Setting & Plot

^Click for larger view. Note: Not to full scale/size. Credit to Gurail for creating.

Terra Heroum is the continental landmass conquered by the Hero King Dragoon thousands of years ago, home to the three Terran races of Humans, Elves, and Beastfolk as well as many varieties of animals and magical beasts known as Phantasms. It is a flourishing land where massive city-states are able to even exist in the face of the constant threat presented by Phantasms thanks to the work done by its people. It is not the only continent that exists, as travelers have come from a land known as Sendaikuni across the ocean, but thus far other races have yet to be seen. These foreign emissaries bring with them similar sets of beliefs, if not under different names. However, our story focuses on the events within this land.

Three city-states form a large triangle of trade for the Terrans, each acting as the home of one of the three Representatives of the High Council. The city-state of Andor is home to the Human Representative; the city-state of Ba'dagar is home to the Beastfolk Representative; and the city-state of Cydonia is home to the Elven Representative. Each of these city-states can be considered a focal point for their respective races, if only because the people enjoy being close to the one who represents them on the High Council. This does not mean a race is forbidden from the other city-states; it is simply a result of politics. In the center of this triangle is the main capital Dracon which, despite being the capital is actually smaller than each of the other three city-states. This is due to Dracon acting primarily as a sacred location for the Temple of Dragoon and a political position with the High Council Chamber. Dracon only developed as a city due to workers that originally built these locations living on-site, and the natural progression that had. Being the home of the High Council Chamber, Dracon is a well-mixed city with all three races prominent as citizens of the capital. Outside of these four major cities, numerous smaller settlements are scattered across Terra Heroum.

These four major locations are all found in what is the central plains of Terra Heroum, and while some specific features differ between the regions of each they are all settled lands. To the east is the Draconian Mountain chain that makes travel difficult, and to make matters worse the land beyond those mountains is the harsh desert sands. While the desert is known, it's not very well mapped out as few are able to brave the journey and make it back alive. If it isn't the harsh weather conditions, then it is the desert-dwelling Phantasms. The mountain chain continues around to the north, marking the edge of the continent and acting as the frigid north. The plains continue westward into the Cydonian Woods, which further down blends into a marsh and then the relatively low coastline, while also going southward into the windy plains.

Roleplaying in non-major Cities? There are set RP boards for each of the City-states and the City of Dracon due to them being massive locations as well as important locations, but smaller settlements are all over the place as well. This is not a small continent, so it is pretty easy to say "you came from a small village" and have nobody really know about it. However, if you are going to make up a small settlement to be from and/or perhaps RP in a small village/town, some recommended spots would be the Terran Plains and the Marshy Coast. The Draconian Mountains are not friendly to settlements and nobody's managed to successfully set up a long-term station in the Unknown Sands. No one lives on the Black Isle to the knowledge of the Terrans, but the Windy Plains are certainly an option too.

Magic is a force fueled by the life energy referred to as "Mana" by the people of Terra. It is common knowledge that magic exists and that all races have the potential to use magic. The actual ability to use magic, however, is something determined by birth rather than by study. Those who can wield magic are known as "Mages" regardless of other occupation, the term acting as a descriptor more than an occupation. The chance of being born a Mage is fairly even with not being born a Mage, but families with Mages in them seem to have higher odds. Similarly, certain regions of Terra Heroum have higher concentrations of mana than others and are more likely to produce Mages. In the end though, within Terra Heroum, being a Mage is not a sign of prestige and magic is nothing more than a means to an end. A Mage who uses their magic for malicious ends is no better or worse than a man who commits the same crimes without magic, and the same goes for those who use their magic for good ends.

Despite this common view about magic, there are some who desire the power of magic more than they should. There is one known method, beyond magical items, for those born without magic to command its power. In ancient times, some Terrans found that by making deals with powerful Phantasms the gift of magic could be given. The magic itself was determined by the Phantasm who gave it, referred to as a Patron, but it nonetheless allowed for non-Mage Terrans to command magic. This form of magic became known as Pact Magic, and it was discovered many centuries ago that Pact Mages who lived long enough would eventually become a powerful Phantasm known simply as a "Horror": Monsters that are no longer Terran but still carry traces of what they once were in their visage.

