Epithymia, the world of desire.
Such was the disconnect between its name as its realities that many in the slums and back alleys of Otava's floating cities refer to their world in euphemistic sarcasm. Wrecked by constant warfare against the dreaded Asura, the denizens of Epithymia had only just begun to recover from the decades-long war that had nearly destroyed civilization. The theocratic humans of Otava, the elvish Eyran Empire, the varied peoples of Aryavarsa, the orcish horsemen of the Tsaghad Ord, the lizard folk of Tsana Tzuyu, and even the Celestial lands of Mu had to join together to defeat this threat, alongside hundreds of other kingdoms, principalities, and lands.
The alliance of Celestials, humans and other magical nations finally crushed the invaders, razing their capital to ash and finally putting the marauding demons to the sword, forcing them to the great mountains marking the border between Aryavarsa and the uninhabited wildlands to the west. Fearing defeat, the Demon Lord Mara escaped with a few select followers, using lost magic to open a rift through time and space to elude her would-be captors. Unable to pursue, and sensing her imminent return with what would likely be a far stronger army, it would be several agonizing years before the Alliance was able to rediscover the spell needed to reopen the rift. Braving into the unknown, the intrepid adventurers and scholars sent to investigate would soon stumble into a world like no other. Quite literally, as it would prove that the world Mara escaped to was a void absent of nearly all magic, and the difference in magical pressures created a wind strong as any storm.
Wandering into a mountainous forest, this strange, new realm was as alien as it was familiar. With virtually untamed fauna, diverse natural wildlife and strange humanoid natives absent of all magic, Lok was a world tamed not with the wood and wizardry, but mind and iron. Though largely absent in the remote corner of the realm the adventurers have arrived in, the power of technology had slowly crept its way into the natives' lives, as did the promise of conflict between the various tribes. But a faint and ominous stench has befouled these lands, one too close for comfort for the Epithymians. The Demon Lord is around here, and for all intents and purpose, may already have been alerted to their arrival...
⑨ Thou Shalt Have Fun, And Thou Shalt Stay Frosty
- Thou Shalt Obey OP
- Thou Shalt Obey My Co-OP, Wolfenium
- Thou Shalt Make Good Posts - Post Length Is Not Too Important, Post Quality Is; Exceptions To Be Made for Dialogue
- Thou Shalt Not Godmod
- Thou Shalt Get Three Chances Before Getting Kicked.
- Thou Shalt Message Me Via TG Or Discord If Thou Wilt Be Unavailable For One Week Or More
- Thou Shalt Keep It PG-13.
- Thou Shalt Not Make Mary Sues. Thou Shalt Make Characters With Realistic Character Flaws.
- Thou Shalt Not Make Characters With Hideously OP Powers
Mu
Home of the Celestials, Mu has long been regarded by Otavans as the final resting place for the good and pious, existing outside Epithymia's plane of existence in an alternate dimension. While in some respect, that is true, the Celestials often have a strict and nebulous criteria regarding the entry of non-Celestials into their domain, creating a stratified society where most of those 'blessed' are allowed to live in the outer areas of Mu. Only a select few allowed in the Celestials' inner sanctum, Soumerou, often heroes of great repute or those 'chosen' for less noble reasons. For non-believers, it is the ultimate representation of the superiority complex the Celestials hold over all beings outside Mu.
Otava
A human theocracy founded by the Celestials, Otava's floating cities had long been famed for their universities and seminaries, rivaling even the elven libraries of Aryavarsa. Created by a powerful human hero granted power by the Celestials, Otava's uncompromising stance towards the worship of the god-like beings had earned them both admiration and scorn. Of the Alliance, Otava is the nation most vehemently opposed to any sort of reconciliation with the demons of Naraka. Regardless, their contribution to the war effort had been immense, with entire legions of paladins and holy priests carrying battle after battle.
Eyran
The ancient elven kingdom founded long before the arrival of the Celestials, Eyran had seen better days. While its arcane academies and libraries remain some of the most reputable in the world, the Celestials' growing influence, and Naraka's invasion, had severely devastated the country. Large parts of their former realm, mainly their colonial holdings, had been ceded to other emerging nations or simply left to fend for themselves. Needless to say, the elves of Eyran have accepted the loss of their prestige and primal position in Epithymia with disdain, more so for any elf willing to 'lower' himself, mainly their kin in Aryavarsa. However, it would be far from correct to say that Eyran's days as a major power are ending soon, let alone finished.
