Post by ¥Dark - Hades¥ on Mar 19, 2006 1:21:18 GMT -5
You will play your Character as the Info says below based on witch catigory your character fits best.
Setting: In Mellus around 5:00 Pm. People all around, Adventurers, Heroes, Lords and Kings are Present.
The Story
In the Katar capital of Sar Scáth there existed a power magical portal, the StormNexus. This device permitted the instant transport to and from the many lands of Mellus. The Katarious armies used this device to keep its strangle hold on almost all the other races and cultures of its empire. For thousands of years the Nexus was the true source of the Katarious Empire's power.
Over time, the lords of the Katarious had few opponents to challenge them. Greed and a never-ending thirst for power led them to fight amongst themselves. The royal houses began in earnest to destroy each other, each thinking that they would emerge as emperor.
When the time was right, my brothers and I (the illiadians) began to trick their Royal Katarious masters into dangerous conflict between each other. Soon the we began to sow the seeds of rebellion amongst the slave races.
It took over 400 years for enough decay to happen. In the end, it was the orcish hordes (Goblin, Orc, Hobgoblin, Bugbear,Orge) that finally rebelled outright. Retribution was swift, but the damage was enough to allow many other races to rebel.
It is the year 2929. The empire crumbled into fragments only 110 years ago. Mellus is a world of unrest, danger, hatred and opportunity for the bold, the noble, or the greedy. WIth the Empire is in tatters, new lands are emerging, with new heros, new wonders, undiscovered races and much more.
Go then, fare well, fight hard, win, win, win! For ultimately what you earn, I will take!
The World of Mellus is vast and ever-changing. It has great oceans, high mountains, immense deserts, thousands of pockets of rich lands the size of kingdoms, forests great and small, even floating islands and hidden underworlds.
Many strange lands and stranger creatures exist. Scores of races numbering in the thousands, each alike and yet different from the others.
The Free Peoples of Mellus
The Dwarves
The Dwarves are almost entirely unique on Mellus as they were never been part of the Katarious Empire. They have live apart in their vast cave complexes, and have often fought and died to maintain their lifes and freedom. As such they emerge as one of the strongest races after the downfall of the Empire since they had never suffered slavery’s yoke.
In the beginning, it is thought the Dwarves were one people and lived together. Not even the eldest and wisest Dwarves know for sure and no written records go back that far. The earliest records have revealed three ancient Dwarvish Kings and their peoples. One is said to be the great father of King StoneMark I who founded the Kingdom of Ral-Grey, another was the ancestor of King Stonefist who founded the Kingdom of Mal-Grey, and the last is said to be different from the others in thought and looks and it was he who founded Val-Grey. Nothing more is mentioned of him or his line.
The presence of the Marchane have confused the issue of Dwarven history even further.
Orcs: The Lost Ones, the People, and the BrutæIt was after many seasons of Life the Kadpartowan grew in number. Long suffering they were and in the Light of Sol they learned many things. He sent Pala, His Mother, to teach them all of gathering and the seasons Shamal caused to be. Sol came and taught them the arts of War they would need to know to fight against Necal.
At this time, a mysterious figure appeared to the People. Beautiful and tall it was and knowledge it seemed to bear in itself. He spoke to the People of all it could teach them if they foresook the Great Family and followed it.
It was then a schism was created in the People (Kadpartowan). The Wise men of the tribes gathered in council and argued for nigh on 8 seasons of the Sun. When the council ended the People wept as many followed the stranger and disappeared for seasons uncounted.
The People grew in the Knowledge of Sol still but their numbers waned as grief took them at the schism for many seasons. Seasons past as they lived in peace and Knowledge.
A prophecy was spoken to them of Dread Ones who would come. Minions of Necal they would be and for unnumbered passings the People would be held in sway by them. Dishonor and lies they would spread and they would turn people against people and for an Eon they would rule the lands of Sol. But Sol promised that the People would be kept by Him and survive the Deceit the Dread Ones would spread.
So it was the Dread Ones came as Sol had told. Though hosts of the People fought they were overcome by the minions of Necal and driven into slavery.
It was then the People found the Lost Ones and a previously unknown group they called Brutæ. In battle they faced the ferocity of their onslaught. Necal had been that stranger who had caused the schism of the People by lies it had spread.
Ignorant the Lost Ones had become and savagery was their way. The Brutæ were more savage and cruel, large and strong they were born of daemon manipulation and Dread One training. Dishonor they wore in pride and ignorance they relished in. Hatred they bore in plenty for the People.
