Interest Check: Custom Sci-Fi/Dark Fantasy/Steampunk Fusion Setting!

[Lunaris]

Hi, everybody!

Caelia is a unique setting inspired by games such as Mass Effect, Phantasy Star Online, Remember Me, Dragon Age, Dungeons and Dragons, and other Fantasy and Sci-Fi types, as well as films and shows like Stranger Things, The 100, and Attack on Titan.

It is a setting that is home to diverse races and nightmarish horrors to the point of which gender and orientation barely register as a blip on anyone's radar. Lesbian, Bi, Gay, Pan, Trans, Non-binary, Intersex... any and all of them. Bring them on! Many of the beings roaming Caelia are extremely curious and eager to try new experiences as well as test their limits. Others have seriously seen some shit and just aren't phased by (or have gotten really, really into) things that bother a lot of folks here on regular ol' Earth. In short, bring yo' kinks...yes, even the weird ones you're embarrassed to talk about (within E!'s rules, of course)!

And with that said, Let's get started!

An Exciting New World

Caelia wasn’t always known as such. Formerly called Earth, this planet was once dominated by the ancestors of today’s known races. Referred to simply as humanity, these people ruled just as much through governments as they did through corporations. They were a curious and greedy race, prone to war and slaves to their own self-interest. After nearly depleting Earth of all its natural resources they turned their eyes to nearby planets for mining and far off worlds for potential colonization and mass migration.

The first of these new worlds turned out to be the last as their initial expedition went missing while uncovering the secrets of a lost alien race. When their ship returned years later it was a vessel under the control of an unfathomable alien horror. This being -later known as Thanatos- crashed onto Earth and proceeded to devour, corrupt, and kill everything within its reach as it exponentially grew in size and nearly blotted out the sun from view in a mysterious alien night.

It was defeated by a radiant deity that suddenly appeared as humanity lost hope. This glowing feminine figure engaged Thanatos in a colossal battle and ultimately destroyed him by calling down an intense rain of prismatic holy light. She plunged her massive greatsword into planet soon after and an immense wave of magical energy revived and changed the world into a seeming magical paradise. The survivors of the Impact renamed the planet Caelia as they viewed it to be heavenly in nature.

The laws of physics within Caelia’s charged atmosphere were completely rewritten and as a result, all energy-based technology of the Pre-Impact world completely ceased to function. The survivors had no choice but to learn to harness the new world’s magical energy to rebuild and advance. They also soon realized that Caelia wasn’t entirely a paradise. Powerful as the goddess Andrasteia was, even she could not completely rid the world of Thanatos’ alien presence. Small pockets of dark and alien energy remained at the site of his crash to Earth while the area in which his corpse remained left a lingering aura that clashed with and warped an entire continent.

The world was bathed entirely in magic but this particular continent was warped beyond comprehension and steeped in chaotic energies. The continent broke into several pieces and many of them began to float in the sky or sink into the ocean in defiance of even the new world’s physics. New species and creatures were born as prismatic amalgams of pre-existing species and worse still was the emergence of chaos beasts known as the Shapeless. These creatures exist only to consume and each new victim adds even more to their incomprehensible and ever-changing shapes.

Though it wasn’t immediate, the crater left by Thanatos’ descent soon became a gateway into its horrible alien dimension. Shadowy horrors began to slip through this seeming crack in reality itself to corrupt and destroy much like Thanatos, though currently their presence is on a much smaller scale. Still, the center of the Impact Zone is impenetrable and whatever alien creatures lurk within are too dangerous to approach or even gaze upon. The nightmarish corruptors quickly became known as Distorted and nothing on Caelia is feared more for their touch -whether or not the victim survives or dies to it- will eventually corrupt and twist victims into mad, murderous, and alien versions of their former selves.

It is again the year 2016, though it is on the Post Impact calendar of a revived world filled with magic, wonder, and danger. While the magical descendants of humanity engage in power plays against each other, they also band together and cooperate to ensure that threats like the Shapeless and Distorted never get the chance to plunge the world into another Impact.

The Impact

In A.D. 2126, the Elisai Corporation discovered a new planet in the far reaches of the galaxy that looked to have been a home for advanced lifeforms on par with humankind. Probes sent to the planet revealed a pristine world in its prime with amazing alien cities. Strangely, there was no sign of the former inhabitants themselves. It was as if they all vanished into thin air.

When the first year of footage from the explorers reached Earth, the entire planet and all of its colonies were glued to their screens and projections in rapt fascination as they watched this small group of heroes learn about this alien world that shared many similarities with their own. They laughed, cried, smiled, and held their breath through each new discovery linked to the planet’s mysterious missing inhabitants.

Everything was new and wondrous. The first steps into a quiet city, the first time the explorers figured out how to open alien doors and what was revealed within them. Clothing. Music. Advertisements. Videos. Food. It all came to a head when the explorers started to speak among their selves about feeling drawn to something below the city.

“Do you feel that?”

“No. I hear it. It’s like a faint whisper.”

“I just feel drawn to it…”

“Do you think it’s them?”

“It could be like…an underground intergalactic rave party.”

“I love your imagination.”

As they gradually puzzled their way past alien doors and locking mechanisms, a sense of unease began to overtake them and yet they continued onward because they just *had* to know. Even as the presence became more and more ominous and clue upon clue hinted at the possibility that something was very, very wrong, they pressed on.

“We should leave…”

A door sealed and locked behind them.

“I don’t think we have a choice anymore.”

“Everything about this feels wrong.”

“We owe it to Earth to find out what’s down here. Or who.”

As each door opened and sealed behind them, things became more and more hopeless. They could hear scraping, slithering, and threatening, deep alien voices through the walls around them. Every time they would attempt to turn around and leave, they would suddenly change their minds as if some eerie calm swept over them.

“They really want to meet us.”

“They are welcoming us.”

“We should find them.”

The final door was a colossal thing of metal with hundreds of glowing warnings and locks. Whatever was behind it was the clear source of the alien noises. Now they were close, those sounds were even frantic, louder, and more frightening. By then the explorers were no longer themselves at all and they may as well have been soulless puppets. In their seeming possession, they understood seals they shouldn't have and whipped through each one with speed that shouldn’t have been possible. When the final lock began to open, the feed from each of them was completely lost.

It wasn’t until 20 years later that any sign of the explorers was found…when their ship arrived in Earth’s solar system as a corrupted, lifeless, vessel. Attempts at communication with the ship were answered with complete silence and once humanity realized the it was heading straight on a crash course for Earth, they opened fire then watched in horror as the overtaken craft retaliated by shredding any nearby ships with countless jutting barbed tendrils of pure darkness from within.

Once the corrupted vessel breached Earth’s atmosphere, it drove towards the planet heedless of the thousands surface-to-air missiles it was bombarded with. The resultant collision immediately wiped out millions of lives in an instant, darkened the skies with dust, smoke, and debris, and shook the very world to its core in a moment known since as The Impact.

[Lunaris]

Player Races

The Fae (Light and Dark)

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Race Name

Fae

Classification

Magically-Evolved Human


General Overview



After the goddess Andrasteia destroyed Thanatos and purified the planet, the mysterious, magical, and mercurial Fae are said to have emerged from the grand forest where the goddess was reported to have disappeared. Whether or not she vanished or is simply hidden and sleeping within, is unknown. What is known however, is that the forests of Alfheim are charged with positive magical energy and experiences within are intensified. Senses are heightened, colors are more vibrant, and sounds are richer.

Fae can be found in every society, wasteland, hell, and otherworldly realm on the planet since The Impact. Given their seeming point of origin and their supernatural affinity to either excel with magic or simply be magic, the Fae tend to be viewed with a mixture of awe and superstition. They are as unpredictable as tales and legends from past eras would suggest.


Personality Traits

The wildly individualistic Fae tend to only have three traits as a common factor: Curiosity, a penchant for mischief, and love of music. Of course, what qualifies as music to the Fae in question is a complex matter of its own. They are known to favor the sounds from traditional instruments such as flutes, drums, violins just as much as they do the bass-heavy lyrical songs that come from Mechanist cities. The evil amongst their kind might view the screams of their victims as a sweet symphony and torture several beings to produce a chorus of agony. Still others might set off a series of explosions in a certain order to produce a pleasing array of rhythmic vibrations.

Fae curiosity leads them to every corner of the world to experience it for better or for ill, though whether they are Light Fae or Dark Fae can hold some influence over just how far they are willing to go to pursue a new thrill. Whatever the experience they encounter may be, it is almost certain that the Fae will chronicle the story through writing, songs, or spells.

Of course, the Fae knack for mischief means their presence everywhere can often times do more harm than good. And just like with music and the satiating of curiosity, the limits of their harmless comedies or deadly trickery depends on the Fae in question. While a Light Fae may ply their trade as a comedian or set up elaborate pranks that lead to a happy ending, a Dark Fae will just as likely set up an elaborate scene that results in someone’s immense pain or death for giggles.


Physical Description



The appearances of the Fae are just as unpredictable as their personalities. They can range anywhere from ethereal and breathtakingly beautiful to seemingly demonic in appearance. The only thing that helps with ones’ expectation is the region a Fae being hails from. Those from the majestic forests of Álfheimr tend to resemble elves, faeries, dryads, dwarves, nymphs, satyrs, and other creatures from ancient world folklore with pointed ears, often times faintly glittering skin, and hair filled with prismatic streaks.

Alternatively, they resemble the evil Fae from those same legends, from menacing red caps, to boggarts, night hags, and goblins. They can be devilishly charming or bestial creatures with hooved feet, jagged teeth, and deadly antlers.


Factions

With the Fae being as eager as they are to experience the world and all of the cultures within it, their factions are many though they are typically divided along the lines of Light and Dark. While either side can work with or against each other at any given moment, which ones hold the most power and influence in a region tends to be affected by the politics and power groups of the area itself.

Dark Fae hold more sway in Guardian and Loreseeker territories, while Light Fae are more common and influential in Mechanist society and Lorekeeper temples. Both sides are equally present in the floating isles of the Empusae. Fae alignment with Mechanists is particularly noteworthy, as their endless curiosity has led quite a few of them to make astonishing new inventions and earn their way into positions of prominence in the tech-oriented race's cities.

Elysium, the first Mechanist City, is within Álfheimr and governed by a council that is equal parts Fae and Mechanist. It is also home to a faction known as Faetechers who fuel new innovations for both races.


Lifestyle

Many Fae keep journals, scrolls, Mechanist recording devices, or memorize particular spells in order to chronicle and share their experiences with others. When Fae visit their hometowns, they will often stop by libraries and taverns to swap tales with friends, family, and rivals. They demonstrate new magics, martial techniques, instruments, dances, and approaches to others that wish to learn and will often preach the virtues of some foreign realm they believe their kin simply *must* visit.

Fae are also known for throwing notoriously large and wild revels that can last for weeks and even months. At these parties, one can find virtually anything they seek, from food, music, and dance from other cultures, to all sorts of drug and drink, to massive orgies, pleasure dungeons, and even fight clubs.


Relation

The Fae have very complex and nuanced relationships with all of the major powers. While they are embedded in nearly every society, Alfheim is understood to be the heart of the Fae people. Within those thick, magical forests, Dark and Light Fae have seats in power in Nysa and Arborea. Other nations often conduct the majority of their dealings with one of those cities above the other.

It goes without saying that Mechanists and Fae are close enough to each other to be one nation. Because of the wondrous technologies they have and innovate, they are a perfect companion society to the perpetually curious Fae. The races initially encountered each other at the crash sites of the first Mechanist ships to survive landings on Caelia where the sight of ships and people that were as much metal as they were human pretty much inspired love at first glance.

