O.0!! I am having a hunch about something else as well now...which would make things very intriguing indeed. Hmm...
I big reveal! Nikko is a girl. Still trying to figure out how I'm going to reveal her secret to the rest of the characters.
lol did you have that expression too when you read it Mac? mmm....catch me in the right mood and i might even be able to turn your ears red lol
@motormouth1312 I could summarize it for you, but its much more enjoyable to just read it. I for one consider the writing quality of this RP to be very high. Definitely worth reading imo.
I am! Luckily, the sci-fi contest has been given an extension until the 5th of December so I think I will be able work on both the RP and my submission. Keep an eye out all, I plan to write a bit of Hanavar history and then a nice little post. I will be doing them at a relaxed pace though. I suggest you guys try and get a post up just give a little character thought and what they are doing around the camp. Or perhaps come up with a some juicy back story, like @AnonyMouse and @Love to Write did Finally when I am completely done with the contest I am going to do a head count (@Mottahko , @Macaberz , @motormouth1312 , @Keitsumah , @Tara , @Simpson17866 , @Newtonium , @Crumpets ) and then open the RP up to new players. Regards, Your Friendly Neighbourhood Fox
Oh, I'm tagged. Hi Mottahko and I are still doing a collab. It'll probably take some time though, 'cause I'm busy and stuff.
@Crumpets I would, but I just have no idea how to handle Key xD Edit: Also, I am gonna add a bit more to my post, a bit of backstory and getting involved with the rangers...
Got a History of Hanavar post for you guys tomorrow evening to get things restarted. And it's a beast of a history lesson, let me tell you!
I must admit, I am experiencing a little difficulty too, haha. I never thought it would make it harder not to give a character some darker backstory. Why is it that simpler characters seem harder to use? >.>
I told you it's a beast of a post... It's time for another... Hanavar History Lesson! The Three Rings Edition Before The Three Rings The Three Rings were born from the ancient human kingdom of Malak, situated in the very centre of Hanavar and host to what historians would call ‘The Rebellion of the People’, where three brothers commanded an army thirty thousand strong against the city’s leader and villainous high priest Umota-Eb. The city of Malak itself had come to be through the amalgamation of many grand tribes, working together to create a little slice of home. It was a defining moment for humanity, the roaming savages of old coming together to find a permanent place amongst the land. The simplest form of diplomacy was shown as each clan chief would represent their people around the great fire in the centre of Malak, to seek help and argue disagreements. Sadly, most often and not the whole charade would turn into bloodshed, with clans murdering each other and pacts easily broken by the change of the wind. That was until Umota arrived. A man of small stature, yet he was sharp as a knife and as cunning too. He arrived in the city no more than a common traveller, working his way into the one of the weaker tribes known as Eb. But Umota had chosen wisely, for this tribe was led by the largest and most ferocious savage in the land. He was called Mufa and legends say he towered above trees and could lift boulders with a finger. If it were not for his stupidity, he could have taken Malak single handedly. So what did Umota do when faced with the most fearsome human the early world had ever seen? He challenged him of course. Shortly after a grand ritual meal Umota called the chieftain out in front of all the other tribes. Many laughed and Umota was not taken seriously at first, but all that changed when he plunged his dagger deep into Mufa’s wife. Enraged, Mufa quickly accepted the challenge and readied his giant axe to dispatch the puny human. It was so large that he struggled to lift it over his head barely managing to get it passed his shoulder, and that is when Umota struck. The small man charged at his abdomen, thrusting his dagger in over and over and over. The mobs laughter turned to silence as Mufa shuddered onto the floor, his eyes wide and his stare to the heavens, gone forever from this world. Fear spread like wildfire as they watched the little demon raise his dagger in the air with his face drenched in blood, smiling manically at his proud work. How could Umota possibly defeat Mufa? The chieftains called it witchcraft, but he just called it poisoned rice. So Eb had a new leader now. And he used his new found fear factor to mould his men, forcing them to accept his discipline and order. Through this they became a powerful unit, perfecting their crafts to turn leather bound savages into iron clad war machines. Instead of tying together splintered axes they forged swords of steel. Instead