K A U S T E I R A

[Quill]

World

The Scorched Land

In the idyllic Elysia, the Eastern gods ruled here. Now in the Scorched Land of Kausteira the sunsets are awash with flame and the air is thick and hot and smelling of the ashes that fill the sky anew each day, as volcanic activity turns Kausteira into a barren desert wasteland. Still there are those who hang on to the hope that the curses on the sand, fire and stone might be lifted … but the black, belching anathemas can only be satisfied with a sacrifice of warm blood.

​

Zirash

The southernmost city of Kausteira and certainly its hottest, Zirash was in Elysian times a thriving sea port on a small tropical island. As sea levels dropped dramatically in Kausteira due to catastrophic climate change, the city was abandoned, along with the deep well on the island used to obtain freshwater from underground man-made reservoirs. As centuries passed and the land slowly began to recover, the site was remembered and re-explored. It was discovered that the reservoirs had developed into a large network of underground freshwater aquifers where rivers had drained into the soil of the Kausteiran desert. The well was rebuilt and ever since then Zirash has been a haven of Kausteira, the crucial resting place for all travelers in a desert with no surface water. There are rumors of a dark place of magic not far to the north of it, but these doubtful rumors have never been confirmed.


Dun

The Red King was born very close to Dun. An eastern seaside city, Dun is very ancient, closely connected with eastern Kausteira's history of mining and stoneworking. Here it had always been hot, rocky and generally unpleasant, so Kausteira's transformation did not affect the population there as much. In the centuries following the Cataclysm, resources remained in high demand as ungifted individuals sought desperately craftsmen to supply them with much-needed possessions and people who banded together required construction material for shelter and settlement, the stonemasons and forgers of Dun never went out of business for long. Dunish metal is traded far and wide throughout Sunnepheia.


Avarath

Avarath is a recent city that formed long post-Cataclysm, although there have always been settlements on the well-situated land bridge between Kausteira and Zmaragdos ever since changing sea levels created it. When the city of Host, then known as Hosrel, was invaded by Eastern nomads, settlers poured in to claim new land, partake in the more hospitable climate, and take advantage of natural resources unknown to Kausteiran lands. Even after Host was reclaimed by the Zmaragdosi government, established trade routes between the East and West flourished. A major center of trade and resting point for travelers (going the longer way through the mountains is a laughable, if not fatal, alternative to most), it is the main source of Kausteiran wealth and has developed into a huge, bustling city inhabited by an amazing variety of people.


​

CHAPTER ONE
Avarath

Theme Song

The Red King stood upon the royal balcony, looking out at the desert land spread out below him. The precious water of the oasis glimmered silver in the sun, and the mountains loomed blue in the distance. A clear cyan sky offered no obstacle to the brilliant white orb of heat simmering above the red cliffs and swinging palm trees. Beside him on the bare, sandy rock, Shahirazad languished with a disinterested gleam in her copper-red eyes. Aukhmos, she purred throatily. We cannot wait here forever. She locked his gaze onto hers and hissed, It's cowardice!

Aukhmos exhaled deeply and turned from the gold-red sight of Kausteira. "I know," he said hotly. "I will go. I will go soon. But I need followers. I need an army." His eyes darkened. "Yet the army I have now is barely enough to protect one empire."

Shahirazad said, So go north and conquer more men. What ever is keeping you? Nothing ever has before. I'm nearly concerned. Her golden tail twitched fitfully back and forth.

"It's trust," Aukhmos said finally. "I want my best advisors to come with me – without them I would not have the wisdom I need to fight the West. But who do I leave behind? There are two men I trust!" he declared harshly. "Two men, and I need both of them with me. And I need both of them to rule the nation in Avarath."

Shahirazad snorted, disbelieving. You have five generals, all with brilliant minds and swordsmanship nearly rivaling yours. If you cannot leave your advisors, leave them.

"That would be stupid," Aukhmos said bluntly. "They would struggle for power amongst each other. If I raise one above the others, I invite anarchy. Civil war. Violating the entire principle of freedom this nation is based on."

Shahirazad's brows furrowed in deep thought. Freedom, she mused hoarsely. Her fangs gleamed in the sunlight as she lifted her chin proudly. I've got an idea.


​

ROYAL NOTICE

Inviting all able men and women of the proud Nation of Kausteira
to partake in a vote determining the Regent of the land
while the Red King Aukhmos, son of Bhlad,
conquers new lands in the North.
By royal decree
all eligible shall travel to the capital city,
Avarath, to cast their votes
and pass the combat trials necessary
to be numbered amongst
His Majesty's proud party.