In exchange for stories and information about life in space and on the moon, as well as entertainment devices, the Fae provided shelter and guidance in the new world. Some Dark Fae occasionally kidnapped and conducted magical experimentation on lone Mechanists, though they were always savvy enough to cover their tracks or spin the disappearances into something else entirely.

The mercurial race was more than happy to lead their tech-focused friends to the ruins of a Pre-Impact city within Alfheim and they watched with keen interest as the Mechanists began to convert old technology into new and bring a deserted region back to life through the hum of machinery. Given their role in the discovery of this rebuilt city, Elysium became a joint venture for both races as the Mechanists were still new to the planet and its magical atmosphere.

Dark and Light Fae are on friendly terms with the Empusae. While they don't quite understand the race’s drive to deny and control their chaotic natures, they appreciate any people that manage to be full of surprises and intrigue. Fae are absolutely thrilled at the notion that any of their own people could be an Empusae in disguise and are quite eager to help the race perfect their techniques as a means to indulge their taste for grand mysteries.

As such, Empusae can be found within many Fae cities and settlements in Alfheim, whether or not they are themselves or masquerading as their friends. Many Fae venture to the Floating Isles of Mu to experience the Empusae region's state of constant flux. No one creature is like another. No day is the same as the next. A region where prismatic chaos reigns supreme is the perfect place to go when one seeks the unpredictable.

Dark Fae are steadfast allies of the Guardians and many of them are stationed in the strange race’s fortress cities. They love to study the mysterious and nightmarish people and relish the chance to see what horrid dreams their encounters with the Guardians and Distorted will fuel. For those Fae that live for battle or the joy of carving their enemies to pieces, the contested battlefields of Yomi are the greatest place to be.

Dark Fae also hold sway in Loreseeker cities and often prove just as determined to unlock the secrets of the arcane as the mages. Of course, the Fae pursuit of power has more to do with testing boundaries and the exhilaration that comes with risking one’s life to perform risky spells and rituals than it does with hoarding secrets, wealth, and influence. While Loreseekers appreciate and accept Fae contributions, they also see the race as clear rivals.

Many Loreseekers are unnerved by the ease with which magic comes to the Fae, infuriated by their alliance with the Mechanists, and are waiting for the day in which they can claim the magic-rich Fae lands as their own. The Dark Fae are not at all oblivious to this and some even go out of their way to stoke the flames as open warfare between the races would be spectacular, to say the least.

While Light Fae hold less influence, they do their part to ensure that open war stays a dream for their dark kin. They also work tirelessly to end the war between Loreseekers and Mechanists though their only success so far is keeping the conflict out of Alfheim. As much as they hate it, the Loreseekers know all too well that any attempts to march on Elysium would result in them getting completely decimated.


History

After The Impact and revival of the planet, all life on the planet began to change and evolve over time. No race did so as quickly as the Fae. Life Post-Impact placed them in a seeming paradise within which life seemed much more vibrant. As such, the first Fae, much like their Dark Fae descendants, grew to become complete hedonists eager to experience everything Alfheim had to offer.

Such an approach to life led to endless revelry and quite a few Fae were involved in competitions to hold the biggest, most enriched parties known to the world. It wasn’t long before these massive parties gave way to darker experiences as many Fae became addicted to the rush of discovering something new, no matter what that thing would be. These desires led to the eventual schism that would come to be known as Light and Dark Fae.

The latter delved into any and all things, heedless of morality or compassion. They were the first to form cults, view torture and murder as pastimes, and venture out to see the whole of the world. Many of them were adrenaline junkies that hired themselves out as mercenaries and bounty hunters to experience battle against new deadly enemies. They were the first scouts to investigate and become lost in the Impact Zone, the first people to venture into the floating isles of the Empusae and meet the shapeshifting race when they were barely sentient.

In the meantime, Light Fae were focused on Alfheim and chronicling the experiences of their less scrupulous kin so that they could experience the darker side of life vicariously. Light Fae were also responsible for building the majority of the race’s great libraries and cities as well as the many works of art within them. When they finally decided to branch out into the world, it was as much for curiosity’s sake as it was to do damage control over what the Dark Fae had been up to.

Loreseekers nearly started a war with the entirety of the Fae over Alfeim’s richness in magical power only to have their priorities shifted when the Impact War put all of the world in jeopardy. All the races were forced to work together to combat that incomprehensible menace and decades of simmering animosity between the magic-hoarding race and the Fae were let go for survival’s sake.

After the Impact War was fought down to a stalemate with the help of newly-emergent Guardians, all of the races refocused their efforts on rebuilding and recovery until the Mechanists arrived from space. Currently, the Fae and Mechanists share such a strong bond that they are nearly one people. Should the Loreseekers go too far in their campaign against their tech-focused friends, the Fae will enter the fray.

Loreseekers

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Race Name

Loreseekers

Classification

Magically Evolved Human


General Overview



Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Loreseekers hold those words close to heart and yet inevitably find themselves proving the phrase true time and time again. Despite their ongoing war with the Mechanists and strained relationship with the Fae, Loreseekers share many similarities with both races.

Like the Mechanists, Loreseekers place a heavy emphasis on inventiveness within their society. While they are focused on magical advancement instead of technology, they similarly reward contributions with prestige and fame. Loreseekers embrace experimentation with magic and hold those that pass on new knowledge, uncovered lore, and unique spells in high esteem.

Like the Fae, Loreseekers are a race evolved from exposure to magical energy. Magic enters every facet of their lives, from the moment of birth or even earlier as many parents will cast spells on one’s womb to ensure that their child grows to be receptive and powerful to and in the arcane. However, while the Fae are the way they are through the charged atmosphere of their lands, Loreseekers jumpstarted their own evolution through the heavy study and use of magic.


Personality Traits

Most Loreseekers are fueled by an innate desire to understand and immerse themselves in magical power. No matter what their focus may be -from warrior to wizard or farmer- they will seek ways to improve and refine their path through the application of magic new and old. A warrior will often enhance their weapons with spells or simply conjure and shape elemental energies to form any gear they desire to utilize. A farmer may use magic to enhance their tools or alter the environment or their crops to ensure growth in and out of season.

Loreseekers are evenly divided into those that pursue arcane excellence in order to advance society as a whole and those who pursue power to advance their own personal agendas. Both sides generally believe that their contributions can make the world a better place though whether that means a better place for everyone or for oneself is up for debate.

They also generally believe that Andrasteia blessed the world with magic and that it is a sin to refuse those gifts or take them for granted. Pre-Impact technology brought Thanatos to the planet and Adrasteia -in their view- destroyed old tech intentionally as it is and was the root of true evil. Any attempt to bring it back into the world is blasphemy of the highest degree and perpetrators should be terminated with extreme prejudice.


Physical Description



Loreseekers appear much like any human from times old and new until their fight or flight responses are triggered or they begin to cast a spell. When their magical abilities are activated for whatever reason, they course with dangerous arcane energy and sigils appear and circle around their head, wrists, and/or ankles. Their eyes will glow with power and the charged air around them will violently whip their hair and clothing about.

Loreseekers are also readily identified by their clothing as their garments are usually layered with embroidered sigils and are cut in ways that allow them to cast without hindrance. They often wear accessories with inlaid gemstones and bear many magical tattoos on their skin.


Factions

Loreseekers are the descendants of a clan of esoteric monks known as Lorekeepers. While that order still exists, there is a clear and deep schism between the groups as the Lorekeepers are focused on the preservation of arcane knowledge and legends, not power. They believe that the Loreseekers are just as large of a danger to the world as Pre-Impact humanity and that the recklessness with which they practice magic will inevitably lead to war with all of the world’s other nations. All it takes is for one high-magic experiment to go horribly wrong to subject the world to another Thanatos.

Voidthralls are exactly what the Lorekeepers refer to when warning of the Loreseekers’ endless pursuit of power. They are sorcerers that practice forbidden magic and attempt to tap into the energy of the Distorted in order to heighten their own power. Particularly dangerous or power-hungry sorcerers sometimes attempt to summon and control Distorted creatures or draw power from the Impact Zone. If either approach fails, the result is disastrous and can lead to an out-of-control Distorted being loosed within a city or the sorcerer themselves becoming corrupted.

Loreguards are a faction of Loreseekers entirely devoted to hunting down Voidthralls to either sever their ability to tap into magical power or destroy them entirely. This group is composed of Loreseekers, Lorekeepers, and Guardians and are viewed with a mixture of awe and extreme fear. Even those that aren’t Guardians have usually spent some time in fortress cities or the fields of Yomi in order to gain a better understanding of the evils they hunt.

Cleansing Agents are Loreseekers that specialize in repairing the damage done by more reckless Loreseekers. They are the ones that get sent in to bring down haywire constructs and renegade summons. They are also deployed to revert hazardous magical zones to their original harmless states.


Lifestyle

Loreseeker cities are a fusion of old architecture and new magic. Often based in the ruins of forgotten cities crisscrossed with Ley Lines, permanent or semi-permanent spells and glyphs light the streets, run the fountains, and power everything from the golem guardians that walk alongside Loreseekers to magical chariots and trains that take them from place to place in short time.

Spells activate any and everything in Loreseeker cities. A child will speak a cantrip to animate their toys, a parent will turn off lights with a simple arcane word or gesture. Bartenders will switch taps off and on or direct several different drinks to mix in one glass with spell. Families will transport groceries atop floating arcane disks.

Many Archmages live in towers where they practice and experiment with powerful rediscovered spells or craft new ones. Lorekeepers tend to massive monasteries often on the outskirts of Loreseeker cities or embedded in high mountains. Students study in enormous magic universities while Loreguards and Cleansing Agents undergo intense training and drills in barracks.


Relations

Split into many factions as they are, the Loreseekers have complex relationships with all save the Mechanists, which they endeavor to destroy entirely. Mechanists represent the evils of the old world in new form, a race so selfishly devoted to technology and the unholy powers it grants that they will inevitably doom the world yet again. Should the vile machine-people be allowed to advance unchecked, they will undoubtedly create or bring another Thanatos-like horror to the world. Loreseekers believe they must be stopped at all costs.

Loreseekers enjoy a strong relationship with the Guardians as the former Distorted protect the world from all threats, whether it be Distorted beasts, Mechanists, or Voidthralls. They assist each other in various campaigns all around Caelia. Lorekeepers in particular appreciate the Guardians’ devotion to halting corruption wherever it appears and share any information they uncover about new Distorted pockets in their travels. Loreguards view the Guardians as haunted brethren and the two groups are extremely tight-knit.

The magical race has a strained relationship with the Fae due to their ongoing war with the Mechanists as well the tendencies of more extreme Loreseekers that view they Fae as unworthy of their magical talents and experiment on them to better understand their physiology in the hopes of gaining similar natural power. This element of Loreseekers also tends to push for war against the Fae in order to advance their campaign to destroy the Mechanists and take over Alfheim, a region filled with positive magical energy.

Light Fae and Loreguards, Lorekeepers, and other neutral Loreseekers have so far ensured that the pursuit of war between the races is little more than a pipe dream. Light and Dark Fae walk and practice in Loreseeker cities where they contribute and benefit to and from magical advancements in Loreseeker society.

Empusae have a friendly relationship with the Loreseekers as they’ve infiltrated the highest levels of the magic society. Some of the shapeshifters have risen to Archmage status and have placed themselves in positions that allow them to influence the most powerful of the Loreseekers. As such, the Loreseekers enjoy healthy trade and commerce with the Empusae. Many magical students take an interest in the chaotic magical energy pervading the race's floating isles and it is not uncommon to see them wandering the cities of the mysterious people.

Loreseekers view Severed and Alchemists with varying levels of pity and disdain. Many outright avoid contact with them for fear of the Severed disconnection from the arcane rubbing off on them. Others believe the Severed or their ancestors to be cut off from arcane blessings due to some great sin or curse. They do have a grudging respect for Alchemists however, for at least that division of the Severed is trying to walk back into the light of things arcane in one way or another.


