Fantasy The Black Ravine Hunt [Lore]

[VioletShadow]

"A deafening roar resounded throughout the continent, causing even the most powerful knights to tremble in fear. It's sheer volume almost made it impossible to tell it's source, save for the tremors beneath the very earth we stood on. Colossal cities fell that day, sucked into the terrifying abyss we now call the Black Ravine."
-King Eltor of the Chubic Kingdom

Scenario:
The Eadigia Empire and the Chubic Kingdom have been at war for decades now. Their best soldiers have been slain, their omnipotent mages are no more, and their resources have been severely depleted. When mind-shattering tremors shake the earth, and the ground rips apart before the citizens very eyes, revealing an endless chasm. A hurried truce is formed, as tar-black monsters pour out from its depths. Both sides know full well they do not have enough supplies to fend off the endless flow of demons, so they quickly form a collective team of various beings, and order them to search for the source of these creatures, and end it before it's too late.

General Setting Lore:​

• Medieval high fantasy: magic and fantasy races are welcome here. No guns/trains/technology higher than medieval.
• The Black Ravine opened up a few months ago, in the event known as The Black Quake, named due to the land being literally covered by these dark creatures.
• This will be the first expedition down into the ravine.

 

[VioletShadow]

The Empire and the Kingdom

The Eadigia Empire
"When you think of Eadigia, you think of birds. It sometimes feels as though there are more people in the sky than in the ground and it's a magnificent sight."

General Lore:
The Eadigians have been around for many millennia longer than the Chubicans, and as such are more traditional and outlandish in their way of life. Although a wide variety of races inhabit Eadigia, due to its sheer size, half of the population are avians(winged humanoids). A majority of the land in Eadigia is woodland, allowing most of these avians to build their homes on the tree tops, sometimes even above the clouds. The citizens are known for being lively and friendly, frequently throwing festivities and parties. However, they are also known to be quite discriminatory towards the unordinary. In particular, sealife. Merpeople, fish, seaweed are all foreign concepts to them, as Eadigia is completely landlocked. The rivers and water sources are oddly toxic to sealife, although Eadigians appear to have developed an immunity. The most prominent god worshipped, throughout the empires lifetime, is the god of Order and Time, Elios. The empires symbol is of a gold eagle.

Places known:

• Arkae is a small trading town in the Eadigia Empire, particularly known for its ironwork and expert blacksmiths. It is located atop a steep hill, making access to this place more difficult. Due to it's close proximity to the Black Ravine and the Chubic Kingdom, it has been chosen as the expeditioners meeting spot.
• The fiefdom of Graycairn, a feudal town of the Empire, run by the Albury family. The landbound territory sits nestled within a large forest, where the people have cleared away enough trees for them to raise enough livestock to feed themselves and the territories above. In the centre of the town sits a large stone-grey manor, the home of the Alburys ( Felix Asher )
• Oakenfair - A walled high-populace city, located near the edges of the Empire's borders. Considered to be a strategic location, there are a lot of military outposts located in this city - one could often find about 2-3 troops roaming around in the vicinity. Though it is near to monster-infested forestry and dungeons, the citizens feel no fear as the wall that protects them stand strong, along with the military might of the Empire ensuring none of these creatures would even get close to scratch the wall ( Reinhardt )
• Penrith ~ A small farming village located on the Empire's border. Overlooked by a lesser lord, before being destroyed Penrith was forced to give a majority of its products to the war effort, leading to rampant poverty throughout the already poor community. Unfortunately, the village fell into the deep abyss during the Black Quake ( Captain Spooks )
• Highgarden, a huge metropolis built in and around one of Eadigia’s oldest and largest trees. The city has a rich history dating back many centuries and has grown to become a sprawling center of trade and culture. Its position near the border made Highgarden a key foothold in the war, with Chubica trying numerous times to take the city. Twice, they succeeding in capturing some of its lower levels, only to be repelled shortly after. Today, Highgarden is regarded as one of the greatest casualties of the Quake. Tens of thousands were killed when it was swallowed up and overrun by monsters ( AnonyMouse )