Aryavarsa
A largely-human federation founded by refugees fleeing the various internecine conflicts that plagued Epithymia prior to the demon invasion, Aryavarsa has emerged as one of the major powers of Epithymia, leveraging on its openness to all races to encourage immigration and boost its economy. Many, including dissatisfied and alienated exiles from the various other kingdoms, have came to call Aryavarsa home. The result is an amalgamation of knowledge and cultures that puts Aryavarsa ahead of its competitors. True to its nature, Aryavarsa is the most vocal voice in favour of integrating demons into Epithymian society. Unfortunately, this has caused immense discontent among Celestial worshippers, exacerbating tensions between the various species of Aryavarsa.
Albagog
One of the few predominantly goblin kingdoms, the seafaring goblins and humans of Albagog once had an empire of sorts of their own, centuries ago, before being conquered by Eyran, located but a day's sail to the north. Only recently has Albagog gained its independence, but a less-than-friendly sort of animosity still exists between the two nations, even if it hasn't been to the level of open violence in decades. Many sports not created by the Celestials and their worshipers were created in Albagog.
Naraka
Named after their destroyed homeworld, the rapid rise and fall of Naraka had been one of Epithymia's most chaotic episodes. Pouring out without warning onto an Eyranite colony, Naraka's domains once stretched all the way to Otava's capital, and the gateway to the Celestials' home domain of Mu. Brought to ruin, none remains of the proud civilization that almost utterly consumed Epithymia and bring even the powerful Celestials to heel. However, with the Demon Lord Mara still at large, some in Naraka still struggle against the Alliance occupiers. Only with her ultimate defeat can peace reign once again, and Naraka to be forever buried in the dustbin of history.
Tsaghad Ord
Located in the steppes in the frontiers of the civilized world, Tsaghad Ord is not so much a nation as it is a confederation of tribes. With inter-clan warfare frequent and often bloody, not much is known about the nomadic hordes inhabiting it. What is known is that it takes great leaders to rally the clans to a cause. When such a day comes, many can hope to expect a reckoning from the orcs, and pray for a swift death of such leaders to break up their otherwise immense power.
Skuy
Similar to Tsaghad Ord, the druids of Skuy would hardly call their realm a nation. Heavily isolated and decentralized, Skuy's many clans often fought among themselves as much as they did against intruders, if at all. Largely inhospitable due to the swamps and jungles that overrun much of Skuy, the druids sometimes reclaimed abandoned settlements with nature itself. With Naraka largely vanquished, these domains are slowly becoming a source of tension between the Alliance and Skuy.
Tsana Tzuyu
A collection of city-states in a faraway land, little is known of Tsana Tzuyu beyond tales brought by explorers from both sides of the vast seas. Tales of infinite gold lining the stone pyramids colour the imagination, fuelling the greed of many who dared to venture from the relative comforts of the Old World. Conversely, adventurers speak of horrific tales of ritual sacrifice, with hearts ripped out of their rib cages to be fed to bloodthirsty gods. Whatever the truth, there is no doubt that only an expedition of the same scale as those to Lok would reveal more about the Lizardfolk's strange and sometimes dreaded society.
Triglav
Located within the vast mountain ranges near Aryavarsa, Triglav is, quite literally, built out of stone. Towers and citadels of stone overlook many mountain passes, connected by a vast network of tunnels buried beneath the mountains. Ever expanding and exploring, Triglav has also traditionally provided the most raw materials for the war effort, from steel, to brass, to precious stones. Fortunately for Triglav, demand for materials and skilled labourers for reconstruction remain high throughout Epithymia. For some dwarves, Triglav may yet see a golden age for dwarven-kind, a thought that these hardy pioneers are eager to rub it in on the elves of Eyran, whose disdain for their brutish rune magic and constructs had added much scorn throughout the ages.
The concept behind this is pretty simple. It's a reverse isekai - instead of some Literally Who highschool boy from Japan some group getting sucked into a magical fantasy world that is as generic as physically possible to avoid lawsuits from any number of MMOs that are equally generic relatively original, this is about fantasy characters being sent to Earth to investigate the disappearance of a Demon Lord, and to hopefully be able to stop them without getting caught in the crossfire of tribal warfare, national warfare, or men in black helicopters coming to dissect them.
