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FearItself

There is nothing to fear
The World of Rhine

Rhine is a realm where magic permeates literally every atom, four races of humaniod live in harmony as the dominant species on the planet. Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, and Humans. Uniting their talants they have built the mighty kingdom of Edenia, a wealthy and unrivaled kingdom in the land. However all is not peaceful and grand, monsters roam the lands in hordes, spawned by darkness itself, the deeper the darkness the stronger the monsters. Because of this nearly all Edenian citizens carry a weapon of some kind and are moderately proficient in it. The wealthiest of them can afford education in magic, but even then the wise carry weapons.

Magic

In the World of Rhine magic is a strange force. Much like in dungeons and dragons spells require components, its less of a superpower and more of an artform or science. Dance, Incantations, Mixtures, and tinkering can all be components for spells but certain materials can boost spells effectiveness, such as a shock spell being channeled through a quartz crystal. In addition to their components spells drain stamina. However unlike in Dnd armor does not lessen ones ability to cast spells, however it does still limit mobility which can hurt spells that require motion components. Most importantly Magic is not Superior to weapons and skill, it is in itself a weapon, a skilled mage can still be cut down by a skilled knight.

Combat & the social order

In Rhine ones strength is very valuable the ability to fend of monsters is one of the most important skills one can have, yet even the best can be stricken down by too many or too powerful enemies. Because of this cities have become the best way to survive and Edenia is in fact a nation of many cities that connect to one another via well guarded stone streets. Small towns have walls build and most of the population don weapons and armor to fend of threats. Nearly no one makes it to age 12 without seeing some form of combat. Hell the darkness under your bed can actually spawn small insect like monsters. The strong promptly become famous as more people flock to them for safety. Some of the bravest and deadliest people you can meet however are farmers, forsaking the safety of the city to take up arms in order to produce the food needed for the masses. Then there are the adventurers, sent to take out particularly nasty monsters when they spawn, or ship provisions back and fourth between towns. The oldest and most skilled of the Adventurers will tell you the best way to survive is to avoid combat when able and be sure to only engage when you have the upperhand.
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Edenian Currency and economics.

The economic system of edenia consists of two units of weight and three types of precious metals. The wealthiest have Access to The Royal Gems the single largest unit of wealth in the world. The metala and units are as follows.

Copper coin- A single copper coin can buy you an apple, or a glass of cheap ale

Copper Bar- worth 50 copper coins. A copper bar can buy you a shoddy sword or an average dagger.

Silver coin- Worth either two copper bars or one hundred copper coins, this is the average daily wage for a city guard, it can buy you a good meal, an average sword, or a night at your average Inn.

Silver Bar- worth Fifty silver coins,100 copper bars, or 5000 Copper coins. A silver bar can afford you a full suit of armor, a well crafted sword or shield, or A small boat, even a months stay at a nice inn.

Gold Coin- Worth 2 silver bars, 100 Silver coins, 200 Copper Bars, or 10,000 copper coins. With a single gold coin you can purchase the finest of food and wine for up to four people, buy an Excellent sword or sheild, rent a large boat for a day, or even pay a small battalion of guards for a days wage. If you have a gold coin to spare it means your loaded.

Gold bars- worth 50 gold coins, 100 silver bars, 5000 silver coins, 10,000 Copper bars, or 500,000 copper. A gold bar can buy you your own ship, a nice house, and even rent a squadron of 100 mercenaries for a month. It can buy magical weapons ,armor, and even several spell scrolls. The shorter answer is what Can't you get with a gold bar. It is said that with a gold bar one can start a town.

Royal Gems- worth 1000 gold bars, 50,000 gold coins, 100,000 silver bars, 5,000,000 silver coins, 10,000,000 copper bars, or 500,000,000 copper coins. One of these gems can buy you a castle, and still leave you set for life. You could purchase a fleet of ships, fund an entire battle, purchase several towns, and basically anything else that is able to be bought. Most people have never even seen a Royal Gem let alone own one. It is said that the kingdom of Edenia's treasury consists of 700 royal gems making it the wealthiest nation in thd world by a huge margin.

