eikoopmitJoin Date: 2012-10-10
Post Count: 3499 |
Table of Contents
1) Storyline
2) City of Dorthol
3) Kingdom of Tarthel
4) Arcane Order of the Green Tower
5) Moonshooter Tribe
6) Other Factions of Importance
7) Races
8) Magical Creatures
9) Deities
10) Languages
11) Important NPCs
12) Rules and Guidelines
13) CS
14) Admins and Credits
1) Storyline (1
Seven days ago, a guard and a priest from a nearby town came to the city, saying that several thousand Hobgoblins of tribe Moonshooter marched into their town, destroying everything and anyone in sight. They barely escaped with their lives, and they said that they think that the city of Dorthol is one of the next targets of the army.
Six days ago, the guard died of the injuries that he accumulated saving their town from destruction.
Five days ago, King Tnorr II of the kingdom of Tarthel, sent a message saying that he'd be there in three days, with an army to assist you. He is two days late, and people are fearing the worst.
Four days ago, a member of the Arcane Order of the Green Tower appeared in the dining chamber. He says that several thousand Hobgoblins destroyed the Green Tower, and that he is one of the only survivors - although he is sure that the wizards dealt damage to the Hobgoblin's numbers, he fears that the city will fall. He arrived with two of his apprentices, one of whom was put into a coma.
Three days ago, the apprentice that was in a coma, named Alorith, awoke, saying that he had a prophetic dream of the future. He said that the destruction of the city would come soon and swiftly, and that even if help did arrive, it wouldn't be enough.
Two days ago, some of the cities scouts reported that the Hobgoblin army is in fact real, and seems to be not only slaughtering, but also taking prisoners. He's not so sure, but he thought he saw Tnorr's face amongst the slaves...
Yesterday, small Hobgoblin raiding parties were spotted razing farmland. The cities scouts say that these are likely just the front lines of their assault, and that we should prepare for the worst.
At dawn today, the guard's shift was doubled. Five thousand Rathen, two thousand Dwarves, a thousand Humans and five-hundred Elves arrived - King Tnorr's army.
At midday today, everyone from all the outlying settlements were brought inside of the city walls for protection, and General Grilt, a Rathen soldier in charge of the legion that came of the Tarthel army - said that he fears that even his own intervention would not be able to help the city, if the Green Tower fell to the Moonshooter Tribe.
At early afternoon today, four more Wizard's apprentices from the Arcane Order of the Green Tower entered the city, two of them bloodied severely. Both of the bloodied apprentices died within the hour.
An hour ago, the city guard atop the walls spotted the raiding parties in the distance. Every able-bodied person were mobilized, and the five remaining Arcanists from the Arcane Order of the Green Tower prepared themselves for the onslaught.
Just now, the first sword was drawn, and the Siege of Dorthol began.
2) City of Dorthol (2
Dorthol is a city founded towards the beginning of the old empire of Ghoril, roughly seven hundred years ago. It was built on the western slopes of Hawksnest Mountain as a small watchtower to defend against raiders, but within twenty years of its founding, silver was found in the mountain and it grew into a small city. It quickly became apparent that the city needed walls, due to its value, and so King Fedovel III of Ghoril quickly commissioned walls to be built around the city. However, he ran into a problem - He couldn't fully wall the city without chipping away at the mountain slope. And so he used the mountain to build shelters and storage, and a way out in case of an attack.
During those years, the city became populated by Humans, Dwarves and Rathen, along with some Elves who chose to forsake the nearby forest to live in a more civilized land, and, eventually, a small population of Half-Elves.
After its first hundred years in existence, Dorthol outgrew its purpose as an outpost in case of war, and the military left, going on to more harsh borderlands. A criminal underground comprised of three main gangs started to rise, then, as there was no military to prevent it. And thus a city guard was formed to make Dorthol a safer place, and they quickly succeeded in defeating the criminal gangs.
Life went on as normal for the next three hundred years after that, until Ghoril started to collapse. And thus the city was left on its own, aside from the city guard. Most nearby towns and cities collapsed during the Deathstriker War, the war where the Deathstriker Cult actively attempted to destroy the empire. It took a little while for Dorthol and the neighboring region to realize what was manipulating them into war, as it did all over the world, but in and around Dorthol it wasn't too late. Already seven able city-states and two "Kingdoms" arose, although most of the land was wilderness from then on.
