Welcome to Gaia! ::

The Shadow of Elkari
The last empire has fallen, and the world has been bathed in the shadow of evil. The war left much of the world in control of the creatures of the night. Hope seems to have abandoned the world of Rellan. And the necromancer Phantus sits in rulership of the world from the eternal night city of Elkari.

As anyone would expect the once free peoples of Rellan have not given up hope. Many are the havens which protect rebels. Many is the eye waiting and watching for a moment to strike, or a hero to put their beliefs in. Will you be that hope? Or simply another martyr to die needlessly against the darkness. The people need a champion, and their time is running out.



The known world of Rellan is divided into three continents. One, Akhor, takes up the entire northern expanse of the globe from the icy northern reaches to the tropical see of Hedramar. Across the sea to the southwest is the continent of Vendis a dangerous place of deadly swamps and impassible jungle. To the east of there lies the smaller continent of Reth. This place is the both the seat of Elkari and the greatest source of opposition and hope. The landscape ranges from the deserts along the northern shores, to the alpine mountains and forests of the southern half of the continent. On Akhor the settlements of the civilized world are great fortresses against the creatures of the night, plus far worse. Though each one is controlled by the minions of the necromancer they have little hope of winning their renewed freedom without the help of their neighbors. Unfortunately the roads are not safe and their neighbors are hard pressed with their own problems. The northern continent is made up of grand plains and majestic mountains. It is said that somewhere in these empty lands lies the throne of the dragons, and the lairs of much greater dangers as well. The cities of Vendis are rich and powerful. The ruins of ancient cultures far more advanced than anything in existence today provide both danger, and opportunity. All three continents are under Phantus fist, each of them looking to overthrow the tyrant in their own way.

Of the races trying to survive in this ruined world, the humans are the most numerous. They once controlled three great empires of their own. The Rumathans ruled over most of northern Reth. They were a dark skinned people who built beautiful cities and temples to honor their gods, and incredible tombs to honor their kings. They were a people raised for war, and architecture. The people of Vendis were equally decadent, though their riches and power came from the earth. Extensive mines and academies of study filled their jungles. The Zekel ruled the plains of Akhor with democracy and chivalry. Their horses were prized beyond any jewel or precious metal. Within the swamps and denser jungles of Vendis lived the secretive and suspicious Sa?ak. Lizard men or snake people; possessing two legs and four arms each. Their culture was built around honor and a druidic symbiosis with nature. In the temperate mountains of southern Akhor lived the winged angel like race of Alerians. They were gentle lovers of art and music as well as fine craftsmanship. Far to the north near the lands of eternal winter lived the Hengyokai; protected from the elements by their natural fur, and their gift of shape changing. They were breeders, and trainers of animals. The Elves and the Drakir have long since left these lands, though it is believed that some may have stayed behind to watch over the other races. Lastly no one has seen so much as a beard hair from the Dwarves since the war began. They chose to weather this as they always have, by locking themselves in their mountain cities till it is safe to trade with the outside world once again.



Races
Humans: Humans are the norm, not the average. We are smart, adaptable, and diverse.
Rumathans: Basically a combination Arabian and Egyptian culture. They live in the desert and once were ruled by a long dynasty of charismatic and powerful sorcerer pharaohs. They are accustomed to the harsh deserts, and their vast open air cities have no defense against the armies of the undead. As a people they are generally lean and dark skinned. Their bodies are well able to go without food, water, or rest for extended periods of time. They are trained warriors but are generally not as mentally adaptable as their foreign kin.
Vendis: The vendis are based on Aztec/Mayan culture combined with eastern cultures like Siam and China. They live in the vast jungles and produce many learned artificers and guerrilla warriors. As a people they are strong and independent. They were the last of the free peoples to be enslaved.
Zekel: The Zekel are a sturdy race of skilled horsemen and noble knights. They?ve forged a home for themselves on the inhospitable plains of the northern continents. Their cities are almost always isolated, but well defended and very large. However their isolationism was their downfall. Many of them did not even know there was a war until the armies of the dead were at their gates.

