World

The world, called Roun, is about the same as our own Earth; the major difference is the elemental energies that permeate the world. The elemental energy is so abundant that everyone can use magic to varying degrees. Even their technology may incorporate the use of those energies, such being the case; the use of this energy does not damage the environment the way our use of resources does ours. That being said, the level of technology varies from species to species depending on their ability, interest and available resources. The eight elements that govern Roun are: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth (the basic elements), Luna, Nature (governing elements), Light and Darkness (Supreme Elements). About the various races of Roun; while an individuals elemental affinity, and thus the type of magic they use, is not usually determined by their environment, there are certain species who cannot survive outside of their natural environment; removing them is as good as killing them.

• Races
• Elemental Spirits

Herein lies description of the various races and their abilities as well as a bit of their culture, society and relations with others.

Elves: The Elves are bound to the land and the elements. There is one sub race for each element: Light, Dark, Nature, Luna, Fire, Water, Wind and Earth. Each Elven sub-race has a citadel created around the elemental pillar to which they are affiliated. The exception to this is the Pillar of Nature; the Nature Elves and the Light Elves jointly own that citadel. They do not build their buildings but rather grow them or mold their surrounding environments to fit what they desire. They have advanced their technology and magic to a point where they can alter living organisms at the molecular or etheric (mana) levels. They are the only race to have airships.

• Light Elves: Rulers of the Elven races, their orders go unquestioned by other elves. They are mostly arrogant and self-righteous. They believe the entire world would be a better place under their rule.

• Dark Elves: a mysterious people, they are mostly secluded from the world. Little is known about them, but the people of the world believe that they are ‘evil’. It was under the pretext of wiping out evil that the Light Elves engaged in war against the Dark Elves 1000 years ago during the Chaos War. They are presumed destroyed.

• Luna Elves: Another mysterious clan of Elves. They all live in their citadel in an area of the Shinagri Desert called the Mirror of Stars. It is an area of perpetual night where the sand has been turned to glass, reflecting the stars. It is said they have the power to call down the stars.

• Nature Elves: Nature Elves can be found in forests and do not like to be intruded upon by others, even other elves. They see themselves as protectors of nature and have a special link to their environment.

• Fire Elves: Fire elves tend to be wild and very aggressive. While they do have the same level of technology and magic as other elves, they tend to be more interested in combat or other physical pursuits. Mostly found in the desert or areas with elevated temperatures

• Water Elves: Mostly live beneath the waves, but do have cities on the water’s surface. They specialize in magic and tend to be highly intelligent and pacifistic in nature. When underwater they grow webbing between their fingers and toes and gills open up behind their ears so they can live underwater.

• Earth Elves: They are builders, living most of their lives beneath the earth. Only the Drak rivals their ability with technology.

• Wind Elves: They are researchers, living in a city that floats above the clouds. Only the Florena can rival their ability in magic.

Florena: they are more or less, sentient plants. They have the highest magical capabilities of all races and they are literally in control of an entire continent. There are 2 types of Florena, there are the Guardians, tree-folk, they are very strong, but not very smart and then there are the Sages. Ask anyone who’s had the fortune of seeing a Sage and the first thing they will tell you is that the Sages are the most beautiful women they had ever laid their eyes on. The Sages have a sort of link with each other, they can communicate with each other regardless of distance and they all have immense magical strength. At any given time 100 Sages exist, should one die then she is ‘re-spawned’ from the corpse, if the body is incinerated, then a new Sage is grown in the forest haven, the Sages home. The continent they live on is essentially one huge forest; there are settlements on the beaches, but none inside the continent. There is an eleven city that sort of ‘floats’ on the canopy, one of the Citadels of Light in which light elves alone inhabit. Humans have created ships that can sail across the canopy of the trees, which is why most people call it the Sea of Trees.

Drak: The Drak are a lizard people that live in hot and dry climates. They tend to be tall, averaging at least seven feet in height and are very heavily built. Despite their size they are very adept at creating and handling small and delicate equipment. At the height of their civilization they had created cars, trucks, ships, sandships (all of which can run on steam, oil or mana crystals), giant mechanoids and computers. If this race could be said to have a priesthood it would be their programmers. However during the Elves war of conquest many of their great skills, including programming, were lost. During the past one hundred years they have been excavating the desert, recovering lost technology in hopes of reacquiring their lost skills. For the most part they get along best with humans, for their interest in the convenience of technology created by the Drak. The Drak are heavily magic resistant, that is, they aren’t very capable of using it nor of being affected by it; as such they do no have any magic users.

