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Iroh · Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 1:54 am Post subject: Myth The Fallen RP

Timeline in a nutshell:

1000 years ago, the hero Connacht arose and defeated the Leveler Moagim, the Myrkidia, the Trow, and all variation of assorted unpleasantness. End the Wind Age, enter the Wolf Age.

Approximately 40 years ago, enter the Leveler Balor. He destroyed the Cath Bruig Empire (the most powerful civilized force in the world), freed the Trow, and bound the Fallen Lords to him. All variation of assorted unpleasantness occurs. End of the Wolf Age.

20 years ago, Balor and the Fallen Lords cross the Cloudspine. The Cities of Covenant and Scales are lost, and the Province and the Plain of Scales are ravanged by a series of battles that flowed to and from the mountain passes there. Eventually, the south is lost and the City of Tyr becomes the next bastion of Light.

12 years ago, the Fallen Lords The Deciever and the Watcher lay siege to Tyr, and destory it. Afterwards the two fight each other, and the Watcher barely survives. Infighting among the Fallen Lords causes a lapse in their battles against the Light, but Balor soon regathers them and sends them against the armies of the Light again.

6 years ago, the Nine lead a series of daring and successful assaults against armies of the Dark, but ultimately their efforts are in vain, as the Fallen continue to press forward. The City of Madrigal becomes the bastion of the Light in the West.

Recently, Alric has began preparations for a daring campaign in the East, while the rest of the Nine brace for the Fallen's inevitable attack against the Free Cities of the North.

The World

The Fallen Lords:

Balor: The Leveler, formerly Connacht, Hero of the Wind Age.
"Second Era tradition tells of a hero rising in the East, who loosened the bloodless grip of the wicked things which had dominated his land for time beyond memory ... "
"On the day Muirthemne was razed, the sun rose to reveal an army that seemed to stretch across the horizon, and at its center stood Balor with his standard silhouetted against the morning sun."
"Although the hero of every age of light is different, every dark age is ushered in by the same beast - a transient divinity that seeks only conflict - The Leveler. And so Tireces returned as Moagim to end the Age of Reason - and Connacht, the great hero of the Wind Age, returned as Balor to lay waste to the greatest empire the world had ever known."
"Once known as Connacht, great hero of the Wind Age, Balor returned wearing the mantle of the Leveller to lead the armies of the Dark during the Great War. Chief among the Fallen Lords."
Connacht and his lieutenants fell on us in our moment of weakeness but showed us mercy, instead of returning us to the One Dream, he entomded us in the vaults beneath Rhi'Anon. Then he finished the job that the Oghres has started, virtually erasing all evidence of our culture. And it came to pass that Connacht returned and freed us from our prison tombs. And even tough we recognized that he wore the Mantle of the Leveler, we owned him out existance, so we became allies.

Ancient Evils:

Soulblighter: Twice Born, the Patron of the Hanged, Anshar, formerly Damas, lieutenant of Connacht.
"... some believe that he is Damas, one of Connacht's lieutenants who, while campaigning in the east, learned how to indefinitely prolong his life with human sacrifices and ritual self-mutilation."
"... but he has disappeared into the 'Untamed Lands' before, often for years at a time; always returning with something more unspeakably evil or singularly malignant than the time before."
"...Soulblighter fled to the east into the Untamed Lands... back to the hidden temple where he first studied the black arts..."
"...it is arguable that Soulblighter was Balor's most brutal General... frequently killing those who begged him for mercy... he is the reason that Stöng no longer appears on any map..."
"Truly there is no end to the fiend's malfeasance."
"Soulblighter, like Balor before him, seeks not to conquer but to destroy; to be master of the unthinking dead and their blasted lands."
Balor's second in command during the Great War. Arguably the most dangerous of the Fallen Lords, his cruelty and ambition knew no bounds. Many think that he was once Damas, one of Connacht's lieutenants.

