In the beginning there was a large, empty universe. It held nothing but the Lords. The Lords had no names and they were lonely. One of them said to the others, ?Let us create something to fill the emptiness.? The others agreed. The first one made great balls of burning mass and named them stars. The second created the gases that fueled the stars. The third made large hunks of stone to keep the stars company so they wouldn?t be alone. The fourth made water to cover the rocks and calm their hot, newly formed surfaces. The Lords named themselves Fire, Air, Earth, and Water, respectively.
Soon enough the newly named Lords grew tired of their lifeless worlds. There was nothing to recognize the work they did, no one to appreciate their great feats. They made animals, but they were stupid beasts who couldn?t even speak. Each decided to create life in his own image on a specially developed planet.
Fire created the Sprites. Air created the Klika. Earth created the Werlan. Water created the Dragons.
Satisfied with their creations, the Lords rested and watched their children grow. All was well in the new world. Sooner than later the Lords grew prone to jealousy, however. Fire claimed that because he created first, both with life and matter, he was the greatest Lord. Air quickly retorted that no mortal creature could live without the harsh sun shielding gasses he provided. Earth rumbled angrily that he had made a home for all of their creations, making him deserve the most respect. Water, not to be outdone, argued that he should be revered by the creations because no creature could live without water.
The Lords couldn?t come to an agreement of who was the greatest among them. Then Water said, ?Why shouldn?t we each ask our people who they think is the greatest? That way we can settle this.? The other three agreed this was a good idea.
Each of the Lords went to their respective people and asked who they thought was the greatest. The creatures each thought that their own creator was the best of the Lords. This didn?t help at all. They argued more until Earth came up with an idea. ?We should combine our efforts to make a race of people. Then this race won?t be biased to any one of us.?
This was hailed as a better idea, so the Lords set out to work. Earth gave the new creature a body of clay. Air gave it a breath of life. Fire gave it a spark of ambition. Water gave it a spring of intelligence. They named this new race the Humans and set it off into the world.
The five races grew and expanded, fighting here and allying there. The Lords were content to watch for a while, for the Humans had to get accustomed to the world in order to decide which of the Lords? gifts they valued the most. Each Lord was confident that he would be called the best.
The humans, however, realized that the Lords wanted something out of them. They said to each other, ?Each Lord wants us to name him the best. Why not ask for something from each to help us decide?? This was regarded as a good plan.
When the Lords came down to the humans they asked to know which of them the humans thought was the greatest.
One Human, a man named Nar, said, ?I cannot know who the best is. What have the Lords done for me??
Fire, eager to be named the greatest of the Lords, gave Nar a hollow log filled with fire. Nar, satisfied with the gift, said, ?I say that Fire is the greatest Lord, but I can only speak for myself.?
?I am not decided who the greatest Lord is. They have never shown me any kindness,? a woman named Kipe said.
Wanting to show his brother that he wasn?t the only one who could be called the greatest, Air gave Kipe a sling and taught her how to use it. Thanking Air gracefully, Kipe said, ?I say that Air is the greatest of the Lords, but I too can only speak for myself.?
Angry at being out done, Earth showed another man how to fashion tools from stone.
Water, desperate to be called the greatest, showed a woman how to make a water holder so the humans could carry water from place to place.
At the end this the Humans left, satisfied with the success of their plan. The Lords, however, felt cheated. All of them were called the best, which made the title lose its specialness. They couldn?t help but feel flattered that the Humans recognized their power, but their problem wasn?t solved. Each Lord lay down to rest and regain strength. When they had recovered from the exertion of creating a world and its peoples they would resume their fight and determine which of them would be the Lord of the Lords.
This story is past now. It is widely regarded as a myth among all the races. Since that time ages have passed. Few believe that the Lords exist. The world has been named Nirkem. Many parts of it are populated by the five sentient races, many are not.
The humans, although they are the youngest race, are one of the most numerous. There are two main human kingdoms, Deonel and Kipen. A war is going on between them and they are about to unwittingly trigger something far, far larger than a fight between men.
They rediscovered magic. Magic was lost to the five races since the retreat of the Lords. There was very little record of it, but there were enough hints scattered across legends and bedtime stories for the humans to piece together the old power. Four parts of magic were discovered: Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. A gifted human could choose to study one branch, learning to manipulate the element.