of swinging widely they attacked with purpose and venom. And instead of squabbling like tribesman they stood silent in rows, waiting forever until their master commanded. These were the first soldiers of men and they were a terrifying sight to behold. This was the time for Umota to exact his master plan. Or as he was now known: High Priest Umota-Eb, Commander of the Silver Army, Master of Blood and Ruler of Men, Bastion of War and the True Chieftain of Malak. At the next ritual meal, his army of five hundred went against the might of all ten thousand angry savages that laid claim to Malak. They all fought around the grand fire and smoke and blood bellowed into the air. After the dust had settled the Silver Army stood, not a single man missing from their ranks. Malak was finally Umota-Eb’s. Strangely, the city began to prosper shortly after the start of his reign. The commoners vowed to serve in fear, bowing to their new master. He forced them to toil in the mines and the fields and the waters, digging for ore, farming the crops and fishing for salmon. From this, humanity’s prominence rose and soon the likes of the dwarves and the drow came to trade, offering gold for the iron they found. The economy boomed but humanity was still a slave under its own master, and eventually Umota-Eb’s ego became so great that he tasked them with the audacious project of building a golden palace straight up to the heavens. He had grown mad with power. And so cruel too. The Silver Army were merciless against the slaves, beating them into submission if they dared step out of line. The spiral of gold would be built, Umota-Eb was sure of it. However he never counted on four of his own growing a conscience. Four brothers, bound not by blood, but by steel. They were known as Raith, Samus, Terog and Picco. You see Umota-Eb was very proud of his warriors and so he taught them like the sons he never had, hoping to pick out a potential successor. He chose the four final candidates. For years they studied with him to become learned scholars of Umota-Eb’s teachings, from politics to warfare and everything else in between. One particular lesson was a defining moment, where Umota-Eb showed them how he used fear and suffering to keep his slaves in check, showing them the misery and squalor some humans were actually living in. The four of them were incredibly shocked at what they saw and ashamed at how blind they had been. They vowed then and there to murder their leader in cold blood. Strangely the next day Umota-Eb chose Picco as his heir. He took him aside one to one to discuss the next step in his master plan and that is when Picco decided to strike. But Umota-Eb was far too clever. He had planned for this. Expecting the attack, the dreaded high priest struck faster, sinking his dagger in the lad, who had barely pulled his blade out of the sheath. Once he had killed Picco, Umota-Eb turned to the other three. He was unsure whether they had planned to turn on him too but rather than risk it he decided to be rid of them. Yet he had grown too close and because he could not be certain of their betrayal, he could not bring himself to kill them. So he banished them instead. They were told to never step foot in the golden palace, known as Tower Umota, and join the slaves in squalor. It seemed that this would be Umota-Eb’s fatal mistake. For the three brothers, bound by steel and slavery did not rest. In the day they would work as slaves but under the cover of night they shared their priceless knowledge with hundreds of other brothers and sisters, who then shared the same words with others. It took years to coordinate the teachings in secret and train the slaves in combat, but Raith, Samus and Terog had built a grand army right under the nose of Umota-Eb. And he had become very suspicious. Every turn he saw descent and frequent showings of defiance from the slaves. They no longer lived in fear. And slowly, he became the one that was paranoid, closing off sections of the city, locking himself in Tower Umota and banishing non-humans from the city. This worked greatly to Raith, Samus and Terog’s advantage, contacting the dwarves and drow that could no longer trade at Malak, setting up marketplaces with them a few miles from the city. First they just traded wares and supplies but eventually an alliance was formed between the slaves, drow and dwarves, in the promise that they would destroy the tyrant and his home, and build new human cities to boost all economies in Hanavar. They all agreed and planned for the final grand attack on Malak and Umota-Eb. It would truly be a Rebellion of the People. The stage was set. Thirty thousand angry and well trained slaves stood outside of Malak, with the mighty Silver Army opposite staring them dead in the eye. All fifty thousand of them. But the Silver Army never expected ten thousand drow elves and ten thousand dwaves to step up on the horizon