The Watcher: Mad Goat of the Fens, true name is Bahl'al.
" ... the seventh wave of Thrall stumbled and climbed over the slippery, piled dead and Mazzarin saw The Watcher with them and at last knew the number of his days."
Imprisoned by Connacht during the Wind Age, The Watcher only escaped by tearing off his left arm at the elbow, like a wolf chewing through his leg to escape a snare.
"The old stories all tell that when Balor freed The Watcher from his prison under the Cloudspine, one arm was left trapped in his prison of solid rock."
"...Bahl'al spurred his army onward with a blistering wind. Three full days before his army arrived... the citizens of Tyr knew their doom lumbered nearer with each passing hour..."
"Bahl'al descended to the flooded, rusting halls of Si'anwon and under the sea there took no breath for nine days, searching the ruined palaces and temples of the Trow for the dream of unlife."

The Faceless Man: Unknown
"...one of the Ancient Evils, and is so old that no one truly remembers where it was he came from, not even himself."
"...he is completely faceless, without eyes, ears, nose, or mouth."
"...he never sleeps but continually is on the move, as though his life is dependent on it. Like a cat, he doesn’t kill right away, but enjoys playing games – mostly of the psychological sort to reduce his victims to a paranoid state that drives everyone away from them - with his victims and kills in elaborate, sadistic and imaginative ways. It is said that if he is after you, you are doomed."
He has no temper to speak of, and it is this lack of emotion that makes a dangerous foe, for his judgment is never clouded.
Before the coming of Balor, he was rarely seen as an object of fear and legend. He had fought against Connacht a thousand years prior. Connacht became the only man he ever feared, for only Connacht discovered his true name and was able to nearly destroy him. When Connacht returned as Balor, he used the name to force the Faceless Man into a life of service to him.

Those Turned from Light

Shiver: The Voiceless One, Mother of Plauges, First Lady of the Fallen, Loveless Child of the Unwed Dawn, Culwyeh, formerly Ravanna, an ally of Connacht's.
"...that her one weakness was vanity, and showed him how to exploit it."
"Andir remembered stories of the Fallen Lord Shiver killing any tree she brushed as she and her army marched toward Madrigal."
Rabican had heard tales of Shiver's powerfull sorcery and how quickly she had defeated those whom he considered his peers.

The Deceiver: Source of Five Hundred Poisons, formerly Myrdred, an Avatara of Connacht's.
"...The Watcher had been the second or third most powerful sorcerer in living memory... these two had it out after the battle for Tyr... The Watcher barely survived."
"...the farmland surrounding Covenant was choked with the shattered remains of two armies and pregnant with diseases of the blood... It is from this fortress that he issued his commands."
"The Deceiver claims to be held in high regard by the Trow as a being of "furor poeticus"."
"Deranged, arrogant, self-serving... none of these words can fully describe The Deceiver. No wonder his army has always been made up of bewitched men and the walking dead - no thinking being would willingly follow him."
"One of the Fallen Lords who served Balor during the Great War. His rivalry with the other Fallen Lords led to his downfall."

The Lurker: Bonesplitter, Twice-born Daughter of Flood and Famine, formerly the Avatara Bheil.
"...convinced her that everyone was out to get her – everyone she loved, everyone she cared about. There were enemies lurking in the shadows, he told her, who would hurt her and make her suffer. She surrendered and pledged allegiance to Balor."
She is called the daughter of Flood and Famine, for she can bring those disasters upon the world.
"She, like her imagined enemies, took to lurking in the shadows breathing fear down her the necks of her enemies."
"...has become but a fairy tale story, told to children that she lurks in the shadows, hides behind the doors and waits to spring for those who disobey. She resides in the nightmare world of sleep, coming out to strike fear. The truth is much more terrifying. She is the Bone-Splitter"

The Nine:

Rabican, Murgen and Maeldun, left to right. Three of the Nine Avatara leaders of the Light.

Alric: Leader of the Nine, former King of the Southern Provinces.

