Mystria Factbook

[Crystal Spires]

1. Geography

Area: 20,268,045 km sq

Coastline length in kilometers: 495,299km

Climate: Varies upon Location

Elevation extremes: Highest point- Mount Kultika highest point at 8,000 m, and The Swathmire Bog is at -8 m.

Natural resources: Rare resources are Adamantium, Mithril, Nenya's ember, Runestone, and Orichalcon. The rest of the earth metals are rather plentiful, as are mineral deposits, however there is a dwarf monopoly over them.

Natural hazards: There's volcanoes in the Fornt's crown mountain range and there are heavy snowstorms in those areas. There's also earthquake activity in those areas. The Typhoon season is in springtime from April- August, and it mostly effects southern coastal villages. North of the Fornt's crest mountain range, the Ohab-hai desert has duststorms, and located to the East of the desert Oasises is the Swathmire Bog where yearly flooding is common. In the Sonjor lowlands in the center of the mountain ranges tornadoes happen throughout the year in the middle of the valley.

Environmental issues: Droughts, erosion in inhabited areas, air and water pollution, and disappearing endangered species, likely due to unbidden poaching and deforestation .

2. Economy:
Mystria has 6 major cardinal city-states and they trade mostly within each other. Agriculture occurs mostly in the outlying areas of the cities, and transport of goods is mostly done via horse drawn carriages and ox drawn carriages. The human cities generate most of the chemical pharmeceuticals. Changelings are well known for their transport and distribution of goods. Elves contribute to the majority of Mystria's textile industry. Dwarves are monopolizing the mining and mineral refinement, and also producing weapons technology. The treefolk contribute to consumer goods, agriculture, and foods. Beastlings contribute to most of the manual labor force, and mechanized, and industrial goods, and they also are the backbone of the tech and magitech trade .

Population below poverty line: 34%

Unemployment rate: 28%

Income tax rate: depends on which city state one is part of.

Labor force: Varies

Agricultural products: The Shaei fruit is one of the most popular fruits in Mystria, There's the rare D'aal fruit which is too expensive for the normal population, but is well known in elite circles. The Shortstalk is a common staple vegetable grown in Mystria. The grains are abundant and bread is also a staple. There are many kinds of domesticated animals available for consumption.

Exports: Each Mystrian city-state trades with each other, but relationships are strained.

Imports: Differs upon each city-state,

Economic aid: Depends on the city state. The most socialist state is the changelings with a heavier tax penalty for living, but a generally higher standard of living, and a healthy middle class.

Currency: Depends on the city states.

3. History:
It was said long ago in ancient times that the Gods created our land of Mystria from the chaos of the Abyss, and upon its inception the Gods created life:

The Wonderous Goddess Enwe, Lady of Transcendence, created the Elves and blessed them with her beauty and magic.

The Resourceful God Serion, Lord of Knowledge, created Humans and blessed them with his wisdom and intelligence.

The Unyielding God Voldok, Lord of Courage , created the Dwarves and blessed them with his bravery and tenacity.

The Warm Goddess Nenya, Lady of loving-kindness, created the Changelings and blessed them with warmth and altruism.

The Strong God Fornt, Lord of Justice, created the Beastlings and blessed them with fair-mindedness and balance.

The Humble Goddess Lirea, Lady of Temperance, created the Woodfolk blessed them with self-discipline and mercy.

With this creation of life the world was split into 6 pieces these 6 territories were deemed as the ancestral homelands of the Bidden, and all things were harmonious and free from death, harm, and suffering for many years.

It was then that Zaiden, Lord of Illusion, looked upon his brothers and sisters with shame for he had nothing he could contribute himself, and so it was then that he created the Unbidden, horrible twisted and imperfect creatures of terror.

Displeased with his creations, the Gods demanded the Lord of Illusion to destroy them. Zaiden, adoring his creations as his many children, refused. It was then that the Gods banded together against him and slew him with malice. With his dying breath he cast the Zeygon Curse, afflicting all lifeforms with greed, hatred, and stupidity. This curse became a blight upon the lands and became an incurable terminal affliction and for the first time, Death plagued Mystria.

Elves had become vain and power-hungry.
unable to quench their lust for power.

Humans had become hateful and careless,
unable to contain their ability to destroy.

Dwarves had become fanatical and stubborn,
unable to open their hearts.

Changelings had become cowardly and naive,
unable to determine true wisdom.

Beastlings became cruel and unmerciful,
unable to show true compassion.

Woodfolk became apathetic and lazy,
unable to seek true happiness.

The Gods, realizing their mistake, destroyed themselves and bestowed their essences upon all life and creations.

So the curse spread on even today upon all generations of beings. But hope is not lost, for it is said that Zaiden knew his brothers and sisters would turn against him and so came the legend of the golden flower of Zaiden. It is said that the nectar of this flower is unlimited and drinking of it's ichor can lift the curse of Zaiden forever. However all who wish to find it, beware. For only the Chosen Hero can find the Flower, and those who are unworthy who seek it, will never return.

4. Military
Each Religious Sect has their own Order of Knights, and each city has their own city guardsmen, and several regimens of ground troops. Private contracting is common, and there are several orders of guilds and private companies with men for hire.

5. Government and Political Structure
6 different city states with different political structures.

6. People and Population
There's 7 major racial categories. The humans, the elves, the dwarves, the beastlings, the changelings, the treefolk, and the unbidden.
Within each racial category there's several distinct ethnicities within the racial categories.
Most of the Mystrians share the same Pantheon, but they each worship different a different God or Goddess by region, ethnicity, and personal moral codes. There are atheists, but they have less social influence than those who worship the pantheons and patron gods, otherwise there is some religious discrimination throughout. The unbidden are unique in that many of them do not worship their father patron god, but have several different cults of personality.
There's many different existing languages, and 7 different writing systems for each language group, but literacy is uncommon.

For more information on the details of Mystria:

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=137121

and

[url]
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=137315[/url]

NS wiki page

[Democratic Eurasia]

The Knights of Serion are the soldiers of the faith, dedicated to defending the worship of Serion. This ranges from securing pilgrim routes, to garrisoning holy sites, to acting as a police for the temples and churchs of Serion to acting as an army in more dangerous areas. They have been known to 'liberally' interpret their mandate- such as taking pre-emptive or agressive action in order to prevent a threat to the worship of Serion. Across Mystria the Order consists of tens of thousands of Knights and it is a powerful force famed for its discipline and feared for its relentlessness. Almost every major settlement hosts a certain amount of Knights, from a single patrol assigned to countering bandits in a rural area to entire legions keeping guard in large cities. Kings and nobles accept the Order's presence for several reasons- the Order is a useful ally, should local commanders be persuaded that supporting their cause benefits the Religion of Serion, also in many occasions the Order's intervention, or presence as a neutral and impartial force has allowed it to act as a mediator in disputes that might otherwise have erupted into war. A city with a legion of Knights present also finds itself with hundreds of skilled, well armed and well trained soldiers committed to defending the city- Knights will defend their home if attacked in order to try and protect worshippers and holy sites within the city. City's abandoned by the Order can be assured that the Order deems a new government neccessary for the long-term benefit of the religion- the Order's threat to withdraw a garrison has often resulted in marked policy changes. Finally, few leaders are willing to needlessly provoke a powerful army of relentless, well trained, well-equipped and battle-hardened warriors.
This should not give the impression that the Order regularly gets involved with politics- much more often than not the Order remains neutral and aloof from politics. Knights do not patrol the streets, or man defences, or march with any lord's army. They will only act if it is obvious that violence is imminent- the Order has shown a marked reluctance in taking political sides across Mystria for fear of atagonising nobles and restricting their free movement. Hierarchically, the Order is accountable to the local religious authorities of Serion in civil affairs. Priests, Sub-Archons and other religious leaders won't issue orders to Knights, but they will advise and give broader directives and guidance to local commanders. Within Temple grounds or on other religious land and property is the religion's leader who is senior.

Ranks and organisation

The consists of several ranks starting with Apprentices, the youngest recruits- those children being raised by the Order from the age of 12, often either being sent to the Order by families, or coming to the order from orphanages- including religious ones. At the age of 16 they are raised to the rank of Squire, choose a fighting discipline and will be set under the tutledge of a Knight for two years. These Squires will not fight- except in the worst of emergencies- but will be mentored and given experiance in the field. Finally at the age of 18 they will be invested as a Knight of the Order and be permitted to bear arms, carry the emblem of the Order and fight in the cause of Serion. All The following ranks and command details come after-
Knight (all members of the Order spend at least six years as a Knight)
Knight-Lieutenant (commands a patrol- usually a dozen men including himself)
Knight-Captain (commands a detachment- consisting of two patrols)
Knight-Commander (commands a company- consisting of four detachments)
Paladin (commands a legion- consisting of ten detachments, approximately a thousand men)
Marshal (an administrative rank, responsible for overseeing the supplies, quarters, training etc. in an area as well coordinating with local religious and political leaders)
Lord Marshal (similar to Marshals they are responsible for overseeing and coordinating multiple Marshallates- e.g. a Marshal may be responsible for the Order on one city, a Lord Marshal will be in command for the whole Kingdom. Typically Lord Marshals are also paired with Lord Commanders to serve as a chief of staff and second in command of an army)
Lord Commander (commands an army- which can consist of any number of legions according to the task set to it. Lord Commanders will lead armies of the Order and their allies into battle and on campaigns. They are the generals of the Order.)
Master (The Order's ruling council includes 11 Masters. These officials are choosen for life (or until they are deemed unfit to remain in office, or choose to resign)- when a seat becomes available the other Masters select a Lord Commander to fill it. A majority of the Council must agree on the candidate, who must himself be willing. Should the Council be tied, the Grand Masters vote is the tie breaker. The Masters typically reside at Kessian's Stand- the citadel and headquarters of the Order- where they decide the policies, rules and directives of the Order. Under the Grand Master they are responsible for the entire Order across Mystria.)
Grand Master (First Champion of the Faith, Defender of the Religion and Holy Warrior of Serion, Lord of Knowledge.)