History

Loreseekers began as the Lorekeepers -monks devoted to preserving the history of the world and learning arcane secrets in order to defend it from any threats that may arise within or outside of it. However, some of the order was not satisfied with dedicating their lives to mere chronicling or peacekeeping efforts. These people became known as Loreseekers for they sought to uncover and utilize arcane knowledge in order to advance themselves and the world as a whole.

A schism formed and the Loreseekers split off to take up residence in the ruins of cities and realms of legend crisscrossed with ley lines. Instead of storing and policing, wouldn’t it be better if they spread the use of beneficial magic and lived as an example for the rest of the world to follow?

Loreseekers grew in power and influence exponentially as they shared many of their spells with the other nations as peace offerings and as a means to increase their influence and political standings. At the same time, exposure to the other civilizations of the world yielded a better understanding of the energies pervading it.

Their initial benevolence was soon displaced by an insatiable pursuit of power, just as the Lorekeepers foretold. A desire to improve life on Caelia became a desire to dominate it as they became convinced that it was up to them to usher in a new era for the planet. Fae took their gifts for granted and wasted them in hedonistic pursuits. Empusae would benefit from Loreseeker leadership as understanding and learning to utilize magic could yield better control over the chaos within and around them.

Loreseeker arrogance gradually began to sour other nations on them until the Impact War forced all of them to work together against the emergence of the Distorted. Their immense contributions and sacrifices to and in the war helped them regain much of that lost respect while their new relationship with the Guardians gave them yet another new race to cooperate with and observe.

Given the Loreseeker belief that technology is evil and magic is a blessing from Andrasteia, a new war was inevitable when the Mechanists crashed down on Caelia. Distressed by the liking the Fae took to these blaspheming newcomers, the Loreseekers immediately began a campaign of sabotage and propaganda to turn the rest of the world against them. While the Fae were pretty much unaffected, the other nations began to view the Mechanists with suspicion.

When the Mechanists began to leave the safety of Alfheim, the Loreseekers immediately declared war on them in order to stop them from reviving any more technology or spreading it throughout the world. Many Loreseekers view the war as holy and will use any means necessary to wipe the Mechanists from the face of Caelia.

Shapeless (Empusae)

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Race Name

Empusae

Classification

Chaos-Infused Beings


General Overview



Empusae are native to the Floating Isles of Mu, a realm where the positive power of Alfheim and dark, alien energies left in Thanatos’ wake merge to defy physics even by Caelia’s magical standards. Many of the creatures residing in Mu are shapeshifters and amalgams of all they’ve consumed or have been in prolonged contact with.

The Empusae are no exception though they have developed sentience rivaling that of the other races. At their core, these beings are like shapeshifters and hybrid creatures of legend such as werewolves, naga, kitsune, and more. While their Shapeless kin are nearly mindless devourers, the Empusae are symbolic of the power discipline can achieve over one’s inner chaos.

Just as they do with their bodies, the Empusae also seek control over the world to keep it balanced and safe, but also as a test of their own influence and capabilities. If everyone on Caelia practiced self-control as the Empusae did, the world would be a much better place and much more capable of dealing with its foreign and domestic threats.


Personality Traits

While the Empusae have evolved better control over their bodies and mind with each generation, a focused life is still very difficult for each other them. No matter what their personality may be, all of them must practice some element of self-control and discipline lest they become devolve into one of the Shapeless.

An Empusae could be stoic, charming, aloof, or whatever other personality traits they are at their core. They can also be whatever or whoever they train to be in to accomplish their infiltration missions. They are the ultimate method actors and they can learn their roles within moments or after weeks of study, depending on their targets and objectives. As such, they are naturally attuned to the performance arts, any job that takes advantage of disguises, and are extremely adaptable.


Physical Description



At their core, Empusae usually appear as a mix of a humanoid creature and beast. Whether that means a human or fae infant with a fox tail and paws, a bipedal cat, or a humanoid with a snake or octopus’ lower half is hard to nail down. Certain regions may have predominant forms, but in Mu, no rule goes unbroken for long.

Whatever their animalistic and humanoid features may be, all Empusae have prismatic colors in their hair, feathers, and fur. Their skin is often of an unusual hue, such a blue, purple, green and so on. Their eyes are almost exclusively heterochromatic.

Empusae and other beings on Mu that lose themselves to the chaotic energies of the isles become Shapeless: Creatures that have lost complete control over their selves and either constantly change features between those of creatures they have devoured or manifest each of those shapes at once as a horrifying amalgam of all things they have consumed.

They are writhing, squelching, pulsating nightmares often with dozens of mouths, eyes, teeth, limbs, and tentacles and a sickly stench.


Factions

While the Empusae do have several clans amongst their people, these groups are based more on what they have to offer as teachings and kindred experiences. Nereids, Merfolk, and Cecaelia will often swim seas and watery isles together just as Werewolves, Kitsune, and Cynocephali may thrive in the moonlight and live to hunt down Shapeless.

All clans view out-of-control Shapeless and any cults that worship them as enemies to be terminated with extreme prejudice. While everything native to the Isles of Mu can shapeshift to some degree, the Shapeless are at the same time an evolution or devolution of a creature that has lost touch with its original essence and exists only to devour and become twisted amalgams of all they consume. They are mindless or have so many minds that thoughts and feelings cancel each other out and become incomprehensible gibberish and gurgling.

Cults view these creatures as the highest potential of any creature on Caelia as they are everything at once. They wish to see or become a Shapeless that has consumed every type of organism on Caelia as such would mean they are in touch with all life.

Erasers dedicate their entire lives to wiping out Shapeless and cults wherever they are found. Infiltrators take on the forms of other races and advance to positions of power and influence in their societies. The Focused pick a singular form upon reaching adulthood then use their intense training and life experiences to perfect it. They are often leaders in Empusae society. Lifeshapers are rare but take a Fae-like approach to life. They live to experience new things and to experience things as new people.


Lifestyle

The Empusae build and prepare for change. While they do have semi-permanent residences in some of the more stable pockets of Mu, they know that an island could rise or crash at a moment’s notice. Water may suddenly flow in a different direction and vegetation could suddenly become poisonous or edible. Many Empusae that are not focused on a particular mission will patrol Mu to watch for signs of an incoming shift in their realm.

Empusae run large, nomadic monasteries filled with people trying to reach new levels of mastery over their base forms or practice shifting into and maintaining new ones. These groups are known to meditate, practice dozens of martial arts, and engage in rapid-fire quizzes and other tests to ensure that their forms can hold up under pressure. Empusae clans often form raiding parties to destroy roaming Shapeless creatures before they can grow too powerful. They also bond over trials to take down beasts of extraordinary power such as chimeras.


Relations

Due to the actions of Infiltrators, Empusae enjoy fruitful trade and commerce with most of the other nations. While those nations are more than a bit alarmed by the realization that any within their midst could in fact be Infiltrators they often benefit so much from the partnerships that protests don’t ring too loudly.  Many races will view their own people with suspicion if their personalities, methodologies, or advocacy take a sudden turn.

Aside from trade, tourism into Empusae lands is very profitable as the chaotic region is always home to some new and strange wonder, such as the birth of a new floating isle or a waterfall suddenly reversing and starting to flow upwards into the sky. Troupes of Empusae and Fae will often tour the world together to put on unpredictable shows of magic, athleticism, and theatrics.

Fae and Lifeshapers get along famously and are sometimes indistinguishable from one another. It’s one thing to live life to the fullest, but it gets even better when one embraces their ability to live multiple lives in one. Though Lifeshapers are rare, when they get together with Fae, they are often inseparable. Erasers and Focused typically have no interest in Fae dalliances while Infiltrators are welcome among Fae for the intrigue and mystery they inspire.

When one speaks of the close-knit ties between the Empusae and Guardians, they are often referring to the unbreakable bonds formed between the dark race and Empusae Focused and Erasers. The Focused with their emphasis on the mastery of oneself find natural companions in Guardians determined to remove themselves from the madness within while Erasers and military-focused Guardians often train and serve together in each other’s territories. As such, the Empusae barely have any Infiltrators in Guardian society. They trust each other to the point at which such isn’t even necessary.

Loreseekers, on the other hand, have the highest concentration of Infiltrators than any of the other nations. Empusae wield tremendous influence over them due to their curiosity about the Isles of Mu. To the Loreseekers, even Alfheim pales in comparison to the raw, primal energies flooding Mu…energies they constantly endeavor to understand and hope to eventually harness. Infiltrators work to stoke the fires of that curiosity while at the same time manipulating the arcane race away from any less-than friendly approaches towards that. Erasers are very much welcome as allies to Cleansing Agents and Loreguards.

Infiltrators have also worked within Severed societies and are in large part responsible for the founding of the Mercantile city of New Haven as well as the birth of Alchemy. The Empusae have a vested interest in Alchemy as it has the potential to provide answers and techniques to control their inner and outer chaos.

Because the Mechanists are both new and exotic, the Empusae are unsure of what to make of them. They respect and in some cases admire the race’s devotion to advancement, though technology is viewed with suspicion due to the Impact and its aftermath. The exotic makeup of the tech-reliant race also makes them notoriously difficult to mimic even after prolonged study. Infiltrators have barely gone anywhere in Mechanist society and while the race is friendly and welcoming, they are too big of an unknown.

As such, the Empusae have not yet decided whether or not they want to stop the war between them and Loreseekers or settle for simply keeping the fight from spilling into a war against Alfheim. For now, they concentrate on the latter and work aside Light Fae to keep the Loreseekers from expanding the fight to Elysium. After all, so long as Elysium stands, the Empusae have an avenue to observe the new race.


History

The Empusae began as Shapeless. When the world was still new, they were little more than mindless chaos beasts feared and fought by every race on Caelia. The countless skirmishes led to the devouring of thousands of Fae, Severed, and Loreseekers. However, when particularly strong-willed Fae or Loreseekers were devoured, their memories and personalities occasionally overtook the Shapeless that consumed them and brought the creature into confused and guilty sentience.

These first Empusae are said to have been so afraid of losing themselves in chaos and hunger that they often sought out wise Fae and Lorekeepers to learn methods of discipline and concentration. Those that managed to gain control were the first to form Empusae society in Mu and actively search for other lost beings like them to teach.

When they acquired enough power and control, their first move was to undergo massive campaigns alongside other races to drive the Shapeless out of other regions and back into Mu to be taught or destroyed.

It wasn’t until the aftermath of the Impact War that the Empusae set their sights on the rest of the world. Their interaction and kinship with the Guardians helped them realize that they could bring so much more to Caelia with their unique gifts. These days, they view themselves as the potential stewards of a new era of peace and prosperity as well as protectors like the Guardians. However, while the Guardians focus on military efforts against clear foreign and domestic threats, the Empusae seek to protect the races from themselves as they have all accumulated so much power that war would upset the balance.

The Distorted (Guardians)

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Race Name

Distorted/Guardians

Classification

Incomprehensible


General Overview



Distorted beings are the most feared creatures on the planet. When The Impact occurred, the crater left behind became the focal point of an alien corruption that nearly twisted and devoured Caelia whole. Though the massive creature responsible for it was ultimately defeated and its corruption purified by the mysterious deity responsible for saving Earth, a small pocket into an unknown realm remained.

Over the centuries, this portal into the unknown grew exponentially in size and allowed unfathomable creatures to seep into the world. These colossal, indescribable horrors corrupt any and every thing around them while the land in which they reside is forever twisted and bathed in eternal, alien night.


Personality Traits

Generally speaking, Distorted beings have no comprehensible motives or personalities. They are unreadable, expressionless, and horrifying. Their targets are selected at random and they seem to ignore anyone or anything around them once they become fixated. The hapless souls they are after will experience sudden illness, madness, cold sweats, and nightmares that intensify as the distance between them closes.

