Elementals: The White Rose
IC thread
Constaniana wrote:The theme song becomes "Woof woof wooooof, woof woof wooooof, woof woof woooooof, woof woof wooof, woof woof wooof wooof, woof woooof woof woof wooof..." You get the idea.
-I shall keep the theme song from the last thread unless someone forges a danker one.
Kassaran wrote:I continue to wait with baited breath. Like a fisherman who is happily getting drunk waiting for a nibble on his line.
-Concerning the stately pace that this fine work of fiction progresses at
Elementals 1, in all her weird un-canonical glory.
Elementals 2, which this RP is a continuation of.
Veterans of The Black Beast shall only need to read the "How the World has changed" spoiler unless you lot feel like looking at the new god pictures I put in the first paragraph, or you want a recap, or you're in a nostalgic mood.
Backstory
In the beginning, before the world of mortals was born, there was a cataclysmic war in Heaven. The Loyal Host, made up of Pryastar, God of Fire, Hydrata, Goddess of Water, Terestark, God of Earth, Boaltist, God of Lightning, Veridaelia, Goddess of Nature, Froenstia, Goddess of Ice, Aewiallia, Goddess of Wind, and Ferruoston, God of Metal sided with the God of Creation, Jaehlhadon, against his traitorous and corrupted son, Tenaembra, God of Darkness, Black King in the Void who had been banished from Heaven from trying to use the power of the Void for his own to surpass the other Gods and dominate all of creation. The war was won by the Loyal Host, but only barely. Knowing what needed to be done to stop Tenaembra from starting another war with the power of the Void, Jaehlhadon sacrificed his Divine and Perfect form to bring form and shape to the seething, chaotic void and to transform it into an orderly, peaceful universe that the Loyal Host could fill with their own creations. As a final act before this new universe was created, Jaehlhadon created one last God: Caelstion, the Shining God of Light.
And thus the Universe was born; Terestark and Ferruoston forged the planets, Hydrata filled the basins of the rough spheres with her Water, Pryastar made boiling lakes of lava beneath the earth, and blazing balls of Fire in the space between the planets, which Caelstion lit up to ward off darkness and death from the planets. Veridaelia covered the land in lush, viridian forests brimming with life, and Aewiallia tenderly pulled the rain clouds across the skies. And once the universe was physically formed, there was one last act of creation the Loyal Host undertook; to create man. Taking attributes from all their Elements they combined them into two beings that walked upright the same way the gods and goddesses did. But Tenaembra had not accepted final defeat, and vowed to continue his war against his brothers and sisters.
The Black King in the Void sent his own creations to attack the world of Gaiaca. First came the ferocious, beast-like Demons, commanded by the Daemonnes; beautiful, cunning creatures that looked like men and were far more powerful than their savage counterparts. And for thousands of years they fought against the Angels and Angelles of Caelstion, and the magical superhuman servants of the Loyal Eight, the Elementals.
Finally, the cycle of divine war came to a cataclysmic end. Both sides sought a final, supreme advantage over the other, and the winner of the celestial arms race would either save Gaiaca or turn it into a ruined husk. Sacrificing nearly the entirety of his Dæmonik army on Gaiaca, Tenaembra reforged his foul creations into an unholy abomination, the Dæmonic Behemoth. The mindless monstrosity lived only for destruction, obliterating everything in its path. At great cost the monster was stopped by one of the mightiest Elementals and his army, the Scarlet Legion of His Imperial Majesty, Olbruni Villdera the Great, the emperor of Galllia, but at a terrible cost. The emperor, and most of his army, including Olbruni's three remaining heirs were slain by the foul beast. With the end of the Villdera dynasty and the losses they had suffered in the other parts of the world the age of the Elementals ended; the mythical race of superhuman heroes had been too depleted fighting the war. Caelstion's host continued to guard Gaiaca from the Heavens, stopping any further Demon kind from reaching the world of men. A thousand years passed, as the Galllian empire slowly stagnated and crumbled without the might of the Villdera dynasty, losing its grasp on the Elcrescian continent and the isle of Eresiln over time. Magic faded away the world as the Elementals that used it found themselves blamed and persecuted by the common men for all the ills of life, and either hid their powers or fled into the wilds, away from civilization.
For a time peace seemed restored on Gaiaca as the Great Dæmon War had lone since faded into the forgotten stories of old men, but it would not last. Tensions between the numerous kingdoms that now covered the face of Galllia flared, and war erupted once more. Battle after battle dragged on, with cities and provinces constantly changing hands to no avail. No end was in sight, nothing could make the awful war worse. Or so the suffering Galllians thought.
From out of the Void came one of Tenaembra's most fearsome servants, with an army at his back: Demon King Kayarost. The most powerful, cruel, remorseless of all the creations of the Black King in the Void, Kayarost quickly went to work pillaging and destroying the land, sweeping aside the technologically sophisticated humans with the sheer might of his innumerable host. As the Demon King marched on Villdernheim, the mighty island fortress-city that had been home to the Galllian emperors so long ago, it seemed there was nothing to stop him. No human army dared fight against Kayarost's dark army; to do so was suicide. Resigned to their inevitable defeat, the defenders of Villdernheim evacuated the civilians of the city while preparing for their deaths. They waited for days, and days, and no army came. The men of Villdernheim sent forth riders to find Kayarost's host. They did not succeed in that endeavour. Instead, they found the crushed remains of the Daemonic army, their foul black blood soaked into the earth like the rainwater of a hurricane. Mountains of Daemonik corpses burnt in pyres, with ash cloaking the ground and choking the air. And in the very epicentre of the carnage lay Schwarterong, Kayarost's dark sword, shattered to pieces. It was the only thing left of the Demon King, as his body was never found. Amazed by whatever divine grace had saved them, the states of Galllia put an end to their war, forming a confederation called the United Galllian Federation, and began rebuilding. Fifteen years passed, and the world seemed at peace.
And thus the Universe was born; Terestark and Ferruoston forged the planets, Hydrata filled the basins of the rough spheres with her Water, Pryastar made boiling lakes of lava beneath the earth, and blazing balls of Fire in the space between the planets, which Caelstion lit up to ward off darkness and death from the planets. Veridaelia covered the land in lush, viridian forests brimming with life, and Aewiallia tenderly pulled the rain clouds across the skies. And once the universe was physically formed, there was one last act of creation the Loyal Host undertook; to create man. Taking attributes from all their Elements they combined them into two beings that walked upright the same way the gods and goddesses did. But Tenaembra had not accepted final defeat, and vowed to continue his war against his brothers and sisters.
The Black King in the Void sent his own creations to attack the world of Gaiaca. First came the ferocious, beast-like Demons, commanded by the Daemonnes; beautiful, cunning creatures that looked like men and were far more powerful than their savage counterparts. And for thousands of years they fought against the Angels and Angelles of Caelstion, and the magical superhuman servants of the Loyal Eight, the Elementals.
Finally, the cycle of divine war came to a cataclysmic end. Both sides sought a final, supreme advantage over the other, and the winner of the celestial arms race would either save Gaiaca or turn it into a ruined husk. Sacrificing nearly the entirety of his Dæmonik army on Gaiaca, Tenaembra reforged his foul creations into an unholy abomination, the Dæmonic Behemoth. The mindless monstrosity lived only for destruction, obliterating everything in its path. At great cost the monster was stopped by one of the mightiest Elementals and his army, the Scarlet Legion of His Imperial Majesty, Olbruni Villdera the Great, the emperor of Galllia, but at a terrible cost. The emperor, and most of his army, including Olbruni's three remaining heirs were slain by the foul beast. With the end of the Villdera dynasty and the losses they had suffered in the other parts of the world the age of the Elementals ended; the mythical race of superhuman heroes had been too depleted fighting the war. Caelstion's host continued to guard Gaiaca from the Heavens, stopping any further Demon kind from reaching the world of men. A thousand years passed, as the Galllian empire slowly stagnated and crumbled without the might of the Villdera dynasty, losing its grasp on the Elcrescian continent and the isle of Eresiln over time. Magic faded away the world as the Elementals that used it found themselves blamed and persecuted by the common men for all the ills of life, and either hid their powers or fled into the wilds, away from civilization.
For a time peace seemed restored on Gaiaca as the Great Dæmon War had lone since faded into the forgotten stories of old men, but it would not last. Tensions between the numerous kingdoms that now covered the face of Galllia flared, and war erupted once more. Battle after battle dragged on, with cities and provinces constantly changing hands to no avail. No end was in sight, nothing could make the awful war worse. Or so the suffering Galllians thought.
From out of the Void came one of Tenaembra's most fearsome servants, with an army at his back: Demon King Kayarost. The most powerful, cruel, remorseless of all the creations of the Black King in the Void, Kayarost quickly went to work pillaging and destroying the land, sweeping aside the technologically sophisticated humans with the sheer might of his innumerable host. As the Demon King marched on Villdernheim, the mighty island fortress-city that had been home to the Galllian emperors so long ago, it seemed there was nothing to stop him. No human army dared fight against Kayarost's dark army; to do so was suicide. Resigned to their inevitable defeat, the defenders of Villdernheim evacuated the civilians of the city while preparing for their deaths. They waited for days, and days, and no army came. The men of Villdernheim sent forth riders to find Kayarost's host. They did not succeed in that endeavour. Instead, they found the crushed remains of the Daemonic army, their foul black blood soaked into the earth like the rainwater of a hurricane. Mountains of Daemonik corpses burnt in pyres, with ash cloaking the ground and choking the air. And in the very epicentre of the carnage lay Schwarterong, Kayarost's dark sword, shattered to pieces. It was the only thing left of the Demon King, as his body was never found. Amazed by whatever divine grace had saved them, the states of Galllia put an end to their war, forming a confederation called the United Galllian Federation, and began rebuilding. Fifteen years passed, and the world seemed at peace.
