Extra Information

[chrian.]

✢

G E O G R A P H Y

Rapsodía - meaning rhapsody in Greek, is the sole land and kingdom of this world. It is a gargantuan, united continent surrounded by the endless sea and numerous islands, as well as archipelagos. With the size approximately half that of the Eurasia continental landmass, nature had blessed it with all types landmarks there are in the book. This, in turn, had given life of all kinds to blossomed and prospered. Specifically, the overall structure of the land can be broken down into three main types of terrains.

The majority of land of the kingdom are vast plains, covered about 70% of the continent's total are. While these plains are the main settlement of humans, only about 38% of these areas are habitable, as these lands had been reclaimed and exterminated of all the Thoryvós, while the remaining lands are still unfathomable due to the domination of the Thoryvós. In between the plains, there are many mountains and valleys, as well as many big forests.

To the far North polar of the kingdom, with a long array of mountains acted as a frontier, is a snowy region. This area is generally the land where the Thoryvós' population is scarcest, but due to the harsh conditions of nature here, only a few ethnic minority groups of people or tribes settle here.

Lastly, in the far Southeast peninsula of the land, also protected by mountains, lies a vast desert region. Like the snowy North region, the population here is also scarce. However, many sites thought to be built since ancient times were found within this area. Legends has it that many of the artifacts, including those wielded by the current Divas and Divos, were discovered here and bestowed to human by the mysterious black flower.

In terms of flora and fauna, Rapsodía is a magical land, thought to be blessed by the divine of heaven. Hence, along with the animals that can be found anywhere back on Earth, there are also a small population consists of many phantasmal creatures thought to only existed in fictions, such as dragons or faeries. However, it is very rare to catch sight of these generally good-nature species, as the sinister Thoryvós had also affected the majority of the animal kingdom of Rapsodía. Within every region, many types of strange herbs and plants can also be detected. These plants all have various of wondrous affinities that in turn leading to the strong development of apothecary.

Through the long course of history of fighting and reclaiming lands, the humans of Rapsodía had also prospered tremendously, leading to the foundations of many cities and towns. The biggest city, as well as the capital of the whole kingdom, is called Antavgeía. Lies within the central region of the land, the capital oversees the whole land. It is also the place where the supreme leader of the kingdom, and the Divas and Divos, resides. The geographical position of Antavgeía had enabled many trade routes throughout the country, thus holding an important role in maintaining the flow of merchants, as well as travelling.

C I V I L I Z A T I O N

In a total outlook, Rapsodía has a setting that is similar to Europe in the mid-18th to 19th century. The civilization bears many similarities to that of Europe. For example, houses, means of transportation, styles of clothes, the division between aristocrats and commoners, etc. are all the same as what you can find in history book back on Earth. However, there are also many apparent differences.

Though still fell behind that of Earth, the technology is undergoing a rapid advancement. However, it is notable that steam power maintains mainstream usage in the kingdom, thus leading to the steampunk-styled development that dominates the technology of the land, such as the existence of airships or steam-running everyday appliances.

The recorded history of the land not only revolves around the battle between humanity and the Thoryvós, but also shows many interesting crucial points of the civilization since the beginning of time. Namely, the conflicts between tribes, the war between the regions, the division of the kingdom into numerous of countries and the revolutionary rising that had united Rapsodía as a whole as it is now.

While each regions has different cultures and lifestyles, the people, regardless of statuses, all share the same ideal: completely devoted to their beloved nation and hold absolute loyalty to the rulers they deem righteous and justified. Many races of people have banded together in the land, creating a unique and diverse civilization. Aside from their rich material lives, the people also have colorful spiritual lives.

Education in Rapsodía is also being held with great attention. At the age of 10, citizens are allowed to enroll in various academies that are presented in every town and city. The curriculum is divided into five levels, and courses at school consist of many subjects, similarly to Earth – mathematics, literature, science, etc. Scholars of all fields are well-respected and usually hold high positions in the kingdom, namely the Ministers.