Sa?ak, (Snake Folk): The Sa?ak are a tribal culture with a proud history and close mystical ties to nature. Their agility and six limbed dexterity have always served them well in combat. They are fast and lithe with keen senses and sharp aim. They value honor, art, and skill at the hunt above all else.

Alerians: These people are the rulers of the air and the high mountains. Their culture has always been peaceful and they do not bother their neighbors. They strive for personal enlightenment through art, music and crafts. In their lofty cities they practice both the arts of the mind, and priestly devotion. Whenever they?ve become involved in the wars of the lower races they have acted as healers, and mediators. Under the rule of the necromancer they have become sad, and dejected, easily falling into despair at the suffering they see now all around them.

Hengyokai: The skin changers of the icy north are often misunderstood. They themselves are nomadic and also divided into many tribes. They have a tribal council which governs their entire people but many of them have been cast into exile; some for the tendencies of their very breeds. There are five breeds of Hengyokai, all with a furred humanoid form and also one or more ?hybrid? forms. The Wolren closely take after wolves and dogs. They are the leaders of the tribes. The Tigryn are warriors resembling all forms of hunter cats. The Avien are bird like yet wise and often gifted with magic. The Kitsune are like the fox, small but cunning and crafty. Often looked down upon they still serve their people with laughter and wit. Lastly are the exiled Hyenjin; brutal warriors and cruel hunters. They do not get along even with their own kind.

Dwarves: The dwarves are noble warriors, unrivalled craftsmen, and long lived traders. They have always been wary of outsiders and rarely let non-dwarves into their vast underground cities. Their lack of any sort of magic is made up for by their advanced understanding of technology. It is rumored that they can even destroy a solid face of rock with nothing more than a bit of black sand.

Elves: The elves were old long before the other races came to power. For a long time they watched and nurtured the younger races but eventually left to unexplored shores. They are wise and immortal, caring and powerful, but their presence is rarely felt, and never confirmed. In appearance they are slightly shorter than humans, but thin and graceful with fair skin and delicately pointed ears.

Drakir: The once great and powerful Drakir were a rival to the immortal elves. Thy too possessed unlimited life spans, but where the elves were powerful in the mind, the Drakir were strong in body. They resembled hybrid humanoid dragons, with rocklike scales and powerful jaws and claws. They were also very advanced, conquering the land, caverns, skies and sea with the might of their weapons, and the skill of their warriors. Eventually they fought the elves to a standstill and shortly after both races left for unknown places.





Bio Profile
In this RP I?ve decided to use a slightly more sophisticated style for character profiles. Meaning we will be rating some statistics of the characters in addition to providing purely RP information. I?m not going to put ?level restrictions? on people however. So feel free to make relatively powerful characters. Within reason of course.


Name: (Your character?s name and any aliases. Plus the name of the avi which will be playing the character)

Origin: (this should include race, age, and culture of the character)
Appearance: describe what your character looks like, including armor, and any weapons they generally carry.
Personality: Describe how your character generally acts, or reacts to the world around him/her.
History: Descrive the most important events which led your character to where they are now.
Abilities: Describe, and rate your characters various abilities.
Prowess ? a rating of your characters general physical abilities. 1 would be someone who?s handicapped or bedridden, 5 would be someone physically fit and athletic, while 10 would be someone of truly Herculean strength.
Intelligence ? a measure of the character?s overall mental abilities. 1 would be a total retard, 5 would be a very clever person like a rogue, or teacher, and 10 would be an innovator/genius like Einstein.
Combat ? A character?s skill with some form, or a variety of forms of combat/martial arts. 1= someone who can?t even win a playground brawl, 5 would be a skilled soldier, or warrior, 10 would be a legendary swordsmen, or martial artist.
Magic ? any sort of mage will have magical power. An apprentice would have a rating of 1-2, while a Master might have as high as 5-8. A truly powerful archmages like the necromancer might have a score as high as 10.
Psionics ? this could include an Alerian empath, to a dwarven ki-warrior. Level 1 would indicate a minimum of psionic training. Such a person could not even lift a penny with telekinetic powers, but could sense the psionic emenations of those nearby, and also could block out weaker effects. Level 5 would be a trained psion, such as a psychic surgeon or a powerful monk. Level 10 would indicate someone of truly awe inspiring powers possibly capable of controlling the minds of an entire city, or expelling a psionic blast strong enough to destroy the very planet.
Faith - Less of a personal skill, than it is a reflection of a relationship with the powers that be, and the power granted for that faith. 1 would be an average believer, while 5 would be a skilled priest. A score of 10 would be a cleric powerful enough to summon the immortals themselves against Elkari.
Social ? more than merely friendly interaction this skill rates your character?s abilities to interact with people on a political level or higher. 1 would be a local celebrity or courtier. 5 could be well known traveling bard, or ?advisor? to the regional authority. With a score of 10 wars might be fought over a character as well liked or manipulative as yours.

