Talk:Elemaer
This page is under construction, as a new Elemaer Guide is taking shape specifically to be put here. [Spleen]
I'll shape YOUR guide!
Pdrydia 19:22, 16 March 2006 (PST)
Really? Thanks! I need, like, five or six paragraphs on daily life in the Great City of As'nar. Plus a couple on Elemaer's First Age, before the First War of the Gods. Keep me posted on how it's going, will you?
Spleen 19:28, 16 March 2006 (PST)
No. Not at all. :[
-- 09:38, 17 March 2006 (PST)
Dia eat ded links. --Dia 20:37, 9 February 2007 (PST)
original guide
ELEMAER
Elemaer is a world, the size of Earth, that sits in the center of its own universe as the greatest creation of the six gods that originally controlled it. However, due to wars between the gods and the Great Demons, the defection of the God of Darkness, Su'riik, and the filling of all the lands of Elemaer with ferocious monsters, the world of Elemaer has become one unsafe for humanity. The only hope for the people of Elemaer is the actions of the Orders of the Elemental Gods, the proud chosen of the gods themselves, given powerful magic and blessed with great military might. Only the strength of the Elemental Orders could possibly save Elemaer and return the power of the gods to its proper pedestal - if only they could unite once again.
THE GODS
The Elemental Gods originally numbered six - a god of Fire, of Water, of Earth, of Air, of Light, and of Darkness. However, during the Second War of the Gods between the Elemental Gods and the Great Demons, Su'riik, God of Darkness, was revealed as a traitor. He and his followers - the Order of Darkness - were exiled from Elemaer after the indecisive, bare-bones victory of the gods. The gods are as follows:
Krad, God of Fire, a warlike deity as fierce and unpredictable as the inferno he embodies. He appears as a huge (nearly eight feet tall), heavily-armored man of brooding but handsome features and wild, black hair, carrying a gigantic sword bigger than himself. This blade is the En'tar, which cleaved and destabilized the first particle of matter, causing it to explode and create the raw materials and energy necessary for the formation of Elemaer. Some of Krad's more prominent lesser domains are over soldiers, war, blacksmithing, physical strength, and comedy. The Guardian Beast of Fire is Zafer the Burning Lion. Krad's gift to the human body is the blood, and his gift to Elemaer is its molten core.
Trixer, God of Water, a kind, benign god who enjoys peace and tranquility. He is the essence of planning and calculation. He appears as a young blond man with the robes of a scholar, carrying what appears to be a finely decorated trident chiseled from a block of ice. This trident is called the Varashalm, and with it Trixer made the first fish to feed the first humans with until they could support themselves. Some of Trixer's more prominent lesser domains are over drama, scholars, prophecy, literature, and research. The Guardian Beast of Water is Aen'zys, the Frozen Dolphin. Trixer's gift to the human body is the brain, and his gift to Elemaer is its seas.
Verir, God of Earth, a wise and steadfast god who serves as mediator and divine judge. He takes the form of a wizened old sage with a long, white beard and flowing robes, leaning on a gnarled wooden staff, called the Neva-tharos. When Verir is acting as judge, he hangs scales from his staff and uses them to weigh facts, evidence, and truth to come to the right decision. Some of Verir's more prominent lesser domains are over sculpture, wisdom, justice, consistency, and farming. The Guardian Beast of Earth is Gaezal, the Stone Bull. Verir's gift to the human body is the skeleton, and his gifts to Elemaer were the moons, Derinos and Calinar.
Laetha, Goddess of Air, a free-willed and creative goddess who represents both life-sustaining breath and the wild, untamed storms. Laetha manifests as a beautiful blond-haired woman in the garb of a huntress, with a pair of huge eagle's wings on her back. She carries a bow, called the Baht'isnah. Arrows fly from this bow with such force that the shockwaves from Laetha shooting some arrows into the sky formed the Kal'inur mountain range, the largest known mountain range on Elemaer. Some of Laetha's more prominent lesser domains are over instrumental music, hunting, ingenuity, weather, and pregnancy. The Guardian Beast of Air is Far'hinnis, the Falcon of Lightning. Laetha's gift to the human body is breath, and her gift to Elemaer was its atmosphere.