Alric is a former Prince of the Covenant. He lived a sheltered and relatively peaceful life, where Balor and the Fallen were but a distant rumor, a story by travelers…until he was fifteen years old. His old life ended. Balor's forces attacked, destroying his city, his kingdom, and his family. He escaped thanks to an elderly but loyal servant who showed him a secret tunnel that run under the lengths of the city. For several days, he wandered the countryside, starving, cold and traumatized. Thanks to the help of a village leader, he found a legendary World Knot and made his way to Madrigal.
There, he swore that he could destroy Balor for destroying his life. Followings rumors, he left the city for the countryside, where he found a swords-master, and a retired general. The general agreed to train him, and so began Alric’s life in exile, which lasted for nearly twenty years. He trained under the general, learning tactics and becoming a master swordsman. He changed during that time, his personality hardened. He became cold, ruthless and calculating.
Following strange paths, he learned of Dreams, in particular the Dream of Dispersal, which he was able to use to great effect. When he was twenty-seven, he left the general and began raising an army. With this army, he won astonishing victories for the Light, and drew the Nine, the most powerful Avatara in the world to him. They gave him their allegiance and he became their leader.

Rabican: One of the Nine. A powerful warrior and Avatara of Light Dreams.

Rabican is the Master of Light Dreams and the most vehement in the fight against Balor. He is immensely powerful and yet not powerful enough. He deemed that his own powers of Light needed to be enhanced and so he sought out the Well of Souls and became transformed into a demigod, sacrificing in the process much of his humanity and distancing himself from the other Nine. making him the most powerful wielder of Dreams of the Nine. Yet it was not enough, for the Ancient Evils and Those Turned from Light were stronger still. He and Nelarn were the ones who pushed for the idea of bending knee to Alric and serving him.

"As the Well of Souls opened itself unto him, he drew its power into himself, feeding on the lifegiving energies, making himself neigh immortal, a demigod among the Avatara, to mark out those corrupt and evil. Yet still not enough to defeat the Fallen."

Cu Roi: One of the Nine. Hermit Avatara, wielder of the Nature Dreams.

Cu Roi is one of the Nine, with powers over the Dreams of Nature. He does not normally associate with men, but with the wild beasts and the Forest Giants. He wars against Balor to save forest and to save nature. He can communicate with animals, can control the plants and life itself. Of the Nine, he brings to the table a unique perspective on the workings of the land, the deeds of men and the wars of Balor. Unlike the other Nine, though, he does not actively fight unless he must. He chooses instead a passive resistance – building of defenses, the seeding of new forests, and the establishment of new life. But in time, even he came to recognize that it was not enough, and so joined the cause of Alric, and promising him the powers of the Wilderness would be turned against Balor.

"Upon the shoulders of the Forest Giant rode a man in furs, with eyes that looked as ancient as the forest itself... at his feet ran a pack of wolves, and behind a host of other creatures from the wood."

Maeldun: One of the Nine. An Avatara from Tyr, and a renown general and master of Energy Dreams.

Maeldun is one of the Nine, and the Master of Energy Dreams. Of the Nine, he is the best strategist and most effective general, due to his long experience on the battlefield. Time and time again, he was able to turn back the forces of Balor against impossible odds, and time and time again, he rallied his troops to victory. His troops are enamored of him and many consider him one of the greatest heroes of the age. Of all the Nine, he seemed to have the best chance to defeat Balor. But the forces against him were great and only growing greater. He realized that this was a war he could not win. And so, after a council with the other Nine, he sought out Alric and pledged his services.

"Maeldun's only words on returning exhausted to Tyr from a long campaign in the East to find half the city burning after a raid by pirates from Leix were 'Show me the way to Leix.'"
"Sycorax the Pirate King, standing at the bow of his great flagship, saw but one man standing on the docks of Tyr. He felt the air charging around him, and saw the ripples as the air itself began to rend."

Murgen: One of the Nine. A former traveling Avatara and master of the Elemental Dreams.

Murgen holds within him the powers of the Elements. He is known as the Traveling Avatara due to his travelling nature. Unlike most of the other Nine, he does not possess an army but goes to the areas where he believes that need his help the most, and offers his assistance to the army and the leaders. Despite his good intentions, he is known in some areas a wind of ill fortune, for his coming typically means that the forces of Balor will not be far behind. Nonetheless, he is a courageous soul and never refuses to give up or stop fighting, no matter how many rulers think about his arrival. He joined Alric eventually, doing as he always did. But he did not show up for the Council of the Nine, but made his own consuls and followed them instead.

