Ok... I've went a little crazy, and I'm making a whole document on the backstory and environment of the game. I'm talking the whole universe. So... here we go:
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Sun: Liran (Lee-rahn)
Planet: Talamenta (Tahl-uh-main-tuh)
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"Talamenta: A Study."
1) Solar System
2) Environment
3) Flora
4) Races
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>1) The Solar System</span>
The red star named Liran hangs in galaxy Q1XX84K, exactly where it has for the past 7 billion years. The star is only expected to survive for another 3 billion, but that is only a concern of the scientists many universes away. It's solar system is populated on two planets; the third and fourth. The third, Silanira (Sy-lahn-er-uh), isn't normally considered populated, however, because the creatures living there are beasts; uncivilized and feral. They attack any human or half-human (as explained later) that comes upon their planet.
AA) Liran- The sun that all the planets revolve around. It is red, showing that it is most of the way through it's life cycle, and won't last but a few more billion years. It's slight weakness makes the temperature of the other planets lower than it would be on old Earth.
1) Murai- The first planet in Liran's Solar System. It's surface is covered in craters from many collisions with meteors and meteorites, and is lacking an atmosphere from the immense heat. It is named after the first person who discovered it: Lliano Murai, 2806-2879. Murai has no sattelites in orbit around it.
2) Shrin- The second planet in Liran's Solar System. It's atmosphere is extremely thick and made up of a lot of sulfur. Because of this, the Greenhouse Effect (a popular Earth term for the trapping of heat between an atmosphere and the surface) traps a lot of heat on the ground, making it impossible to live there. Acid rain constantly falls on the planet, and will melt any and all foreign things within minutes. Two satellites orbit this planet.
3) Silarnia- The famous third planet of the Liran System. It is perfectly livable, almost completely synonymous with the old planet Earth, except that the animals/creatures already living there have taken over. They are extremely smart and can speak the human tongues to an extent, able to tell the few humans that landed there that they did not want confrontation nor conversation. When the humans refused to leave, the Ganrans (as they call themselves) showed their extremely impressive power, transforming into animals and killing one of them, leaving the other to run away. No human contact has been attempted again, and further information is undocumented. One lone satellite orbits this planet.
4) Talamenta- The fourth planet from the sun Liran, this was the planet the humans landed on when they came across the galaxy from old Earth. It is colder than the older planet, and it took a couple centuries for them to adapt to the temperature changes. Four other races live naturally on Talamenta, though two seem to be distant relatives of each other. This will be elaborated upon later in the document. Three sattelites orbit Talamenta.
5) Tilarn & Zilarn- The fourth and fifth planet in Liran's system, Tilarn and Zilarn are the same size as each other and are locked in a dual orbit around each other. They move in a constant 'strafing' movement around each other, also loosely circling Larin. They have no sattelites, though they could be considered one for the other.
Beyond Tilarn and Zilarn, no planets have been spotted nor documented.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>2) Environment</span>
The environment of Talamenta consists of four overwater continents and two polar ice caps. Slight research was being done underwater on possible settlements/species there when the techonoligal crash happened, rendering the tools they had useless. The two ice caps have not been researched and it can only be assumed that they are like the ones on old Earth.
The four continents will now be further explained. They are:
Lornar
Resnin
Shiron
Xindir
Lornar- The continent of Lornar is in the southwestern hemisphere of Talamenta and is covered in an immense forest. This forest is seemingly magical, because it will not let but a few special humans pass. A river comes down the souther part of the continent, emptying into the Ardenic Ocean. It is also impossible to travel up this, as the humans found out.
Inside the forest is, as described by the few ambassadors sent, is a magnificent city made out of trees and plants, populated by an oddly feline race. They stand on two legs and dress in finely woven clothes. They are civilized, though not to the point of our superior race. The clothing, as described by the reports, is completely organic, nothing manufactured.
Resnin- This continent sits right on the equatorial line of Talamenta, and is a complete desert. Three major oasi dot this place, and two mountain chains dot the extreme northern and southern tips of the continent. Another feline-ish race resides in this desert, though they are much less civilized than the forest-dwellers. They dress extremely lightly, some deciding to go nude except for their fur, and speak a very slow, mutilated version of the human tongue.
The desert is vast and hot, having a normal temperature of 70ºF (31ºC), which is extremely hot for the planet, especially considering the normal temperature at the Xindir research center is 32ºF (0ºC), and that is comfortable. The desert is vast and differing in places. In the more western areas, short, scattered brush is seen, and in the east, just sand. In the latter, it is harder for creatures to live, and the traveller will see many cold-blooded creatures.