Leadership: The Grand Master, the Council and the Supreme Colledge

The Grand Master is one of the most powerful men in the known world, with tens of thousands of the deadliest warriors in existance under his command. He is the supreme authority over the Order, sitting as the first in the Council of Masters and issuing commands across Mystria to the armies and garrisons of the Order. Like Masters he is choosen for life, until a majority of the Masters deem him unfit or he chooses to resign. Unlike Masters, who must be selected from the ranks of Lord Commanders, any member of the Order of the rank of Marshal and above is elegable (Although only twice has a Grand Master been choosen from a rank lower than Lord Commander). In choosing a new Grand Master, a Master may choose a candidate and when the Council has agreed on a preferred candidate, this man must be approved by the Supreme Colledge of the Allied Faiths of Serion (see below). The Colledge has never yet rejected a Council approved candidate. The Masters' selection of candidates is left to their own discretion, but no member of the Order can put themselves forward for the post, they must be nominated by a Master. Indeed it is considered taboo to even suggest one's ability or worthiness for the job. Once in position though, the Grand Master is perhaps the single most powerful person in all the faiths of Serion and is accountable only to the Supreme Colledge, to which he must report once a week. Should a majority of the colledge vote to demand a certain action of him, or to order him to cease a certain course of action, he must obey. He must also answer any question put to him by a member of the colledge during this reporting session. Politically, and within the Colledge, the Grand Master is viewed as an impartial figure to be turned to to help settle disputes by mediating them- or intervening militarily should peace need to be enforced. Even between the various disciplines, societies, faiths and churchs adhering to Serion across the known world he is deemed to be a neutral figure, affiliated only to the Order- which is itself a (conscientiously) non-denominational body as a matter of point. He, and Order as a whole, is therefore frequently viewed as holding all the various followings of Serion together- even if none will view him as a suitable authority on spiritual or ecumenical affairs.
The Grand Master is, first and foremost, the commander of the Order and its Knights. Specifically he will issue orders regarding the deployment of armies, starting and conducting campaigns and advice on the political situation to various Lord Commanders and Lord Marshals. The Grand Master also has the right to issue a Call to the Faithful- a general mobilisation command for the entire Order and a call for all followers of Serion to join them or otherwise assist the Order. The Call will be issued to rally the Order, and the followers of Serion across Mystria, to achieve a single specific goal in the cause of Serion. In short- it is the delcaration of a holy war. The Order has been Called 3 times in the 8 centuries of its existance, and each time the Call was issued in dire circumstances- and each time the Order has not relented or given up until it has deemed the Call to have been fulfilled. At the end of each Call a new title has been granted to the Grand Master who had completed it- and these titles came to be passed down.

Founding: Kessian and the First Call to the Faithful

The first Call was issued by Kessian, the founder and first Grand Master of the Order, eight hundred and twenty one years before, during the Holy Wars. These wars had been raging at that time for almost a full decade, having erupted over various sectarian and doctrinal disputes between the various followers of Serion. Kingdoms were plunged into civil war and war with each other as factions declared Holy Wars on each other and vied furiously for power and the upper hand. After eight years of fighting, triggered by the violent excommunication of Archon Vasier in Norelland, an officer of the Abredian army defected with a sizeable number of followers, refusing to obey any order to attack fellow followers of Serion, regardless of their denomination. Bader Kessian swore that he would strive to defend all followers of Serion and all of their places of worship and committed himself to achieving his goal. Thousands of war-weary soldiers began to heed his call, and tens of thousands more civilians- even more sick of the ceaseless and brutal fighting, appealed to him. Kessian formed an army that had the prime goal of defending any who professed a faith of Serion- and he backed up his oath with ingenious tactics and strategies. The main core of these armies, was Kessian's personal force- the Order of Serion, Knights who policed areas of Mystria that Kessian had forced to leave the war. The Knights would ensure internal stability and defend against invasion attempts, often by mashalling local militias to assist them and then forcing these militias to disband when the immediat threat had been dealt with.
Kessian demonstrated over the next two years that he was perhaps the greatest general of his time by forcing various important factions to lay down their arms. War-weary Holy Armies found their soldiers defecting- often with vital intelligence- and were then dealt decisive defeats by the aggressive and cunning Abredian. Moreover, when they agreed to his terms, they would quickly find themselves being defended by Kessian's Order from any force- internal or external- that sought to take advantage. After two years large areas of Mystria were under Kessian's protection- however now his armies and their local allies were becoming thinly streched, and his opponents were growing wise to his strategems. In a bid to end the fighting quickly, Kessian issued his Call to the Faithful- an appeal for every follower of every denomination faithful to Serion to join him and reject those leaders still fighting. He promised amnesties, to personally oversee equal religious rights and proposed a new Supreme Colledge to act as a mediating body for all the faiths. The Call also included orders for his Knights to gather to him at the fortress of Malrion, where he sought to make his Call a reality by forcing those zealots who rejected it into a decisive battle- and defeat them.
The simultaneous challenge and threat of the gathering of thousands and thousands of elite battle veterans totally loyal to their most dangerous enemy, and exceptionally popular with the peoples of Mystria, proved too much of a temptation for these zealots- the four factions that remained as active belligerents each sought to strike immediatly at Malrion so as to destroy the Order and its leaders. Kessian, however, had planned this- as the four armies advanced against Malrion Kassian's own troops fought delaying actions against each force, so that would arrive at Malrion at similar times. He staged incidents and used various tricks to goad each of the four armies against each other, rather than them cooperating against him. The Battle of Fools erupted in the hills around Malrion, lasting for almost a month in a series of increasingly bloody skirmishes and engagements between the zealot armies. Malrion was assualted several times be each army, but its prepared defences held and were even replenished due to the complete lack of coordination of the various zealot factions. Knights were able to reach the fortress with supplies and reinforcements, and after four weeks Kessian took the offensive striking out against each of the enemy armies and obliterating their weakened forces in surprise attacks.
Kessian made a point of capturing their leaders and presenting them to the newly formed Supreme Colledge of the Allied Faiths of Serion. This new Colledge served as Kessian meant it to, a mediating body and point of unity for the disperate faiths and religions worshipping Serion. It formally confirmed the existance of the Order of Serion as the only legitimate army of the faiths, with Kessian as its Grand Master. Kessian was also bestowed the title First Champion of the Faith, a title which would pass down to every Grand Master thereafter. It also held trial over the zealot leaders that Kessian captured- and was still capturing, for it would be another three years of campaigning by Kessian before the last zealot forces in Mystria melted away. Kessian himself lived for another two decades, and by sheer force of willpower ensured that his Order would become embedded as a permanent feature of Mystria to this day.

After the death of the first Grand Master, his fortress was renamed Kessian's Stand and was expanded over the centuries to become one of the most formidable citadels in the world. During the 2nd Call (to counter a Beastling invasion during the most viscious civil war to ever erupt in human lands) and the 3rd Call (against the Fell Crusade, where the Unbidden hordes surged and almost exterminated the peoples of Mystria) the Citadel's defences were proven to be nigh impregnable. The Colledge moved its headquarters there for safety during the 3rd Call, and also during this two century-long war the modern training of the Knights was established that they might not fall prey so easily to Unbidden corruption, or to the emotional responses that strengthed these evil beings. Their discipline- both mentally and as a unit is unmatched. Their weapons and armour are enchanted at the forges of Kessian's Stand and blessed by the Archons and Priests of Colledge in a grand service each year. Knights are trained in how to combat all Unbidden abominations as well as standard warfare- this does not make them unbeatable warriors, but it does mean that they may face Unbidden on equal footing.

[Crystal Spires]

Mystria's Horrors

On Vampires:
The vampires can be a crossbreed of a changeling and an unbidden or a human and unbidden. Keep in mind that a changeling is a creature that can transform from a human form to the form of a beast. They do indeed feast on blood, and to be able to turn a bidden creature into an unbidden with a bite would be horrifyingly awesome. The stock traits of hating the sunlight (burned by it), can be killed by a stake through where the heart would've been, or beheaded with Abnormal strength and Abnormal speed and with a bite, they can corrupt a bidden creature and creating other unbidden vampires.

On Wraiths:
Wraith: A wraith is a humanoid figure, clad in a dark cloak. They have telepathic abilities that let them talk to other wraiths over long distances. In battle, they use speed and disguise more than brute strength. Not many of them exist, but they are very hard to slay and can only be harmed by enchanted weapons because their form is non corporeal and disembodied.

On Werewolves:
The classic werewolf, except with a twist. Werewolves become wolf creatures at any night. During the day they are human. Only enchanted weapons and silver weapons can harm them.

Possessed Animals: Animals that have been possessed and corrupted. May attack humans. Mostly used to spy - the only difference is their eyes.


On the Eldritch Abomination: There are no words that can encompass such disgusting foulness, not in English or any other tongue. They are the Other, Alien beyond comprehension, the sole fact that they exist an affront to all the sanity and reason on which we depend. We could speak of painfully dissonant noises and nauseous colours of no physical hue, ichor-dripping vermiform tentacles and abyssal yonic voids, all structured and characterized with complex despicable mathematics, but those are mere superficiality. Eldritch Abominations are creatures unrestrained by things such as time of day, or season. They can appear without warning with no rhyme or reason to their actions. They destroy, intoxicate, profane, and corrupt. They're ultimately the creatures that Zaiden was killed by the other gods for creating.

On the Helhounds:
They are hounds corrupted by the unbidden and exist only to hunt and kill and can only be commanded by a mind that is chaotic and evil. Otherwise they act without reason and will attack anything in sight whether it is day or night.

On the Wendigo:
It's a possessed changeling corrupted and having their form torn apart from the inside by an unbidden. They become cannibalistic, and can no longer be reasoned with.

On the Zokei:
They're dwarves possessed by unbidden and corrupted. They no longer resemble dwarves and are more akin to a twisted version of a goblin. They cannot be reasoned with anymore.

On the Cidderkin:
They're treefolk corrupted by the unbidden and are possessed. They can no longer be reasoned with and resemble a plant horror (like venus flytraps that eat people for example or ents who attack people or sylvans from dragon age)

On the Chimera:
They're beastlings that are corrupted by the unbidden and are possessed, and resemble a mixture of animals crushed together as one.

Also a note:

On the Corruption, it is the curse that plagues all who seek the flower of Zaiden. It draws people to the seeker and either compels them with the desire to help them which is satisfied once they help them in any way no matter how simple. Or the desire to utterly destroy them which is not satisfied until the seeker is dead. Often times when someone takes the quest if they stay too long in the village the people with the corruption of hate end up murdering the seeker in a rage and then the corruption is purged from their systems and they go back to normal utterly unaware at what they have done.

The crime of killing one who seeks the flower of Zaiden is often not prosecuted because no one can know whether one was just corrupted or not, and the only City that actually takes killing someone seeking the flower of Zaiden as a crime other than an accident is unsurprisingly Caltris, the Capitol city of the Beastlings.

[Servoth]

The Mechanical Soldiers, Machine Men, or some variation along that line, were some of Israphel's original creations after Zaiden's death and Israphel built his workshop on Mount Iskar-May. The main reason that Israphel built the mechanical soldiers was, unlike many of his unbidden brothers and sisters, he wanted to create instead of just destroying.