Guilds known:

• The Valdergeuse Company - one of the largest blacksmithing guilds in the Empire. The Valdergeuse family funneled enormous amounts of weapons and armor into the war and was responsible for everything from mass producing gear to outfit lowly footsoldiers, to crafting bespoke weapons and armor for the nation’s elite warriors. Most importantly, they never rested on their laurels; the Valdergeuse Company was always innovating ( AnonyMouse )

Side of the War:

• The Eadigia Empires sheer size (and therefore sheer numbers)
• The citizens willingness to battle for their Empire, as they are patriotic in nature
• Traditional, effective (although predictable) battle strategies

The Chubic Kingdom
"The Chubic Kingdom may be a bit daunting to newcomers, but for good reason. Our independence was earned, not bought."

General Lore:
The Chubic Kingdom was originally a colony of a land far away, known as Kyrell. However, since then the people have wrestled their independence out of Kyrell, and are living proudly as Chubicans. Despite this, the Chubic Kingdom has had countless civil wars, due to the greed of the monarchy that once governed it. In more recent times, the kingdom is relatively at peace with itself. However, even then, not many people are willing to fight for the kingdom, as they are still skeptical of the current monarchy. Fewer races inhabit the Chubic kingdom, which mainly comprise of the classic elves, dwarves and humans. Perhaps due to its bloody history, the Chubic Kingdom is filled with much more violent guilds than in Eadigia, such as hunters, assassins and adventurers. This also makes Chubic more of a dangerous place to be in, as you can never be too sure who will be targetted next. There are few gods worshipped in the Chubic Kingdom, but the ones that are come from distant lands. The kingdoms symbol is of twin silver swords, crossed at the center.

Military:

• Spoiler: The Wing Clippers

  An elite group of hunters that were employed by the king of the Chubic Kingdom to fight in the war. The original twenty have come from five different guilds all across the Chubic Kingdom and have banded together seeking one thing - money. These group of hunters have been the best of the best and could shoot down their winged opponents like they shoot game - merciless, ruthless and for them, a game.
  
  The tradition of getting four of the best hunters in each guild has continued up to this day. Some are trained young. Some are just talented. Some are simply more hardworking than others. However, they will only get those with the potential to be better. Each member will choose their apprentice after seven years of serving under the Wing Clippers. In the case that they die without an apprentice to take over, the guild from where the dead member is from must choose among their ranks.
  
  They are divided into two squads - the archers and the fighters. While all of them can use the bow and swords, they still specialize in their own fields. These are further divided four classes - First, Second, Third and Apprentice. They are not divided by years of service, but rather by skill. It has surprisingly not been a reason for bad blood between ages as they all have to judge whether one can advance to the next level or not.
  
  The Wing Clippers currently have no remaining members aside from ten apprentices who have not completed their training yet. Retired Wing Clippers have come up in an attempt to train the younger generation so the squad may still continue to flourish( AI10100 )

Places known:

• Luminosa - a fairly well-off city in the Chubic Kingdom where trading is the main way of life if you're not being trained for the army. The Hunter-Adventurer's Guild Hybrid "Jormungandr" resides in this city and operates to protect the city ( AI10100 )
• An`Falithe - Nestled amidst the frozen mountains of the North and surrounded by dense forests of evergreen pines, the City of An`Falithe is where most of the Tel`Quessir reside. Having contributed to the liberation of the Chubic Kingdom, they have since maintained their fealty and ties to the Monarch. Nevertheless, they hold a somewhat derisive prejudice for the other races, choosing to remain aloof and separate during much of the civil wars. The fact that An`Falithe is perhaps the furthest city North of all Chubica allows the Tel`Quessir elves to be content with their isolation. They kept largely to themselves until war errupted between Eadigia and the Chubic Kingdom. The Calenfari Rangers are the royal guardians of the Ivory Halls, the palace of the Tel`Quessir King and his five children. When the Black Ravine sundered the land, An`Falithe was cut off from the rest of Chubica. While there are still Tel`Quessir elves spread throughout the Kingdom, many feared that their homeland had been destroyed by the darkness. Those that tried to venture home never returned ( Lekiel )

