Stolen Kingdoms... Brain Storm? > <"
Cast off and killed upon sight, they dwell outside of the protections of city and kingdom walls. And though the only other creatures besides the regular wildlife of Triore were the humans, they were still put in less danger than they are. Despite their obvious superiority in battle and in magic. These beings are graced as Casters, able to use the elements their surroundings provide to their advantage. But these creatures are better known as Fae.
Fae, driven out of their own homes once the reign of the beloved Garigor had ended with great tragedy. A brother killing one of his own flesh for the throne, only to completely obliterate what the other had built up. What used to be the self-sufficient, prospering kingdom of Triore was now the ever expanding empire that fell to the darkness of the Daemon, as he calls himself, Lord's claws.
He ordered the "Witch Hunts," where Fae were picked off one by one from families and stripped away of their belongings. Dragged into the confines of the dungeons bellow the castle floors to rot or just immediately killed upon sight. Those who were faced by an early death were much more fortunate not to endure years upon years of little food and occasional beatings that seemingly had no purpose. The brutes they called soldiers and guards, lesser Daemons, kept their prisoners alive just to lengthen their torture.
But of course, those remaining Fae that had managed to escape could not bear to watch the horrors that they were faced. Watching as the Reapers, who moved about the empire in pairs, cloaked entirely of sable, killing and dragging away those whose blood responded with the claws that would drip the crimson into the bowl of ebony liquid. Should the liquid change color, the Reapers would take the lives. Such was their name. They could not bare to watch the infants be wounded for the sake of the Daemon Lord's wishes and killed when the Reapers see fit. Cruel was the rule of the dark king.
More so when he would set hellhounds, canine-like creatures grey in skin with beady red eyes that seemingly pierced through the soul when met, accompanied with black, jagged teeth that tear through flesh as if it were merely thin sheets of paper, upon the people, only to dig fear into their hearts. Only to remind them of the superior. Even if he knew the annual coming of his Reapers always lingered like a shadow in the back of their minds.
Fae-Blood resurfaces, even though the fellow is born human, at random. And infant can be born Fae. Or that infant can grow to an adult, then and only then would it surface. And when it does so, the changes in body structure and appearance slowly work to change the host's body to Fae. This sometimes resulted in an arrow to the heart upon the very first sighting of hair, skin or eyes. Most Fae's appearances are unnaturally striking. But all of this depends on the element he or she has acquired.
What the free Fae did do to benefit their kind was Thorn. Hidden within the mountains that embrace the dark empire, holding some of the strongest generations of Fae, where the children born there acquire powers of mixed elements.
The hidden mini-kingdom operates secretly, hiding behind the shadow of the Daemon king's forces. They use Daemon soldier uniforms, from which they had always did away with, to acquire goods that the king had ordered. And so much does the king order, that he gave no thought to the goods that had been reported stolen or just missing. He already had the best.
And for the local farmers, merchants and villages, the Fae also assign their own to march about as "Reapers," also using the same methods to find their targets, though, they tend to have a more gentle way of handling things. A small cut on the heel of the palm, rather than a whole jagged line running across the length of the arm to be "thorough." But the Fae as well as the Reapers knew that even the tiniest drop of blood would do. And from this, they were able to save many Fae lives. All of which are taken back to the Thorn and trained to use their powers.
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Inside Thorn's Walls:
Within Thorn is the castle-village like residency the former human population makes their home. Thorn is built to protect their inexperienced and weak of the Faes, so their strongest reside in the outer ring of the Thorn. And as the Fae rankings get weaker, they are further into the rings of the Thorn. But of course, the most important of the Thorn must be protected as well, so the counsel, the type of government in which this miniature kingdom operates in, is in the very center.