"Have you ever flown with the elemental spirits of the winds, or watched the tempest sweep across the land, or witnessed the fury of the earth as it churns and rends itself in its unbridled might?"

Numeril: One of the Nine. An Avatara of the North, wielder of the Ice Dreams.

Numeril is an Avatara of the Northlands, with mastery of the Snow and the Ice. He first summoned the powers of Ice in his late teens, summoning a blizzard to show off to his friend Jarlnir, in the middle of July. Equipped with his strange new powers, he set out into the world and taught himself. He decided that he was a dangerous man who would bring misery on his village and began a self-imposed exile. He struggled to learn his powers, but it was difficult for there were few who could teach him. Magic was a rare gift. He stumbled upon fragments of scrolls, books and runes and he began to derive knowledge of his powers. He eventually became strong enough that he attracted the attention of Alric, and was recruited into the fight against Balor. He was acknowledged a powerful Sorcerer, and became one of the Nine.

"The field was covered in a blanket of snow... it flew all around him, so intense that it blinded him almost completely... Jarlnir could only gape, for it was the middle of July, and the sun was blazing."

Nelarn: One of the Nine. Ancient Avatara, and priest to Wyrd who wields Sky Dreams.

Nelarn is the most ancient and the wisest of the Nine. He was there long before any of the others, and his wisdom was legendary. He lived upon the pinnacle of a mountain, where Earth met Sky and would permit men to come and ask him questions. But he dreamed of the coming of Balor, he disappeared and was not seen again. He was the first of the Nine to approach Alric, for he had seen that Alric was the only way to victory. Despite his power and wisdom, he agreed to bow knee to Alric.

"He was the most ancient and wise of all the Nine, and he could have led them if he wished... but instead he bent knee to another, for he had seen in his dreams that it was their only hope."

Orlino: One of the Nine. Avatara of the Cath Bruig, master of Fire Dreams.

Orlino is the master of Fire Dreams. He stood against Balor even as Alric marshaled his forces, and he stood proud, and alone. He destroyed single-handedly an entire force sent by the Leveler to destroy him, and stood alone afterwards in a wasteland of his own creation, bowing in reverence to both the dead and the land. He did not wish to join Alric’s cause at first, believing that he needed no one. But the Leveler was mighty, and even he came to realize that he could not stand against the forces of the Leveler alone and yet live. And so he came to Alric after Alric had left and pledged his services for the duration of the war, until Balor had been vanquished.

"A mile wide swath of earth had been obliterated... littered with deep craters and burn-marks and scorched pieces of the dead... Orlino bowed his head in reverence. For the dead, and for the land."

Phexios: One of the Nine. Reclusive Avatara, wielder of Darkness Dreams.

Phexios is the holder of Darkness Dreams, and is a recluse. He lived alone in a large city, and avoided the brewing conflicts as best he could. He was at one point in time a general and a strategist, he was a mercenary fighting wars of kingdoms for whoever would pay him the most. His face bears long and jagged scars, running vertically down the sides of his face, courtesy of an early life on the streets, and his confrontation with the Untamed King. Following this event, he became a recluse. He was one of the last of the Nine to join, and then only when the others approached him and told him that his services were needed…and that the Untamed King had joined the cause of Balor. At councils of the Nine, he speaks rarely but always listens and because of this is a keen judge of character.

"At the councils of the Nine, he would stand apart from the others and say little... this man who had reduced entire armies mere sanguine stains and brought the Untamed King to his knees, was shy of his peers."

The Undead:

Thrall:
The reanimated corpses of humans who fought against the Fallen and lost. Because they're dead, Thrall are ponderously slow, but they will also withstand a great deal of damage before the foul soreries that keep their bodies upright fail. Another one of the benefits of being undead that Thrall enjoy is not having to breath, this allows them to remain underwater indefinitely. The only weapon that the mindless Thrall can use with any degree of success is an ax.

" ... the seventh wave of Thrall stumbled and climbed over the slippery, piled dead and Mazzarin saw The Watcher with them and at last knew the number of his days."
"...they attacked the city of Covenant... reinforced not only by the slaughtered town folk and farmers... but also by the plunder of catacombs, crypts and cemeteries of a thousand years."