For an Eon did the Dread Ones possess the lands of Sol as the Great Family wept. The People hid the wisest of their tribes and a safe haven they began to make on an island in the delta close to the capital of the hated Dread Ones. Parfo’patal they named it after their homeland. Sol protected them and they were blessed. Wise ones died and the People wept for the ones they were unable to save.
It was here the People drew many of different tongues. Ones called “Hooman”, a barbaric people, they brought first. No hooman knew where they came from but they served terrible masters. The People felt love for these poor folk and began to teach them of Sol and His Knowledge.
Small peoples called Oaken they brought. It was they who were closest to the heart of Pala and tended the Life Sol and Shamal had created in perfect unison as Pala sowed.
Forges and smithies they built on the isle and plans they laid between each other. Thus was the rebellion born and mayhem followed. The Dread Ones were powerful and The People were valiant, victories and defeats on both sides but The People were near lost.
Then the Empire floundered and the Dread Ones began to defeat themselves and The People grew hopeful. In a final battle at the heart of the Empire, Sar Scáth, The People put all their hope. The People laid siege to the great city, the elves within worked tunnels for The People. The walls of the great city fell, the People and allies over ran their former masters and laid them low.
At this time many Lost Ones fought and wished to control and be masters themselves. As was the duty of the People they fought valiantly against them and chased them to the four corners of the lands. As Sol decreed the People did not take possession of any land after the rebellion but built on the Blessed Isle the other races came to call Evermeer.
So it is that peace came to the lands and life flourished again unfettered by Necal. The People guard still and Guardians are in the land watching and waiting for Necal to show itself again.
Daemons and Humans
Daemons are not native to Mellus. They came to Mellus through a rift gate much like that of the Nexus system. They came in search of a special mineral which was used to create their floating Sky Cities. They found it in Mellus and established a colony to mine the mineral and ship it back.
As workers for the colony and mines, the Daemons brought their slaves, the Humans. But the mining operation did not last too long. Long unstable, the mountains being mined erupted in twin volcanoes and destroyed much of the mines, many of the workers, and worse it covered the rift area in layers of lava. Going home was no longer possible for any in the Daemon colony. Fortunately sufficient amounts of the mineral had been already mined that the Daemons were able to build a roughly two dozen of their Sky Cities as they set about making their home on Mellus.
The Sky Cities for the most part were set upon a well-defined travel pattern that covered several hundred miles in roughly a large circle. The different Sky City circuits would intersect in at least one or two points to provide for communication way-stations on the ground. Also on the ground along the Sky City circuit were established many farming communities or villages to raise the crops or herds that sustained the Sky Cities. One problem that faced the Daemons was that of population control. Daemons had long spawning cycles that required very specific environmental tolerances. Until these conditions could be replicated, Daemon numbers on Mellus would be fairly limited.
The opposite was true however for the Daemon’s slaves, the Humans. The Humans suffered from no breeding problems and were able to quickly provide the Daemons with large numbers of both City Slaves and Village Slaves. City Slaves were bred for intelligence, dexterity, appearance and good taste literally since the Daemons frequently dined on Humans as well as food produced in the villages below. City Slaves were craftsmen and body servants, tending to the needs of the Daemons in the Sky Cities. Village Slaves were bred for strength, stamina, common sense and strong sense of family loyalty. The Daemons used this sense of family or herd mentality to keep the Humans in control. The herd mentality kept the Humans from thinking of themselves as individuals and ever creating the danger of thinking for themselves.
A brief experiment was tried to breed Human hunters, but soon these Humans began to show signs of individuality and independent thinking. The experiment was terminated and all Human hunters eaten. Likewise an experiment was also made with breeding Daemons with Humans. The first several hundred failed and died at birth or soon after. But eventually the experiment worked and a moderate number of half-Daemons were bred to help manage the Village Slaves. With their Human features, leathery wings, and usually able to breathe fire, the half-Daemons were perfect for instilling fear into Humans just by their presence. However, due to their somewhat Human appearance, the half-Daemons were excluded from most Sky City activities by the pure blood Daemons. This stigma would exist even through the darkest days of the Daemons conflict with the Katarious Empire.
Not only are Humans in danger of being physically killed and eaten by the Daemons, but there is a certain Daemonic rite that allows the Daemons to work dark magic and rip the soul from their victim and feast on that as well. The fear of having one’s soul devoured as well as the bred-in herd instinct served to keep the Human slaves in check for thousands of years.