But peace is always so fleeting, isn't she?
Panic had brought the land together to band against what was expected to be years and years of invasions from Hell. But after it became clear that there were no more hellspawn marching upon the world then the old rivalries and grudges of the Great Galllian War of 1733-63 rose to the surface once again. The South resented the North again, Reldenshire and Galdentonhold went back to utterly despising one another, and everyone else seemed to agree that the Krieghold were bloody menacing. Economic disputes joined the fray, ranging from regional income inequality to slavery and child labour. Isolationism became the Galllian foreign policy by default, as no consensus could be reached as to which of the competing alliances the old states had forged should be kept. Topping it all off was the rise of a revolutionary group known as the Watchtower Society. They preached that the Elementals were responsible for all the ills of the world, and that the nobility, being descended from their magical hierarchy, needed to be violently overthrown. Ridding Gaiaca of her Elementals was the only way to ensure the Hellspawn would never attack again, as they would have finally triumphed over their ancient enemies. Their main activities seemed to be stirring up trouble in town squares, but in secret they carried out horrific biological research.
The board was finally all set. The opening move plucked the unsuspecting Prince Kroisoto Kirschbaum Alschwert Van Aurenheim, third son of the Duke of Auregen, from his holiday home at Bristhill Manor in the spring of 1778. Unknown assailants kidnapped the Aurennian aristocrat without claiming responsibility or demanding a ransom, which fuelled speculation over which faction had done the dirty deed. A few weeks later, on the 22nd of April, another kidnapping took place in Haventown, a settlement in the foothills of central Albrion. This one most certainly did not attract the attention of anyone outside the county at the time, but in time it would perhaps prove to be just as important. The victim in the latter crime was a young maiden named Heilaga Valakreig, a waitress at the Galloping Mare Inn. The culprits were the Watchtower Society, who were in town trying to recruit new followers. Oddly, they were very intent about specifically taking Heilaga, and witnesses later quoted them as saying they had been specifically sent to Haventown to kidnap the blonde lass. The one who actually kidnapped Heilaga was a man named Nyroko, who teleported away using Darkness magic. Guards were summoned, and the other Watchtower agents were arrested.
But a police investigation was not enough to satisfy one person: Aldraniri Alsvidster, the boy across the street who had loved her for all his life. The orphan redhead left his comfortable life as a blacksmith's apprentice to find his best friend and defeat the Watchtower cult. Along the way he discovered his own powers over Fire, and would be joined by various companions; some were valiant and stalwart, like the Ice Elemental Tristan Frost and the wisecracking sage Eric Lumen. Some walked strange paths, like the tragic Ero-San and the slime girl Blue. Others would spend the majority of their time in comas yet somehow manage to occasionally stagger their way back to the group for a few hours before slumbering for another epoch. Another one who joined the Albrian was the missing Kroisoto, who had been in the Galloping Mare and fought against the Watchtower agents during their attack. He sought the aid of the heroes in making his way back to Auregen in safety to try bringing an end to the growing crisis. Together they fought their way through Watchtower bases and delved into an Inferno, a cavern-world between Gaiaca and Hell where another member joined the party: Lisoette the Daemonness, a surprisingly sweet and naive lass who fell in love with Tristan.
The heroes set the Inferno to collapse and escaped through a portal to the port city of Erilhall, in the northeast of Galllia. Several new Elementals joined the band here: Jinmao Temujin and his adoptive sister Guan Aisha, a Wind and a Fire Elemental respectively, and both Sahranjjite aristocrats. A mute Ice Elemental named Trish also became associated with the group after her iceship conveniently landed near some of them. The group discovered Watchtower had a base beneath the College of Bracksbure in the city, where Heilaga was possibly held captive. Guided by a plucky local photographer named Walter, they infiltrated the place by night and discovered the cult had huge stockpiles of human, hellspawn, and even Elemental blood they were using to make twisted monsters. They didn't find Heilaga, but the base was destroyed by a mysterious heavenly blast, and the heroes rode out of the city on horseback.
Three weeks passed before they reached the outskirts of Auregen and met Prince Peorshine, Kroisoto's eldest brother. At last the quest to return the missing prince was at an end, and to celebrate achieving that goal the group split up to do fun stuff in Auregen. Surprise surprise, WATCHTOWER ATTACKED!!1! But more unusually some Daemonne assassins attacked the castle, failing to kill anyone before they were slain. The Lightning Elemental Rachael Shatterhammer aided in the defence of the castle and joined the band of wandering heroes. Duke Bismarke had them all over for dinner, and gave them some intelligence of suspicious robed folk up in the mountains since their Watchtower trail had gone cold. So they set off yet again, without Kroisoto. After a few days and getting lost they found a curious cave with dead bodies outside, and naturally stuck their noses in. They thought it was another Watchtower attack. They didn't suspect they would find actual worshippers of Tenaembra. The wicked priests were driven out in a grim battle that the party spoke little about when people would ask in the years after.
Returning to Auregen, the group gave their report to the duchess and were sent on a different mission to the Fair Hills resort. Technically they were sent as elite bodyguards for Kroisoto and Peorshine, who had diplomatic business there, but everyone saw it as a nice holiday. Sumptuous foods were eaten, sandcastles were built, and a thong was worn by Eric. But things took a dark turn in the meeting between Lord Peorshine and the federal representative when the latter offered to arrange a coup against his father placing Peorshine in control of Aurennia decades earlier in exchange for pledging loyalty and complete deference to the Federation. This enraged Peorshine, who stormed out of the meeting.
At the same time explosions began to rock the resort, as it was revealed it was hiding a Watchtower compound underground. On the beach a 24-foot monster created by the cultists emerged, evidently the cause of the unfolding disaster. Tristan and Kroisito rallied most of the group in a spectacular magical battle against the abomination while a few members, such as Eric and Erosen, delved into the enemy base. The monster was slain with great effort, but when its corpse slammed into the earth and exploded it sent tremors that completed the destruction of the Watchtower base. There was an Inferno portal that the cult had constructed, and when it broke its wibbly-wobbly spatial energies dispersed the main characters across the globe, leaving only Kroisoto and Charlie left on the beach at Fair Hills. The chapter of Aldraniri's band questing to find Heilaga came to a close.
Panic had brought the land together to band against what was expected to be years and years of invasions from Hell. But after it became clear that there were no more hellspawn marching upon the world then the old rivalries and grudges of the Great Galllian War of 1733-63 rose to the surface once again. The South resented the North again, Reldenshire and Galdentonhold went back to utterly despising one another, and everyone else seemed to agree that the Krieghold were bloody menacing. Economic disputes joined the fray, ranging from regional income inequality to slavery and child labour. Isolationism became the Galllian foreign policy by default, as no consensus could be reached as to which of the competing alliances the old states had forged should be kept. Topping it all off was the rise of a revolutionary group known as the Watchtower Society. They preached that the Elementals were responsible for all the ills of the world, and that the nobility, being descended from their magical hierarchy, needed to be violently overthrown. Ridding Gaiaca of her Elementals was the only way to ensure the Hellspawn would never attack again, as they would have finally triumphed over their ancient enemies. Their main activities seemed to be stirring up trouble in town squares, but in secret they carried out horrific biological research.
The board was finally all set. The opening move plucked the unsuspecting Prince Kroisoto Kirschbaum Alschwert Van Aurenheim, third son of the Duke of Auregen, from his holiday home at Bristhill Manor in the spring of 1778. Unknown assailants kidnapped the Aurennian aristocrat without claiming responsibility or demanding a ransom, which fuelled speculation over which faction had done the dirty deed. A few weeks later, on the 22nd of April, another kidnapping took place in Haventown, a settlement in the foothills of central Albrion. This one most certainly did not attract the attention of anyone outside the county at the time, but in time it would perhaps prove to be just as important. The victim in the latter crime was a young maiden named Heilaga Valakreig, a waitress at the Galloping Mare Inn. The culprits were the Watchtower Society, who were in town trying to recruit new followers. Oddly, they were very intent about specifically taking Heilaga, and witnesses later quoted them as saying they had been specifically sent to Haventown to kidnap the blonde lass. The one who actually kidnapped Heilaga was a man named Nyroko, who teleported away using Darkness magic. Guards were summoned, and the other Watchtower agents were arrested.
