The Story so Far...
It is the 9th Era of Conflagration, war has slipped across the nine continents of the world of Laancris and none have stood up to stop it. Vengeance and calls for further bloodshed to wipe out others beneath fists of iron and blades of steel has left Humanity a race ravaged by its own self-destructiveness. If this continues, a darkness creeping on the edges of civilization and kept at bay by the light of civilization may indeed come back, a savagery beyond any mankind has known since the 1st Era within the old realms of the Galaryn Empire. Few know of its name and even less of what it is. The Corruption.
Already, in the last few years the furthest nations of mankind have begun to go quiet on the fringes of the world theatre. Overlooked by the lords and ladies of the realm, too taken up in their petty rivalries and squabbles, it has been determined that something must be done to bring Humanity’s strife to an end, and reunite it once more against an ancient evil. Palatinus, the Order of Heroes. It’s nothing more than a name, a legend of the days from before the first Galaryn Empire was set in place. Heroes of epic and mythical proportions who could use the elusive magics of the wilds of Laancris.
Now though, its name runs once again, the lifeblood of the poor, bringing hope to the lands ravaged and left destitute by the greed and abhorrent violence of Mankind. Whisperings of it in the dawn leave it surging forth as the battle cry for the widows and orphans of this war-torn land. A cry for help, a plea for mercy, and perhaps more importantly a prayer of hope. Brought forth from the kingdoms of the world, summoned from the corners of the lands of Laancris, those deemed worthy of the title of Palatinus now gather at the edge of a wood forgotten to time and men.
Ilvacrest, wood of the ancients and home to the Faefulk of Laancris, now houses the new headquarters to the fledgling order of heroes, set up in desperation from the eldest and wisest of mortals at the behest of a Faefulk and Dwarven committee. While the Magic runs strong in the people of the forest and the men of the earth, none have ever managed to face The Corruption and return from its embrace alone. Those whom have gone to find it never return, while Humans regularly can attest to having witnessed its foul black ichor with which it hangs over the lands it touches. Only together can the four races of Laancris hope to stand a chance against the foul plague itself.
It is you now, the Paladins of the Fae, the Unter, the Hyl, and Humanity - the Palatinus - whom must rise up and save us all in our time of need. Stop the spread of The Corruption. Bring it to an end and restore peace to our world. Only then may the specter of death and darkness which has lapped at our heels for so long leave us and forever be vanquished. Together, with the People of the Forest and the Men of the Earth may Laancris rise up and become Pure once more. Let Wars end and Striving cease, let peace flourish. In the name of the Five, so too may we rise.
A world made up of various realms and landscapes, Laancris features the massive plains and steppes of the Hylfulk, the Ilvacrest of the Faefulk, the Ironcrest Mountains of the Unterfulk, and beyond the known lands lies those touched by The Corruption and whom live without the Light of Laancris.
A younger race in the Realm of Laancris, it is perhaps best explained as having first appeared suddenly from the wastes beyond the lands of the Hylfulk. The first of mankind warred to great extent over rights to the rare oasis and fertile lands found in the arid northern regions, but quickly moved past and into the plains and hills and swamps that now house their kind in great number.
Laancris’ only seafaring people, Humanity quickly managed to settle itself into place within the greater lands of Laancris and founded the First and Second Galaryn Empires and the Dynasties they held. Even more important though are the tales, now only spoken of in hushed whispers by the noble and as bed time stories to the poor of those whom were beyond Human, who held the right to use the Magic of Laancris to vanquish the enemies of those whom would try to undo all that had been done.
[i] The ancient, the primordial, the timeless. The Faefulk have been around longer than even the Unterfulk can remember. With the oldest known member of the Faefulk having seen Humanity’s Second Empire come to rise almost forty generations ago, it is no small surprise that the Faefulk are respected by all whom meet them save for the more boisterous members of Hyl and Human society.
Powerful nature spirits affiliated with the more powerful Magic-users of the Faefulk have lend them a shadow of mystery and power. It is in the name of the Fae that many have died a note of warning not oft said about even the constantly warring factions of Humanity. To say that there has been palpable surprise that they reached out first to rebuild the ancient Order of the Palatinus is an understatement.
Often known to be highly skilled orators their usage of Magic greatly varies and they are the only known practitioners of the art of Shamanism being able to tap into the Spirit Realm and bring forth the Magic of ages past to aid in the present day through the use of Spirits.
