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Etaria was a vast, imperial nation, it's territories stretching across the planet. The country prospered because of the great leadership and resource rich land it lay on. In the year 1407, the kingdom was under the rule of Emperor Parzian Tiberius III. He was a kind and fair ruler, who worked hard to make sure that each member of his empire led a happy life.

While visiting Imperia, a military city on the outskirts of his empire, the emperor felt the effects of The Great Cataclysm. The day that everything changed. Large space objects struck the planet, bringing with it fire and ash that killed much of the population. Hundreds of cities were entirely destroyed by the shock wave. Imperia was said to have not taken much damage from the blow, being far from the impact zone and heavily fortified. The Emperor, however, was mysteriously killed shortly after the blast.

After several years of living in famine and cold, the dust and ash over Etaria began to settle, leaving its inhabitants to a ruined, unwelcoming world.

Ten more years pass, and the year is now 1422. You are a citizen of Etaria, barely surviving in what's left of its land. After hearing of a place called Imperia, the only major city to have survied The Cataclysm, you take what you have and head to the city, hoping to make a new life for yourself. What happens next is up to you.

Humans:

The humans are the first race of Etaria. They settled near a coast, but before they had set up a working port, a trading ship full of Raviers landed on the shore. The Raviers traded fine goods that the humans did not have in large quantities, like silk, exotic fruit and Orcish slaves (think Asians and the silk road). While the Ravier stayed in what the humans had set up as a town, the Dramdari sunk the trading ship, leaving the Ravier stranded in human lands, the humans struggled to feed the extra mouths, until a few months later when the Ravier had settled and the Humans had a working city.

When The Cataclysm struck, the human kingdom was in shambles. Emperor Tiberius III had died mysteriously in the aftermath of The Cataclysm. During this time several villages were destroyed when the ground split apart and meteors hit the earth, the Dramdari were going around raiding many small towns that were now left un-protected. The Emperors troops withdrew to the capital, Imperia, on command of Emperor Tiberius IV, who took the throne from his predecessor in this time of chaos and need so that Imperia would stay protected.

The new emperor changed the court of Imperia heavily, removing several high up nobles, and replacing them with people he saw fit to run the cities. The commoners were outraged at this, and revolted as they lost what say they had in the monarchy. Imperia was in a dire state already, now the military needed to control a rebellion. Shops were burnt, and several guardsmen were killed in the civil war that broke out. Emperor Tiberius IV had to crack down heavily on the pesant and merchant classes. He began to use violent measures to silence what was left of his ruined city, the riots eventually calmed down, but the damage was already done.

During these calmer times those who remained from outside of Imperia started to trickle in ((The players)), which slowly caused the city to grow again. The Emperor placed new laws on the Capital so that there would be no more thoughts of trying to rebel against him, for fear of what would happen if these new citizens were to revolt once more. These new citizens worked to rebuild what was destroyed in the rebellion using the materials that they were able to be scavenged from the land.

-background/history

Many years before the Cataclysm, the elves and dark elves were allied. It was a rough alliance with many Elvish and Dark Elvish beleifs clashing. The only thing that got the Elvish races to form an alliance was the marriage of Prince Edlad (Elvish) and Princess Araura (Dark). This peace lasted for many years. When the pair was married there was a period of Elvish pride, which was quite unheard of. The two led this race for many successful decades but it was not to last. When The Cataclysm struck, racial and clan violence broke out like never before. This was strengthened by religious differences between the Elves and the Dark Elves. In a skirmish between Dark Elf rioters and the combined Elvish military, the king was killed by a bolt dipped in poison. In response to this the Elvish Empire collapsed into civil war. A rogue group of elves assassinated the queen and the empire was all but gone. Any semblance of the former power structure had all but disintegrated. As Elven survivors trickled into Imperia they discovered something horrifying had happened, they had lost the ability to manipulate mana and by extension lost the ability to work magic. This widened the rift between the Elves and Dark Elves as they each blamed each other for their loss.

-religion/magic

The main reason for the rift between the Elves is how they each regard magic. More specifically the energy that is used to power magic, mana.

-Elves

Elves view mana as a way to spread life energy and the forests in which they live. They also believe that mana is a physical manifestation of their god.