When Dorthol became its own city-state, it quickly decided to forge alliances with nearby factions. They were unable to rejoin into one large Kingdom, unfortunately, due to the fact that they lacked the resources to do so, and because the town and city lords were indecisive about who the king would be.
And so the entire region continued on with trade, albeit a little less than before the Deathstriker War. Several trading routes went out of commission, has could be expected.
The only significant war (Other than the current war) that was fought since then was the Tarthel/Lehtrat civil war, in which the kingdom of Tarthel broke into two. The only action that Dorthol took to determine the outcome of the war was by blocking all Dorthol-Lehtrat trade.
Nowadays, the races of Humans, Dwarves, Rathen, Elves and Half-Elves are still really the only races that one would expect to find in the entire region, especially Dorthol. Occasionally a far-off traveler of another race would pass by, but that rarely happens.
The upper of Dorthol is really just the Council of Seven, a few trade guilds and a miner’s guild, although the guilds to accommodate lower-class people that aren't the guildmasters. Most people in the city have a place to stay, although most of the people that are generally seen in the city actually live in the surrounding farms and villages.
3) Kingdom of Tarthel (3
The Kingdom of Tarthel was originally founded as the Duchy of Tarthel a hundred years after Dorthol was established. It covered the land of ten small towns, and the Dukes of Tarthel ruled wisely. The land was hardly ever a borderland country, and so it was quickly turned into a go-between for traders. Its towns were walled, of course, for just in case of the event of an enemy being powerful enough to push through the rest of Ghoril.
The Silver Road, which ran through Tarthel, became an important trade route during the latter part of Ghoril’s reign. In fact, the majority of trade not just in Tarthel, but also in the surrounding region, was based around the Silver Road.
After the Deathstriker War, Tarthel managed to remain in good condition, being one of the only former parts of the empire to remain whole. They changed their lord’s title from “Duke” to “King”, due to the fact that it is now a Kingdom.
Trade managed to survive on the Silver Road after the war, although after a hundred years, something else came up that ended trade once again – The rebels that are calling themselves the Kingdom of Lehtrat. A four-year war ensued, but to no avail, for the rebels managed to take three cities – For that’s what the small towns grew into - as their own. Border skirmishes between Tarthel and Lehtrat continued for a time, but after about a decade they too quelled down.
Modern Tarthel is primarily comprised of Rathen and Humans, although it has a high population of Elves in one of their cities as well. Their government is comprised of a council in each city which elects a representive for the high council, which must have a majority vote to second the King’s actions before any big changes can be made. There is a King, of course, who rules kindly and fairly. The rest of the upper class is comprised of Guildmasters and minor lords who rule over parts of the city.
4) Arcane Order of the Green Tower (4
The Arcane Order of the Green Tower was formed over a thousand years ago for unknown purposes. They have sealed their oldest histories in the top floors of their tower, so only what is known about them from after the empire of Ghoril came to the area around them is known.
The Arcane Order of the Green Tower decided not to become part of the empire of Ghoril, and so a battle was fought outside of the Tower. Ghoril, even with its superior numbers and few magic-users, managed to be forced into signing a treaty that states that the Arcane Order of the Green Tower will be a separate entity than the empire, but will be able to request the aid of the Arcane Order if need be.
And so the Arcane Order of the Green Tower continued their studies, studying both history and Arcanism. And then came the time when the Empire called upon the favor that was owed. It was the early days of the Deathstriker War, and still people didn’t fully realize what was going on to cause the civil-wars. The Arcane Order of the Green Tower quickly saw the hand of the cult in this, and decided to spread the word to everyone.
However, they were too late. They barely managed to save this region from destroying itself, and by the time word got around the world – Likely other organizations came to this conclusion individually of the Arcane Order, else it would’ve taken longer for word to get around – the empire was gone, leaving behind several fledgling city-states and kingdoms.