Though Rapsodía has many different regions and beliefs, the ultimate symbol of the kingdom is the six-petal flower, representing the ancient black flower that had given humanity a new ray of hope in the everlasting battle against the demonic Thoryvós. It reminds people to never forget the contribution of this mysterious entity to the peace and happiness that they are enjoying.

E C O N O M Y

Thanks to the vastness in size and variety in weathers as well as terrains, Rapsodía provides its’ people many chances to develop their agriculture. Each region holds a different advantage as weather and terrain varies, so every town and city is capable of yielding their own unique crops and products. For illustration, the capital of Antavgeía is well-known for its’ perfect seasonal conditions and fertile soil, enabling the farmers here to grow generally almost every kind of plants, or the Western coastal province of Archontía, famous for its’ abundance of fishes

After lands are liberated from the dominance of the Thoryvós, trade routes will immediately be opened, allowing merchants to travel safely from one side of the land to the other. It is also notable that Antavgeía is at the center of these routes, making it the holding point where traders from all over the land come together.

Rapsodía is also a land holding an excessive amount of natural resources. Each region will have a specific type of resources that are unique to their areas. To list out a few, the central swamp area at the central of the land is famous for having a large abundance of silver and gold mines, scattering across the plains are vast coal and oil mines – providing the essential resources for airships and other mechanical engines to function. However, the most important type of resource that had been discovered just recently is aetherium, a special substance capable of bypassing the defense of the lesser Thoryvós. It is scarce, and its’ existence is not yet known by anyone other than those who are members of the royal council, it is found mostly under the ground of the sites that the Divas and Divos had vacated.

G O V E R N M E N T

Through the recorded history, the governmental system of Rapsodía, ever since the ultimate union of the kingdom, has always be viewed as a state of constitutional monarchy with the presence of a parliament. Meaning, governing and managing the land is the duty of a council, consists of the sovereign, and a selected few trustworthy aristocrats that hold high positions. The political influence of each member are equal regardless of their positions, but any decisions will ultimately be made by the head of the council, which is the ruler themselves. As of currently, this council are made of Queen Ardelia as the supreme head, the six Divas and Divos, the Royal Adviser Adelheid, the Head Commander Wilbert and the Ministers of Rapsodía.

M I L I T A R Y

Just like any other kingdoms out there, Rapsodía also has its' own army. Every elite soldier is trained not only in the art of war and battle, but also in the other fields. Contrary to the belief that it is losing its' purposes, while there are indeed special forces that were trained mostly in warfare, the existence of the army is crucial in maintaining the order within the kingdom, and is tasked to deal with any other problems aside from the threats pose by invasions of the Thoryvós. They are also credited for providing aids for the regions that had been ravaged by the attacks of the Thoryvós, as well as providing partial help for the Divas and Divos in their missions.

Due to the special position of Rapsodía, the army only focus is to train soldiers well-orientated with battles on the ground. Every citizen when coming of the mature age is allowed to sign up for the army, regardless of genders. However, the process of testing and selecting those qualified enough is extreme, and only the those having the most potentials may succeed. Soldiers are trained to fight in all conditions and terrains, as well as given insights into what are currently know about the Thoryvós – their behaviours, weaknesses, etc. As they are not capable of completely eliminating the Thoryvós like the Divas and Divos (yet), their duty is to provide back-up for the six lieutenants, as well as defending and evacuating the citizens during attacks of the creatures in populated areas.

In terms of commandment, all members of the parliament hold a certain extent of influence towards the army. Queen Ardelia, as the supreme head of the kingdom, holds absolute command over the Army of Rapsodía. Every soldier in every region is under her jurisdiction, regardless of ranks and statuses within the army. The second-in-commands are Head Commander Wilbert and Royal Adviser Adelheid. They possess the power to order the soldiers as they see fit in place of the Queen when she is not presented, and while considered to having ranks lower to than the Divas and Divos, they will answer only to the sovereign herself. The six Divas and Divos are considered to be the lieutenants having control over their own selected troops, and in some circumstances, with the permission of the Queen, the whole army itself. They too will only follow orders given by Ardelia.