But a police investigation was not enough to satisfy one person: Aldraniri Alsvidster, the boy across the street who had loved her for all his life. The orphan redhead left his comfortable life as a blacksmith's apprentice to find his best friend and defeat the Watchtower cult. Along the way he discovered his own powers over Fire, and would be joined by various companions; some were valiant and stalwart, like the Ice Elemental Tristan Frost and the wisecracking sage Eric Lumen. Some walked strange paths, like the tragic Ero-San and the slime girl Blue. Others would spend the majority of their time in comas yet somehow manage to occasionally stagger their way back to the group for a few hours before slumbering for another epoch. Another one who joined the Albrian was the missing Kroisoto, who had been in the Galloping Mare and fought against the Watchtower agents during their attack. He sought the aid of the heroes in making his way back to Auregen in safety to try bringing an end to the growing crisis. Together they fought their way through Watchtower bases and delved into an Inferno, a cavern-world between Gaiaca and Hell where another member joined the party: Lisoette the Daemonness, a surprisingly sweet and naive lass who fell in love with Tristan.
The heroes set the Inferno to collapse and escaped through a portal to the port city of Erilhall, in the northeast of Galllia. Several new Elementals joined the band here: Jinmao Temujin and his adoptive sister Guan Aisha, a Wind and a Fire Elemental respectively, and both Sahranjjite aristocrats. A mute Ice Elemental named Trish also became associated with the group after her iceship conveniently landed near some of them. The group discovered Watchtower had a base beneath the College of Bracksbure in the city, where Heilaga was possibly held captive. Guided by a plucky local photographer named Walter, they infiltrated the place by night and discovered the cult had huge stockpiles of human, hellspawn, and even Elemental blood they were using to make twisted monsters. They didn't find Heilaga, but the base was destroyed by a mysterious heavenly blast, and the heroes rode out of the city on horseback.
Three weeks passed before they reached the outskirts of Auregen and met Prince Peorshine, Kroisoto's eldest brother. At last the quest to return the missing prince was at an end, and to celebrate achieving that goal the group split up to do fun stuff in Auregen. Surprise surprise, WATCHTOWER ATTACKED!!1! But more unusually some Daemonne assassins attacked the castle, failing to kill anyone before they were slain. The Lightning Elemental Rachael Shatterhammer aided in the defence of the castle and joined the band of wandering heroes. Duke Bismarke had them all over for dinner, and gave them some intelligence of suspicious robed folk up in the mountains since their Watchtower trail had gone cold. So they set off yet again, without Kroisoto. After a few days and getting lost they found a curious cave with dead bodies outside, and naturally stuck their noses in. They thought it was another Watchtower attack. They didn't suspect they would find actual worshippers of Tenaembra. The wicked priests were driven out in a grim battle that the party spoke little about when people would ask in the years after.
Returning to Auregen, the group gave their report to the duchess and were sent on a different mission to the Fair Hills resort. Technically they were sent as elite bodyguards for Kroisoto and Peorshine, who had diplomatic business there, but everyone saw it as a nice holiday. Sumptuous foods were eaten, sandcastles were built, and a thong was worn by Eric. But things took a dark turn in the meeting between Lord Peorshine and the federal representative when the latter offered to arrange a coup against his father placing Peorshine in control of Aurennia decades earlier in exchange for pledging loyalty and complete deference to the Federation. This enraged Peorshine, who stormed out of the meeting.
At the same time explosions began to rock the resort, as it was revealed it was hiding a Watchtower compound underground. On the beach a 24-foot monster created by the cultists emerged, evidently the cause of the unfolding disaster. Tristan and Kroisito rallied most of the group in a spectacular magical battle against the abomination while a few members, such as Eric and Erosen, delved into the enemy base. The monster was slain with great effort, but when its corpse slammed into the earth and exploded it sent tremors that completed the destruction of the Watchtower base. There was an Inferno portal that the cult had constructed, and when it broke its wibbly-wobbly spatial energies dispersed the main characters across the globe, leaving only Kroisoto and Charlie left on the beach at Fair Hills. The chapter of Aldraniri's band questing to find Heilaga came to a close.
The Aurenheims and what was left of their entourage returned to their capital of Auregen in haste to deliver the news to the duke of what had transpired. Duke Bismarke did not take these tidings well, and shortly after on the 28th of May sent a telegram to his representatives in the federal capital Villdernheim to announce the secession of Aurennia from the United Galllian Federation. Constitutional confusion followed for days as the Federal Council debated over whether secession was legal, and if it was whether Duke Bismarke could unilaterally make such a declaration on his own without consulting his own nobility or the other states in Galllia. Chancellor Jeffron Van Eldharch, the head of state, finally announced their decision via telegram and a public address on the 5th of June in the capital that it was in fact illegal, and that the United Galllian Federation was going to stay united as long as there would be a continent of Galllia. The Rupture of the North had begun.
House Aurenheim made good use of the head-start their federal foes had given them, securing the loyalty of most armed forces currently within their lands. The structure of the U.G.F's army was such that divisions were generally comprised of soldiers from the region where they were stationed, meaning the divisions in Aurennia were almost entirely Aurennian. Proposals had been made in the past of integrating men from across the federation into assorted divisions, but the disparities in transportation across the continent made the idea too expensive to the Federal Council, and thus the Federal Army remained largely an extension of the old state armies and noble household retinues. Bismarke Van Aurenheim continued to use his title from the federal army, Commander of the Armies of the North, and called for the other northern states of Albrion and Erillia to break away with Aurennia.
Erillia, the state whose capital was the same Erilhall that the heroes of the last story had uncovered a Watchtower base under a college, was already on the verge of a revolt against its ruler, Lord-Lieutenant Gustav Wadiere. His taxes were too high, his morals too low. The wrath of Caelstion had been seen in Erilhall's sky, when it smote the College of Bracksbure in what surely must have been an omen to all the city. But when Prince Peorshine divulged the fact that the federation's diplomat had admitted that the current Lord-Lieutenant of Erilhall had only driven out the previous ruling family by agreeing to be a puppet of the government in Villdernheim, the dam burst. Riots broke out while the Federal Council still argued over the legality of secession. Gustav's forces began to give way under the sheer numbers of rebels, who called themselves the Condemners, and a few days later their situation worsened as the nearby federal army under the command of Margrave Kyusk declared their continuing allegiance to the Commander of the Armies of the North, and marched on the city to establish a provisional government. Wadiere managed to escape southward. Shortly afterwards the heir of Erillia's previous ruling dynasty, a young man named Banastre van Laschiol, arrived in the city with an army he had mustered from his family's lands in Eresiln, and the Condemners and Kyusk's army agreed to crown him the new Lord-Lieutenant of Erilhall. The city would become a focal point of the war, with numerous federal attacks by land and sea made on it for the next six months to try halting the rebellion's momentum.
Seeking to stem the tide of House Laschiol forces moving into Erillia, High Admiral Hugh Van Kriegen launched a large raid on the port city of Hansencross early in the morning of January 2nd, 1779. The Eresilnnian navy was stretched thin at the time fending off Garmiccian privateers, leaving a diminished defence fleet at Hansencross quite surprised to find the enemy coming from the west instead of the east. Federal and Eresilnnian ironclads were a match for one another, but the frigates and sloops slowly fell back before the superior firepower of Galllian ships-of-the-line. The battle drew within sight of the city, and the coastal defence guns went to work shelling the U.G.F's fleet, but defeat seemed more and more certain. But then a few minutes past noon a blast of light came down from the sky above the G.F.S. Cleaving Truth, the High Admiral's flagship, and split her in half in an instant. A few minutes went by before glowing pillars crashed through the midst of the 104-gun ships G.F.S. Galvanise, Ultimatum, and Executive, sending them to the bottom of the Halrennor Sea. Fear began to set in of being the next warship to be obliterated. With some of the ironclads beginning to run low on fuel or suffer malfunctions, the leaderless federal fleet made a sloppy retreat.
The people of Hansencross celebrated their miraculous deliverance, and the people of Eresiln demanded war. King Percival II agreed, and joined the struggle against the United Galllian Federation. The situation grew more complicated five weeks later when the Garmiccian Empire declared war against Eresiln and the Northemen rebels. At first it was assumed the move was motivated by a desire to escalate the struggle for maritime preeminence in the northern seas between the established Eresiln and the nascent Garamiccia. But after imperial marines opened up a new front on the frosty northernmost shore of Galllia the additional purpose behind their military intervention became clearer to some: an excuse for the usurper Emperor Jeremiahde VI to break down the walls of Norenhall, the Frigid Fortress, and kill Prince Siegfried, the teenage heir to the throne who had taken asylum in that city after his father was assassinated in Jeremiahde's coup twenty years ago.
Prince Siegfried would leave the protection of Norenhall of his own accord a few months after Garmiccian entry into the war, seeking military experience that would aid him in defeating his uncle's soldiers in their homeland one day. Over the course of the war he would develop into a distinguished tactician and strong Earth Elemental, attaining the rank of brevet lieutenant colonel. The Deep North Campaign would be a fierce teacher of many lessons to those who fought in it, encompassing battles in tundra, pine forest, mountain, and arctic shore environments. The threat of Aurennians taking control of the rich resources within the Albras Mountains through northern passes tied up many federal troops in long, arduous journeys north and eased the burden faced by the forces personally commanded by the Aurenheims in the east of Galllia.