These victims will be tormented by visions of pulsating entrails, corrupted surroundings, sickly ‘music’, and alien heartbeats until they either succumb or find themselves face to face with the creature preying on them. It is said that these people are offered an invitation and that refusal means being eviscerated on the spot. These people will later rise as Distorted bearing those unholy wounds, twisted to the point of being nearly unrecognizable, and empowered with the same alien darkness fueling their stalkers. They will begin speaking endlessly in an incomprehensible, maddening alien language as they start to stalk a victim of their own.

No one understood this about the Distorted until the Impact War was fought down to a stalemate, but now people that feel alien influences will immediately seek protection, run for as long as they live, or kill themselves to prevent becoming like their pursuers.

The Guardians are former members of other races that have pushed down the corruption within and fight with everything they have to abolish such evil from the world. Many of them came to be after witnessing or committing an atrocity against a loved one or innocents. Such heinous acts jar them free of the alien influence corrupting their bodies and minds and flood them with memories of their previous lives.

This guilt and desire to right their previous wrongs make the Guardians a melancholy and remorseful people though many will go out of their way to appreciate beautiful things they neglected in their previous life. All of them experience intense depression as their existence is a constant battle against the influence they experienced during their initial corruption.

Even the Guardians themselves cannot comprehend what they have been subjected to and now fight against. Those that try too hard to understand will find themselves lost to madness yet again. The most personable among their kind can be as charismatic and charming as the Fey and Empusae but even they will admit that their smiles and laughs are how they wage war against the darkness within.


Physical Description



A Distorted individual’s appearance is, in a word, wrong. Though they may at times exert enough willpower to appear human, something or multiple things makes it clear that they absolutely are not. The very presence of Distorted beings instills feelings of dread, nausea, or paranoia in anything nearby. Random glimpses of nightmarish creatures and twisted versions of their surrounding may flash through their minds as they hear alien growls, sickening pulses, ominous whispers, faint screams, or squelching noises.

Many of the Guardians don facemasks to cover twisted features such as an overly-wide mouth filled with rows of jagged teeth, eyeless sockets, skeletal heads, or faces that appear as nothing more than empty voids. Even those with human faces will have strange features such as a shadow that flickers in and out of sight, turns upside-down, or detaches itself to move erratically. They will often have sharpened claws on their hands and/or feet, one or many alien limbs, and one or more horns. Should one not have any of those traits, they will often have less-noticeable unsettling features, such as two right hands or a backward-facing leg.

Distorted beings also move erratically and often appear displaced even when standing still. Those that are watching or conversing with one up close will notice them randomly disappearing and reappearing in some random spot within a meter of their original location in the span of a blink only to snap back a split second later.

Those that have completely lost their humanity have only vaguely humanoid shapes and seemingly devour all light around them. Countless thin, barbed tendrils of pure darkness jut out from them at random to brush against and potentially corrupt anything nearby. Other, less developed creatures appear as rotting, twisted versions of whatever they were in their previous existence bathed in unnatural shadows.


Factions

Distorted beings are split into two factions: Guardians and Other. Guardians wage a war on two fronts. They fight tooth and nail to overcome the ceaseless influence on their minds and bodies by the indescribable beings present at the Impact Crater and it is they alone that are able to prevent the horrors within those ruins from rushing forth to corrupt and devour the planet.


Lifestyle

Guardians are always vigilant against corruption and darkness. They live in massive city-fortresses and guard the nightmare fields of Yomi where hardly a day goes by without a large-scale battle or skirmish against Distorted that pour forth from the Impact Zone to attack and spread corruption. They keep steady patrols, maintain 24-hour smithies, and watch their enemies from towers.

They also hold meetings to discuss intel, open their halls to other races for trade or combat training, and assign hunters to track down and destroy any Distorted that are reported to have slipped beyond their defenses. They also maintain temporary shelters and assign protectors to refugees that are being stalked by errant Distorted creatures.


Relations

Since The Unholy War, the Guardians have emerged as widely-respected heroes. While they are as feared as their Distorted kin, it is understood that those that emerged from the darkness are the world’s best hope against creatures that surge from the Impact Crater. No one will go out of their way to meet with one unless the need is dire as even a hero’s presence is frightening.

Of all the races, Empusae are the friendliest towards the Guardians. Their internal struggles are different, yet eerily similar as both wage mental and physical war against incomprehensible forces. Their bonds are unbreakable and they often have districts dedicated to their friends within their cities. The Empusae were the first to ally with the Guardians and they tirelessly aid each other in campaigns against their twisted kin.

The Fae were the second race to ally with the Guardians though their outlook on those mysterious beings varies from one fey to another. Generally speaking, Dark Fae almost always find themselves hypnotized or falling for Guardians and the nightmares they inspire while the most curious amongst their kind will migrate to Guardian cities or venture into the Impact Zone to learn and experience more.  Light Fae, while curious about them, are often bored by the Guardians’ predictable melancholy and duty-driven natures.

Loreseekers respect power and love arcane secrets. The Guardians possess both in spades. Though all races view the Distorted as foes and seek to eradicate them, the Loreseekers always have ulterior motives. Everything is about acquiring knowledge and power and fighting alongside the Guardians is a gateway into both. They study their allies just as much as they use their magical might to destroy their mutual enemies.

Secret orders of Loreseekers have begun scribing and practicing forbidden dark sorcery in bids to discover new heights of arcane power. The unfortunate amongst them fall prey and become Distorted their selves. Those with strong enough will however, are among the most powerful sorcerers on the planet.

Guardians have a complex relationship with Mechanists. Their alliance with Loreseekers means that a good number of their elite soldiers are involved in the conflict between the two races. These Guardians believe the Mechanists to be just as much a threat to the planet as the Distorted as it was technology that led to the Impact in the first place.

Other Guardians have engaged in diplomacy with the tech-reliant race and discovered crucial information about the Impact and the creature responsible. These Guardians have formed partnerships with Mechanists and together they develop new technologies and strategies for combating the ever-present threat of the Distorted. Both races have a vested interest in atoning for the past…the Mechanists for what they unwittingly brought to the planet on their ships and the Guardians for their previous sins as Distorted.


History

When The Impact occurred, Thanatos' presence and the crater it left from its descent were the focal points of an alien corruption that nearly twisted and devoured the planet whole. Though it was ultimately defeated and its corruption purified by the mysterious deity responsible for saving Earth, a small pocket into an unknown realm remained.

In the years following The Impact, this portal into the unknown grew exponentially in size and allowed unfathomable creatures to seep into the world. Their very presence began to corrupt and distort all around them, from soil, flora and fauna, to any intelligent creatures within sight or range. By the time the other races received any reports on what was happening, an area the size of a large city was already tainted by what appeared to be some sort of nightmarish, alien cancer.

Any scouts sent into that area were completely lost and any mages that attempted to peer into the distorted landscape through scrying spells were driven mad by what they saw within. A complete loss of sanity was the best outcome for them. Those that peered too deeply were twisted into dark, alien, nightmarish versions of themselves and immediately turned on everyone and everything around them to destroy, corrupt, and consume everything in their paths until they were either annihilated or made it into the heart of the Impact Zone.

That unholy place was declared off limits until something shifted within and twisted, alien versions of every creature on the planet began to pour out in a seemingly endless surge.

The first years of the Impact War brought forth countless atrocities, reduced entire nations into festering nightmare pits under sunless skies, and twisted entire races and species. It wasn’t until all of the remaining nations allied together that they were able to slow the oncoming tide of horror.

Despite their courageous stand, it was still a losing battle with innumerable casualties until unlikely heroes began to appear from the darkness itself. Initially, the Guardians were attacked by fearful alliances even as they fought against the encroaching darkness. It was only through sacrifices and heroism that the world began to understand and warily fight alongside the mysterious beings.

It took nearly a century for the combined might of the Loreseekers, Fey, Empusae, Severed, and Guardians to begin gaining ground, though once they did, they were nearly unstoppable in their advance until they discovered one horrifying truth: The wound in the planet left by The Impact had grown to the size of a large country and no one, not even the Guardians could penetrate its depths to fight the unspeakable evils within. 

The best the Guardians could do and have done since is build fortress cities around the crater and terminate anything that oozes forth from its depths. This is their sacred charge and they would sooner die than let the world fall to the evils that nearly engulfed them.

Mechanists

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Race Name

Mechanists

Classification

Technologically-Evolved Human

General Overview



Along with The Severed and Alchemists, Mechanists are perhaps the closest relatives to Pre-Impact humanity. Forced to live in space stations and on the moon for over a century, they give perhaps the best glimpse of what humanity may have evolved into had The Impact never occurred. They are just as much human as they are computer and machine. Their bodies have developed a natural affinity for connections to metals, synthetic materials, circuitry, and electrical currents.


Personality Traits

Mechanist personalities are as diverse as those of their Pre-Impact ancestors though they are undoubtedly more curious and yet logical at default. After being stranded in space for centuries, they are the youngest race as far as Caelia is concerned. They have yet to venture to all corners of the revived planet to see the new world, uncover lost Pre-Impact cities, and revive lost technologies. They are also driven towards self-advancement through the upgrading of their personal tech.

Most Mechanists have a laser-like focus on whatever tasks they have chosen to complete or have been inspired by and may often go days or weeks without adequate rest to see said task finished. The tech-oriented race is at the same time nearly as hedonistic as the Fae. When they aren't throwing themselves into work or some other important focus, they have a tendency to indulge in augmented reality and virtual experiences.

As a result of these traits and influence by their Fae neighbors, Mechanists are a inventive, lively, and creative, yet focused, logical, and mechanical when the need arises. Which side of a Mechanist is running things at the moment can usually be answered at a glance or with a simple question.


Physical Description



Mechanists are easy to spot for the most part. It is common for them to replace damaged or weak limbs with sleek, metallic variants or to do so simply to be stronger, faster, or more efficient. Even those that don’t or those that prefer synthetic, skin-like replacements give themselves away through clothing lined with circuitry, thin, metallic lace on their hands or elsewhere, irises that glow with tiny, rapid numeric or coded calculations, and the holographic displays they frequently use.

Armors and some clothing of the middle and upper classes and soldiers are usually sleek, shining affairs of symmetrical, lightweight and metallic materials with glowing lines and shapes. Shock troopers and mech pilots tend wear heavier gear or portable powered exoskeletons called down from drones. Scavengers tend to wear bulkier equipment and gear that looks to have been recycled or damaged numerous times.

To uninformed onlookers, Mechanists will randomly appear to be distracted or daydreaming, even in the middle of conversations. Those that are Mechanists or know them well understand that the race does that to calculate any number of things, from the odds of success at a task, to the trajectory of an object they intend to throw or fire, to the most effective route towards a known destination. They may even be filing away important memories or information within their expanded minds.


Factions

Mechanists tend to divide themselves along class lines, whether intentional or not. Inventors and Explorers are the best paid and most famous of their people and it is often easy to tell them from others as their tech tends to be of the highest and purest grades. They get updates and new products faster than any others.

Engineers, designers, builders, doctors, and others that work in technological and medical fields are usually referred to by the catch-all term 'Inventors' and are at the forefront of the Mechanists' ever advancing technology. They are driven to stabilize, improve, or invent new devices that contribute heavily to Mechanist lifestyles. 'Peacekeepers' such as Soldiers, Security Officers, and Special Agents do their part in the ongoing war against the Loreseekers, work to keep the peace within Mechanist society, and track down stolen technology or trace hackers. 'Explorers' focus on venturing beyond the borders of Mechanist territories to seek out the ruins of Pre-Impact cities or technology that can be re purposed for present-day use.

