Storyline

The ground shakes... The skies slowly turn from dawn to dusk, storm clouds gathering in the skies around Baromoor...

Rising from the Nether, Archdemon Ul'kis has risen once more, summoned by the head necromancer Lirax. The demon now standing before him, larger than any human being by a foot and a half, now demands to know why he has been summoned. Lirax, putting trust in his power demands a contract between them. Offering the lives of anyone he kills, he wishes for the demon to eliminate King Gavrul, the lord of Whitgarde. The king once exiled Lirax for the crime of necromancy when he was a young boy. The "Necromancy" he performed was simple puppetry, with strings attached to his fingers. Lirax never forgave Gavrul's misuse of power, and spent his entire life in Baromoor studying the necrotic arts, wishing nothing but death upon the king.

Ul'kis puts out a laughter at such a simple request. The last time he was summoned, the caster wished upon the destruction of the entire world, a much more fitting task for one such as himself. Fiery marks appear along the ground, creating a message in ancient runescript. Ul'kis remarks that the contract will be completed, in exchange for the souls of anyone he kills until his contracted kill is complete. Lirax places his hand upon the glowing runestones, marking the contract as complete. Ul'kis dissapears into the dusk with a maniacal laughter, and Lirax simply falls to his knees, not breathing.

The city of Whitgarde falls into a state of panic, as King Gavrul realizes what has happened. He was only a child the last time Ul'Kis was sent upon Uzuthan, and was barely saved during his encounter with him by Wolfzie. He calls upon an Urgent Quest at the hunter's guild, calling for the demon's demise. This quest is of that no hunter has ever faced before. This beast is no simple animal, he is the ruler of the Nether. The quests states the imminent danger, and the rewards are of those no other. A large estate within the royal quarters, the title of thane to serve directly under the king, and enough gold to last a lifetime to anyone bringing the demon to a halt.

The news of the quest of a lifetime spreads quickly, and soon reaches the port town of Krinal. Whilst the scholars have near to no interest in the quest, they are approaching the discovery of a lifetime. Lead Researcher Harrax has discovered an ancient spellbook deep within the library. Written in ancient runes, the book describes the orgins of the Aetherstones, how they landed in this realm, and what purpose they served many generations ago. The runescript is hard to read, and nearly impossible to decipher by anyone that's currently alive. Harrax quickly realizes that this book is what might unlock the secrets behind the Vault of Xirian, and will stop at nothing in order to gain the information that's inside.

What will become of Whitgarde with it's inpending doom lurking on the horizon? Will the Hunter's Guild be strong enough to stop Ul'kis? Will Harrax uncover the secrets of the vault?

Welcome, To Uzuthan.

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Mechanics

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For all readers, i have included a simple map to help explain where the story takes place, and what area is covered by it's respective explination. Feel free to have it as you read this intro to Uzuthan. Link to map)

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Short Introduction to Uzuthan

Another day dawns in the plane of Uzuthan. Whether you wake up as a Hunter, seeking glory and fortune beyond your wildest dreams by slaying mythical beasts, spend your days in the study trying to unravel the mysteries behind the Aetherstones, or simply seeking revenge on those who cast you out into the wilderness, the sun rises all the same.

The Aetherstones are mysterious artifacts, left on this plane many eons ago. Although the source of these stones are vastly unknown, their imminent power cannot be denied. About the size of a human head, the stones are made from solid aether. Their energy is used to fuel entire cities, powering barricades, shields, even special weapons. Their power is far beyond that which any human can muster, and as such are placed within especially enchanted altars that can harness their powers. Any living being trying to do as such seem to simply vanish into thin air, never to be seen again. The runes of old state that three stones exist within Uzuthan, although only two has ever been found. One resides within Whitgarde, powering up the cities defenses and fueling the Hunter's Guild, whilst the second resides within Krinal, Powering the Astral Bridge from one continent to another, aswell as holding the doors of the ancient vault shut.

The Hunter's Guild, located in Whitgarde has since long been the forefront of the entire realm. Hunters ready to pick up their swords and hunt some of the fiercest monsters the world has to offer seek their way here to enlist themselfes, form parties, and set out on new adventure. The quests are given out in ranks, ensuring that no beginners are sent against a mythical dragon. The Hunter's Guild prides itself on it's service, providing hunters with some of the best smiths, enchanters, and means of travel that any man could wish for. As many would assume, the higher your rank in the hunters guild, the more fame your name carries with you. Therefore, many have set out wishing for glory, only to meet their untimely demise. Featured upon entry to the giant building is a wall of fame, barring some of the most amazing hunters that had ever lived.

Uzuthan is not without it's lawbreakers, and while the traditional prison does not exist here, the punishment is far worse. Any lawbreaker found within the realm is forever banished to the boundry of Baromoor, a desolate wasteland where nothing will grow. To those who now reside here, most wish for nothing but venegance against those who placed them here. Whilst Baromoor is not a place anyone would want to visit, this is the one place in Uzuthan where necromancy is practised. The exiles who are sent here quickly realized that their venegance could not come from them alone, as they would simply be outnumbered, and they would have to turn to a more... dead alternative. Searching the abadoned buildings and caverns revealed many studies of those before them, of how to summon demons and the undead back from their timely demise to fight once more. The Necromancers soon created a name for themselfes by harassing local townsfolk, plundering trade routes between cities, and causing chaos with the townsfolk. Since their creation, The Necromancers have become a growing menace, and has forced Whitgarde to place border patrols along the edges of Baromoor. However, this quickly backfired as the guards were soon fighting against them, turned into the vile creations they sought to fight against. Soon enough, an Urgent Quest was administred by the head of the Hunters Guild, aiming towards the Necromancer's destruction.