The Daemons are ruled by an informal council of Princes, who are the heads of various extended families. Each family is built around a sacred bloodstone statue, which is the “soul” of the family. When Daemon families are in conflict with one another, the most grievous blow that can fall is to capture or destroy the family bloodstone. For the slaves however, it was simpler. They served the bloodstone. Whichever Daemon family had the bloodstone did not matter; the Humans were bound to the bloodstone, not the Daemons. The reason for this was that upon birth, all Humans were given an organic collar that fastens around their neck. This collar was linked to the bloodstone and some suspect the bloodstone drew energy from the Humans that served it; energy which Daemons used to help power the Sky City mineral. The collar also helped the Daemons identify and recognize who individual Humans were since Daemonic vision is in a different spectrum than normal. Any Human found without a collar was killed immediately and usually eaten.
City slaves really had no organization and were part of the Daemon households in each Sky City. However on the surface, the Village Humans were left on their own for the most part. There were a few higher level Daemons that routinely visited to check on the village, but in the same manner as an owner checking on his kennel to ensure the dogs were not injured and were eating well. The villages were overseen by lesser Daemons and half-Daemons, who usually allowed some form of inform council of elder Humans for local matters. Humans young were brought up with the mantra to always “obey their elders”. This was encouraged by the Daemons since it subordinated youthful hormones to older fears of loss and death. The herd mentality was re-enforced and stressed by the Daemon masters who set the daily tasks of their Human chattel. Even religious ceremonies were allowed as it increased the importance of the soul to the Humans and made the fear of having it torn apart and eaten even more horrific and controlling.
The Daemons ruled their wide area without serious threat or challenge for several hundreds of years until the arrival of the Katarious. In the days before the Empire, the Katarious were a fierce rival, but unable to defeat the Daemons ability to attack from above and equal magical powers. However the organization of the Katarious into an Empire changed all that. Better tactics and Illiadian sorcery helped the Katarious fare better against the Daemons, but the earlier wars still ended in defeat for the Empire. As the Katarious gathered more slave races to serve them, they began to add slaves to their Legions and soon massive numbers were arrayed against the Daemon forces. This forced the Daemons into considering using the Humans.
But Humans had never been trained for war. They were skilled in the use of the spear and bow for protecting flocks from local predators, but never had they been exposed to war other than when Katarious raiders attacked Human crop villages. During these attacks, the vulnerable Humans tried to resist with just their spears. Thus the Daemons armed the Humans with longer spears effective weapons against the Orcs and Elves of the Katarious, but useless against any aerial attack of which the Daemons were capable. Massed mobs of Human pikes were used mainly in defensive positions to act as holding places to break Orc and Elvish charges so that Daemon magics or aerial attacks could decimate the Katarious slave legions. It is rumored that after some of the larger battles, a few Humans who had been wounded and left for dead, gathered together and crept away to create hidden communities secret from all since everyone they knew of were regarded as dangerous and to be feared.
With the alliance of the Marchane in service to the Empire, parity on the battlefield changed again. The Marchane were able to devise devices that helped fight against the Daemons aerial attacks, but not enough to overcome that advantage and the war of 1606 was a draw, but the Daemons were forced to acknowledge the supremacy of the Empire. However the Marchane perfected their devices and in the war of 1748, the Daemons were finally defeated and three of their Sky Cities were destroyed and brought crashing to the ground. Not willing to risk the rest of their Sky Cities and the survival of their race, the Daemons surrendered.
Having to surrender severely humbled the Daemons, as did forcing them to submit to service in Katarious Empire. As part of their service to the Empire outlined in the surrender, Daemon princes were assigned to the Royal Katarious families as “advisors”. But in a pique of victorious elation, the Emperor also decided that the Daemon princes were forbidden from ever entering any Imperial areas. This decision highly angered the Daemon princes, who swore they would be avenged for the insult. The opportunity for revenge came in 2394, when the Illiadians approached the Daemon princes with a plan to destroy the Empire and they accepted.
The rebellion did not fare well for the Daemons despite initial successes. The Katarious struck back with a vengeance and destroyed a couple of Sky Cities before the Daemons decided to abandon the rebellion to the slave races that had risen up to join the Daemons and Illiadians against the Katarious. The severe losses of Daemonkind were regarded with horror by the remaining Daemon princes who realized they could not match the numbers of the Katarious and their slave armies. So in a few secure strongholds, the Daemons intensified their half-Daemons breeding program. The process was highly successful, although usually fatal for the birth mother, but considering the high number of available Human females, this was not considered to be a problem. However insufficient numbers were made available for training and maturing in the time needed. So the Daemons began capturing females of every race and using them for their breeding attempts. Like before, most mothers failed to survive, except the Orc females who proved extremely hardy. However, for the Daemon cause it was too little, too late. For the rest of Mellus, it was a sudden influx of half-Daemons with considerable power and little to constrain them as they went out into the world.