Miraculous tales began to spread among the Northemen-Eresilnian forces in the summer of 1799 of a mysterious white knight in command of that most rare of the divine elements: Light. Even with the growing number of Elementals in their coalition's forces, a number that vastly outnumbered Federal-Imperial Elementals, none of them could wield Light magic. It was a power only typically bestowed on the most exceptional of Elementals after proving their valour with their original Element. Yet in more and more battles the tide would be turned against superior federal numbers and equipment by the overwhelming power of energy blasts from the sky, or glowing forcefields protecting soldiers from an otherwise fatal artillery barrage. Eventually a consensus regarding the champion's appearance began to come together among the people claiming to have seen this Elemental in action: a Northemen maiden exemplifying the bustiness women in that part of the country were known for, hiding her head under a full ancient Galllian helmet, and with a white rose painted on her gleaming plate armour and flowing indigo cape. She held no physical weapon in her hand, but could make one appear out of thin air on the rare occasion she felt the need to use such a thing. Since she never said her name the people who believed in her began to refer to their guardian as the White Rose.
In contrast to the emergence of the White Rose came the secret spread of Watchtower paramilitary units into the structure of the Federal Army. They were zealous and bloodthirsty, with an all-consuming hatred for Elementals, and their created monsters were too tantalising for many Southemen and Garmiccian commanders to resist deploying. On the few occasions that Federal-Imperial propaganda would mention the Watchtower Society it would paint them as passionate pursuers of reason and progress, contrasting with the superstition and backwardness of the brutish Northemen. Stories of their kidnappings and usurping of local governments were hushed up in many cases, but still stories got out every now and then, sowing doubt in the hearts of remaining U.G.F citizens. The book of a certain Charlie Kones, telling the tale of the battle against Watchtower undertaken by Aldraniri Alsvidster and his friends in 1778, helped keep the warning of Watchtower's evil in the public eye.
The first year entirely consumed by the Northern Revolution came to a close with a multitude of eastern lords in Albrion, foremost among them the Duke of Haventown, declaring independence from the United Galllian Federation and pledging themselves to the Duke of Auregen's service. As the year 1780 commenced Bismarke Van Aurenheim sought to bring the war to an end by decisive engagements favouring the magical skill of his forces over the numbers of federal and Garmiccian troops pitted against them. The first step was the introduction of the new Judgement-class ironclad, a bigger and faster vessel than the Dignity and older Liefenhall class steamships used by the federation, which had the consequence of her kind being able to carry more guns and ram more powerfully. The shipyards of Auregen churned out over two dozen of them within a few months of them being introduced into service. These new ships were assembled with a fleet of the finest 1st-rate ships-of-the-line the Northemen had at their disposal and sent southwards to strike the Kreighold, where the majority of the federal weapon foundries were.
The Commander of the Armies of the North sent his adopted son Kroisoto with the invasion force. The lad's powers with magic and the sword had grown immensely from the time when he had been kidnapped and joined up with Aldraniri, Tristan, Eric, Erosen and the rest to make his way home to Auregen, and by this point of the war had become established as one of its main players in the popular imagination. Where his eldest brother Prince Peorshine was adored as the dashing, gallant knight, or his adopted father Duke Bismarke revered as the stoic and unstoppable leader of all the free folk, Prince Kroisoto was held in awe as Aurennia's destroying angel, a scourge to the federal and Garamiccian dogs that sought to conquer them.
On April 5th the newly-organised 3rd Fleet of Aurennia attacked the large naval base of Kreigport. Kroisoto unleashed an utterly massive storm that smashed up most of the defences, and marines of the 12th Joint Army took control of the city after only another day of fighting. With their forces practically unscathed the Northemen rushed south down the canal to their main prize, the city of Fistforge. House Kreigen forces were caught unprepared, having been reliant on Kreigport's defences holding would-be invaders at bay for much longer than a day. Outer guard forces were overrun, but the troops inside the city itself managed to entrench themselves to a degree. A siege went on for a week before the discontent, desperately poor working class broke out in rebellion and managed open the gates to Prince Kroisoto and his troops, who were welcomed as liberators. The 12th Army's numbers swelled with recruits hungry for revenge on the federal government that had sided with the factory owners over them. After that point their advance to the south slowed, as they needed to secure the territory east and west of the Central Kreighold Canal, but the 12th Army remained a dire threat in the mind of the U.G.F command. As the end of summer came near the rebels marched on Kreigseat, before its supplies could be swelled by the harvest.
By November all the mighty River Albras that was more than a dozen or so miles north of the capital Villdernheim, as well as almost the entirety of Galllia's eastern seaboard was under the control of Aurennia and her allies. Duke Bismarke sent a peace offer to the U.G.F and Empire of Garmiccia, demanding that they recognise the legal secession of Aurennia, Erilhall, and those counties in Albrion that had fought for the North, to accept Banastre as the only legitimate Lord-Lieutenant of Erilhall, and for Garamiccia to cease attacking Eresilnnian shipping. By this point the Garamiccian Empire had begun to scale back her involvement in the conflict anyway, but to save face on the international scene Emperor Jeremiahde left the decision on whether to concede defeat to the U.G.F. The Federal Council initially seemed in favour of letting the troublesome Northemen go at last, but the furious Duke Vincent Van Kreigen, Joint Chancellor of the Federal Armed Forces and head of the House of Kreigen demanded to avenge the humiliations his family had suffered over the course of the war. His younger brother Hugh had perished with the Cleaving Truth at Hansencross, along with many other kin through various battles, especially thanks to Kroisoto's army. Most painfully of all, his heir Rudolph had been killed by Prince Peorshine at the Fourth Battle of St. Scehson's in July of that same year. So Duke Kreigen imposed martial law in Villdernheim, imprisoned any pro-peace members of the government he could find, and wrote back to Duke Aurenheim that peace would only come after one of them was killed. Fate would see to that on December 20th, 1780.
On that final day, before the sun had arisen, the Northern Allies and Federal-Imperial troops met in the largest battle of the entire war. It was north of a hamlet called Champion Field, near the banks of the ancient canal that connected the east side of Villdernheim to the Halrennor Sea. What would follow would end this bloody chapter of Galllian history, and foreshadow what would come some other day for Galllia, and possibly the world. The White Rose finally appeared on the battlefield in a way that made certain of her existence, fighting in the thick of it all, mounted on a glorious white mare. Watchtower's monstrous hordes were no match for her divine wrath, and the corrupted beings were blasted into dust. The full moons rose, the sun began to set, and still the battle raged. At last Bismarke Van Aurenheim saw the enemy line collapsing, and he lead all his remaining heavy cavalry in a charge that smashed Vincent Van Kreigen's forces to pieces. The two supreme generals came face to face, and they duelled. Bismarke's icy claymore slammed Vincent's longsword from his hand after a few minutes, and four seconds later it severed his head from his neck. The Battle of Champion Field had come to an end.
Three days later, the combined Aurennian, Erillian, Eresilnnian, and Albrish army paraded through Villdernheim. The White Rose was nowhere to be found, leaving only Duke Aurenheim and Prince Peorshine to accept the surrender of the United Galllian Federation. His demands for independence were accepted, with a provision thrown in that the Federation could not impede the movement of those in the Kreighold who had pledged their loyalty to Kroisoto and by extension Aurennia, and were now leaving en masse to settle the free wilderness rather than remain in the debt and poverty that surrounded them in their homes. The north also took reparations by carrying off an extensive amount of industrial equipment from their captured southern cities, to better support their own emerging manufacturing sector. Furthermore, the United Galllian Federation had to amend its laws to permit any part of their country to unilaterally secede in the future.
On February 17th, 1781 the victorious coalition formally united into a new military bloc and free trade zone called the Commonwealth of the North, with Duke Aurenheim as its ceremonial head. Shortly afterwards King Percival's granddaughter and heir Crown Princess Katherine Lucille Bonniene Van Bechlunde became engaged to Prince Peorshine, leaving no doubt as to where their countries believe their future lies. Lord-Lieutenant Banastre Van Laschiol proposed to Isobel Van Aurenheim, Bismarke's oldest daughter, and she also accepted. The separated eastern part of Albrion formed into the new state of Albrasfont, so named for the source of the River Albras lying in their territory, with Duke Brambur Van Volcheart of Haventown as its ruler. No marriage has yet been recently made between his house and any other members of the Commonwealth of the North, but time will tell in that regard.
Almost a year has passed since the end of the Wide Northern War, and almost 10 months since the creation of the Commonwealth of the North. An uneasy peace holds upon the continent of Galllia like a sapling. The continent of Elcrescia bristles in unease at the emerging overseas capabilities of the Empire of Garamiccia, with each country there now left to wonder whether they could be the next target, instead of Yelhennei, the only country that Garamiccia has a land border with. And of course, the gods do not sit idly by in such a precarious moment in the history of the planet Gaiaca. Forces of good and evil have been at work in the shadows for centuries, and soon their plans will all come to light. Watchtower and other evil cults stalk the land. Outlying settlements face raids by something far worse than wild beasts. More Elementals arise every day. And somewhere out there is the most mysterious woman in Galllia, the White Rose, biding her time for...something.