The vault of Xirian, a massive stone structure placed within Krinal, has since long been the artifact of the city. No-one knows how it was constructed, and there is no record in history as to why it exists. The vault door is as big as a castle wall, and behind it lays nothing but stone. Many attempts have been made to open the vault, but whenever the door is approached, a bright shine of light shines from the nearby Aetherstone, and a force pushes those who stand close. What mysteries could the vault hold?

The Astral Bridge is what connects the two continents of Uzuthan together. How it functions is wildly unknown, however it seems directly engages to the Aetherstone altar. Passing along the bridge is harmless, however anything that is unliving seem to fall straight through the shining light that creates the bridge. This means that moving objects, spoils of war, or anything other than living beings over the bridge is impossible, and has lead to Krinal being a major port city.

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Locations

Whitgarde, The city of Hope:

Whitgarde is marked WHITE on the map

Built on trust, the city of Whitgarde has since long been home of the Hunter's Guild, a place of gathering for those who seek fortune and glory by hunting the biggest beasts the plane has to offer. King Gavrul rules from within Whitgarde Castle, leading the city away from destruction from the forces that are lurking in the shadows. With the Hunter's Guild's presence, the markets are always sprawling with exotic goods, meaning there are plenty of gold in the cofferts for the king and his men. Although the king is widely considered to be a belevolent ruler, he has some secrets of his own. With the money from taxes piling up in his cofferts, what is a man to do when imminate death is approaching from Baromoor?

The port town of Krinal:

Krinal is marked BLUE on the map

Krinal is filled to the brim with scholars and mages, looking to discover the ancient past of Uzuthan. With the cities tight connection to the other continent, many of the braver people take to the glowing road to do excevations, finding ancient artifacts that once belonged to the former rulers of Uzuthan. Even in the town itself, there is plenty of mysteries to solve. Due to this, the largest library of all is placed within Krinal, built arount the Vault of Xirian and host to the Mage's Academy, where apprintice mages and scholars may attend to delve deeper within their elemental arts.

Baromoor:

Baromoor is marked as a region on the map

Baromoor has since long been a land without living. The fields here died many eons ago, and the soil simply will not grow again. Due to this, the land is mostly a desolated forest, filled with dead trees, wilting flowers, and dying grass. Lawbreakers from both Whitgarde and Krinal are sent here, banished to live a life on nothing but death. Due to this, the realm is now filled with Thieves, wishing to take all that they can to survive. There is no cities or villages, the living spaces of the exiles are simply placed wherever there is room, and wherever they cannot be disturbed while performing their dark arts. The Necromancers, a recent upcoming in Uzuthan is a newly formed group of exiled mages, raising the dead to create the army they need to take revenge upon those who exiled them.

Thoze Landing

Thoze Landing is marked YELLOW within the Thoze region

Whenever you take a boat from Krinal, you will arrive at Thoze landing. This is simply a gathering spot for anyone who wishes to set foot into the treacherous land that awaits them. The landing is full of merchants, wishing to sell their goods at higher prices to travelling adventurers, in hopes of making a quick buck. It's also home to mercenaries, warriors for hire that work outside the Hunter's Guild, saying they make more gold selling themselfes to hunting parties rather than paying the fee to create or join one the traditional way.

Razorspine Isle, and Razorspine Tower

Razorspine Tower is marked GREY on the map

Razorspine isle has since long been lost to a deep layer of poisionous fog. Any traveler unfortuenate enough to have sailed in the direction of the island is never seen again. There are alot of folktales and rumours about the island, saying that it once belonged to Ob Nixillis himself, or that an evil necromancer has locked himself within the tower to avoid the shame of being exiled. Whatever the cause is, the island remains shrouded in mystery.

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Creature Races

Humans:

Your everyday humans return! Being located nearly everywhere within Uzuthan, humans are the biggest race in the plane.

Elves:

The elves of Uzuthan has since ancient times been spread around the woods of Uzuthan, but as of the opening of the Hunter's Guild they have sought themselfes to the bigger cities, seeking glory for their race by enlisting as Hunters. Now, most the elves live within Whitgarde or Krinal, but some are still out there within the woods.

Dwarfes:

The dwarfes of Kel-Dorom were force to abandon their mountain homes the day the dragons awoke withi Crishi many eons ago, making them flee towards the mainland. They now reside within Krinal, however most have taken up arms against the dragons, Signing themselfes up for the Hunter's Guild in an attemp to take back their home from the overgrown lizards.

Zombies and Undead:

Baromoor is filled to the brim with the undead. The Necromancers created these wretched creatures to guard their land, feasting upon anyone unfortunate enough to encounter one. Most of these undead require a soul to reside within their created bodies to function, and the Necromancers saw no better way to aquire them than using the dead hunters spread across the realm. The living's power in life, leaves a stronger soul in death. Meaning that an undead infused with the soul of a legendary hunter, could create a nearly unkillable menace...

Demons:

To those who feel the undead is not enough, trained necromancers may also create pacts with demons, summoning them from the Nether. Although most do not have the power required to summon anything other than a lesser demon, experienced necromancers may create pacts with some of the most feared demons, such as Garthaax, Eater of Souls.

Dragons:

Although rare, Uzuthan is no stranger to the mythical Dragon. Mostly native to Crishi, these beasts were awakened long ago when dwarven king Draktho unlocked the seal of an ancient tomb, releasing an everglowing fire within Kel-Darom Mountain. The flame was strong enough to awaken the beasts from deep within the earth, and they have since been causing a menace in the dwarven homeland.

Beasts and other Creatures:

The whole reason the Hunter's Guild is successful is due to the abundance of mystical creatures found on Uzuthan. Everything from beetles to rhinos, raptors and lions can be found here, and they all fetch a high price.