Massive and sprawling plains gave birth to the beastlike races of the Hylfulk. Sporting typically Humanoid appearances, their extended canine teeth, large animal-like ears, and their dexterous tails have given them a feral appearance. The first adversaries to Humanity, they suffered greatly at the hands of the warlords of Humanity until the founding of the First Galaryn Empire under which they managed to rise to prominence alongside the Faefulk and the Unterfulk. Magic, though running strongly through their veins, is a crutch to them whom have athletic superiority in the world of Laancris. Their generally healthy and long lives far outpace Humanity’s own, but their lack of separation from their emotions leaves them a dangerous liability in fights where they have become enraged without self-control.
Growing anywhere from six feet seven inches to seven feet two inches, the behemoths that make up the Hyl are those that are most experienced in the arts and trades involving the hands. From blacksmithing, to crafting to hunting and every other base industry, the Hyl, while hardly industrious, are capable. The long traditions lead within their Clans have given them great advantage in maintaining territorial autonomy from Human nation states over the years and have lead to the ultimate design of their current oligarchical hegemony. They have no designated homeland nor capital. Their centralized government is weak and consists of easily fractured alliances.
In the end, the Hyl make up the second most populous race in Laancris and their great versatility and the many differences between the various Hyl have led to a colorful and boisterous nomadic culture that compliments the Northern spirit nicely. Their lack of general practice with weapons leaves most at a disadvantage when their enormous natural arm reach cannot benefit them and their preference to fight without armor to best allow for optimal superiority oft gets them killed, but those that have mastered the art of fighting unburdened are a true sight to behold. Those races of the Hyl unable to fight adequately make an exception to the rule however, most of these being semi-settled clans and houses within the Hyl lands and their outer extents featuring more modernized means of fighting with swords and shields.
The Ironcrest Mountains are a place of Mystery and the undisputed center to where Magic holds its origins. The reclusive and elusive Unterfulk, long-lived Men of the Earth have garnered to themselves a reputation for being powerful masters of Magic. Being those whom first imparted upon Humanity’s heroes, the Palatinus, the ability to harness and use the Magic of Laancris, they are often revered by those knowledgeable in the old ways. Having risen to prominence as one of the defacto ruling classes over the swarms of Humanity in the First and Second Empires and with three of the Twelve Legendary Paladins of Galaryn’s Court being Unterfulk.
Later, the Unterfulk fell from common knowledge at the rising of the Third Galaryn Empire, the claim for the crown being far too disputed to become involved. Cold and impassive, they are Humanlike in all but their solid-tone eyes and their pale skin featuring fair complexions and long-limbs, they have been known to surface from time to time in the outer regions of the Third Empire’s once expansive territories, leading raiding parties on settlements attempting to push past the barriers erected within the heart of the Ironcrest.
Built powerfully with extremely dense muscle and bone mass, the Unterfulk are among some of the most feared magic-users in the realm of Laancris and those trained in the usage of the special ‘Living Armor’ of the Unter become terrors on the field of battle. A great many stories have often recounted the great feats of the ancient Unterian Palatinus as they wielded shields and armor of living armor and had cleaved through the masses of the Corruption long ago, unfettered and emerged unscathed. Magically adept in the art of controlling earth and its metalloids, the Unter are also incredibly capable mechanics and machinists, making great iron-cast works, the sophistication of which lies a great many years in advance of where it should likely be.
Capable and willing to develop new weapons of war and destruction, their massive stone labyrinths and gateways to the Ironcrests are a breeding ground of the ideas of the Unter, their machinations and cunning devices left parked by the wayside tempt the curious to wander near to their deaths while the intelligent know to avoid these. Unterian goods and iron are sold across all of Laancris and the Unterfulk singlehandedly hold a monopoly on all Iron exports, but their lack of proper agriculture since Humanity invaded their homelands many thousands of years ago, have left them dependent upon interaction with Humanity from time to time.
Seen as stoic, strong, and standing at a man’s height while weighing more than three times so, the differences in the Unterian sub races comes, not from their true physical appearance, but from their bloodlines and their magical affinities alongside their house and social standing. Running a highly regulated caste society nestled into a constitutional monarchy, the Unterian government is fast and efficient, streamlined to only include the House Clan members to speak for the will of their homes and their families in a semi-direct democracy as the Unterian royals decide on what is best for the houses within subjected reason.
The Realm of Laancris is large and varied and features a grand host of nations and factions that run across the geography, changing and shifting the party lines constantly. The many locales and places of Laancris oft are large and expansive and encompass a great any locations and landmarks. To aid in navigation and recollection as to certain events, as well as to forewarn others of the dangerous conditions that may affect the various paths and roads laid out before them, cartography has become a booming industry. Many well-trained, and some not-so-well-trained cartographers and surveyors have been contracted by the many dozens of governments and corporations interested in knowing the lands around and within their reach.