​

​

 

[Freudhersch]

The orb of blazing heat hung across the sky as it burned the eyesight of those who stared at it. A small village of orcs, nestled in the unforgiving sands of Kausteira, provided them shelter for any passing traveler who is brave enough to stay with such short tempered orcs. Their buildings struck down by natural disasters, but they rebuild it time and time again- proving their strength and endurance to the test of time.

"Where is that mischievous little one.....?" an orc breathed, he looked high and low, back and forth and everywhere- but still no sign.

"How about......" he pinched a piece of cloth before throwing it away- revealing whatever was inside.

"[COLOR=#76880]Over here![/COLOR]" he gasped, countless young orcs swarmed around him, giggling and laughing.

"You found us big brother!" they said without sync.

"[COLOR=#76880]All of you should hide somewhere else! It will be much more fun if you were harder to find![/COLOR]"

The wise woman, hooded with a black cloak, emerged from the corner- with eyes filled with strict words ready to lash out.

"There you are- your father is looking for you!"

"Oh really?" he signaled to all the little toddlers to play somewhere else, they nodded and began playing out in the scorched sands within their unfaltering walls.

"You must make haste, your father is frantic about this parchment....." the wise woman snorted.

"You must forgive me wise woman, but making sure the little ones are happy is one of my duties!"

"But there is a much more urgent duty for you to perform! Now make haste!"

The two figures made their way into another hut that stood in the far left of the camp, the wooden door swung open like it was newly made- yet, it was covered with countless scratches. Inside was lush and filled with shade and water, the plants nodded as the outside air rustled them, at the farthest end of the building sat an old orc- with a slip of dry parchment that felt like it could break with the slightest touch.

"You know why I called you here Bagürz?" the old orc breathed.

"Forgive me father- I have no idea why you have summoned me here" the orc called Bagürz scratched the back of his head with worry, he silently prepared himself worth a scolding but the old figure folded the message in half.

"You're to be named Chief of this stronghold yet you meddle with the young ones?"

"I'm just trying to make everything here a little bit better"

"Better?" the wise woman intervened "you must carry acts of strength and prowess in the field!"

"Speaking of such matter- the main reason why I summoned you here, is to read this message"

"Message?" Bagürz wondered as he received the crisp note from his father.

 

[Harma]

The gates of Avarath opened with a rustic, high pitched scrreaaaaaakkkk to the Felleon party.

Lor stared at the city engulfing the group, awed. His for'tair warriors were even in a complete trance, and most of them had been places where even Lor had not. The gates had opened onto a narrow causeway that would lead them to the main part of Avarath. Lor examined the giant bluff that stood vigilant at the very center of the city, and under it the golden domed buildings rose level upon level upon level.

It was truly a wonder of the world... for them, at least.

A male tiger framed Felleon, one of his for'tair's, galloped up to him atop his sand steed. ​"This city is wondrous, My Khor. I am honored to have been able to accompany you."

Yorial had always been talkative, especially when he was away from his family. "And I am honored you accepted." He scanned the sky for Bella; she had taken to the skies after they had left, furious that Lor had accepted to respond to His Grace's summons."What I don't honor is that Aukhmos refuses to inform me of why he summoned me. I know that war is upon us, but what other reason?"


It was an hour of gaping at buildings and wonders before they finally got to the Royal Palace. Lor ordered his for'tair to wait without while he met with Aukhmos. Wandering the maze that was a palace, he finally asked for directions after trying to smell Aukhmos failed, and soon found himself at His Grace's door.

The turbaned guard bowed in respect and knocked at the door. "Your Grace, Lor'thel'Shtar, of the Kha'te Felleon is here. Shall I let him in?"

 

[Z'Greel]

A green and red figure was running across the rooftops of Avarth, carrying a small backpack. Some city guards were trying to follow him, yet that was rather hard from street level. At one point when he was out of sight from the guards, he jumped down from the roof and ran down an alley, slipping away from the pursuing guards.

Not long after, he was walking down the street, having pulled off his hood and blended into the crowd. The spider sitting on his shoulder laughed loudly. "Oh Z! Coming along with you to work is always fun! And now we've gotten enough loot for several days!" She shrieked gleefully.
"What can I say, Azy? I'm a lucky guy who found a job I'm good at and enjoy. And hell, with the guards that are around here, it's not exactly hard!" The Draken replied.