Edenian History, Religion, & Culture. Edenian history can be traced back up to 1190 years ago. It rose right after the Divine war, a massive globally spanning war between the gods that ravished the world. The God of Darkness was beleived to be victorious in this war which is why the darkness spawns monsters. However in their dying breath the rest of the gods united their power and struck a blow that crippled the dark god and spread magic to the far reaches of the world. Only the dark gods heart survived the ordeal. This inspired the childrens tale of the heart of darkness, a source of the monsters and thus a target for the greatest of adventures with the highest hopes of "saving the world." Unfortunatly the heart of darkness's location is unknown, though it is beleived to be somewhere in a deep dark cave.Because of the Gods failure to stop the darkness and the massive amounts of death and destructiin that came along with their conflict, most gods have been forgotten and those who do worship gods are regarded as cultists and even imprisoned in some towns. Most see praying to the gods as a harmful evil deed as it empowers them and they clearly dont care to use their power for the sake of mortals. Instead the religious tenants of the land are starkly anti deity. The power within people is the prime focus, strength, intelligence, Resolve, and Community are some of the most important things one can strive for. Though not all follow the Edenian tenants, after all they arent mandated by law.The culture of Edenia is one of Community, you help your neighbors, even if they are your worst enemy. Mostly because if your neighborhood is being attacked by monsters each non-monster being is an ally against the hordes. Adventurers are known for their willingness to risk life and limb in the effort to save people stranded in the wilderness, among other duties. Most see the adventurers as celebrities often jumping at the chance to meet one. Another line of brave individuals are the Farmers, who abandon the safety of the city walls in order to grow food for the rest of the population. Farmers, Adventurers, Mage teachers, and Blacksmiths are some of the worlds most respected people.

The Kingdom of Edenia & Her neighbors.

With the largest population of humaniods in the known world Edenia is home to just over 19 million. It is ruled by the Atul family line, a line that started with Shiloh Atul almost 1200 years ago. The kings have not always been good, in fact there are two kings that are known and remembered for their wickedness. Their names have been scratched from history and they are known as the Mad kings. However in recent years King Ur Atul the Father of Princes Zeed & Zelgius Atul has been a just and kind ruler. However his recent death a mere three months ago have left the elder Of the two to be king. Zelgius Atul now wears the crown. He is Sterner and more hardhearted than his father but is still a fair and just man. He supports his brothers quest though many believe its to remove his pressence from the castle. That said none have mentioned it to him, After all he is now the most powerful man in the world and no one is sure how he will react seeing as how they have had such a short time to learn his mannerisms.

To the south are several barbarian tribes though only the two closest to the border are well known by the people. First are the Golden Tribes currently lead by Xandar Krimpt, a famous barbarian in possession of the Legendary blade Felsworn, said to be able to kill anything as it was crafted by the goddess of death & the god of life over 2000 years ago. However his tribe is locked in a viscious rivalry with the equally terrifying Blackblooded Tribes lead by Marduk Sithias. In many ways more so terrifying Xandar as he was made famous for spending a week alone in the darkness and after his return felling a giant in a single well placed blow of his axe.

To the North are the Frigid planes of Cruz. A place where monsters spawn beneath caverns in the ice making it dangerous day or night. Entire armies have vanished without a trace in this wilderness.

To the West is the great sea, an ocean whose depths spawn massive monsters day and night, sea serpents of legend dwell here and continue to breed making it impossible to traverse, or at least thats the stories that are told. Countless ships have vanished here, draged beneath the waves by tentacles, Fins, or teeth.

Finally to the east is the Kingdom of Furien, a smaller kingdom known for their massive capitol fortress that has withstood attacks from the biggest and most powerful of monsters. It is said that many kingdoms exist on the other side of Furien, however their Anti-social tendencies have made it hard to traverse their nation they are suspicious of outsiders thinking most to be shapeshifters infiltrating their nation. Unlike Edenia the Furien's do pray to the gods, specifically the gods of Battle, The Wilds, and Light.

Combat, Magic, Gear, and Techniques

In this storyline combat is a very relevant aspect of society. From non-lethal duels, to fending off monster assaults, even attempted murder. Anyone who can hold one will have a weapon and most people are not pushovers. When fighting severeal things will be taken into account.

Skill & Experience- who trained you makes a difference, and the amount of battles you have been in do as well. If its your first fight and your going against a guy who has survived more than a dozen monster raids it will be a very difficult battle to win they will be able to do things you cannot and will likely be capable of withstanding more damage.