To be specific, your characters will be scholars, adventurers, or something in between hired by the Grand Alliance to enter the world the Demon Lord Mara escaped to, and find information both about what she's been up to and who's who in this world known as Lok (Earth), to see if any nations are willing to join the Grand Alliance to put her down for good. The portal is set up in one of the major cities in the kingdom of Aryavarsa and opens up somewhere in a mountainous wilderness, far (but not too far) from civilization.
Which would be all well and good, and perfectly safe, except this is actually southern Thailand, near the Malaysian border, in the late 2020s - and the three-way Pattani insurgency has only grown in intensity, to the point where it might not be long now before it explodes into another Syria...
To be specific, your characters will be scholars, adventurers, or something in between hired by the Grand Alliance to enter the world the Demon Lord Mara escaped to, and find information both about what she's been up to and who's who in this world known as Lok (Earth), to see if any nations are willing to join the Grand Alliance to put her down for good. The portal is set up in one of the major cities in the kingdom of Aryavarsa and opens up somewhere in a mountainous wilderness, far (but not too far) from civilization.
Which would be all well and good, and perfectly safe, except this is actually southern Thailand, near the Malaysian border, in the late 2020s - and the three-way Pattani insurgency has only grown in intensity, to the point where it might not be long now before it explodes into another Syria...
Humans
The dominant species in Epithymia, and the sole intelligent lifeforms in Lok (Earth), humans vary widely when it comes to magical aptitude. The number of magic-capable humans, in comparison to other races, is relatively low, but there are still more than enough to populate mage colleges and associations across Epithymia. So far, there have been no signs that any of the human denizens of Lok have magic aptitude, though that may be set to change. As a whole, humans on Lok and Epithymia are otherwise no different, though Epithymian humans tend to be shorter.
Elves
Residents of Eyran and Aryavarsa,the elves are among the most well-versed in the magical arts next to the Celestials and the Druids themselves. The leading educators of magic to humanity and other 'lesser' races, the elves possess vastly superior lifespans and magical aptitudes, and are unafraid to demonstrate them. Sadly, their power is matched only by their hubris and arrogance, especially of older generations, and they had paid dearly for underestimating the demon threat. Now outnumbered by the other races of Epithymia due to years of attrition warfare, the elves are only starting to cope with the reality that their golden age is long over. Worse, the revelations on Lok had vastly swelled their fears of their human neighbours, as the Epithymians barely scratch the surface of Lokite capabilities.
Elves are among the tallest races of Epithymia, which puts them on the tall end in comparison to Lokite humans. They come in the typical races of elves - pale-skinned North Elves of Eyran, with hair mostly in white, pale blonde, crimson, and (rarely) black, the Dusk Elves of the mountains in and around Triglav and other dwarven kingdoms - always with white hair, always with dark grey to black skin, and always with red eyes, and the Wood Elves of the temperate forests all over the world, with nearly as many skin, eye, and hair colors as the humans. All elves have pointed ears, long lifespans, and two woody horns atop their heads.
Demons
The great adversaries of the Alliance and equal even to the Celestials, demonkind was said to have been refugees fleeing from a dead world. Catching the denizens of Epithymia off-guard, they rapidly expanded their new empire, Naraka, putting many innocents to the sword or in chains with their immense physical and magical prowess. However, after many years of war, the once powerful empire had fallen into ruin, and its people scattered and on the brink of total extinction. While many remnants still remain, putting up a last stand as they awaited the return of their missing monarch, others had caved into the inevitable, becoming collaborators for the Alliance as the victorious powers helped themselves to the spoils.
Demons come physically in the forms of all races, and as many skin colors, however demons always have hairless black tails, always have bony black horns, always have white hair, and always have red irises.
Orcs
Nomadic raiders from the steppes bordering the civilized nations, the Orcs of Tsaghad Ord have fought on both sides of the Alliance-Demon war. Shamanistic and warlike, the Orcs had long been a constant threat for the nations of Epithymia, often sacking settlements for bounty and slaves. These days, the winding down of the war has left many Orc mercenaries jobless, with many vagrants wandering around the cities of the Alliance, or departing back to their home regions. Those lucky enough to remain under the Alliance employ were left to deal with their own kin, Narakan remnants, or other beasts that lurk in the untamed wilds. But such individuals are few and far between, their services forgotten by their employers and their people.
Orcs are slightly shorter than elves and (obviously) any shade of green, though they tend towards pale and dark green. Orks almost always have black or black-reddish hair, and as a whole are more muscular than the average human.