next to the slaves. Everyone charged. Steel clashed together. Man fought against fellow man. Blood was spilt. Bodies scattered the floor. In the dawn of the third day Raith, Samus and Terog all rose from the darkness. To call it a victory would be terribly ghastly, for over a hundred thousand soldiers lost their lives: human, drow, dwarven. It is said that only seven hundred slaves survived, while the Silver Army were dead to the last man. The dwarves and drow walked away with only a few thousand each. The battle may have over but the war wasn’t done. Not yet. On their own the three brothers travelled to Tower Umota and fought their way to the tallest point; a pillared open balcony so high that you could see all of Hanavar, from North to South, from East to West. And there they found Umota-Eb cackling madly under the howl of the wind. The old man darted at them feebly with daggers in hand, jabbing at them like a cornered animal. Terog, the strongest and most brutal of the three grabbed Umota-Eb by the throat as he tried to dodge around, and lifted the frail and sickly man off the floor while he choked. Without a word Terog marched to the blustery edge, holding the high priest over by the throat and simply dropped him. Together they watched him fall, lower and lower, listening as his scream slowly faded away. It took forever for Umota-Eb to reach the ground and the trio were so high up that eventually they could not see him. But the slaves below could; they poked his mangled body with their steel as he lay shattered on the floor, a sickly mush of body parts and bones splintered and torn to pieces. Finally, they were free. A feeling the three of them had never had. Yes, they were once part of the Silver Army once, but that wasn’t true freedom. Standing on the top of the golden monolith, gazing at all of Hanavar and its beauty – that was freedom. Raith, Samus and Terog stayed up there for a while deciding what they would do and where they would go. To honour the agreement with the drow and dwarves they decided to split the remaining humans and build three new cities away from Malak. They looked to the horizon and saw three perfect spots, each fitting with what they saw as their paradise. Raith headed towards the north western forests of the Twitching Woods; Samus made his way east to the green mountains that bordered Iria, finding a series of grand waterfalls; and Terog travelled south west where the barren wastelands lay close to the Marshes of Moar. But not before all the humans spent days at the base of Tower Umota to cut down and destroy the old tyrant’s legacy. With battering rams they chipped away at the bottom of the gold and eventually the gigantic tower fell. The great wealth on display was enough to make anyone’s mouth water but the three brothers vowed that no one would ever touch the tower again, cursing it for all eternity. They took all food and supplies that Malak had to offer and then burned the city to the ground, in the hope that it would erase the scar left on humanity. The remains of the Malak are still there, decrepit and haunting, and in its thousands of years as a ruin only a handful of brave adventurers have ever travelled there, with fewer still returning. * * * Though Umota-Eb was a vile and evil man, most historians believe that his discipline and teachings had a great influence on the world today and his work shaped mankind, steering it towards a stronger future. Darn Raith took his share of humans and travelled North West to the Twitching Woods. For weeks they travelled through the forest, hunting and surviving as they went, with Raith determined to find the perfect spot. The deeper they went into the woods, the darker and thicker it became and the trees slowly closed in on the settlers, until they had gone so deep that they came face to face with a wall of roots and trunks. It was white Elderwood, all twisted together to form an impenetrable barrier that any axe or sword would struggle against. They were at a dead end in the overgrown darkness of the Twitching Woods and many of them began to fear for their life, with no escape and no idea of the kind of creatures that lived so deep in the woods. However Raith was unfazed. He pushed on, climbing the impenetrable trees to the very top. It took him days to reach it, the trunks almost moving and sabotaging his efforts, but his determination and perseverance was rewarded. For on the other side was the most beautiful place he had ever seen. Shallow hills of luminous green rolling away in every direction, carrying on for miles with the white Elderwood wall bordering it. The endless fields were open wide to the sun’s rays, its gorgeous warmth filling Raith’s heart and reflecting in a gentle stream that split the land. This was the place, he knew, but creating a path to it would be difficult. He fell with joy back to the others to tell them the wonderful news. They