God Name: Nuri Kementári
Titles: Lady of Fire and Forge, The Shaper, The Soul-Forger, Maiden under the Mountain.
Holy Sumbol: A hammer set in front of an anvil: The Sign of Nuri
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Fire, Artifice and Invention.
Patron of: Blacksmiths, Crafters, Engineers, Inventors, Woodworkers
Gender: Female
God Appearance: Despite her small stature, as she stands at a little under five foot, she is still a confident Goddess with an imposing air about her; this can also be attributed to her broad shoulders and stocky build. Her eyes are bright and piercing, always inquisitive of her work and those around her. Her almost mane-like red hair seems to cascade down her back, highlighted with flickering flames as her temperament waxes and wanes; though she sometimes leaves it loose she normally has it kept back by her goggles strapped across her forehead. Her clothing is normally hardwearing and durable, since it is likely to be covered in oils, grime or flakes of wood and metal depending on her latest task.
Personality: Nuri is a rather distant goddess who cares only for the act of creation and paying little or no notice to the events that happens beyond her sphere of influence, preferring to focus on what she has made with her own hands or helped others to create. Possessed of an unflinching mind-set and once set upon a course is almost impossible to sway, though despite this somewhat blunt tone she can be quite jovial when she wants to be. Though at times this can come across as harsh due to her tendency to state things as they are and voice her opinions with little regard for tact, as she doesn't see the point in keeping ideas to herself where it’s of no benefit to anyone. Worshipers of more magical arts oppose her view of holding technology in higher regard and above what they perceive to be the better craft, when in truth it is because she simply views magic as another tool for her craft; one she uses to its full potential to shape and empower her creations.
Favoured Weapon:
“The Heart of the Mountain” –
A long handled Maul that the goddess uses at her forge to craft and create, but is just as serviceable in combat if needed. Nuri is also able to reshape it to fit her needs, such as changing the type of hammer for working with lighter materials.
“The Tears of the Mountain” –
A pair of lightly curved longswords that she keeps sheathed across her back; forged from a silvery blue metal which seems to ripple like the surface of a crystal clear pool. Also when they are wielded air rushes through grooves and marking set into the metal to recreate the faint howl of weeping.
“The Ironmonger” –
A large Stillson wrench that Nuri uses when working with mechanisms and pipework within devices. Similar to how she shapes her Maul to fit her uses, she can modify the wrench to serve different purposes.
Opinion of mortals: “If tooled correctly, they can be put to use and indeed may even serve a purpose.”
God’s Domain: The Domain of Nuri is a dark landscape, seeming to be a barren wasteland covered in dense clouds of thick, cloying smoke which seems to engulf its entirety. The land itself is made of rolling hills and mountains of rough stone with rivers of molten lava running throughout from boiling volcanos which churn the earth and renew its shape almost daily. Resulting in an ever-changing mutable effect where nothing is cast the way it was the moment before, but each time it is remade strong and powerful. Across the landscape is several enclaves which rise high into the mountain ranges which strongholds buried deep within the earth.
It is from these as well as the roaming rivers and roaring volcanos that the smoke which blankets the land comes from, as inside this hallowed halls the servants and creations of Nuri toil at a myriad of works; tooling weapons and firing clay for pottery to designing stained glass windows. The cities beneath the fiery domain are alight with the fruits of both their labour and hers, with wonders to stir both beauty and terror in the hearts of mortals. No dwelling is the same and each stronghold of master craftsmen attempts to outdo eachother in her name, as well as for their own gain. Great networks of tunnels with all manner of contraptions for navigating them from automatic conveyance to simple walkways, allow their inhabitants to traverse the hostile landscape in relative safety.
Though above land in the heart of the flaming lakes is where Nuri lives herself in the heart of the three-fold towers that encircle her Mountain forge of Auilanar. Here she is surrounded by great living constructs, giants of fire and elemental creatures. Where she works tirelessly at her forge to devise new tools, or methods of creation or simply for the enjoyment of the act.
Avatar Name: Morden
Avatar Appearance: Morden is a man of seemly middle age with long silvery grey hair and beard which reaches down to his upper chest, and pale blue eyes behind half-moon glasses. He wears long green robe-like clothes over similar coloured workman’s pants, and a myriad of mechanisms and tools hang from pockets and holders around his waist and across his chest and arms. He uses these to store all the items that he needs for his experiments and inventions.
Personality: He is of an inquisitive nature, similar to his goddess, but seems to find ways of recreating the awe of magic through the means of science rather than just combining the two. As well as this he also sometimes wishes to help mortals beyond the scope of Nuri’s influence, feeling more compassionate about their suffering rather than seeing them as having brought it on themselves through lack of knowledge or technology.
Magic Abilities: Intuitive Aptitude instantly learn and understand the complexity and exactness of organisms, objects, and even powers without the need of long-term or special education.
He is possess of an Intuitive Aptitude, allowing him the ability to understand and learn the complexity of how organisms, objects and even magical abilities and skills work to an almost exact knowledge without the need of special education in their inner workings or dedicated research. This doesn’t stop him from still pursuing such to further his knowledge on things but at first glance he is capable of formulating a rather expansive evaluation of most mechanisms, including down to the complex nature of living creatures as well as those of more mundane systems.
