Guide to Fatal Radiance
#1 of Material to my Projects
15th December of 2015: Added Characters, Updated Profiles
What is Fatal Radiance?
Fatal Radiance started as a project in October of 2014 with the wish to create a furry-based storyline featuring a certain group of animals. It began with Aldric, who originally was supposed to be the target of a shady group, later changed into a negotiator between two opposing characters, and then finally changed to a witty shaman with an easy-going and somewhat confident attitude. Followed by that are Leofwine and Vidar, who came to be in the second draft as two characters that are completely opposed to each other, yet this changed in the last draft to make them relate to each other. Everything after that was made for the last draft.
The final draft for Fatal Radiance is that of a story of several people and a mystery that they are about to uncover. And maybe it will not only have consequences for themselves. While Aldric starts as the protagonist, all characters will have moments in which they are the ones that are in focus of the story.
The Continent of Meresteria
Meresteria is an enormous mass of land which is forming a super continent that makes up most of the world's landscape. It stretches from its Northwest-Axis to the East and South and thus features all climates from the icy Tundra Landscapes of Kärmave to the Tropical Regions in the No-Man's-Land in the impenetrable jungles of the South. Several oceans are located around the continent and several islands are scattered in them, of which most are not yet discovered by the continental cultures.
Beastmen of the continent include species from Europe in its Northwest-Axis, Asia in the East, and Africa in the South.
The Cultures of Axis-Meresteria:
Scathsolas:
A city which has since grown to a kingdom that stretched in the West of the Axis-Region of Meresteria. It is the home of many underground dwelling beastmen like badgers, moles, foxes, and so on, of which the badgers are the most dominant. However, social separation is not based on species and instead abilities determines the lives of its inhabitants based on mental and physical capabilities. The royal family is excluded from this as they are governing the city and state of Scathsolas. Amongst the different groups is no hierarchy however, everyone in Scathsolas has the same rights and laws applied to them. This is ensured by the royal family itself and has ever since the city began.
Shamans make up the priests of the region. Scathsolas' dominant cult is the worship of the Great Mother, a goddess that embodies the Earth itself. The people of Scathsolas believe that all life originates from this being and that it will eventually return to her as well. The soul can be reborn over and over again in this cycle of birth and death, but eventually it is expected that it will someday find rest in Annwnn, the Place of Eternal Joy. Next to the Great Mother countless other deities are worshipped to a lesser yet still devoted extend.
Due to a high preference of magic Scathsolas can afford a much smaller army than other states, making their forces only 40,000 men strong but as efficient as the massive armies of Urbulchem. However, the culture of Scathsolas despises war the most out of all states in the Axis-Region, believing it to be a waste of lives, resources, and time that they can use to further enhance their own lives, thus they try diplomacy most of the time. Which does not mean they are pacifists. Provoke them by declaring war against them or their allies and they will overpower enemy armies with their strong magic. That option is also helpful for diplomacy, since it does intimidate some people. And interestingly enough the use of blue bodypaint is rather popular amongst warriors.
While everyone is basically born into a certain group in Scathsolas, a big difference from how it works in the human world is that anyone, except shamans after they passed their apprenticeship, can change their field of professions by a test of their abilities for what they decide to do.
The Law of Scathsolas is protected by the warriors that are also forming its army. They apprehend criminals and depending on the crime can enforce a punishment. Minor crimes like theft and defilation of properties can be immediately punished by public humiliation, a fee, or public service. Crimes like robbery and assault will bring the criminal towards a judge, who will determine the punishment which can be anything from public service to prison, depending on the severity of the crime. Murder, rape, torture, and high treason will only be judged by three judges, of which one is the current monarch of Scathsolas. The usual punishments for those guilty of such crimes are a life in prison or a gruesome death.
Marriage is allowed between anyone at the age of 18 and older, regardless of gender and species, as long both are beastmen, of both partners. Interspecies-relationships and same-sex couples are rarely frowned upon. Reproduction can be handled outside a marriage, if the couple cannot give birth to a child but desires to have one.
Scathsolas is one of the three Northern Clans, which are in control of the entire north of the Axis-Region. It is the most developed of the three and flourishes in its trading activities, strengthening the other two as well.