House Aurenheim made good use of the head-start their federal foes had given them, securing the loyalty of most armed forces currently within their lands. The structure of the U.G.F's army was such that divisions were generally comprised of soldiers from the region where they were stationed, meaning the divisions in Aurennia were almost entirely Aurennian. Proposals had been made in the past of integrating men from across the federation into assorted divisions, but the disparities in transportation across the continent made the idea too expensive to the Federal Council, and thus the Federal Army remained largely an extension of the old state armies and noble household retinues. Bismarke Van Aurenheim continued to use his title from the federal army, Commander of the Armies of the North, and called for the other northern states of Albrion and Erillia to break away with Aurennia.
Erillia, the state whose capital was the same Erilhall that the heroes of the last story had uncovered a Watchtower base under a college, was already on the verge of a revolt against its ruler, Lord-Lieutenant Gustav Wadiere. His taxes were too high, his morals too low. The wrath of Caelstion had been seen in Erilhall's sky, when it smote the College of Bracksbure in what surely must have been an omen to all the city. But when Prince Peorshine divulged the fact that the federation's diplomat had admitted that the current Lord-Lieutenant of Erilhall had only driven out the previous ruling family by agreeing to be a puppet of the government in Villdernheim, the dam burst. Riots broke out while the Federal Council still argued over the legality of secession. Gustav's forces began to give way under the sheer numbers of rebels, who called themselves the Condemners, and a few days later their situation worsened as the nearby federal army under the command of Margrave Kyusk declared their continuing allegiance to the Commander of the Armies of the North, and marched on the city to establish a provisional government. Wadiere managed to escape southward. Shortly afterwards the heir of Erillia's previous ruling dynasty, a young man named Banastre van Laschiol, arrived in the city with an army he had mustered from his family's lands in Eresiln, and the Condemners and Kyusk's army agreed to crown him the new Lord-Lieutenant of Erilhall. The city would become a focal point of the war, with numerous federal attacks by land and sea made on it for the next six months to try halting the rebellion's momentum.
Seeking to stem the tide of House Laschiol forces moving into Erillia, High Admiral Hugh Van Kriegen launched a large raid on the port city of Hansencross early in the morning of January 2nd, 1779. The Eresilnnian navy was stretched thin at the time fending off Garmiccian privateers, leaving a diminished defence fleet at Hansencross quite surprised to find the enemy coming from the west instead of the east. Federal and Eresilnnian ironclads were a match for one another, but the frigates and sloops slowly fell back before the superior firepower of Galllian ships-of-the-line. The battle drew within sight of the city, and the coastal defence guns went to work shelling the U.G.F's fleet, but defeat seemed more and more certain. But then a few minutes past noon a blast of light came down from the sky above the G.F.S. Cleaving Truth, the High Admiral's flagship, and split her in half in an instant. A few minutes went by before glowing pillars crashed through the midst of the 104-gun ships G.F.S. Galvanise, Ultimatum, and Executive, sending them to the bottom of the Halrennor Sea. Fear began to set in of being the next warship to be obliterated. With some of the ironclads beginning to run low on fuel or suffer malfunctions, the leaderless federal fleet made a sloppy retreat.
The people of Hansencross celebrated their miraculous deliverance, and the people of Eresiln demanded war. King Percival II agreed, and joined the struggle against the United Galllian Federation. The situation grew more complicated five weeks later when the Garmiccian Empire declared war against Eresiln and the Northemen rebels. At first it was assumed the move was motivated by a desire to escalate the struggle for maritime preeminence in the northern seas between the established Eresiln and the nascent Garamiccia. But after imperial marines opened up a new front on the frosty northernmost shore of Galllia the additional purpose behind their military intervention became clearer to some: an excuse for the usurper Emperor Jeremiahde VI to break down the walls of Norenhall, the Frigid Fortress, and kill Prince Siegfried, the teenage heir to the throne who had taken asylum in that city after his father was assassinated in Jeremiahde's coup twenty years ago.
Prince Siegfried would leave the protection of Norenhall of his own accord a few months after Garmiccian entry into the war, seeking military experience that would aid him in defeating his uncle's soldiers in their homeland one day. Over the course of the war he would develop into a distinguished tactician and strong Earth Elemental, attaining the rank of brevet lieutenant colonel. The Deep North Campaign would be a fierce teacher of many lessons to those who fought in it, encompassing battles in tundra, pine forest, mountain, and arctic shore environments. The threat of Aurennians taking control of the rich resources within the Albras Mountains through northern passes tied up many federal troops in long, arduous journeys north and eased the burden faced by the forces personally commanded by the Aurenheims in the east of Galllia.
Miraculous tales began to spread among the Northemen-Eresilnian forces in the summer of 1799 of a mysterious white knight in command of that most rare of the divine elements: Light. Even with the growing number of Elementals in their coalition's forces, a number that vastly outnumbered Federal-Imperial Elementals, none of them could wield Light magic. It was a power only typically bestowed on the most exceptional of Elementals after proving their valour with their original Element. Yet in more and more battles the tide would be turned against superior federal numbers and equipment by the overwhelming power of energy blasts from the sky, or glowing forcefields protecting soldiers from an otherwise fatal artillery barrage. Eventually a consensus regarding the champion's appearance began to come together among the people claiming to have seen this Elemental in action: a Northemen maiden exemplifying the bustiness women in that part of the country were known for, hiding her head under a full ancient Galllian helmet, and with a white rose painted on her gleaming plate armour and flowing indigo cape. She held no physical weapon in her hand, but could make one appear out of thin air on the rare occasion she felt the need to use such a thing. Since she never said her name the people who believed in her began to refer to their guardian as the White Rose.
In contrast to the emergence of the White Rose came the secret spread of Watchtower paramilitary units into the structure of the Federal Army. They were zealous and bloodthirsty, with an all-consuming hatred for Elementals, and their created monsters were too tantalising for many Southemen and Garmiccian commanders to resist deploying. On the few occasions that Federal-Imperial propaganda would mention the Watchtower Society it would paint them as passionate pursuers of reason and progress, contrasting with the superstition and backwardness of the brutish Northemen. Stories of their kidnappings and usurping of local governments were hushed up in many cases, but still stories got out every now and then, sowing doubt in the hearts of remaining U.G.F citizens. The book of a certain Charlie Kones, telling the tale of the battle against Watchtower undertaken by Aldraniri Alsvidster and his friends in 1778, helped keep the warning of Watchtower's evil in the public eye.
The first year entirely consumed by the Northern Revolution came to a close with a multitude of eastern lords in Albrion, foremost among them the Duke of Haventown, declaring independence from the United Galllian Federation and pledging themselves to the Duke of Auregen's service. As the year 1780 commenced Bismarke Van Aurenheim sought to bring the war to an end by decisive engagements favouring the magical skill of his forces over the numbers of federal and Garmiccian troops pitted against them. The first step was the introduction of the new Judgement-class ironclad, a bigger and faster vessel than the Dignity and older Liefenhall class steamships used by the federation, which had the consequence of her kind being able to carry more guns and ram more powerfully. The shipyards of Auregen churned out over two dozen of them within a few months of them being introduced into service. These new ships were assembled with a fleet of the finest 1st-rate ships-of-the-line the Northemen had at their disposal and sent southwards to strike the Kreighold, where the majority of the federal weapon foundries were.
The Commander of the Armies of the North sent his adopted son Kroisoto with the invasion force. The lad's powers with magic and the sword had grown immensely from the time when he had been kidnapped and joined up with Aldraniri, Tristan, Eric, Erosen and the rest to make his way home to Auregen, and by this point of the war had become established as one of its main players in the popular imagination. Where his eldest brother Prince Peorshine was adored as the dashing, gallant knight, or his adopted father Duke Bismarke revered as the stoic and unstoppable leader of all the free folk, Prince Kroisoto was held in awe as Aurennia's destroying angel, a scourge to the federal and Garamiccian dogs that sought to conquer them.
On April 5th the newly-organised 3rd Fleet of Aurennia attacked the large naval base of Kreigport. Kroisoto unleashed an utterly massive storm that smashed up most of the defences, and marines of the 12th Joint Army took control of the city after only another day of fighting. With their forces practically unscathed the Northemen rushed south down the canal to their main prize, the city of Fistforge. House Kreigen forces were caught unprepared, having been reliant on Kreigport's defences holding would-be invaders at bay for much longer than a day. Outer guard forces were overrun, but the troops inside the city itself managed to entrench themselves to a degree. A siege went on for a week before the discontent, desperately poor working class broke out in rebellion and managed open the gates to Prince Kroisoto and his troops, who were welcomed as liberators. The 12th Army's numbers swelled with recruits hungry for revenge on the federal government that had sided with the factory owners over them. After that point their advance to the south slowed, as they needed to secure the territory east and west of the Central Kreighold Canal, but the 12th Army remained a dire threat in the mind of the U.G.F command. As the end of summer came near the rebels marched on Kreigseat, before its supplies could be swelled by the harvest.