And so the Order just continued its studies. They inadvertently caused the Lehtrat war when they found out about a slave-trading operation that some noblemen of Tarthel were participating in, but the Order didn’t really participate that much in the war.
The current structure of the Arcane Order of the Green Tower is one wizard and four apprentices being the only ones left alive, but five days ago was a different story entirely.
Five days ago, the Arcane Order was led by an elected Green Archmage, a lifetime position, elected by the democratically selected Green Council of Seven. The Green Archmage also chooses the Guard Captain – the only member of the Tower Guard that knows magic - , the Head Librarian and the Keeper of Secrets. The first two of those positions are easy to understand, and not much is known about the Keeper of Secrets job other than by the Council of Seven, the Archmage, the Head Librarian, the Guard Captain and the Keeper of Secrets himself.
Then below them are the wizards, who are allowed to train anywhere between none and four apprentices. And then there are apprentices, the learner wizards who tend to be children, trained from young. To become an apprentice, one must only be fit, healthy and literate. To become a wizard, one must be of age, and have passed the test.
The Wizard who survived was a member of the Council of Seven, and is afraid at what might’ve happened if “The Keeper’s Secret has been found”.
5) Moonshooter Tribe (5
The Moonshooter Tribe is a hobgoblin tribe that in recent years has grown tremendously. Their origins can be traced to a tribe of hobgoblins that entered the region shortly after the Deathstriker War. The tribe split into three, and those three grew into fully fledged tribes of their own. One of the tribes is the Moonshooter Tribe.
The Moonshooter Tribe warred with the other tribes, as would be expected, and occasionally raided villages. Their number tended to be anywhere between five and seven hundred. However, ever since the Lehtrat War, when the thirteen (Not all were descended from that same tribe) Hobgoblin tribes in the area joined together to raid merchant caravans on the Tarthel side of the Silver Road, they’ve been growing in number.
It is unknown as to how or why the Moonshooter Tribe grew to the state that it is currently in, but most theories say that the modern “Moonshooter Tribe” is actually just a collection of several tribes united under one leader. Another theory says that the Moonshooter Tribe has always been this large, and they were just waiting for the time to strike. A third story points in the direction of the Arcane Order of the Green Tower, saying that it might have something to do with whatever the Keeper of Secrets guards. And the last popular idea is that they’re being led by an independent force of some kind, just puppets.
Whatever the reason may be, one thing is certain – The Moonshooter Tribe has grown in strength, and intends to destroy – or capture – the city of Dorthol.
6) Other Factions of Importance (6
Although the factions already mentioned are going to be the focus of this RP, there are others that exist in this part of the world that may make an appearance or come up in conversation later.
The Kingdom of Lehtrat is believed to be an ally of the Moonshooter Tribe, although as of yet there is no solid evidence. This faction is also historically important because of the Lehtrat War.
The Bloodknife Tribe is another tribe of Hobgoblins, previously the strongest, that often warred with the Moonshooter Tribe. It is unknown as to what side they are taking in this war.
The city-state of Rokij is the next along the line that the Moonshooters are going along. It is unknown if they will be the next target, but they donated a hundred of their guard to join into Grilt’s army for the war.
The city-state of Vilon, located two day’s ride south of this RP has historically been aggressive towards Dorthol. It is unknown as to whether they are taking a side in this.
The kingdom of Brelor, comprised of three cities and several towns and villages, is currently at war with the city-state of Nillis.
The city-state of Nillis is a common trading partner with Rokij, and is currently at war with the kingdom of Brelor.
All the deities have churches, which act as factions of their own.
The Miner’s Guild is a guild of miners, based in Dorthol.
The Dortholian Merchant’s Guild, the Merchant’s Guild of Nillis and the Vilonian Guild are all merchant’s guilds that are big competitors. It is whispered that the Vilonian Guild is the real source of power behind the city-state of Vilon.
The Deathstriker Cult was the cult responsible for the Deathstriker War. It is unknown if they are still around, or if this cult to N’Lok, god of manipulation and treachery, was wiped out at the end of the war.
