OOC : Affiliations

I know this stuff is already in the background but there's going to be more, so might as well...

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 Dune Emperors who hold supreme authority over the world. They 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 gangs.

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 an alliance of dauntless individuals known as '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.

The Lucky Wolves is the name of Lucky's guild of relic hunters. Their headquarters is in the Capital City and they are often employed to explore ruins that are deemed 'risky' for the archaeologists who discover them. They have one hoverbarge which they can use to travel across the desert. By dint of living in the Capital City, members of the guild are typically Empire citizens, though there may be some nomads too. Lucky himself was a nomad before he became a citizen, treasure hunter and guild leader.

Hoverbarge Mercenary Guild (for the 'Hoverbarge Mercenaries' side story (actual name pending)) - These fellas are the toughest hombres ever to grace the desert and they sell their badassery to whoever can afford it. Towns looking for protection, bandits wealthy enough to hire some A-grade muscle, and even the Empire or the rebels, depending on whoever can outbid the other, which often ends up being the Empire. These mercenaries are fickle too as they don't like to stick around in one place for too long. They have never yet been fired as they either do the job or just outright quit so they can move on.

Demons - are corrupted forms of summoned spirits and the primary denizens of the Shadow Lands. Outside of that zone, they only retain a mere fraction of their power which is why Rangers are as deadly to them as the Shadow Lands are to everyone else, because within the Shadow Lord's influence, the demons are at their most powerful and deadly. Some demons occasionally manage to cross over into the sands of Amara with either extreme guile or luck to escape detection by the Rangers. Demons are consistently malignant beings and almost always cause havoc wherever they go, but secret records show that it may not always be the case. Regardless of a demon's nature however, they are always hunted down and killed wherever they are found. This however is another matter altogether, as few except for the Rangers are capable of matching a demon's power, despite being weakened to a considerable degree after leaving their place of origin. Emissaries on the other hand are less affected by this problem, being the most powerful demons in the Shadow Lands charged specifically to aid their master by removing any resistance against its will.

There are generally three kinds of demons. There is the Chosen Ones, non-demons who become demons by swearing loyalty to the Shadow Lord whilst within the Shadow Lands. These would often be the highest ranked demons, since they must have been exceptionally powerful individuals to have even survived in the Shadow Lands long enough to attract the Shadow Lord's attention. All Emissaries are thus Chosen Ones. Then there is the Pure, 100% demonic beings through and through that have sworn to serve the Shadow Lord. These are the soldiers of the Shadow Lands that sally forth, often led by Emissaries, and regularly clash with the Rangers. And then there is the Forsaken, demons that are either rebellious, apathetic, mindless, not fully demonic or otherwise not entirely bound to the Shadow Lord's will. They are often the weakest demons yet the most common to venture out into Amara without returning.

Rangers - are a brotherhood of guardians who keep a constant watch on the Shadow Lands and are well equipped to deal with any threat that comes from it. Although they maintain their outposts alongside Empire mages, the two are not considered one in the same since the mages answer to the Empire whilst the Rangers operate independently, being the experts on all matters related to the Shadow Lands. Anyone can become a Ranger regardless of their background, but they would have to prove themselves worthy of the responsibility first, ensuring that only the best of the best can serve and be trusted to guard against the true horrors of the world. Rangers have access to a wide range of weapons, skills, knowledge and equipment to deal with any threat from the Shadow Lands, especially demons. Some Rangers may also have skill in magic, but they would not serve the same role as those specialized to fight against the Shadow Lord's will with anti-shadow magic. Although the duty of the Rangers is to keep the Shadow Lands in check, some may be dispatched to other places in the world to investigate and deal with matters such as uncontrolled necromancy, confirmed hauntings and, most importantly, demon slaying. Their modus operandi is 'one crisis, one Ranger'.