After retreating back from the vengeful Katarious who sought to destroy every Sky City, the Daemons hid in mists and mountain heights or in hidden strongholds far away from where the vengeful Katarious could get at them. Human slaves were either collected and taken away with the fleeing Sky Cities or sent off to secret valleys with half-Daemon guards to continue raising crops until the Daemons would return for them.
The Daemons ventured out from hiding only once following the mauling they suffered from the Katarious. They believed an opportunity existed to exploit the stripped down defenses of the Mal-Grey Dwarves who were fielding two powerful armies against the Katarious. Unfortunately the Daemons’ beliefs were wrong and the Mal-Grey Dwarves severely hammered the attacking Sky City. In revenge, one of the Dwarven armies attacked and conquered a Daemon stronghold in the EverFire Mountains, which was thought to have been secure. Every Daemon and half-Daemon was killed and the several hundreds of Human slaves kept there were set free by the victorious Dwarves.
With the success of the rebellion, life for the Humans became one of fantastic opportunity and terrifying confusion. On one hand, they were no longer subject to the whims and desires of the Daemons. They were free to choose to do what they wanted without any fear of punishment, being eaten, or having their souls ripped apart. However, the world of Mellus without the skills and protection of the Daemons is a very harsh and cruel place. There are monsters and creatures willing to feast on Humans which are far more numerous than the Daemons, and the open violence and combat with the other humanoid races produce more deaths than the Daemons ever inflicted. And yet, the ability to fight back and create a world of their own has inspired the Humans to spread out across the face of Mellus. Not skilled in many talents, lacking any true background in warfare, never having risen higher than supervised rural villages raising crops and stock animals, and having few allies (mostly Dwarven), the Humans face a challenge unlike any they have ever encountered upon Mellus. But somewhere in their souls they know that they can succeed. Somehow, somewhere they have risen from the depths before and now on Mellus they can succeed once more.
Meanwhile, since that last defeat the Daemons have retreated back from the world and remain in hiding floating safe in their surviving Sky Cities. Many Daemons still roam loose in the world, but as a consolidated racial power, the Daemons have been severely crippled. Only one thing remains the same; the Daemons still feel themselves as being at the top of the food chain. It’s true that they have suffered some reverses of power, but that just means that their prey has gotten a little more dangerous. That’s all. And they can deal with that. They did before. They will again.
The Elves
Elves are the most common race on Mellus. Although they once were an advanced people, they were unable to resist the Katarious, who broke them as a race. Today there are Elves scattered everywhere, some seeking to regain or relearn their past, others seeking to forget and start anew. Much like the Humans, the Elves have no basis to build upon in the days after the fall of the Katarious Empire and must start fresh and from the beginning.
Sis’Ralar: Lords of Mist
The Sis’Ralar are a little-known race of intelligent reptilian humanoids. Living more than 500 years, their tales of the rise of the Empire are sometimes told in first person, for to the Sis’Ralar elders it has been but a few generations. They are normally rangers or druids, being adept at living in the wilds of their original home and now the swamps. They are amongst the oldest of the races in Mellus.
The Marchane
When then StormNexus was reactivated in 2869, the Marchane Portal remained buried and the existence of the Marchane unknown. It remained so until 2928 (last year) when the newly elected Grand Master Nog Nimbleton ordered the Portal uncovered and tested. Since then the Marchane have slowly began to relearn what the world is like without the Katarious. Still resentful of the actions by their Dwarven kin and suspicious of all races that rose up against the Katarious, the Marchane are very xenophobic and wary. However they are actively looking for any remaining Illiadians and Katarious, willing to serve, but unaware of the animosity between the two races.
In spite of their jaded view of other races, the Marchane remain skilled and ingenious craftsmen and mages who are willing to sell their wares and creations to those that can afford them—with no questions asked. “Iffn ye kin pay, then ye can play”, is the basic Marchane attitude and a profitable, if risky sea trade has been established. But for those who intend to use them against the Carror, special discounts apply. Because of their position on denying worship of The Three, the Marchane are considered as heretics by most normal Dwarves, although few will take any action on this issue unless they hail from Val-Grey.
