Machinations of Man

Technology level: 16th to 18th Century Medieval developments; steel weaponry and crossbows along with siege weaponry and full plate armor is at its peak. Crude forms of Showers have been developed and Homes are made of Stone and Lumber with some more exquisite houses having reinforcements of iron and steel even copper heated flooring. Magic : Magic is rare only those born with it carry it in their bloodlines but sometimes even orphans and bastards can be born with it never realizing their potential. you'll see battlemages and a very rare magic swordsman out and about whether it be in Adventuerer work or on the battlefield; some hide it while others flaunt it. With the ability to manifest and manipulate mana comes a great many things bending the elements is seen as a beginner to intermediate skill level where telekinesis and enhancing items or even creatures and people is seen as masterful. Aura: While Mages have their mana and magic, warriors or even some common folk without realizing it have Developed Aura it can come from years of Rigorous training fighting countless battles many only obtain it in their later years of life its very rare to see a young person able to manifest Aura but for that not only from training but from an extremely strong desire or willpower can Aura Derive from hence why some common folk develop it accidentally A mother desperate to protect their children from bandits a father desperate to provide for his family so he turns to mercenary work but in those cases still it is very rare for the most part only seasoned veterans wield it the beginning level of unlocking Aura follows as having enhanced senses but limited some garnish an inhuman strength some speed some sight and smell it depends on what is demanded of the situation they find themselves and mastering aura grants them all such gifts and some even take it further specializing in one area Theme: The Mainland - Humans Dominate the Crown authority ruling the kingdoms on the mainland. Most Nonhumans have been enslaved elves serving as servants and even personal Guards and the Elves that werent enslaved live in Tribes to the North, East, South, and West harboring a deep resentment to humans. Dwarfs work as craftsmen or laborers and nothing more seen as a resource there are rumored to be free dwarfs that live in the mountains to the north but its still a rumor. Orcs mostly live in nomadic warrior tribes to the south Along with Goblins those enslaved are used as heavy equipment carrying great loads alongside Dwarf Laborers. Said to be extremely violent Frog people and Trolls Wander the lands freeing slaves and are said to be Elite Warriors Frogs being extremely nimble and dexterous as well as powerful and side by side with gifted troll shamans its hard for a band of humans to stand up to either group. The Crown: The mainland consists of three kingdoms The Luthania Kingdom, The Aspen kingdom, and The Naurilia Kingdom humans dominate and rule the kingdoms all endorsing the enslavement of non-humans and or domination of non-humans Each possesses its own Order of Knights Recognized as each kingdoms Elite Group of warriors One fully fledged knight is said to be worth one hundred men capable of shifting an entire battle Encroaching on superhuman territory. The order is broken into three ranks which are determined by the man or woman's strength and merits starting from the bottom as a Squire, then to Junior Knight and lastly Knight. Above Knight there is the Commander that is appointed that position Via Vote of the Members of the Knight Order.

Major kingdoms: All three kingdoms take hold on the mainland Kingdom of Luthania - Consists of the entirety of the Coast line known for being wealthy and shrewd kingdom the crown rests upon the most cunning of queens named the Queen after the king had fallen ill with no heir the Queen took Reign and had to prove her ability doing it through scheming in the shadows and protecting her own life Vindictively. The lack of awareness has led to a large-scale civil war between many of the dukes and counts causing a break in the nobility of a Royalist Faction and a Ducal faction each consisting of its own Counts and Dukes while the Royalists support the Queen, The ducal faction wants the crown for themselves demanding a new ruler Aspen Kingdom - Holds the North Known for holding the strongest Order of knights. a nationalist kingdom with its people being pure loyalists including the order of knights boasting a impenetrable infrastructure. Its people understand that in order to be the strongest one must have faith they are fervent believers of religious integrity following the God Olugaros. As prideful as they are and said to be the most advantageous in terms of military ability the Aspen Kingdom is at war with the kingdom of Naurilia. Kingdom of Naurilia: Holding the Authority in the south the kingdom of naurilia is said to be the most diplomatic and open-minded kingdom allowing some non-humans the ability to work to their freedom and even to employ ex slaves in their men at arms as warriors or dwarfs as engineers for their siege craft allowing them to purchase homes land and arm themselves. Many see their progressiveness as weakness and use that to weaken their control and crown authority. While they may fall short in military power and their coffers aren't as deep as the Luthania Kingdom. They boast the vastest array of abilities holding powerful mages and few but extremely talented warriors and the most dedicated of Scholars. The people of Luthania are Devoted followers to the Goddess Ru. Currently at war with Aspen Kingdom. The Great Forest - Inhabited by fleeing nonhumans but the true authority rests in the Elf Tribe that roots itself within the great forest Guarding the last standing Elven World Tree, there are other tribes to the north and west and south but many in the East make home in the great forest fulfilling their duty as they say to the world tree. The great forest is full of all types of Creatures beast and monsters alike there are rumored dragons nesting in its mountain and wyverns nesting in its caves Leshen Guard Resting places Chorts Guard the Deer and weaker Creatures still allowing the bears and wolves to eat their fill Chorts only step in due to Human or otherwise interference.