They kept joking and chuckling as they walked down the street for a while, before the spider turned serious, if only for a moment. "You've seen the notices, right? And you're going to vote, right?" She asked curiously.
"Eh, I suppose. Voting for the one who cares the least about guards and security and whatnot. I doubt we'll notice much difference anyway."
"But one little act that could have a lot of payoff is worth it, no?"
"Of course it is! I just doubt it'll pay off. And with a bit of bad luck, we'll be recognized and caught."
"Mood killer!" She joked, tapping his head with her foot.

 

[Quill]

PART II
The Arena

Soundtrack

The Red King surveyed the Red Arena from his dais approvingly. By showing off their magical and combat talents, anyone interested in joining his entourage on their travels north could prove their skill to him here. They would be hand-picked, in fact. His five generals stood behind him, some fidgeting. After the arena event, the results of the vote would be announced, and they all wanted to be chosen above the others.

The crowd roared as a huge Dune Crusher trampled snorting and honking into the arena, is wide black nostrils hissing sand and its armored, scaly back quivering with fury. Long hooks had been worked between the plates; attached to long black chains of enchanted steel, they kept the behemoth somewhat stationary so that he would not crash into the audience. Then the great gates opened, and the first wave of hopeful warriors and mages poured in, hacking at the leviathan's sensitive areas: snout, mouth, neck, eyes, foot pads, belly, in between the thick red scales. Already blood soaked the fine arena sand. To the side, a collection of aenigmae watched quietly, separated from their loposes to prevent both cheating and judgment based on the aenigma's appearance. Mice sat calmly beside enormous feral-eyed tigers, their gazes all locked upon the combat. If their lopos was killed, they would be snuffed out in an instant.

Shahirazad was watching closely as well. An excellent plan, she commended him.

Aukhmos smiled fiercely as he saw an archer hit the Dune Crusher's eye. That one was a keeper. He motioned to the scribe beside him, who hastily noted the man's number. "I know," he said smugly. "This army will have the most elite soldiers in all the land!"


​

Battle I: Dune Crusher


Dune Crusher
Male Sand

• High susceptibility to magic •
• Caught in a net; movement restricted •
• Slow-moving •
• Natural armor, good resistance to common metal/fire •
• High endurance •


Bagürz
Male Orc

• Slow, imprecise •
• Can wear heavy armor •
• Very physically strong •
• Naturally thick, protective skin (racial) •


Katua
Female Nocturne

• Sensitive Eyes (racial) •
• Not very physically strong •
• Practices magic; target susceptible to magic •
• Enchanted weapons •
• Agile like a dancer; has excellent balance •


Z'Greel
Male Draken

• Not much of a warrior; low combat skills •
• Acrobatic; has excellent balance; dodges well •
• Naturally thick, protective scales (racial) •


Lor'thel
Male Felleon

• Has not mastered a particular weapon •
• Back problems •
• Intelligent; strategic •
• Naturally thick, protective fur (racial) •


Archers & Spearthrowers
Sharp Projectiles

• Small and easily crushed/buried in sand •
• Very close to enemy; easier to attack; vulnerable position •
• Faster and more agile than enemy •
• Slow, largely stationary target •


Swordsmen
Blades

• Small and easily crushed/buried in sand •
• Very close to enemy; easier to attack; vulnerable position •
• Faster and more agile than enemy •

​

COMBAT LOG

This is where all turns and dice rolls will be recorded!

ROUND I​

Archers & Spearthrowers

1 - Missiles Launched (2 rolled; 4 needed)


Swordsmen

1 - Enemy Hit (3 rolled; 3 needed)


Katua

1 - Enchanted Weapons Used (old system)
2 - Enemy Hit (old system)

​

 

[Shavynel]

Rolls

1 - Collect 10% Defense Points (5.5 points) - Total DP: 60.5

2 - Roll for Conditional Strengths - 81: no dodge defense; 67: +10 attack due to using an enchanted weapon

3 - Roll for Conditional Weaknesses - 12: not blinded by sand

4 - Roll for Attack Points - 4+14+10 = 28 AP

5 - Roll for Critical Hit Chance - 30; no crit hit

6 - Roll for Accuracy - 28 * .9 = 25.2 = 25 AP

7 - Attack Enemy - 105 - 25 = 80

9 - End Turn - DP: 60.5

Avarath was busier than Katua had ever seen it. It had taken an extra hour to get to her parents' house, but passing them by would not have been an option. They had been the ones who had sent her to learn the dark magics, but to them, that had been a precaution. They had expected her to stay at home afterwards and help the family, but she had decided to leave again. Her visit this morning had gone relatively well, but her parents had tried, yet again, to convince her to stay at home. It was only at the very last second she had informed them she wanted to answer the Red King's call to arms. She could think of no better way to put her skills to good use.