Guilds known:

• Spoiler: Jormungandr

  Jormungandr - a hunter-adventurer hybrid guild that allows for a variety of people to join so long as they are willing to work hard for them. Their only aim is money. There is no honor to speak of, not in the Chubic kingdom. Most would say that they are simple barbarians and don't expect that they act more closely to a family than a military group. If there is anything that is more important to them than money, it is each other. They will never go against their own and that's what makes it so welcoming after you get past the rough exterior and reputation of the guild.
  
  Luminosa was actually built around the guild but the guild itself until the safety has attracted more and more people and it became known as the trading capital of the Chubic Kingdom - though never taking away the capital name from the original one. They do protect the city as best as they can and often puts apprentices on patrol to aid the guards who seem to have trouble keeping the thieves and bandits out of their territory( AI10100 )

Side of the War:

• Varied and more skilled soldiers, due to past experience(hunters/assassins/adventurers)
• Ruthlessly elaborate battle strategies
• Hunters directly counter avians

 

[VioletShadow]

Magic

Throughout both the empire and kingdom, as magic is present throughout the world, there are magic academies of varying skill levels(there are also battle mage academies). There are also private tutors available(although usually more expensive) if school is not an option or tutoring is preffered. Keep in mind though that dark/life-draining/blood magic/etc are not taught in schools(imagine if they were lol - children killing everyone), and the tutors that teach those subjects are extremely pricey. Of course there may be other slightly more illegal ways to learn these spells. It is also looked down upon, it isn't something you brag about or you'll gain the attention of the authorities.

 

[VioletShadow]

Uncommon Races Known

• Vixens are part of a group of supernaturals that evolved from animals socially close to humans, namely foxes, rapidly through magical influence, becoming similar to humans apart from some features, namely size, fox ears and a tail. They originally evolved and only normally found in a forest near Haystack, within the Armistice Valley ( BlueJay1403 )
• Tieflings are a humanoid race descended from demons, they have dark skin, solid colour eyes with no sclera or pupils, ram-like horns and long, non-prehensile tails. They can see in the dark and resistant to fire ( BlueJay1403 )
• Elf subraces:
  • Wood elves have a natural attunement to nature. They feel at home when surrounded by trees and animals and the elves feel like they can feel their emotions which makes creating bonds with animals easier ( AI10100 )
  • Tel`Quessir is elvish, and translates simply as, 'The People' or 'Elves', in common tongue. While there are many subraces of the elves within the Chubic Kingdom, none are so aloof and as prideful as the Tel`Quessir. They trace their lineage back into the ancient past, and their songs and legends tell of a time when the Tel`Quessir's empire sprawled throughout the land, and their people were as numerous as the stars. Whether such was the truth or the embellished tales of a bard seeking to earn coin, their kingdom now lies in the northernmost reaches of Chubica; assuming it still stands after the Black Ravine sundered the lands ( Lekiel )
• Avian subraces:
  • Angeloids - winged humanoids with angel wings ( AnonyMouse )

 

[VioletShadow]

The Demons

• The man-eating demons come in many different shapes and sizes, but the vast majority of them have thick, slightly shiny, leathery skin. They would outpower a simple peasant in a fight with no equipment. They have gaping mouths with almost constantly bared fangs, but that has usually been their main and only weapon, apart from thin leg and arm like appendages.
• People have tried to build defences against them, but quickly realized that these creatures were extremely adaptable. They piled on top of each other to pass the highest walls, sacrificed each other to ram through defences, used bodies as shields etc. Some also appear to be quickly growing new attributes, e.g claws for scaling buildings, hardened scales on their heads for ramming etc.
• About their level of sentience; they are quite dumb at the moment, apart from their adaptable nature. They rely on brute force to try and hunt every humanoid they can see.