Races: All Races one would find in Dungeons and Dragons itself but some Rarer ones as well Humans- Fair haired and come in many shapes and sizes, cunning diplomatic some good some bad you'll see a great variety of types of people within this Race They Dominate the Mainland and hold the ruling power they have their own cultures and religions they follow; known to be hungry for more power and wealth at any chance given always looking out for themselves and their own. The ruling power only holds so much sway some vassals fight amongst themselves for more control of their nation yet the Royal family itself is near untouchable but attempts have been made nonetheless known to produce a fair amount of Warriors and mages but rarely an Aura user known more for a jack of all trade race many merchants many diplomatics and thieves and assassins but rarely is a human such a renowned household name if one was they would be known through all the realms. Elves- Long and Fair haired Beautiful and Handsome most fall into a taller stature Known for their Long Lifespans ranging to hundreds sometimes thousands years old Known through the realms for their Marksmanship and magic they produce many of mages and but also are capable of producing great aura users and warriors The elves once lived in all the land and you'll find remnants of that if you were to stumble across their tribes to the north east and south. known for being vegetarians as to not wanting to take away life from the forest but some tribes to the north and south have turned to being a omnivores as to survive easier in now foreign lands many of great alchemists and armor and sword smiths surprisingly come from Elves as well they have their own techniques that are guarded and well-kept often referred to as Elven techniques. Dwarfs- Short stout and full of confidence, Although short in stature their confidence is brimming more than any other they aren't the master of many but what they are known for they are unrivaled in Their Craftsmanship is only rivaled by the special techniques of the Elves and even than its argued the Dwarf craftsmanship is still superior. Dwarfs have a lifespan reaching the hundreds the men are bearded with long hair and men and women are both thick and sturdy they produce fine warriors but in very Rare cases have produced few capable of magic Orcs- Dark green skin and tall brooding people revered for their warring ability so much that none dare recklessly confronting them living in nomadic warrior tribes strength is everythin one can easily account for 10 normal human men in both durability and prowess never able to produce an orc gifted in mana but to many peoples surprise many great orc warriors exhibit their own form of Aura akin to their warrior traditions. The weak are cast off to die in this race truly making it a strong prevail culture adhering to strength entirely as mentioned some may go as far as to learn common tongue or other languages but its only for purposes of warring whether it be sending demands or offering a surrender Goblins- Crafty and nimble Light Green skin with human like teeth apart from their goblin fangs and Goblin ears some evolved into something closer to humans standing as tall and capable of thinking strategizing showing incredible marks in intelligence and understanding which in hand also increased many other capabilities including their learning and prowess making them equals to many no longer the fodder of races while some haven't evolved they still have shown to benefit in the changing times Trolls- Blue skinned and extremely tall wiry and extremely lean muscled bound like coils incredibly agile and quick footed as well as incredibly gifted in mana enforcing their shamanistic ways and abilities Hunted to near extinction due to their extraordinary healing factor making them as durable if not more than an orc and any other races they are a tight knit culture and race more family or tribe orientated than any the weak are brought up aside the strong and protecting their own takes priority over all Luagarne- A rare race of amphibian frog like people webbed feet and hands but a frame as any other people like rather than beastlike standing tall and extremely lean known to be able to be gifted with magic as well as warfare they are said to be absolute master of their chosen weapons some even wielding whips or staff it matters not if faced with one death is near inevitable unless at the elite or special level of combat ability verging superhuman the only thing keeping these people from destroying the kingdoms are their astute sense of chivalry and self preservation.