Construction History
After Israphel set up his shop on Iskar-May, the original mechanical soldiers were just clock-like machines in metal shell, then brought to life as golems. As his technology became more and more advanced, so did the soldiers. Over the years, he adding wiring, electric motors, lights, film cameras (for memory storage), vacuum tubes, lightbulbs, more complex clockwork, and along with other various devices needed to properly operate their (the mechanical soldiers) bodies.

Jobs and duties division
The soldiers, or in most other cases machanical men, they can be used for any manual task, such as construction, farming, service jobs, military services, or any other jobs requiring work and in some case advanced thought. For now much of their thought is controlled by an analog A.I. computer (attached to a radio system for communication) in Israphel's Tower. He plans to grant them freedom of thought once he no longer needs them, so that they can live out their lives freely and in peace. For now, they are divided into different levels.

High Generals
Four in total, all under Israphel, they are they heads of the Mechanical Army. They can issue any command, that does not conflict with Israphel's commands.
Low Generals
Eight in total, two under one High General, they can pass commands down to Sub-generals and below.
Sub-generals
Sixteen in total, two under one Low General, the can pass commands down to Leiutenants and below.
Lieutenants
Twenty under one Sub-general, they can pass commands down to Sub-leiutenants and below.
Sub-lieutenants
Twenty under one Leiutenants, they can pass commands down to Captains and below.
Captains
Twenty to forty under one Sub-leiutenant, they can pass commands down to Admirals and below.
Admirals
Fifty under one Captain, they can pass commands down to Marshals and below.
Marshals
Sixty under one Admiral, they can pass commands down to Privates.
Privates
Or foot soldiers, they make up the majority of the Mechanical Army. Any where from ten to sixty privates are under one Marshal.

[Crystal Spires]

Races of Mystria

---

The Humans

In the Hymns it is said that humans are well renowned for their intelligence and were even blessed by Serion the God of knowledge himself. It was with this knowledge that humans were able to develop such vast cities like Altea, Suld, Mordovia, and Lynnberg. The Capital City of Altea demonstrates the true power of human ingenuity by combining Beastling Mechanization to create an insanely intimidating architectural design and a vastly fast paced industrial city. However the people live in squalor with no visible middle class in Altea, and many humans have chosen to abandon their ancestral homelands to spread out and live far from the Capital, making one of the cities with the highest distribution of human population, Caltris, Capital City of the Beastling Homeland.

Their culture is varied, and they are diverse in their tastes, morals, customs, and habits. However their great skill and intelligence have made them, by far, the best at producing medical and chemical technology. Humans typically stand at medium height, with men noticeably taller and heavier than women, but they are still notably diverse appearance-wise. Their skin shades range from nearly black to very pale, their hair from black to blond with many different textures, and their facial hair (for men) from sparse to thick. Humans tend to get along with most races with an exception for certain types of changelings and also, for humans that live out of Caltris, beastlings. Their Chief deity is Serion, and the ever famed Knights of Serion are well-known peacekeepers that live throughout Mystria. The less well known orders of Serion are their priests and templars who dedicate themselves to the order in different ways by keeping libraries, hospitals, holding festivities and clerical practices.

---

The Elves

In the hymns elves are known for their beauty and magic. Their great skill in magic and their beauty have made them, by far, the best at producing art and textiles. They are often tall and slender in appearance, and possess great beauty, and often do not possess facial or body hair. They to look frail, and have advanced magic skill.They are well renowned for their poetry, dance, song, lore, aesthetic, and magical arts. Elven architecture has inspired many of the different races for it's sheer beauty and practicality. They created cities like Celebriwyn,Sarreni, and Nilmarith. Their capital city of Nilmarith is densely populated, but yet more elves are spread out through the Elven homelands and many more live in very tightly knit village units. Their culture is very tradition oriented. At first glance one would assume that they live sheltered and peaceful lives in their woodland villages, but they learn martial arts and magic arts from a young age and many of them have well advanced weapons training. Elves do not often meet other races in their own villages, and as a rite of passage when they become adults at around age 20-30 they become filled with the desire to wander and see the world.

Seeing the races for the first time, they often are racially discriminatory out of innocent ignorance and compare their civilizations to other ones and often consider their own to be superior. They usually become disaffected with travel and return to their own home villages. Their return is often a sign of maturity, and those elves who choose to stay traveling or choose another state then their homelands are thought by their own elfkin to be perpetually children. Their well-hidden villages blend into the forest where they hunt game, gather food, and grow vegetables. Their contact with outsiders is usually limited, though they do create the majority of clothes and influence the styles throughout Mystria. They get along well with treefolk, but they often have a distaste for beastlings and dwarves. Their Chief deity is Enwe, and the religious orders are very nature oriented, and focus on the needs of Elven society.

---

The Dwarves

In the hymns dwarves are praised for their great courage, and rightly so, for their prowess is well known throughout Mystria. Dwarves are well known for their skill in warfare and their ability to withstand physical and magical punishment. They have great knowledge of mining and ore refinement and their ability to commit to hard work is what lead to great cities like D'thradal, Logonn, Gronth, and Terradin. Their cities are carved out from the insides of mountains and their Capital City, Terradin is well known for its rich Orichalcon veins. Dwarves are notorious for their monopoly on the trade, refinement, and mining of ore, and thus their lands are often filled with very wealthy beings. Dwarves are about 2/3 the sizes of humans, but they are just as heavy as them. Dwarf men have very fast growing beards, and they often do not cut them and instead intricately design them. They have warm relations with treefolk and beastlings, but they do not have warm relationships with any other races. They often are vaguely religious unless you mention the art of battle. They are well known for their grand tourneys and grand melee tournaments. Each dedicated to their patron god, Voldok. They are known as the founders of the Samurai order as well and their commitment to honorable battle is legendary.

---

Treefolk

In the hymns the treefolk are praised for their self-discipline and mercy, and they are very much the backbone of Mystrian agriculture. They vary in appearance, some looking like the ancient wood nymphs, dryads of legend, feywild tricksters, and others looking like living tree-beings. Their homelands are well founded with their cities and villages made specifically to not harm the environment or overconsume the resources. They often are known for their ability to cultivate land, and also for their very kindly merciful nature. They get along with all races and they are universally well respected.

Their homeland has few existing major cities, but Sylandral is the capitol city along with cities like Cedanslin, Lysandria, Sintrali, Fornei, Mertiala and Moryla.They act as trading posts and cultural centers where much of the agricultural goods are transported throughout Mystria. Their patron God is Lirea, Goddess of temperance and they have a few different holy orders, the most important being the Wanderers of Eventide, they are traveling clerics who perform ceremonial duties such as weddings, funerals, child blessings, induction into the holy order, and banishing of the ills.

---

The Changelings

The Changelings are praised in the hymns at the most altruistic of Mystria, and they are also enigmas in Mystria because changelings possess 2 forms, one is a humanoid form that possesses a distinct mark that makes them a changeling which they stay in for normal situations, but they also shapeshift into another form which is the creature form. The most well known are the changeling dragons, because despite the reputation for altruism and gentleness in the changelings, they are well known as incredible warriors. There are also many more subtypes of changelings which can transform into just about any animal in existence and in fantasy. Their homelands are divided among the different changeling groups, but they have major cities like Terciborn, Margorfin, and Corbal. Corbal is the capital city, and it is said in Corbal every single animal you see is probably a changeling, so many people who visit must treat every animal with respect or may face a rather angry changeling. The Changelings, because their ability to shapeshift, often take jobs in transport and distribution of goods. They do these jobs because they have an obsession with travel and can be seen wandering through several different villages and homelands, and unlike most races, they do not have a problem getting along with people of any race because of their transformative abilities. Their patron Goddess Nenya is adored throughout the lands and many temples and shrines are dedicated to her throughout the land. Their religious order is unique in that they have sworn sisterhoods, and fraternal orders that work alongside one another, as opposed to having separate monasteries.

---

The Beastlings

Praised as the most fair and balanced peoples in all of Mystria, the beastlings are very socially oriented. Their sprawling cities are loaded with magitech, and advanced technology due to their production of mechanized goods and high density of labor groups. Beastlings are creatures that are described as half man- half beast, as such their appearance varies upon which beast they resemble. They have a very complex court system, which is well known for its ruthlessness in delivering a fast, but fair judgement. They have large bureaucracies, and their religious orders are often seen permeating all levels of government. They believe civil service is a religious duty and as such the heads of government are all clergymen and women. Their abundance of cities in their homeland makes finding a beastling outside of their homeland rare. As such, Cities like Mephiste, Shaltric, Merlon, Tabril, Sardoc, and Caltris are often very crowded and incredibly dense. Caltris is the captial city and where the highest supreme order of the beastling court is. Their cities are rather multicultural and as such beastlings have a general attitude of non-discrimination towards all races. This doesn't make the attitude mutual however, because there is outright discrimination toward beastlings throughout Mystria.

---

The Unbidden

Wanderers without a homeland, there is little known about the unbidden by scholars of all holy orders of Mystria. What little is known comes from the mythos. Unbidden are said to be creatures with deep imperfections and as such they are received universally negatively by most races. Their drive to seek power and a homeland of their own often places them against the other races both ideologically and literally. The few communities of unbidden are nomadic or have temporary bases where when they deem it inconvenient, they abandon them or move from them. Their appearance can vary from a beautiful vampiric, succubus, or incubus form to the incomprehensible horror of an Eldritch Abomination. They have a couple universal traits however, which is their above average strength and speed, and their will to destroy what they deem to be their enemies.

[Crystal Spires]

Mages in Mystria

Magic in Mystria is known as a planned sequence of coerced unlikely events which appears fantastic when seen from the outside, but for a magic user it means that magic is the manipulation of energies unseen and immeasurable. Magic skill comes in many different manners. There are Elementalists who control the vibrations of energy to alter the states of matter using magic energy and sheer force of will, and there is Enchanters who use the magic energy to imbue items with magical abilities and functions. There are Entropists who transform objects speeding their rate of decay with magic power, Naturalists who use earth's power to channel magic ability. There's Psions who can use sheer force of discernment and determination to alter nature, and Diviners who also use their discernment to determine future events, and also Summoners who use the sheer force of their personality combined with magic power to call spiritual entities to their aid. There's mages who use intelligence to create variously powerful shields that can guard against any kind of spell, There are Wizards who manipulate knowledge of the planes to their own ends, Sorcerers who use the darkness in their heart to manifest pain in others and there are Healers.

[Yesopalitha]

On the prominent figures of The Unbidden Horde (Not the Mechanical Unbidden)

On Isokar and his Vampires

One general note about Vampires. The older they are, the thougher they are to kill. Also, there are many different types. Here are the leaders/prominent Vampires and their types:

Legend says that Isokar was the first Vampire ever created. According to the darkest mythos, Isokar was a smuggler/murderer/thief in the Northern lands, notorious for his brutality. One night, he was traveling in the woods when a Vampire bat bit him on his jugular. While trying to fight off the bat, he tore its wing, and some of the bat's blood ran down his mouth. This was how the first Vampire was created. Isokar is the leader of all the Vampires, and the origin of them all.

