Post by Jonsie on Jun 1, 2014 20:21:39 GMT -5
Velheim
The continent on which “Shifting Tales” takes place. It was once a place of wild, untamed magic, full of awe-inspiring beasts, and surrounded by a thick veil of mist that stretched miles across the ocean. Velheim was also once home to the druid-like race, the Na'Dari. The magic of Velheim stretched out to other lands, and members of the Royal Families were sent to colonize this unknown continent. It is now home to the kingdom of Anora, and the remaining Royal Family.
Anora
The human Kingdom located on Velheim, home to the last surviving Royal Family. Nearly every person here is gifted with the power of “shifting”; the art of taking the form of animals. It is a gigantic walled city, with the Royal Palace located at the very north of the city. Inside the wall, it is organized into sections;
Residential areas; housing.
Business areas; the marketing area, full of merchants selling their wares, and the Auction House.
Industrial areas; craftsmen, blacksmiths, etc are located here. This is where the majority of market wares are produced.
Central Squares; Pubs, inns, and various places of entertainment such as theatres are located here.
Farmlands are located to the east and west, outside the walls of Anora. Though livestock and their caretakers are constantly at risk outside, it is a risk that must be taken to provide for the residents of the kingdom.
The Royal Family
In the initial colonization of Velheim, there were seven seperate Royal Families. Over time, they died out through various means. The Families were greedy, and many members lost their lives to sickness from the magic of shifting. Others simply could not carry out the bloodline, and then there are the “unfortunate accidents”. Regardless, there is now only one Royal Family remaining; St Clair, and it is carried out by princess Morrigan, and her parents, the King and Queen. They rule over all in the kingdom of Anora, and they possess the power to shift without first absorbing an animal's DNA. It is believed this is because they were the first humans to access the power of shifting, and as such they are significantly more advanced with the magic. Unfortunately, they are all subject to the disease known as Kripples.
The Royal Court
Though the name implies it, members of the Royal Court are not directly related to the Royal Families by blood. It is composed mostly of noblemen and ladies (aka, the richest citizens of Anora), and are given a home within the Palace alongside the Royal Family. Though they have power over the Kingdom, they all bow to the St Clair family. Their powers with shifting are no different than that of commoners, but many of them have access to exotic shifts obtained through ludicrous amounts of monies. The Royal Court is not exclusive to blood; though there are a number of related Court members, the majority are commoners who were capable of making a great living off of business or some other means.
Commoners
Every other resident of Anora outside the Royal Family and Court, is considered a commoner. Though they are below Royals in terms of power, they are the ones who keep the kingdom running; the backbone of Anora. All humans have access to the art of Shifting, though the bloodlines are restricted to four species of animals, and exotic shifts are only available through a job. Commoners may occassionally come across magical runes outside the city walls, which allow them to absorb a new shift; but not many people actually travel out into the wild, as most areas are dangerous.
Shifting
Shifting is the magical ability to change one's shape into that of an animal. To obtain a shift, a person must touch the animal to absorb their DNA, or simply absorb genetic material that has already been removed from the beast. A shift is also obtainable through the ancient runes one can find scattered and buried around Velheim. This magic was originally created by the Na'Dari, the ancient druid-race that once lived on Velheim. It was passed down to humans after they came and conquered Velheim for themselves, and stole the magic from the Na'Dari.
A shift binds to a person's soul, and because of this, it is an agonizing experience to remove a shift, one that can leave a person permanently scarred, or afflicted with Kripples. Most humans can only contain a certain number of shifts within their soul.
Kripples
A disease born from the art of Shifting, an affliction many humans have today. Kripples causes horrible amounts of pain to a person when they shift, and can be so terrible, one may never shift again. One can be afflicted with Kripples through bloodlines, shifting rapidly, forced shifting, or removing a shift from the soul. In some cases it is temporary, but there are many unlucky people who are cursed with it for the rest of their lives.
The Na'Dari
The Na'Dari were an ancient race, their legends stating that they were “born from the trees and earth”. They were a tall, thin people, with blue and green hued skin. They had large, pointed noses and ears, the latter of which could extend near 10 inches long on some of the Na'Dari. In modern fantasy, one could call them a goblin-elf mixed creature. Though they were not highly intelligent, they expressed a great aptitude for using the magicks of Velheim, able to communicate with and command beasts, and manipulate the land around them. They lived in vast temples constructed only of trees and stone, and erected monoliths around Velheim in honor to the world and it's magic.
They were the ones who discovered Shifting, and created the magical runes that to this day, allow one to absorb a new shift by “unlocking” the shift from the rune. They were also the ones to create a new race of beasts, powerful with magic and highly intelligent, though these creatures have not been seen in many, many years. The Na'Dari were driven from their homes and slaughtered by the Royal Families; the only trace of them now ruined temples and buried runes...