Alexairea, Goddess of Light, a motherly deity who exists to bring peace to the world of Elemaer. She manifests as a beautiful woman with black hair, wearing a golden robe. On each of her fingers (except her thumbs) is a ring, set with a brilliant stone representing one of the eight brightest stars in Elemaer's night sky. She holds a shield, the Niedis-Kur, which supplies the light for Elemaer's sun, Thienis. Some of Alexairea's more prominent lesser domains are over protection, parenthood, truth, peace, vocal music, and the sun and stars. The Guardian Beast of Light is Ean'iies, the Brilliant Stag. Alexairea's gifts to the human body are the senses, and her gift to Elemaer was its sun.
Su'riik, former God of Darkness, a wicked and traitorous deity. He was stripped of his position as God of Darkness after defecting to the side of the demons during the Second War of the Gods. However, Krad and the other Gods could not take his power from him. He manifests as a thin, bony, pale-skinned man in an impossibly dark black robe. Concealed in this robe is a thorned whip called the Tasrenev. The thorns were added after his defection by the Great Demons, and represent his pact with them. None of Su'riik's lesser domains still exist on Elemaer or in human nature. The Guardian Beast of Darkness is Sengri'fes, the Shadow Serpent. Su'riik's gifts to the human body and to Elemaer were revoked after he defected.
THE ORDERS
The Orders of the Elemental Gods began as the militia of As'nar during the First Divine War. The gods, deciding that they'd rather have the laws of physics broken than Elemaer taken over than have the world of Elemaer taken over, split the militia into the Orders, made them stronger, and gave them magical powers. The gods also created a loophole in death itself, and allowed the members of the Orders to be brought back to life after being killed in battle.
The Order of Fire worships Krad. Kradites' magic tends to be quite powerful, but compared to the other Orders, warriors of the Order of Fire have relatively few spells, and the ones they do have are hard to cast and draining. Members of the Order of Fire tend to prefer to fight with weapons to fighting with magic, and many only use their magic to assist them in fighting (using spells such as Burning Wrath, Flaming Shell, and Flaming Weapon). The most popular weapons for members of the Order of Fire are sword, the claw, the shuriken, and the crossbow, although they can use any weapon they see fit. Many warriors of the Order of Fire research different styles of fighting with their weapon, and thus two sword-wielding Kradites will by no means use exactly the same techniques in a battle. Like all the Orders, members of Fire are split into seven ranks. These ranks, in order from lowest to highest, are Initiate of Fire, Embred, Flambar, Flame Warrior, Pyral, Infernal, and Burning Master. At the top of this pyramid is Keratun Raeyis, the Great Burning Master, who proved himself the most skilled warrior in the Order after the last Great Burning Master, Rasast Korins, stepped down. The Order of Fire is strongly allied to the Order of Air, at peace with the Order of Light, and distrusting of the Orders of Water and Earth.
The Order of Water worships Trixer. Unlike some of the other Orders, including that of Fire and Air, the Order of Water tends toward magical combat, valuing intelligence and aptitude in the magical arts over strength. The Order of Water has the most spells of any of the Orders, and theirs are the easiest to cast, except for, possibly, those of the Order of Air. The spells themselves lack the sheer mass destructive power of the Order of Fire's magic, though the difference is made up somewhat by shortened casting times and low energy drain. Most Trixerans wield staves, polearms, tridents, daggers, or shortbows, although some wield other weapons. The ranks of the Order of Water, in order from lowest to highest, are Initiate of Water, Dor'pin, Sterem, Condras, Hydiran, Aequar, and Sea Knight. The leader of the Order of Water is Sea Lord Telofar Ens, the son of the last Sea Lord, Maenas Ens. The Order of Water is allied to the Order of Light, has very good relations with the Order of Earth, and frequently disagrees with the Orders of Fire and Air, especially Fire.