-Dark Elves

Dark Elves view mana as nothing more than power. Magic and mana is a power source to be exploited and used in any way. Their very prescence corrupts healing magics and amplifies destruction.

Dwarves

The Dwarves were the very first advanced civilization in the Lands of Etaria. Long before the Raviers arrived, the Dwarves already had populated most of the lands underground. They created great halls, and invented the art of smithing while humans were squatting in the mud and elves were but a dream to the dwarves. It was also in these first decades of dwarvish history that they discovered the Instecoids living deeper in the caves that they were using same caves that they used to work inside. As far as civilization knows, there has been no fighting between the two races.

When they discovered the Humans, they started to trade with them. Before long, the humans awaited the arrival of the Dwarves, to see what rare treasures they would bring with them. Slowly, the Dwarves noticed that the humans were starting to become more civilized. As they noticed this, they stayed for longer intervals, saying that the road that they originally used for travels was getting attacked by creatures insectile in nature. They started to communicate with the Humans more and more, and they slowly started to develop their own language. The younger Humans picked this new language up faster than the eldest members of their race did.

Dwarves are shorter than most of the other races, coming to a full 1.35 meters or 4'5" in height. They have long beards, giving them the appearance of a modern-day lawn gnome, only without the pointy red hat and the funky suit. Not all Dwarves have facial hair, and some of the members of the Dwarven race are taller than the others, reaching up to 1.5 meters or 5' in height. Given how this is such a rare occurrence, especially now, these taller Dwarves are considered the 'elders' of the Dwarves. These taller Dwarves were also the ones to make first contact with the Humans, and told the shorter Dwarves what not to do to each other.

Orcs

The Orcs came the same time the Raviers did, travelling on the Ravier ship as slaves, to be sold to the human race. The Orcs were mostly well treated, though several citizens would often starve the Orcs they owned. Many Orcs took their chances and escaped to the forests surronding Imperia, but the harsh conditions were too difficult for the orcs to live in, as they did not want to attract attention to themselves. Some of the more savage Orcs were taken in by the Drakmari, while the weaker Orcs were left in the forests. Five years before The Great Cataclysm, the court of Imperia finally realized that they should be allowed citizenship. The ones that had not left to the Drakmari were suspicious at first, but soon realized the humans were truthful.

In the smaller tribes of Orcs, the strongest Orc is considered the leader. Annually, there is a competition between the Orcs to see who the strongest is to determine the leader for that year. If the previous year's leader lost, they were to go to the Capital in order to merge with the civilized races that the Orcs considered weaker than themselves. When these stronger Orcs saw the other members of their race socializing with the weaker races, their primal instincts turned on, and they charged them. This often led to members of other races being killed, and the guards coming in to force these Orcs out of the city. Slowly, a double standard was created for the Orcs. They were supposed to be strong, but not show it, as well as be aggressive and peaceful at the same time.

The Orcs are tall and very muscular. Most of them have green skin, with some exceptions, like grey-toned or brown skin. Their faces seem to resemble boars a bit. They have big, yellow tusks coming from their lower jaw, and yellow eyes (with exceptions, of course). Some say they are always aggressive and angry, and like to fight over the smallest things, but at times this is not the case, given there are a small population of Orcs living in Imperia.

They are rather peaceful when they are not drunk, and they have mostly adapted themselves to living in the big city. However, some of the Orcs decided to stay true to their traditions, and are currently living in small tribes spread across Etaria, or they joined the Dramdari.

Half Mutants:

Those who lived too far from the meteorite strike to get killed by the shockwave were effected by a strange phenomenon in which caused them to mutate slowly over time. Those that were the closest to the initial shockwave felt these effects first. After, it slowly filtered out to the outer areas of the world. The Half-mutants often have genetic mutations within themselves that cause them to stand out, that is alsovisible in their offspring. Some examples of this are telepathy, and other magic related effects, or having three eyes, seven toes and other physical mutations. These mutations usually come in only one category, with one mutant having only physical mutations while another will only have magical mutations.

Sometimes, if a half-mutant was discovered in a city, they were stoned and thrown out of the city. Several smaller villages have appeared due to this, which contain mostly mutants. The people who remain in the city often are forced to hide their mutated features to avoid discovery. Certain groups of people have become an advocate for the rights that the Half-Mutants should have when living within a city. These groups protect them and offer them a place to stay. Some people have even gone so far as to get fake identities for the mutated people so they can still live and work within the city.

