The map is not drawn by me, but graciously provided for free by this website. I only removed or moved some towns and put in the nametags.

Thomas (with Gilford & Wizard): On sea route to Leon - Late Afternoon D3
Alain, Rufus (with Dietrich), Drax, Princess, Glungurd, Alaria: Docks of Leon - Late Afternoon D3
Guantano, Alyssa: Road south of Leon - Midday D3
Frijyk, Morangul: Woods, en route to the southern road - D3
Tawariell (with Raina): currently inactive
Glungurd: KIA

Men have not always lived in the lands now known as Lassara. Centuries ago they have arrived on ships over the great sea, of where they originated nothing is known to this day, only that their lands lay far in the east and that to return there should never be desired.
They first landed on an island, and their Leader, Lord Cantus, called it Cantun, which later gave name to the surrounding Bay of Cantun. Two settlements they built and named them southern Cantun and northern Cantun, or, in their old language Nir Cantun and Tar Cantun.

The days were happy in the first time on this new land and quickly they populated the island and, after first settling on a nearby island, founding the town of Ova they decided to send a scouting party to the mainland.
Under the leadership of Cantus’ son, the prince Leon, they set foot onto solid land near the mouth of a river and there they set up and outpost called Birun. The first thing they did was to follow the river to a Lake, which they named after their outpost, Lake Birun and then continued on at the shores of the lake. It is then that a letter from Leon arrived at the court of his father, now crowned as King of Cantun.

The father received the news with joy. Not only had his son lived and prospered, he had also confirmed that the land was good and ready to be taken over, because the island of Cantun was getting smaller and smaller for the growing population of his kingdom. He was sure that Leon would be able to reason with those that were already living there. They didn’t seem to use much of the land and so they would surely allow Cantunese settlers to seek their fortune there. A few days later another letter arrived, but this time the parchment was stained by blood and seemed to be written hastily.

The news shook the father and the whole court with grief and fear. They set up guards in Tar Cantun, looking northward. They could not see the lands north but on the sixth night there was a red glimmer in the far north and they had to assume that fire had reached their outpost. The king decided to wait if there would be any more signs from his son but the following night he had a dream, where his goddess of Light, Lassa, visited him and told him that time was short. He had a vision and saw many strange creatures prepare primitive ships and boats, behind them he saw what looked like a human settlement burnt down and he knew for sure what had happened. He asked the gods for help but Lassa explained that they could not directly intervene, as these creatures had their own gods and a war between the divine beings was nothing they wanted or at least it was not Lassa’s to decide it. All she could do was to enchant the king’s sword, Neril, with a spell that would help him to prevail against the magic that Darganta was wielding and to speak a blessing over their host that would put fear into the enemy they had to face.
King Cantus, although of old age now, immediately ordered the preparation for departure and two days later the Cantunese army was ready to sail but the king hesitated. He waited for another week and only his closest advisors knew for what reason he did this. When they finally set sail they were not on the water for long before meeting black ships, or rather boats that were on their way south. The king knew he had waited for the right amount of time because the one advantage the Cantunese had was the sea. They were experienced sailors and warriors on ships, while their enemies had never set their eyes onto the sea before. With very few losses they were able to sink all the dark vessels and many strange creatures were feeding the fish that day.
Encouraged by this they quickly set foot onto the mainland, near Birun, where they discovered the burnt remains of a small town and after mourning the loss of good men they continued in the direction they assumed the enemy to live. Every night Lassa returned to the king in his sleep to guide them and let them know the way and only four days later they reached the black citadel city that Leon had told his father about.
The next day they engaged the enemy but of the heroic deeds of the battles in these early days no accounts have survived or at least, none that we know of. We know that after a long and fierce battle the Cantunese force finally prevailed, only Darganta himself was still fighting, believing that no man could kill him he slew hundreds of soldiers until Cantus himself faced him in battle. It was a fierce duel but in the end Cantus’ sword Neril found an opening in the black armor and pierced the skin of the dark Lord who fell, under the magic spell of Lassa.