Farmers, merchants, and other professions that are not focused on the war effort or advancement of technology live life as the middle class of Mechanist society and are simply known as 'Citizens'. Their lives are comfortable enough, for the most part, but they will never strike it rich or see themselves getting honored for their accomplishments unless they somehow find some way to introduce a surprising innovation or invention to society.

Survivalists are the lowest on the Mechanist totem pole. Theirs is a motley crew of society’s rejects, from criminals, to disgraced or discredited inventors, to battlefield deserters. The technology they possess is often stolen, recycled, or looted from dead soldiers or explorers. They often live in slums on the outskirts of Mechanist cities where they plot to ambush other Mechanists or try to devise new ways to lift themselves out of poverty.


Lifestyle

In and around their massive cities, the Mechanists are the most powerful race on the planet. They install and maintain massive towers that allow them to safely manipulate and convert magical energy within range. These Mana Towers fuel everything, from hoverboards, bullet trains, and drones for transportation to Spellcannons, mechanized exoskeletons, laser rifles and swords, and other highly-advanced and extremely powerful weaponry and devices.

Mana Towers are also responsible for maintaining hospitals, medical implants, and the Augmented Reality Overlays Mechanists use to interface with nearly everything. Mechanist “magic” is actually the rapid conversion of magical energy through towers or portable devices into raw, energized data they access via command prompts, then direct in powerful bursts.

However, Mechanist technology will either degrade, malfunction, or completely shut down outside of Mana Tower or portable device range. Mechanist Data Casters that attempt to convert magical energy without the protection offered by devices and towers will be subject to debilitating Data Corruption that manifests as a physical computer virus within their bodies. Mechanists are still a very new race and their bodies haven’t fully evolved and adapted to the planet’s arcane atmosphere. Data Corruption leaves devastating pixelized scars on the victim’s skin, can completely destroy implants and sever connections, and cause internal tissue and organ damage.


Relations

The Fae were the first race to welcome Mechanists to the new world. While the other races distrusted them the moment their ships crashed and they saw them clad in variants of the technology of old, many Fae embraced them and worked with them to repurpose their gear for the altered atmosphere.

The first great Mechanist city was founded in Fae territory and still stands as testament to their strong bond. Mechanists have them to thank for their shelter and support in their rough first century in the new world, while Fae enjoy the unique avenues provided by the Mechanists towards new and interesting experiences. Movies, music, games, and other unique offerings enrich the lives of both races.

More recently, a new offshoot calling themselves Faetechers have made their presence known in Fae and Mechanist society. These unique individuals are perhaps the greatest representation of both nations and their love for one another.

Mechanists also enjoy a pleasant relationship with The Severed and Alchemists. The former -should they not be superstitious about technology- reap benefits from selling metals and other materials to Mechanists while the tech-oriented race constantly works to find ways to improve the lives of the disconnected race.

Alchemists represent an alternative approach to finding new ways to thrive in a magical world. They are often guests in Mechanist cities where their unique experiments and formulae can sometimes result in the creation of new and useful materials to be utilized in technological advancements.

Guardians are both enemies and secret allies. Outwardly, Guardians are strong allies of the Loreseekers and most of their territories view Mechanists as an immense threat to the planet. They fear the rapid advancement of technology and a potential return of space travel. Should the Mechanists access the stars again, the planet is in danger of yet another Impact.

On the other hand, Mechanists have better-preserved records and footage of Thanatos than any race on Caelia as well as the means to uncover more information from the Impact moment and aftermath. Beyond that, Mechanist weaponry has been found to be extremely effective against the Distorted. Because of these factors, smaller factions of Guardians started to ally themselves with the Mechanists in secret to undergo missions to eradicate the Distorted once and for all.

The Empusae are guarded and cautious towards Mechanists. They’ve studied and infiltrated the heights of most nations but Mechanists are almost more living computers than they are human. While Empusae can take on almost any form and mimic various types of speech and spell, the exotic metals, circuits, and sophisticated technology of the new race are an extreme challenge. As such, Empusae have very little influence in Mechanist society and that worries them deeply.

Loreseekers have been at war with the Mechanists since the founding of their first cities outside of Alfheim. The technological race is a threat to nearly everything the Loreseekers believe in. To Loreseekers, The Impact was a lesson and warning for the world. Technology inevitably leads to ruin whether from abroad or from within. Technology is blasphemous and blatantly disrespectful of the planet itself and the mysterious deity that revived it.

Loreseekers are also aware that Pre-Impact humanity was even more powerful than they. If the Mechanists are allowed to advance and spread over the planet unchecked, they will be a direct threat to Loreseeker territory and strength. Propaganda and misinformation is spread by Loreseekers the world over in hopes of turning all other races against them and to fuel their military efforts at home.


History

When The Impact occurred the humans that would eventually come to be known as Mechanists were left stranded on space stations and the moon. The aftermath altered the planet’s atmosphere in a way that completely rewrote physics and shut down all electric technology. Any ship that attempted a journey to Earth would immediately lose contact with the stations and moon and crash.

As such, these humans remained in space for over a century and mined the moon and nearby planets for the materials needed to sustain what was left of their people. To adjust for a life in space and on the moon, they embraced technology more than ever, for the less they depended on resources like food and water, the longer they could survive.

Unfortunately, being in space also meant that most of their finite resources went to maintaining their stations and colonies. Eventually things became bleak and embarking on a dangerous attempt at Earth one last time was the only surefire way to preserve their people. Instead of building and repairing to survive in space, they shifted their efforts to reinforcing their ships in the hope that the expert engineering and toughness would be the key to surviving earth’s new atmosphere.

The first attempts at migration resulted in crash-landings in Fae territories. Since they were well-received by the curious and mercurial people, they eventually came to have some understanding of the new world and soon built communication arrays utilizing the atmosphere’s magical energy. None of the landings went smoothly and there were heavy casualties all around, but at least the Mechanists -so named by the Fae- were back home.

In the decades that followed, the Mechanists began to settle in the ruins of Pre-Impact cities in order to uncover and repurpose lost technology and rebuild. It wasn’t until they began to lay claim to cities outside of Fae lands that the Loreseekers moved from sabotage to outright warfare.

[Lunaris]

The Severed (Alchemists)

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Race Name

Severed

Classification

Disconnected Humans


General Overview



In a world flooded with magical and dark energies, the Severed are a complete anomaly. Sure, the Guardians are alien, the Empusae are shapeshifters, and the Loreseekers and Fae are embodiments of magic and nature. Even the Mechanists feel a connection to technology. Each of the other major races can be linked to something while the Severed are notable for their connection to nothing.

How is it that a race born in a world flooded with magical energy and living there for centuries have no connection to it whatsoever? They are viewed by many races as unfortunate, stunted, deformed, or cursed. They are at once pitied for being unable to harness even basic magic and feared in the case that their inability to tap into the world’s energy means something frightening or that it is somehow contagious.

Alchemists are a newly-arrived answer to this, as a few of the Severed have tired of the world’s view and treatment of them. Even if they can’t directly tap into the magic pervading their world, they can perhaps manipulate it by combining elements for reactions that mimic spells.


Personality Traits

Severed humans are just as diverse as their Pre-Impact counterparts in personality though they are typically a people that are either content to live mundane lives as merchants, traders, farmers, and other such jobs. Or as alchemists who give the finger to playing second fiddle to the other races and experiment so that they may one-day advance to a place of prominence.

Alchemists want to level the playing field or dominate it but so far their formulae pale in comparison to the utility and power of advanced magics or Mechanist technology and upgrades. Whereas Severed are pretty content to just pad life out as best they can through doing what they can within their limits, Alchemists are driven by a desire to be better and show everyone around them that they are worth something.

As a result, Alchemists have a reputation for earnestness and hotheadedness. They hate being patronized for the most part and are known to be nearly as reckless as the Mechanists and Loreseekers in their pursuit of advancement.


Physical Description



The appearances of Severed people are no more or less than that of Pre-Impact humanity. However, in Caelia, this means that they are notable for being plain. No exotic hair colors without dyes. No otherworldly traits without expensive makeup or costume designs. They are an anachronism. Some Severed are completely alright with that and content to be in the background.

Other Severed -and especially alchemists- go out of their way to stand out, whether it’s in peculiar clothing that makes them walking laboratories and chemical labs or in elaborate makeup or clothing that leaves them with the features of other races or just really, really hard not to notice. The latter often results in them being called the “Wannabe Race”.


Factions

The factions of a race the world largely doesn’t care about mean pretty much nothing outside of Severed society with the exception of Alchemists. Alchemists are valued for the contributions they make to ease of life as well as the exotic metals their experimentation produces. As such, they have breathed new life into Severed trade with other races as the exotic materials they produce can often see use in Loreseeker spells and Mechanist upgrades.

Within Severed society is a loose collection of guilds, family businesses, trade partnerships, and science teams with the merchants and Alchemists wielding more influence than any of the others.


Lifestyle

Severed have pretty run-of-the mill lives unless they embrace the power of alchemy. They are farmers, traders, innkeeps, and other mundane professions that are simply working to get by in a world that thinks nothing of them. Alchemists, on the other hand possess the same drive and ambition of many of the other races. They never settle for less and the mercantile capital of New Haven is now home to a large university that teaches alchemy to severed students.

The closer one is to New Haven, the more alchemy and alchemists tend to be present. Life in the core of the city resembles a more dangerous, less potent version of a Lorekeeper realm. Devices are powered by curious clockwork machines, steam, or alchemical formulae. Citizens often carry dozens of small vials or larger flasks containing mixes of virtually anything and several Alchemists either experiment in empty fields or put on demonstrations in squares. They also run large bazaars in which they peddle new creations to potential buyers.


Relations

Though all of the races engage in trade with the Severed to some degree, they are largely viewed with pity and suspicion throughout the world. Loreseekers try to limit their contact with them as much as possible due to a fear of more Severed children being born to Loreseeker parents. In their society, a disconnection from magic is a fate worse than death. Still magical experimentation sometimes requires exotic materials that only alchemists can replicate. Ambitious Loreseekers just have to face down their anxiety if they’re serious about their magical pursuits.

The Fae aren’t nearly as afraid of the Severed but rather…just bored. Mundane Severed society has barely anything of interest to any Fae that isn’t just curious about what it’s like to live a life disconnected from magic. Alchemists, on the other hand, are fun! A Fae never knows whether or not an Alchemist’s mixtures will explode in their faces and they do so love the suspense that comes with sticking around to find out. Some Fae have even joined into the fun as Alchemists, themselves.

Empusae are sympathetic to the plight of the Severed and purposefully manipulate trade agreements to give the race a helping hand. They also keep watch over Alchemist experiments to see if anything of benefit to their own will come out of them or to know if they need to bring in Erasers to prevent some sort of mistakenly engineered catastrophe. Guardians usually only interact with the Severed to protect them from the Distorted and train their militaries in self-defense.

Mechanists are perhaps the most welcoming to the Severed even though the disconnected humans often view advanced technology with a mixture of awe and fear. Those that are not afraid of interacting with technology accept minor Mechanist innovations in their lives. On the other hand, Alchemists and Mechanists are fast friends. The Alchemists make huge profits from synthesizing new metals for the Mechanists and their experimentation is often funded by the tech-reliant race.

History

Until recent times the Severed were nomadic people just doing whatever they could to get by in their search for a region with energy they could tap into somehow. The search proved fruitless, unfortunately, so they banded together to form small cities and towns in neutral territories until the Empusae rose to prominence and decided to aid and encourage their growth.

Their contributions to the world and its major events were nearly nonexistent until the advent of Alchemy. These days, they are a race slowly rising to prominence after being mocked for so long.

Player Classes

Each race has several styles of combat unique to them. Below is a short summary of many ways they focus their talents. It should be noted that all characters may choose a primary and secondary class from their race. The second is less effective but can be great at supplementing the primary by doubling down on specializations, adding versatility, or shoring up weaknesses.