The many religions of Laancris are varied and vast encompassing al from ritualistic sacrifice to daily flagellation and including trinities, polytheistic pantheons, or even monogamous belief systems not unlike our own world. The many different races and their many different beliefs on how they came into the world have lead ultimately to this rise in religion and culture promoting all things from prostitution to murder to thievery and much more for some, while instituting a rigorous lifestyle of self-discipline and control in the face of chaos.
Ever since society, there has been language, and with language came intelligence and the ability to share intelligence and likewise knowledge through a single solid medium. Writing, or literature is common within the Arts, but is not exclusive. Featuring a rich literary and artistic background, the many chroniclers, bards, and historians of Laancris's Palatinus have begun to bring together the largest private library ever, and are within the process of amassing the completed works of the Great Prophets of the Five and other grand religious and cultural artifacts and works of art completed in the past as well as those being completed right now.
Literature is the foremost common form of historical chronicling of the exploits of a great many persons or nations. Used as the primary entertainment medium for many, books in this world are relatively cheap in spite of general rarity due to an overabundance of paper from the Ilvacrest, a place ripe with wood for the harvesting. Many of the longer-lived races have little to do other than copy scrolls and books for the majority of their lives and thus live within the Libraries of Laancris. Libraries are dedicated Orders and nigh-independent organizations that litter the Realm, many featuring their own privatized security detachments from local cities or factions. They are harbor to the grand scripture of the various holy works housed beneath their roofs and there is little that can be done to remove one of the treasured books of a library without receiving harsh reprisal or punishment. Many are lucky to leave with their lives if even that much.
From the earliest days of the realm, not only did light exist, but so too did darkness. Darkness all-powerful and overbearing that it would take not one, but many fighting to push it back. So too in recognition of this did the people of Laancris band together and form their own governments. Many have risen and fallen over the years and through countless battles and unimaginable suffering and bloodshed do we finally come to the nations of Laancris today.
Five regions make up the majority of the Realm of Laancris, each and every region has its own unique political and cultural values:
Generally considered by most to be where the heart of the Human civilization and domination of the Realm of Laancris originated, the Remnants of the Galaryn Empire still are alive and kicking today, though mostly involved in petty political squabbles amongst themselves. Gone are the days where they would march to war for months and engage in combat with the men of the Valleys further to the North, rather now they savor the taste of naval conflict, raiding, and the occasional political assassination and coup to keep things interesting within the sub-states and counties under their control. Best described to players as being Europe in the Middle Ages, the practice of Magic is highly regulated and reserved for only nobles and distinguished battlefield commanders and champions.
A veritable treasure trove of ancient ruins and lost cities, the green grasslands and rolling hills of the Riverlands stretch on for miles, the few waterways that cross its verdant patchwork of farmland and wilderness remain relatively unfettered with commercial traffic, most simply electing to use any of the hundreds if not thousands of bridges that work their ways across the waterways that are too deep to generally ford. Home to the vineyards and orchards of Laancris so too does it withhold within the hills ancient ruins marked with runes far more ancient than either the Fae, or the Unter, can remember.
Home to the foothills of the Wilderness, and the jagged crags of the Ironcrest Mountain Range, the Ironcrests are known for being home to the Unter. Filled with the full extent of their devious machinations and protective wards, the Ironcrests have proved to be a rough place to settle without the permission of the Unter. Nevertheless, Man and Hyl have managed to overcome all odds and now dwell across the Northern stretch of Laancris, in spite of the best efforts of the Unterfulk. Incredibly rich in ores and minerals, the wealth of the Ironcrests can best be said to reflect the wealth of Laancris.
The grandiose and rolling plains and steppes of the Tolan-Iri Valley have led to the creation of a vicious cycle of war and death, the majority of all battlefield deaths in the last thousand years having been inflicted either upon or by the Tolan-Iri. Rivers run red with blood at the sounding of horns and the ground shakes with the thundering of the hooves of the great horse and land drake mounts streaming over the rocky tundras and barren expanses of scrub and short-grass. Were it not for the resilient and meaty rish in the area, most would be unable to make a living and have to leave their luck to the few brave farmers out in the Valley.
Covered in lakes and rivers and an almost constant shroud of fog and mists, the lands of the Nilreach are as mysterious and foreign as the Wilderness itself. Fortresses built long ago as a means of protecting the few settlers once present stand abandoned to time and hardship. Of the few settlements and cities that remain, their sole purpose for existence is the combating of The Corruption, challenging other nations, and attempting to stand guard against the ancient threat to the East that supposedly once drove Humanity from its homeland far on the other side of the planet.