The secret of magic leaked to the other races and each race discovered that they could learn to control the element of the Lord they were created by. As with humans, not every member of the other races could learn magic.
As the use of magic became more popular its human users noticed a change. The more a human used magic the easier it would be to use it and the easier it would be to get lost in it. A human who used too much magic would feel a beckoning call that would grow stronger with the amount of magic they used. This is the call of the Lord of the element of magic they use.
The rediscovery of magic has reawakened the Lords. When a human uses magic they let the will of the Lord bind with theirs until they become a creature of the Lord, called a nadasami. A nadasami looks no different than a regular human, other than that their eyes change color from what they used to be. A fire nadasami?s eyes will be red, an earth nadasmi?s eyes will be brown, an air nadasami?s eyes will be green, and a water nadasami?s eyes will be blue. They have more magical power than a human, but they have lost something greater: free will. While they still can think for themselves and make decisions, they are extremely loyal to their Lord. They do not truly lose free will, but they will put their Lord?s interest before their own, for they are creatures of the Lords. Should a nadasami desert his or her Lord the Lord will hunt them down.
How quickly a human magic user becomes a nadasami depends on how much they use magic. If a human magic user goes a day without using magic then the hold a Lord has on them will decline. The less hold a Lord has on a human the faster it will disappear. Once a human becomes a nadasami, however, there is no going back.
The existence of nadasamis is not well known, for magic was only recently discovered. Mages are used in the human war and they become nadasmis without anyone knowing, although some confess of strange sensations before they become nadasamis. The growing number of nadasamis has come to the alert of the mage leaders, though, so word is slowly spreading to stop humans from using too much magic.
The other races are immune to becoming nadasamis. Magic wise the strongest mages are the sprites, who can go beyond the power of a nadasami. The nadasamis are the second strongest, the werlan are the third strongest, normal humans the fourth strongest, the dragons the fifth strongest, and the klika the weakest as far as magical terms go.
But the human leaders of the war do not care about the diminishing humanity of their troops. They care about winning at whatever the cost. But what happens when the cost is far greater than they imagined?
The Lords still fight each other for dominance, becoming even more contrary than they were before. They will not stop voluntarily until one has beaten the rest. Their battles cause earthquakes and dangerous weather patterns, threatening the life of the world they created. Will they be able to make peace?
Nirkem:
There is a main continent on the planet Nirkem where this will be taken place, called Alteri. In the north of Alteri are the Durkada Mountains. A branch of them trails down into the northern human kingdom, Kipen. Kipen is the smaller of the two human kingdoms and it has less arable land, but its people are adept woodsmen and it has more access to raw materials given its heavily wooded state and mines. There is a big lake in Kipen known as Kipe?s Crater among the humans, due to its depth and the peculiar fact it is nearly a perfect circle.
Bordering Kipen on the south is the other human kingdom, Deonel. Deonel is more agriculturally based than Kipen, as well as having more cities and being more scholarly than its counterpart. It also borders the ocean to the east, so fishing is another large industry for Deonel. Deonel is mostly farmland.
Alteri is not covered by human owned territory. The other races have their own claimed territory, too. North of Kipen, in the Durkada Mountains, live the klika. The klika also have settlements in forests across Alteri, although their main population is in the mountains.
Sprites do not have a territory of their own, but share with other races, usually humans.
The werlan are nomads, living in tribes who travel the continent.
The dragons live in the various rivers and lakes of Alteri as well as the ocean. On the west side of Alteri is more ocean. The shore on this side is not much of a shore at all; high rocky cliffs line border the ocean on the west side. The only way to get a boat in and out on the west side is the Kerrar River, which is populated by dragons as well.
There are plenty of lands not claimed by the sentient races yet, and little is known about what populates those areas. One of the most infamous of places are the Gut Caves, located deep underground, perhaps spanning the whole of Alteri. They are known as the Gut Caves because they twist and turn much like intestines.
Another place is Embri Mountain, located to the southwest. This enormous mountain is an active volcano, occasionally blowing off smoke.
There is also the Zefen Tree deep, deep into the Durkada Mountains, farther north than anyone would think a tree could survive, let alone flourish. Yet flourish it does. This tree is immensely tall and thick, indicating ancient age.