The first known Horror, referred to as Anduin, was a Beastfolk that attempted to destroy the capital. The second, Jowan, was the Patron of a cult of Pact Mages that was to wage war against the capital. Many other individual stories of Horrors exist, and none bring good tidings, and since then Pact Magic has been considered an illegal practice. There has yet to be any means of breaking a Pact, and so any who are found to be the maker of a Pact are executed. It is known that Pact Mages can live for several years before becoming a Horror, but there has not been an exact confirmed time, so it is uncertain how long it truly takes to become one. Though it is known that should a Patron be killed, those that made a Pact with them will lose their magic, some Pact Mages become powerful enough to act as Patrons in their own right, and can retain their magic even if their Patron is slain. It is also known that some become Horrors faster than others; it is uncertain what factors cause the acceleration however.

As previously mentioned, those without magic can command it to some degree through the use of enchanted items. Magic items are rather common knowledge and socially accepted, with creation methods still being discovered. Not all methods are considered acceptable though; sacrificing Terran lives to fuel an item is, of course, no better than some Phantasms. In the end it is more a matter of how the item was forged and what it does rather than it being magic or not. Magic items are often referenced in the tales of Heroes. The larger cities even use certain magic devices as a means of improving the lives of its people, such as magic-fueled lights to dot the streets instead of oil lamps.

Regardless of the source of the magic, be you Mage, Pact Maker, or wielding a magic item, there is something that all who meddle with magic must know: Magic always has a cost. No matter how trivial the spell or how simple the effect, there is always a cost. Sometimes its just some mana that is used and a bit of fatigue on the caster, but sometimes it is much more. A common example is the blind seer: seeing the future or to distant places without being there is a powerful effect, but often times these seers become blind in their physical eyes.

Combat versus Non-Combat Magic: The skill and ability system primarily encompasses magic designed for combat, because frankly magic use outside of combat purposes shouldn't need to be regulated. Generally, magic not intended for combat is handled on a common sense basis. A mage who likes to study knows how to magically manipulate books and flip through them; a mage who likes to cook knows how to magically manipulate their kitchenware; a mage who likes to perform knows how to do minor tricks and make flashing lights. Unless you are a mage who has received no formal training and is really only meant to know one spell, most mages have training and practice suited for their given fields. At the very least, they have figured out some kind of magic that can aid their daily lives. Just keep in mind that if it has a combat application, you will need it as an ability of some kind.

Pact Magic versus Traditional Magic: While both allow you access to magic, the way they work are rather different. Pact Magic allows you to a very limited selection of magic, entirely determined by your Patron. This typically means emulating their abilities in some way through your magic. As well, you are unable to use Non-Combat Magic unlike a traditional Mage. Because of this, the teachings of Pact Magic and traditional Magic are incompatible, and so those who practice Pact Magic cannot practice Traditional Magic and vice versa. Mechanically, this means just because you have the Pact Initiate skill doesn't allow you to take the Mage class, and those who are in the Mage class cannot obtain the Pact Initiate skill. If you make a character who had Pact Magic in their backstory, they cannot start out as the Mage class.

Terra Heroum is governed by the High Council, composed of one Representative from each race composing the "Terrans". The High Council meets regularly to maintain order in the civilized world and bring the concerns of each race to the table. It is a system based on majority rule which is why there are only three members of the High Council. There is no single all-powerful being that has the final say on any matter, in order to prevent one race from having political superiority over the other two. Generally the Representatives are chosen by vote and merit, ensuring that even if a Representative has a distasteful personality they do have deeds under their belt that make them a worthy representative. The specifics about how they are chosen are left to each race, with Beastfolk preferring raw merit, Elves preferring lineage and merit, and Humans doing things by vote and merit.

Each Representative also has a pair of Seconds. These Seconds do not act on the High Council, but act as advisers for more domestic affairs and as military commanders. They also act as a layer of defense during travel for the Representatives. The idea was made reality some time ago to aid the Representatives during times between High Council meetings. The official title of these Seconds varies between the three races, decided when they were officially made a political station.