The Fire-Dragon Irinix lives inside of a mountain that is part of the Fireblood Mountain-Range, which makes up the north-eastern border of Tarthel. It is rumored that he has the Embersteel Tribe of Hobgoblins under his command.
7) Races (7
There are more races in the world of Arloth than those presented in this RP, although the ones prominent in the region (and in this RP especially) will be described here.
Humans are one of the most adaptable and versatile races, although they are also rather short lived, rarely exceeding seventy years in age. In spite of them being short lived compared to the other races, they seem to be the most abundant race in the world, from known knowledge, with humans being the primary race and rulers of Ghoril. They seem to be the most motivated to do things with their lives, however short they may be.
Elves, ever so slightly taller than Humans, can easily be mistaken for their shorter lived kin at first glance. In fact, one of the most significant visual differences between Humans and Elves is the pointed ears, and those can be covered by hair. However, one thing that can't be hidden easily is the Elves' completely monotone eyes, which have surprisingly better vision than Humans. Elves' eyes often fall in with lighter blues and greens, although there are exceptions, and their hair is frequently golden or silver. Elves also often wear their hair long, and many live in towns in forests, trying to be one with nature. Indeed, their ideology is that of nature, putting them naturally out of place within the walls of cities. That said, they are not pacifists nor vegetarians; indeed, Elves are excellent bowmen and hunters, although, unlike most races, they know when to stop hunting and allow nature to thrive. They typically live for up to five hundred years, not visibly aging after reaching maturity until just three or four decades before their death.
Dwarves stand much shorter than Humans, with sturdy, muscular builds. Dwarves always grow beards and never cut them short, but they do often style their beards. Dwarven hair comes in the same colours as human hair. Dwarves frequently live in cities underground or built into mountains, with an uncanny sense to see well in the dark and a sixth sense that acts somewhat as a compass, but instead of pointing north, they can simply feel which direction home is in and how far they are. Dwarves are renowned for their mining and smithing, and among the common races of the world, they are the best smiths. They often live for up to two hundred years, sometimes reaching two hundred and fifty years of age (although the oldest recorded Dwarf was three hundred and eleven).
Half-Elves are the offspring of Humans and Elves. They are rarely ever a true breeding race, with the majority of them having one human and one elf parent rather than two half-elves. There is no generalized rule for what constitutes a half-elf, as it seems to be mostly a rather haphazard combination of the two races, although there are a few things that they always have in common. First, their ears are often somewhere between the shape of a human's ear and the pointedness of an Elf's. Second, their life expectancy is always between 120 and 150, with their ages 20-60 not aging that much (akin to Elves) but after that they begin aging similarly to humans. Third, their eyes are always the same as a Human's eyes rather than an Elf's eyes.
Rathen are taller than Elves, with no hair growing on the tops of their heads. They have anywhere between ash-grey and a light grey skin, although darker colors are more common. They have no ears, instead, they have three parallel lines going along their cheekline. These lines glow a bright red, and are often used to help see in the dark. They live for about 60 years on average, and aren’t very common in the world – although they are common in this part of the world.
Goblins are small, thin green creatures that covet gold and other gems. They're about the same height as a Dwarf, although much thinner. They aren’t common in this part of the world, although there are some in some mountains in the region. They tend to be tribal, and live for only 40 years at most.
Hobgoblins are slightly shorter than humans, with skin that ranges from crimson through the oranges to a colour that can nearly be described as yellow. They are often muscular, although that is typically due to the fact that their basic lifestyle is that of a hunter-gatherer rather than raw nature, meaning that they very obviously get their exercise daily. While it outwardly seems that Hobgoblin culture is one of bloodshed and violence, this isn't the case, although not many people are learned enough to know this. Hobgoblins are very tribal and aggressive, and are nomadic, rarely ever having permanent settlements. They sometimes raid human villages, mostly during off farming seasons where it's either too hot or too dry for the plants to flourish. Many think that this is due to maliciousness, but those who think about it or talk to Hobgoblins quickly realize that it is instead due to not enough game to hunt. They also sometimes take prisoners of war for amounts of time dependent on their religious observations, enslaving them until, say, the next full moon during a solstice. They rarely exceed 30 years in age, although this due to violence and warfare and not natural causes, as Hobgoblins have been known to outlive humans, living up to a hundred.
