The year 703 of the Atrenian Calendar: It's been nearly three hundred years since the end of the Aternian Rule of the continent, and the world rests in a far different shape then it did back then. In the glory age of the Atrenian Empire, most of the center of the continent lay under the singular control of the Empire, with various vassals states surrounding the might empire, and few small independent kingdom's scattered across the land, mainly residing in the Eastern Reaches of the continent, where rough terrain made it difficult for order to be kept back in those days of old. Under the rule of the Empire, the lad resided in a near peaceful state, save for the occasional run in with bandits and wandering Mercenaries who had wandered in from the islands and eastern reaches in search of work, as the Empire possessed a grand and righteous military might that could not easily be squandered, and kept that of the Eastern Nations at bay. Powerful legions of Knights and Mages could be found in every major city of the Empire, and even that of the more rebel inclined vassals states, as no ruler is perfect. But ultimately, the source of the Empire's power rested in the storage of several mythical weapons, relics as they were often called, left over from the Age of Unifications, when mighty Kingdoms fought in a great struggle, who's true records have been lost in time, including the techniques that allowed the creation of such powerful weapons. The Age of Unification, if you were wondering dear reader, ended with the creation of the Atrenian Empire over seven hundred years ago. These weapons were primarily wielded by those who were thought to be within the bloodline of the great warriors who wielded them ages ago, many being placed as the lords of the Empire's Vassal states.
Though, no Empire can last forever, and though records ceased to prove this, there had no doubt been an Empire at some point before the Age of Unification, and it would seem history would be doomed to repeat itself at least once more. For four hundred grand years the Atrenian Empire ruled the majority of the continent, as you know, and protected it from Famine, War and Plague; an unprecedented period of peace for the times. But slowly the various lords grew tired of the oppressive practices of the Empire. Some had been born of ambition, others had heard the whispers from the disgruntled Eastern Nations who had been scorned by the Empire following the Age of Unification, though some simply had begun to see the cracks in the Empire's base and wished to be spared from what they saw as an inevitable collapse. See, the Empire had been on a slow decline for decades. They had overburdened himself and could not keep up with their own idealism. Corruption had learned its way into the court and military with the birth of a sickly Emperor, and the mysterious disappearance of the previous Emperor and Empress left the Empire in a serious state. Eventually, near the year of 432, the Empire began to decline at a rapid pace, and as the Empire attempted to lean upon her vassals to save herself, many went up in rebellion, taking their might and Relics into the fight against the Empire's and theirs. In days of past the Empire would have easily been able to crush a such rebellion, but such an age was long past them. In an ensuing ten year war, the Empire officially collapsed, and dissolved into little more than her scattered vassals and newborn states. Thus for the next hundred years the Western Reaches of the continent entered into what was known as the Age of Great Strife, as the newly born Vassals began to compete for power in the new vacuum created. Over time, after years of bloody war, some of it saved by the disappearance of most of the Ancient Relics, new kingdoms began to consolidate. Some in the east over the fear of the old Eastern Nations from rising up, other simply for protection and shared ideals. And soon enough the flames of the Age of Great Strife died out and for the next two hundred years the world entered the Age of Reconstruction.
Now the world sits in relative peace, though occasional wars have sparked up in the past, they were often short lived, and on smaller scales. Most nations simply wish to focus on themselves, and very few in the Western side of the Continent cling to the old ways of Imperialism, or at the very least noticeably less than there Eastern Neighbors, many still looking for a chance to exploit Western Weakness and constantly probing. But the world still sits in a perilous balance. Alliances from wars pasts, and the grudges and scars left behind by such have put many nations in difficult positions, as alliances grow bigger, and the likelihood of another great struggle only increases with each passing day. It would take but a single soft breath to blow over the fragile house of cards that is the political landscape, and while everyone appears to be holding their breath in caution, there are no doubt those who are waiting for it to crumble, and aren't afraid to be the one who does it.
Hello, and welcome to Tales of Efrya. First and foremost, you may have noticed that small little "Fire Emblem Inspired" note at the top of the OP. Don't worry about that. If you've never played the games or even heard of them, you won't be at a disadvantage. The only involvement they posses is a few "Set Pieces" as I'll call them, and mechanics [such as Character Class], that I happen to be borrowing. No characters, events, settings, or anything else from the Games will have a connection or involvement in the RP. At the end of the day, it will simply look like a light Fantasy RP. Now unto the RP itself
The RP is as you might guess is a character based one, or rather is based around your party, so to speak. These are the characters you make, and their story you will be telling along with the other members of this RP as you travel around the continent on various adventures and meet many people across the numerous Castles and Hamlets that lay about every Kingdom on the map. You're characters can come from any walk of life you choose; Grand Knights to simply footmen, Master Mages to Plucky Apprentices, Lords to Mercenaries, the choice rests with you. These characters can originate from any country of birth as well. As for the plot, it is ultimately the sum of all of you're journey's you lead your characters on. There is an overarching story, however, that will sooner or later tie characters together, if they haven't already met on their own journeys. But first I must ask a small favor of you; to help fill in the world. As you maybe able to tell, the world appears a bit empty. Nations must fill up the spots on the map, and while I do have my own ideas, I'd much prefer to see what you can think up, rather than solely relying on my ideas.