doing this he merely separated the Elders consciousness and powers away from a shell of a body. Ekleneth took this newfound power of Earth and crafted the shell into something that would follow his footsteps. In that instant the caretaker Moraion was created. He was no Elder but he held knowledge of the Aether and of Magic and the intricacies that weaved through the world. To further his plan along, Ekleneth created a new realm within his own. He created an order that would do his bidding, act as his agents without him having to directly be involved. He named his second creation the Varinchella.
Suddenly the precious balance of the world was in shatters, no longer did the elements compliment and counterpoint each other in perfect unison. Immediately upon the sealing of Earth, Wind began to rage uncontrollably across the world. Huge gale force winds tore through unsuspecting populations. Tornadoes uprooted the earth and storms the likes of which had never been seen raged across the continent. The Elder of wind did his best to reign in his realm, to calm the storms that raged but without the counterpoint of earth, he was left without a muzzle. Not fully knowing what was going on the Elder of light went to investigate what was happening. He called a council meeting immediately to address the situation. When Earth did not appear for the meeting they correctly guessed that something terrible had happened. With no other choices, the Elder of light sealed away the Elder of Wind in order to calm the storms and bring an uneasy and fluctuating balance to Earth and Wind. Upon doing this he too was left with a shell of the former elder, having foresight he created a caretaker for the Elders. In case anything were to happen to the rest of the council there was someone who had the knowledge to ensure the world would live on.
Years passed and the Elders lived on edge, suspicious of one another and terrified that something like this could happen to them. In time they rationalized it to the workings of the Aether. It was easy to blame, easy to avoid discovering a more bitter explanation. During these years they saw evil creep into the world. A new order, The Varinchella made its presence known to the world and it was nothing like the peaceful inhabitants the world had known to this point. Horrible creations born of discontent and upheaval to the natural order of things. They stormed the peaceful civilizations and brought war to the doorsteps of every being that objected to unceremonious deaths. Abominations such as Trolls and Goblins and all manner of dark spawned creatures fueled the war machine that was The Varinchella, catching all of the civilized world unprepared and it was quickly apparent that the Varinchella were winning.
The Elders did all that they could to reign in the world, being that their purpose was to maintain order and balance. But at every turn it seemed as if the Varinchella were a threat that the races of Man, Elf and Dwarf would have to extinguish. Believing that whatever created the varinchella would soon come back for them, The Elders of Fire and Water agreed to seal themselves away in order to prevent the enemy from getting a hold of their powers as well, and to prevent subjecting the world to the tumultuous effects of imbalance between them should even one of them fall. [CREATE STORY POINT FOR WHAT HAPPENS TO THEIR SIGILS AND THEIR SHELLS]
With only Light and Darkness left in the world, it seemed clear that the Elders had failed their duty to the world. While the races had united and begun to reclaim some of their lands, the bloodshed was far from over. Huge battlefields of countless bodies streaked the continent and left the earth scorched and rivers running black. Slowly, the Elder of light began to piece together what was really going on. He attributed the rise of Moraion directly to the fall of the Earth Elder and so that must have been what caused the initial unbalance. But what had enough power to depose one of the Council. It hit him at that moment. Everything fell into place and he knew that it was Ekleneth. He did not want to believe it at first, but it fit. He had distanced himself from the council and that had been the start of everything. Sulvi had to take him down before Ekleneth took down the whole world.
Before he departed, Sulvi left Som with all of his knowledge in the hopes that he would take the role of caretaker for the world. When Sulvi finally arrived to face Ekleneth, he was surprised to see the Elder waiting for him. Ekleneth had secluded himself, leaving Moraion to take care of the expansion of the Varinchella. During this time Ekleneth probed the untamed chaos that was the Aether in order to find a solution to his Elder problems. Though he could hardly grasp and comprehend the complex intricacies that intertwined into the untamed weave of magic, Ekleneth found something that he felt would tip the scales in his favor. Having Sulvi right where he wanted him, Ekleneth immobilized and trapped the Elder. Ekleneth then tried to reason with Sulvi, explaining his reasoning and motives for his actions. Without adversity and without obstacles for people to overcome, the world stagnates. If the world does not have to overcome and adapt then culture and knowledge have no reason to expand and grow. Thus, by introducing adversity into the world we are helping it grow.
Without surprise, Sulvi refused to join Ekleneth and broke free from his bonds. Before Sulvi could connect with a single blow, Ekleneth used his new Aether fueled power. The attack cracked through the air and struck Sulvi squarely in the chest. The attack completely enveloped Sulvi and broke him into a shell of his former self. His physical body was completely obliterated and his mind was shell shocked into a near catatonic state. In a moment, Ekleneth had become victorious. A smile cracked his lips and a laugh echoed through the air as he exclaimed to himself that he had actually done it. However, though Ekleneth was able to wield the Aether fueled power, he was unable to comprehend and understand the consequences of his actions. Before Ekleneth could collect the essentially sealed Sulvi, he began to turn to stone. Then suddenly, his entire body imploded leaving only a shining golden gem in its wake. While Ekleneth had defeated Sulvi and left him with consciousness, Ekleneth had been left to sit and stew; he was now a being of seething rage and he could do nothing about it.
With the Elders no longer keeping the forces of nature in check, the world began to shift and tear at itself. Each element began fighting for supremacy and the world was cast into a period of great uncertainty. This cataclysmic event tore apart cultures and communities resulting in fractured civilizations and casting the Dwarves, Elves and Men far and wide. For thousands of years the world existed in this tumultuous manner, shaping Those Who Came Before into the races we know today. They adapted to their new environments, adopted the elements of their realm. From this grew the religion of the Elders. Six countries were formed, distinct in their cultures and ideals, all worshipping a chief deity, all aligned with an element that defined them.
In the wake of the destruction of both Sulvi and Ekleneth it was left to Som and Moraion to finish the conflict. Though the Elders were gone, their impact was far from over. Som knew that he had to end the advancing armies of the Varinchella and that he could not do it alone. He disguised himself and joined the coalition of armies that fought against the Varinchellan hoard. He was able to rise through the ranks quickly, using his vast power and knowledge to help even the odds against the cold and calculated movements orchestrated by Moraion. In his efforts, Som formed a group with the five strongest members of the resistance that he could find and together they were able to finally repel the Varinchella. This group became known as the Six Dragons, each coming to represent separate paths and ideals that eventually became associated with the Elder religion itself. After finally pushing the Varinchella back into the shadowlands, Som disappeared into history in order to keep an eye on the world and protect its balance. Whenever a power grew and threatened to rob the world of its peace, he would emerge from obscurity and lead a cause to victory, his various namesakes scrawled through the annals of history.
