Tsuvryen : The Gifted Lands
In the beginning, there were Five High Gods- Oresia, the God of Creation; Ventus, God of the Air and the Skies; Xesae, Goddess of the Fires and Battle; Lysunia, Goddess of Water and Beauty; and Pharos, God of Earth and Nature. These Five High Gods shaped the planet of Tsuvryen to Their desires, making it a paradise with landscapes as varied as the cosmos itself. There were oceans, mountains, deserts, tundra- everything needed to suit Their needs- and They were pleased. Finally, Oresia filled the world with lifeforms of all shapes and sizes. But They knew there were other worlds- worlds that were not under Their jurisdiction. So they formed a guardian- the Ryuusenkai, a creature who could take the form of its choosing, depending on the situation. They gifted the being with 1/3 of their powers, as well as the Wisdom to know how to use them. The Ryuusenkai took these gifts with humility, giving its word to follow the Gods’ design and lead their world to the best of his abilities.
The Gods then gave their creatures a choice- to live blissfully ignorant, or have the ability to learn. Most of their creations chose to exist in the harmonious bliss. However, some decided otherwise, and chose knowledge, thus obtaining sentience: the Humans, one of the races who stood upright, and the first species given the choice; the Celtrites, small pixies, also humanoid in appearance, but with the wings of a butterfly; the Valgrents, a species of rock-hard cavern-dwellers with two legs and four arms; and quite a number more.
The Humans were beings of curiosity, always searching for more knowledge, for ways to surpass those before them, and for ways to increase their intelligence. In this search for knowledge, it is said they came across the mighty Ryuusenkai and the Five High Gods, and they fell to their knees in awe, knowing They contained all of the knowledge that they desired. The Humans asked the High Ones many questions, all of which were graciously answered. Using this information, the Humans spread the Word of the Almighty throughout the world.
The High Gods, pleased with Their fulfilled world, decided they wanted nothing more than to be apart of it. So, they rid themselves of their physical forms and became the very elements they controlled. The High God Oresia, however, rose high into the sky, disappearing from the physical plane all together- perhaps to watch from the Heavens.
The Humans had begun to question the Guardian before long- about the miracles it produced, and the magics it could use. To create something from nothing- such abilities were easily envied. The Ryuusenkai contemplated this- what harm could these pure beings do with the powers of the Gods? With this in mind, the Ryuusenkai gave the Humans, as well as all creatures, the power to do miracles- magic. The Ryuusenkai had made his first mistake, for he had not taken into account the dark tendencies of mortals- greed, lust, envy.
Most of the sentient creatures stayed true to the Guardian’s teachings, using their power only to help others and not themselves. However, some enjoyed their new power too much. Using this power for their own selfish purposes, they sought control, ignoring the Ryuusenkai’s teachings. They began to enslave the weaker of their kind, starting wars and using the once-beautiful Northwestern Continent as their homelands, corrupting the lands and making it into what it is today- Desolatus Inferni. This, of course, angered the Ryuusenkai. That they would use their gifts for corruption would only draw the attention of the Darkness, the thing it was created to divert. As retribution, the Ryuusenkai, Tsuvryen’s Guardian, banished the Tainted Humans to a hellish realm known only as Fuvorya- the Realm of Affliction.
After this event, The Guardian disappeared into the sands of time hiding away so that perhaps it wouldn’t make another dreadful mistake. Many centuries passed, filled mostly with peace, though of course true peace can never be accomplished if one is to keep free will. However, even this semi-peace would not last forever. Slowly, the Fuvoryans began to tear between the realm boundaries, using their connection to Desolatus Inferni to return to the world of Tsuvryen. During their time in Fuvorya, they had become tainted, corrupted by its forces- afflicted with the Fuvoryan Scourge. With dreadful powers, they laid waste to all before them, bringing another war to the entire world of Tsuvyren- the Fuvoryan War.
The Fuvoryans had raised an entire army, made of an assortment of demons and dark creatures. No race alone was a match for the dreaded Fuvoryan Army. In the end, it seemed hopeless. Within mere months, the Fuvoryans had conquered half the world. Abandoned, the beings of Tsuvryen did the only thing they could do to survive- they united. Each race had fallen alone, but together they hoped to shove back the assaulting Fuvoryans- back to the hellish realm that they had been damned to.
The War raged for months; months soon turned to years, and it wasn’t long before half a decade had passed. However, despite this time, the Tsuvryen Races were winning- they were pushing back the dark forces. By the end of the fifth year, they had managed to push the Fuvoryans back to their dreaded continent of Desolatus Inferni. However, the Fuvoryans began a dark ritual- they were attempting to re-open the rift to the Realm of Affliction, to summon more of their brethren.