The Order of Air is based in a tall temple (in the form of two towers next to each other, connected by platforms, bridges, tunnels, etc.) in the great city of As'nar, and worship Laetha, the huntress goddess of Air. The magic of the Order of Air is much easier to cast than the magic of many of the Orders, especially Air's allies, the Order of Fire, however the spells that members of the Order of Air (also called "Laethans" after their goddess) use tend not to be as effective. The Order of Air teaches its warriors the value of speed and tactical spell casting. The six most common weapons for a Laethan warrior to use are bows, rapiers, short-swords, daggers, quarterstaves, and shortspears, although they can use any weapon they desire (however, they tend toward lighter weapons). The soldiery of the Order of Air, like that of all the Orders of the Elemental Gods, is split into seven ranks. From highest to lowest, they are as follows: Initiate of Air, Dian, Thundaran, Gustohran, Wind Guide, Lightning Champion, Stormbringer. The Order is led by Arch-Stormbringer Shak'ural Leghtar, who was chosen personally by Laetha to lead her Order. The Order of Air is the ally of the Order of Fire, distrusts the Order of Light to a small degree and the Order of Water to a greater degree, and is on the brink of war with the Order of Earth.
The worshippers of Verir, the Order of Earth, find as even a balance as they can between magic and physical combat, despite their limitations. Their magic, while not as easy to cast as that of Air and Water, is nonetheless quicker and requires less skill than that of the Order of Fire. The magics of Earth and Fire are equally draining on their casters, but Verites frequently train themselves through meditation to deepen their pool of magical energy, allowing them to use their powers more liberally than a warrior of Fire would. As far as physical combat is concerned, the Order of Earth prizes strength and stamina, and prefers to stand and absorb blows rather than attempt to dodge them. This is shown by Verites' penchant for wearing the heaviest plate armor available. The Order of Earth also eschews complicated weapons and exotic fighting styles in favor of basic, easy-to-grasp, and arguably not much less effective methods of combat. As such, Verites tend toward axes (throwing and otherwise), hammers, maces, reinforced gauntlets, and sometimes even simple clubs or cudgels. The ranks of the Order of Earth are as follows: Initiate of Earth, Sedeyin, Terenar, Er'kiir, Stone Guardian, Daiam, Earthward. Verir's order is currently led by Gray Earthward Nantur Alavis, so chosen because he is the oldest and (as old logic goes) wisest member of the order. The Order of Earth has a tentative pact with the Order of Water, peace with the Order of Light, suspicion of the Order of Fire, and a possible forthcoming war with the Order of Air.
The Order of Light worships the goddess Alexairea. Warriors of the Order of Light are encouraged to achieve the best balance possible between their abilities, allowing them to be much more versatile than warriors of many of the other Orders. The Order of Light's magic is unique in that Light is the only element whose magic can heal as well as wound. The magic of Light is moderate in its casting difficulty, energy drain, speed, and effectiveness. Alexairean warriors are not encouraged to use any particular weapon, although the use of shields is more prevalent among their number than some of the other Orders. The ranks of the Order of Air are, from lowest to highest, Initiate of Light, Glarin, Flazar, Lugir, Ra'tar, Helian, Gazer. Elections are held every five years for the Chosen Gazer, the leader of the Order. The current Chosen Gazer is Haki Udiye. The Order of Light believes that all the Orders should be at peace, and goes to great pains to make sure all its members are polite to the members of the other Orders, especially its ally, the Order of Water.