The rest of the dark forces had retreated and after the defeat of their Lord they surrendered to the host of Cantus. It was decided that they should be spared but not allowed to live there anymore. Their leader, the right hand of Darganta, Lord Vayne, suggested they would be sent to an alternate dimension, they called it “the void”, from where they originally had come, as, so they said, they were only able to reproduce and rebuild their people there. Thinking of Lassa’s words, Cantus did not want to upset their dark gods any more than necessary and agreed, using the sword of Darganta, the only tool that could open a gateway to the void, to send them back.
As they entered the real of the void though, Cantus realized that he had, like his son, been betrayed by these evil people and they tried to move a large host of their creatures back through the Gate, led by Vayne. He was the first to step through and in that moment Cantus realized their betrayal and attacked Vayne, wounding him deeply across his chest before being slain by Vayne himself who was struggling to keep the gate open. It was then that Birun, who had snuck onto one of the ships, disguised as one of the wizards who accompanied the army, stormed forward, tears of anger and grief in her eyes, after losing her brother and father to these enemies, weaving a spell that wrestled Darganta’s sword from Vayne and pushed him and his host back into the void.

The gate closed but at what price? Birun had exhausted herself and without the will to go on, she could not recover and so, arm in arm, both father and daughter died that day, saving their people, who were now without a leader. No one knew of the fate of Leon and so it had to be assumed that he died, defending the outpost of Birun.
In the aftermath of the battle it was decided that Galan Undine, Cantus’ closest and most trusted advisor, should become king, as the old king had no other heir to take the throne. Galan knew of everything that Cantus had known, so he honored Lassa for the help she had given them, against the council of the other gods. He decided that the kingdom of Cantun was no longer and there should be a new one, named Lassara with a capitol built right there, at the site of their most tragic hour, as a sign of the power and will to overcome, that was in all men. The island of Cantun was to be part of the realm, reigned by a nephew of Cantus who did not want to leave the islands but agreed to set the house of his uncle up as governors of Cantun, subject to the kingdom of Lassara which was to be reigned by the House of Undine for all time, should the gods so will.

The sword Neril was deliberately broken and shards of it have been forged into seven weapons to disperse the vast divine power that was sealed within the blade. They were given to the greatest heroes of the realm, to be used as weapons to defend Lassara but six of them have since been lost and only one of them remains in the hands of the kings of Lassara. The sword of Darganta could not be destroyed, not my physical or magical means and so it was sealed in a chamber beneath the castle of Lassara’s capitol to never be used again. It is guarded by a special corps as it is rumored that the hosts of the void would still answer to the sword, should they be called.

In the following centuries the realm was strengthened and expanded. Soon the rebuilt town of Birun and the newly founded town of Leon were thriving and the kingdom expanded further. Right now, eight hundred and seventy years after the founding of Lassara, the realm reaches south to Epayl Nir, the spear point of the south, eastward to the peninsula of Avin and west unto the great western mountains, the Ayal Royad hyo. The southern peninsula was colonized along the shores as the southern desert, Mayandar nir, was almost impassable and so settlements were only built on the shore and on the islands of Quin and Ai. Later a group of settlers followed a river north of Quin and founded Yonal in the southern reaches of the western mountains. Beyond these lay Ayal Mayn hyo, the great western sands. Nomads live there and over the years past they sometimes have raided the countryside west of Leon, so the two watchtowers of Null and Varim were built, to safeguard the western borders of the kingdom. They have since been almost deserted as relatively stable peace with the nomads has been reached about two hundred years ago. They didn’t like Lassara nor did most Lassarans like them but goods from the kingdom were needed in the west and vice versa, so a lasting trade relationship has evolved between both people, replacing the wars of their early encounters. Still all trade goes through Null and Varim and the garrisons are ever watchful to what happens in the great sands. Tarania, the northern realm, is a hostile land, not because of civilizations living there but because of the harsh weather and dangerous animals. None of the two usually crosses the northern mountains, guarding the kingdom's northern borders, so the Lassarans are happy, not knowing much about these lands.
Through all this time the House of Undine has prevailed and a descendant of Galan was always ruling in Lassara. Until now… The old king, Ramin Undinde II has died in a hunting accident without leaving an heir of age, only his daughter was left behind but she was only six years old when her father left the realm of the living. The laws stated that she could rule from the day of her sixteenth birthday, until then, three consuls were to rule the kingdom as stewards. This day is today but the expected coronation of Queen Amalia Undine I was not going to happen the way everyone expected…