He is roughly six foot six inches tall, and is the toughest Vampire. These are his stats:

Stats:
You have 80 points to spend in the following stats

Speechcraft: 0 (-2) = -2
Discernment: 0 = 0
Strength: 20 (+2) = 22
Dexterity: 20 (+2) = 22
Fortitude: 20 (-2) = 18
Intelligence: 20 = 20
Magic: 0 = 0

Abilities: Can have dual weapons. Can have shield. Instead of having three defensive spells, has only one - Heal, which he can use to heal any other Vampire or other Unbidden, but better healing to a Vampire.

He also has a Sword called the Sword of Dark Knight. It isn't as powerful as the holy relics, but it is not to be underestimated.

Tarahal was once a Knight belonging to the Order of Serion. He was one of the greatest and known as the White Knight of Denal-Ithorn. There was a great battle between the Unbidden and an alliance of Elf/Dwarf/Beastling/Human. The Alliance almost won, but the Unbidden were too many - and an Eldritch Abomination made mincemeat of the Alliance. Tarahal was forced to become a Vampire. Although a Vampire, he hates who he is. He is only bound by honor to The Unnamed One. He does not drink Human blood, but chooses to drink those of animals. His greatest wish is to be free of the Unbidden that he has become.

Stats:
You have 80 points to spend in the following stats

Speechcraft: 4 (-2) = 2
Discernment: 6 = 6
Strength: 30 (+2) = 32
Dexterity: 10 (+2) = 12
Fortitude: 15 (-2) = 13
Intelligence: 15 = 15
Magic: 0 = 0

Abilities: Tarahal is one of the strongest humans to ever live. His strength carried over to his Unbidden form. He carries a double-handed broadsword in one hand and a shield in the other.

Tarahal is also very old, and thus, very hard to kill.

Classes of Vampires

Fighter: Just a normal Vampire, with normal stats. Fights with fists, fangs, etc.

Tracker: A Vampire with enhanced running and intercepting skills. Good at chasing down a foe. Not as strong as the Fighters, but faster.

Tank: Slow, methodical, strong. Very hard to kill.

Wielder: A weapon-using Vampire. The toughest to kill, for they are logical, and will use their weapons to the fullest advantage.

Rank of Vampires

King Isokar

Clan Chiefs: There are Four Clans of Vampires - one for each class. Each clan specializes in a class, but is not limited to one class.

The Chief of the Fighter Clan is Ishnu,
The Chief of the Tracker Clan is Arahil,
The Chief of the Tank Clan is Trumbor,
and The Chief of the Wielder Clan is Isabelle. (Yes, a woman.)

Captain: Each Clan has anywhere between fifty to two hundred Captains. Each Captain is in charge of ten Vampires each.

Vampire: A normal Vampire which is older than six months.

Newborn: A newly created Vampire, lasts up to six months. Hardest to control because of their lack of reason and their bloodlust.

[Yesopalitha]

On Werewolves and their Important Figures

As explained by the post above about the different forces that compose the Unbidden, these Werewolves are like regular Werewolves except they can become their Wolf form anytime as long as it's dark. They can be harmed by regular weapons, but only be killed by weapons made by silver or enchanted weapons.

Werewolves are very strong, as well as fast. They can stand on their two hind legs or be on all fours. Their bodies are at least five and a half feet long, and some have been reported to be eight feet long. Their teeth and claws are sharp. They usually do not bear riders, but in some cases, they have.

There are two massive Wolf Clans. Each Wolf Clan is headed by an Alpha wolf. They are able to telepathically talk to each other. Wolves from different clans cannot talk to each other unless their Alpha gives permission.

The Alpha Wolves are Ukrieg and Kyriseu.

Ukrieg is a Werewolf of great strength and power. He stands eight foot tall, and has a black coat. His eyes are bright green, and he has a very loud howl. He can be cruel at times, but is the best at working with other species of the Unbidden. He is also a master strategist, and very smart.

Stats:
You have 80 points to spend in the following stats

Speechcraft: 0 (-2) = -2
Discernment: 15 = 15
Strength: 18 (+2) = 20
Dexterity: 18 (+2) = 20
Fortitude: 15 (-2) = 13
Intelligence: 14 = 14
Magic: 0 = 0

Abilities: None.

Kyriseu is a very young Alpha. There was a time when Ukrieg was the sole leader of the Werewolves. However, when The Unnamed One wished to attack Cumborough, it created another Alpha, Kyriseu. Kyriseu is the biggest Werewolf ever, standing at nine feet, six inches, with a brown coat. He weighs three hundred pounds, and is a very capable leader. His greatest strength is the ability to retreat when necessary, a trait that not many Unbidden understand.

Stats:

Speechcraft: 0 (-2) = -2
Discernment: 4 = 4
Strength: 22 (+2) = 24
Dexterity: 20 (+2) = 22
Fortitude: 22 (-2) = 20
Intelligence: 12 = 12
Magic: 0 = 0

Abilities: None.

The only Werewolves to ever bear riders were Jumokaru and Ilthien. They will come later.

The Wolves all fall under their Clan leaders. Each Clan has half the number of Wolves. There are no other ranks.

[Yesopalitha]

On Wraiths

A Wraith is a dark spirit enshrouded in a cloak. They exist in a corporeal shell. They are able to communicate telepathically with other wraiths over great distances. In fact, there is no limit to a distance that they can traverse.

They can only be killed by enchanted weapons. If it needs to fight, a Wraith uses superior speed and agility, more than strength.

There are only so many Wraiths left, and the leader of them is the Chief Wraith, who is just the oldest.

Here are the Stats of a regular/Chief Wraith:

Speechcraft: 20 (-2) = 18
Discernment: 15 = 15
Strength: 8 (+2) = 10
Dexterity: 15 (+2) = 17
Fortitude: 10 (-2) = 8
Intelligence: 12
Magic: 0

Abilities: None.

On The Unnamed One

The Unnamed One was once a Wraith. It used to be a He... Until He went deeper into the realm of dark magic than any Wraith had gone into before. There, it lost its gender, as it was torn apart, and re-made, by the Dark Spirits of Old. The Unnamed One has the power to turn any creature into an Unbidden, given enough time. Also, the greatest threat about The Unnamed One is that... over time... it will only get stronger...

[Crystal Spires]

On the High Court of Caltris

One of the Paragon strongholds of all Mystria is positioned in the main capital city of the Beastling homeland, Caltris. It is called the High Court, and it is an important factor of life within all of Mystria. Famed for their unbiased nature, the beastlings have set up a system of Democratic elections to decide the Council of Judges who preside over all the highest issues of conflict resolution in Mystria. Any person of any race can become a judge as long as they have the proper training in law in Mystria. Any trial in Mystria has their highest base of appeal given to the High Court, and ultimately a person's fate is decided by a panel of judges who, being educated in laws throughout Mystria, are meant to deal a fair judgment on any case. All cases are presented in a Civil Court fashion, where the injured party files a suit against another member of society, but the levels of punishment are determined by the severity of the crime and is decided upon by the judges. Acting as an arbiter for the injured party, the Prosecution Mediator is a lawyer trained in the arts of conflict resolution and it is his job to determine the veracity of any claim that the injured party makes, and the Defense mediator does the same except to refute and disprove any charges made by the prosecution. They can handle contract disputes, property disputes, criminal activity, and have the right to bring any law made in Mystria under scrutiny. If a law is deemed inappropriate by the Judges then the High Chancellor can use it as a justification for declaring an area as lawless from Caltris, and with their magitech and technological advancement they can raze that city to the ground, not that any nation state would question the unbiased nature of the High Court's judgement. The court in Caltris has popular support throughout Mystria, and so all nations willing allow their laws to be examined by the High Court.

The Hierarchical Structure is simple, at the highest level of importance is the High Chancellor who is a spokesman for the Council of Judges.
Then the Council of Judges in the High Court of Caltris
Then the Ministers who are divided into separate groups of:
Education, Economic affairs, Contract enforcement, Administrative duty, Interracial Relations, Religious Representation, Environmental Affairs, Science, Police, and other special interest groups who are meant to present their insight into the cases and laws at hand.
The Sisterhood of the Unfettered & Knights of Serion
The Mediators
Local Leaders
Local Courts
Voters

[Crystal Spires]

The Mystrian Underworld

Illegal Trade and Business

In Mystria there are several illegal trades, and it leads to the establishment of a rich underworld culture that is well known and feared throughout Mystria. With the export/import of magitech and tech outside of the beastling homeland heavily regulated, cartels have control of illegal magictech and tech trades throughout Mystria creating weapons and modernist conveniences taken for granted in the beastling homeland. Such trade is forbidden to private entrepreneurs, and requires a licence to do which makes Magitech rather restricted to only extremely wealthy or the well-connected. Trading in tech and magitech without a licence from Caltris could get you a very long jail sentence without recompense. Then there is the ore trade which is forbidden to anyone but the Dwarves both inside and outside the dwarven homeland. Anyone illegally possessing, distributing, mining, trading and refining ore is a capital crime in the dwarven kingdom, and grounds for war outside of it. This makes much of the illegal mining and unprocessed ore trade a very risky venture few engage in. Refined and processed ore does not have this prohibition and as such weapons are always thought to be made from legal ore, and so the weapons trade is less fiercely guarded. In Mystria there is a highly addictive and dangerous drug called Stockweed, and much of it is grown in the treefolk homeland and as such is illegally traded throughout Mystria. Sales and distribution of stockweed is illegal, punishable with heavy jail time but use of it is less censured and punishable by public humiliation. There exists slavery also controlled by the cartels and both of which is punishable with severe jail time. Most slaves are people who have been kidnapped from small towns, so when they are found the slaves are often sent to the clergy to rebuild their lives. Prostitution exists but is regulated and heavily taxed. Gambling exists and is relatively unregulated. The trade of recruits for guilds of assassination and murder is also a very high demand trade. It is also easy to hide an assassin's guild as freelance fighters guilds, so it is said that murder is not hard to pull off anywhere for the right price. Elves are considered to be the best assassins due to their beauty and skill in magic, and so much recruiting is done for wandering elves. In the changeling homeland there is an active poison trade and there there is a dangerous neurotoxic potion that can only be concocted there known as Lyre's Edge. This poison is well known for the public assassination of Archon Messandre, and possession of the substance is illegal and punishable by death throughout Mystria.