Souless:
The souls literally stolen by sorery, the Soulless slowly float across the countryside; leaving pestilence and corruption in their wake. Their weapon of choice is a barned javelin anointed with a toxin that causes excruciating pain that can build up to fatal levels.

"...also known as 'Hollow Men'. The Soulless' weapon of choice is a barbed spear anointed with a venom which causes excruciating pain... wounds contaminated by the toxin never heal..."
"...souls stolen by sorcery, these once-human minions of The Dark exist only to torture and spill the blood of the living... leaving pestilence and corruption in their wake."

Myrmidons:
A race of warriors who betrayed the light when Balor promised them immortality. Three hundred years later, their decayed bodies still walk, held together only by rotting bandages and the desire to rend flesh from the bodies of the living. Myrmidons carry two Gridaksma Blades, composed of a human femur capped on each end with the steel blade of a scythe. A few deft swings will cut a swath through almost anything.

While still flesh and blood, the Myrmidons were most vain about their long hair and body paint, spending the eve of battle before a mirror rather than in a bedroll.
Desirous of power and immortality, the warrior race of the Myrmidons left their northern kin to join Balor and the Fallen Lords, and so they became known as The Kithless.

Names: Gorerage, Lifelust, Swordslaughter, Bloodhunger, Battleslaughter, Warwilling, Angerflame, Greedhunger

Wights:
A stitched up corpse, given new life by dark magic as a breeding ground for virulienet disease and foul decay. The wight shambles up to its target and plunges its dagger into its gas-filled body causing it to explode, shaking the earth around it, destroying anything in its immediate vicinity and coating everything with a thin film of pus, which induces a brief paralysis.

"...once known as the Messengers of Culwyeh, a name now forgotten by all but the most devout pupils of Necromancy, these miserable creatures seek only release from their hellish existence."
"...preceding the assault on Covenant... two score and nine wights were herded into the Tiber an hours march from the city, there to stand until they burst, rendering the water undrinkable."

Ghasts:
These Undead are the corpses of villagers and other commoners, and are the first stage in what will eventually become a Wight
"Its fist struck my face and a strip of putrescent flesh sloughed off, adhering to my cheek... my brain disconnected by the horror of it... if not for the fast action of my comrades..."

Shades:
The reanimated corpses of long-dead sorcerers, Shades take great pains to avoid running water (since they can only cross it by using a bridge) and act as a conduit for the evil magic of the Fallen Lords.
"...Turquine so mistreated his subjects that even his personal guard abandoned him... he agreed to endure the indescribable tortures of the Fallen that he might have his revenge."
"A house gutted by fire, a well poisoned with carrion, what had been sheep in the morning spread like a thick jam against the long wall of the barn..."

Names: Turquine, Sinis, Mazzarin

Races and Cultures:

The Dark:

Ghols:
The Ghol is a swift beast which drags its knuckles as it lopes along the ground. Their speed makes them incredible souts, and although they are relatively weak they an dash up a hill and hack a group of archers to pieces before they have a chance to react. The Ghol wields a cleaver longer than its own lengthy and muscular arms. Ghols can pick up battlefield detritus and hurl it at their nearest enemy. Axe blades, dwarven grenades, explosive pieces of wights, and scattered limbs of the dea can be picked up by Ghols and used for a more destructive attack.

"The Ghols worship enormous pieces of unworked stone, moved in antiquity to the open meadows far below their mountain dwellings. They alone remember the names of the dark gods."
"The Ghols have forever been at war with the dwarves around Myrgard and Stoneheim, and the rape of the dwarves' ancestral home there has been the Ghol's rabid dream for centuries."