Kärmave:
A monarchy ruled dominantly by wolverines, but also home to species like wolves, bears, beavers, lynxes, and many more. The inhabitants are proud warriors that value strength, honesty, wisdom, and honor the most. Its structure is basically a lose culture where everyone is doing what he can with his opportunities. Which however still ends up with making this state strongly military driven. As magic is seen as a cowardly ability, most warriors refuse to learn and use it, making it necessary for a bigger, furious army to hold the defense of Kärmave. It counts 80,000 men in total.
Kärmave is a cold country, with Jokulldal being the center in midst of ice and snow for most of the year. The inhabitants of this land have usually a very cold-resistant fur that helps them survive in those harsh and deadly lands. Due to a weaker vegetation Kärmave imports food for its livestock from the more prosperous lands of Scathsolas and Bijulac in order to not rely solely on hunting and fishing.
The people of Kärmave believe in the Aesir and Vanir, although the Vanir are mostly worshipped in the south. This faith resembles the faith of the Norse in the same group of gods, which certain differences towards the animal symbolism of course, having most mythical beast instead resemble more sapient creatures but with the same alignment as the originals. The World Tree Yggdrassil is believed to hold the worlds in our universe together and functions as a bridge to them. Amongst those worlds are Asgard where the fallen heroes go to Valhalla, and Helheimr, where those who died naturally would go.
Law and enforcement in Kärmave are very simplified. If a crime is committed a criminal will be punished under witness of judges by the person whom they wronged or a relative. If neither is possible the punishment will be executed by a judge. Punishment is not allowed to exceed the crime, but can fall below and thus in some rare cases even be forgiven or dealt with a Mandebod (blood money).
Relationships between people of different species are unproblematic, though same sex relationships are a complicated story.
Being in possession of a large and powerful army Kärmave is a strong military power in the Axis-Region and holds itself as the most powerful army there is. Hence it is the sword of the Northern Clans.
Bijulac:
A kingdom of rivers and lakes that came to existence over a very long time span made Bijulac a very preferably place for many different species, with otters and minks being relatively common in the region. It's a very self-sustainable land due to the rich amount of fish and fertile grounds to cultivate plants.
Its center is the Diamond Lake with its magnificent city that has been built on the lake itself with a lot of waterways going through it, while otherwise smaller settlements are spread across the lands close to rivers and lakes. However, their army is very underdeveloped in comparison to those of Scathsolas and Kärmave, thus it's mainly stationed around the border to secure the country from invaders. The army size counts 50,000 soldiers.
The cults across Bijulac mainly worship the same gods as Scathsolas, except for the northern part where influences of Kärmave are dominant. In addition to those however there are also several myths that are unique to the region itself.
Depending on the region of Bijulac the people can thus be either very peaceful or driven by strength, making some settlements unfortunately vulnerable to some more aggressive bandits from the north at times. Bijulac recently wanted to get help from its neighbors to get rid of the problem by force. Law and punishment in Bijulac are usually spoken out by the chieftains.
It is a strict society in terms of relationships as interspecies relationships are frowned upon and same sex relationships are even punishable.
The economy of Bijulac mainly focuses on refining materials they get from Scathsolas or their own land to create furniture, jewelry, tools, and weapons, making them economically as strong as Scathsolas and important fragment of the Northern Clans.
Empire of Urbulchem:
A massive Empire in the South of the Axis region that spans around the seas in the south of the Axis and borders Scathsolas, Bijulac, and the Empire of Shalagab in the East, all with whom it has bad relations. In particular, because it has expanded by conquest and annexed countries around them, amongst those Altradia, Hela, and many more.
Due to the many different cultures that are combined in the Empire countless pantheons of gods are spread cross around the entire territory and mixed with each other in many cases, thus having multiple interpretations for a single deity, creating a massive heterogeneity.
As a military power Urbulchem has numbers that surpass most of their enemies with 25 legions with 5,000 legions each making up its army, meaning they count 125,000 legionnaires at once, though spread across the borders to secure against their enemies all around their territory.
The people of Urbulchem view foreign cultures as inferior to themselves and see in them only potential slaves, if anything at all. They often view them as brute, dirty, unintelligible, and dishonest and view themselves as the opposite to them.