Now, she stood amongst others who also wished to answer the Red King's call. There were those of every race, weilding all sorts of weapons. She swung her hammers at her side - up over her shoulder and back down again - to hide her nervousness. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea. She had expected the trials to be one on one or perhaps at most a dozen versus a dozen. But here there stood so many. She had never partook in such a large battle, preferring to work with a few others that she trusted. And would the Red King take them all?

The gate started creaking upwards. Her grip on her hammers tightened. "Good luck," she said to the orc on her left, and with her words came a smile more confident than she actually felt. And then she rushed out, swinging her hammer. She paused in her run, planting her feet before letting the hammer fly, aiming for a gap in the Dune Crusher's scales near its left forelimb. As soon as she saw the hammer on its way, she kept moving, knowing her enchanted hammer would find its way back to her. If the Dune Crusher did take note of that particular strike, though, and decided to turn to find the source, she didn't want to be the first target in its vision.

Katua shielded her eyes and looked to where she had targetted and caught the hammer she had thrown in her right hand again. It had been a good hit. She must have found a weak spot. "Strike there," she cried out, pointing to where she had hit.

 

[Elflady]

The scorching sun burned down on Avarath as Kana headed through the winding streets towards the arena, her small gryphon aenigmae perched on her shoulder, her dress gripped with sharp talons to keep his balance. Her father's protests still ringing in her ears, she hated causing him more pain but in her eyes it was the only choice and she was glad for being able to share the pain at least. All the years she had walked the streets of Avarath and climbed its roofs and yet this day it almost felt like a new city, everywhere people milled about slowly heading in the same direction and a feeling of both dread and excitement hung in the air.

Staring up at the burning sun, Kana shaded her blue black eyes with one hand, her other gripped her long spear to steady it as she leaned against it slightly. Lowering her gaze to see the large Red Arena before her, she had a gnawing feeling that this was a bad idea but still she didn't turn back. Yawning softly Raeus opened an amber eye to look at his lopos, "are you sure about this Kana?" He asked softly in her ear, despite being two halves of a whole he had always been the more careful one.

"Yes," she said her resolve strengthening once more. "This is the only way I can think of that might help father." Gripping her spear tighter Kana took a deep breath and followed the stream that still trickled into the Arena following the rest of the hopeful fighters that hoped to be chosen to the Red King's Personal army, something that might lead Kana to a cure for the poison that were destroying the world. Soon founding herself among a large group waiting behind a huge door that would lead them to the arena and the trial that waited for them.

Raeus comforting presence gave her courage and she became more certain of survival, after all it couldn't be too bad right, then the doors swung open revealing a pained and furious Dune Crusher thrashing and bellowing. Kana paled at the sight but rushed forward with the rest, all too aware that Raeus lifted from her shoulder and flew off to join the other aenigmae on the edge of the arena, not that Raeus small size would give her extra points despite his gryphon shape.

Studying the large behemoth Kana noted the beast's body were covered with large scales, in fact the large hooks anchoring the Dune Crusher somewhat were attached to the plates on its back. She realised quickly that attacking the beast outright would be a futile attempt instead she ran in an arch towards the beast's belly and took aim with her spear and forced it in between scales, twisting it hard before jerking it out again hoping to have at least wounded it. Jumping to the side to avoid being crushed by a large foot, continuing in the same manner Kana searched for another opening.

 

[Freudhersch]

"How majestic!" Bagürz noted as he touched the walls of the arena, such structure withstood the harsh desert winds. The arena doors opened before him and the guardsmen pointed outside.

"In there?" the guardsman nodded and Bagürz rushed towards the blinding light- only to be greeted by huge cloud of dust, a roaring behemoth stood in the middle, it's mouth expanding as the other combatants tired to slay the beast.

Bagurz pulled out his mighty hammer and pointed at the creature.

"It maybe be huge but it hasn't tasted the hammer of Bagürz!" with those words he rushed to the monstrous being.