Magic & techniques- spells are useful and effective but they arent the only parts of combat. A knight with little magical skill and no spells still is able to design techniques that they are known for and are effective. For example the False shot for a ranged warrior, they pretend to nock an arrow but keep it in their palm, then they let the string snap and watch where their opponent dodges before taking a shot thus removing the enemies ability to use an evasive action. A blend of spells and techniques is usually the best route to take as it means you dont need heavy weapons or powerful spells (which are both expensive.) instead you can rely on timing and accuracy to deal critical blows to your foes.

Gear- Your armor and Weapons also play a large role in combat as well. Plate armor can repel arrows and slashing attacks, but hammers and Maces will be a nightmare for them as they not only break bones but dent the armor in ways that lock the wound in place making healing impossible unless the armor is removed. Padded armor or thick leather can withstand bashing and slashin damage but are pitiful at stopping piercing damage. The same can be said for weapons, a sword gives you a lot more blade to strike with than a dagger but is no where near as quick with its strikes, and both can be shattered by a good hammer or axe strike. Spears will allow you to get the first attack in most melee situations, but if they get past the tip of your spear you now have a disadvantage in hitting them. Most adventures have a diverse arsenal with one weapon being their prime. Keep in mind if you lick up a weapon you are not trained in you have a disadvantage using it.

Damage and Defense- armor can reduce damage but will never wholly nullify it. A plate helmet will stop a sword swing from killing you, but it'll still hurt like hell to get hit. Evasion can completly negate damage but is very hard to do in heavy armor at the same time if you fail to dodge an attack and your armor is not up to par you can actually go down in one hit. Finding the balance of defense and evasion thats best for you is critical. Sheilds are some of the best defensive items (and most expensive.) Because they offer the option to block, or drop it and run like hell to say nothing of bashing. Damage on the other hand has many factors, a hit to the legs is hard to dodge, but it wont kill you outright. Whereas the chest, neck, and head can be a one hit K.O. but its alot easier to block or evade attacks aimed at that. Damage is not assigned based off of hit points but rather off of Armor, the weapon used, the Area hit, and the physical fortitude of the one taking the hit. A seven foot hulk of a man can likely take a few hits before he goes down, but dodging is hard for him, where as a five foot kid who is 100 pounds soaking wet will be hard to hit for sure...but will likely go down in one solid hit. All that said Dragons, Giants, and Krackens, are big and strong enough to one shot heroes in almost every blow a good rule of thumb, if its bigger than you, dont let it hit you.

Magical items & Legendary artifacts.

Throughout the realm of Rhine there are SpellSmiths, scholarly mages who have mastered mixing Magic and craft in much the same way adventurers mix Magic and Combat. These spellsmiths can create magical items and are also called enchanters. Modern magic items are created in a process where the maker forms a spell or effect to cast on the weapon or item then they spend several days charging the item with magic, the more time spent charging the more powerful the item. While charged magical items have a few uniform perks, firstly a magical item becomes incredibly durable and in many cases can only be broken with specific condition, they also become capable if interacting with corporeal or incorporeal targets, lastly they become impervious to the ravages of time. However once they have used up all of their stored magic the item becomes mundane once again, many item rapidly age to dust if they are too old. However these Spellsmith made items are little more than cheap copies of the original magical items...the legendary artifacts.

These are much more powerful magical items created by the gods during or before the great war. Their charges never run out, and they are impervious to most forms of destruction with only the tarrasques stomach being capable of destroying them (other ways may exist but this is the only known way.) These items are remarkably powerful and able to change the course of history with their vast power. The All seeing Eye of Gale, which allows the user to Scry across the entire planet and ignore magical anti-scrying defenses. The Igniting blade Darigaas said to be able to burn as hot as the sun. The Shield of Divinity, said to be able to reflect any attack. Even Zardu's Portable Pit, a foldable piece of circular black cloth that acts as a hole between dimensions or objects among many others. It is said that the Kingdom of Edenia was Started by a weilder of one of these artifacts, however the artifacts have a mind of their own and are actually able to choose their weilder. They are well known for being fickle and the Edenian Royal artifact has yet to reawaken since its first weilder 1200 years ago.

The Rulers of Rhine

The five mortal races rule over the realm of rhine, their intelligence, number, and cooperation have brought them together to fortify their weaknesses with one anothers strengths. For 1200 years they have stayed on top with countless ages before the god wars where they lived in fear and subjugation. As such most have a defiant spirit and would rather die with a battle cry then be carried away in chains.