The urban systems of the Empire are the most advanced in the Axis-Region as multiple metropoles are forming the cultural and economic centers of it. Massive villas, public bathes, political fora, massive triumphal monuments, theaters, and much more are found in every city of the Empire.
Women are considered as inferior to men and have no rights of themselves as long as their family still has an adult male to lead it. In a similar way slavery is very prominent in the Empire, though only citizens with monetary means can actually have slaves of their own.
Urbulchem is in theory ruled by the people and the senate, but in truth it is a principate as the Imperator Augustus Caesar (which most would just call emperor nowadays) is the one person to de facto hold the power by having gained permanent tribunal privileges.
The Law is made by both the Senate and the Emperor, with the civilians actually having lost their chances entirely.
Marriage can occur between two people of the same social standing regardless of gender and species, but the men of Urbulchem are known to embrace their sanguinity.
Magic:
Magic is not really easy to explain. It is a form of particle that is a foreign body to the very universe itself, but for the people living on Meresteria it is more like a form of power granted by the gods. Truth is that is exists independently from deities as well in any living being, but only those who learned to channel it can actually make use of this ability.
There are numerous classifications for different types of magic all based on their elemental affinity. This ranges from the basic four elements of fire, wind, earth, and water to the control over magnetism and even time in some rare cases. Some species have a natural affinity for an element from birth. Thus a badger will always have an affinity for earth spells, an otter always for water spells, but a wolverine might not have an affinity at all and are more of a wild card in terms of what elements they can be born with. The average of elements ranges between two and four, but can be lower or higher as well. Due to immense mental training it is furthermore possible to gain additional affinities as well. Or to die trying. Sometimes the new affinity can kill the one who tries to achieve it, if their willpower is too weak. The risk alone keeps many from going through it.
The use of magic takes both mental and physical energy as one needs to channel both energy and his own mind into a spell to evoke it. Hence busy mages require to sleep a lot and eat even a lot more. Overuse of magic can actually cause severe health problems if the mage fails to take a rest from it. However, some mages can channel a lot of magic at once and enter a state in which they can concentrate powerful spells. This is mostly indicated when the eyes start glowing or other things happen to the body, including flames forming around the limbs and torso, trails of frozen air with every footstep, and a variety of other things. This state also increases the physical and mental capabilities of the affected, making it useful in a variety of ways. The effect does not drain energies faster from the body, but requires a lot of focus and energy for initiation.
Characters of Fatal Radiance:
Aldric:
|
Species:
|
Axis (European) Badger
| |
Home:
|
Scathsolas
| |
Age:
|
19
| |
Affinities:
|
Earth, Darkness, Wind, Plant, Soul
| |
Eye Color:
|
Green
| |
Personality:
|
INTJ
|
|
Strength:
|
Has really nice arms
| |
Endurance:
|
Sleeps long
| |
Intelligence:
|
Smartass
| |
Willpower:
|
Strong Mind
| |
Agility:
|
A bit slow
| |
Luck:
|
Not in conflict with Fate
|
Aldric is a shaman originating from Scathsolas who was send to investigate strange occurrences in Argentflux. Having been part of the shamans all his life he is very devoted to the Great Mothers and thus does only use lethal force in rare cases. He is a very smart person and does what he things is right, regardless of what others may think. Despite that he is actually a very fun-loving and gentle person and the few friends he has can count on him at every time. Only thing is that he can a bit distant at times.
Aldric is single and doesn't actively look for a mate, but is open to a relationship. His preferences are completely mental, thus he only cares about a person's nature, not the looks or anything else.
Leofwine:
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Species:
|
River Otter
| |
Home:
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Bijulac
| |
Age:
|
20
| |
Affinities:
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Water, Thermal
| |
Eye Color:
|
Brown
| |
Personality:
|
INFJ
|
|
Strength:
|
Got a mean kick
| |
Endurance:
|
Athletic Swimmer
| |
Intelligence:
|
Healthy Mind
| |
Willpower:
|
Suffers from PTSD
| |
Agility:
|
Moves elegantly and fast
| |
Luck:
|
Not much lately
|
A scavenger and opportunist hailing from Bijulac's settlement at the Topaz Lake. Suffering from PTSD due to having survived a bandit raid while seeing countless people die he is frightened by any form of violence, which most people understand but some make him feel very bad about his supposed cowardice. Hence he wishes to go to Urbulchem and sought the same mystery that Aldric was supposed to research. And thus is now dragged into the mess. He does however start to grow fonder of his new acquaintances.