Dyrads and Druids
Mysterious natives of the natural wilds still untouched by most of civilization, many tales have been written of the dyrads and druids of Skuy. Those brave enough to venture into the civilized nations of Epithymia had made their names as enchanters, warriors or court musicians and dancers. And some Skuyejar, disregarding the neutral ethos of their people, have joined the Alliance to repel the Narakan threat. Small numbers of such communities now exist in the fringes of the earthly kingdoms, though widely shunned by society. Nonetheless, their expertise in what some have theorized to be the first, natural form of magic, remains widely regarded to this day. Druids and dryads are, contrary to popular belief, not obligate carnivores - they do, however, strongly prefer to only eat local plants and hunt their own meat. Also contrary to popular belief, dryads are not nudists - however, to a dryad, clothing is solely to protect from extreme cold (as their sap can freeze, which can paralyze or even injure them), morality laws, and weaponry.
Dryads are an all-female race distantly related to elves, and like elves have pointed ears, but physically very different. A dryad's skin comes in nearly any color that wood can come in, though only their limbs and the branch-like antlers they grow on their heads are in any way woody. The hair on a dryad's head comes in shades of green. Dryad hands are mostly humanoid, but their feet resemble those of birds in shape. Certain species, especially those found in marshes and mangroves, may have eight or more spindly root-like legs instead. Adult dryads can shapeshift, changing their form to something more humanoid (though always with a relatively dark shade of skin and with black hair), but they cannot change their eye color or their ear shape. While most dryads have two eyes with white sclera, some have four or six eyes, and some have black, red, or gold sclera. However, a dryad's irises are always the same color as their natural skin. Lastly, while a dryad cannot move more than a kilometer from their "soul tree", it is easy to "cheat" this by using bonsai-cut saplings or even seeds, or sleeping in soil from around their soul tree - though doing this on its own slowly depletes their health. A dryad stranded too far from their soul tree for too long becomes stuck in place, fully aware, though they do not revert to a tree even if the soul tree is destroyed, so long as it has at least one direct descendant.
Unlike their Dyrad counterparts, Druids are not so much a species in itself than a collection of other species influenced by the Dyrads. Diverse in origin, most druids are wood elves, goblins, and humans. In that order. Thus, the only real distinction is their use of nature magic and the effects on such magic on their physiology. However, despite the whimsical and often risque tales sung by bards (sometimes even druidic bards) to enthralled tavern patrons, druids are not required for the Dyrads to procreate, though dyrads born from such relationships are also not unheard of.
Lizardfolk
Hailing from the distant jungles of Tsana Tzuyu, the Lizardfolk are a bizarre, warlike people, incomprehensible to the Alliance and Naraka alike. Deeply ritualistic, the line between faith and magic is practically non-existent, even more than the Celestials of Mu and their human believers in Otava. Practitioners of blood magic, the few lizardfolk who venture into Alliance lands tended to be feared and reviled for 'dark sorcery'. Regardless, such adventurers have been employed by the Alliance and Naraka in the war, with some remaining under Alliance service to eliminate Narakan remnants and other beastly threats.
Lizardfolk are, despite rumors, exclusively humanoid reptilians - more dinosaur-like "lizardfolk" are simple beasts of war, beasts of burden, or beasts of transport. Their scales come in a myriad of colors, especially in males, and it is only males that have feathery "hair" - female lizardfolk have horns. Like dryads, lizardfolk do not typically wear clothing in their homelands due to the extreme heat and humidity, but being reptiles everything is stored internally anyway. Lizardfolk have an inner eyelid to help keep their eyes protected while swimming in salty, muddy, or brackish water, and they can hold their breath longer than any other species except dwarves. However, the nostrils of a lizardman are higher up on the head, which combined with their more human proportions make them far superior swimmers.
Dwarves
Inhabiting the mountains near Aryavarsa, the dwarves of Triglav are a studious, hardy people. Masters of rune magic, innovation and construction, the Triglavians have built vast fortress-cities, exploiting the natural wealth of the mountains to forge weapons of unspeakable power. Often eager to study technological innovations, they are by far the most impressed with Lokite innovations of the Epithymians, something they believe the native humans of their own world are capable of. Still, they are prideful of their engineering masterpieces and their independence from Alliance machinations, and would jealously guard them with their lives.