By November all the mighty River Albras that was more than a dozen or so miles north of the capital Villdernheim, as well as almost the entirety of Galllia's eastern seaboard was under the control of Aurennia and her allies. Duke Bismarke sent a peace offer to the U.G.F and Empire of Garmiccia, demanding that they recognise the legal secession of Aurennia, Erilhall, and those counties in Albrion that had fought for the North, to accept Banastre as the only legitimate Lord-Lieutenant of Erilhall, and for Garamiccia to cease attacking Eresilnnian shipping. By this point the Garamiccian Empire had begun to scale back her involvement in the conflict anyway, but to save face on the international scene Emperor Jeremiahde left the decision on whether to concede defeat to the U.G.F. The Federal Council initially seemed in favour of letting the troublesome Northemen go at last, but the furious Duke Vincent Van Kreigen, Joint Chancellor of the Federal Armed Forces and head of the House of Kreigen demanded to avenge the humiliations his family had suffered over the course of the war. His younger brother Hugh had perished with the Cleaving Truth at Hansencross, along with many other kin through various battles, especially thanks to Kroisoto's army. Most painfully of all, his heir Rudolph had been killed by Prince Peorshine at the Fourth Battle of St. Scehson's in July of that same year. So Duke Kreigen imposed martial law in Villdernheim, imprisoned any pro-peace members of the government he could find, and wrote back to Duke Aurenheim that peace would only come after one of them was killed. Fate would see to that on December 20th, 1780.
On that final day, before the sun had arisen, the Northern Allies and Federal-Imperial troops met in the largest battle of the entire war. It was north of a hamlet called Champion Field, near the banks of the ancient canal that connected the east side of Villdernheim to the Halrennor Sea. What would follow would end this bloody chapter of Galllian history, and foreshadow what would come some other day for Galllia, and possibly the world. The White Rose finally appeared on the battlefield in a way that made certain of her existence, fighting in the thick of it all, mounted on a glorious white mare. Watchtower's monstrous hordes were no match for her divine wrath, and the corrupted beings were blasted into dust. The full moons rose, the sun began to set, and still the battle raged. At last Bismarke Van Aurenheim saw the enemy line collapsing, and he lead all his remaining heavy cavalry in a charge that smashed Vincent Van Kreigen's forces to pieces. The two supreme generals came face to face, and they duelled. Bismarke's icy claymore slammed Vincent's longsword from his hand after a few minutes, and four seconds later it severed his head from his neck. The Battle of Champion Field had come to an end.
Three days later, the combined Aurennian, Erillian, Eresilnnian, and Albrish army paraded through Villdernheim. The White Rose was nowhere to be found, leaving only Duke Aurenheim and Prince Peorshine to accept the surrender of the United Galllian Federation. His demands for independence were accepted, with a provision thrown in that the Federation could not impede the movement of those in the Kreighold who had pledged their loyalty to Kroisoto and by extension Aurennia, and were now leaving en masse to settle the free wilderness rather than remain in the debt and poverty that surrounded them in their homes. The north also took reparations by carrying off an extensive amount of industrial equipment from their captured southern cities, to better support their own emerging manufacturing sector. Furthermore, the United Galllian Federation had to amend its laws to permit any part of their country to unilaterally secede in the future.
On February 17th, 1781 the victorious coalition formally united into a new military bloc and free trade zone called the Commonwealth of the North, with Duke Aurenheim as its ceremonial head. Shortly afterwards King Percival's granddaughter and heir Crown Princess Katherine Lucille Bonniene Van Bechlunde became engaged to Prince Peorshine, leaving no doubt as to where their countries believe their future lies. Lord-Lieutenant Banastre Van Laschiol proposed to Isobel Van Aurenheim, Bismarke's oldest daughter, and she also accepted. The separated eastern part of Albrion formed into the new state of Albrasfont, so named for the source of the River Albras lying in their territory, with Duke Brambur Van Volcheart of Haventown as its ruler. No marriage has yet been recently made between his house and any other members of the Commonwealth of the North, but time will tell in that regard.
Almost a year has passed since the end of the Wide Northern War, and almost 10 months since the creation of the Commonwealth of the North. An uneasy peace holds upon the continent of Galllia like a sapling. The continent of Elcrescia bristles in unease at the emerging overseas capabilities of the Empire of Garamiccia, with each country there now left to wonder whether they could be the next target, instead of Yelhennei, the only country that Garamiccia has a land border with. And of course, the gods do not sit idly by in such a precarious moment in the history of the planet Gaiaca. Forces of good and evil have been at work in the shadows for centuries, and soon their plans will all come to light. Watchtower and other evil cults stalk the land. Outlying settlements face raids by something far worse than wild beasts. More Elementals arise every day. And somewhere out there is the most mysterious woman in Galllia, the White Rose, biding her time for...something.
Geography
Map of Galllia and Eresiln
Map of Elcrescia
The old world map was on TinyPic, which went down. Therefore as a quick reference where the continents are in relation to one another: Galllia is the western continent, and Halvefor is near it. Elcrescia is the easternmost continent, Sahranjja is to the south of them both, though closer to Elcrescia, and Yuelkelu is close to the middle of all of them.
Religions of Gaiaca
The dominant religion of Gaiaca was entrenched and expanded by the conquering Galllians, whose ancient sovereigns were as much consecrated saints as they were secular emperors. Saint Helreska, a famed Champion of Light, and his followers had begun codifying the various religious beliefs and practices of northern Galllia approximately forty years before the unification of Albrion and Aurennia-Erid, and received the blessings and support of King Æthredurn, a devout believer of Helreska's teachings and Adrathur the Great's grand-sire. The authority of Saint Helreska's church was widely accepted among the Northemen for the most part, as it had little difference among the ways they already worshipped the gods, merely providing a bit more structure to it. However, isolated mountain clans would continue to persist in their ancestral customs outside the Church's authority. Saint Helreska lived to see Adrathur acquire the thrones of Albrion and Aurennia, and personally consecrated the merger of crowns and countries, helping to ease concerns about such events among the Northemen. St. Helreska designated Archbishop Leofrir of Brenbury (a city long since ruined by wars with Hell) as his successor to the office of Saint-Regent in 2 G.C.C, and legend says his last words before dying that same year were counsel to King Adrathur that he begin his conquests, foretelling the imminent arrival of the Saint-Battlemages.
The Holy Helreskaffen Church came south with the armies of the Northemen, sweeping away the religious factions of the disorganised Southemen as Adrathur and his heirs swept away their kingdoms. The Church spread peacefully to Eresiln before the kingdom's merger with the Galllian Empire, and launched into Elcrescia in the wake of beginning of the Sigurekreigen, the Old Galllish word for "Grand Conquest. It faced resistance in the Dalstras and Tyrnâth initially, but the Galllians were too strong to be thrown out, and the conquered Elcrescians were forced to accept the Galllian interpretation of the Gods, or die. The Church would outlast the Empire it had helped birth, providing comfort and relief to the common people who's lives were thrown into chaos with the centuries-old order's collapse, which it had great success in, and attempting to bring peace to the warring factions that sprang up through Galllia and Elcrescia, having less success in this regard. The relationship between the leadership of the Church and the Federation was always a bit tense at times prior to the Rupture of the North, due to the U.G.F's efforts to make it the most dominant authority of the land. After the war's end its status in the south has grown more uncertain. The Northemen owed many of their victories to their mighty Elemental crusaders, and so accepting that Elementals were the servants of the gods became an increasingly hard truth to take to many vanquished Southemen. This has lead to a decline in piety in those regions, and a less noticeable rise in membership of Watchtower. The Holy Helreskaffen Church has its headquarters in its own section of Villdernheim, granted to it by Imperial decree in the first days when Villdernheim was built. Some within the upper clergy now whisper of relocating further north, to take sanctuary within the Commonwealth lest the Federation decide to purge them. The current head of the Church is Saint-Regent Thomas VI, who has served for 20 years now. His being born in the country of Serestid has helped him keep the Church from being too bogged down by Galllian politics.
The Holy Helreskaffen Church came south with the armies of the Northemen, sweeping away the religious factions of the disorganised Southemen as Adrathur and his heirs swept away their kingdoms. The Church spread peacefully to Eresiln before the kingdom's merger with the Galllian Empire, and launched into Elcrescia in the wake of beginning of the Sigurekreigen, the Old Galllish word for "Grand Conquest. It faced resistance in the Dalstras and Tyrnâth initially, but the Galllians were too strong to be thrown out, and the conquered Elcrescians were forced to accept the Galllian interpretation of the Gods, or die. The Church would outlast the Empire it had helped birth, providing comfort and relief to the common people who's lives were thrown into chaos with the centuries-old order's collapse, which it had great success in, and attempting to bring peace to the warring factions that sprang up through Galllia and Elcrescia, having less success in this regard. The relationship between the leadership of the Church and the Federation was always a bit tense at times prior to the Rupture of the North, due to the U.G.F's efforts to make it the most dominant authority of the land. After the war's end its status in the south has grown more uncertain. The Northemen owed many of their victories to their mighty Elemental crusaders, and so accepting that Elementals were the servants of the gods became an increasingly hard truth to take to many vanquished Southemen. This has lead to a decline in piety in those regions, and a less noticeable rise in membership of Watchtower. The Holy Helreskaffen Church has its headquarters in its own section of Villdernheim, granted to it by Imperial decree in the first days when Villdernheim was built. Some within the upper clergy now whisper of relocating further north, to take sanctuary within the Commonwealth lest the Federation decide to purge them. The current head of the Church is Saint-Regent Thomas VI, who has served for 20 years now. His being born in the country of Serestid has helped him keep the Church from being too bogged down by Galllian politics.