Leofwine is very nervous due to the cultural bias of Bijulac making his own attractions a problem for him. After a while he admitted to his homosexuality and grew close to Vidar. Eventually over the course of their adventure he was asked by Vidar to become his husband, and eagerly accepted.
Vidar:
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Species:
|
Wolverine
| |
Home:
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Kärmave
| |
Age:
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23
| |
Affinities:
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Fire
| |
Eye Color:
|
Blue
| |
Personality:
|
ENFJ
|
|
Strength:
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Atlas-like
| |
Endurance:
|
Sturdy Body
| |
Intelligence:
|
Not a bright bulb
| |
Willpower:
|
Gives in easily
| |
Agility:
|
Surprisingly Fast
| |
Luck:
|
More than he got in the brain
|
Prince of Kärmave and the younger son of Bjartr the Beheader. A title that means nothing to him. His older brother died when he was eighteen and since then he was expected to find a female to continue his family's bloodline. He hates his father for showing so little concern about his brother's passing and his own role being only reduced to an heir. Prior to those events he was a very held-back and nice person, but since then he has started a rebellious phase and has been through several nights which were filled with alcohol and other things. It is not really possible to say how often he woke up without any memories of those events and how the barrel ended up next to him in bed that one time. However, later he grew attached to Leofwine and began a relationship with the otter.
To further get away from his father he became part of the guards to also leave Jokulldal and get around the kingdom and outside. Which ultimately led him to Argentflux where he barely survived an ambush as he fled and got saved by Aldric and Leofwine. To Leofwine he build up a romantic relationship, which resulted in him asking for the otter's hand and engaging with him.
Khaba:
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Species:
|
Altradian (Egyptian) Fruit Bat
| |
Home:
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Urbulchem
| |
Age:
|
16 (presumably)
| |
Affinities:
|
Life, Darkness, Wind
| |
Eye Color:
|
Brown
| |
Personality:
|
INTP
|
|
Strength:
|
Has not much to brag
| |
Endurance:
|
Got a lot of energy
| |
Intelligence:
|
Learns faster than most
| |
Willpower:
|
Certainly more so than others
| |
Agility:
|
Fast Flyer
| |
Luck:
|
Has been working well for him
|
Born a slave in Urbulchem he was unknowingly freed by Vidar as the wolverine killed his master in an act of revenge. Khaba was dragged to Argentflux by his late master and only too happy to thank the responsible people. Since then he has been following the group to Topaz Lake.
He thinks of intelligence and curiosity as the most important traits to find in a potential wife for his life. By mere chance he eventually grew close to Lucille. Though their love is purely platonic.
Gaius:
|
Species:
|
Grey Wolf
| |
Home:
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Urbulchem
| |
Age:
|
26
| |
Affinities:
|
Cold, Light, Life
| |
Eye Color:
|
Gray
| |
Personality:
|
ENTP
|
|
Strength:
|
Ironed up in the Wilds
| |
Endurance:
|
Huffs and Puffs a bit
| |
Intelligence:
|
Thinks outside the Box
| |
Willpower:
|
Withstanding Spirit
| |
Agility:
|
Fast like wind
| |
Luck:
|
Some at least
|
A scholar from Urbulchem that due to a healthy lack of the hubris of his own culture decided a few years ago to study the cultures of the north to create an opportunity for an alliance and make the Empire focus more on sustaining itself rather than expanding. He can be a goofy oddball at times, but serious if it is needed of him. A mix that makes him a very likable personality and good friend.
He is son of a prestigious senator who recently was murdered, but he himself is not really concerned about his own standing in society as he cares more for the greater thing than for prestige and traditions.
Gaius is uninterested in finding a mate and does thus not even consider it a bit. He prefers to spend his time researching and studying, so a potential partner would have to share those traits.