Well Known Cartel and Gangs in Mystria

The Vulture's Call= Best Known Assassin's Guild
Hands of Fate= Best Known Ore traders
Siren's Cry= Best Known slave traders
Asp's Bite= Best Known poison traders
Lost Halberds= Best known tech traders
Caleen's Mask= The best known stockweed and drug traders

There are many more of them, but many are unknown and less powerful.

[Crystal Spires]

[Crystal Spires]

[Servoth]

Hyper-quartz is normal quartz which has been given massive amounts of energy through a particular process. Hyper-quartz is somewhat unstable, and if not handled properly it will explode, which may destory large areas.

the Creation process
step 1- first take normal quartz and place it inside a copper capsule. Fill the capsule with pure alcohol and seal the capsule.
step 2- place the capsule vertically in the middle of a circles of runes. Tip: the type of runes do not matter as long as they translate to or say, "give energy."
step 3- heat the capsule until the alcohol has evaporated (caution: if the capsule burst then you should clear the area immediately, the quartz could implode cause a severe damage and death to anyone near by) then wait for the capsule to cool down brake it open (be careful) and place the quartz in water for it to cool down. Waiting a few more hours and the hyper-quartz is finished. Tip: how you heat the capsule does not matter. You can use normal fire, induction coils, electricity (or lightning for that matter), dragon's fire, eternal fire, lava (if you know how), or any other method you can find.

Uses
Hyper-quartz generators
Dangerous at best, disastor at worst, hyper-qurtz generators are extremely dangerous and hypothetical. Several have tried to build such generators but have only gotten themself killed. The only one to survive was Israphel having tried 47 different designs in order to build one. Although he made some progress he has yet to get close to a successful and safe generator.
Hyper-quartz weapons, sheilds, and armour
It is possible to build hyper-quartz weapons and somewhat(?) safe to use. They count as enchanted weapons and can kill wraith, humans, dwarves, unbidden, and practically everything else. In this sense they can be dangerous to an extreme if it brakes then it will explode. Prehaps the best use is to make bullets out of them, this allows for explosive projectiles. You can also make armour and sheilds although this is not advised no matter what case you are in.
lightbulbs, lanterns, and torches
Prehaps the safest thing that is buildable with hyper-quartz. Hyper-quartz lights up in the presence of gold and other certain metals. This property is also useful for finding gold.

[Kalron]

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=138632

The holy land and Castle/ city of the Order, named after the late Grand Inquisitor Kalron who died leaving Tor Agin the current Grand Inquisitor in charge of the Order. Our duty is to preserve the light that Serion bestowed upon the lands, known as humanity , and also to preserve the peace. We exist only to serve and carry out our duties, those that are loyal to Serion will swear their swords to him and aid the Order with gifts of gold and food, so that we may continue to keep the realm and humanity under our watchful caring eye.

The Order separated from the knights determined that the Knights were weak and too buried in protecting everyone to protect those Serion deemed holy, like humanity. Kalron especially opposed stopping the darkness from enveloping the other races as they to were darkness, and the order was well known for its separated opposition to the corruption within the Knights, though possibly fabricated and lies, those who still believe the Knights are a shell of what they used to be and believe it is the Order that will light the way.

The Wealth of the Order comes from the lands they inhabit and rich lords paying the Order to rid their lands of threats that the Knights who usually turn down gifts are too spread out and weak to take care off. The Order being seen by many of the more religious Dukes and Lords as the true servants of the light, is often funded by the very same, as well as those who fear an Inquisition pay off the Order with gifts and treasures to hopefully avoid the threat of being exposed as heathens.

The Order is not corrupt in the sense that they are extortionists and care very little about the wealth provided to them, and do their jobs no matter the level of the bribe (they will still take the bribe though). As for the lands they rule, they are plentiful in goods and services and they attract many pilgrims from around the world, hence also bringing in a large sum of money.

All hail Serion, his fires will cleanse us, his lighting will save us.


Founding (See the Second Call)


The Times of Darkness

After the Order was formed and Kalron died as the city fortress was built. A new Grand Inquisitor as announced. Seeing as having just separated from the knights the new Grand Inquisitor was known only as Tor Agin. Tor Agin, still young and second in command of the original 6th division, instantly proved himself a great leader. Forming up ranks of the remaining knights and setting about getting a larger army up and running the Order of the flame was fledgling and no where near what it is today. When the unbidden struck at lands the Order responded with what they could and many died in the defence of crucial areas. The shining army deployed by the far superior knights at the time was the only major force at repelling the Unbidden and was very successful at it too. Yet the newly founded Order could never hope to match cuch a force and so their efforts faded away into obscurity. The Order was weak and many lords saw them as petty and idiotic for disagreeing with the Knights.

Tor Agin did a lot of meeting and had to play a large role in major events to let the world know the Order existed. Yet it was all in vein. The major support was thrown towards the knights. Despite being poor and rather working off of anything the Order could gather from their battles. An army of broked knights seeing themselves as the last light in a dark world fought against great odds. Tor Agin himself appeared on the battlefield leading the gorilla like strike forces that was the Order at the time. Making a decent effort to hinder the Unbidden for the shining army. For now was not the time for grudges, but for action.

Eventually these times faded away. Yet this was the lowest period for the Order, and do to the low numbers if Tor Agin had failed in his tactics and keeping his men safe, there would of never been an Order of the Flame. Only a written record of some rebel murderous knights who hated beasts.

The Rise to greatness

Those that preferred the Order over the Knights at first tended to be but a small group of rich lords. After the age of darkness the Order was simply recovering and trying to make a name for itself. Yet as knowledge of Serion's flame grew, more and more peasants, priests and monks flocked to the Order. Soon overwhelmed with recruits and those wishing to become part of the Order. The Grand Inquisitor divided up the Order into different sections. One was the Knights of the Flame, for those who wished to become paragons of virtue and holiness, One was the Soldiers of the Flame, for those who wanted to enforce Serion's will and be forgiven for their past sins and the Final division was the Ecclesiarchy a division of the most extreme Serion believers who did things that were harsh and cruel to those who were evil.

The sudden lowly support for the Order attracted many churches, and now there is at least one priest in every church of Serion that is a member of the Order. As for the acknowledgement of the Grand Inquisitors power, this came as a result of the king of the human realms fearing to lose his richest lords and have a lower class rebellion, gave the Order the power it has now, and so in almost a strategic bullying move the Order solidified itself as a power force that could not be revoked.

From that day forward the Order used its power to bully lords and merchants to fund it, less they have an Inquisition set upon them. Do to the knights laws however, public executions and burnings and such had to be founded on a solid rock basis of proof and evidence. As such this has kept the Ecclesiarchy from having to much power and control, yet if there ever comes a day when the knights prove themselves heathens, the Order may get the king to allow a full inquisition of the knights.

The Order has Samurai now, what a twist? As for the Ecclesiarchy they have some cool units 2

[Democratic Eurasia]

For almost two centuries after Kessian had issued the First Call the Order adapted to a more stable era. During this time the Order's structure and function was different. In many senses they became the church's police. Ranks went from Knight to Knight-Captain to Grand-Master. Bands and garrisons of Knight, each commanded by a Knight-Captain existed throughout human lands in various companies and operated with a great deal of independence. The garrison at Kessian's Stand was an organised army, where the most elite Knights were called to serve and elements of it would be dispatched to particularly troubled areas. Then, the situation began to change politically. Out of the morass of human Kingdoms and fiefdoms came a general who rivalled Kessian and other heroes in his military genius. King Jaragen III of Altea established himself as the most powerful of the human lords and sought to unite human lands under his banner. Its was a time of brutal warfare as Jaragen sought to use any means to cripple his opponents. However Jaragen was not just a brilliant soldier, he was also a cunning politician and was careful to keep the Allied Faiths and the Order neutral to his policies. In the end, however, Jaragen couldn't live forever and a civil war erupted across his alliance when he died. Jaragen had had two wives and the eldest by each claimed the throne- and the other was illegitimate. The Order's efforts to mediate failed and the Knights could only try to contain the violence, countering the rising banditry and protecting refugees. After several years the human lands were in complete disarray- even more divided than when Jaragen had started his campaign.

The Second Call and seccession

Across the border an alliance of beastling tribes sought to take advantage of the disruption in human lands and staged a series of raids and then a full-scale invasion of human lands. The Order's initial reponses were disorganised and poorly supported by human lords still locked in conflict with each other. But as the beastlings continued westward the Grand Master Even Hinnid reorganised his troops and launched a counter-attack at the recently fallen town of Gavenridge. The Order's forces were more organised and disciplined than their foes and had the advantage of surprise, turning the battle into a decisive victory that blunted the beastling advance. Hinnid used the victory as the basis for the second Call to the Faithful, urging humans to unite- not just to repulse the beastlings, but also to end the civil wars that had raged for eight years.
Politics, however, was not forgotten- Ginneh, son of Jaragen's fist wife, immediatly announced that he would support the Order's Call fully, committing reserves and resources to a counter-offensive from his strong-hold at Kahlen. His rival- Broxt- made the political mistake of trying to use the opportunity to strike at Kahlen and win the crown of Altea. His troops performed well, but failed in their effort to capture Ginneh's city. Moreover the attacked forced the Order to take a side in the civil war and commit itself against Broxt and his supporters.
This war on two fronts was a great strain on the Order and Hinnid issued far-reaching and decisive reforms. He established the current rank system to allow for an influx of new recruits and established a more coordinated Order with Legions and armies for larger operations. After three years, the beastling forces had been kept at a stand-still and Broxt and his allies had been defeated- effectively handing the Altean crown to Ginneh. But much of the Order was war-weary and the Order's coffers were much depleted. Hinnid sought to negotiate with the beastling leaders- who were themselves becoming more and more disillusioned with thier war and were desperate to withdraw for fear of their home territories coming under threat from eastern rivals. Hinnid successfully negotiated a peace, but this was a controversial act. Many of the Order- especially those of the 6th Legion which had effectively held the northern front on their own in some of the fiercest fighting in the Fornt's Crown Mountains- opposed this peace. Though Hinnid was backed by the new King Ginneh and the majority of his Knights, a vocal minority led by Lord Commander Kalron of the Northern Front objected loudly and refused to accept the terms of the peace, demanding the right to fight for total victory. The 6th Legion formed the core of Kalron's support, it was one of the elite units of the Order and had been engaged in long, brutal fighting agains the beastling lines. However, even outside of the Northern Front Kalron had supporters and when he called for volunteers from other Order units- and from the non-Order armies also- enough responded for him to stage a massive assault against the unprepared beasting tribe facing them. In the next three months they swept their opponents aside and seized a large area north of the beastling city of Mephiste and then proceeded to bloodily repulse a beastling counter-offensive.
Hinnid was both a appauled at the violation of his peaces terms and furious at the insubordination of Kalron, but his demands that his troops withdraw east were ignored. In a desperate bid he rejected the 6th Legion and all those who had flocked to it from the Order and sought to reorganise his loyalists. Hinnid was only just persuaded not to attack the 6th and its new territories by his advisors, who feared that the Order might disintegrate into its own civil war. Soldiers were still needed to enforce the peace in human lands, to keep an eye on the borders and to perform the ordinary, yet vital duties, of peacetime. Hinnid reluctantly accepted, but choose to step down and allow a new Grand Master to take his place for a new beginning. The 6th Legion meanwhile reformed itself into the Order of the Flame, a counter-Order with a much more radical interpretation of Serion's teachings.