Names: Crusher, Masher, Breaker, Snapper, Smasher, Killer, Grinder, Gnasher, Screamer, Splitter, Eviscerator

Trow:
The Trow are relics from a forgotten age. During the height of their golden age they were responsible for the creation of many complex megalithic structures, but as their civilization declind they began enslaving their lesser brethren, the Oghres, to construct their cyclopean edifices. Finally, during the Wind Age (after many centuries of domination at the hands of thier cruel masters), the Oghres attempted to throw off the shackles of Trow tyranny. The resulting war left the Trow city-states severely weakened and the Oghres extict. The hero Connacht took advantage of this conflict and entombed the Trow where none would ever discover their barrows, and melted their icon cities into the ice. Since that time, the continent as been free of brutalization at their massive hands.

"Initially we thought the barn we were hiding in had been magicked away, but then we saw the unmistakable silhouette of a Trow becoming more and more distinct through the settling dust..."
"When asked of the source of their [Forest Giants] animosity towards the Trow, all were silent. After a time the eldest among them looked down and seemed to weep, 'It was they who poisoned the soul of iron.'"
"The Callieach eventually came into conflict with the Trow, and were destroyed in that conflict. In their final days, rather than be hunted to extinction by the Trow, they destroyed themselves and their hunters, leaving behind the Great Devoid."

Names: Igne Ferroque, Tympanum Caput, Saxum Pugnus, Pugil Stultus, Tonitrus Femuf, Auris Morsus, Dolabra Index

Fetch:
Priestesses summoned from another world by Balor for their magical abilities. Disturbingly pround of their ability to singlehandedly decimate legions of veteran warriors, the Fetch wear the skins of the men they've electrocuted as trophy and warning. The Fetch fires blasts of electricity from its withered fingertips.

"We know not whether Fetches wear the skins of men out of necessity or whim, but we do know they are not from our world and their arrogance is without equal among the minions of the Fallen."
"When first glimpsed, I thought it a devil; when it spoke, it spoke with the voice of an angel, but its true nature was masked by the louse infested skin it wore."

Warlocks:
The Warlocks from the Scholomance, ancient allies of The Deceiver and collaborators of the Fallen Lords, delving into magics from Dreams other than Wyrd's, too frightening to imagine for many of the world, losing their souls as a price for the power they wield.

"...drawn to forbidden lore and others wise in the ways of the metaphysical sciences as a moth is to a flame... they are doomed by the very knowledge that gives them power over other men."
"The Warlocks are grim, humorless men; their hearts hardened by the secrets learned in the pursuit of power. And when a Warlock grins, it is unlikely you would find his thoughts amusing."

Names: Ceannard, Malairt, Admillin, Caithim, Aibistear, Abharsair, Braman, Breamas, Diabhol

The Light:

Forest Giants:
Massive wooden dwellers of Forest Heart. Their emnity with the Trow goes back for centuries. The towering Forest Giant can swat smaller enemies out of his way, and beat larger foes into submission.

"When asked of the source of their animosity towards the Trow, all were silent. After a time the eldest among them looked down and seemed to weep, 'It was they who poisoned the soul of iron.'"
"On the last day of the siege at Seven Gates a priest asked the Giants present of their faith. A young one showered the man with chips of stone as he struck the ground, 'The Earth is our Faith.'"

Names: Grayleaves, Graybark, Oldbark, Deeproots, Longbranches, Hardwood, Wisebark, Oldgrowth, Highbranches

fir'Bolg:
Formerly enemies of humans and their nations, the fir'Bolg changed their minds when they realized they didn't stand a chance against the Fallen Lords by themselves. They fare poorly in hand-to-hand combat, but their archers' skill is so well-developed that most foes don't get that close.The fir'Bolg archers are renowed for their dead aim and steady hands.

" ... though the Ghols were afraid to kill him after his capture at Myrgard they dislocated his arms at the shoulder with a chisel to prevent him from ever drawing a bow again."
Long enemies of the civilized nations, the truce which brought the fir'Bolg and their famed bowmen into the Light was forged by ou'Kahn the Great King and Caliban during the Sword Age.

Names: he'Rero, il'Edi, ka'Fou, ka'Lemba, ka'Tanga, ke'Nyatta, ki'Ntampo, ku'Bhasah, kwe'Si, ma'Pungu, mho'Ndoro

Dwarves:
Dwarves and short, stocky creates with a love of explosives and a passionate hatred of Ghols. Dwarves throw small bottled willed with an unstable concoction which explodes powerfully upon impact. Most of the time, anyway.