Dwarves are, as one would expect, short, stocky, hairy, industrious, and intelligent. Sunlight is not harmful to a dwarf, but it does bother them, because their eyes and skin are both sensitive to light - another reason for them being so hairy. Like dryads, dwarves are not bothered much by high or low temperatures, but dwarves are still more sensitive to them than the treefolk. Despite often living underground, dwarves as a whole have among the most powerful lungs of any intelligent species.
Goblins
Best described as the orcish equivalent of a dwarf, goblins are short and industrious, but goblins lean more towards working with wood, easy-to-access metals, and other surface materials than dwarves are. Part of it is simply because goblins are thinner and physically weaker on average than dwarves, part of it is because goblins arose in forests, fields, and mountains too small for the extensive mining operations of the dwarves. Another part of it may be because goblins simply do not have the same kind of industrial magecraft that the dwarves do, and what they do have is unsuited for working stone. Instead, the goblin-founded schools of magic specialize in stealth and, allegedly, necromancy.
Ogres are often considered a species of goblin, and they technically are (very large) goblins. Huge, bulky, and tall as a small elephant, the gods have balanced out the colossal strength of ogres by making them brutishly ugly and having no magical aptitude to speak of. In fact, magic has a tendency to malfunction or backfire in the presence of ogres.
Celestials
By far the only other alien species other than the demons to interact with Epithymia, the Celestials pride themselves on their immense magical power, as well as their 'civilizing' mission to the denizens of Epithymia. Claiming to have seeded the world with their magic and teaching the denizens their arcane ways, the Celestials' have built themselves an entire nation of cultists in Otava, almost entirely inhabited by humans, though with scattered centers of worship across Epithymia. However, in contrast to the almost slavish worship of the Otavans to their tenets, many in Epithymia possess a more grim picture of these powerful beings. Largely passive to the suffering of Epithymians and often indulgent in vices they themselves have prohibited to their followers, the sudden appearance of Naraka had, for once, frightened the Celestials into direct action. Since, a growing number of younger Celestials are making a proactive effort to assume the very responsibilities their predecessors had long neglected as caretakers. Though not entirely welcome due to their excessive paternalism and perhaps ulterior motives, these Celestials now hope to lead by example, hoping to open the way to salvation for all of Epithymia.
Appearance-wise, Celestials can vary widely, depending on their whims. Many adopt a humanoid appearance to better interact with the denizens of Epithymia, while some tend to take a more astral or crystalline appearance. Their physiology is even stranger, capable of a form of photosynthesis. Of course, other means, such as eating food, is also well within their means (usually by copying the physiology of another species), though some Celestials often complained of such 'inefficient' means, and even more of Celestials that have taken to gluttony as a result.
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[floatright][size=200][background=black][color=#FFBF00](SURNAME, INITIALS)[/color][/background][/size][/floatright]
[floatleft][box](Image go here, optional, you can also use Appearance below instead if you want, recommend a pic less than 500 pixels wide or tall)[/box][/floatleft][blocktext][b]+++Name:[/b] (Include nicknames and titles)
[b]+++Age:[/b]
[b]+++Gender:[/b]
[b]+++Species:[/b]
[b]+++Physical appearance:[/b] (Mostly optional if you have a picture, but put in height and weight regardless)
[b]+++Identifying Marks:[/b] (Mostly optional if you have a picture, but describe anything hidden in the image, like tattoos)
[b]+++Ethnicity:[/b] (Not all species have one!)
[b]+++Religion:[/b] (Feel free to make this up)
[b]+++Birthplace:[/b] (Where you were born. Again, feel free to just make it up)
[b]+++Criminal History:[/b] (Optional)
[b]+++Military History:[/b] (Optional)
[b]+++Abilities:[/b] (As in magic)
[b]+++Skills:[/b] (As in learned abilities, playing piano, a karate black belt, killing a man with a skein of yarn, that sort of thing)
[b]+++Equipment:[/b] (There will be pack horses and cargo carriages, but not enough for everyone to have one of their own)
[b]+++Analysis:[/b] (Personality)
[b]+++Occupation:[/b] (If any, besides scholar and/or murderhobo)
[b]+++Biography:[/b]
[b]+++RP Sample:[/b] (If I know you, then you know that I know you. Feel free to insult me, if you have known me for a while)
[color=#00BF00][b]#IntoTheBeyond[/b][/color] (DO NOT REMOVE)[/blocktext]