The Old Gods:
This is the belief in the old gods, the gods Cantus and his followers already believed in when they set foot onto Cantun. They do not know much about their history before their journey to these lands but they have remembered all about their gods. It is by far the most common religion in Lassara.

1. The World of Lassara
   
   • There is a ruling class, the king's House of Undine and the nobility. A big majority of people in the kingdom are in the upper or lower middle class. They are living in relative wealth although they aren't of noble birth. There is the lower classes as well, they aren't as numerous in most places but Lassara is no Utopia it has poor people, bandits, rogues and a list of other problems as well
   • The currency is simple, there are coins made of gold, silver and copper with decreasing value. You don't have to go into great detail and exaclty list how much gold your character has, but describing how poor/rich they are and if they have regular access to gold is a very good thing
   • The military of Lassara might not have to fight big battles or win great wars, as the country lives mostly in peace but even in a kingdom like Lassara there are bandits, pirates and other brigands to fight and the military also has the duty to man the garrisons of the western watchtowers and guard the mountain passes into Tarania. This is probably where most fighting happens, especially during the winter months, when freezing temperatures and lack of food drives hordes of hostile creatures into the south. Their history has also taught the Lassarans to remain vigilant and ready for anything, so their military is very well trained and equipped although a lack of real combat experience might still be a disadvantage in a full blown war, at least for part of the army. There are women serving in the army.
   • There are elven tribes that have been found recently in the southern woods, by the settlers of Yonal. They are peaceful and technically there has been an alliance established with the kingdom of Lassara but encounters between men and elves are rare.
   • Technologywise this world is at a similar stage as classical fantasy settings like LotR. You can be creative with armor and weapons. Magic can be a good substitute for technolocigal parts and again, be reasonable and know that this is about working things into the story, not "powergaming", which is not possible anyway, since items and equipment don't have "stats"
2. Characters
   
   • Everyone who wants to participate: simply state it in this thread. Then create a character and post it here.
   • Create a character for yourself. I will start the cahracter thread with a character of my own, so you can follow that example but you can even add more detail if you want to.
   • Once player character per person, you can create NPCs though, for example if you need them for your character arc or something else...
   • Your character can be of any race or creature imaginable, you can use creatures already known in the realm. There could be other civilized creatures inside the kingdom of Lassara that have only been discovered in those years that I didn't really go into in the backstory. Or you can have a character coming from a place outside the game map.
   • You can create any "class" you can imagine. We will try to keep it fair, so don't shun away from characters that seem weak if it fits what you wanna do, this is more about story than overpowering others.
   • I have the final say on characters, I might ask you to change things to keep 'em a bit balanced, please ask if anything is unclear
   • If you have any questions regarding character creation, please just contact me via PM. If you can't find a picture, AFTER TRYING ;) - you can ask me, I might find something you like
3. Playing
   
   • We will play by simply posting what our characters do, say, sometimes what they think, etc. You are completely free what you want to do but of course it would make sense to join in on the main story, otherwise I'd recommend just writing a book ;)
   • Posts in past tense and third person please
   • There is no posting order but be reasonable. If someone is in a conversation with another char and you are in the same group, it doesn't really make sense to post how the group packs up and leaves... Unless your character tells the two ingame to stop chatting and get going :P
   • It is allowed to "plan" certain things with other players via PM or other means, to post larger dialogues at once or things like that. Sometimes it makes sense but don't do it with everything. Surprise us
   • I have the final say on posts so if something just doesn't fit I may ask you to remove it. This may never happen and if it does I expect it to be very rare. If you want to do something that seems rather "stretching" you can always contact me beforehand
4. Battles
   