More to come as things are revealed.
-Cooper
The continent on which “Shifting Tales” takes place. It was once a place of wild, untamed magic, full of awe-inspiring beasts, and surrounded by a thick veil of mist that stretched miles across the ocean. Velheim was also once home to the druid-like race, the Na'Dari. The magic of Velheim stretched out to other lands, and members of the Royal Families were sent to colonize this unknown continent. It is now home to the kingdom of Anora, and the remaining Royal Family.
Anora
The human Kingdom located on Velheim, home to the last surviving Royal Family. Nearly every person here is gifted with the power of “shifting”; the art of taking the form of animals. It is a gigantic walled city, with the Royal Palace located at the very north of the city. Inside the wall, it is organized into sections;
Residential areas; housing.
Business areas; the marketing area, full of merchants selling their wares, and the Auction House.
Industrial areas; craftsmen, blacksmiths, etc are located here. This is where the majority of market wares are produced.
Central Squares; Pubs, inns, and various places of entertainment such as theatres are located here.
Farmlands are located to the east and west, outside the walls of Anora. Though livestock and their caretakers are constantly at risk outside, it is a risk that must be taken to provide for the residents of the kingdom.
The Royal Family
In the initial colonization of Velheim, there were seven seperate Royal Families. Over time, they died out through various means. The Families were greedy, and many members lost their lives to sickness from the magic of shifting. Others simply could not carry out the bloodline, and then there are the “unfortunate accidents”. Regardless, there is now only one Royal Family remaining; St Clair, and it is carried out by princess Morrigan, and her parents, the King and Queen. They rule over all in the kingdom of Anora, and they possess the power to shift without first absorbing an animal's DNA. It is believed this is because they were the first humans to access the power of shifting, and as such they are significantly more advanced with the magic. Unfortunately, they are all subject to the disease known as Kripples.
The Royal Court
Though the name implies it, members of the Royal Court are not directly related to the Royal Families by blood. It is composed mostly of noblemen and ladies (aka, the richest citizens of Anora), and are given a home within the Palace alongside the Royal Family. Though they have power over the Kingdom, they all bow to the St Clair family. Their powers with shifting are no different than that of commoners, but many of them have access to exotic shifts obtained through ludicrous amounts of monies. The Royal Court is not exclusive to blood; though there are a number of related Court members, the majority are commoners who were capable of making a great living off of business or some other means.
Commoners
Every other resident of Anora outside the Royal Family and Court, is considered a commoner. Though they are below Royals in terms of power, they are the ones who keep the kingdom running; the backbone of Anora. All humans have access to the art of Shifting, though the bloodlines are restricted to four species of animals, and exotic shifts are only available through a job. Commoners may occassionally come across magical runes outside the city walls, which allow them to absorb a new shift; but not many people actually travel out into the wild, as most areas are dangerous.
Shifting
Shifting is the magical ability to change one's shape into that of an animal. To obtain a shift, a person must touch the animal to absorb their DNA, or simply absorb genetic material that has already been removed from the beast. A shift is also obtainable through the ancient runes one can find scattered and buried around Velheim. This magic was originally created by the Na'Dari, the ancient druid-race that once lived on Velheim. It was passed down to humans after they came and conquered Velheim for themselves, and stole the magic from the Na'Dari.
A shift binds to a person's soul, and because of this, it is an agonizing experience to remove a shift, one that can leave a person permanently scarred, or afflicted with Kripples. Most humans can only contain a certain number of shifts within their soul.
Kripples
A disease born from the art of Shifting, an affliction many humans have today. Kripples causes horrible amounts of pain to a person when they shift, and can be so terrible, one may never shift again. One can be afflicted with Kripples through bloodlines, shifting rapidly, forced shifting, or removing a shift from the soul. In some cases it is temporary, but there are many unlucky people who are cursed with it for the rest of their lives.
The Na'Dari
The Na'Dari were an ancient race, their legends stating that they were “born from the trees and earth”. They were a tall, thin people, with blue and green hued skin. They had large, pointed noses and ears, the latter of which could extend near 10 inches long on some of the Na'Dari. In modern fantasy, one could call them a goblin-elf mixed creature. Though they were not highly intelligent, they expressed a great aptitude for using the magicks of Velheim, able to communicate with and command beasts, and manipulate the land around them. They lived in vast temples constructed only of trees and stone, and erected monoliths around Velheim in honor to the world and it's magic.
They were the ones who discovered Shifting, and created the magical runes that to this day, allow one to absorb a new shift by “unlocking” the shift from the rune. They were also the ones to create a new race of beasts, powerful with magic and highly intelligent, though these creatures have not been seen in many, many years. The Na'Dari were driven from their homes and slaughtered by the Royal Families; the only trace of them now ruined temples and buried runes...
More to come as things are revealed.
-Cooper