Guardians are an exception in class selection as their multiple lives mean that their secondary class is always something from the race they were before they were corrupted by the Distorted. Empusae, (if they were originally a shapeless that consumed someone from another race) may also pick one Empusae class and one class from another race they have consumed (except for Mechanists due to differences in physiology). Faetecher faction members may choose to have one or both of their classes be from the Mechanist tree since they are tech-focused Fae.


Mechanist:

Manatechers specialize in damage dealing elemental spell techniques. They are often spotted using special satellites or orbital cannons to enhance their destructive capabilities.

Firearms Specialists focus on a mix of mid and long range weaponry such as handguns, pulse rifles, miniguns, and grenade launchers.

Vanguards utilize destructive melee and short range weaponry such as Plasma Swords, Gravity Hammers, and Shotguns.

Snipers use powerful, long range rifles and drones to annihilate enemies from afar and harass those that start to close the distance.

Mech Pilots utilize agile armor suits or bulky power armor to jet around the battlefield or crush enemies.

Field Agents deliver devastating pinpoint strikes with advanced melee weaponry such as laser blades and knives. They utilize enhanced parkour or cloaking technology to evade attacks and get in close.

Field Medics use a mix of support and mending spelltechs as well as deployable medical drones.


Loreseeker:

Elementalists use highly destructive elemental magic to destroy their enemies from mid and long range.

Lorearrows use conjured elemental arrows to defeat enemies with precision ranged attacks or deploy magic wards to ensnare enemies that begin to close in.

Spellblades specialize in the usage of conjured melee weapons and magical ranged attacks.

Summoners harass their enemies with clusters of elemental constructs or smash them with powerful golems.

Adepts aid their allies through the use of Support and Recovery magics. They can use some ranged damage spells to contribute in offense.

Loreblades use mid range spells to debilitate and lock down enemies to soften them up for powerful melee finishing strikes.

Conjurers protect their selves and allies with a series of thick magical wards and shields as they participate in ranged magical assaults.


Empusae:

Berserkers shapeshift their hands, feet, tails, and teeth and deliver flurries of deadly claw slashes, whippings, and bites in melee. 

Protectors shapeshift to boost their resilience and regenerative capabilities as they place themselves between enemies and more vulnerable allies.

Wild Mages cast an unpredictable array of highly destructive offensive ranged spells.

Chaos Mages specialize in ranged magics that cause random status effects in enemies or random enchantments that bolster allies.

Monks are extremely agile melee fighters that specialize in powerful hand to hand combat and pressure point strikes.

Chaos Blades inflict numerous debilitating effects in melee combat by infusing their weapons with chaotic spells.

Wild Shapers control the battlefield around them by extending their limbs, then whipping, binding, and tripping up their enemies.


Guardian:

Dark Knights steal life essence from their enemies with their melee strikes and use that energy to replenish their own health.

Sorcerers deal heavy damage through debilitating dark magic attacks in melee and from mid range.

Nightmares control battlefields through dark spells that inflict heavy damage and ruin enemy psyche.

Nightblades switch places with their own shadows or their enemies' shadows to move erratically and deliver precision surprise melee strikes.

Dark Riders call forth frightening Distorted mounts and ride into battle with massive lances and halberds.

Necromancers animate and corrupt corpses or control lesser Distorted beings through shadow magic. The fuel their horrific magic by stealing life essence from enemies.

Slayers utilize deadly chain whips to ensnare and mutilate enemies from mid range.


Light and Dark Fae

Bladeweavers are Agile Fencers that specialize in evasive maneuvers and pinpoint melee strikes.

Songweavers Specialize in Support and Recovery Magics. They also debilitate enemies through confusing melodies.

Dervishes use scythes, staves, and other two-handed weapons to shred their surrounding enemies as they perform deadly whirling dances.

Rangers annihilate enemies with powerful longbow shots and poison arrows. They may call forth wild beasts or set traps to trip up approaching enemies.

Jesters use enchanted music and comedy to debilitate enemies while wearing them down with throwing knives and molotov cocktails.

Unfettered Fae embrace their thirst for experiencing pure carnage. They speed around the battlefield to eviscerate singular enemies in melee.

Spellwarders protect their selves and allies through numerous sanctuary spells and auras. Those same magics wreak havoc on enemies that try to bypass them.


Alchemists

Chemblades enhance their weapons with various concoctions and use melee strikes to damage and debilitate enemies.

Bombers cause anarchy on battlefields by throwing flasks of volatile and explosive mixtures into groups of enemies to set them on fire, coat them in corrosive acids, or freeze them.

Fencers live and die by their skills with rapiers and longswords. They open up enemies to precise strikes with feints and occasional, unexpected pistol shots.

Chemists bolster and heal their allies by shattering containers housing various beneficial mixtures.

Knights often improve their own durability through endurance potions and wield shields and maces in combat.

Archers dip the tips of their arrows in various combustible or poisonous solutions and deal pinpoint damage from great distances.

Hasteshots use special potions to massively increase their own speed and allow them to run and gun all over battlefields.

Blank Character Template

Name:

Race:

Faction:

Classes:

Gender:

Age:

Height:

Weight:

Eye Color:

Hair Color:

Skin Tone:

Physical Description/Dress Style:

(The Character's Portrait should go here)


Background Information:

Established Characters

Name: Emraeal Selenis

Race: Fae

Faction: Faetecher

Classes: Manatecher/Field Agent

Gender: Demigirl

Age: 26

Height: 5’4

Weight: 126 lbs

Eye Color: Smoky Gray (Turquoise Glow when Interfacing)

Hair Color: Black with metallic streaks

Skin Tone: Mocha

Physical Description/Dress Style:



Emraeal’s appearance is a reflection of her life story. Her Fae heritage shines through in her blemish-free skin, inquisitive eyes, pointed ears, and the metallic streaks of varying colors that contrast with her dark, wavy hair. A closer look reveals that her gray eyes are inlaid with delicate circuitry and when she focuses or interfaces with her built-in AR, her irises give off a bright turquoise glow and become home to rapid computations in floods of code and numbers.

She is rarely seen without a metallic hair band and high-tech ear clips as both act as focus, acceleration, and range enhancers for Mana Conversion. She also likes to wear shimmering drop earrings and the occasional choker necklace. She wears an ever-changing variety of light glosses and dark lipstick on her pouty lips and often has a bright smile on her face.

Emraeal is a bit on the short side and one of the quickest was to draw playful anger out of her is to comment on her height. She has a petite upper body home to slender shoulders, pert breasts, lean arms, and a toned core. On the other hand, her hips are quite rounded and flare out into a curvaceous derriere and powerful, shapely legs born from a mix of intensive cardio therapy and treadmills as well as a deep love for ice cream, milkshakes, and other indulgent treats.

Like her eyes, her hands, right knee, and feet are inlaid with intricate, thin, silvery circuitry that shimmers under focused light. A thin, metallic line can be found under her left breast, as well as on the side of her right kneecap, and right ankle. To those that understand Mechanist technology, these areas are clear incision points for the insertion and upkeep of cybernetics. She also bears a tattoo of a leaf resting on circuity on the back of her neck...the symbol of the Faetecher faction.

Background Information:

"Mechanist technology gave me a second chance. Fae passion keeps me going. The world is my oyster. Woe be to any that try to keep me from experiencing all it has to offer!" - Emraeal Selenis

Emraeal’s parents were stalked by a Distorted being while she was still in her mother’s womb. While the couple did survive thanks to their wits and skills with blade and spell, it was ultimately the timely intervention of a Guardian and Eraser that helped them finally destroy the alien horror. Unfortunately, the couple had to engage in months of running and skirmishes with their nightmarish enemy before they met with the heroic pair that helped them end their torment.

While they were on the run and fighting for their lives, Emraeal’s mother was subjected to endless waves of mental torment that made it hard for her to eat, sleep, and keep calm. She lapsed in and out of sanity and came close to killing herself and Emraeal out of fear and madness several times. Because of this, Emraeal was born prematurely and had several severe health problems throughout her life. Little Emraeal, while a sweet and bright child, was unfortunately prone to developing new allergies, catching illnesses, getting injured due to her fragile build, recurring nightmares of alien horrors, and depression from experiencing all of the above.

As the years went on, her mounting list of injuries and ailments saw her in hospitals and clinics for increasing periods of time until her health degraded to a critical state. Because of this, her parents decided to take their child to Elysium where Mechanist and Fae doctors worked together to develop state-of-the-art technologies for both races.

After breaking her right leg in several places in a particularly nasty fall and suffering near heart failure soon after, teenage Emraeal was placed into an intensive care unit for a prolonged period of time. For a Fae however, confinement to a singular place is slow torture and she began to experience an extreme loss of will and depression as a result. Her health declined even further until her parents and doctors decided to get her equipment that would allow her to access Mechanist Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality experiences via the Mananet.

She might not have been able to venture outside of her hospital in real life, but in the Mananet, she could be as healthy as an Olympian and experience facets of life she never knew existed. She spent more time logged in as various avatars and experiencing virtual life to the fullest than she did in the real world until Elysium’s doctors developed a new, state-of-the-art series of upgrades created for Fae physiology. Emraeal volunteered without a second thought and the reluctant approval of her family. This decision turned out to be one that forever changed her life.

After nearly two years of intensive surgeries to install cybernetic implants and upgrades then undergoing intensive physical therapy, Emraeal found herself to be a picture of perfect health ready to take on the world! Her natural affinity for magic and years of virtual experiences with various styles of combat and acrobatics made her a natural at picking up new skills and combat proficiencies quickly. She soon became classified as a Manatecher and Field Agent upon becoming skilled with devastating Spelltechs, quick on her feet, and adept with lightweight blades and staves.

Healthy as she may be in the present day, she is still a bit on the fragile side… Despite having a very high pain tolerance after so many rough years, her cybernetic upgrades don’t make her invincible and she is vulnerable to many of the same weaknesses as other Mechanists and Fae. She’s a glass cannon and she knows it. As such, she prefers to end fights quickly through the use of overwhelming offense in the form of a deadly mix of powerful Spellteching and over-charged melee strikes.

Name: Halia Ione

Race: Empusae

Faction: Cecaelian Lifeshaper

Class: Wild Shaper/Chaos Blade

Gender: Usually Female

Age: 24

Height: 5’8

Weight: 132 lbs

Base Eye Colors: Alternates between azure and turquoise

Base Hair Colors: Frequently shifts between pale blonde and translucent, watery greens and blues

Base Skin Tone: Ivory

Physical Description/Dress Style:



To the untrained eye, Halia often appears to be a picture of calm and serenity. However, her barely contained chaotic nature manifests in restless minor movements such as bouncing knees, gentle back and forth swaying, and subtle changes in eye color. Her hair constantly shifts its composition between soaked blonde strands and translucent, watery amoeba-like tendrils. Despite her tendency to listen to others patiently and intently while offering them relaxed smiles, she often has a hint of barely contained passion in her eyes.

No matter what state her hair is in, her skin is rarely ever dry and she usually appears to have stepped out of a body of water as a result. Her restlessness and tendril-focused approach to combat have made her extremely limber. Her neck, arms, and legs are graceful and long while her frame is toned and home to pert curves. Her slender hands and feet are webbed when she walks the surface though once she descends below the waves, the lower half of her body shifts and stretches into a series of thick blue-green tentacles.

While she prefers to wear no clothing at all, she settles for sheer, flowing garments when she is above ground. She wears a plethora of bracelets and rings on her arms and fingers and wears at least two thin sashes adorned with shells and star-shaped carvings around her hips. In battle, she only wears a breastplate and pauldrons as she constantly changes the shapes of her arms and hands. These fights also leave her with an expression of glee on her face as she enjoys being an unpredictable, chaotic force on the field.

