Lore

[Firewind]

Lore about Orina, The Zankor Empire, and Beyond shall go here.

[Firewind]

Orina

In the Time before Zankor's occupation, the Kngdom of Orina was a thriving and prosperous land, where the ruler and its subjects cooperated hand in hand to make the kingdom a peaceful one. It lied East of the Zankor Empire and south of the Wildlands of Valsir, which lied beyond the Northern Mountain Range. Orina was known for having the best farmed goods in the known Continent.

Zankor Empire

Zankor is for all intents and purposes the Empire forged from Power and Bloodlust. Legends say that once the Zankora Clan was a loyal member of the Tribal Council of Valsir, four hundred years ago, until a Man Called Elias broke away from both clan and culture, to cultivate his own kingdom and become surpreme. This was the Tale of Elias I of Zaokor Empire. He started an aggressive expansion campaign only to be stopped by a Orina Warrior, and several members of the Seven Clans of Valsir, before the Empire consumed more.

The Council of Zankor and the Nobles all answer to the Imperial Family and its current Patriarch, Emperor Elias VII, known as the Young Emperor. But slowly popularity in the Family is shifting to His Son and Heir, Damien.

Valsir Wildlands

The Wildlands of Valsir both counts as Unexplored territory to Zankor Empire, and as a country to other kingdoms for having a structure ruled by the Seven Tribes. The Wildlands begin after crossing a pass in the Northern Mountains of Orina. Not much is known about the Tribes save for their specific talents. The Azura Clan is know. For Metalworrking and craftsmanship, along with having fierce warriors.

Vrepan Republic

Also known as the Empire of Magic or the Mage's Empire, it's culture is centered upon the known magics of the world, All Elemental Magic (Fire, Earth, Air, Water, Light and Dark), and various Rune Magics are practiced there. Most Mage's are a higher social class there then any other Place, except for maybe some practitioners in Zankor.

Some have mixed opinions of the Clans, some have great respect, whilst many Zankorans hold nothing but contempt and hatred for them.

[CutUp]

The Republic of Vrepan

Laying to the far west is the Republic of Vrepan, the Empire of Magic, or the Mages Empire. It is a nation entirely ruled by users of magic. While not as large, or spanning as the Zankor Empire, it is still a force to be reckoned with due to the military applications of magic that they have developed there. It is enough to give other kingdoms pause.

The Republic has a strict social order to it. On the top of the pyramid are the mages of course. The mages are the leaders of the Republic, as well as it's defenders. All mages, however are not considered equals. No, the most elite of the mages come from certain families, Houses that make them nobility. A family is considered a House when they have a consistent number of mages born. But even then they are considered to be of lower class unless they can rise from mediocrity.

There are a number of ways for a House to increase it's standing, the easiest, and most common being through the Gladiator games. If a Gladiator becomes popular enough, and wins enough this reflects well upon the House that owns him, showing that they have superior stock, and training. Another way is for a mage of a House to be particularly skilled. Often for this to work is for the mage in question to attend one of the many Magi Collages, which only accept the most skilled. And from there they must be able to graduate, which is of no easy task.

Below the mages are just the regular folk. They are not oppressed by their mage rulers, as they too have a vital role in the Republic. Those without magic are the merchants, the builders, and other such jobs. Most are able to make a decent living. Though all of them do hope for their children, or children's to be a mage, it's a 'the grass is always greener on the other side' type thing.

Then below the regulars we have the slaves. Now, slave is for the most part a false term. Most slaves are indentured servants. Often times they are the poor who need a small bit of coin, and so they sell themselves into servitude to pay for their families. And then there are those who owe debts that they can not pay. Most often this is towards the House or family that they serve.

Underneath the indentured servants are the true slaves, the Damnatus. They are criminals whose punishment is slavery. This is where most criminals go instead of a prison, well normal criminals anyway. Mage criminals are locked away. Most Damnatus crimes are not too severe, and they are able to serve off their sentence. The more violent, and uncooperative Damnatus are instead sent to the Gladiator arena to serve as a warm up for the Gladiators, which also serves as their public execution. Though they do have the opportunity to earn their freedom by defeating the Gladiator, but that is more easily said than done. Thus far no Damnatus has ever bested a Gladiator.

And then finally we have the lowly Gladiator. They are considered to be property, like a dog. They have absolutely no rights other than what their master deems for them. By the time they are able to walk they are trained, and conditioned to be killing machines. Gladiators are much like dogs, always seeking their master's approval. And the ones who gain the attention of their master are the ones who prove themselves to be the strongest, and most ferocious of his peers. And often to show this the young Gladiators often attack one another, and often kill one another. In the major Houses they usually have somewhere around fifteen Gladiators to a group, and by the time they reach the age of seven there are usually but three or four left.