Internal issues- The Kingdom of Luthania has a civil war brewing within its Lands Counts and Dukes picking what side they stand by whether it be the Royalist Faction loyal to the queen or the Ducal Faction wanting the Crown for themselves Vassals at each other's throats for titles of county's and duchy's. if one finds themselves in the midst one will be forced to pick a side and stick by it. Conniving Schemes, Assassinations, and raids or sieges alike unfolding in the darkness of night its a grity gruesome war of attrition until the stronger dog rises above the others corpse. War Outbreak- War has broken out between the Aspen Kingdom and Kingdom of Naurilia, Thousands of men fighting at a single battle clawing for every castle and city between them. the war making trade more difficult as the kingdoms fuel the war efforts bandits take to their cities and villages some even attempting to subdue a castle to ransom it off to whoever bids higher. Orders of Knights being called to battle resulting in ruined lands from superhuman like duels that will require gold and time to recover. One can pick a side, whatever kingdom offers more or fits one agenda more but one could even join the bandits aiming to get rich or die trying. Foreigners - Factions of Foreigners have come to the mainland and see to use the War between kingdoms as well as the civil war as the catalyst for their cause The Pantheon calling for new Gods to replace the old brutal and unyielding, The Purists using the Slave trade as fuel for their fanatical views on human domination, the Mechanica extrema hauling off survivors of the battles for experiments and twisted rituals.

Magic: Anyone capable of channeling and using mana has mana circuits that flow through their body some are incredibly gifted having mana circuits flow through every inch of their body but have no practical skill and vice versa few are blessed with the extreme of both some can be gifted and never know until a nosy or curious mage comes by to check and open their circuits there are many schools or Disciplines of Magic as well. Alteration- Alteration magic is a school or discipline of magic that entirely focuses on Altering the properties or in some mastery cases the state of items some Noble families that specialize in this school can take a lump of iron and transmute it into gold and take the gold and turn it into a diamond other examples of mastery would be freezing a whole lake in an instant or turning a wooden tree into iron the basic understanding of alteration magic will allow users to strengthen their armor or enhance their muscles for greater speed and strength or even making their footsteps more silent if a thief was to use it not saying another mage wouldn't be able to sense that magic if there so happens to be one and of course the potency all depends on the gift of the user whether they are blessed with mana circuits or the control of them thereof but no matter what there is consequences to such magic enhancing ones muscles too far can strain ones muscles organs and mana circuits to the point of overload which would call for days of rest in that case. Destruction- As it sounds Destruction Focuses on Destructive magic entirely it employs bending of the elements Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, in its Basic understanding when users grasp a deeper understanding they'll even be able to combine their understandings of the principles of the elements into something more combining Wind and Water to Bend lightning and thunder fire and earth for metal water and earth for even bending nature itself to ones will in some cases of Mastery some are able call upon thunderstorms themselves casts volcanic balls of magma and crush warriors in the very armor they wore to protect themselves. you'll find masters of the Destruction Discipline to the south of the realm but there is one Wandering Master who's trained to such an extent he's rumored to bring out a fifth element entirely a Void Magic as some has come to call it, he refuses to take on an apprentice but maybe a special Adventurer can convince him Illusion- The Principle of illusion magic follows the goal to disorientate or remove one's senses once one is introduced and trained in the Basics of Illusion Magic they'll possess abilities like being able to copy ones voice to fool others change minor things about their appearance like hair color eye color even holding still entirely will allow one to blend into their surroundings camouflaged so long as they hold still theyll even be able to place anger making one quick to blow or cowardice making someone quick to turn tail and so on in matters of mastery one will be able to jump from shadow to shadow even turning invisible for a brief amount of time and entirely changing their facial structure becoming someone else entirely until it is dispelled they'll even be able to make people burst in fear or rage rampaging hurting whoever's near or running away as if the devil himself appeared some even branch off and take a supportive role being able to place an unwavering courage in their allies. Healing- There is only one place to go