Shiron- This continent is in the northwestern hemisphere, close to the northern ice-cap. It is a small, round continent with a large bay-like gap in the bottom central area. A large chain of mountains circles the exterior of the island, and it is nigh impossible to get to the interior, where a large area with absolutely nothing but snow (year-round) is. It stretches 100 by 100 miles in the exact center, and is currently (or at the time of this printing) being ravaged by war.
Two different forms of dragon-like creatures are native to the island/continent. They call themselves "Draga" and have seperated themselves into clans based on the color of their armor-like hides. One clan is a dark purple/ebony color, and the others are red. They have been at war pre-dating human observation, and have each established their own capitals on the continents, having seperated it into two different countries. They have tried to force the humans settled on the continent to join sides, but as of the time this document was printed, we have not yet joined a side.
Xindir- The most magnificent continent of them all. Xindir houses the three human countries, all part of the Xindiran empire. King Xindir XI sits atop the throne in the golden capital city of Undar (Oohn-dahr). From there, the humans strategize their political ties with all the other countries, and are still trying to research a weapon that would be able to obliterate the savage beasts of Silarnia.
Rolling hills and grasslands characterize most of this continent, except for an odd mountain range that splits it in half. Undar sits right on the coast of the largest natural lake on Talamenta, and makes a lot of it's money off of fishing exports.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>3) Flora</span>
There are many types of flora on Talamenta. It is as varied as old Earth, and many types of plants and trees have been brought over to be integrated into Talamenta's ecosystem. There are some slight physical differences between them all; namely that each plant is much thicker than it's Earthen counterpart. For example, the trees' leafy branches spread out much further than those of the same species on Earth, for more sunlight is needed to produce results in the area of photosynthesis. Scientists encourage Talementans not to cut the treebranches, for they are our only sources of oxygen on the continent, for, without their photosynthesis, the precious gas would not be let off, and we would all suffocate. They beg that all Talamentans remember the tragedy that was Selinni V. (Sell-in-ee)
Many of the native plants to the Lornarian forests are cautioned against. For instance, the trees have some way of keeping anybody who doesn't know where they are going out unless they are being led by one of the feline residents of the forest. Somehow, they form a barrier to where the traveller will end up exactly where they started on the outside. This sometimes happens even if one does have a feline escort, but don't panic, they will come back. Reports from the few that have gotten inside tell of monsterous plants that tower into the sky and move as if alive. They will attack any whom their feline masters deem untrustworthy, such as the monstrosities roaming the Lornorian forests.
Shiron flora, though there isn't much of it, is worth speaking of. The few trees that are able to grow in the freezing temperatures are of a special type brought from Earth called "Evergreens". This is because their needle-like leaves don't require as much water, like other kinds of trees, and can last year-round. This also makes the tree able to use photosynthesis all the time, instead of just Spring through Autumn.
Resninian flora is negligible. Besides the few oasi, where the palm trees spread out and cast a large amount of shade, the short, tough grasses and shrubs are very Earthlike.
Xindiran flora is, to an extent, also very Earthlike. This is from colonists bringing along their "pet" plants and planting them on Talamenta. Those plants flourished and are now everywhere.
This concludes the discussion on Talamentan flora.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>4) Races</span>
The various races of Talamenta are extremely exciting for me to document upon, for every scientist on the planet is still excited, even after all the centuries, about the feline races of Lornar and the Shiron Draga. Following is a detailed account on each, describing personality traits that are essentially synonymous with each member of the race, a bit describing the normal appearance of each race, a bit on their history, and some on how they currently accept/reject/are-completely-apathetic-to humans. Cultures and religions will follow.
We start off with a well known race, the felines. They seem to be distantly related, but only in appearance, not in personality or culture.
Resninian Felines-
Notable personality traits- The felines of Resnin are primitive in dress and personality. They talk slowly and use a seemingly butchured version of the human tongue. They are easily tempted by bribes, for they have a cat-like curiosity in anything foreign. Reninian felines also are prone to giving in to more primitive and 'firey' emotions, bringing out their claws and attacking anything that provokes them, small as the reason may be. Do not make the common misconception of thinking them stupid or mentally disabled, for they are not. They have, and the writer must admit the fascinating job they did on it, built cities in the desert, seemingly out of sand, though nobody can figure out where their supplies came from. This implies that the cat-like people have extremely good problem-solving skills and a iron will once they set to something.