Despite their attempts to stop the dark ritual, the Scourge-Bound succeeded, tearing a hole into their world once again, this time even larger than before. All seemed lost now for the united races of the planet- until a bright light obliterated the rift from above. In awe, they looked to the source- and there was the Ryuusenkai. As Tsuvryen's stability had been thrown into catastrophe due to the Guardian’s own past mistake, it had pleaded with the High Gods for Their wisdom. If it had intervened and made another mistake, Their Eden would have fallen into even more chaos. However, they approved, and sent him forth- he would once again be the Guardian of Tsuvryen.
With the Ryuusenkai back at their side, the Tsuvryen People cheered, their morale sky-rocketing as assaulted their enemies. Surely, the battle would be theirs; it seemed, however, that the once-fallen Dark Gods had other plans. A rift once more opened, and from it came an ominous creature- the Fuvoryan equivalent of the Ryuusenkai, proclaimed the Harbinger of Torment. The Guardians clashed endlessly, the mortals below doing the same. The lands were stricken, destroyed, torn asunder by the immense powers of the land- it seemed to be an endless fight.
It was only by intervention of the High Gods that things were brought to an end. Worried about the eternal stalemate that seemed to be in effect, the High Gods put into place seals around Desolatus Inferni- the continent was so wrought to ruin that it had been forsaken even by the Gods that had created it. The war was over: though the Fuvoryans remained upon Tsuvryen, the Ryuusenkai and the seals of the High Gods would protect them from the Scourge-Bound.
Corruption, however, can come in many forms...
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The world seems to be a mix of medieval and modern technologies; the world as it is known is called Tsuvryen. There are five major continents, all separated by the great world’s ocean: Ulodia, Valerat, Sinkyoto, Desolatus Inferni, and Tri’vvelry. There is myth of a fabled sixth continent, lost in the mists and rough seas 'within the center', but such a center has yet to be found.
Ulodia is a truly wild continent, untouched by the hands of civilization. It is covered in flora, ranging from temperate woods to torrential rainforests; it makes for the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of sub-sentient species and beasts alike. Throughout this continent run an infinite amount of unnamed rivers that fill into a dozen more unnamed lakes, or they stretch from coast to coast like a spider’s web. Few have dared traverse these lands to map it- none have returned successful.
Then there is Valerat (pronounced Vah-leh-rah), a paradise of a continent. It is massive and surrounded by perfect beaches, filled with great plains, forests- even a small desert- it is perfect for civilization to prosper. And so it has, as it is the most heavily populated by sentient life out of every continent. A hub for all sentient species, led by a Parliament composed of three houses: the House of One, through which a single person (elected by the people) is considered ‘King’/’Queen’ for his/her life or until rebuked of the title; the House of Many, filled with a number of people from each species, the number of each depending on its population out of the total census; and the House of Wisdom, in which three Elders from each sentient species resides. Anything that is run through these houses must get two out of the three Houses to pass it. It has a capital city (Haloras), and many other towns and villages scattered about.
Sinkyoto was the less-fortunate of the developing continents; located far to the north, it was devoid of all but the most adaptable beings. The lands are covered in frozen, desert like regions with small oases given life by nearby hot springs. This land is governed by an empire, and only one known species makes its homes here: the Xelryoku, a race of oddly-darkskinned humanoid beings with much naturally larger builds (a 'small' male is 6'2 with 180 lbs of muscle) with great psionic potential determined by the number of points in their odd irises. They follow old traditions with extreme zealotry, looking down upon any technological advancements with scorn and only respecting those who follow their similar ideals. They're known to worship both the High Gods and the Dark Gods, and are extensive practitioners of martial arts.
Desolatus Inferni is a forsaken place, cursed still by the ancient wars of the Dark Arts. Its land has been torn asunder, rent until it was utterly useless for sustaining normal lifeforms. It is a mostly desert region, filled with dark violet sands, mountains of onyx and brimstone, and destroyed temples to the dark deities. Storms of chaotic energies still rampage across the landscape, reminding all travelers that there is still pent up evil in these lands. Even the very seas surrounding this continent are cursed and considered impassable, filled with destructive sea creatures and unpredictable currents.
Finally, the Elvrian continent of Tri'vvelry is a mystical land of plains and scattered magical forests and mountains, the tops permanently frozen with snow. This land, however beautiful, has conflict, and has had such conflict since before humans first made contact with this land. The Elvrian tribes, though unified under the banner of Tri’vvelry, have had civil ‘disputes’ over the true leaders. Currently, the leading faction is the Zelt’avv tribe, who have dominated for the past half-century. However, Elven or not, this is the land any person would come to if seeking harmony with nature or training in the Druidic arts.