The Representatives are the highest form of government, with their Seconds aiding in the affairs of each city-state. Of course local forms of government exist for the various smaller settlements across Terra Heroum, but these are limited in scope to their local areas. It would be impossible for the High Council or the city-states to manage every settlement that crops up, so instead local governments often send messengers to the nearest city-state when they have need for something. These needs are typically something beyond the town or settlement's control, such as a drought causing their people to starve or a plague of Phantasms. Whenever an issue is within the scope of the people to handle, it is typically left to their discretion.

The continent of Terra Heroum is almost exclusively united under one religion which has simply gone without a formal name. It was spawned from the Hero King Dragoon and revolves around prominent, often powerful individuals called "Heroes". The definition of a Hero is "a person who has accomplished something of renown and improved the world or saved a great many people". There is no gender discrepancy and members of all races have become Heroes. The title of "Hero" is one that is given while the recipient is alive and the word itself has special connotations because of it. To refer to someone as a "Hero" that is not truly a Hero is a slight against the very meaning.

Heroes are viewed as objects of worship by those that knew them in life and all future generations. The nature of the religion, however, does not make the worship of them "an act of requesting their aid". In theory any and all people have the potential to become Heroes if they put in the work to reach that level of self-improvement. Rather, worshiping a Hero is more a sign of respect for their deeds. Some view it as a way of saying "I intend to be more like this Hero in my own way", admiring certain traits of them and wishing to develop those traits in themselves.

Almost any settlement, regardless of scale, has a Temple of Heroes to allow worship of both local and continent-wide Heroes. Most local Heroes are eventually acknowledged by the capital as official Heroes once word of their deeds reaches their ears. Almost all Temples allow the worship of any Hero with no discrepancy of who can and cannot be worshipped. The only exception would be found in the Temple of Dragoon in the capital. The Temple of Dragoon is a special Temple specifically dedicated to the Hero King Dragoon and contains the most accurate version of his tale, as well as the compilation of tales from all other Heroes as "tribute to the greatness spawned from the Hero King".

Gods? Because of the nature of religion in Terra Heroum, the idea of "Gods" and higher powers beyond our realm of existence does not exist. Sayings such as "oh my god" or swears like "god ****" don't exist either, and most make such remarks by their preferred Hero or the Hero King. Others simply say things like "Oh my goodness" or similar remarks that don't imply these higher powers. To reiterate, the nature of their religion simply does not state that they exist to begin with. This does not make them Atheist. There is no where for the idea of "Gods exist" to come from so they simply do not believe in external higher powers. All true power comes from hard work and the individual in Terra Heroum.

There are many different kinds of organizations within Terra Heroum that various people may or may not be part of. Some are prominent and everybody knows about them, while others are smaller in scale and may not be as well known.

Obviously, each of the three major City-States has its own local government to handle domestic affairs. Primarily composed of the Representative, their Seconds, and the residential Court Mage, they make up the high-level officials within each City-State. That does not make them the only ones, however. It would be impossible to run a government for such a large area on their own, and so there's quite a number of other officials who handle various day-to-day tasks. Each City-State also has its own military, under the command of the Representative and their Seconds. This military includes both those assigned to the guard and those who are strictly trained for military action, but most consider the guard separate. This is because the Guard is typically commanded by the Captain rather than those considered "military leaders", with the exception of the Representative.

Dracon also has its own military, but theirs is entirely composed of those that make up the guard. Dracon also has a form of local government, but their primary purpose is to keep things running smoothly rather than make any critical decision. Matters requiring higher powers are brought to the Representatives. As well, each City-State has its own smaller organizations. For example, Andor has the Andorian Investigations unit that handles matters less-related to combat, such as trying to find a missing person or tracking down a thief. Ba'dagar has something similar, in the form of the Head Hunters, though they use slightly more direct methods. Cydonia has the Scouts, those who keep watch over the Cydonian Woods to ensure that travelers can pass through due to the abundance of Phantasms.