For another 204 years the human lands stabilised- for a given value of stable. Compared to what had occurred in the previous two decades it was a peace- but it was still a tumultuous time. The Order's resources were streched maintaining the peace and preventing a resurgence of civil war. During this era the Altean Empire rose under Ginneh's son, Varid I. A war did erupt for several years between an alliance of eastern city-states and the Empire, with the Empire eventually emerging victorious. A peace was reached establishing the status quo that would form the basis of human lands even today. In Altea a High-King would sit and act as the ranking monarch for human lands, below him the fiefdoms and city-states would retain their independence. They paid tribute and taxes to Altea, which the King would re-invest across the land. In times of war the lords would provide troops for the King's armies. This situation was not idyllic- there were many power struggles for the throne in Altea, but all out civil wars were avoided in favour of politics, smaller skirmishes and mediation. However this time was about to be eclipsed by a terrible era of darkness.

The Dark Wars

About 400 years before the present day something changed in the creatures of evil- the Unbidden. They had always been a threat to the peoples of Mystria, but never organised and never in such numbers as to seriously threaten the strongholds and organised lands of the original peoples. Then, slowly this changed. It is hard to say when- and impossible to say why- but Unbidden numbers began to increase across Mystria and bands of evil creatures began to act with more coordination and organisations. Why, we do not not, but step by step Mystria became a darker and more dangerous place. It was a gradual process- the leaders of the day only slowly noticed that over a generation the increase in numbers and potency. Then, 352 years ago, the first Horde appeared- a terrifying host of evil beings as large as any army of the bidden peoples and- most worrying- as organised. Appearing in the Westfold a combined force of dwarveh and human moved in to put it down. The Order dispatched three legions to support the effort and the campaign broke it apart within a few months. But then, the next year more Hordes appeared across Mystria. These two were countered and defeated where they appeared. But more Hordes organised again and again. Underground, in the forests, in the mountains, on the plains, dark creatures organised and formed their Hordes and fought the bidden peoples. For half a century the world teatered towards a crisis, the origins of which are still a sinister and confusing mystery. 300 years ago this crisis became an all out disastor. Four Hordes arose at the same time and one, in the central region of the Treefolk lands repulsed a campaign sent against it and sacked the city of Arris, devastating it in a massacure unmatched, at that time in history. Across Mystria an all-out war erupted- Unbidden bands and Hords waged campaigns and warfare against their opponents and both sides won great victories and suffered terrible defeats. These wars became referred to as the Dark Wars or the Fell Crusade. Darklords- powerful and intelligent Unbidden of different forms- were identified as the generals of the Hordes and seemed to have the goal of cleansing the world of non-Unbidden. Again why is not known, nor why they choose that point in time to start- even why the sudden unsurge in numbers occurred is unknown. It is hard to convey how terrifying these years were for the peoples of Mystria. This was a war with no prisoners, no frontlines and no predictability. At any moment a city might find itself threatened by a mass of Unbidden, one might here of the neighbouring village being wiped out by a groups of vicious bands and have no clue as to whether they would strike next, or if there were enough- or any- friendly soldiers near enough to defeat them. All the peoples of the world were in grave danger of loosing a war that would lead to their total extinction.

The Third Call and the Shining Army

For a century human lands were in the same position as all other peoples- ravaged by roaming Hordes and bands, settlements overrun, horrendous losses in battle. Altea itself came under seige twice and both times barely survived to push back the Unbidden. The Order however was blessed by farsighted leaders who embarked on a controversial training programme for a vast army of almost a hundred thousand men for two decades. Children were called for- and freely entrusted to the Order by their parents- and submitted to years of rigorous training and enchantment. To cover the gap he needed for his new, elite Knights to properly prepare, the Grand-Master, Varn Frazen, issued a Call the Faithful to encourage the human peoples and bring in enough recruits for his current army to hold the line while a new one was readied to perfection.
Then, after twenty years of ceaseless violence, terror and dark news, the Shining Army marched. For a century after the sacking of Arris the wars had raged and the Unbidden had often had the advantage with their evil magics and morale destroying tactics. But the Shining army were, in Frazen's opinion, 'perfect soldiers' totally loyal to the Order and with their fears, doubts and other such emotions strictly held in check by two decades of training. The wait, though murderous, was worth it. The Shining Army coalesced at Kessian's Stand and was personally commanded by Frazen. 100,000 Knights, not inurred of emotion as some tales would have it, but trained to strictly control them- trained with the only goal of wiping out the Unbidden threat. It was said that where the Shining Army marched the light returned to the land, that the darkness could not withstand the assault of these troops so thoroughly trained, organised and dedicated to fighting it. At the battles of Krattenbourg, Verrine and Drygazl the Shining Army inflicted such defeats on the Unbidden as to practically break the power of the hordes in human lands. The Shining Army sought to scour human lands of the Unbidden, and almost succeeded. Certainly, a half decade later the results were dramatic- human lands were the safest in Mystria, allowing the humans the start rebuilding before their neighbours. The Shining Army meanwhile crossed the border into Dwarven lands and launched a campaign agains the Unbidden in the southern reaches of these territories.
The Order did not stray too far north- but the balance had been tipped. Step by step over the next century the war were won. The Unbidden Hordes were broken and such a brutal hunt to wipe them into extinction was launched that Unbidden numbers were reduced to less than they had been when the Dark Wars started two centuries before. Defeats were suffered- many terrible ones. Including the battle of Denal-Ithorn, where a northern fortress was mysteriously obliterated and its Order defenders wiped out. Nevertheless, a few years after it was deemed that the Unbidden had been broken. Battered and barely surviving the peoples of Mystria slowly started to rebuild after the unparralled devastation.

For the next century, up to the present day, the Order reorganised again. The Order kept the tradition of younger recruits than before, but moderated the training to create more balanced peace-keepers. The soldiers of the Shining Army grew old and died, almost all hunting the Unbidden relentlessly to their last years. Fears that the Order was too powerful was then balanced by reorganised agreements with the human throne and a promise to restrain its numbers to 100,000- 100 Legions- spread across the Human lands and even beyond to support the churches set up with the increasing human communities in other lands. These units operated with carefully negotiated permissions from local governments and peoples. Slowly people settled to a new status quo and prayed that the Unbidden scourge would never return.

[Crystal Spires]

The High Council

The Mythology of Mystria trace the founding of the Council back to the creation myth where God Fornt, Lord of Justice, created the Beastlings and blessed them with fair-mindedness and balance and granting to them their homelands just south of the Fornt's Crown mountain range and the area south all the way to the southern coastlines. The first known beastling communities are said to have been founded in the area between the current Capital of Caltris, and the City of Lothar. The proof of their founding was documents that showed decisions made by tribal councils.

In ancient times, Beastling City States and regions would each elect a head as the representative of their regional area and they were non-heirarchical and each head and city state was considered to have equal say and power in decision making. Their powers would be that the leader would create and propose a law which would be presented to the council for review and then the council would debate the laws until a final decision was made that everyone in the council agreed on beyond reasonable doubt. Back in these ancient times, if a deadlock was reached, and no decision or agreement was made, there would be a countdown from one lunar cycle to the next and on the last day all the heads of would be executed by the Uncorruptibles, Church sanctioned executioners affiliated with the God Fornt. The politicians were executed with no exception because civil service is believed to be a religious duty and failure to do so properly is viewed as a sign of corruption, and there is permitted to be no corruption in the head of states.

After the executions the law is dismissed. If it is proposed again it would have to be rewritten by a new leader and edited. This Code discouraged any dead lock, because such locks became matters of life and death and ultimately the one with lesser resolve would withdraw or relent on their position and proposal, and the other who felt more strongly would risk death, and have proven their commitment to the proposal. Such is an act that proves that they takes their legislation seriously enough that they're willing to die for it. This was called the Ancient Code.

The attitudes toward the power of the Church changed with the coming of human and treefolk migrations and the Council was forced to address the issue and then from the legislations there was an informal separation of the Church and legislative powers. The Modern High Court emerged and instead of egalitarian and equal powers granted, there was a more heirarchical structure with the High Chancellor, the Chancellor, and then the representatives of each city state. The ancient code could still be called to be enforced, but that is rare, and not to be taken without a huge degree of solemnity.

The structure of the Modern Council is set in place to follow the path of decision making. Each representative would have the power to write a proposal, and present it to the council. Then the council would debate it and if a decision was not made, the Chancellor would review the legislation, and if no problem of error in writing the proposal was found then it would be sent to the High Chancellor and by the time it reaches the high Chancellor's desk The Chancellor has the power to dismiss the proposal, amend the proposal and rebring it before the council. The job of becoming the Chancellor and High Chancellor is election based and council members had to run for election and once voted in, he was granted the power to break deadlocks, and moderate the debates.

[Neutraligon]

The priests say that when the Gods chose to kill Zaiden, Nenya was the most reluctant. She could not face the one on whom she would show no mercy, and thus when the time came to slay him, used a bow from the distance. One of the highest holidays of the Nenyan religion is to reenact this scene, possibly as a reminder or maybe as a way to try and appease. Because of this, all priestesses learn the use of the bow and arrow.

Most of the priest class choose to join as adults, and are the most devout of beings.

There are however a few exceptions to this rule... In the priesthood, should a child be found who particularly shows the traits of Nenya, and should the child’s parents agree, then the child is taken into the temple to be trained as a priestess. Often these children rise to the upper echelons of temple hierarchy, although that is not always the case.

In addition to these children, there is one other massive exception to the rule; The Mercy Bringers. While the rest of the order speaks of mercy in its peaceful form, the Mercy Bringers speak of its more violent nature. A mercy bringer will kill the many to bring mercy to the few oppressed. They will deliver the killing blow to those injured on the battle field with no hope of recovery. The mercy bringers accept no men into their ranks, believing that as Nenya was female, and as it is females who carry the ability to grant life, only women can possibly understand the violent side of mercy and altruism. All Mercy Bringers take on the last name Mercy.