Map of Mellus
Setting: In Mellus around 5:00 Pm. People all around, Adventurers, Heroes, Lords and Kings are Present.
The Story
In the Katar capital of Sar Scáth there existed a power magical portal, the StormNexus. This device permitted the instant transport to and from the many lands of Mellus. The Katarious armies used this device to keep its strangle hold on almost all the other races and cultures of its empire. For thousands of years the Nexus was the true source of the Katarious Empire's power.
Over time, the lords of the Katarious had few opponents to challenge them. Greed and a never-ending thirst for power led them to fight amongst themselves. The royal houses began in earnest to destroy each other, each thinking that they would emerge as emperor.
When the time was right, my brothers and I (the illiadians) began to trick their Royal Katarious masters into dangerous conflict between each other. Soon the we began to sow the seeds of rebellion amongst the slave races.
It took over 400 years for enough decay to happen. In the end, it was the orcish hordes (Goblin, Orc, Hobgoblin, Bugbear,Orge) that finally rebelled outright. Retribution was swift, but the damage was enough to allow many other races to rebel.
It is the year 2929. The empire crumbled into fragments only 110 years ago. Mellus is a world of unrest, danger, hatred and opportunity for the bold, the noble, or the greedy. WIth the Empire is in tatters, new lands are emerging, with new heros, new wonders, undiscovered races and much more.
Go then, fare well, fight hard, win, win, win! For ultimately what you earn, I will take!
The World of Mellus is vast and ever-changing. It has great oceans, high mountains, immense deserts, thousands of pockets of rich lands the size of kingdoms, forests great and small, even floating islands and hidden underworlds.
Many strange lands and stranger creatures exist. Scores of races numbering in the thousands, each alike and yet different from the others.
The Free Peoples of Mellus
The Dwarves
The Dwarves are almost entirely unique on Mellus as they were never been part of the Katarious Empire. They have live apart in their vast cave complexes, and have often fought and died to maintain their lifes and freedom. As such they emerge as one of the strongest races after the downfall of the Empire since they had never suffered slavery’s yoke.
In the beginning, it is thought the Dwarves were one people and lived together. Not even the eldest and wisest Dwarves know for sure and no written records go back that far. The earliest records have revealed three ancient Dwarvish Kings and their peoples. One is said to be the great father of King StoneMark I who founded the Kingdom of Ral-Grey, another was the ancestor of King Stonefist who founded the Kingdom of Mal-Grey, and the last is said to be different from the others in thought and looks and it was he who founded Val-Grey. Nothing more is mentioned of him or his line.
The presence of the Marchane have confused the issue of Dwarven history even further.
Orcs: The Lost Ones, the People, and the BrutæIt was after many seasons of Life the Kadpartowan grew in number. Long suffering they were and in the Light of Sol they learned many things. He sent Pala, His Mother, to teach them all of gathering and the seasons Shamal caused to be. Sol came and taught them the arts of War they would need to know to fight against Necal.
At this time, a mysterious figure appeared to the People. Beautiful and tall it was and knowledge it seemed to bear in itself. He spoke to the People of all it could teach them if they foresook the Great Family and followed it.
It was then a schism was created in the People (Kadpartowan). The Wise men of the tribes gathered in council and argued for nigh on 8 seasons of the Sun. When the council ended the People wept as many followed the stranger and disappeared for seasons uncounted.
The People grew in the Knowledge of Sol still but their numbers waned as grief took them at the schism for many seasons. Seasons past as they lived in peace and Knowledge.
A prophecy was spoken to them of Dread Ones who would come. Minions of Necal they would be and for unnumbered passings the People would be held in sway by them. Dishonor and lies they would spread and they would turn people against people and for an Eon they would rule the lands of Sol. But Sol promised that the People would be kept by Him and survive the Deceit the Dread Ones would spread.
So it was the Dread Ones came as Sol had told. Though hosts of the People fought they were overcome by the minions of Necal and driven into slavery.
It was then the People found the Lost Ones and a previously unknown group they called Brutæ. In battle they faced the ferocity of their onslaught. Necal had been that stranger who had caused the schism of the People by lies it had spread.
Ignorant the Lost Ones had become and savagery was their way. The Brutæ were more savage and cruel, large and strong they were born of daemon manipulation and Dread One training. Dishonor they wore in pride and ignorance they relished in. Hatred they bore in plenty for the People.