Humans- The most numerous of the Five mortal races, humans are the most balanced of the races having evenly distributed abilities and an excellent growth rate. They usually stand between 4 and 6 1/2 feet tall and weigh between 140lbs and 300lbs in their adulthood making them the most diversely sized of the 5 races as well. They have an healthy life expectancy of 100 years but most die before this point. Humans have Average levels of magic, Physical strength, speed, intelligence, and durability.

Dwarves- Dwarves are the sturdiest of the 5 mortal races by a decent margin and are the second strongest on average just below Orcs and just above humans. However their speed is lacking, and their intelligence and magic are just about average. Standing between 3 & 4 feet and weighing between 180 and 290 lbs dwarves are known for their trademark beards which both males and females grow. Most outside of the dwarven race have a hard time telling the male and female dwarves apart. They have a healthy lifespan of about 400 years and actually have the highest ratio of meeting that number of any of the races.

Elves- Known as the most beautiful, most agile, and most magically talanted of the races elves are also the least plentiful of the races. Standing between 5 and 6 ft tall and weighing between 90 and 150lbs they are lithe and lightweight capable of feats of remarkable dexterity. Having the longest lifespans of the mortal races they can live up to 750 years and many have taken that time to hone their magical talants making them some of the most powerful sorcerers and wizards on the planet. However they are notoriously frail being easily felled by most attacks if they can be hit and having the lowest strength rating of all the races. Even still most elves live as adventurers and still manage to maintain centuries of not being dead.

Orcs- The biggest and strongest of the mortal races, orcs are remarkably competent warriors able to leap their height, Run down most other races with their long strides, and generally power through most foes and monsters. They have a healthy life expectancy of 65 years but most die in their prime as cultural and racial traits lead to them being almost exclusively soldiers and adventurers. That said some of the most epic feats of the mortal races were accomplished by orcs, from holding monsters back from a tunnel for nearly an hour before falling, to leaping off of a tower to strike down a wyvern. Standing between 6ft and 7 1/2ft tall and weighing between 250lbs and 375lbs they are intimindating to behold when clad in armor. Beware the orc rage.

Merfolk- The most recent of the mortal races to join the Edenian kingdom they live mostly in the freshwater lakes, the sea dwelling merfolk are far more primitive and tribal and are not allied with the Edenians. Merfolk have average stats but low magic proficiency, however this is balanced by natural weapons such as claws, barbed fins with a painful poison, and some even have electrical sacs. They stand between 5 and 6 ft tall and weigh between 170 and 260lbs. Possessing both lungs and gills they can operate in and out of water, however their mobility is doubled in water and while on land they must drink twice as much water as a human needs to survive and can die of dehydration in just under two days.

Monsters in Rhine are split into two categories the Darkborn and the Naturalborn. Both are dangerous but are in constant violent competition with one another. Unfortunatly for the natural world the Darkborn seem to be winning, at least in most spheres.

Darkborn- the Darkborne monsters are ones born from the night, the crevaces and caves and the deep bottoms of the sea. They spawn from the shadows condencing into themselves and in most cases they take the form of an existing monster such as a goblin or a ogre. All darkborn spawn from the darkness with stats similar to the creature it is in the form of but with a darkness attribute and dark based powers that the natural version does not possess. That said darkborn can only take the form of a creature that has been slain by a darkborn somewhere else. To date no Darkborn Dragons, Giants, or Krackens exist.

Naturalborn- the natural born monsters are the creatures native to the realm of rhine. From lizards and house cats to ogres and wyverns the mighty creatures of rhine wage a cinstant battle against the darkborn but they dont forget to lay a decent amount of hardship on the mortal races. However in the past few centuries many of the weaker creatures have gone extinct. For example there are no goblins left in the entire realm they have all been slain and respawned as Darkborn.

Legendary creatures- the Top teir creatures in this world are considered legends. The darkborne have only been abke to fell the lowest of the legends Wyverns and Worms. However the Giants who rule the deep caverns have proven to strong for any number of darkborn, the Dragons who reign in the skys have proven to fierce, and the Krackens of the deep whose cruel intellect and twisted kingdoms have proven far to treacherous for the darkborn sea creatures. That said these mythical titans also prove near suicide to all adventurers regardless of strength or numbers.
 
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