When a Gladiator reaches the age of seven they enter the arena for the first time to do battle against others near their age. If a Gladiator survives to reach the age of thirteen, then they can face full grown men. Due to the magical enhancements that a Gladiator receives before birth they are often stronger, and faster than the normal man. It is due to this strength that they are saw as wild, and savage by those above them. And indeed when they are young they are little more than animals. When a Gladiator is born the mother always dies as a human body cannot handle the toll it takes. There are only male Gladiators as the mages have learned to control the sex of the child before birth.

The mother's of Gladiators are often women with no family, and no other prospects. If they can carry the child to term they are greatly honored, and posthumously named a member of the House they serve. While also any remaining family members, or those of choice will receive a substantial payment upon the birth.

Gladiators are the most loyal men you will ever find, well loyal to their master at least. Most Gladiators see their master as their parent, and they are the ever loyal child eager to do their bidding, and win their approval. During their younger years they are completely isolated form the outside world save for their fellow Gladiators, and master. Due to this Gladiators have no desire of freedom, they are conditioned to live for the arena. That is their only goal in life. A common motto among the Gladiators is 'Live Great, Die Better.'

The ruling government of the Republic is the Senate. They are a council of eleven individuals who are all former heads of the most influential Houses in the Republic. While technically any House of standing can be on the Senate, but usually it is the former heads of the same families. They tend to have the most influence to quite literally buy a seat on the Senate.

The capital of the Republic is Yoxburn, as well pretty much the magic capital of the world. It has the most prestigious of Magi Collages, as well as where most of the largely available enchanted weapons are forged. It is where the Senate is located. Next to Yoxburn, Savona is the largest city, and most populous. Savona is considered to be the Gladiator capital. It is here the grandest arena stands, the Afterlife Coliseum. Many Houses, both high, and low travel here in order to test their Gladiators against the best in the hopes of earning some glory.

The Republic of Vrepan has had.....strenuous relationships with other countries. This is due to the fact that it's ruled entirely by mages, and they are so casual about slavery, and see no problem in their favorite pastime, the Gladiator fights. They are however still a force to reckoned with due to their might in magic, which easily makes them a superpower.

Their relationship with the Zankor Empire is at best tense. They are not open enemies, or allies for that matter. They merely at a stand still, two mighty predators waiting for the other to make the first move. Though in recent years the Senate has expressed interest in securing a possible alliance with the empire given the territories they have taken, so long as it suits their purposes. And they have sent a few envoys to develop good will with the empire.

[raspberryberet]

Province of Zarapan

Situated along the coastline, Zarapan is home to the merchant kings of the Empire. The Zarapan people call themselves Zarapi, and retain their own language, even though Zankor Common is more widely used, even with in the Province of Zarapan itself.

Each major city is home to a port. All in all there are 8 ports in Zarapan. The reason for so many is quite simply the Merchant-Houses. Before the Empire claimed Zarapan for its own, the Merchant Kings held the true power. Each family laid claim to a different port and formed their own town around them. Each city has it's own specialty in goods and services it provides. Of course, most common goods can be found for sale in all cities, but the true claim to fame of any token city is in the chosen good to import and export. There, art and variety knows no bounds. Crafters from all over the continent chose to stay in a Zarapan city to truly exhibit their work.

Towns center around Artisan Goods; People and Animal trade; Metallurgy and Jewelry; Magical Components and Services; Dance, Music, and Art; and so on.

About a century ago, a revolt was attempted against the Zankor Empire, but it was quickly quelled, and an ultimatum given: Emperor Elias Zankora VIII would keep out of the business of the Merchant Houses, as long as they continued to give his Emperor's percentage of sales, and he also had first claim to Imports. The merchants, being not of a warmongering breed, agreed readily.

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Zankor Military and the Zankora-deiki

According to legends of Elias Zankora I, the proud founder of the Zankor Empire, the gods and goddesses blessed Elias with a blessed spear. This spear imbued him with magical powers so far unknown to man. It was the Zankora-deiki, and with its help Elias take over one of the Valsir tribes and found the magnificent and radiant Zankor Empire.

The military is indoctrinated with this legend upon first recruitment into the training centers scattered all over the Empire. These new soldiers then learn that they will become that Zankora-deiki, and becoming part of it is the highest honor that could be bestowed upon them. They become something bigger than themselves, and bigger than the Empire. They become the Emperor's arm holding the spear of legend. And what would that Empire and Emperor be without that arm-it would never have even taken its first steps.

The actual Zankora-deiki seems to be little more than a rusted old spear, trotted out once a year on Unification Day in Capital City. It may still hold the magical powers told in tales, but no one currently living has ever seen it do anything of the like.

The military itself is modeled along tiers. At the top are the Commanders. These elite soldiers command the vast factions of the army. Beneath them are the Lieutenants, who command the regiments within each faction. After that comes the many Officers, leading the squadrons of about 50 men, and finally, the Captains, reining over no more than 10 men in a single squad.