for training in this discipline which doesn't cause too much trouble due to how Healing magic is considered a shadow of a magic school due to its more popular brother and sister schools but one shouldn't overlook it. In the Basic grasp of this school of Magic one will be able to heal wounds bruises and even minor sickness like a cold or minor flu even being able to cast a Shielding Ward to defend against enemies magic and once one attains a deeper understanding they'll be able to block physical and spiritual attacks and being able to regenerate minor limbs on themselves or allies fingers toes nose and ears will be able to regenerated and deeper wounds will close with magical intent in forms of mastery one can regenerate a whole arm or leg or even bring together a man who was cut in half the only thing is in such causes it must be done immediately if too much time passes even a grandmaster wouldn't hold the power to do so. The one Master of this school is a wanderer that would need to be tracked down and he is even spoken highly among his rival school only the grandmasters of each school know his true abilities but there are whispers he even used his healing magic offensively in the great war some whisper he can even stop time alas only one brave enough to try and learn his secrets will ever know the truth. Conjuration- A Complicated and Dangerous Matter of magic it enables one to summon familiars which vary person to person depending upon many factors there are spell knights who summon a bear or a wolf some Rangers Summon Ravens or owls Some Assassins Summon Mountain Lions or panthers apart from just summoning a familiar which is the first step to this school basic understanding will allow one to send out elemental birds who will divebomb and explode enemies or even conjure a rat to scout out a building once one reaches a deeper understanding although frowned and taboo one can be able to rise the dead or summon skeletons in a form of mastery one could even use dragons bones to summon a skeletal dragon and if they find a intact corpse of any monster or creature they can bind the undead creature to them many conjurers chase eternal life and run the risk of turning into a Lich due to their desire and while some may say its unfortunate most conjurers are blessed in their abilities simply due to their extreme desires Religion: There are three gods in the realm that the people follow doesn't matter the race or culture Goddess Ru- Goddess Ru is the Divine embodying love, Harvest, Chivalry and the Sun youll find many knights and Westerners Following her divinity as well as easterners she promotes Mercy and being Generous to all She doesn't write anything off as Sin or wrongdoing she accepts all and that might be why many find it so easy to follow her as people believe even if one was to create great crimes they can find forgiveness in Ru. She has Knights who fight in her name chivalrously and Clerics that Roam and spread her divinity she isnt as close to her followers as Selene but she does at times intervene some followers even say Goddess Ru has brought them back to life after theyve fallen in battle or even from famine or sickness she has no special followers or champion as she treats all as equal God Olugaros- Olugaros is a Warring god his divine Embodies Death, War, and Wealth he promotes Merciless behavior and the stronger always prevails and takes as they please it is said in the afterlife all go to the Hill of Swords to one day be called down again to fight a final battle he also has many Knights but more fitting to a Sorcerer or Shinobi he finds chivalry and mercy to be weakness and refuses the his ending to people he deems weak for his world a fickle and demeaning god he keeps a fair distance between his followers unless he finds them worthy as a candidate to become his champion Many Faced Goddess- The many faced god is a joke, a Jester which is meant literally they have followers but appear to them in many different ways some as the followers most loved one some as they one the follower hates more than anything but the most common appearance is that of a Jester with 4 different faces one smiling one laughing one crying and one stricken with rage they embraces the lost and the broken they embody Adaptability, Alchemy, Acceptance, and Sacrifice. They promote everchanging to adapt and overcome to pursure knowledge and accept life in all of its Brutality. Some Revere them as the best divine some loath them saying they are a trickster only in it for their own entertainment they are very intertwined in the mortal realm rumored to hide as a beggar just to feel the mortality and smallness people feel on the streets and will appear to any they find interesting

