Welcome to Gaia! ::

The world:
Magic is the name of the game here, folks. Generally regarded as the greatest tool and weapon in existence, everyone uses at least some magic, from small children playing pranks to smithies forging powerful weapons. There is little technology, and the finest crafted items are made by means of artistically and masterfully employed magic or physical effort, not mechanization. Trains and automobiles are non-existent, but there are portal hubs called Movers in major cities,(Use is free) and some of the very rich are known to have magically propelled carriages.(Usually horse-drawn, or perhaps some more interesting creature) Curriculum in schools includes basic teaching of magic and the writing of minor scrolls, and as a result the population of the world generally tends to be highly literate concerning magic. Those that have actually put effort into researching such things have found more knowledge than any single mind should hold, and more power than any vessel should carry.

Peoples:
There are three races of people upon the world of Korinth. They are all the same species, yes, but they each have their own areas of skill, or at least a good balance of skills.

Ullari:
Those of the southeastern continent have skin that is dark, and their bodies have a natural endurance and strength that surpasses those of other continents. For a long time, they were only tribes that depended on their shaman’s rock magics, and for that reason, partly, they have little exposure to other types. rock magic is about all they are usually capable of, depending on the strength of their connection to nature(which exists to some extent in all). To this day, the Ullari seem a bit primitive - though they are by no means barbarians – and to find a true school or university in Ullari society is a rare occurrence, and they prefer to learn everything for themselves – including the sometimes miraculous weapon-making they can achieve.
Summarized –
Focus : Physical Prowess and weapon-making
Flaw : Little education/magic power. Limited to rock magic (Unless you can give me a /really/ good story for it.)

Maaran:
Those of the southwest continent have skin of bronze, and their minds are naturally refined and sharp. The Maaran culture is one of study and learning, they are driven by intense curiosity, and this has led them to have the greatest number of schools and the most compound knowledge of any nation. However, with all their years of sitting and writing, the Maarans have passed on their physical weakness, and now very few indeed are capable of non-magical combat. Curriculum in Maaran schools includes the teaching of basic magic and the writing of minor scrolls, and as a result the population generally tends to be highly literate, especially concerning magic. Those that have actually put effort into researching such things have found more knowledge than any single mind should hold, and more power than any one vessel should carry.
Summarized –
Focus : Mental/magical prowess, knowledge
Flaw : Little physical strength

Tarin:
Upon the northern continent reside those of light skin, the Tarin. These people are the balance between the two extreme races of the Maaran and the Ullari, with their minds being sharper than those of the Ullari, though not touching that of most Maarab. A highly educated Tarin might be able to hold an intelligent conversation with one of the Maaran people, but half of his knowledge would have to be consumed in simply learning the complexity of their language. On the other hand, Tarin are physically superior to the Maaran people, while their strength pales in comparison to that of the Ullari. In trained for his entire lifetime, a Tarin might be able to fight on par with an Ullari, but such a thing is rare, and an Ullari of any real strength could defeat even the best trained of Tarin. No, the strength of the Tarin resides in balance and adaptation, using everything available to them in conjunction, that it will all conglomerate together and create a seamless being of strength and magical prowess. The schooling system of the Tarin only goes so far, it teaches them enough of the magical arts to get them through – or rather, inspires them to learn more alone, for those who enjoy the knowledge can go on to be scholars and magical researchers – but moreso they are expected to balance magic with their physical abilities to simply get through daily life.
Summarized –
Focus: None (Adaptation?)
Flaw: None (Openness?)

The Art of Magic:
Spells are very personal things, created by the specific imagination, personality, and force of the caster. There are no ‘standard spells’, though many do serve the same purpose, simply manifesting themselves in different ways. Frequently the art of a spell or a set of spells is passed down like a family heirloom, but even then such spells vary a bit depending on the caster. Magic is a greatly different thing for every individual, and therefore it is truly an art, which must be developed over time and through experience.

Despite the vast differences in spells and their personal link to the caster, it is possible to place most spells under broad categories, known as Grades of Magic. The most commonly known and used grades are the Elemental Grades; those which have a direct effect on natural things or use these things in their casting. While the less educated believe the Elemental Grades to only be Fire, Water, Wind, and Rock, those who truly care usually learn of the lesser know Elemental Grades, such as Ice, Shadows, and Soil. The vast majority of spells can be classified as Elemental, but when the artist begins to delve deeper into the Art; they learn the Abstract Grades. These Grades tend to be both much more enigmatic, (and much more powerful) than the Elemental. Examples of Abstract Grades would be Fear, Love, Hatred, Spirit, and Summon. (As a note, the Grades are not limited to what I have stated, for either Elemental or Abstract.) Be aware, the Abstract Grades are very infrequently used, and most spells your character knows will definitely be of the Elemental Grades (though you can mix and match between the elemental types). Usually Abstract Grades will only come into play for either extremely focused and powerful NPCs, or under very dire circumstances for player characters. (Such as getting help from spirits while hanging from the edge of a cliff, so you don’t quite die.)