Any child born within Changeling lands is blessed at birth by a priest or priestess, if they are called for. As long as they are known, these children can attend schools set up in the provinces. Those with ability can further attend schools in the capital of each province. Children are taught how to live life on the road, from how to control beasts of burden to how to do simple repairs on carts, from geography to weather. Early on they are taught of Nenya, and how to follow her example of mercy and altruism. They are taught of the other races and their beliefs so as to prevent misunderstandings. History is seen as a useless remembrance, and part of the reason other nations just can’t seem to get along, it is considered one of the most esoteric subjects. There are, however other optional classes, these include engineering and architecture, herbalism and medicine, philosophy language, and the arts. And they are taught legends….

For those unlucky enough to become orphans without the knowledge of a priest, whose parents never call a priest (this would mainly be the atheists), or those living outside of changeling lands, life is harsh. If they are lucky, their parents are educated and can teach them. In small towns, this is often not a problem, as everyone knows everyone, but in the cities, these children are often lost to the gangs that populate the slums. In the worst of these, it is impossible for any priest to set foot inside the slum, for fear of retaliation from the gangs. There are a few rather infamous stories of priests and priestesses who have been killed in the slum, simply for being there. Even the Mercy Bringers dare not travel there without a full unit. For the most part, those that survive form the underground of Changeling society, and are viewed with pity.

[Llennious]

OOC
true chiz people

[Crystal Spires]

On Coming of Age and Ideal Life Expectancy

Laws of the High Council on Recognizing Age

Humans naturally reach sexual maturity at 12-13, and then can live up to 100 years, but are protected with statutory rape laws until age 17.

Elven to human lifespan ratio is about ten years to one, which means a 200 year old elf looks 20 years old in human age and can live up to 1,000 years, so Elven young need to be protected with statutory rape laws until they reach age 170 years old.

Dwarves have a fairly long adolescence and reach age 85 before sexual maturity, and live up to two hundred and fifty years on average and so must be protected from Statutory rape until they reach age 90.

Changelings age quickly and fully mature at age 7 but a 7 year old changeling has the appearance of a 20 year old person and stops visible signs of aging and live up to age 50 on average, and so must be protected with Statutory rape laws until age 7 and 8 months.

Treefolk reach maturity at differing ages but the range can be that they mature fully in 1 year and then live for several thousands years, and thus they must be protected by Statutory rape laws until age 2 in that circumstance.

Beastlings reach maturity at age 16 and live up to 60-70 years on average, and thus are protected by statutory rape laws until age 17

[Servoth]

The Lehparsi Tick is the manifestation of Israphel's evil in the form of a tick which is attached to his neck. The ticks draws on several things in order to manifest it's self out the real world. It relys on Israphel's anger and fear of/and people who hate him just because he is unbidden, the happiness and power he felt after destroying Lynnberg, his sadness over the people (Zaiden) who he has watched die before himself, along with Israphel's own incompetence on not being able to create flawless machines and devices. The Tick is only visible after a flash of lightning, at which time Israphel's body becomes shadow like (only his eyes are seeable as they glow durring this time), then changes back after the flash.

What the Lehparsi Tick looks like-
The tick is a redish black color with bright red legs. On it's back is a single lightning bolt surrounded by a blacked out art deco sun.

[Crystal Spires]

Different disciplines of Magic include:

Black Magic: Magic powered by negative emotions.
Celestial Magic: Magic powered by invocation of deific powers.
Elemental Magic: Magic powered by the phasing of matter between solid (earth), liquid (water),gas (air), and plasma (fire).
Enchanting: Magic powered by fusion of energy into objects.
Life Magic: powered by the force of life and the flow of energy naturally in living things and internal energy.
Nature Magic: Magic powered by the forces of nature and external energies.
Necromancy: Magic powered with the force of death.
Psicraft: Magic powered by the power of mind over matter
Demonic Magic: Magic powered by demonic aid
Sorcery: Magic powered by use of energy from the waking dream state.
Spirit Summoning: Calling of entities to do magic for the summoner.
White Magic: Magic powered by cleansing aspects used to nullifying physical and magical attacks.
Wizardry: Magic powered by the manipulation of the astral plane.

Requirements for Spells
Spell Name
Spell description
Discipline

A successfully learned spell will contain:
A Base Cost of casting the spell
Spell Magnitude
An area of effect
And a duration of spell

B = Base Cost of a spell.

Every Magical system has a cost of spells. Whether it is stated or unstated every connection to magic is "ENERGY" garnered from the different schools of magic because energy doesn't manifest from nothing, it has to manifest from something. There needs to be a directional component of that energy whether it be "somatic" which requires movement, or "verbal" which requires spoken components or "mental" which requires a clear and focused mind to directionally focus spells by the power of thought.

M = Magnitude (How far is the spell effect area? How powerful is the spell limitations?)

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KEEP IN MIND, and it's why God modding is so common in FanT magic. So how powerful is your spell in different circumstances. For example, if it is powerful enough to ignore body armor, there has to be a base cost that is equivalent to that. It goes back to the energy focusing and direction.

A = Area

If there's no spell effect AREA defined this is God Mod Tastic. So it's the SECOND most important spell factor. Now remember with spells we're directing energy, so this means that there needs to be a reasonable distance between Person- Energy-> Target.

So if the spell area is the person's self, (Like Maven's Aegis spell) then this means that it will not affect anyone else (much to Maven's exasperation). If the area is a certain distance, it needs to be DEFINED, clearly, and there needs to be a reason for that defined distance. If it affects more than one target this also must be clearly defined.

D = Duration

Okay so let's look at a situation. Darrus casts a single use of a launcheable fireball attack. His spell lasts as long as it takes for him to absorb the energy from his means and then to launch it. All well and good. But let's say he uses a cone of flame. BLAAAAAAAAMMM!!! Now consider what will happen as he tries to hold it. The energy he is using is elemental magic, so the power it takes for him to direct it will eventually dissipate and he will run out of energy to direct! Now think in a cold place. How much flame energy do you think he would be able to direct. NOT MUCH FOLKS and then Blam, he's exhausted and no longer has energy to focus and direct. No more fire cone. So there needs to be an understanding of a general duration of spell energy exhaustion.

[Crystal Spires]

The Story of the Rise of High Chancellor Maven Auryn and the Wars of Attrition.

Maven Auryn's rise begins with the First War of Attrition. The War began after the recovery from the Times of Darkness while the Beastling States were recovering from the unbidden horde. The Human Kingdom under the reign of the Archon Messandre who saw this as an opportunity to take the unprotected lands to the east. Sometime during that time, he contracted the taint and became corrupted. It was then that the Archon ordered the purges. The Army of Human Power would enter a protectorate and murder every nonhuman within and declare it to be property of Altea and the Human Kingdom. It was from one of these protectorates that Maven Auryn survived where many did not. He was stabbed through the chest and left in a burning building and left to die in the protectorate. But the boy was a mage, and with the power of his healing and his Aegis he fled surrounded by the Corpses of his kind, his dead family riddled his mind and fled to the nearby Capital City of Caltris alone begging for aid. He collapsed in the city and was found by a templar who saw what looked no older than a boy of nine years of age in human years. Abandoned in the streets of Caltris, Maven's mind was unhinged from the violence he witnessed and was mute, he was clearly injured to the point of death and the Templars nursed him back to health. He was taken care of by Uncorruptibles when he finally regained the power of speech. He suffered from deep amnesia from the horrors and he took on the education under a priest of Fornt and became embroiled with Civil Service. During the end of the first War of Attrition, now a young adult Maven took apprenticeship in the High Council under High Chancellor Selanie as a clerical worker and then he took a job as the Minister of Interracial relations. Archon Messandre continued his march and with his General and in 5 years he seized much of the lands to the north into Dwarven territory, securing the roads into the Changeling empire, and he also managed to purge the City of Arden in the Beastling homeland.The tides changed however in the Battle of Margoth hills by the Falcone protectorate. Due to the innovation of Magitech there was a decisive beastling victory and the humans were forced back across their borders. For a year and a half there was no further conflict.


The Second War of Attrition began when Archon Messandre succeeded in assassinating High Chancellor Selanie of the Beastling States and seized the High Council and managed to execute 15 ministers and attempted to execute Maven unsuccessfully as Maven was a mage, and beastling mages are all but unheard of. Left for dead, Maven regained consciousness in the killing fields and watched as Archon Messandre took much of the lands to the north into Dwarven territory, securing the roads into the Changeling empire, and he also managed to purge the City of Arden in the Beastling States.The tides changed however as Maven took flight and warned the Falcone protectorate of the oncoming siege and in the Battle of Margoth hills the creation of Magitech turned the tides of the battle. Due to the creation of Magitech there was a decisive beastling victory and the humans were forced back across their borders.

For a year and a half there was no further conflict, and so the Beastlings elected their new High Chancellor Verys Altric, a Falcone warrior, and he happily led the rebuilt High Council with the hero Maven Auryn appointed as a Prosecutorial council in the High Court of Judges for one year provisional and then as a Judge and Councilman of Merlon. During this time of Beastling recovery the humans rebuilt their forces with racial recruiting. With the addition of the enslavement of captured POWs they had built an army that was much more powerful than the first. It was then that the new charge entered mostly unopposed while human occupation of the Northern Footlands began. This led to several more genocides by humans in the Beastling Homelands and the first attack upon the Changelings. With domination of the Southern Dwarven mines, the Humans cut off ore trade into the Beastling homelands and the Changeling homelands. For 2 years there was battle in the Changeling Empire, but the harsh terrain favored their army. The Human expansion to the Changeling territory ended.This changed the focus into expansion into the Beastling States, and Beastling resistance in the occupied territories were met with abject brutality. The Purges continued for another 2 years of occupation.

The Third War of Attrition began when Maven Auryn made the Declared Proposal for the Declared Charter of Protected Rights, and created the New Idealist Army. The New Idealist Army was made up of the Cloistered brothers of the Fornt church of Justice and a now powerful resistance leader, Maven Auryn, established an alliance with the Chosen in the Woodfolk Kingdom and was rejected aid by the Elves. With the unified army of Idealists, they were able to force the Archon's army back to its borders and end the purges. The Decisive battle being held by the Treican fields led to the forcing back of the Human Army. This lead to the signing of the Treaty of Merlon, a full free trade agreement and pact with the Treefolk and the Beastling Idealists. The pact led to 5 years of prosperity for the Beastling and Treefolk states. Then after the prosperity came the drought.