Laws: Across all Kingdoms there are the law given by the divine that all races and cultures follow some kingdoms have built upon them and have outlawed things not mentioned in the scriptures which is something that the scripts also give power to them in their last transcription and it goes as follows 1. Thou shall not kill unless in the Defense of yourself or another 2. Thou shall not steal or rob let alone pillage 3. Thou shall not Rape or take advantage of 4. Each kingdom is entitled to its own rights and wrongs and are given power to create their own to tailor their lands and people All Kingdoms follow this baseline, each kingdom has their own laws tailored for their kingdom. Nobles find themselves dancing the line of the law due to their Noble Rights many abuse this and commit many crimes going unpunished due to their lineage. Punishments: In minor cases of any law breaking Branding along with a fine and jail time is the most common punishment Killing/Murder- In severe cases of a murder or killing criminals will but put in the pillory to allow townsfolk to vent their anger unto them some cut off their ears or cut them but killing the outlaw will only land a spot beside them after the decided upon time they will be taken to be lit aflame upon a pyre or to a guillotine or gallows in moderate cases of a murder the criminal will again face time in the pillory only nobody will be allowed to hurt him only throw food or shit at them afterwards the criminal will be fined and have either a hand or ear cut off along with receiving a branding showing them to be a murderer. Thievery- In severe cases criminals will be forced to fight in the fighting pits or can choose the gallows after serving time in the pillory in a thief's case none will be allowed even in a severe case to go up and harm them whilst in the pillory for a moderate case of thievery the criminal will face pillory time as well as a fine and having to lose a finger and receive a branding of a thief. Rape/taking advantage- in both severe and moderate cases Survival is not an option, torture will only lead to death in the end in severe cases the criminal will lose themselves bit by bit after spending a day in the pillory where people will be allowed to injure but not kill upon being take to prison they will endure torture for months sometimes even a year before being burnt upon the pyre in moderate cases they will only endure torture for months to meet their end at the gallows and in a minor case they will be turned into a Eunuch and forced into beggary and branded leaving their fate to the people who find them Guards- The Guards are employed by the crown and work for the crown and the people under the crown some can become corrupts and simply work for whoever is lining their coin purse so its recommended to always carry a heavy purse in the case of needing to tip off any guard although there are house guards for some Noble and or Renowned House names usually in a Noble Lineage or a Longstanding one they aren't loyal to the crown or people but entirely their house willing to live and die by the name they are sworn to they are the most loyal to their masters even if their masters can be twisted and evil.

Enemy Factions: There are some at large groups that only aim to wreak havoc and bring death some cases nobody knows if they even have a motif while some preach their reasoning The Pantheon- a group of crazed fanatic crusaders that are pressuring mainly from faraway lands They wear heavy suits of armor like knights but their metal work is blackened creating what looks like apparitions to death people in all the kingdoms fear them as they are increasing their military pressure constantly leadingto a great wave of paranoia between the royals facing the Pantheon. they speak a different language than all of the kingdoms on the continent making to any attempt at making a alliance or parley with them or find a common ground near impossible and they aren't the kind to fight with honor; they fight like animal's guerillas warfare to such an extreme it strikes fears into the people of the mainland Mechanica Extrema: A group of crazed men and women originally from a different land but their views have now infected the lands They believe that metal and Mechanics are the next form of life preaching that flesh and blood is weak where fire and metal will grant power and eternal life they are twisted and maniacal taking prisoners only to amputate their arms and sometimes legs replacing them with bladed prosthetics burning them to their skin and leaving them to fall in despair which is what they do to themselves most cut off their own arm or both arms and replaced their limbs for weapons whether it be a Crossbow affixed to their nub or a long blade they speak the common tongue and preach of a god of fire and metal from a far away land called Aventus they are primarily in the south but have spread like a plague to all the lands in the realm. The Purists: A Group of humans that believe only Humanity should control and rule the realm and all other races are beneath them meant to be used as resources and nothing more They hold a Minor sway in the West and are constantly recruiting more to their vile cause they purchase other races as slaves in the black market just to beat them and defile them in public to show how beneath humans they are they burn survivors of their skirmishes upon a pyre and say it is to purify the filth from the realms, they are long beyond saving and reason and only blood and steel can and will stop them from their Actions.