While the Holy Helreskaffen Church has authority and is the most common religion in Garmiccia as well, it's been steeped in the Northern Garmiccian pagan traditions heavily. It is considered a bad omen in Garmiccia to refer to the gods by their direct names. While it does not necessarily land in the realm of being directly heretical, it is generally avoided. Additionally, the gods are not seen as all good - the canonical faith defines certain gods as evil, and they receive much less worship than others. (They generally do receive offerings out of fear when things are going particularly bad.)
GOOD GODS:
Pryastar, God of Fire, is referred to as "The Great Fire", and is also seen as the god of life, and is probably the most commonly worshiped god.
Aewiallia, Goddess of Wind, "Goddess of the Tides" is the patron goddess of fishermen, a common Garmiccian occupation.
Terestark, God of Earth, is known as "The Groundmaker", and is purported to have created the continents and the land. He is the patron god of architects, stonemasons, and miners.
Hydrata, Goddess of Water, is known as "The Lifebringer", and is the god of healers, doctors, and merchants.
NEUTRAL GODS:
Ferruoston, God of Metal, is known as "The Blacksmith". He is generally considered the god of war and blacksmiths, so opinions are divided dramatically on his position in the gods. Soldiers typically see Ferruoston as a patron deity, and he is well loved on the border and towards the furthest north.
EVIL GODS:
Froenstia, Goddess of Ice, (The Cold One) is seen as an evil deity, as ice and snow make parts of Garmiccia nearly uninhabitable for good portions of the year.
Veridaelia, Goddess of Nature (The Huntress) is seen as generally malicious as well, packs of wolves and roaming bears are significant threats to daily life.
Boaltist, God of Lightning (Heaven's Wrath) is a minor god, responsible for wiping out heretics. It is typically believed that those struck by lightning have offended the gods in one manner or another.
Additionally, the Valkerigan are believed to be angels which escort of the souls of those who die in battle to their next reincarnation, which is considered a heretical belief in most other nations.
GOOD GODS:
Pryastar, God of Fire, is referred to as "The Great Fire", and is also seen as the god of life, and is probably the most commonly worshiped god.
Aewiallia, Goddess of Wind, "Goddess of the Tides" is the patron goddess of fishermen, a common Garmiccian occupation.
Terestark, God of Earth, is known as "The Groundmaker", and is purported to have created the continents and the land. He is the patron god of architects, stonemasons, and miners.
Hydrata, Goddess of Water, is known as "The Lifebringer", and is the god of healers, doctors, and merchants.
NEUTRAL GODS:
Ferruoston, God of Metal, is known as "The Blacksmith". He is generally considered the god of war and blacksmiths, so opinions are divided dramatically on his position in the gods. Soldiers typically see Ferruoston as a patron deity, and he is well loved on the border and towards the furthest north.
EVIL GODS:
Froenstia, Goddess of Ice, (The Cold One) is seen as an evil deity, as ice and snow make parts of Garmiccia nearly uninhabitable for good portions of the year.
Veridaelia, Goddess of Nature (The Huntress) is seen as generally malicious as well, packs of wolves and roaming bears are significant threats to daily life.
Boaltist, God of Lightning (Heaven's Wrath) is a minor god, responsible for wiping out heretics. It is typically believed that those struck by lightning have offended the gods in one manner or another.
Additionally, the Valkerigan are believed to be angels which escort of the souls of those who die in battle to their next reincarnation, which is considered a heretical belief in most other nations.
Sahranjja's dominant faith is formally known as the Timeless Way, but usually referred to as Omnsaatism. The Timeless Way is unique in its particularly dualistic view of the gods of Gaiaca, as well as in its devotion to three mysterious deities not revered in any other Gaiacan society. The gods are represented as different hours on a clock in Omnsaatism. The first hour after midnight is Traen-Ahri, the negative half of the god of Darkness. This is being most similar to the Tenaembra of the Helreskaffen doctrine: evil, cruel, unconcerned with the lives of man, architect of all wickedness. The other gods have one of their half-aspects represented at each hour, and it is at eleven o'clock where the first unique Sahranjjite deity is revered: Vidarir, the Primordial Goddess of Life. Following her is Jaehlheshon at noon-day. Then the cycle repeats, showing the other half-aspects of the gods until 11 PM, where it is Yamadurm, the Primordial God of Death who is revered. And then after him at midnight comes perhaps the most alien, unsettling part of Omnsaatism to many foreigners: Jotueshiemi, the Goddess of Chaos, Destruction and Void, polar opposite to the Order, Creation and Existence of Jaehlheshon.
There exists no official name for the religion, but it's generally adhered to in the southern regions, most prominently Visalmarch. The origins of the religion are heavily disputed by most scholars interested in the topic. Some believe it extends back to Pre-Gallian invaders who conquered the southern regions that is today known as Visalmarch, Kotenbury, and Liefenshire. Others argue it's a recent invention that merges together several diverse folk elements in reaction to recent attempts to stamp out the local beliefs through conversion.
Very few texts from ancient times have survived, but it is generally deduced from surviving remnants and the believers themselves, that adherents believe there to be one God who is traditionally depicted with traits and characteristics usually assigned to solar and storm deities, leading some scholars to conclude he is the result of two deities from ancient times, one a solar deity and the other a weather god, being merged into a single divinity. The deity is typically referred to as "Nyod," but contrary to popular belief, it is not a personal name and simply means "God." southerners who have traveled north have been known to refer to him as "Gad," with little to no hesitation.
The remaining texts have survived from ancient times, written in a crude but decipherable language that was translated by Gallian scholars who were acquainted with southern speech. In the majority of the text, Nyod is depicted as defeating demons and evil spirits by displaying miraculous powers that range from manifesting as an infinitely large fire that consumes the world, a cosmic figure reaching up beyond the heavens, having faces and arms of ascetics and warriors (known as "Nyod's best followers,") or even showing his true form, a formless and all compassing spirit.
The southern Pre-Gallians were known for having a heavily sky-centric view of life, not only due to crops which needed rain to furnish them, but also the way weather could be used as a part of strategy on the battlefield. Overtime, worship began to focus solely on a sky god and ignored any other god, as well as the earth and "female principle." thus society became increasingly militant and patriarchal. When the Gallians landed and the two went to war, the southerners fought viciously, but after High King Fingall was killed, they broke rank and fled. Afterwards, the survivors had no choice but to accept the religion of their conquerors, although many continued to worship the deity in secret. The Gallic religion was viewed as inhuman superstitions and their gods nothing more than evil spirits, not even demons.
Most adherents believe that one day, a soul will take birth as a "halfling," part spirit and part human, who will ride a red horse and wield a sword, to destroy all forms of life before him, to purify the world, until there is nothing but blood, fire, and ashes. "Just the way it was before beings took form in this world of illusion."
Thanks to Grey Wolf/Hanafuridake for coming up with this religion.
Very few texts from ancient times have survived, but it is generally deduced from surviving remnants and the believers themselves, that adherents believe there to be one God who is traditionally depicted with traits and characteristics usually assigned to solar and storm deities, leading some scholars to conclude he is the result of two deities from ancient times, one a solar deity and the other a weather god, being merged into a single divinity. The deity is typically referred to as "Nyod," but contrary to popular belief, it is not a personal name and simply means "God." southerners who have traveled north have been known to refer to him as "Gad," with little to no hesitation.
The remaining texts have survived from ancient times, written in a crude but decipherable language that was translated by Gallian scholars who were acquainted with southern speech. In the majority of the text, Nyod is depicted as defeating demons and evil spirits by displaying miraculous powers that range from manifesting as an infinitely large fire that consumes the world, a cosmic figure reaching up beyond the heavens, having faces and arms of ascetics and warriors (known as "Nyod's best followers,") or even showing his true form, a formless and all compassing spirit.
The southern Pre-Gallians were known for having a heavily sky-centric view of life, not only due to crops which needed rain to furnish them, but also the way weather could be used as a part of strategy on the battlefield. Overtime, worship began to focus solely on a sky god and ignored any other god, as well as the earth and "female principle." thus society became increasingly militant and patriarchal. When the Gallians landed and the two went to war, the southerners fought viciously, but after High King Fingall was killed, they broke rank and fled. Afterwards, the survivors had no choice but to accept the religion of their conquerors, although many continued to worship the deity in secret. The Gallic religion was viewed as inhuman superstitions and their gods nothing more than evil spirits, not even demons.
Most adherents believe that one day, a soul will take birth as a "halfling," part spirit and part human, who will ride a red horse and wield a sword, to destroy all forms of life before him, to purify the world, until there is nothing but blood, fire, and ashes. "Just the way it was before beings took form in this world of illusion."
Thanks to Grey Wolf/Hanafuridake for coming up with this religion.
The main religion of Tsubaki is referred to in written word as Reidō, which does not believe in anthropomorphic gods but worships elements in places such as shrines and caves, where they are believed to reside inside sacred objects that empower the user. Elementals are believed to happen when one element is dominant over the others in the body, and as a result, kings and shōguns performed rituals believing that it would strengthen their inner fire.
The sun is the highest god which brightens the world and provides life to all beings. The moon, stars, oceans, the reeds, caves, and cherry blossom trees, all of them are believed to compose a hierarchy which elements are contained in. Spirits and demons are believed to be manifestations of heaven and earth, and are usually not worshiped unless an aristocrat traces them back to ancestors. There was formerly a Ministry of Exorcism (じょうれい官) which was tasked with removing spirits from possessed individuals, but it has faded under the Shōgunal government.