Septimius: 011001010111001001100001011100110110010101100100
|
Species:
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Red Fox
| |
Home:
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Urbulchem
| |
Age:
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25
| |
Affinities:
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Fire, Space
| |
Eye Color:
|
Green
| |
Personality:
|
ESFJ
|
|
Strength:
|
Overconfident in puny arms
| |
Endurance:
|
Never moved a finger
| |
Intelligence:
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Studied a lot inside
| |
Willpower:
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Some, not much
| |
Agility:
|
Good Runner
| |
Luck:
|
Lachesis hates him
|
Septimus is an arrogant and very traditional person, contrary to the open-minded and humble Gaius. Which however is nothing that made him out of place in the senate, thus he is actually more liked than his step-brother, who is often called as a barbarian-lover.
He is very serious and does not like it when things don't go according to plan, going even so far as to hit someone when things turn out bad for him, even if it is his own fault.
He is looking for a wife to have sons for him to carry on, and maybe even as a supporting life-partner that he can show the bit of kindness he actually has.
Error: History Data Corrupted
Crawford:
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Species:
|
River Otter
| |
Home:
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Bijulac
| |
Age:
|
16
| |
Affinities:
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Water, Life, Light
| |
Eye Color:
|
Blue
| |
Personality:
|
INTP
|
|
Strength:
|
Not very muscular
| |
Endurance:
|
Saves energy
| |
Intelligence:
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Ahead of his time
| |
Willpower:
|
Never Gives in
| |
Agility:
|
Clumsy
| |
Luck:
|
He doesn't believe in it
|
The younger brother of Leofwine and a genius that is capable of taking an idea and make two new out of it. He loves tinkering and even got Lucille to try it out herself. His intelligence is in fact so immense that he would have no issue in comprehending scientific theories that will not be made till in the far distant future. As long as he gains the necessary information he will eagerly try to understand them and apply the concepts.
He is kindhearted and while he is easily annoyed by people he does not show it too much, unless it stretched his patience too much. He also is greatly interested in exploring other places in the regions of Meresteria.
While he as well has no particular desire for a relationship, he is open for the potential of meeting a person to share his life with.
Lucille:
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Species:
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River Otter
| |
Home:
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Bijulac
| |
Age:
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17
| |
Affinities:
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Water, Darkness, Fire
| |
Eye Color:
|
Gray
| |
Personality:
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INTJ
|
|
Strength:
|
More than it seems
| |
Endurance:
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Fit and Healthy
| |
Intelligence:
|
Outsmarting
| |
Willpower:
|
Has an Unbending Mind
| |
Agility:
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Very fast
| |
Luck:
|
She doesn't need it
|
Leofwine's younger and Crawford's older sister. Being the middle child of the family, she was lucky that Crawford didn't require much attention from her and in turn also made it easy on Leofwine.
She has a great interest in exploring the East of Meresteria to go to the places that lie at the farthest coasts. Preparations for that have begun two years prior to the story and she is determined to one day be an adventurer and explorer.
The opinions of others don't bother her in any way, unless they agree with her. She is headstrong and argumentative like no other women from her village and does in fact not really like to do anything that is considered appropriate for her gender.
Due to their complementary personalities, Lucille and Khaba became a couple of platonic lovers, and a hard to defeat duo with a synergy that is almost demonic and divine at the same time.
Although she seems not like it her strength is remarkable and her agility makes it possible for her to deal out a lot of punishment and evade attacks without difficulties. And she lacks both the kind nature of Crawford and the fright of violence of Leofwine, making her the deadliest of the three siblings.
Völundr:
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Species:
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Wild Boar
| |
Home:
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Kärmave
| |
Age:
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25
| |
Affinities:
|
Life, Earth
| |
Eye Color:
|
Green
| |
Personality:
|
ISFJ
|
|
Strength:
|
Incredibly Strong
| |
Endurance:
|
Likes to slack off
| |
Intelligence:
|
Witty
| |
Willpower:
|
Can resist temptations
| |
Agility:
|
Moving like an Ace
| |
Luck:
|
Got screwed by Fate
|
Völundr was born a bastard child to a woman, which was raped by a bandit. Due to that he was abandoned early on after his birth and grew up in the care of a wolverine family. While he was considerably smart and interested in a lot of things, many found his attempts to learn magic to be futile, if not even weak. They even used force against him and denied him to join the warriors. Thus Völundr traveled the lands to train his skills independently.