Sometimes, if provoked, the Half-Mutants would riot against the other races in the town due to poor treatment, living conditions, and the safety of the workplaces. These riots are rare due to the laws that they have to follow in order to live in the Capital, and most cities. In the darkest depths lurk the Mutants that do not have good intentions. These mutants are the most transformed of them all. Most of them don't even look like the ones they were before. The Energy made them transform in giant slimes with tentacles growing out of them, and with others the skin simply melted from their bones. These mutants have no memory anymore of their past lives, and even if they do, they are almost certainly completely insane.

When the Great Cataclysm struck, the race known as the Insectoids was forced to surface when the tremors caused by the meteors crashing destroyed their underground fortresses. When they reached the overworld the some Insectoids were killed by falling debree and infections caused by injuries from the long journey up from deep within Etaria's crust. The Insectoids that did survive set out in search for food and water, which was in short supply. After travelling miles by foot the Insectoids split into different colonies and evolved into flesh eating creatures with two hind legs and four arms. Each colony is ruled by a king or queen as the Insectoids only listen to one leader.

The larger Insectoids have large hard scales covering parts of their body for defence, on their arms they have long sharp blades wich dull fast and have to be sharpened reguarly by using smooth stones found close to the water's edge.

The smaller Insectoids are the hunters and the gatherers; they are quick on their feet and have small suction pads on their fingers. They have 4 fingers on each hand, and sharp scales around their wrists to protect their food from being stolen. All Insectoids have pinchers around their mouths and have human features such as their teeth and torso. They have eyes like those of a flies and no eyelids.

There are many threats to the Insectoids such as the elvish races and some wild creatures found in the land of Etaria. They are capable of making tools and weapons but they are not highly skilled at smithing because of their armors and suction pads on their hands, so all weapons are poorly crafted and don't deal much damage. A few of the Insectoids live within the city.

The Raviers were traders from other continents. They sailed in one day to trade with Imperia selling things such as slaves, fruit, and silk goods the humans did not have, long before the port was built and before Imperia was even in existance.

They were stranded in Etaria when a group of savage Dramdari sunk thier ship, trapped on the lands that they came to trade with. They slowly re-populated and stayed in Etaria as they tried to figure out what to do. Times were tough when news came that they had to stay there, the humans had barely got a town, and they had no food to feed the extra mouths of the Raviers, due to the humans being unable to feed their own citizens. Most of the goods the Ravier had been carrying were lost to the sea when their ship sank, which caused them to have to attempt in helping the Humans find enough food to survive.

As the young of the Raviers grew up, they were told stories of what happened to their trade ships when they arrived in these lands. Because of this, there has been a large tension between the Raviers and the Dramdari

There are rumors that the Raviers had developed a civilization of their own somewhere in Etaria which was destroyed in The Catalysim. The ruins are known to be destroyed, but unmapped. Rumor also is that these ruins are heavily fortified by traps protecting rare treasures from far off lands.

The Dramdari are, according to most people, the scum of Etaria. They consist of Orcs, trolls, goblins, savages and other evil beings. They travel through the lands of Etaria, plundering and burning villages.

The Dramdari are scattered throughout the Lands of Etaria, living together in small tribes. The other races of Etaria despise the Dramdari, but what most of them forget, is that the Dramdari are actually the natives of these lands. They see Men, Elves, Dwarves and all the other races as intruders to their holy grounds, and are oath-bound to eradicate the 'foul beings' from their lands.

The Cataclysm killed many people from all races, so the Dramdari believe that this is a direct interference by the spirits/gods (soon to be revised with proper names). The Dramdari became more drastic after The Cataclysm now that they believe they have the spirits on their side.

The Dramdari now loot villages very close to Imperia, and there have been reports that there were Dramdari INSIDE the Grand City itself, probably scouting.

Although the Dramdari seem fearless and look prepared to fight til death, they are very cautious when it comes to the mutants. They believe that the energy that comes from the meteorites is the psycical manifestation of their spirits. Becoming one with the Spirits is the greatest honor achievable known to the Dramdari, and mutants are treated with high respect in the ranks of the Dramdari. Many Dramdarian Shamans are mutants.