The outer ring has various towers which are home to the Fae teachers that train the "newborns," as they called them. These Fae teachers are known as Masters, one or two for every element; water, air, earth, fire, lightning, ice, plants, etc. The Masters are almost always the ones sent out to gather the newborns. They later swap amongst themselves when they acquire the background information regarding the element the newborn has. And since the birth rate of Fae are not very fast and at times, the Reapers take the lives of newborns before they had the chance to get to them, Masters take in only a few apprentices at a time. And based on the skill the newborn shows, he or she will be assigned to a ring and possibly claw their way up to Masters. Masters release the ones who'd been trained enough to be able to fend for themselves into the second ring.
Thorn's masters are bound to the Order. By blood and by bond. They must swear on their highest honor that they will never turn towards the dark. They are the most respected members of the Thorn. Never once crossed, mostly spending time with their apprentices or alone in the many training halls of the outer ring.
The strength of their blood depends on the history of the family. The more frequent they produce a Fae, the less power they are given when they "Awaken." The less frequent, the more blood passed onto you. These Fae are the ones that will most-likely be chosen by the Masters to be trained to be like they are. They require the best of the best of apprentices to succeed them. Of course, with this, abilities are not all that the Masters look for. The apprentices must show their respect and show the Masters that they hold wisdom. But of course, the Masters have different views, so their choosing cannot be predicted.
The fighters and soldiers are all in the next two rings. The third are those that do not possess enough Caster Grace to be trained. Their Fae bodies, with the lack of Grace, some times succumb to Caster's fever, which slowly shuts down the inner workings of the body while severe pain causes the body to writhe, even in sleep. And other times, powerful Fae fall victim to these as well, just like the late king Garigor, though no one can quite find the reason why.
Fae are also provided with the weapons that work in sync with their element. A large war hammer for an earth element. A bow and quiver for air. A whip for water; also used for fire, etc. These weapons are forged to fit one certain Fae, and that Fae only.
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Outside Thorn's Walls:
The mountains, that hide the Thorn within their bellies, ones that embrace the land that is formerly known as Triore, are slippery, one such places that not many soldiers like to venture into. Many were either killed by the manticores that linger upon the foothills, others simply fall to their death. Some are, of course, picked off by the Fae who stand guard among the boulders and jagged rocks that hide their posts. Only Fae knew the inner workings of the Thorn, the safest way to travel was by the tunnels that led into the mountains. Tunnels which have many entrances and many exits. Tunnels a soldier would get lost in. All of which are like webs for the Earth elementals, who'd made the tunnels. Unfamiliar feet that stomped upon the earth without the presence of another Fae are immediately "checked out." Fae are sent to the Tunnels to find the culprits and eliminate if they are not Fae.
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Creatures of Triore:
-Reapers: They are rarely seen without their sable cloaks. And most do not realize that what their eyes are looking upon are Reapers if and when they encounter one without the cloth that marks them as they are. Their appearances without their cloaks are great in contrast with their original looks. Their eyes are always bright in color, like the Fae, though whether they have Caster's Grace is unknown. Their hair is always in a peculiar color, whether it be white like most air elementals or blueish like a water elemental, they are often mistaken as Fae. But unlike the Fae, their faces are marked with a scar that runs along both eyes. Sometimes blinding one or the other. Some even manage with both eyes blinded. And most Fae who'd seen these creatures do strongly believe they are Fae without soul, for they are completely unfeeling, never once responding to pain as they were killed.
-Hellhounds: Besides the Daemon King, these were far more feared than the rest of the demon ranking. Their thirst for blood and constant need to kill allow for them to be the best "hunters" there are, [f the King decides upon it. Their behavior is quite peculiar, with the need to kill the strongest to the weakest (not including their masters, of course.). Theirappearance is truly something that one would call hellish. Greyed skin that looked as if it were rotting, a foul odor that seems to reek of death with beady crimson pupilless eyes that freezes their prey upon eye contact. Their claws, along with their teeth are black, easily ripping through skin and flesh without much trouble. They're kept in cages that are under the castle floors, but they are quite temperate, until the collars which are tied around their neck are removed.