Here is how the ancient Tsubaki tribes (before the Shōgunate) imagined the gods and how they pronounced their names.
Aperetarhampekamuy aka Pryastar
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: アペレタラハンペカムイ
Konruhapomenoko aka Froentsia
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: コンルハポメノコ
Husaporapu aka Veridaelia
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: フサポラプ
Reracikir aka Aewiallia
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: レラチㇼ
Huyupokamuy aka Terestark
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: フユポカムイ
Imeruramayupokamuy aka Boaltist
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: イメルラマユポカムイ
Makiriokkaykamuy aka Ferruoston
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: マキリオッカアイカムイ
Wakkamatak aka Hydrata
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: ワッカマタㇰ
Pryastar enjoyed the highest rank in the tribal religious system because the five chieftain-kings who preceded the matriarchal priestesses allegedly traced their ancestry back to him. He was claimed to be the first chieftain of the Tsubaki who after death became the sun. Froentsia was believed to be his wife and worshiped as the moon. Over time, this caused their personal identities to fade in the minds of the tribes, and their worship was eventually replaced by impersonal sun and moon worship, until the Fire priestesses banned the worship of the moon, claiming it was an evil god who lured young women to their deaths, leaving the sun to be worshiped as the main god.
The early shōguns had some Ice elemental ancestry and weren't hostile to lunar worship (which had been relegated to an underground cult) but the founding member of Fumi's dynasty, Hanafuridake no Hideko, sided with the sun-worshipers and strengthened the ban on moon worship, banning non-Fire Elementals from owning weapons. The sword-ban effectively disarmed all Elementals who were not Fire, with a caste system in place where Fire were the kuge and samurai, most of the other Elementals were relegated to middle classes, and families associated with Darkness made the lepers, beggars, butchers, and other outcasts.
-Also another piece of worldbuilding by Hanfuridake
The sun is the highest god which brightens the world and provides life to all beings. The moon, stars, oceans, the reeds, caves, and cherry blossom trees, all of them are believed to compose a hierarchy which elements are contained in. Spirits and demons are believed to be manifestations of heaven and earth, and are usually not worshiped unless an aristocrat traces them back to ancestors. There was formerly a Ministry of Exorcism (じょうれい官) which was tasked with removing spirits from possessed individuals, but it has faded under the Shōgunal government.
Here is how the ancient Tsubaki tribes (before the Shōgunate) imagined the gods and how they pronounced their names.
Aperetarhampekamuy aka Pryastar
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: アペレタラハンペカムイ
Konruhapomenoko aka Froentsia
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: コンルハポメノコ
Husaporapu aka Veridaelia
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: フサポラプ
Reracikir aka Aewiallia
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: レラチㇼ
Huyupokamuy aka Terestark
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: フユポカムイ
Imeruramayupokamuy aka Boaltist
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: イメルラマユポカムイ
Makiriokkaykamuy aka Ferruoston
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: マキリオッカアイカムイ
Wakkamatak aka Hydrata
Name in Ancient Tsubaki: ワッカマタㇰ
Pryastar enjoyed the highest rank in the tribal religious system because the five chieftain-kings who preceded the matriarchal priestesses allegedly traced their ancestry back to him. He was claimed to be the first chieftain of the Tsubaki who after death became the sun. Froentsia was believed to be his wife and worshiped as the moon. Over time, this caused their personal identities to fade in the minds of the tribes, and their worship was eventually replaced by impersonal sun and moon worship, until the Fire priestesses banned the worship of the moon, claiming it was an evil god who lured young women to their deaths, leaving the sun to be worshiped as the main god.
The early shōguns had some Ice elemental ancestry and weren't hostile to lunar worship (which had been relegated to an underground cult) but the founding member of Fumi's dynasty, Hanafuridake no Hideko, sided with the sun-worshipers and strengthened the ban on moon worship, banning non-Fire Elementals from owning weapons. The sword-ban effectively disarmed all Elementals who were not Fire, with a caste system in place where Fire were the kuge and samurai, most of the other Elementals were relegated to middle classes, and families associated with Darkness made the lepers, beggars, butchers, and other outcasts.
-Also another piece of worldbuilding by Hanfuridake
With regards to the calendar system in use in Gaiaca, there are 12 months in a year, with a similar pattern of seasons to our northern hemisphere. Coincidentally, their names sound awfully, suspiciously similar to the
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Character List:
Katya Kuznetsov, Garmiccian emissary, Alexei "El Big Boi" Petrov, and Aerion d'Autriche-Lazarian
Eric Lumen the Hippy Knight and Belle Lame the Angelle of Fire-Ameriganistan
Erosen "Ero-San" Arnyek, the Disgraced Darkling-Kassaran
Catrin Eberhardt, the Drider craftswoman-Rupudska
Tristan Frost, Champion of Ice, and Trish Vetrigart the Taciturn-Zarkenis Ultima
Ulric "That Weird Man" Graymane, Master of Mageforging-Esternial
Erica Mika, the Disillusioned Nun-Lucja
Vivienne van Laschiol, the betrayed revolutionary-Tomia
Kassaran wrote:Steve: Crikey! Look at that! We have an uncommon Alexei Ignoramus Majorus in a protective posture at the corner of the living space of one of its adopted young. This youngster, a Katya Delinquentatus, appears to facing off with the older creature with a series of short, sharp retorts. Yeow, look at the veins on that adult Ignoramus bulge! He's really upset now, let's see if we can instigate an attack by poking him with a stick!
Two days later - Steve, covered in a few bandages: G'dayt folks, we're hear tracking down an elusive beast, the Catrinus Dridera. They're said to be the size of a Shetland horse, but in spite of their bulk, they're remarkably stealthy. Hopefully, we can find an adult somewhere amongst this group of adventurers-
Catrin: You know, I can hear you talking, right?
Steve: Ah, look! It's a female and by the size of her, fully grown! She must weigh a ton! Look at her legs, they may seem slim and fragile, but they're capable of propelling her along any surfaces so long as she can get a grip. As you can tell by her bust size, she's fully grown and perhaps beginning to reach the end of her ferti-
***PLEASE EXCUSE US, WE ARE SUFFERING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES***
One Week Later - Steve, sporting a neck brace, many new bandages, and a sling for his right arm: Welcome back mates, as you can see, my last encounter with that adult Catrinus Dridera went poorly. One needs to be careful around creatures as large as her, in spite of their lumbering appearance, they can quickly--
Catrin: I can still hear you jackass! Now if you want me to experiment with seeing how many legs I can shove up your ass, find a new fucking research subject!
Visibly flinching - Steve: R-right-o boys and girls! Anyways, we're here today searching for a remarkably rare specimen that holds much in common with common rodents! For one, neither requires much to actually stay alive and both are remarkably resilient to diseases and sports a libido that puts most succubae to shame. A father to countless children, and the official reason for the implementation of the modern child support system in most civilized lands, we are looking for the Lumenus, Eric! Now, we have to be quiet, as they are liable to spook if you get too close and may attempt coidice in an attempt to establish dominance, in the event that happens, it is said that mentioning the Internal Revenue Service of any civilized country can act as a ward to move him away. Alright, now if we could just find him, we could likely sneak up on him and pin him down with the promise of free tickets to a respectable brothel in Erilha-
Eric: -Did someone say free tickets to a brothel? Hey man, you look pretty tense, need a massage? I know the best pixy masseuses a few cities over. They can get deep tissue knots like you wouldn't believe! Reminds me of this one time I-
**Some time later***
Eric: - and that's why they call it the 'Half-Hung Lumen'. Pretty neat little trick if you ask me, but the trick is making sure that the pulleys are properly greased and don't settle for a chandelier as a substitute. They're far too flimsy and I still owe that duke a couple thousand for the mess I made. Honestly, it's his fault for letting his nursemaids agree to the whole debaucle. Yeah, good times. Anyways, I just remembered that I had arranged some... sword training with a strapping young lieutenant on the 'poop deck' if you catch my drift. Said he had a few other lads that were interested in learning some 'pointers' at slaying. I figure the ole Eric-Haul Chump-dump should be enough to limber them up... did I tell you abou-
Visibly distressed and looking very violated - Steve: Please! Go! For the love of anything that is good and sacred and holy please leave! Here's the tickets you sex-crazed fiend! This show is supposed to be for children and you've singlehandedly placed my average content rating at XXX+ in the course of... oh gods! I've been here for three hours?!
Characters Emeritus:
Gwendolynn "Gwen" Letholdus, Blue-Olthar
Fumiko Hanafuridake, Flacht-Hanafuridake
Aerion d'Autriche, Florian Laeril-Woodstovia
Jinmao Temujin and Guan Aisha-Minroz
Everard "Ev" Mallow-Reverend Norv
Ke'Am U'Zhar-Serconas
Jack Dredd the Foreign Drunk-Lessoni
Ondell the Biggest of Boys-Frisct the II
Shawn Meldrich-Jerno
A helpful discussion on the dangers of hydrogen peroxide. I was perusing the old OOC and thought this was a gem worth sharing.
I figured you'd be able to guess it, but the characters can't.