To the north of Deonel and the east of Kipen there is a large, spring fed lake full of clear, icy cold water called Clarity Spring. In the middle of the lake is an island that is large enough that trees and some animals live on it.
Each of these four places has a shrine in/on it somewhere. In the deepest part of the Gut Caves is a shrine made of green-streaked-with-cream-color stone surrounded by large multi colored crystals. At the base of Embri Mountain is a shrine made of glossy black rock with a fire continuously burning on top of it. Somewhere in the upper branches of the Zefen Tree is a shrine made of a clear, glassy material that sings when the wind passes through it. In the center of the island in Clarity Spring is a shrine made of ocean blue stone halfway submersed in clear water.
These are the shrines of the Lords. This is where they are the closest to the mortal world and can communicate with mortals far more easily in their respective areas. It is not uncommon for a nadasami to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of their Lord.
Races
Humans: Typical traditional human. Need I elaborate?
Sprites: Sprites are humanlike in shape, but there are obvious differences between the two races. Sprites, for one, are shorter than humans, averaging at five feet in height. Their hair can be a wide range of colors, from orange to red to shocking white and rich yellow. A sprite?s skin is always very pale no matter how much they are exposed to the sun. Sprites have delicate, long fingered hands that are very dexterous and nimble, making them excellent at craftsmanship that requires precision and finesse. At the tips of their fingers are not fingernails but rather soot black talons that turn ember orange when their heart rate goes up. Sprites are more resistant to heat than humans and it takes more to burn them, although they are not immune to being burnt.
Sprites are creatures of quick wit and hot tempers. They can swing between emotions quite unexpectedly, making them unpredictable. They are vain creatures and love to be petted and praised. They are clever with their deft fingers and excel at making fine objects. Fire is their friend and they are fascinated with it. A popular competition among sprites is to see who can stand in a roaring fire the longest. Sprites love beautiful things and receiving gifts. If a sprite gives you something you better reciprocate the favor for they will get angry if you don?t. A sprite?s grudge can last a long time and they will wait for the best moment to get back at the offender. Sprites are clever and like to get their point across. However, if they think there is a better idea than theirs, they will go with the other idea instead and feel no self-chastisement for thinking a ?wrong? way before.
Werlan: As do the sprites, werlan share some characteristics with humans. Normally they take the shape of tall, bulky humanoids. They are a plain looking people characterized by dark hair and pointed ears. A werlan?s eyes are not set to any one color; their eye color varies with their emotions. No two werlans have the same set of colors for their eyes. Werelan are strong people, both in body and spirit. They have a nomadic society in which they travel the continent of Alteri, their territory changing with the season. There are seven different tribes of the werlan: the Snake, the Wolf, the Squirrel, the Horse, the Deer, the Bear, and the Badger. The werlan have the ability to change into the animal of their respective tribe.
If any one thing can be said about the werlan it is that they are patient. Like the earth itself they can weather many situations and still come out strong. This patience, along with their strong willed determination, is one of the most notorious qualities about them. Werlans are social creatures and enjoy being with other werlans, although they are wary of other races. They have excellent memories and will forgive but never forget. Werlans are loyal to those they align themselves with and they would never betray another werlan. With other races they are not quite as loyal, but still follow their word. Werlans have a great sense of direction and it is hard for them to get lost.
Dragons: The dragons of Nirkem are slender, wingless creatures built for aquatic life. They average at about seven feet tall. Dragons do not have scales but instead have smooth, supple skin to reduce the drag under water. This skin can range to green to blue to purple to black in color, as well as having patterns of florescent yellow. This yellow quite literally glows in the dark. Dragons? eyes have slit pupils and can be a wide variety of colors. Dragons have wide webbed feet and finned tails, great for swimming, although they have no opposable thumbs. They have gills on the sides of their necks so they can breathe underwater and they have lungs too. Housed in the mouth of a dragon are two rows of pointed teeth sharp enough to bite through steel if enough pressure was applied. Instead of horns dragons have flexible tentacle like things sprouting from the backs of their heads that are used to grip and touch objects. These tentacles, called grippers amongst the dragons, are not particularly strong but are very precise and sensitive. Dragons actually have taste buds on the tips of their grippers. Dragons can survive just as well on land as they can in water, for their slim frames lend themselves well to speed. Dragons do need more water than other races do, however, so thus rarely live far away from a reliable water source. Dragons also have very strong bones that are extremely hard to break.