"Iri trekked for three days through Ghol haunted hills, eating as he walked, sleeping between footfalls; he ran for the last 5 hours, traversing the 26 mile wide corpse-filled morass ringing Covenant..."
"The early Dwarven eddas always speak of heroes 'having gone north into the mountains to slay Ghols', but most repeated is the tale of Dvalin son of Alfrigg, third ephor of Stoneheim ...
"We were glad to see Oleg when he finally returned to the grove, but when we saw that his pack was empty we all covered our ears... sizzling bits of Thrall came raining down for what felt like hours."

Names: Oleg, Etri, Balin, Gimli, Iri, Uni

Berserks:
Berserks are human warriors from the North who forego conventional armor for the sake of speed. Their bare, battle-scarred flesh doesn't protect them much, but the speed and ferocity of the Berserks' attack gives them a definite edge, especially when they attack in groups. However, their eagerness to attack may make them difficult to control. Berserks use giant claymores to lop off pieces of their opponents until those opponents stop moving.

"Though Egil and his men bristled with javelins their charge did not falter, and they fell upon the Hollow Men with such ferocity that even the Thrall seemed to be frozen with horror."
"A berserk at the Stair of Grief, having been told that the hosts of the Soulless were so many that their spears would hide the sun, is said to have replied 'Then we shall fight them in the shade.'"

Names: Bran of the Iron Skin, Hrungnir Bereft of Fear, Bram with Screaming Iron, Hervard of the Bloody Stump, Angtyr the Sword Lover, Tyrfing Slaughter's Son, Baugi Widow's Husband

Journeymen: These men are all that remains of the Empire of the Cath Bruig. Formerly the guards of the Emperor, they disbanded and wandered the earth after the Fallen Lords destroyed Muirthemne and everyone in it. Journeymen, when pressed into battle, swing the shovel of a common laborer.

"Returning to the ruin Muirthemne had become in their absence, the deathless Heron Guards each tore nine gold tiles from the palace wall, every one the weight of a grown man ... "
"Their healing ritual has its roots in the initiation rites of the Heron Guard, but what brings about immortality in a truly exceptional person merely restores the vitality of lesser men."
"...upon being reborn as a member of the deathless Heron Guard... the date of his initiation, according to the calendar of the old kings of Cath Bruig, would serve as his new name..."
"Not a palm's breadth free of wounds on his body, Five Motion Bloody Jaguar knelt to kiss the earth and drawing strength from her rose to charge the thickest gathering of the enemy."

Names: Eight Flint Deer, Twelve Eagle Falling Sun, Six Motion Bloody Jaguar, Five Heron Waiting Cactus, Eight Pride Stalking Rabbit, Three Vulture Drum

Men of the Westlands (The Province and the Free Cities of the North):
The humble farmers who feed the West, suffering the worst in every conflict, conscripted before age fifteen to fill the ranks of the army, or the few survivors of the human armies which have not yet fallen to Balor's forces of the undead. These men have survived previous encounters with the Fallen Lords, and might be able to do it again.

After the armies of The Province were finally broken at Covenant, the survivors scattered among the free cities of the North, taking their arms with them.

Names: Mauriac, Adalard, Aethelwulf, Curran, Derek, Ajax, Avis, Barret, Esme, Kenway, Bevan, Bevis, Montago, Moliere, Billie, Brenainn, Calhoun, Casey, Cathal, Aldwyn, Allard, Chadwick, Farrell, Aethelweard, Garner (and a great many common, modern names)

Artifacts:

The Tain: Artifact forged by the legendary Smiths of Muirthemne for Connacht. With this he captured the entire Myrkridian race in a interdimensional prison.

The Tramist Mirror: Ancient magical artifact recovered by Damas in the Untamed Lands. Through some unholy Dream, it makes the uncorperal corperal.

The Bow of Stoning: A mighty bow made of golden wood that is inscribed with a Runestone of Stoning, rendering those struck by it's power stone. It may only be used by an archer of sufficent skill.

