These are but a few stories in the desert world of Amara, and in time, when their final pages have turned, they will be buried in the sand and it would be as though they never happened at all.......
Many eons ago, the world became a sandblasted realm of endless dunes and eternal winds, but life goes on as technology and magic evolve side by side. Adventurers search for ancient ruins and artefacts, warriors pit their strength against gargantuan beasts, clans battle for territory, brave souls keep the darkness of an ancient evil at bay, a young elf leads the rebellion against the largest empire in existence, and its ruler struggles to keep it all together.
On the desert world of Amara, much of the planet is under the rule of the Marutuk Empire, which faces adversity from not only the elements, but also from rebels, bandits, hostile nomads, gargantuan beasts, ancient terrors unleashed by careless adventurers, and the pure darkness of the Shadow Lord's realm, ever threatening to spill over into the rest of the world. This has been the way of things for thousands of years, and the Empire either shrinks or grows with each passing eon and ruler.
Currently, the Marutuk Empire has known peace for a few generations... a deceiving peace, which the wise would know as only the calm before the storm. Bandits begin to gather for an unknown purpose, rebels rally behind the fiery spirit of their leader, and the Shadow Lord stirs. Indeed, now is a time where the Empire stands upon the crux of a new age; an age of storms, and chaos, and great uncertainty. Where will you stand in all this?
Note that this is a world where the stuff of science fiction exists along with magic, different races, bizarre creatures, guns, swords and armour, and ancient ruins of varying technological levels (eg. one could have robot guardians whilst another has simple spike traps). The world might be a desert all over its surface, but it is yet a diverse place.
Rules
Shit, where do I begin? Well in my experience, RP's tend to go along better the fewer people are involved in a single story, so for a few of em here, it'll be first-come, first-serve, but for other stories, multiple characters could be allowed. You'll know if you look at the story arc's description and see (OPEN) or (CLOSED) in the title.
As you can see, instead of location names, there are names of characters and story arcs. Info about locations and just about anything else will be in the OOC thread, so check there from time to time. I'll be updating stuff as things go along. If there's something you're unsure about, send me a message and I'll try to clear things up.
You may have multiple characters, I really don't mind. If you want your own story arc for your own character, just let me know what I should name it, what details should go into the description, and what character you'll be using. I'll get it ready for ya, is no problemo.
INVITE PEOPLE! Honestly, the more the merrier. Yeah, I know what I said before, but I'm talking about there being more story arcs where I'm not the only one in total control. Side stories are cool and I like to see some going on around here. Just remember to check the OOC threads for world info and stuff.
Btw, the setting of whatever side story you wanna make doesn't HAVE to be places listed in the OOC locations thread. You can make up your own towns, cities, villages and whatnot, they don't even have to have a name. If there's anything you wanna add to the world though, hell, I'm all for it.
General site rules, don't be mean to each other, bla bla bla, have fun... yeah, I know there's a lot of details. That just means more fun, right? :D
Background
The Marutuk Empire almost covers the entire world of Amara, and its main seat of rule is the city of 'Marutukkai', also generally known as 'Capital City'. The Empire is cosmopolitan in nature and accepts all beings, all races and all cultures. It is ruled by the Dune Emperor, who holds supreme authority over the world. The rulers of the Empire are otherwise known as 'Marutuks' and are all essentially clones of the original Marutuk, the first Dune Emperor. The current ruler is Leto Marutuk, successor of Saladin Marutuk, who resigned to become a military general instead of remaining as an advisor or simply retiring in peace. Leto is yet young, but he has spent his entire life in preparation to become the Dune Emperor and, essentially, the ruler of the world; just as all the other Marutuks before him had done. However, he will soon be tested sorely in the events to come.
Standing in direct opposition to his rule are the rebels. For as long as the Empire has stood, there have always been rebels seeking to free the world from its widespread control. These people often view the Empire as an oppressive regime and its ruler as a tyrant, and they do the very best they can to bring it down or at least undermine it. This often amounts to bombings in Empire held cities, strikes on valuable locations, and assassinations of key individuals, including of course the Marutuk rulers themselves (though few attempts on their lives have ever been successful throughout history). The rebels either live in Empire cities, keeping their affiliations a secret, or out in the wild desert, risking the elements and the more wild inhabitants. Most of the time, the rebels are a disorganized lot and there are few, if any, that are universally recognized as leaders. Nonetheless, there is currently one such individual that all can agree is the overall leader of the rebellion, an elf named Alphonsus Savanti, infamous for his utter fearlessness and audacity. He may be the most brazen rebel leader in generations, and will surely stir the hearts of many. The rebels often draw their recruits and supporters from social outcasts, volunteers, sympathizers, captured Empire citizens, children and, most favourably, bandits and nomads, who rebels attempt to persuade to their cause with varying levels of success.
The nomads are desert dwellers, a hardy folk who wander the sands instead of living in the fold of the Empire. They are a wild people consisting of many different beliefs, languages, races and traditions, and they often travel around in clans, merging with others or fighting over territories, such as oases, or caves and rock shelves that are safe from storms and dangerous beasts. They know how to survive in the desert and take a fierce pride in who they are. Above all, they value strength and anyone who is capable of proving themselves the most formidable warriors are often elevated to positions of authority, or at least they become renowned as champions of their clans. Many nomads distrust and disdain magic, though there are also quite a few who respect such power. It really all depends on the clan, and all nomad clans can be radically different from one another. For the most part, they are indifferent to the conflict between the Empire and rebels, unless it affects them directly. The nomads have their own foes in each other, the elements of the desert, the predatory creatures that dwell in or on the sands, and the bandit clans.
As the term suggests, bandits are usually renegades in one way or another. Outcasts, criminals, anarchists, nomads that live solely through pillaging, and army deserters, these are the kinds of people who can be recognised as bandits. They live in the wild desert and roam across the sands as the nomads do, except that they strike at any and all for any number of reasons, including no reason at all. Sometimes, some bandit gangs may take over entire cities, until they decide to leave of their own accord or are pushed out by other bandits, rebels or the Empire military. Throughout the past, there has been some exceptionally powerful individuals who have had the will and presence of authority enough to unite several bandit gangs into one, often for the purpose of attacking the Empire, or another conglomeration of bandit gangs, or just to raise all kinds of hell. The only place they would try to stay well away from is the 'Shadow Lands', the only place in Amara that is universally feared by all where only the most damned would ever tread. Though the kinds of treasures and powers said to be found in that place is still a tempting prospect for the most daring.
The Shadow Lands is a realm of pure darkness. It is ruled by an ancient entity known as the 'Shadow Lord' and is inhabited by demons, mad sorcerors and scientists, damned souls, malignant spirits, undead creatures and any who offer themselves in eternal servitude to the Shadow Lord. Fortunately for all of Amara, the Shadow Lands can only extend as far as its dark ruler's power of influence allows, and it does not reach very far. However, it is ever a nightmarish blight on the land and the Shadow Lord sometimes makes attempts to expand its influence. This is often kept in check by the Empire's own mages and the brotherhood of 'Rangers', who keep garrisons at key locations to prevent the expansion of the Shadow Lands. They have much experience combating the minions and powers of evil, but whenever the Shadow Lord makes an earnest attempt to extend its dark territory, the cost if often high for keeping it at bay. The fact that few Marutuks ever dare to directly attack the Shadow Lord is an indication of how dangerous its power truly is.
Characters
You character can be anything. Really. Werewolf, elf, fairy, orc, robot, half this and half that, anything at all. I guess all you'd really need is to state is your character's affiliation (if any).
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