Harshad:
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Species:
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Tiger
| |
Home:
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Ashtashantie
| |
Age:
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33
| |
Affinities:
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Fire, Wind
| |
Eye Color:
|
Amber
| |
Personality:
|
ISFP
|
|
Strength:
|
Even his claws are like daggers
| |
Endurance:
|
Herculean
| |
Intelligence:
|
Lackluster
| |
Willpower:
|
Is at least loyal to his lover
| |
Agility:
|
Graceful movements
| |
Luck:
|
Oddly Normal
|
Former slave and now paid servant of Gaius, who worked for the family of the wolf for several decades. He is a very friendly guy, though his general appearance makes him very intimidating and if he gets angry, it is most certainly justified. After several years he and Ayontunde met and they fell in love after several years. Recently this resulted in him impregnating her, making him anxious about a dawning fatherhood.
Ayontunde:
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Species:
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Lion
| |
Home:
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Unknown
| |
Age:
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31
| |
Affinities:
|
Water, Earth
| |
Eye Color:
|
Amber
| |
Personality:
|
ISTP
|
|
Strength:
|
Average
| |
Endurance:
|
Often overworked
| |
Intelligence:
|
Surprisingly reasonable
| |
Willpower:
|
Enduring
| |
Agility:
|
Overshadows even Harshad
| |
Luck:
|
Her lover would do anything to see her smile.
|
Little can be told about her, as she lacks the ability to speak with her tongue and only knows sign language to a minimal extend. It is only sure that she hails from somewhere from South Meresteria, where her kind dwells in tribes and even some states of their own. Several years ago she was bought be Gaius' father and met her later lover Harshad, with whom she is expecting a child.
Albanus:
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Species:
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Grey Wolf
| |
Home:
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Urbulchem
| |
Age:
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21
| |
Affinities:
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Light, Cold
| |
Eye Color:
|
Green
| |
Personality:
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INTJ
|
|
Strength:
|
Sport is Murderous to him
| |
Endurance:
|
See Strength
| |
Intelligence:
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Analytical and very objective
| |
Willpower:
|
Only relenting to Fear
| |
Agility:
|
Definitely not a runner
| |
Luck:
|
Fortuna blessed him
|
Grandson to Emperor Caelus, Albanus used to live at the Eastern border of the Empire and grew up with his parents and Rufus, the son of a famous rhetoric. He has difficulties with talking to people and thus only ever talked with Rufus, much to the pain of his parents. One day however, the city was attacked and laid to waste by the army of Sahagab. The young wolf only survived as he was carried by Rufus through the rocky desert and coasts to a safe place. However, he never grew hatred towards Sahagab and considered in later years that the only way to prevent such tragedies would be to eliminate the root of the problem without causing another.
Rufus:
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Species:
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Black Bear
| |
Home:
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Urbulchem
| |
Age:
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20
| |
Affinities:
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Earth, Plant
| |
Eye Color:
|
Blue
| |
Personality:
|
ISFJ
|
|
Strength:
| | |
Endurance:
|
Walked entire deserts
| |
Intelligence:
|
Hears not to reason
| |
Willpower:
|
Prone to emotional outbursts
| |
Agility:
|
Clumsy as heck
| |
Luck:
|
Has survived a lot
|
Tychon: 01100001011011100110111101101101011000010110110001111001
|
Species:
|
Red Fox
| |
Home:
|
Unknown
| |
Age:
|
25
| |
Affinities:
|
Fire, Space
| |
Eye Color:
|
Green
| |
Personality:
|
INTP
|
|
Strength:
|
Work is like workout
| |
Endurance:
|
Works for hours
| |
Intelligence:
|
Lacks education
| |
Willpower:
|
Strong determination
| |
Agility:
|
Passes by unnoticed
| |
Luck:
|
In Danica's care
|
History data corrupted. He is but a slave in a household in Hela, but something about him is off, to say the least.