Though she spends a great deal of her battles lashing and tripping up her foes with her tentacles, she also utilizes a well-crafted spear that she repeatedly enchants with expendable combat spells. This balanced weapon can double as a javelin when she cannot reach distant foes.


Background Information:

"Gone are the days when I thought life in the sea was all I ever needed. I refuse to stop at being a champion for my own community when I can fight on the entire world's behalf!" -Halia Ione 

Halia is an extremely bright and social person of intense contrasts. Her mind and body have always been a battleground where waterborne serenity and patience clashes with the chaotic nature of being an Empusae native to the everchanging Isles of Mu. She is outwardly patient and very friendly, yet always moving or shifting in some minor way as her seemingly infinite energy constantly threatens to bubble up to the surface.

Her early years were focused on kinship and discipline as she was part of a tight knit, small clan of Cecaelia, Merfolk, and Nereids. They led simple lives focused on trade, the creation of trinkets, and the study of various underwater creatures so that they could gain better mastery over their forms and quickly adapt to any situation in the underwater regions of Mu.

Still, no amount of training could prepare her and her clan for their encounter with an immense and horrifying Shapeless Aberration. Likely centuries old, this colossal beast was a titanic amalgam of probably thousands or even millions of sea creatures it devoured over its lifespan. As it floated its way up to the surface, it destroyed the underwater city of Heracleion and consumed nearly two-hundred of its residents in a gruesome slaughter.

Halia had encountered and hunted many Shapeless in her years with her clan, but this was the first time she and those poor souls in Heracleion encountered something this horrifying. She and other refugees fled to the surface to warn the rest of Mu of the approaching beast then banded together with them as well as visiting Guardians, Fae, and Loreseekers to intercept it once it floated to the surface.

Rather than engaging the massive creature in melee, the Empusae generals present ordered an all-out ranged assault from every able-bodied fighter they could call on. When the beast finally broke the water’s surface, it was wounded in an overwhelming blitz of elemental arrows, devastating magics, Empusae javelins and harpoons, and shadow blasts from hundreds of seasoned warriors. Before it could retaliate or sink into the waves to recuperate, the generals ordered ranged specialists to fire off a second storm of projectiles as those skilled in melee, including Halia, were given the command to charge in and decimate it up close.   

While there were several wounded and causalities in the end, the cost of victory was well worth it as the massive beast was left floating lifeless in the water. This legendary display of camaraderie from several races and dozens of Empusae clans inspired Halia and made her curious about the rest of the world. In the times since, she has become an eager Lifeshaper and now travels the world to meet and understand Caelia’s many races and creatures as well as to lend her unique talents to those in need.

Name: Eifah Vritra

Race: Distorted

Faction: Guardian

Classes: Nightblade/Bomber

Gender: Irrelevant

Age: Pointless

Height: 5’10

Weight: 152 lbs

Eye Color: Black

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Skin Tone: Light Brown

Physical Description/Dress Style:



Eifah’s appearance is both enthralling and horrifying to many. Her expressions often speak of the dark bliss and ecstasy that comes from being intoxicated with far too much dark power. Full lashes fall over completely black eyes that are often either closed or half-lidded while full lips remain parted and pouted in heavy breaths and heady whispers or upturned as the result of some unknown delight. Her skin is of a warm, light brown though darkened in places. Her hair is actually a mass of long, dark tendrils.

Her figure is statuesque with a mix of healthy curves and athleticism and the thumbs, forefingers, and middle-fingers on her hands extend into blackened claws. Her movements are eerily graceful and less akin to those of a humanoid than they are of an immense hunting cat stalking its prey. At the same time, she randomly appears in the place of others’ shadows or her own. Those that gaze upon her are often unsure if it is a trick of the mind instilled by her dark aura or if she is simply coming that close to killing them and yet holding back at the last moment.

When walking about towns, she is often ironically clad in sheer, white, form-fitting dresses or the tight outfits one might expect on a horse-rider. Further adding to the perpetual bliss on her face is that she often adorns her ‘hair’ and wrists with bright, local flowers. However, when danger arises, her shadow embraces her and coalesces into a horrifying suit of leather and bone perfectly tailored to her body. No matter the form, she always carries sashes, belts, and pouches holding several vials filled with glowing mixtures.


Background Information:

(Warning: Eifah’s past contains instances of murder, torture, horror, and non-consensual sex. Turn away now if any of this bothers you!)

“In the end, I got exactly what I wanted. But in the race to acquire it, I lost people that were dear to me. They deserved better and I fight to ensure that their dream…the dream of all Guardians will never die. But make no mistake… I do this for me, too. I will have any and everything I desire. I will show the world that mere humans can wield power, too.” - Eifah Vritra

The powerful magics of the Fae and Loreseekers. The awe-inspiring technology of the Mechanists. The wondrous forms of the Empusae. Eifah witnessed all of these as she grew, for her parents were traveling Alchemists and merchants both. Each of the other races held something that her she and parents lacked… Power. Eifah learned the value of true power early on as it became readily apparent that wherever her parents plied their trade, non-Severed that purchased their wares often looked upon them with pity or disdain. Some of that made for good business as sympathetic customers often bought more alchemically-produced supplies than they actually needed just to help the powerless humans get by in a world that rejected them. Others viewed them as cursed and kept them at arms’ length out of the fear that too much contact would make them the same as the pathetic creatures. Countless jokes and comments were hurled at them and all of these things combined led to Eifah growing up with a massive inferiority complex.

Whereas her parents viewed alchemy as a useful means to provide for their child, Eifah viewed it as a way out and a way to earn respect. She lost herself in vigorous study and experimentation and her parents initially thought it a boon as their child’s projects brought in even more income. She would collect common and exotic ingredients whenever they traveled to a new place and was a bright, eager student at New Haven University when they spent time in their homeland.

Once she grasped the basics however, her experimentation grew ever more bold and reckless. Cute and amusing mishaps became frequent explosions and fires as she stopped at nothing to create and replicate more and more dangerous mixtures. The accidental injury of her father in one freak accident convinced her that she had to strike out on her own. Seeking power was one thing, but her conscience meant that she couldn’t bring herself to do so when it endangered the people she loved. She became a roaming merchant and mercenary and sold her wares to fund her travels and buy rare ingredients for use in formulae she would then test on battlefields.

A chance encounter with a Guardian hero during her travels showed her what true power looked like. Inspired, she followed him back to fortress-city of Dis despite his initial warnings and protests. Her concoctions proved useful to her new friend on numerous occasions during their travels and by the time they reached their destination, she’d made a convincing case for the Guardians to allow her to assist them in their endless war against the Distorted. Openly, she seized this opportunity to study the Guardians and their enemies and devise concoctions that would give the heroes an edge. In private however, she began collecting dangerous ingredients from Asphodel Meadows and the battlefields of Yomi.

She gradually acquired Distorted and Guardian blood, exotic plants, tainted soil, and other materials then held onto them for use in her most ambitious project… Distorted Armor. With specially-crafted Empusae leather as the base and a year of experimentation with bizarre ingredients to provide the enhancements, Eifah created a form-fitting, twisted, and haunted alchemical bodysuit fueled by darkness and alien malevolence. Her singular focus on acquiring power and respect led her to disregard her conscience and common sense and wear it into battle.

Initially, its performance far exceeded her expectations and she was delighted to find that she had dark abilities similar to those of the Guardians she admired while she wore it. However, the armor carried a price. It started with faint whispers in the back of her mind and haunted dreams but soon the armor began to amplify both her power and her thirst for it. Each venture out into the battlefield drugged her with a heightened thrill of the hunt and the bloodshed that always followed. She began to revel in carnage and destruction as the armor slowly absorbed the essences of the alien evils found in Yomi. It then reshaped itself to perfectly fit her body…and corrupt it.

By the time the Guardians started to realize what was becoming of her, it was far too late to stop it. The cursed armor had already gained sentience and merged itself to her body. They imprisoned her in the hopes of keeping her in one place as they worked to find a means to separate her from her own creation. Unfortunately, that time spent under lock and key only served to strengthen its control over her. She began rambling to herself and pleading for her friends to release her so that she could go to Yomi and kill Distorted just one more time. She then started lashing out at them in a growing need to sate her desire to taste another’s blood and suffering. Then, she fell to paranoia and started to believe that those that imprisoned her were jealous and afraid because of her success and growing strength.

After multiple failed attempts to sever her connection to the cursed armor and bring her back from madness, the Guardians were left with no alternative but to destroy her. With a heavy heart, her former traveling companion took it upon himself to perform the deed. By the time he made it to her prison however, she was already completely lost. As he approached her cell, he found the hall covered first in pulsating tendrils, then in absolute darkness. He could hear repeated utterings in the ominous and horrifying language of the Distorted. Though he knew the words not, he understood the intent behind them as the creature formerly known as Eifah extended a dark invitation through the twisted and broken bars of her former cage..

His refusal led to a horrifying battle with an abomination that loosely wore his friend’s face like some sort of twisted joke. And in that fight, he found himself filled with terror at the realization that all of her prior knowledge was being used against him. It knew what to say to disturb him. It knew what imagery to pour into his mind in order to cause him to panic and force him to vomit in fear and disgust. What was worse however, was that he could feel Eifah through it all. He learned that this made her happy. As he struggled against her sickening onslaught, she sang to him that she was having fun. She thanked him for his pained screams and slick blood. In this dark hall, she was everywhere at once. Every element of her thoroughly twisted personality manifested in an inexplicable assault that was just as much about her drawing him back into alien darkness as it was about relishing her newfound unholy power through his pain, despair, hopelessness, and fading life.

He could hear his comrades screaming for him on the outside as she slowly murdered him and made love to his dying body. By the time they penetrated the darkness, she was latched onto his punctured neck and unable to stop herself from drinking of him even as he too began to succumb and change. The chain whips of the other Guardians separated them before they all fought. The eldritch horrors Eifah and her lost friend had become did battle with their former comrades until a Guardian spear ended her former companion once and for all. Though she’d already murdered him and drawn him into corruption, the complete loss of his presence threw her into an intense rage.

When the dust finally settled, she was curled up against the body of her friend and crying in remorse while the other Guardians lay lifeless in pools of their own blood and entrails. Like many before her, a new Guardian was born through the deaths of those that were once close to them. Though his death freed her from complete corruption and she lamented what she did to him and her other friends, she could not deny that a part of her enjoyed the dark power she now fully controlled. She finally had the power she long dreamt of and while it devastated her that the price was her friends' lives, she decided to not let her newfound strength go to waste. She vowed to avenge them and atone by continuing their work. Whether in Yomi or abroad, she has dedicated herself performing acts of heroism in their steads. Unfortunately, she also does this because she delights in horror, violence, and murder. By exerting her alchemical knowledge and dark power over other beings, she can finally prove to the world that the Severed aren’t useless. They can be as powerful as anyone or anything.

Potential Plotlines

Light Fae: Light Fae tend towards the good side of hedonism. They wish to explore the world and share their experiences with others, but only if their company can handle them. They are adventurers, performers, and diplomats driven to keep the peace and show everyone around them the good in life. Whether its getting a stoic Guardian to laugh, helping a Loreseeker enjoy magic for reasons other than the accumulation of power, helping a Mechanist tour a new setting or experience something without tech, or voluntarily giving an Empusae their self to emulate, they're all about love of life and the positive enrichment of it.

Dark Fae: Dark Fae often have the same intents as their Light cousins, but they are willing to take extremes to achieve them. Often times, it's less about those around them and more about maximizing the fullness of their own lives, whether or not others are hurt in the process. While Light and Dark would be both willing to introduce someone to dangerous kinks, for example, the Dark Fae will do it without a care as to whether or not their victim is ready for it. They are more likely to work as mercenaries, provoke fights, and stir up trouble for the sake of it. They aren't always evil, they simply have less compunctions about their goals. They don't limit themselves to just the good in life. They also embrace the bad and the ugly.