The Fourth War of Attrition began when the droughts led to a period of Elven economic collapse. The Treefolk had a full trade agreement with the Beastlings, and so aid was provided, but the Elves were not so fortunate. Forced by circumstance, the Elves moved their cities Eastward and crossed the border of the Changeling Empire. The Changelings announced that further incursion would be an act of war. The Idealist Army was requested to come to the aid of Changelings. To their surprise, The Idealists sided with the Elves and requested negotiations begin between the Elves and Changelings regarding disputed territories. During the negotiations there was a riot at the border which was known as the Flaxwood incident, and it led to armed incursions by the elves into changeling territory. The armies were met with fierce resistance and the Dragon Changelings of the North crushed the strike.The Elves then proposed an alliance with the Idealist Army, speaking with General Maven at Nilmarith in response to the decimation of the Elven city of Tuareg. Maven agreed to assist in return to returning Elves to their border, but on the condition that their Navy was pledged to defend the beastlings in the event of attack. The changelings were then forced back by the Idealist/Elven alliance. The Elves kept their word and did not attack the Changelings further. The rains returned a year later while the Beastlings helped rebuild the devastated Elven Cities. The drought over, peace returned.

The Fifth war of Attrition began when after 20 years of occupation by the Human Republic, the Dwarves had finally broken the Human hold upon their Ore and in the Sacking of Deylor, the Dwarves sacked the occupied city and reestablished the City of Dorgon. The Thane and his numerous Royal Guard broke the hold that Humans had over the Ore Trade and declared war on the humans, and embargoed all ore to the Human lands leading to the Metal Strikes in Drakenspire. The Archon Messandre, tired of the Dwarven resistance made an alliance with the Changelings and began the assault on Terradin. The Dwarves appealed to the Elves who called the Idealists. The Idealist Maven Auryn slew Human General Trayor Maston, and the Dwarven Kingdom was liberated. The Dwarves, indebted to the Idealists, decided to allow open trade and their relationship became much warmer. The High Chancellor made a free trade agreement with the Dwarves and they cooperated the ore and tech trade with the Treaty of Harmony. The Archon did not intend to let this stand, and the Changelings had been crossed too many times by the Idealists and so the assassination of Maven Auryn was called for, but the uneasy peace lasted for a year.

The Sixth war of attrition began with the death of High Chancellor Verys Altric after he was finally at the end of his term as High Chancellor. The Human Power Army was almost completely pushed back when Marja Ventuk, a Mermaid, won the High Council election by a landslide. During the celebrations Maven Auryn and his good friend Falton Eylis were both promoted to Judges in the High Council. Maven stayed busy leading the Idealist Army and pushed back the remnants of the human incursions to their rightful borders when an attempted assassination nearly claimed his life and sent a shattered fragment of glass into his eye leaving permanent injury. He could still see, but found himself in the treefolk kingdom receiving treatment there While Eylis led the idealists in his place. It was then in the battle of Cooran that the Order of the Flame finally was called in and the Beastling charge was ended. There was a tense stalemate and the Knights held the border. It was during this time that the Changelings were betrayed by the Archon again and they declared a truce with the idealists.

The Seventh and Final War of Attrition was held when a Coup happened in Altea forcing the Tyrant Archon Messandre to head away from the Capital as he sought refuge in the forests by Mordovia. Maven, fully recovered from his injuries discovered that there was to be a trap in Restonshire Keep and an attempt upon the life of the High Chancellor. So he flew to Mordovia to meet Eylis there in time to warn him of the trap and he and Eylis both headed to the location of the Archon finding him far gone from the corruption. They fought the Archon together but Eylis was knocked out by a powerful attack from the Archon leaving Maven to face him by himself. In single combat Maven fought the Archon and with the power of his magic and his monstrous strength, Maven fought for his life against Archon Messandre and almost lost as the Archon poisoned his sword with Lyre's edge, attempting to finish Maven once and for all when Maven grappled the sword from the Archon's hand and the Archon drew his own blood. The Lyre's edge poison meant a death sentence. Rather than have him suffer a horrific death due to Lyre's Edge Poison, Maven dealt a death blow to his opponent and the wars of Attrition were finally over. During the times of rebuilding High Chancellor Marja Ventuk helped mend the relations with the humans and also with the changelings. The Peace had truly begun, and Maven Auryn, the new Hero of the Revolution was given the title of Knight Templar to the Temple of Fornt, to which he refused. The years that followed he and Eylis, both judges and now masters of peace were both nominated as High Chancellor as Marja Ventuk decided to step down. Maven was overwhelmingly voted the position of High Chancellor due to his reputation of being a maverick, compassionate lawmaker, and a fair law enforcer.

[Crystal Spires]

The Forntian Order of Idealists

The Holy Order of Idealists are Knights of Fornt. They are soldiers, scouts, and rangers dedicated to protecting the Faith of Fornt believers. Their duties extend to learning the manners of Apotheosis and self perfection, healing the sick, ministering and teaching the ignorant, and punishing the wrongdoers who violate the Law and the virtues of Justice and fairness. It is known that the Knights are responsible to uphold the Law and thus if a government is deemed Illegitimate and disordered it is the duty of the Knights of the Order to take the government down by force and if a Knight of Fornt is deemed corrupt, the punishment for Corruption is ceremonial execution. This makes the knights at odds with governments of nations, but keeping the Knights of the Order at peace is a sign of a good Government and the Order of Idealists are deeply revered for their selfless service as they do work in harmony with the Guardsmen and protect the citizens with Martial Arts and they serve the common man with intense devotion. They do charitable works as part of their duties and uphold the Forntian Code which was laid down by Lord Fornt in the founding of the nation which was said to have been a small subsection, and then expanded to include an ever-changing governmental system of religious belief.

"We the people of the Just God for the promotion of good and the common welfare thereby affirm Rights to all Reasoned Beings to foster the spread of loving-kindness, compassion, and above all else fairness.

Reasoned beings are endowed with reason and conscience, should act kindly towards one another in a spirit of goodness, and promote the furtherance of goodness and happiness for all sentient beings.

A True believer will not use harmful words and actions based on ignorance, hatred, or greed. The True believer sees greedy, hateful, and ignorant acts as a scourge leading to chaos which shall return all reasoned beings to the hell of the Abyss.

Do not falter in the face of injustice, stand tall with courage and integrity. Speak with Knowledge and Seek the Law in times of strife and comfort. Aid the weak and the needy, Raise the Humble and downtrodden, Exalt the Humble and Humble the Exalted. For only in balance can one be true.

Blessed be those who govern and serve the good and welfare of the all,
Cursed be those who govern and serve only themselves.

The Lord deems them Corrupted and with the Rod of Judgement Smite their Greed, Stupidity, and Hate. "

A person can enter the Order of Idealists at age 17 or its equivalent of their own volition. They can enter earlier at age 14 with permission from their parent or guardian. They then receive a full free education and are taught the law by the Templars of Fornt. They receive their apprenticeship as a scribe and then after their apprenticeship their martial training begins.
They start as the rank of Knight

Knight: Every man in the order spend at least 2 years as a knight learning martial training, and legal training.
Knight Lieutenant: Commands a patrolof men numbering in 12 men.
Knight Captain: Commands a squad consisting in 2 patrols
Knight Major: Commands a company consisting of 4 squads
Knight Colonel: Commands a Legion Consisting of 10 squads.
Overseer: an administrative rank, responsible for overseeing the supplies, quarters, training etc. in an area as well coordinating with local religious and political leaders
Champion Overseer: responsible for overseeing the supplies, quarters, training etc. in an area as well coordinating with local religious and political leaders of the whole kingdom
Grand Commander: Commands more than one Legion On specialized tasks
Judgemaster: A Voted position of the greatest Grand Commanders, and there are only in a council of the 7
Knight Templar*: Commands the whole of the Army of the Forntian Knights and is used as a Symbol for all Forntian Knights to follow

*There are not always a Knight Templar at any given time, as they're only appointed every few centuries so the de-facto leader is the Judgemaster.

In times of great strife and turmoil there are people who earn significant merit so that they become nominated as Knight Templar for their service to Mystria and the World as a Whole.

There has been one only refusal of such a position of honor which was by Maven Auryn who opted against it because he believed that a True Knight Templar is one who spends the whole of his or her life serving others and not stopping once Knight Templar was awarded which is why he opted to being voted for as High Chancellor despite his rejection of nomination. He took the job willingly and served, and as a result many Orders of Forntian Knights believe that Knight Templar is an honor to be awarded upon the death of the person. There are still those sect who recognize the living Maven Auryn as the Living Knight Templar of Mystria, but it is not universally recognized among Forntians.

[Carceno]

Carcenoan Orders currently under further investigation by House De Luna and House Ilian

"The Order of the Silver Flame; an Overview", an article from the librario arcanum of House Ilian
The Order of the Silver Flame is an order of justicars and clerics of Fornt, who, in Carcenoan texts, is referred to as "...a silver flame lit in the heavens, abolishing shadows and laying bare the guilt of those who are no longer innocent, that is, defiled...". The Order has a twofold purpose; to bring the message of Fornt to the common Mystrians, and to protect them from the horrors of the deity Zaiden and the abyssal lord Yg. The Order constantly seeks out corruption within as well as without, for their belief is "...for every light casts shadows, for every flaming heart, a darkness shrouds...", possibly referring to the entity known as the "Shadow in the Flame", a powerful fiend imprisoned in a pillar of white fire far beneath the fortress-temple atop Mt. Barrow. There are three classifications among the followers, excluding rank; clerics, paladins, and the common worshippers. Clerics are travelling agents of the Order; they go about Mystria, preaching the word of Fornt as peacefully as possible. However, they are not afraid to denounce heresy and demon worship violently, indeed most clerics are trained practitioners of Celestial magic. The role of paladins is not a subtle one. They are tasked with guarding the faithful and their exploits, and to die for them if neccesary. They are many in number. The common worshipper is just that; common. They are the everyday citizen. Their role is passive: to be the best they can be, and to follow the tenets of all those who adhere to Fornt and his divine aspect; the Silver Flame.

The tenets are as follows:
- None of the faithful shall oppose the followers of Fornt or his brothers and sisters, for to do so would be unjust.
- None of the faithful shall denounce the Fornt or the Pantheon in word or action, for to do so would to invoke their wrath.
- None of the faithful shall seek in any way to harm the innocent; while the law must be upheld, it must be discriminating in its judgement.
- The faithful shall seek to uphold the law of the land and the law of Fornt.
- The faithful shall seek opportunities to aid those in need, wherever they may be.
- The faithful shall have proper morals.
- The faithful shall have integrity, and follow all of the Tenets.

The Order of the Silver Flame broke from the Order of Idealists for one reason, and one only; the Idealists did not believe in a vision said to be given to the Forntian cleric Asmund, whom became the first Aspect of the Silver Flame. They believed it to be a trick of Zaiden, or one of the abyssal lords. To this day, there is too much shame in their predecessors on both sides' decisions to reconcile their choices.