Fionnbharr:
|
Species:
|
Axis (European) Badger Albino
| |
Home:
|
Scathsolas
| |
Age:
|
18
| |
Affinities:
|
Light, Darkness, Earth, Soul, Time, Space
| |
Eye Color:
|
Red
| |
Personality:
|
INTP
|
|
Strength:
|
Weak and powerless
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Endurance:
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Difficulties with breathing
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Intelligence:
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Transcends time and space
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Willpower:
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He will keep standing up
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Agility:
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Don't even bother
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Luck:
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Protected by Yishai
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The younger son of king Tighearnach of Scathsolas and brother to the heir Ninniaw. Born as an albino, he often covers himself with a blue robe to not stand out too much due to his white coat. He developed strong magical properties at a young age, giving him an excelling talent, even for a badger. His true talent emerged however much later. After his mother passes away he began seeing visions, which he was not able to comprehend or control at the time. His father asked the Great Shaman for help and she in return gave Fionnbharr the assistance of Aldric. Together they discovered that Fionnbharr had the ability to look past the present of any object he touched. Past, present, future, and even other universes unveil to him, though the future, being unwritten unlike the past and present, is rather blurry to him.
Regular Creatures:
Hornflincher:
The general beast of burden of Meresteria. It's used for field work, moving carriages, meat, milk, leather, and its bones. They are massive mammals with thick, wooly fur and feature a pair of tusk and a horn on their snout. They possess even-toed hooved similar to those of bovines or boars.
Hornflinchers are generally peaceful animals outside of the mating period, though during that time they can become dangerous, if provoked. Thus some males are sterilized at an early age to remain calm all year.
Mollicauda:
Considered pests, those little rodents are replacing mice and rats as the regular vermin in Meresteria. There are two different groups, Mollicauda Minor and Mollicauda Mayor. They have all in common that they have round faces, incisor teeth similar to mice or rats, and a tail that is rather fluffy, making them look like a mix of squirrel and mouse.
Prowlers:
Common predators that may not actively hunt down people but will pursue livestock and other creatures for food. They have bipedal bodies that is covered in black fur, which can be thin or fluffy depending on the climate. Due to their rather massive physique they can become dangerous is provoked, except for stronger species. Their ears are round and their long muzzle features sharp teeth and a strong jaw.
They are solitary and only hunt together in very few cases. Furthermore they avoid settlements and people most of the time and only kill livestock when they can remain unspotted by farmers or hunters. At times they also instead feed on Mollicaudas due to those being a plentiful food source.
Abandsalzari:
Very common and slightly brain-dead herbivores. Braindead because they may jump right into carriages at times and break their necks quite often. Much for the pleasure of those that then can take the meat and skin to make food and clothing out of it. They are also common prey of prowlers and end up as their primary foot source.
Abandsalzari feed on roots, grasses, and leaves and devour a lot of it on a daily basis. They are related to Hornflinchers in a way as they have even-toed hooves and two tusks, though they lack horn and have a slender build with long legs.
Sapient Creatures:
Beastmen:
The common inhabitants of this world are all creatures in possession of humanoid and animal features, thus can be called beastmen, even though there is no general term to describe the entirety of all the different species in their own world.
Most of the species have a humanoid torso and arms, while the legs usually resemble bipedal versions of the resembled animal. An exception are bats, who are largely the same save for a greatly increased intelligence.
Old Ones:
Differing greatly from the beastmen that now inhabit the world, the Old Ones have existed since time immemorial. They once ruled over the planet and the beastmen as slaveholders, though at some point they were dethroned and disappeared when the Grey Star descended.
Not much is known about them other than that they possessed mighty magic and machinery that has since been lost to the free generations of the beastmen.
Danu-Ravens:
Common ravens have evolved further into those extremely intelligent birds, who are often used to send messages between two places and also as regular pets. As long as an acceptable living standard for them can be provided they will be working for their owners. Some of them can even speak languages of the beastmen fluently, making domesticated Danu-ravens popular as spies.
Deva-Macaws:
Similar to the Danu-Ravens, those species are looking like Scarlet macaws and possess a similar intelligence to their counterpart and thus also have similar uses and demands. They have even greater abilities in learning languages from other species and often have fun in imitating the voices of others to mess with people.