For an Eon did the Dread Ones possess the lands of Sol as the Great Family wept. The People hid the wisest of their tribes and a safe haven they began to make on an island in the delta close to the capital of the hated Dread Ones. Parfo’patal they named it after their homeland. Sol protected them and they were blessed. Wise ones died and the People wept for the ones they were unable to save.
It was here the People drew many of different tongues. Ones called “Hooman”, a barbaric people, they brought first. No hooman knew where they came from but they served terrible masters. The People felt love for these poor folk and began to teach them of Sol and His Knowledge.
Small peoples called Oaken they brought. It was they who were closest to the heart of Pala and tended the Life Sol and Shamal had created in perfect unison as Pala sowed.
Forges and smithies they built on the isle and plans they laid between each other. Thus was the rebellion born and mayhem followed. The Dread Ones were powerful and The People were valiant, victories and defeats on both sides but The People were near lost.
Then the Empire floundered and the Dread Ones began to defeat themselves and The People grew hopeful. In a final battle at the heart of the Empire, Sar Scáth, The People put all their hope. The People laid siege to the great city, the elves within worked tunnels for The People. The walls of the great city fell, the People and allies over ran their former masters and laid them low.
At this time many Lost Ones fought and wished to control and be masters themselves. As was the duty of the People they fought valiantly against them and chased them to the four corners of the lands. As Sol decreed the People did not take possession of any land after the rebellion but built on the Blessed Isle the other races came to call Evermeer.
So it is that peace came to the lands and life flourished again unfettered by Necal. The People guard still and Guardians are in the land watching and waiting for Necal to show itself again.
Daemons and Humans
Daemons are not native to Mellus. They came to Mellus through a rift gate much like that of the Nexus system. They came in search of a special mineral which was used to create their floating Sky Cities. They found it in Mellus and established a colony to mine the mineral and ship it back.
As workers for the colony and mines, the Daemons brought their slaves, the Humans. But the mining operation did not last too long. Long unstable, the mountains being mined erupted in twin volcanoes and destroyed much of the mines, many of the workers, and worse it covered the rift area in layers of lava. Going home was no longer possible for any in the Daemon colony. Fortunately sufficient amounts of the mineral had been already mined that the Daemons were able to build a roughly two dozen of their Sky Cities as they set about making their home on Mellus.
The Sky Cities for the most part were set upon a well-defined travel pattern that covered several hundred miles in roughly a large circle. The different Sky City circuits would intersect in at least one or two points to provide for communication way-stations on the ground. Also on the ground along the Sky City circuit were established many farming communities or villages to raise the crops or herds that sustained the Sky Cities. One problem that faced the Daemons was that of population control. Daemons had long spawning cycles that required very specific environmental tolerances. Until these conditions could be replicated, Daemon numbers on Mellus would be fairly limited.
The opposite was true however for the Daemon’s slaves, the Humans. The Humans suffered from no breeding problems and were able to quickly provide the Daemons with large numbers of both City Slaves and Village Slaves. City Slaves were bred for intelligence, dexterity, appearance and good taste literally since the Daemons frequently dined on Humans as well as food produced in the villages below. City Slaves were craftsmen and body servants, tending to the needs of the Daemons in the Sky Cities. Village Slaves were bred for strength, stamina, common sense and strong sense of family loyalty. The Daemons used this sense of family or herd mentality to keep the Humans in control. The herd mentality kept the Humans from thinking of themselves as individuals and ever creating the danger of thinking for themselves.
A brief experiment was tried to breed Human hunters, but soon these Humans began to show signs of individuality and independent thinking. The experiment was terminated and all Human hunters eaten. Likewise an experiment was also made with breeding Daemons with Humans. The first several hundred failed and died at birth or soon after. But eventually the experiment worked and a moderate number of half-Daemons were bred to help manage the Village Slaves. With their Human features, leathery wings, and usually able to breathe fire, the half-Daemons were perfect for instilling fear into Humans just by their presence. However, due to their somewhat Human appearance, the half-Daemons were excluded from most Sky City activities by the pure blood Daemons. This stigma would exist even through the darkest days of the Daemons conflict with the Katarious Empire.
Not only are Humans in danger of being physically killed and eaten by the Daemons, but there is a certain Daemonic rite that allows the Daemons to work dark magic and rip the soul from their victim and feast on that as well. The fear of having one’s soul devoured as well as the bred-in herd instinct served to keep the Human slaves in check for thousands of years.