Leonine: They are a sedentary tribal society that values honour above all else. They have a matriarchal rule; candidates for tribal chiefs are sent off on a quest to their sacred ground. Those who abandon the quest are, in turn, abandoned by their tribe, those that fail the quest swear fealty to the one who succeeds. All tribes are under the rule of one tribal leader, who is chosen in similar fashion as when the leader of a single tribe is chosen. Each tribe has an Elder, who can be male or female and doesn’t have to be ancient, advises the tribal leader. An Elder is a Leonine who practices magic and serves as healer for the tribe. Upon becoming an Elder, their fur becomes as white as new fallen snow. Because they are sedentary they send out hunters to find food for them. Some Leonine tribes have assimilated into Human cities, becoming mercenaries. The colour of each individual’s fur is dependant on his or her elemental affinity. They make most of their weapons out of wood, bone, stone and sometimes metal.

Humans: Humans are good at most things, which means they are great at nothing. They have decent magical and technological ability, but nothing particularly outstanding. They do reproduce in greater numbers than most and they have good tactical and military abilities, so they are a force to be reckoned with. They don’t get along well with other species unless they will get something out of an alliance, such as technology, magical artefacts, money, goods or services.

Lupine: A nomadic tribal society that values strength above all else. They have a patriarchal rule; candidates for tribal chief engage each other in organized contests of strength and skill, the winner of which becomes the Alpha of the pack. All tribes are under one grand chief who is chosen in a similar fashion as when the leader of a single tribe is chosen. Each tribe has a Shaman, a Lupine with great magical abilities who learns those abilities from the previous Shaman. The Shaman serves as an advisor and healer for the tribe. They are nomadic, following beast herds in order to maintain a good supply of food, this in turn causes territorial disputes with the Leonine. Ten years ago there was a war between the humans, the leonine and the lupine resulting in the decimation of the Lupine race; a few tribes were able to survive and are, as a race, on the way to recovery. The colour of each individual’s fur is dependant on his or her elemental affinity. Lupine use weapons made of wood, stone, bone and sometimes metal.

Avian: This half-men, half-hawk race tends to keep to itself among the lofty mountains, which are their home. They are rather xenophobic as a race and view outsiders with suspicion. They are mostly sculptors and artists; their art can be found on the mountain face of the areas they live in. They are also architects and create great stone temples within the mountains. They are the only race that worships an elemental spirit as a god; they have dedicated many temples and statues to the Spirit of the Wind, Shina-To-Be. They are said to even be able to communicate with the spirit. Their culture has remained unchanged for thousands of years and very few of their kind ever leave their lands to seek out other races and new ways of life. Their weapons are made out of insect claws that are harder than steel.

Pandoran: a gentle, patient people who travel the world looking for adventures or how to make money. They are innkeepers, tavern keepers and merchants, who always have their merchandise at a reasonable price. Few people are willing to intentionally anger them, after all who would want to make the person who supplies the alcohol angry? Pandorans live on a secluded group of islands in the ocean. What makes them so secluded are the currents that form a sort of wall around the islands. Unless one knows how to navigate those currents or has a ship with a very strong engine and hull it is impossible to get through by sea. Through trial and error, mostly error, the Pandorans have learned how to navigate through these currents, allowing them access to the main continents. Most choose to remain on their island homes, but Pandorans who do leave travel until they either find a place where they can make great money or they are simply tired of travelling. They have an uncanny ability to make a lot of money very quickly and though they are loath to get involved in conflicts of any kind, they are accomplished fighters.

Orc: they are violent, aggressive, but far more intelligent than people give them credit for. They have strong sense of family and are stalwart clansmen. Orcs can generally be found in large tribes and usually live as bandits or mercenaries. Their leaders are the most intelligent, conniving and bloodthirsty of the tribe. Other races, mostly humans, sometimes employ Orcs as dog soldiers to complement their own forces and Orcs are easily swayed by gold, weapons or armour for compensation. There are sometimes Orcs who have broken off from their tribe and become criminals; these rare, individualistic Orcs are extremely cunning and dangerous.