Dragons:
According to legend they are creatures that have existed since the days of the Old Ones. Powerful, but very rare and reclusive, many people will probably never even see one in their entire lives. Many different species are spread across Meresteria and differ greatly between regions, making it actually clear that most are their own kind.
All dragons are intelligent and feature bodies that either are serpentine or similar to theropods. Dragons furthermore often have the horns that resemble those of rams, bovines, deer, and other herbivorous beastmen.
Dragons can often be depicted as either destructive of benevolent, truth is though they rarely really care about the businesses of other species or dragons even, unless they forged a bond with them or do it out of personal ideals.
A legendary dragon of old times is the Grey Star, who is often seen as an independent entity to the many pantheons in Meresteria and often revered as a being on par or even above the gods, depending on mythological understanding.
The Celestial Sovereigns:
General:
The Celestial Sovereigns are the reincarnations of powerful souls from the time before the Old Ones existed. Due to their exposure to mighty forces during their lives their souls became as powerful as those of the highest deities of their time. They now reside outside the actual universe and observe it. In some cases however they may create avatars that interact with mortals of different worlds. Either out of interest or because they have nothing better to do. They are omnipotent and omniscient being whose powers exceed that of mortal fantasies by far.
Yishai:
The Sovereign that was born from the soul of a strong sorcerer. He views the Old Ones as failures as they did achieve high technological advances only to destroy the world they lived in. In his eyes only those are worthy that act with regard to the consequences of their actions. He may appear to mortals in order to make them realize the path they need to take. It is still up to them if they want to follow the right paths.
Danica:
The Sovereign born from the soul of a powerful witch that took the powers of the former demon king and most of his minions to become a god-like being. While she is the ruler over the demons and thus one of the underworlds. Her demeanor is rather friendly and kind as she punishes demons that cause harm to mortals once they return to Hell. She is the most powerful of the rulers of the underworlds, but has little interest in controlling their worlds as well. Danica does occasionally interfere with mortals to call judgement upon sinners and help the innocent.
Asbjörn:
The Sovereign born from a powerful man that gained the strength of a bear during his lifetime. Having exceeded the god that granted him this power due to a massive exposure of magic Asbjörn is the one who granted new life to the gods of the Old World in exchange. He is the lover of Danica and the one to enforce her punishment towards her subjects in the demon world. In addition he also observes the worlds in which sapient creatures are causing harm to the planet and may give a second chance for nature to arise again.
Miakoda:
The Sovereign born from the loins of beauty and passion. She was born to a woman of the Ao Sidhe and a man with the soul of a wolf. She is a patron to the children and beasts in all the worlds and merciless to the souls that kill for nothing but pleasure. Usually she will appear on nights where a full moon shines from the sky and wield a bow that shoots arrows that either grant blessing or punish those that she deems unworthy.
Vadden:
The Sovereign born from the fruits of wisdom and hope. He used to be a man with immense mental powers and the powers of a lion. He is the patron of science and literature and blesses those that embrace wisdom and knowledge without abusing it. He appears on days of the brightest sun with a sword made from pure light that can cut through almost anything.
"...And thus I beheld the sight of the sinking city. Formed from the metals of old days, she had carried the towers that reached up to the Heavens, in an arrogant display of its inhabitants that thought themselves equal to the gods. Now as I stand at the edge of the events, I glance above towards a creature, clad in grey scales and adorned with eighteen pairs of wings, nine black as the night, nine pristine as freshly fallen snow. The display of true divinity, eternally, almighty, all-knowing. A dragon as large as the moon on the firmament, it came to free us from the shackles that were put around our necks for millennia, and to destroy those who crafted them. At least so I believe.
Its presence alone has called forth the ocean and earth against the city and soon it will be gone and with it our past. I can only pray that we ourselves will aim towards a brighter future."
From the Mind of Alipeo as written down in the Akashic Records.
Higher and higher they build their towers. They conquered Disease, yet they are not able to fight War, Famine, and Death. Still they see themselves as the only ones equal to the gods they worship. They found the old machinery of the Fates, a forge which brought forth what has long since been lost. In their desire to create slaves for themselves, they united what was once their ancestors with the creatures of old. But they never anticipated the power of their free will. Now their chimeras are fighting for their freedom, and take this world as their own."
Yishai