were sceptical at first, calling him mad and scolding him for lying to them. But when a few others made the journey above the trees they realised the magic just beyond the wall. And so they camped for weeks and while the men dug and cut through the stubborn Elderwood, the women hunted and cooked to keep them all surviving. The trunks seemed to have a mind of their own, dropping on top of some of the workers, tripping them up from time to time and even swinging at them. Most were worried about this. They felt the wood might be cursed but Raith saw it as potential, a chance for his city to have impassable walls that defended themselves. There was definitely something to them though. A magic of some sort. Though Raith had decided to create a gate into the utopia, he made sure that once they had broken through they would never cut into the Elderwood wall ever again. And broke through they did. Those that had not climbed the tree were instantly dazzled by the immense mecca of land that lay sprawling before them and they could only thank Raith for making them persevere. The city was named Darn, after one of the poorest areas of squalor back in the old land of Malak, where most slaves that had died were thrown into mass graves. Raith had chosen this name to honour them and to remember those that had been killed so they could be free. The settlers quickly got to work building farms from white Elderwood (not from the wall) and fishing from the long crystal blue stream. It didn’t take long for Darn to grow, as the fish came in abundance and the crops grow to glorious heights and to this day Darn is still the main source of food for the entire realm. A top the largest hill Raith created a castle, where other business could be done away from the toil of the farms. It was again created from white Elderwood, a type of wood that was actually found to be inflammable, much to the delight of Raith. The castle began to prosper as people from all over the realm came to trade and soon the castle had grown into a village, then a town and now in the present day a bustling city. While it pales in comparison to Terog for population, it boasts the strongest economy of all three cities, its main produce its crops. There are also a vast amount of shops that surround the castle, such as fletchers, blacksmiths, clothiers, shoemakers and more, equally adding to the profitability of Darn. Terog Terog decided to go South West with his settlers, hoping to find a harsh land that would test him and his people. The other travellers knew what they were in for though, they knew the type of man Terog was. That was why they followed him, for out of the three brothers he had been the strongest figure, the one that would lead them through the darkness and back into the light. They found a spot in the middle of a dry and thirsty salt flat, the ground cracked like broken glass. Terog could only smile at what he had found and began construction of the city, aptly named after himself. Forcing harsh labour on his settlers they mined the single mountain nearby, creating large bricks of sandstone to build with. However, rather than build multiple buildings Terog was more content with having one communal area that everyone lived in. The base of this building was huge, enough to fit shared bedrooms, a marketplace, a throne room, kitchens, blacksmith shop and more, all with the massive fire pit in the middle which was seen as the dining area. But not content with it, Terog demanded another layer for his grand city and so the residents built on top of the foundations. More kitchens and bedrooms were put in for the rapidly growing population, plus a school and a barracks. The middle was kept empty though so that all on the second floor could see the grand fire pit, which in time became the symbol of Terog. But still, the people’s great leader was not content and year after year he demanded more layers for Terog, building it higher and higher until the whole place resembled a tower, and a wide one too. Some frowned upon his methods, believing that he was imitating Umota-Eb by having a tower but he merely laughed at them, citing that it was a practical build with no wasted space on Hanavar and a clear view of all enemies in any direction. When Terog the man died, the city was a mile wide in every direction and twenty stories high with every floor able to stare down the middle in the grand fire pit. His funeral was held in there and his body was cremated on top of the fire so that his ashes and smoke would rise up through all his glorious work. Now, in the present day, Terog is easily a hundred levels tall with a population of over two hundred thousand humans, as well as a large community of dwarves. The people of Terog felt that dwarves were a hard and strong race, admiring their stalwartness and bravery. However the struggles the dwarves had recently endured had not gone unnoticed and Terog decided