   • You can initiate or engage in a fight with NPCs anytime you want, depicting the battle any way you want, although sometimes you'll have to pay attention to what the others are doing. Also, try to be reasonable. Posting how your character kills an army of five thousand single handedly might make it hard to balance him and I might ask you to remove that post after you pot so much work into it, which is not favorable
   • Don't hurt or kill NPCs that are created by other players and have their own entry in the characters thread. Cannonfodder can be destroyed at will even if "created" by others.
5. PvP
   
   • You can engage another character in battle anytime you want, whenever that happens the game will switch to "turns" and all characters involved will post in a order I will set from battle to battle.
   • Every character involved will post three times depicting his moves and reactions, after that all involved characters will discuss in the OOC thread and try to reach a conclusion that they all can agree upon.
   • If no consensus can be found, I will decide who has the upper hand and how strong the advantage is
   • After that (no matter if the players agreed on who has the upper hand or if I have to decide it) I will do a biased random roll, to determine the winner, favoring the one in advatnage of course.
   • After that the results have to be worked into the story, it will be discussed beforehand if it is possible for a player character to be killed during that battle
   • This sounds more complicated than it is, let's get to the first PvP battle and you'll see ;)

All these rules are subject to change at any given time. If during the course of the game an issure comes up where you don't agree with the rules and it has support from the majority of players I have no problem tweaking them to what is wished.
After all, this is about having fun and creating a story together. I will work as a GM, steering the story a bit, which means of course I have a story in mind but it could be completely altered and changed by your actions and choices.

Although this comes pretty close, I guess. Maybe this one's Alaria's mother or something.

[IMG][/IMG]

Indrax after levelling up a few times

Odgloks live exclusively underneath the thickly wooded hills of Tarania. They have little contact with the Men of the Lassaran Kingdom to their south, as neither tend to venture across the northern mountains that form a natural border between the two regions. Odgloks are rather primitive compared to the Men of Lassara, lacking many technologies and goods that are considered standard in the Kingdom, but their knowledge and skills suit their way of life rather well.

They live underground, in complex cave networks that have been expanded and shaped to suit their needs. They eat most anything, staples of their diet being fish, salamanders, frogs, and mushrooms, which can be found underground most times of year. Limited contact with Men has led to the development of above-ground agriculture, evidenced by mushroom farms, fish ponds, and even sheep pastures. The only real innovations of their own pertain to burrowing and trap-making. Clever Odgloks have found fascination with gears and pulleys, sometimes providing improved quality of life for their fellow denizens, but more often resulting in fancy game traps and absurdly complex forms of security for their burrows (which are rarely threatened by invasion anyway).

Militarily, the Odgloks have not made much a name for themselves. Though they have a tendency toward petty thievery and occasional nastiness to outsiders, they rarely organize large-scale raids, and any "wars" that break out between neighboring burrows will be extremely brief, as few Odgloks have serious interest in dominion over others. Odglok government is probably the most difficult thing for any Human to comprehend, having numerous offices without any apparent hierarchy, and no real influence over daily life. Most Odgloks do as they please and have no clue who their mysteriously appointed officials are. Most officials don't even know who the other officials are.

Augury, lying far to the west of the Ayal Mayn Hyo and the Great Western Ocean, is a cold, harsh and mountainous realm consisting of eight noble families and numerous minor tribes pledging their fealty to the noble house Storm. Augury is a realm with an exceedingly feudal government and political system. The clan leader of the Storm lineage assumes the title Jarl of Augury. Their hearth and court is located within the mighty fortress, Svertr, located at the base of the volcanic peak of Mt. Kraki (which, in local folklore is believed to be the link between the earthly and the divine). Geographically speaking the realm encompasses more than just the fires of Mt. Kraki, the dominion extents into the surrounding region of treacherous, icy mountain peaks towering over slopes of fertile volcanic soil, home to the lesser noble families, numerous tribes and many shamanic clans. Beyond the boundaries of Augury spreads an expanse of lowlands, plains and marshes, home to various rival realms and factions.