Little is known about the Order of Darkness, worshippers of the fallen God of Darkness, Su'riik. After the defection of their god, the other gods cursed the Order with colorblindness, pale skin, sparse hair, sterility, cold-bloodedness, a lack of the senses of smell and taste, and a short lifespan caused by a penchant for cancerous tumors. The Order of Darkness can only increase its number by sneaking from their world of Ar'tok to Elemaer through a Bane Gate and stealing children in the night. The Order assigns its Initiates to study the typical fighting style of a particular Order and emulate it, allowing the Order of Darkness to create an army as varied as the assembled armies of the other five Orders who are destined to battle it. The magic of the Order of Darkness is different from the other Orders, due to a difference in the power generated by the cursed bodies of the Su'riikans and to the nature of Su'riik's pact with demonkind. Most spells require the depletion of the vital energies of the caster, or of a sacrifice (another member of the Order, usually a lesser member, whose vital energies are stolen for the casting of the spell). Because dead members of the Orders - even the Order of Darkness - are revived after dying, being a sacrifice causes few ill effects (basically a stronger and longer-lasting version of the weakness usually felt after revival). The ranks of the Order of Darkness are as follows: Initiate of Darkness, Dimiur, Shadarak, Ob'scrons, Daeii, Aevlen, Fiend Brother. The Order is led by Death Bringer Tharcys Shiien, who gained his position by killing the previous Death Bringer, Rien Fesr'en. All of the other Orders hate the Order of Darkness as their sworn enemy.
ROLEPLAYING IN ELEMAER
Elemaeran roleplay differs from Gaeran roleplay in several ways. Firstly, all PCs are humans, and 99% of them are members of the Orders of the Elemental Gods (whom Nakibe once referred to as "Institutionalized Unlikely Heroes out for Adventure! :D!"). Adventuring as a whole is funded by the Orders for particular purposes, such as the gaining of territory from monsters. Everyone in an Order has the same standard superpowers, so differences between abilities are all due to experience and age.
Interaction between members of different Orders is frequently affected by inter-Order politics. For example, if two Laethans are drinking at a bar, and a Verite enters (recall the turmoil-filled relationship between the Orders of Air and Earth), the Laethans will probably stare the newcomer down until he leaves, or at least sits very far away. Some more ambitious members of an Order might even attack if provoked in the least, or drunk, or both. Because of this, most places popular with one Order may not be popular with others.
Elemaer's technology is basically the same as in the Renaissance, sans gunpowder. However, the general population of Elemaer has more education and wealth than the general population of Renaissance Europe (LOOK! IT'S COMPULSORY EDUCATION!).
The acknowledged center of Elemaer is the Great City of As'nar, built on the site where the Gods first touched Elemaeran soil, and includes the Great Temples of the Elemental Gods, the five oldest buildings on Elemaer, which were built by the Gods themselves. The lawmaking body with the largest influence on Elemaer, the Council of the People of As'nar, is based (obviously) in As'nar, which also covers the largest square mileage and has the highest population of any city. Most Elemaer RP takes place in As'nar.
That in mind, a note on the Council! There are thirty-nine members, including five representatives of the Orders, a representative of the nine most influential crafts guilds, a Commander of the Civil Guard, and a member of each of the twenty-four District Panels, which each manage a section of As'nar. They make most decisions by majority vote, although some decisions the Council makes authorize the Order representatives to make multiple votes.
Elemaer's economy is based, mainly, on gold and silver. However, it differs from most economies in that gold does not exist naturally on Elemaer. Gold is created by and delivered to the Orders by the Heralds, emissaries of the Gods themselves. The amount of gold paid at the beginning of the month is directly proportional to the number and relative strength of monsters killed the previous month by members of that Order. From there, gold enters the economy through the spending of the Orders and their individual members. This, understandably, has created significant inflation when compared to the founding of the Orders. At this point (the year 1015), 5 gold coins on Elemaer are worth approximately $1 US. Silver is mined in the normal matter of silver mining, and a given quantity of silver is worth about half as the same weight in gold.
(because old information is useful, too --Dia 20:42, 3 April 2007 (PDT))