On the smaller scale, there is the local government of Gaikokumachi, headed by the Emissary. They are limited in power to just their small town, with a handful of guards, but it is relatively peaceful all things considered. Most don't want to try and scare off the foreigners.

Beyond governments and official organizations, there are a plethora of other groups as well. Many adventurers form guilds to bring others of like-mind together for a common purpose, or to protect each other on their dangerous trips. It's difficult to really nail down all of the guilds out there, since some are so small nobody really knows about them, and others may be trying to stay under the radar so-to-speak.

Adventuring Guild - The Cerulean Blades Submitted by Dandydanny
The Cerulean Blades is a guild with a history. The establishment has stood in Dracon for nearly a century trading leaders every couple of years after the Founder passed on the title when his died. The Cerulean Blades are known for their aggressive pursuit of legends. Some join the guild for their own greatness while others do it for benevolence. All come seek legends in one form or another. A member of the guild is known as whatever they desire. Some are knights, some are fighters, some are scholars, and some are rogues. All members have a small cross-shaped blade that they keep on their person. The blade of this dagger is a bright blue that shines in the light and never fades. This serves as proof of membership to the Cerulean Blades.

The guild was originally founded by Elworth Adelbrand. He came from a line of humans who worked as justicars for the capitol. His thirst for adventure sent him out to find like-minded individuals. Dervin Pridemoor, a lion-beastfolk who sought to free his village from the control of a phantasm. Serene Dawnseeker, an elf from a line that sought some divine gift from light. Brans Wolfscarred, pit-fighter from youth and mercenary by choice. Heth Ripen, known for his beard and his taste in fine brews. Adelbrand lead his party across the lands of Terra Heroum in search for glory. When adventure became difficult to find he founded a guild for attracting trouble to him.

The Cerulean Blades has given rise to many aspiring heroes. Nyles Turim, Clovis Aalders, Rudi Hammbo, Jocelyne Andela, Briscoe Piers, Briamark the Great, and many more. The expectations of the guild have fallen in recent years. The constant swapping of leaders has robbed the organization of its drive for greatness, settling for petty political skirmishes. Still, there may be no better place for fledgling adventurers to meet and band together.

A foreign land across the vast body of water surrounding Terra Heroum, Sendaikuni is the homeland of the foreigners located in Gaikokumachi. It is composed of an island chain that has begun sailing across the vast waters to trade, colonize, and expand outward. Their capital is found on a larger island that is something of the "Center" of the chain; it has a number of smaller islands on either side of it. One of their ships arrived about two hundred years ago at a small coastal fishing village and after the initial cultural and goods exchange, they returned home with new goods and tales of a new land. More ships came in time, and steadily more of the natives of Sendaikuni came to Terra Heroum. Some even decided to live in this new land.

Sendaikuni is ruled by a singular Emperor, as opposed to a council of multiple individuals, with all subservient to him. The Emperor's family line is gifted with "the divine right to rule", making their succession unopposed, and the Emperor the highest power in all manner of affairs. Next highest up is the Shogun, who's position in the military is second only to the Emperor and is the chief military adviser. Much like the Elves in Terra Heroum, all residents of Sendaikuni place great value in their lineage and families and often use them as a means of acquiring stations of power.

This ties into the overall faith in Sendaikuni, which is somewhat comparable to Terra Heroum's own. They believe that those who achieve great deeds become "Kami", divine entities who guide and protect their people for the years to come. Ancestors are also paid homage and worship as guardian spirits of family lines. Overall the way it is viewed by the people of Sendaikuni is more of a spirituality than a strict religion to be followed. To them, it is simply a natural part of their world that is to be honored as opposed to a school of thought.

Japan? For a real world comparison, it is essentially Feudal Japan reskinned for our purposes. However they still have much of the aesthetics of the Japanese including their clothing, language, and weaponry. What this means, is if you have a character or face claim that is very obviously Japanese you may have them hail from Sendaikuni or at the very least have acquired goods from Sendaikuni's people through trade in Gaikokumachi, located on the coast of Terra Heroum.