to offer them a permanent home. Many accepted the offer, but most continued on their endless exploration together. Unlike the sun elf situation in Darn, dwarves are treated completely equal – in fact some of them have been advisors to the Emperor to Terog in the last one hundred years. Though these choice is not done by a vote. Terog is famed (or infamous) for its violent and severe culture, where steel is used for politics and blood is used for business. Though it is not seen as savagery, it is a tough place to live and an even tougher place to prosper, with those that are too rowdy dealt with by the Emperor’s Arguru, or ‘anger’. Blood is allowed to be spilt if in the rules of honour. Any underhanded tactics or backstabbing is dealt with swiftly and sadistically. Boradith The final pioneers of this human expansion were a clever bunch. Of the three brothers, Samus had been the smartest and the most eager for knowledge. When he stared across Hanavar from the top of Tower Umota he picked out a location of tactical importance, hidden within the green mountain ranges to the East. Together these humans marched across the landscape, following Samus as he searched for his perfect location, much like Raith had to find Darn. Through the valleys that border Iria he explored and as the months passed some of the humans began to doubt what Samus was searching for. Many started to drop away from his group and chose to build villages where they had stopped. But Samus didn’t mind. He had seen the perfect location. He just had to find it again. It was the Fourcrest Mountain that helped him. He remembered it being next to his destined city, the largest mountain in the range, with water running down it into the wide still lake that he was desperate to find. Following the Fourcrest Mountain he turned the corner to find the lake, serene and still. Samus was elated, jumping for joy while the rest stood in bewilderment. Many soon became angry with him for leading them on a wild goose chase but all he did was laugh and jump into the lake. It was madness, and the watched with confusion as he swam close to the middle. And suddenly, he just stood up. All of their mouths gaped open. Samus was standing on water – actually it was more dancing and running than standing. He shouted for all to swim over and they quickly obliged, making their way to the middle. Upon reaching it they were met by a rocky platform just an inch below the water, the very one which Samus was now running about on. And it was here that Samus built his city, Boradith. They raised a foundation atop of the underwater platform and began to build the city, implementing a sewer system early that let the gentle water take the waste away downstream, towards a waterfall at the end of the lake. Not only that, but Samus was insistent on harnessing the water’s power to create more a more efficient city. Though the lake was calm where they were, the people built mechanics to manipulate it to create a hydro power for the city. Through this watermills were made and other inventions too: clever fishing traps, sewage pumps, water filters and cleaning systems. The city was like a cloud floating low across a calm sea, reflecting into the watery mirror. It was crafted beautifully as well, with a mix of white clay found near the mountain and some Elderwood traded from Darn. And because of this combination of beauty and knowledge, the mysterious drow and sun elves would come to share secrets with the people of Boradith. It was here in this city where humanity learned of magic and truly grasped its understanding of it. When he had grasped it, Samus, now in his old age used his new found power to light the city, through a mix of magic and water energy. The magic lighting was constantly maintained thanks to the clever water systems that harnessed the hydro energy. Not only that, but magic was then attached to all inventions and experiments, blasting Boradith into the future in terms of technology. This made the residing sun elves angry, while the drow were worried about the consequences of such great energy. The drow voiced their concern but the sun elves were less subtle, attempting several sabotages with the Boradith’s experiments. For the sun elves were unhappy that the humans could create a city better than theirs and decided to squash Boradith back down to size. But the humans found out. And both the sun elves and drow were banished for what they had done. The drow were understanding towards the humans of Boradith and still to this day blame the sun elves for being removed from the city. A select few drow have been invited to study at Boradith in recent years, but no one else non-human.
@Fan7asticMrFox that was an amazing read. I am beginning to see the vastness of Hanavar now and is truly awe-inspiring. Really makes me feel like I, through my characters, am part of this incredible, rich world. I am drooling...