The Bow of Storms: Much like the Bow of Stoning, save this is a Dream of Lightning.

Balmung: The Sword of the Cath Bruig Empire, inscribed with a mighting Lightning Dream. Lost after the Sack of Muirthemne.

The Ibis Crown: The True Crown of the Emperor of the Cath Bruig, said to grant tremendous magical power to the rightful wearer. Lost after the Sack of Muirthemne.

The Eblis Stones: Particularly potent fragments of Wyrd that can cause one to become a practical Avatar of Divine Power. There are only five, and they are lost to all mankind.

The Total Codex: A book that chronicles the history and cosmology of the entire world. However, other than the fact it's pages, while seeming infinate, don't occupy any more space than the average tome, the book has no noticably magical qualities.

The Paladin's Flesh: This is a suit of ancient and powerful armor, rendering the wearer nigh invulnerable and tireless in battle. Lost for centuries somewhere in the vast lands of the Cath Bruig Empire, or possibly even Gower. It is now the personal armor of Balor.

World Knots: Ancient sites of power, possibly constructed by Dwarves, as they possess an unusual amount of knowledge regarding them. The knots are four curved, violet pillars with strange markings, which send one to any other World Knot they wish, given one knows how to use it.

Regions:

Forest Heart: The Great Wood in the southeast reaches of the land, home of the Forest Giants and the only land east of the Cloudspine not completely under the rule of the Fallen.

The Ermine: Great Wood between the Free Cities of the North and the Stair of Grief, home to the fir'Bolg.

The Dwarven Badlands: Lands to the east of Forest Heart inhabited by both Dwarves and Ghols. Due to their alliance with the Fallen, the Ghols have managed to drive the Dwarves out of their ancestral home. All Dwarves want nothing more than to blow those beasts to tiny, smouldering bits and reclaim their ancient cities of Myrgard and Stonehiem.

The Untamed Lands: Lands beyond the Dwarven Badlands, little explored and poorly chronicled. Those who live there are often savage in ways, and it is the source of many of the Dark Arts.

The Province: Lands to the southwest coast, past the Plain of Scales. Formerly a kingdom centered in Covenant, it is now vastly controlled by the Fallen Lords.

The Plain of Scales: Lands to the south, to the immediate west of the Cloudspine. Once a kingdom centered in Scales, it is now vastly controlled by the Fallen Lords.

The Free Cities of the North: A group of city-states that were never a unified kingdom, now called so doubly because Madridgal and Tandem are the last great cities free from the Fallen Lords.

The Barrier: Once the verdant and great lands of the mighty Cath Bruig Empire, Balor and his Fallen Lords have reduced this entire landscape to a barren desert, a barrier between the West and the Trowlands.

The Trowlands: The uttermost northeast of the civilized world, a red-soil desert of frequently freezing temperatures. In the ancient ruin of the Trow City Rhi'anon, Balor commands his forces through intimidation and dark sorcery.

Iroh · Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 1:59 am Post subject:

This background contains most of the essential information for making your character and your background. If you have a question, please post it in this topic. I will answer it here.

Because of the nature and rarity of Dream Magic, no character in the RP can be a mage. However, the members of the Nine may be part of events, and may be played by a player who wises it.

The armies of the Light are organized into Legions (the game following, and our characters will associate with the Legion X), not but the Nine often command groups of Legions. The RP will start at about the same time as the game, the summer before the war took an abrupt turn.

Iroh · Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 2:16 am Post subject:

And here are cutscenes from the game. They don't add much, but they can give a feel for the world.

Balor at his fortress
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOYlr2bCt-k

Warriors at a mountain pass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI5Bgk6M0lE

Warriors on a bridge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT-pCKboiNY&feature=related

Alric finds... a head?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbRyxHRnFqA

Soulblighter struck magical artifact!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEwFwC7PI20

Note: Only Alric finding the Head has occured by RP start.

Iroh · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:56 am Post subject:

Just as a reminder:

Most Mythworlders are ignorant of the Cycle.

None of our characters are aware of the Balor = Connacht, or that any of the Fallen are formerly heroes. Even the Nine are not aware of it, as yet.