The men of Augury are of stout constitution -- substantial in size, strength and vigour. Their overwhelming physical stature has given rise to the term the "Bear Lords", a phrase used reverently by rival realms and ordinary men. However, these same folk are not above smearing the Augurs behind their backs, portraying them as nothing more than savage abominations, using insults such as “bear pleasers” and “beastly devil’s-spawn”. Taverns throughout neighbouring realms swell with gossip and legend, each and every man holding his own opinion and explanation for the Augur physique. Two of these rumours are rather persistent and commonplace. The first claims that the ancient Augurs somehow managed to crossbreed with Thunder Bears, a vicious species of bear native to the mountaintops of Augury. The second rumour claims that the Augurs lusted after power and strength, to satiate this lust they sinisterly invoked wicked rituals and summoned demons of unmeasurable strength. These demons allegedly either cast upon them incantations of unfathomable potency and evil or the demons and Augurs formed a blood pact to forge them as men with almost bear-like strength and resolve.

The Augur religion is relatively pagan and merely semi-organised, containing many variations between clans and practising shamans. A core and common facet involves the worship of the Three:

• Keu the Sky God. Father to the stars. Lord of the forge, magic, lightning, judgement and power.
• Hluttor the God of Purity. Father to all non-sentient beings. Lord of fire, earth, fertility and human virtue.
• Muutos the God of Change. Puppet-master of death. Lord of time, water, wind and human vices.

In addition to the worship of the Three, Augurs place a strong belief in the power and meaning of star-signs and birth-stars, so much so that children are given two surnames: their father’s and the star-sign they were born under. Augur religion is heavily grounded in magical phenomenon and contains significant dogma regarding its use and power, as such it is fairly common in Augury. Augur magic can be categorised as being either Pure (conjuring the power of Hluttor) or Duplicitous (conjuring the power of Muutos). The majority of Shamans are only capable of conjuring either pure magic or duplicitous magic. Very few shamans, those of great power and fortitude, are able to harness the powers of both Gods without bringing about dire consequences upon themselves and their kin, usually resulting in death of the most agonisingly painful kind. The magic of Keu in comparison is largely passive, taking the form of blessings and curses placed upon a new-born via their star-sign.

• Augur sword (a broad bastard sword 5 feet long and 4 inches wide at the hilt, a rather heavy weapon, but powerful in trained hands. The hilt bares the inscription “Av Vándr Ǫnder Ek Varr Sládde”.)
• Augur langseax (a broad dagger 1 foot long used either as a secondary weapon or in the place of a shield as a means to parry attacks with greater manoeuvrability.)
• Heater shield.
• Álmr bow (a cross between a longbow and a strong-bow, large and slow to use, but packs a punch.)
• Thirty steel arrows.
• Augur armour (a chainmail hauberk worn over thick bear-leather armour.)
• Augur horn (a simple horn that emits a bloodcurdling screech, lesser men would likely flee hearing it.)
• Bear-skin cloak.
• Pouch containing 150 silver coins.

Bear Lord: As an Augur, Samson is no different to any of his kin, he is much larger and stronger than the average man. Furthermore he is able to endure significant amounts of physical punishment. His considerable bulk means he is certainly not the most nimble or agile man, but conversely he is not a lumbering hulk either.

Skilled Warrior: Even the bastard son of a Jarl receives fine military training in both tactics and combat. Samson is a sound warrior and fine tactician, difficult to best in single combat and unlikely to fall for all but the most elaborate of ambushes.

Educated: A nobleman’s child must be educated to the best possible standard available, regardless of that child’s legitimacy, a poorly educated child reflects poorly upon the father! Samson was raised in a great and powerful court, he was taught well in a broad variety of subject matters.

Leader of Men: Samson is the son of a Jarl, and as such he has learnt and inherited certain abilities in regards to leading warriors and inspiring them to great feats.

Birth-Sign Anvil – Blessed: “The anvil sleeps, unmovable, unbreakable. ” A birth-sign is both a blessing and a curse. Samson is blessed by Keu with the Anvil star-sign, he has an uncanny ability to keep calm, cool and patient in even the most stressful of situations.