The Daemons are ruled by an informal council of Princes, who are the heads of various extended families. Each family is built around a sacred bloodstone statue, which is the “soul” of the family. When Daemon families are in conflict with one another, the most grievous blow that can fall is to capture or destroy the family bloodstone. For the slaves however, it was simpler. They served the bloodstone. Whichever Daemon family had the bloodstone did not matter; the Humans were bound to the bloodstone, not the Daemons. The reason for this was that upon birth, all Humans were given an organic collar that fastens around their neck. This collar was linked to the bloodstone and some suspect the bloodstone drew energy from the Humans that served it; energy which Daemons used to help power the Sky City mineral. The collar also helped the Daemons identify and recognize who individual Humans were since Daemonic vision is in a different spectrum than normal. Any Human found without a collar was killed immediately and usually eaten.
City slaves really had no organization and were part of the Daemon households in each Sky City. However on the surface, the Village Humans were left on their own for the most part. There were a few higher level Daemons that routinely visited to check on the village, but in the same manner as an owner checking on his kennel to ensure the dogs were not injured and were eating well. The villages were overseen by lesser Daemons and half-Daemons, who usually allowed some form of inform council of elder Humans for local matters. Humans young were brought up with the mantra to always “obey their elders”. This was encouraged by the Daemons since it subordinated youthful hormones to older fears of loss and death. The herd mentality was re-enforced and stressed by the Daemon masters who set the daily tasks of their Human chattel. Even religious ceremonies were allowed as it increased the importance of the soul to the Humans and made the fear of having it torn apart and eaten even more horrific and controlling.
The Daemons ruled their wide area without serious threat or challenge for several hundreds of years until the arrival of the Katarious. In the days before the Empire, the Katarious were a fierce rival, but unable to defeat the Daemons ability to attack from above and equal magical powers. However the organization of the Katarious into an Empire changed all that. Better tactics and Illiadian sorcery helped the Katarious fare better against the Daemons, but the earlier wars still ended in defeat for the Empire. As the Katarious gathered more slave races to serve them, they began to add slaves to their Legions and soon massive numbers were arrayed against the Daemon forces. This forced the Daemons into considering using the Humans.
But Humans had never been trained for war. They were skilled in the use of the spear and bow for protecting flocks from local predators, but never had they been exposed to war other than when Katarious raiders attacked Human crop villages. During these attacks, the vulnerable Humans tried to resist with just their spears. Thus the Daemons armed the Humans with longer spears effective weapons against the Orcs and Elves of the Katarious, but useless against any aerial attack of which the Daemons were capable. Massed mobs of Human pikes were used mainly in defensive positions to act as holding places to break Orc and Elvish charges so that Daemon magics or aerial attacks could decimate the Katarious slave legions. It is rumored that after some of the larger battles, a few Humans who had been wounded and left for dead, gathered together and crept away to create hidden communities secret from all since everyone they knew of were regarded as dangerous and to be feared.
With the alliance of the Marchane in service to the Empire, parity on the battlefield changed again. The Marchane were able to devise devices that helped fight against the Daemons aerial attacks, but not enough to overcome that advantage and the war of 1606 was a draw, but the Daemons were forced to acknowledge the supremacy of the Empire. However the Marchane perfected their devices and in the war of 1748, the Daemons were finally defeated and three of their Sky Cities were destroyed and brought crashing to the ground. Not willing to risk the rest of their Sky Cities and the survival of their race, the Daemons surrendered.
Having to surrender severely humbled the Daemons, as did forcing them to submit to service in Katarious Empire. As part of their service to the Empire outlined in the surrender, Daemon princes were assigned to the Royal Katarious families as “advisors”. But in a pique of victorious elation, the Emperor also decided that the Daemon princes were forbidden from ever entering any Imperial areas. This decision highly angered the Daemon princes, who swore they would be avenged for the insult. The opportunity for revenge came in 2394, when the Illiadians approached the Daemon princes with a plan to destroy the Empire and they accepted.
The rebellion did not fare well for the Daemons despite initial successes. The Katarious struck back with a vengeance and destroyed a couple of Sky Cities before the Daemons decided to abandon the rebellion to the slave races that had risen up to join the Daemons and Illiadians against the Katarious. The severe losses of Daemonkind were regarded with horror by the remaining Daemon princes who realized they could not match the numbers of the Katarious and their slave armies. So in a few secure strongholds, the Daemons intensified their half-Daemons breeding program. The process was highly successful, although usually fatal for the birth mother, but considering the high number of available Human females, this was not considered to be a problem. However insufficient numbers were made available for training and maturing in the time needed. So the Daemons began capturing females of every race and using them for their breeding attempts. Like before, most mothers failed to survive, except the Orc females who proved extremely hardy. However, for the Daemon cause it was too little, too late. For the rest of Mellus, it was a sudden influx of half-Daemons with considerable power and little to constrain them as they went out into the world.