Since dragons live underwater most of the time one might expect them to be ignorant of many of the happenings on land. This is not so for dragons are curious creatures and like to stick their noses in things even if there is a possibility those things might bite back. News spreads quickly amongst the dragons because many of the waterways that are connected and they have set up a postage system, which delivers messages for other races, too. When confronted with a fight a dragon is more likely to run than do any fighting unless it takes place in the water. Dragons often feel far more comfortable in the water than on land, although they can get used to living on the ?topside? as they call it. Dragons are generally social creatures that live in pods when amongst themselves. When with other races they will often gather a group of people together that they feel protective of. While they lack the appropriate physiology to make even simple things dragons are quite creative and quick thinkers as well as fast learners.
Klika: In shape the klika are perhaps most easily likened to large cats. An emphasis on large, because klika are on average nine feet long from the tips of their noses to the tips of their tails. They have opposable thumbs and surprisingly finger like digits on all four of their paws, although they are not as well developed as a human?s. Klika have thick fur with two layers, built for trapping warmth. The fur of the klika is usually dark in color, black being the most common by far. It is uncommon for a klika to have a pattern of any sort in their fur, but sometimes designs are in individual?s fur. These designs are usually in shades of white or light grey, although rarely blues and oranges are seen. Klika have compact, muscular bodies with most of their strength in their legs, specifically their hind ones. Klika can easily jump ten feet, whether horizontally or vertically. A klika?s eyes are probably one of the strangest out there as their eyes are a solid color without pupil. This color can be any hue and can often be the distinguishing feature of a klika to other races. Klika have excellent eyesight and hearing. As well as being able to run swiftly on four legs klika can also walk on their hind legs. When they do this they tower over other races, even the dragons.
Klika are generally aloof in manner and do not display emotion readily. This isn?t to say they don?t feel emotion; it?s just that in the klika society an adult is expected to be reserved and polite. Among them only cubs and immature people are supposed to display emotion. As is such, when exposed to other races they usually find others as childish before they get to know them. Klika have a hierarchical society based around the strength of an individual. A klika will often not obey someone they think is weaker than them. Klika constantly asses the strength of the others around them and are not afraid to challenge others for favorable positions in a group. Klika, unlike some other races, have a rough form of government throughout their race. They have a leader called the Relka situated in their main city, Flisk, in the Durkada mountains. The Relka?s job is to help settle disputes amongst the klika, deal with other races, and help decide the actions of the klika. Klika are blunt creatures who do not like to backstab or deceive. If a klika has a problem with you you will know it. If a klika is tired of taking orders from someone in command it is common for them to challenge them to a duel for leadership. Klika are just creatures and do not like to see innocent harmed, especially if those innocent are children. In informal situations klika loosen up some and are friendlier, although the habit of hiding emotion doesn?t disappear completely. Because of their society klika are great at putting on masks of emotion that hide their true feelings.
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Hello all. Thanks for spending the time to check this out. This is an idea I've had for a while, so I wanted to see how much interest I could get in it first before I created it.
Right now the plot is a little loose. I had an idea that there could be a group composed of a rougue nadasami or two and some representatives from each of the races to go to the shrines and collect some of the Lords' essences and use them to influence the Lords themselves. They would try to make the Lords not fight with each other any more. They could try to change the Lords to make them more human like. What do I mean by this? Well, the Lords are obviously inhuman (even more so than the non human races of Nirkem) and have different thought processes than the mortal races. They are little more than the elements they they are named after. This group's goal could be to force them to evolve in a sense to a higher state of conciousness that can reason and set aside differences. There could also be some people from the Lords who are trying to stop this group.
I am open to suggestions for ideas and feel free to ask questions if you have any. Feedback in general is welcome. Also, if you are interested, please express it!
I'm planning for this to be somewhat literate of a role play, meaning that I expect people to be able to write at least two paragraphs with good grammar. I understand if you are not impeccable with grammar. I know I'm not. But an effort is appreciated.
I hope to hear from you guys. Thanks again for checking this out!
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Public release date: 25-Feb-2013
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