[chrian.]

In the royal treasury situated in the palace, crafted on the ceiling and walls are paintings, which have seemingly dated back for centuries or even millennium. These paintings are crude, yet somehow had remained unscathed from the destruction of time. They abstractedly depicted the long history of wars and battles between humanity and the vile Thoryvós. These creatures are unearthly and no normal means of weapons seem to be capable of harming them. Humans stand on the disadvantaged side and were threatened to be pushed to the verge of extinction. That is, until a new ray of hope descended from the sky. A strange flower, coated in blackness. It guided the scarred humanity to find powerful weapons known as the artifacts within the ancient sites within their snowy and desert regions. From then on, the tide has turned to humanity’s favor, and they have began to eliminate the creatures, claiming back the lands that are rightfully theirs.

The true origins of the artifacts are not yet fully understood and the methods that were used to crafted some of them are yet to be discovered. All that were known are that they were infused with powerful ancient magic and the knowledge of those who have invented them. Their affinities are similar to that of aetherium – meaning, they can bypass the natural defense of the Thoryvós that rendered any other types of metals useless, but on a much more effective scale, since aetherium can only breach the defense of the less powerful Thoryvós, while the artifacts can ignore most protections from generally most kinds of Thoryvós.

However, not everyone is capable of utilizing an artifact. This is because of the unique mechanisms that allowed them to function. Artifacts can only be activated by the resonance of the voices of those whom they deem compatible. In other words, in order for artifacts to work, they will need a special song that is sung by their selected wielders. Hence the title ‘Diva’ and ‘Divo’ given to the bearers of the artifacts. About 142 artifacts had been found and retrieved throughout the lands in the course of history, but presently, only 7 of them are being put into use, which are the artifacts wielded by the current generation of Divas and Divos and a mysterious artifact, said to be the most powerful one, wielded by Queen Ardelia herself. The rest of the unused ones are now being kept safely within the royal treasury.

The types of artifacts can vary. They can be literal weapons like swords, spears, etc. or items that can grant their users special abilities every time they are activated. Each artifact will give their holders the basic knowledge of how to utilize them in combat when they first ‘awakened’, so any Diva and Divo is capable of wielding their own at the very first time despite never having touched them before. However, whether the Diva and Divo can use an artifact to the best of its’ capabilities or not is a whole different story, as this depends on how the they train to use them, as well as their creativity. Asides from having to keep singing the Activation Song in order to keep the artifacts active, the Divas and Divos must also be in perfect condition anytime they engage in combat, as the usage of artifacts will slowly wear them down by draining their energy.

Every artifact has a ‘synchronization’ rate, which signifies how efficient they can work together with their wielders. All Divas and Divos started with 20%, and this rate will continue to increase the more they utilize their arms, usually about 0.02% to 0.05% after every use. Once the ‘synchronization’ rate of a Divo or Diva reaches 100%, or the ‘critical point’, the highest extent of their artifacts will be unleashed, giving them a tremendous boost in power. Additionally, the artifacts also had a unique ultimate ability, or the ‘trump card’, but resorting to this ‘trump card’ before passing the ‘critical point’ will cost the wielder of the artifact their lives.

On a side note, it is impossible for a Diva or Divo to wield more than one artifact, as their voice is specifically designated to be compatible with a sole artifact only, not to mention that no human possess the stamina to bear the burden of two or more artifacts at once. However, legends has it that there existed a powerful artifact that can be wielded by the combined force of all six Divas and Divos, activated by a song sung by a choir joined by all of them, and the strains brought by it is endurable as it is divided and shared between them.