Character submission:
Okay, in order to submit a character, you must fill out the form that I am providing below. PM them to me. No posting them in the thread, or I’ll have your head. (Or just delete the post, whichever is more convenient)
Some important things to note about characters: race is important, it affects both your magical and your physical abilities, so if you’re going to be the super-all-powerful mage, don’t be and idiot and pick Ullari, because I will not let things like using non-rock magic slide. Your character has a problem, okay? I really don’t like it when people just assume their character is pretty much impossible to defeat. And please, make the flaw something that actually comes up, and then make sure it is always in your roleplaying – it bothers me when say, someone that should be blind, seems to have perfect senses anyway. It just doesn’t work, okay?
I guess that is it. Oh, yeah. Use your Common Sense! (Oh, and read what is in the parenthesis, there are details.)


Character Name: (This is just too obvious to explain.)
Gaian Name: (Just as obvious as above.)
Race: (Ullari, Maaran, or Tarin. Nothing else. Maybe a half-breed.)
Grade focus: (If Ullari, it’s rock. If Maaran, it can be any Elemental Grade. If Tarin, it can be any of the major Elemental Grades.)
Vocation: (Job of your character. Not hard, just try to fit into the society of your race.)
Spells and descriptions: (The majority of your spells must be classified under your Grade Focus. An Ullari starts with three spells, only rock type allowed. A Maaran starts with fifteen spells, which can be of any Elemental Grade, and is allowed one Abstract Spell, but it counts as five regular spells. A Tarin begins with eight spells, which can be of any Elemental Grade, but a spell from one of the lesser-known grades counts as two regular spells.)
Appearance: (Wearing? Hair? Eyes? Demeanor? I care about this. Oh, again, try to fit race.)
History: (No super-powerful generals or anything, please, but basically it would be a good idea to explain what drives you.)



Questions are welcome! (Just mark them as OOC at least, or PM them to me. (They fit well with character sheets.) )

Before you ask, yes, there is more, but I don’t quite have that yet. I will, I promise. (I also promise to be as fair as I can, for the record.)

[ Message temporarily off-line ]

"Ralen! Ralen!!!" A young boy ran through the streets, he could not have been any more than thirteen, and his high voice carried through the streets as he sought his master. "Ralen!!!" With a jerking motion, he fell to the ground after colliding headlong into someone's stomach. He looked up from the dust with a big smile. "Ralen, Lord Orul calls for you."
A big hand separated itself from the folds of the robe and cupped the boy's sandy hair. Ralen's deep rumbling voice echoed out from under the hood. "Thank you, Loram. I will go to him now."

Later that evening, after the sun had set...

Ralen smashed the door behind him and stalked out into the cold night air, his scholarly robes and flowing hair billowing behind him like a phoenix tail. Curses, this could not be happening. Gods, how could this be happening?
It didn't take Ralen, boat-master, very long to reach the harbor. He stopped to speak briefly with one of the ship captains, then moved on to speak to the keeper of the harbor. Crap, it was true. Six deaths on consecutive nights, bones crushed, but they were also dissected, like science projects. It wasn't so much the serial killing that bothered Ralen, it was the matter of who was doing it. Only an Ullari could crush someones bones the way these peoples' had been, but they would never dissect them like this, they had great respect for the deaths of warriors - and they didn't know anatomy well enough to do it this perfectly and precisely. Shoot, Ralen himself didn't even understand half the stuff going on in human bodies, and neither did any other Tarin that he knew of. Usually they just left that sort of thing to the Maaran, and that was the other problem. An Ullari could've crushed the bones, and a Maaran could have dissected the victims like they had, but this... well, it couldn't be the work of a Tarin, for no Tarin could pulverize bone or dissect others alive. So that led Ralen to believe that it had to be a pair of people, an Ullari and a Maaran together, and that would be absolute hell for international relations. His curse floats out from his lips and he heads off to see what can be done.

Maaran nation, two days earlier

The examiner was close to vomiting. He had never seen evidence of such pain in a single invidual before. The poor Maaran had been directing a small fishing vessel when he had been clubbed, then all evidences showed that he had been dragged off and tortured, then left to rot back where he had been first assaulted. Horrifyingly, every bone in this poor man's body had been crushed, pulverized as if sent through a Maaran bone-grinder to be made fertilizer for plants.. but they had not been stripped clean of meat first. Residual nervous signals indicated that the victim had been perfectly aware during the entire excruciating process, and then the attacker had cut into him, carved out all of his organs with a precision rivaling the Maarans' greatest surgeons - but all that time they had kept the victim aware of the pain, awake enough that they could have asked him what it felt like and he would have the clarity of mind to answer, if he could stop screaming long enough.
Oh, Inaari's mind blanched at the very thought of it, and he wanted to punch something with his fragile fist. The conclusion was immediate - it could not be a Maaran, for they could never perform such an atrocity on their own people, and it could not be Tarin, they could not have crushed the bones, but it could not have been the Ullari, either, for they could never have managed to separate the man's organs so cleanly. So it was back to the option of it being a Maaran, and Inaari wanted to throw up.

Ullari nation, two days previous

These cuts were too clean, and evil. Perhaps Uton could have been defeated in battle... perhaps, but that did not explain the cuts. They were not the slashes of swords nor the thrusts of knives, they were.. they looked something like the stitches that the Maarans could make, but could they have done such evil? Uton was a good man...

i wanna join wait,no i don't,...wait...wha!?? gonk