Within those squads, the lowly foot-soldier. Each soldier is trained with the most current military combat tactics. Swordplay, ranged combat, unarmed martial arts, even improvising weaponry out of surroundings. Along with a small dosage of magic each day to bolster speed and strength, and it is no wonder the Zankor Forces are famed for their combat skills.

The higher-ups, starting with the Captains, are taught tactics, and to out-think the enemy. Of course, a healthy competition arose through this, and every soldier with a stripe on his collar is intimately familiar with chess games.

Every man and woman in the military came from a Province within Zankor. Most provinces uphold the tradition of sending the second child to be trained. Indeed, many important families send more to prove allegiance to Emperor Elias VII. Those of the children sent with magical potential are screened out quickly, and trained separately. Their training focuses less on physical combat and more on honing their magical skills to become the most efficient killing machines.

A picture of the military crest is coming,
first I have to be less bad at making it.
The military symbol also incorporates the Zankora-deiki. The spear before two
crossed arrows is the well-known symbol of a proud Zankor Soldier. Any soldier
not wearing that crest has lost their way. Less important than the crest, but still
important to the soldiers is the earning of stripes on the collar of the Zankor uniform. A single stripe on the left side denotes Captain. A stripe on both sides denotes Officer. A double line on both sides denotes Lieutenant, and a single star on the left side denotes Commander. Having a method of denoting rank that is not flashy also aids in confusing ranged attacks. No worries about a mage killing an Officer before the battle even starts. But the lesser beings who resist Zankor can hardly be expected to see those subtle things in a military uniform.

The receipt of these stripes is something of an illustrious ceremony to the soldiers. Individual squads compete with the others for high-ranking members who originated from their squad. Power-plays are quite common, and almost encouraged.

[Igari]

⌈The Tribes⌋

The Seven Tribes are known to each other fairly well--bonded by their vagabond-ish nature and belief in the lifeblood that flows through those that reside in the physical realm. Their cultural and individual beliefs can vary--whereupon the Azura Clan values military comprehension and craftsmanship, the Yohr Clan value spiritual ascension and astral sight as a way to commune with the local spirits and energies of the planes around them. The Jul Clan is advanced in their ways of medicine and natural tonics. But there is a practice that only a handful of the clans share, and one that is considered with different levels of hesitance among peers.

Tattooing is seen as a means of binding, in a way, to the natural forces around the receiver. It is a way to mark one of the tribe as well as physically imbue magic with the recipient. It is well known that those of the Valsir all have an innate connection with magic, grandiose or petite. These tattoos are a way to amplify one's connection to the forces around them--spirits, mana, life, the soul, the inner self. But this practice is not without risk. For those that look with disdain upon it, it can possibly endanger the lives of those that receive this binding. It can cause... complications... mutations... hideous altercations of the self. This is kept under control by fierce medication provided from the Jul Clan and what they understand of the soul.

They have their fingers everywhere--and the reason they can stay so hidden is purely because of that. They infiltrate other nations, other countries, other social structures, and learn from within. They learn their weaponry, they learn their version of magic, and take it back amongst themselves and apply their own knowledge to it. Making it better, making it stronger, making it apt. And this, in a way, is how they are able to produce such fierce warriors, such incredibly magic users. Knowledge is not to be trifled with, and all tribe members respect that, as much as they respect each other. They will know an outsider in an instant and are not nearly as friendly to them--those that walk the path of the void.

⌈Mana⌋

Magic is the source that guides all living manner. It flows in all that breathe in the physical realm. The Tribes believe it originates from the Astral Plane, a place loosely connected to our physical one, and intertwines with the spirit of each organism. Everyone has some degree of it inside of them, but it is less common to be able to manifest it within the physical realm. For those that can, they are regarded as shaman, as mages--well, as one of the magi. And there are no limits to what magic could possibly be.

For mana is pure energy, and that can be manipulated from its basic state into anything around it. The elements, the trees, another human being. Magic creates, and magic destroys. It is the great equalizer. Even death must submit to the mana flow, because it relies upon it for reincarnation, and for the judgement of removing a life from the planet. In them, magic is the strongest and from them, they produce the largest amount of magi. But the outside kingdoms would not know it--for what they consider feats of magic might not be for others.

⌈To Outsiders⌋

The Tribes have been and remain a mystery. To those of the world beyond, there has always been an enigmatic air to everything they do. It is unexplored, it is unknown, and it most certainly is to be avoided if one can help it. There are rumors surrounding their defenses. Wards, measures taken against the outsiders, and from what they do know. The tribes know their own, they know how to keep those who do not belong away. It is considered an honor to meet one from the Wildlands, because their knowledge and aptitude can be used for immense growth. And the Tribal Folk know it, that's why they do their best to stay out of everyone's personal affairs.

More Coming Soon!