Throughout the history of the land, in every reign, there were always six Divas and Divos, joining together to fight for the peace of Rapsodía against the Thoryvós. However, what are amiss is the fact that there is completely no information in regards to the previous generations of Divas and Divos, as well as the previous rulers, before the current ones, in any historical texts that are known. These are simply regarded as the ‘blanks’ of history and seemingly will remain unknown, for now.

[chrian.]

Thoryvós – meaning noise in Greek, is a vile species of phantasmal creatures existed technically everywhere in the lands of Rapsodía. They are the primary enemies that the humans of Rapsodía had been fighting against for hundreds of years, and the reason pushing humans almost to the point of extinction before the discovery of the artifacts.

Their exact origin is unknown, but according to what had been recorded, there can be possible theories that the Thoryvós are not beings coming from the world of Rapsodía, but monsters emerged from other dimensions. Since they first appeared, the Thoryvós grew incredibly fast in numbers and kinds, eventually outmatching humanity. They started to become aggressive towards humans and any other species living in Rapsodía, killing any in their sights and drove them out of their settlements and habitats, dominating the lands that once belonged to Rapsodíans and the animal kingdom.

For years, humans had tried to fight against the Thoryvós to defend themselves, but it was of no use. The Thoryvós, regardless of kinds, all have an ‘outer barrier’ surrounding their bodies which negates any types of metals useless against them. Truly, humanity had been placed in the most desperate of situations. Until the advent of the black flower that had led them to find the artifacts – the only means of weapon capable of warding off the sinister Thoryvós. With their new found strengths, humanity had the chance to stood up and taken their vengeance. With that saidhe struggle between humanity and the Thoryvós continued until now.

There are many kinds of Thoryvós with different shapes, levels of aggression and abilities. Each region of Rapsodía will spotted different types of Thoryvós. For instance, mountainous regions will have rock-type Thoryvós that have their entire bodies made from rocks, or in the swamps, where the dominant types are amphibians or bog-type Thoryvós that can use various of poisons as their weapons, and the such. Some Thoryvós have the forms like other phantasmal creatures like unicorns, but it is distinguishable by the hollow aura that the Thoryvós emitted that other species do not. As the Thoryvós are presented everywhere in Rapsodía, even though the areas where humanity are settling had been liberated from the domination of the monsters, they can still seldomly turn up out of nowhere and yield attacks in large armies, targetting the towns and cities.

The Thoryvós are classified into five classes, in accordance to their capabilities, strengths, aggression, level of threats and rarity, which are D-class, C-class, B-class, A-class and S-class. D-class and C-class Thoryvós are the most common. They generally cause no harm individually and can be driven away from populated areas quite easily, but they can wreak havoc if attacking in great quantities. B-class and A-class Thoryvós are rarer, and are mostly found in terrains that normally have less population of humans or inside ancient sites. They are significantly stronger than their lesser kinds and can even give the Divas and Divos moments of struggling if spanned in large amounts. The rarest and most dangerous kinds are the S-class, which are mostly found deep within areas that are otherwise cannot be trespassed by normal citizens, however, there have been a few cases where Thoryvós of these classes appeared in the open areas, causing heavy casualties in the nearby towns. A single Thoryvós of this class alone can pose to be a challenge to all six Divas and Divos altogether. Usually when a Thoryvós of S-class show up, it means that the creatures are guarding something at the heart of the sites.

Dangerous and mighty as they were, the Thoryvós still have weaknesses that allow humans to have an advantage over them. Regardless of types and classes, the monsters all share a common flaw – a weak point somewhere on their bodies, refer to as a ‘dead spot.’ A Thoryvós will immediately be killed, or in cases of the higher classes, weakened, if hit by this spot by the artifacts. The recent discovery of aetherium had also brought forward promising results. Although this substance is only capable of harming D-class and C-class Thoryvós, if managed to be crafted into arms, will greatly aids soldiers stationed at the towns and cities from sudden attacks of the Thoryvós, saving the Divas and Divos’ efforts while they focus on liberating the land.