Hero(es):
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Terrain Preference: Where is it most likely to find your people?
Name of Empire: Ignarius
Empire Population: Estimated at 38.2million (19.1million Fire Giants (50%); 7.62million Half Giants (20%); 3.81million Constructs (10%); 3.81million Mountain Giants (10%); 1.90million Dwarves (5%); 1.90million Other (5%);)
Ruler: High-King Aberforth Undarus
City Government Pattern: Mercantile Oligarchy
Languages spoken in the empire: Common, Dwarven, Ignan, Draconic, Terran and Aquan.
Terrain Preference: Their homeland of Ungard is a heavily mountainous and rocky peninsula landmass in the northern corner of the world, with high cliffs ringing it and step drops into the ocean. They tend to delve deep below the earth and channel rivers of lava from the core of the world in order to mirror the Domain of their creator, Nuri; though another purpose of this is to help fuel their massive underground forge network that has slowly expanded across the mountainous land. They also siphon torrents of water from the sea in order to power their mechanics, as well binding elementals into powerful crystals into order to utilise them for their needs. Resulting in several plumes of steam rising from various points around the island almost constantly or alternating at different times of the day.
Capital: Tor’Ignartus - The hub of the Fire Giants small nation located at the heart of their nation to the north east of the main continent. It is affectionately termed ‘home under the mountain’ by them due to it being buried deep beneath the large cluster of mountains which makes up roughly 60% of their homeland.
Major Cities:
Ru’Ethar - This coastal trading city is placed on the north western edge of their empire and hosts the Ivory Spire, a gigantic towering structure at the heart of the fortress which acts as the primary airship trade hub for their nation. The city itself has great forges and docks that artisans work almost day and night in the care and maintenance of the airships that supply trade to the empire.
Kel’Mornar and Kel’Lartor - These are a pair of two cities nestled within the fertile highlands of the landmass’ southern half, it is primarily populated by Mountain giants with a mixture of half-giants
Society:
People
The population of Ignarius are made up primarily of craftsmen and inventors but there are also a great many of other walks of life which help sustain the empire. The majority of the empire is made up of the Fire Giants, the first children of Nuri, who are the masters of the forge cities and designers of the living rivers of flame that course through the empire. They usually live below ground but a few have been known to live in the more spacious areas and cities rather than their subterranean fortresses. On the other hand the half-giant descendants of their more elemental kin have a tendency to live closer to the sea down at the south eastern side within the cities like Ru’Ethar.
Many of the surface cities are freely travelled by all creatures who pass through the empire, since they are welcomed by the many traders and markets dotted across the land. The mountain giants are known for their vast pastures of heard animals, as well as the various milks, cheeses and meats that they supply to the rest of the empire.
Many of the more manual tasks, such as pulling carts or churning butter for example are performed by constructs of varying designs and systems. Many of the golems turned to the task of manual labour are simple tools, build strong and tough of either stone or earth where they are set to tilling of farms.
Economy
The business of Ignarius is in trade and craftsmanship, the infrastructure of the cities is formed around the forge and the art of the smith. Through several of the other branches of their populous they have since expanded their art to progressing technology as far as they can. They have so far been able to refine the production of metals beyond most known methods, and as such the export of their produce has become in high demand.
In the past hundred years they have advanced a development in binding elementals to power devices through charged shards of crystal and rings of energy bound to ships to allow flight. This has allowed for trade across vast distances to become easier and more reliable for the most part, with many of the ships controlled and manned by Half-Giants as well as members of other races with a rare few commanded by full blooded Fire Giants.
While the majority of elementals bound to ships are fire elementals of raw energy that have been tooled and controlled by powerful artificers there has been examples of binding lesser elementals of other elements as well which has allowed for elemental land carts as to move through the earth without disrupting it by its passage or a galleon with spirits of the air to lift it so it glides across the surface or the sea.
Sadly rumours of other powerful beings and elementals being bound and some have termed the act of Binding paramount to slavery on the part of the empire, but since the closeness of the Fire Giants and the fire elementals themselves it has never become an issue. But in recent years the claim of slavery has become more vocal and begun causing issues within the politics of the empire.
Despite the issues surrounding them the elemental bound airships have become quite sought after as a means of transporting goods long distances, and in the recent years plans for various trading hubs across the world to be fitted with towers designed specifically for the loading and off-loading of goods from these vessels, but so far only a few have been agreed on.
Politics
The people of Ignarius tend to keep themselves to themselves and avoid conflict with others if possible, usually being neutral ground in all issues. This has led to several problems due to their habit of trading with both sides in a war and supplying each army with food or weapons, the latter being the most sought after. While they are by and by a peaceful nation with little problems with other ones, there is always a slight tension in regards to the means by which their transports are powered as well as the secrecy surrounding the heart of their nation. Despite this they are by no means a weak nation, since they do keep and maintain a strong military. This is especially due to the fact that the majority their populace are hardworking, strong and well-built having spent much of their lives working forges, even if only during their youth or as a pastime. And of course few are willing to actively provoke Giants and rouse them from their home.
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