Loreseekers: True to their name, the easiest way to get a Loreseeker interested in anything is if there is an item or spell of power for them to pursue. The factions within their societies also have focused interests. Erasers focus on hunting down Voidthralls (even innocent Loreseekers may be on the run to get away from Erasers because they mistakenly associated with a Voidthrall) and are often ruthless in their pursuits and judgement. Cleansing Agents often go to some bizarre realm to restore it to normality or hunt down some dangerous magical creature. Lorekeeper tend to seek out new things to chronicle in their libraries.

Empusae: As Infiltrators are always looking for new ways to weave themselves into a position of influence or power in another race's society, they will likely study someone of importance. Lifeshapers may do the same if only to learn what it would be like to live as their target for a few months or years. Erasers would likely embark on a journey to hunt an errant Shapeless creature within or outside of their lands.

Guardian: A Guardian may be on the road to revisit places and people from their past life or to track down a Distorted being and destroy it before it can claim its latest victim. They could even start as someone who recently snapped out of existence as a Distorted being and is just starting over. Guardian heroism is often about repentance and the protection of anyone that has not experienced the madness of being touched by a Distorted creature.

Mechanist: Mechanist stories could take place entirely in Virtual Reality or designated Augmented Reality districts if the player wishes it. The sky's the limit within virtual spaces. Outside of VR, Mechanists can be exploring a new region to activate a Mana Tower and expand the reach of their people. They could be going after a notorious Scavenger band that has gotten too bold to be ignored.

Alchemist: They often travel to ply their trade selling exotic materials to the other races or travel to observe them and get inspiration and ideas for their experiments.

Every race has multiple reasons to adventure, fight, or politic. A group composed of multiple races will likely have an overarching goal that unites them but will all still have individual missions and motives of their own.

*It should be noted that all races, even Loreseekers and Mechanists will put aside their differences when threatened by Distorted beings. Too much contact or being killed by one will cause anyone to rise again as a Distorted version of their self. More often than not, a newly formed Distorted being will hunt the last persons that saw it or a loved one. They will also possess whatever knowledge and abilities (albeit twisted with alien evil) they had in their previous lives.

[Saleen Shadows]

I am rather excited by this story, and look forward to it coming to fruition. I would love to be an Empusae.

[Lunaris]

Thanks for checking Caelia out and I'm delighted to read of your interests. *pops open a bottle of champagne as it rains confetti* The first taker! Whoo!

*ahem*

Feel free to PM me with what's on your mind! =D

*It should be noted that even if my O/Os don't sync with a player, I am more than welcoming people to find a partner that does and can accommodate them within the setting. =)

[Sain]

Looks like a really cool setting. I have no idea which one I would make character for since all of them give so many good ideas ;D What kind of plot were you thinking of to bring the characters together with?

[Lunaris]

Thank you! =D

Caelia is interesting in that different stories and plots make sense for different races, especially since the Mechanists and Loreseekers are at war with each other. The only thing that brings them together is the presence of murderous Distorted beings. All races will drop whatever they are doing to either run or destroy those creatures on sight because getting killed or captured by one means *becoming* one.

Fae can dip their toes in virtually anywhere and often involve themselves in things just so they can say they did!

Empusae interests and plots are pretty much based on location and whomever they are interacting with (or pretending to be).

Guardians usually appear when Distorted are stalking someone nearby.

Mechanist stories can often be about them trying to activate Mana Towers in other regions (think cellphone towers that allow them to run their tech within range) or living out any sort of experience in VR or AR.

Loreseekers are usually doing what their name implies. Seeking lore or more specifically arcane power. I once had in mind a plot in which a Loreseeker's master went Voidthrall and both summoned and became a Distorted version of their self. Guild by association meant that the apprentice needed to go on the run in order to avoid both her former master, now hideously twisted, and the Loreguards that would undoubtedly destroy them and sever her from her ability to cast.

Alchemists tend to be merchants, traders, and guests in the lands of the Fae, Empusae, and Mechanists.

[Sain]

Hmm...  so what kind scale were you thinking of on a scale between Global level conflict with PCes being actual makers and shakers of the world or everyone being beggars in the same city? I guess not beggars, but can a character be a president or king and stuff?

[Lunaris]

Can a player start as one? I would say no. (A DM controlling an influential leader is a different story). Can a player become one? Absolutely. The idea is that different RPs, even if individually unrelated can potentially contribute to the story of the whole setting. So if a player were to somehow work their way up to Archmage in Lorekeeper society, I would not at all mind if that character joined other RPs or chapters from that point on as an Archmage. Players that would like to take an ambitious route for their characters are certainly welcome to do so. In fact, I encourage it! Of course...said character would definitely have to be careful with the methods they use to attain such power and prestige and (depending on how they got it) be prepared to defend it or keep it.

Of course, how powerful a character could be at onset is likely determined by region/race. An Alchemist for example would have to earn respect and be aware that their formulae will initially pale in comparison to any magic used by other races. A Guardian, on the other hand, would likely start off with a ton of experience given that they lived a previous life before becoming one *and* being one means they are either starting to fight in or are veterans to the battlefields of Yomi.

Loreguards, Cleansing Agents, and Erasers would also lean towards a strong start. Mechanists and Loreseekers could start of strong if a particularly innovative player can whip up a spell or invention that introduces something new to their own society.

Clever Empusae can charm, bluff, or negotiate their way to the top of governments, of course...the higher they get, the riskier it is to fumble.

Any character that does manage to work their way up though...would pretty much be a one of Caelia's notable figures.

I hope that made sense! I get a bit rambly at times. XD

[Lunaris]

Updated to include possible plot hooks for player characters.  :-)

[Lunaris]

All Races now have a Lifestyle section that further details what life is like within the region's cities and towns.  :-)

[Lunaris]

Added more in-depth details to Mechanist factions as well as a class listing for RPs that contain combat.  ;D

[LordRod]

This looks VERY interesting, though very intimidating.  I am interested but not sure where to start.

[SheenaTiger]

Yikes... that is a lot of text up there... skimmed into a few tidbits and have to mark this topic to be read after some sleep ^^;
Though from the skimming I think, the Severed and the Mechanists look interesting to me ^^

[Elven Sex Goddess]

Very nice write up.    I have a idea for a

Race; Empusae, Fraction; The Focused, Class; Monk

The basic gist in what I am envisioning writing her background up.  Is she will be embarking on life journey to gain life experiences to make her a better leader among the Empusae.   

[Lunaris]

@LordRod: Why thank you! Feel absolutely free to PM me with any questions you have. I would say selecting a race is a definite spot to begin as they include enough detail to potentially guide people to what they'd love to try most. Choosing a faction within the race's lore can also help simplify things. And then looking through the Race's classes and seeing which may appeal to your creative appetite can help even more. Basically, Elven Sex Goddess has the right idea!

@SheenaTiger: Yay! Glad you're interested! I wanted to do the absolute best I could to translate all the wild stuff going on in my head. Mechanists are quite popular (this is a good thing!) and with the Severed, I kind of wanted to rebel against what many settings do with humanity. They're usually the most numerous, influential, and powerful. I wanted to reverse that here and make them have to work harder to earn respect and success than any other race on Caelia.

@Elven Sex Goddess: Sounds like a good jumping point and I do like the portrait you chose. But now I have to ask myself why I never once thought of a bunny girl when I was thinking of the myriad forms they could have. XD

Again, please feel free to PM me or continue posting here with questions, thoughts, ideas, and such. =]

[SheenaTiger]

Well yeah, I am working my way through the piles of text to get a better idea.
For the Fae you might want to add something to their title... the used image implies "elves" while according to the text it could be all sort of what one might know from fantasy games and novels... good and evil. I am still within their texts so... will need some more time, RL-stuff like earning money comes sadly first :/

[Lunaris]

That's a good point, Sheena! Every race has multiple pictures representing some of the forms they can take. I went ahead and modified one of them to better illustrate how different they can appear. =]

Yes. Money is a thing that is needed to do other things. Is important. Am understanding.

[Elven Sex Goddess]

@Elven Sex Goddess: Sounds like a good jumping point and I do like the portrait you chose. But now I have to ask myself why I never once thought of a bunny girl when I was thinking of the myriad forms they could have. XD

The very first thing that came to mind was Alice adventures in Wonderland.   The White Rabbit,  herald of the king and queen of hearts.   

[SheenaTiger]

Yay! Finally done reading everything... well... save the guardians. I stopped reading there at some point, they are just not my thing ^^

Several things come to mind...
Fae: not my thing... I am just not the mischievous kind of cat which seems to run through all Fae to some degree, nevertheless, the options seem quite interesting
Empusae: as one of the furry kind, this one would be intriguing... maybe a focuser in a feline shape, maybe switching between 2 or 3, a little bit like a werewolf but never really human nor animal
Mechanist: I read there could be 1-on-1-plays? We should talk ^^ I would like to implement VR and AR but that would mostly exclude other races while experiencing long periods of such... Especially VR as AR would only be an overlay after all.
Alchemist: An Alchemist it would be for me!

Just a little idea quickly incoming

Visually a mix of these 2, like the (slightly) longer hair and face of the right? Definitely with a deep purple as color, reinforced with tinctures she mixes and drinks to keep the color of her hair.
The clothes and a proper pair of glasses like from the one on the left though along with a nice body to show and hide as needed...

Those would be safe tinctures of course, as she is primarily a Chemist with just a hint of experience as bomber, knowing quite well how to make a mixture dangerous or helpful... or to color your skin, hair or eyes in any possible combination you could think up! Now she only needs to find people who will buy her stuff ^^

[Lunaris]

Oh. I don't expect every race to be appealing to every player. Rather I designed the races so that different players could find one or more amongst them that stick out. Something for everyone. =]

That said, Empusae aren't just "furries" per se. There are numerous types among them. I'm going to be posting a character up for each race soon in order to provide clear examples of how characters can be in Caelia.

Guardians are important to the setting mainly because of the role they play in keeping the Distorted in check and their expertise in dealing with them wherever they arise.

I am open to one on ones and am currently working with other authors to get some off the group. PM me about those!

Those are some pretty cool portraits for an Alchemist, yep. =]

[SheenaTiger]

That said, Empusae aren't just "furries" per se. There are numerous types among them. I'm going to be posting a character up for each race soon in order to provide clear examples of how characters can be in Caelia.

...

Those are some pretty cool portraits for an Alchemist, yep. =]

No worries, I got that... but they have the possibility to have the looks... which is not found in enough RP's in my opinion. Though, looks are not everything, which is why I lean more to the other 2 species.

The portraits are only those I liked the most of those I found which combine something that screams at least a little bit "Alchemist"
Without that touch... I would have a lot of pictures usable for characters.

[LordRod]

So after reading a bit more, the setting is clearing up, but not the story type you seek...is this a system or just setting? It implies the latter, but would it be group based, one one, GM'd, co written?

[Lunaris]

Caelia is mostly freeform with just a loose set of parameters for people to adhere to. I personally shy away from running system games but am open to GMs coming in and using Caelia as a setting for their games. In such cases, they are welcome to use a system that fits with the setting and allows for it to work through rolls.

I seek one on ones AND group RPs. I hope to use these stories to further grow the setting and add established characters to its canon (with permission from those that RP in Caelia, of course). In a way, it's almost like an RP MMO in that I hope to have lots of players contributing to the story and advancement of the world. =] I hope to see this first cluster of RPs result in the birth of famous figures, budding legends, and such that newer players can look to and interact with as they get involved later down the line.

[Lunaris]

9-9-2016: Added a blank character sheet template for others to use as well as characters representing two of the races. I plan to do a sheet for a representative of each race over time. =]