After retreating back from the vengeful Katarious who sought to destroy every Sky City, the Daemons hid in mists and mountain heights or in hidden strongholds far away from where the vengeful Katarious could get at them. Human slaves were either collected and taken away with the fleeing Sky Cities or sent off to secret valleys with half-Daemon guards to continue raising crops until the Daemons would return for them.
The Daemons ventured out from hiding only once following the mauling they suffered from the Katarious. They believed an opportunity existed to exploit the stripped down defenses of the Mal-Grey Dwarves who were fielding two powerful armies against the Katarious. Unfortunately the Daemons’ beliefs were wrong and the Mal-Grey Dwarves severely hammered the attacking Sky City. In revenge, one of the Dwarven armies attacked and conquered a Daemon stronghold in the EverFire Mountains, which was thought to have been secure. Every Daemon and half-Daemon was killed and the several hundreds of Human slaves kept there were set free by the victorious Dwarves.
With the success of the rebellion, life for the Humans became one of fantastic opportunity and terrifying confusion. On one hand, they were no longer subject to the whims and desires of the Daemons. They were free to choose to do what they wanted without any fear of punishment, being eaten, or having their souls ripped apart. However, the world of Mellus without the skills and protection of the Daemons is a very harsh and cruel place. There are monsters and creatures willing to feast on Humans which are far more numerous than the Daemons, and the open violence and combat with the other humanoid races produce more deaths than the Daemons ever inflicted. And yet, the ability to fight back and create a world of their own has inspired the Humans to spread out across the face of Mellus. Not skilled in many talents, lacking any true background in warfare, never having risen higher than supervised rural villages raising crops and stock animals, and having few allies (mostly Dwarven), the Humans face a challenge unlike any they have ever encountered upon Mellus. But somewhere in their souls they know that they can succeed. Somehow, somewhere they have risen from the depths before and now on Mellus they can succeed once more.
Meanwhile, since that last defeat the Daemons have retreated back from the world and remain in hiding floating safe in their surviving Sky Cities. Many Daemons still roam loose in the world, but as a consolidated racial power, the Daemons have been severely crippled. Only one thing remains the same; the Daemons still feel themselves as being at the top of the food chain. It’s true that they have suffered some reverses of power, but that just means that their prey has gotten a little more dangerous. That’s all. And they can deal with that. They did before. They will again.
The Elves
Elves are the most common race on Mellus. Although they once were an advanced people, they were unable to resist the Katarious, who broke them as a race. Today there are Elves scattered everywhere, some seeking to regain or relearn their past, others seeking to forget and start anew. Much like the Humans, the Elves have no basis to build upon in the days after the fall of the Katarious Empire and must start fresh and from the beginning.
Sis’Ralar: Lords of Mist
The Sis’Ralar are a little-known race of intelligent reptilian humanoids. Living more than 500 years, their tales of the rise of the Empire are sometimes told in first person, for to the Sis’Ralar elders it has been but a few generations. They are normally rangers or druids, being adept at living in the wilds of their original home and now the swamps. They are amongst the oldest of the races in Mellus.
The Marchane
When then StormNexus was reactivated in 2869, the Marchane Portal remained buried and the existence of the Marchane unknown. It remained so until 2928 (last year) when the newly elected Grand Master Nog Nimbleton ordered the Portal uncovered and tested. Since then the Marchane have slowly began to relearn what the world is like without the Katarious. Still resentful of the actions by their Dwarven kin and suspicious of all races that rose up against the Katarious, the Marchane are very xenophobic and wary. However they are actively looking for any remaining Illiadians and Katarious, willing to serve, but unaware of the animosity between the two races.
In spite of their jaded view of other races, the Marchane remain skilled and ingenious craftsmen and mages who are willing to sell their wares and creations to those that can afford them—with no questions asked. “Iffn ye kin pay, then ye can play”, is the basic Marchane attitude and a profitable, if risky sea trade has been established. But for those who intend to use them against the Carror, special discounts apply. Because of their position on denying worship of The Three, the Marchane are considered as heretics by most normal Dwarves, although few will take any action on this issue unless they hail from Val-Grey.
Map of Mellus