Feel free to point out anything you?d like me to include or that I may have forgotten.


To submit a character just PM me your bio, and I'll review it, then let you know if it needs any changes or if you can start RPing.

[Reserved]

[Reserved]

Their caravan would take them through some mountainous valleys, not the most hospitable place for some of their goods but it would keep them away from some of the worse monsters. Krai remembered once catching the glittering flight of an Alerian in the skies above this very spot, he knew the Avien sometimes got to converse with the majestic race, but he himself had never had the chance. It was several days of good travel and good hunting before they reached the grey rocks of the canyons. A cold wind blew through the cracks and something didn't smell quite right.

As night fell chaos erupted. Shadows began to move and screams could be heard, mostly animal screems though the terror filled yips of some of their Kitsune accompanied them. At least they were not yelps of pain, yet. Suddenly Krai was confronted with a shadow, in the shape of a man, his sword already in his hand as the form advanced, far to quickly as if it glided across the ground instead of walked. Something definately did not smell right...!!

Though it was already dark in the canyon they traversed, the sunset sky was still bright enough to sillhouette four shapes flying above them. The shadow creature seemed to pause momentarily as they appeared then launched it's assault on Krai with fervor, perhaps spurred on by the sudden unexpected occurance. Krai noticed quickly that he seemed to have been singled out. All his nearby comrades were occupied with their own foes and could not come to his aid. As the black figure advanced it was still impossible to make out it's features, its long thin greatsword swung in an arc, ignoring it seemed, the horse's hooves.

Krai was definetally alarmed at the shadow-creature's attack. Sen's hooves were nothing to take lightly, the stallion could crush a bull's skull with those feet. His ears flattened against the sides of his head and his fur bristled. On an impulse he reared Sen back, until the horse was nearly completely verticle, Krai flattened against him making the two indistinguishable, then with a nudge of his heel he had Sen step backwards, still flailing his forlegs in the air. They both decended back to the ground just out of reach of the first shadow-man's blade. Sen snorted and his flanks heaved and shivered. Krai glanced about quickly taking stock of his men and their situation, things definetally were not looking good... Why did it seem as though these fiends were after Krai alone? It was just as he was starting to despair of holding his own that a voice cried out overhead. Krai lifted his head, scenting the girl at the same moment he spotted her. More? They could not withstand that many... not without knowing how to deal with them. Krai's head snapped back and a bone-chilling broken howl peirced through the darkness. Twice did he release such a sound, and suddenly the other Hengyokai broke their attacks wheeling their mounts and racing back down the path. Krai whirled to follow but found his escape blocked... these creatures were definetally after him, but why?

Eonis stayed above Krai helping him with protective magic and healing whenever he was injured. She didn't know what it was these shadowy figures were after but it was her job nonetheless to make sure these Hengyokai were all right. It hadn't been what she was here for but as an Alerian she wasn't about to just let it go.

"I will help you Hengyokai..." Eonis called down to Krai to confirm it.