Foreigner: Samson is far from home, in an unknown land, with no allies and no friends (besides his companion Limira). Despite being human (albeit a large human), as a foreigner he is unaware of the local customs and locals will treat him with suspicion. He must be vigilant lest opportunistic locals attempt to take advantage of him.

Bastard: People hold strong beliefs about illegitimate children. Society views them as children born of lust and lies, and that they will be both wanton and treacherous in their thoughts and actions. Although Samson is neither wanton nor treacherous, if the general populace lacks compassion and discovers his illegitimacy they may look down upon him and treat him with contempt.

Lacking Experience: At a youthful 21 Samson has a few years of campaigning, administration and court intrigue under his belt, but lacks the expertise, finesse and wealth of practical knowledge available to an experienced man well versed in the ways of the world.

“Jack-of-all-Trades”: Samson is a typical “jack of all trades, and a master of none.” While he is competent in a wide range of skills and disciplines, Samson lacks exceptional proficiency in any one area (besides his physical stature).

Birth-Sign Anvil – Cursed: “The anvil bears hot iron, ready to distort with each hammer blow.” A birth-sign is both a blessing and a curse. Samson is cursed by Keu with the Anvil star-sign. For all his training and education Samson’s friends will not find it too difficult to lead him astray and distract him from the task at hand. How do you think Samson found himself exiled in the first place? His companion Limira’s silver-tongue, that’s how.

Note the masterful MS Paint editing. Here is the original image. I imagine the artist would be aghast at my ham-handedness, but if you're reading this, original artist, take heart: yours was the best picture I found in the Google search for 'hooded girl', so well done.

• Sticklestad sword (a short 2 foot long blade. The hilt bares 13 notches and the phrase “Eitt Auga Hníga Álvat” crudely carved into it.)
• Stiletto dagger (a very thin, short dagger used for slitting throats, cutting purse strings or stabbing exposed backs.)
• Hand axe (good for chopping wood or cracking skulls.)
• Augur reeded horn (a horn with a reed placed in the mouth piece, emits a deafeningly high pitched shriek, enough to temporarily stun an assailant.)
• Bear-skin cloak and linen robes.
• Pouch containing 20 silver coins.

Half Bear Lord: Limira is half Augur, she is a slightly larger than the average woman and able to endure a large amount of physical punishment. As she is only partially Augur her speed is not hindered.

Street Smarts: As an orphan girl, growing up on the mean streets of Svertr, Limira learnt many practical skills such as pickpocketing and moving undetected.

Dirty Fighter: Limira doesn’t always fight fair, nor honourably, she wouldn’t have made it beyond childhood if she hadn’t.

Silver-Tongued: Limira’s quick wits and sharp tongue have gotten her out of many dangerous situations in the past. As an orphan she had to be persuasive to get what she needed and to protect herself from harm.

Birth-Sign Raven – Blessed: “The raven, eyes and ears of the sky, hears all, sees all. ” A birth-sign is both a blessing and a curse. Limira is blessed by Keu with the Raven star-sign, she is exceptionally perceptive and aware of her surroundings and hidden threats.

Foreigner: Limira is far from home, in an unknown land, with no allies and no friends (besides her companion Samson). Despite being human, as a foreigner she is unaware of the local customs and locals will treat her with suspicion. She must be vigilant lest opportunistic locals attempt to take advantage of her.

Questionable Morals: For Limira there is no clear distinction between what is right and what is wrong. Merely, what is useful, beneficial or practical at this moment in time. On the streets she didn’t care if she had to steal to eat, as long as she was fed.

Wary: Limira’s childhood has made her suspicious of others, seeing them as either untrustworthy or duplicitous. She keeps her guard up and doesn’t accept strangers easily.

Birth-Sign Raven – Cursed: “To great heights the raven soars.” A birth-sign is both a blessing and a curse. Limira is cursed by Keu with the Raven star-sign, making her ambitious, perhaps too ambitious. She has a tendency to take the route with the most reward, regardless of the risks.