Troll: Trolls are tall, gangly, powerful and not very smart. They usually live along side Orcs and it is rare to find even a solitary Orc without an accompanying Troll. Trolls have incredible regenerative abilities and are even able to re-grow lost limbs; this ability makes them very hard to kill. It is said that the only things that can kill a Troll are old age, disease or magic. They are also employed by other races, mostly humans, as soldiers.

A Pillar, which doesn’t always look like a pillar mind you, is an object that produces an unlimited amount of mana to the world. An Elemental Spirit is a being created of pure elemental energy and is theorized to be the avatar or ‘will’ of the Elemental Pillar.

Water: beneath the ocean’s surface, where all the ocean currents of the world converge/originate from, lies the Pillar of water. It appears to be a large formation of coral encrusted with blue sapphire gems. The Elemental Spirit, Anqet, appears most often as a mermaid with a tall headdress made of coral and reeds. She is most often as calm as a gentle, flowing river, though she can be as cold as ice or as unrelenting and unstoppable as a tsunami.

Fire: in the desert, inside the worlds tallest volcano is a large, red crystal that looks like a flame; this is the Pillar of Fire. The Elemental Spirit, Surt, appears as a giant of a man wreathed in flames, with flaming hair and a powerfully built body. As the Spirit of Fire he tends to rage a lot and most often appears angry.

Wind: above the clouds, in the flying citadel of the Wind Elves is an orb made of wind, that is the Pillar of Wind. Shina-To-Be, the Spirit of Wind, is a very capricious spirit. Appearing as either a little girl or a young adolescent (depending on how mature she’s feeling at the moment) sitting on a cloud, she is fickle and changes her mind about things quite often, but there are things that she will remain steadfast in no matter what.

Earth: a large rock formed of an amalgam of semi-precious stones, metal and earth is the Earth Pillar, kept within the bowels of the earth within the Earth Elf citadel. The Earth Spirit, Hou Tu, appears as an elderly monk in meditation. Slow to anger, slow to act and extremely patient, he never acts unless he is absolutely certain about the situation and what his role should be in them. Once angered his wrath can be slow and fearsome, taking place over the course of generations or swift and crushing.

Nature: on the Sea of Trees within the Elvish citadel is a giant seed, held by numerous branches; that is the Pillar of Nature. Unlike other elements, two Spirits represent Nature. One is Maia, calm, giving, generous and kind, who appears as a woman in the prime of life, with a circlet of violets and a dress made of multi-coloured leaves. The other is Cernunnos, a fierce warrior, dressed in armour of wood and moss, whose face cannot be seen for the helm and veil he wears. He has six arms, each wielding a different weapon.

Lunar: no one is sure what the Lunar Pillar is; some theorize it is the Mirror of Stars upon which the Elf citadel sits, other say it is the moon itself. Only the Lunar Elves know and they aren’t telling. As with the Nature element, there are two spirits for the Lunar Element. Selene, the moon spirit, is a woman with a Violet aura, dressed in a diaphanous robe. She is beautiful and her calm, warm smile comforts all who gaze upon her. The second Moon Spirit is Soma, who is not humanoid at all, but a Spotted Griffin: a hybrid of a spotted owl and a leopard.

Light: The Pillar of Light is a simple, large gem that emits intense, bright light. There is only one Spirit of Light, simply called ‘Light’, however everyone sees that spirit differently; everyone sees what they believe to be the embodiment of Light. This means that no two people will see the same Spirit nor will they hear the same words spoken as the perception of its personality also varies from person to person. There are a few who see the spirit the same way, as a being composed of light; this is because they do not see any mortal object or person as the personification of Light.

Darkness: the Pillar of Darkness is a simple, large gem that absorbs light, creating darkness. There is only one Spirit of Darkness, simply called ‘Dark’, however everyone sees that spirit differently; everyone sees what they believe to be the embodiment of Darkness. This means that no two people will see the same Spirit nor will they hear the same words spoken as the perception of its personality also varies from person to person. There are a few who see the spirit the same way, as a being composed of Darkness; this is because they do not see any mortal object or person as the personification of Darkness.