8) Magical Creatures (8
In this region of the world, the only magical creatures are Worgs and Dragons, and even then there’s only one Dragon. However, I will still give as good a description of these creatures as I can.
Dragons are large, reptilian beasts, with some known to be as large as one hundred and fifty feet in length from head to tail, although most barely reach a third of that size. They come in multiple different colours and shapes, dependent on everything from the element which they control to their altitude. Dragons are mostly the stuff of legends, as they are notorious for being able to hibernate for up to millennia, and very little research has been done on their lifespan due to the fact that they simply outlive just about everything else.
Worgs are a special breed of wolves who have been infused with Arcane magic, leading to numerous side effects. One of the more notable side effects is their size, as they are around the same size as a large horse, and can indeed be tamed as mounts if one is good enough (and Hobgoblins often do just that). Another side effect, and the main reason why the 'civilized' races breed horses instead of Worgs, is that they are more aggressive, and typically prefer the flesh of sentient creatures rather than that of deer and other common game. They have sharper teeth than normal wolves do, allowing them to pierce armour made from animal hides with relative ease (and although they can bite through plate armour, it can break their jaws or teeth, so they typically prefer not to). Their grey fur is thicker than that of an ordinary wolf, allowing them to be active well into winter, and their inch-thick skin allows them to take hits with relative ease.
9) Deities (9
As with Races and Magical Creatures, the deities and exarchs in the world are too numerous to name. However, I will tell you those that are of relevance to this RP and this region.
Thraw is the god of wolves, loyalty and honor. He is a god prominently worshipped in Tarthel.
Alzhudrin is the god of bloodshed and violence. It's a common misconception that he's the primary god worshipped by the Hobgoblins; Hobgoblins have some morals as well. However, while he's not primarily worshipped by the Hobgoblins, their soldiers often pray to him before going into combat.
Alsoris is the god of the Sun, and a prominent god in most cities and civilizations that aren’t entirely devoted to a specific deity.
Kliron is the god of silver, and the patron god of silversmiths and silver miners. As could be imagined, he is a prominent god in Dorthol.
N’Lok is the god of manipulation and treachery. Most civilized societies ban his worship, although he does have some cults here and there. The Deathstriker Cult was one such cult, and they managed to go so far through their master’s commands that they destroyed an entire empire.
Lucinis is the goddess of the wilderness and of trees. She is worshipped amongst most Elven communities.
10) Languages (10
Although there are many dozens of languages in the world, only a few are spoken in this region of the world.
Ghoril is the most commonly spoken language in the world, popularized by the human empire with its name. Most people in the world know how to speak at least rudimentary Ghoril, with people in Dorthol frequently speaking it fluently. It is sometimes referred to as the "language of commerce" or the "tongue of commerce" due to its frequent use as an arbiter language for merchants. It uses the Ghorillian alphabet.
Rathis is a language primarily spoken by Rathen. It is not a very common language overall in the world, although due to the population of Rathen in this region of the world, it is frequently spoken in Dorthol, Tarthel, Lehtrat and the rest of the Tarthellian Vale. It is characterized by having few words in a sentence, but the words being long, oftentimes with up to eight syllables, and a heavy usage of the letters "o" (as in "cot"), "u" (as in "up"), "s" and "t". Those that speak the language or that are good at paying attention may notice that the stress is always on the second and sixth syllables in a word. It uses the Ghorillian alphabet.
Davek is a language of the Dwarves. It is the Dwarves second most common language in the world, although it is the primary Dwarven language in this region. Davek is characterized by its frequent use of the sounds "k" and "d" and lack of the sounds "w", "s", "r" and "sh". It uses multiple single-syllable prefixes attached to words instead of adjectives and adverbs used separately. Most "base words" in Davek are two syllables with the primary stress on the second syllable and the secondary stress on the first. It uses the Dwarven alphabet.