-Centaurs: Rarely seen, though an ally of the Thorn. They supply Thorn with weapons made by their hands, supposedly, though, the Thorn never quite believed this, and suspected the existence dwarves. Such were the stories of old Lore. But, though their skills in close, casterless combat are far more superior than the Fae, they wish to be uninvolved with their "squabbles," as they called them. Though, they often speak about their own troubles, which they never really bothered to name.
-Calygreyhound: Many do not believe such a creature exists, though those who do not are not residents of the Thorn. The Calygreyhound, rumored as a caster's mistake (the making of living things that are not plant-life is strictly forbidden, due to the fact that the creations with not become what they will expect.) is the only one of its kind and is cared for with much love.
-Dire Wolves: They are part of the wildlife of the Caster's Realm. They are, in fact wolves, though they're much larger in size, more intelligence (some were rumored to understand human language, thus resulting in "pets") and more vicious. Though usually black, some are dark grey as well
-Dryad: A female spirit of nature. They guard the forests of Triore, though sometimes only a single tree, but they are many. And if their individual tree is cut down, they perish. They also somehow punish those who managed to harm their trees. The people of Thorn often encounter these spirits, often needing to speak with them before taking from their branches to ensure their safety in the road back to the Thorn.
-Manticore: A surprisingly common creature to see near the mountains, they tend to catch, tear apart and eat their human prey which dared come close to the paths that snake through their mountains.
-Firebird: Often mistaken as the legendary phoenix, they are birds with silver or gold-like wings that shine. They're nocturnal birds that are rumored to be able to heal with their blood. They're rather rarely seen, and those who are lucky to have tell tales of their songs, which are beautiful enough to bring tears in their eyes.
-Treemen: Often the companions of Dryad females, they hold much hatred towards the soldiers, often spreading word of their plans if and when heard. The King does not know whether any of the trees are treemen, so instead of trying to find out, he cuts down all of them. Their relatively gentle, only revealing themselves when they know they will not be seen by the others that they do not wish to tell.
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Neither Fae nor The Dark King and his soldiers know all of which that are out in the Kingdoms, for there are many more that have not fallen under the Dark King's rule. And many forests untouched by his dark hand. Those that come from far reaches in search for conquerable land speak of large serpents and Lion-Eagles of lore that have long since disappeared. Some even speak of the Dragons who once scorched the kingdoms black. Many, however, believe elves, dwarves and giants still roam the forest, though not many were seen. But the weapons, footprints, etc., left behind were believed to be truth enough.
The soldiers aren't Fae, neither are they human. They are believed to be a creature totally unnatural, a rumored creation of the Dark King, like the making of the Calygreyhound. They're terrifying beasts with the body of man, with skin of black and face contorted, forever showing a vicious snarl. There for, they always wear masks.
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Some had never seen the Dark King. He never had left his castle. Which was strange, seeing as his Mistress, Meleyra enters and exits, some times at her leisure, others because she was ordered. Some say, because of her beauty, her King orders her to seduce many great kings into submission, then allowing the soldiers into the kingdoms to take over more land. Many have said she was as dangerous as the king, and as powerful.
Meleyra, as well as her king, lives within the walls of the Castle, which lies just a few mountains away from the Thorn. Many refuse to build houses near this, claiming a darkness has befallen the majestic castle, twisting it into a dark fortress. Many of those who did live near, either disappeared into the mysterious black fog that lingers about the foot of the castle that no one dared enter, or left to further villages on the other side of the kingdom in haste. Bottom line, no one likes to be near the castle. Many rumored to have seen demonic beings within the fog, though many of which claimed this were deemed liars.
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Sorry for a length presentation... Unfortunately, this isn't all I want on this idea. I wanted to actually expand on this, maybe add a few more features to the actual realm, like a rift in every border of a country, or whatever I decide to call it, separating one region from another and having one region have specific effects on fae and soldiers alike. But that would be for later. > <" I'm still struggling with the information above.