The Dramdari will never assault a mutant without consulting the Shaman, or someone else with a high rank.

Anleifr and Althea were born from the coals of Etaria just as the land was starting. Their touch made the land flourish with goods. No sun hung in the sky. No moon shone. There was no sense of night or day, and time flew by without knowledge. Then, Althea discovered she was pregnant with Nelin, and she retired with Anleifr to the cloud realm known as Evergal, where she gave birth to Nelin. Soon after, the other nine children were born. Their birth order is represented in the order of the months.

Life slowly vanished from the lands on Etaria as the God's presence in the world became more and more insignificant. Noticing these changes, Anleifr decided to endow each of their sons and daughters with a certain power that would merge with their soul. A son and daughter serparated from their family because of the power that they held, and went on their own. The other children saw their brother and sister leave, and soon they all went off on their own. The homes that the children created for themselves represent what their souls were channeled with. It is known that Gothra and Moranca live together and whisper their ideas to each other.

Hospitals offer tribute to Althea because of her ability to heal the wounds of others. She accepts as a tribute the old bandages that have been cleaned after injury, and herbs.

Nelin was the first born child. He is the god of mining.

He is the god of the grounds, he controlls the earth. The Dwarves offer tributes to him, which includes precious ores that are found in the most dangerous areas. These tributes give miners a sense of security when they go into the depths of mineshafts and into the deepest and darkest caves.

Achellias is the second eldest child.

He is the god of protection. Warriors usually pray to him before they go into battle, hoping he will strengthen their skills and to weaken their opponent's. He accepts gifts of weaponry and armor.

The third child was Marael, the goddess of family.

. After the first child of a family is born, Marael's sister, Lenthilde, gives Marael the responsibility of guardianship over that family. She accepts gifts of fruit and gifts made by hand and the prayers of worship.

Elrath, the goddess of art, was born fourth.

She is worshipped by painters, artisans, writers, musicians and poets. She accepts gifts of paintings and books. Sometimes a writer writes a prayer to Elrath on the first page on his book as a tribute to her, and as a prayer that their books will do well.

Lenthilde was born fifth. She is the goddess of life.

She is the twin sister of Gothra, Goddess of Death. She is the one who guides the souls to their bodies when they are born. When a woman is in childbirth, a shrine dedicated to Lenthilde must be in the room to prevent complications with the child after it is born. She accepts gifts of baby livestock and saplings.

Gothra, Goddess of Death, is the sixth born.

When a person dies, she will be there, waiting for his soul to leave his body. When it does, Gothra guides the soul to the Midnight realm where the souls of those that perished are stored and honoured by the passing heroes that wander the realm with freedom and ease. She cannot be pleased by offerings. Death is a thing that cannot be avoided, so trying to bribe her with meat or gold will not work. You will only anger her, which usually results in a sudden death.

Estecial was the seventh born, and is the god of nature.

He is worshipped by woodcutters, and hunters make a prayer before going out for a hunt. They offer him pieces of meat of the animals they killed, and farmers offer him part of their harvest. Most farmers build a shrine in the middle of their wheat field to protect their crops.

Chaeloran, God of Dreams was born eighth.

Moranca is his twin brother. Fortune tellers and other mystics worship him. They offer Ender Peals to him, which are known to be extremely rare. They are only found by the merchants who come in to town every fortnight. Ender Pearls are known to be the catalyst of good dreams. The name Dreamweaver is given to him by the Dramdari.

Moranca, God of Nightmares, was born ninth.

He was neglected more than his brothers and sisters were. He interferes with the mortal world most of all the gods, which gave him another name known as Shadowglaze. This other name is given to him by the Dramdari. He loves to manipulate other beings by using their nightmares to get inside their heads. Eyes of Ender are known to be the catalyst of nightmares, and are often offered to Moranca as a gift to ward off the nightmares.

Theldain, God of the Four Winds, is the youngest god.

He watches over the travelers who walk the many roads of Etaria. He protects them from Bandits and other unfortunate events during the journey. When a traveler reaches his destination unharmed, he offers his walking stick to Theldain. Travelers do not make shrines in his name; instead they carve amulets of him.