Dwahrol is another language of the Dwarves, being the most common Dwarven language in the world, although not used as much in this region of the world as it is in others. Dwahrol is characterized by frequent usage of "th", "t", "b" and "n" sounds with less emphasis on "s", "sh", "k", "w" and "p" as compared to most other languages. It should be noted that it is the only Dwarven language that doesn't make large use of the "k" sound. Dwahrol rarely, if ever, uses adjectives (or adjectival prefixes), instead making excessive use of similes, metaphors and other things of the sort, and the fact that there's always three or six syllables in a word and a number of words in a sentence divisible by three. It uses the Dwarven alphabet.
Alris is an extremely minor dialect of a much larger Elven language, Qenor, although it is the one spoken by the Elves of this region of the world. It is characterized by its words being between three and four syllables and the fact that regular speaking in this language sounds like singing. Indeed, tone of voice and pitch are part of the basis of the language, meaning that if you speak in a lower pitch your words could mean something completely different than in a higher pitch. As such, most non-Elves don't speak Alris, and those that do are typically bards (additionally, some of the best bards have been known to practice their art by speaking in Alris). The letters used more frequently are the "fluid" or "liquid" sounds, including "l", "s", "sh" and, to a somewhat lesser degree, "r" and "z", with a higher-than-normal number of vowels-per-words as compared to other languages. It uses the Elven script.
Hoblis is the language of the Hobgoblins. It has been described as being more "primitive" than most other languages, and can in fact be considered to be the polar opposite of Alris. It always has simple one-syllable words, using more "hard" sounds such as "k" and "p", and with minimal vowels. It is an exclusively spoken language.
11) Important NPCs (11
This is a list of all NPCs that have been mentioned, along with some others that are important to the area. I will be playing as these characters due to the fact that I have a rough idea as to what I want to do with these characters and where I want their arcs to go.
Gelikor Sovenex is a priest of Thraw, and the sole survivor of the destruction of his town.
King Tnorr Tarthel II is the king of the kingdom of Tarthel, and he arranged for two legions of his armies to come to help battle the Hobgoblins. The city's scouts currently believe that he is the prisoner of the Hobgoblins.
Hareth of the Arcane Order of the Green Tower is a member of the Council of the Green Tower, and the only surviving member at that.
Alorith of the Arcane Order of the Green Tower is an apprentice that went into a coma and had a disturbing prophetic dream.
Vomisil of the Arcane Order of the Green Tower is an apprentice that survived the destruction of the Green Tower, and went with his master, Hareth, to Dorthol.
General Grilt is a Rathen general in charge of a legion of Tnorr’s army.
Harisor of the Arcane Order of the Green Tower is an apprentice that survived the destruction of the Green Tower.
Blorikils of the Arcane Order of the Green Tower is an apprentice that survived the destruction of the Green Tower.
Vomis Oronet is the Dwarven lord in charge of the city of Dorthol.
An unknown Hobgoblin warchief of the Moonshooter Tribe leads an army against Dorthol.
12) Rules and Guidelines (12
1. Standard roleplay rules apply (i.e. No being overpowered, no metagaming, etc.).
2. I control everything aside from the PCs. You control just the PCs.
3. No PC Arcanism in this. The only magic accessible by PCs is divine magic, and that’s only if they’re priests – and the magic will likely come in small amounts as well.
4. No being a Goblin or a Hobgoblin. I listed them as Races because I know Hobgoblins will make an appearance, and Goblins are just good creatures to compare Hobgoblins to.
5. Most people know only their first language and one other language, at most. I need a good bio if you’re to explain why he knows multiple languages, as well.
6. You can have as many characters as you can keep track of efficiently. All CSes must be of good quality to be accepted.
7. In Friends and Family, I'll want more than just some names. I'll want a sentence or two on each parent and other family members that the character is close with, as well as close friends. Aside from that, feel free to simply say something along the lines of "he has three uncles and an aunt" without being too specific - If the details aren't important immediately, I'll want to be able to fill them in when and if I need to so as to make subplots more interesting.
13) CS (13
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race:
Appearance:
Clothing:
Languages:
Occupation:
Friends and Family:
Bio:
Other:
14) Admins and Credits (14
Timpookie - Spending eight-ish hours writing all of this and then spending about four-ish hours rereading and rewriting parts of it for the repost. |