Appearance- The felines range anywhere from four feet tall to nearly seven feet tall. The lower-class-Resninians dress in tattered clothes, sometimes even going nude in the heat. All of them are completely covered from head to toe in fur, and the females seem to have human-like hair coming from the top of their head. The range of colors is extremely varied, though they tend to be lighter colors, as if to reflect most of the heat of the sun away from them. The leader, or "Krian (roll the r; K(lr)ee-on)", stands seven feet tall and has a gigantic mane. All Resninians have cat-like ears on the top of their heads, implying strong hearing, tails that can touch the ground while they are standing, and hidden claws. When they are children, these can only be an inch or two when fully extended, but as they grow, so do the claws, until they reach a maximum length of seven inches at the twentieth year. (Side-fact: A Resninian feline is considered 'of age' at twenty years).
History- Humans do not have much of the history of the Resninian felines documented, so what is stated is, essentially, all we know. The felines seem to think that at one point, their continent was connected with Lornar, which is physically as well as geographically impossible. Not only is there no probable way the continents would fit together, but it would mean that Resnin has moved thousands of miles in a time when the other continents have not moved at all. Once the continents were parted, supposedly by "a tremendous light and a lot of rumbling sound, like an explosion", the Resninians set to find ways to live in the extreme temperatures of their desert. They learned to make their clothes and buildings from the sun, or so they say. The sand cities took decades to build. In fact, the capital city of Vir (Veer) took 87 years to build, 30 of which were spent on the castle where the Krian lives. It is magnificent to see in person, and this writer has been lucky enough to have done so. Recently, they have begun reinforcing their fortresses with man-made materials, thanks to trade with the humans.
Ties-
Lornar- Allies. The Resninians think themselves distant relatives of the Lornarians, and vice-versa. They rarely see each other, though an ambassador from each king resides in the castle of the other.
Shiron- Uneasy alliance. The Resninians fear the large Draga. The Draga take advantage of this, knowing the Resninians will do whatever the Draga want out of fear. An ebony and a red Draga reside in Vir Castle as ambassadors to the Krian.
Xindir- Allies. The felines are extremely curious creatures, and love to see the wonders that the humans bring them. After the humans helped them to reinforce Vir, they swore to help them in any time of need.
Lornarian Felines-
Notable personality traits- The felines of the Lornarian forests, unlike their desert cousins, are extremely civilized. They speak the human tongue perfectly, and are masters of saying one thing and meaning another. Peace flows around them like an aura, and they rarely attack anybody, barring the monsters that come from the forest into their settlements. When this happens, they can go nearly as feral as the Resninians, attacking whatever provoked them. Most of them discard weapons for their natural claws, but nobles who don't want to dirty themselves carry bows or thin blades (like rapiers).
Appearance- The Lornarians look like dark Resninians. The lack of sunlight under the huge trees (reaching a maximum height of 100 feet) keeps the sun from lightening the color of the fur, so they are normally a dark red, brown, or sometimes black. They have thicker fur than their Resninian cousins because of the temperature difference. Having lived in the forest for centuries, they are smaller than the Resinians and more agile, able to climb up trees easily and quickly. They dress much nicer than the Resinians, having self-consciousness. When in their little tree cities, they wear extravagant clothing and capes. Hunting parties and warriors discard these capes (except for officers) and just wear light uniforms.
History- The Lornarians have the same thoughts of their history as the Resinians do; that their continents were once connected somehow. Older documents in their history files tell of a large flash and explosion, led by extremely loud rumbling noises. Past that, humans do not know much of the Lornarians' history. It is quite a mystery how they have gotten the trees and plants of their forests to accept them, and many Xindiran scientists long to get inside, but are not allowed.
Ties-
Resnin- Allies. The Lornarians think themselves distant relatives of the Resninians, and vice-versa. They rarely see each other, but an ambassador from each king resides in the castle of the other.
Shiron- Enemies. The Lornarians know that they are safe from the Draga inside their forest and are openly against them. Whether this be by racism or a past experience is at this time unknown. They have ordered the forest to keep all Draga away.
Xindir- Neutral. The Lornarians haven't quite made up their minds on where they stand with the humans, but have allowed a few to come inside their borders for talks with their king. They are leaning toward an alliance, but have not publicly stated any as of this time.
Shiron Draga-
Ebony-
Notable personality traits- The ebony Draga are sly and calculating. Their current leader, a large male by the name of Ranuu Agarazium (the clan name as well) is an extremely good strategist. This color of Draga are dark-mannered and introverted, mostly keeping to themselves. They hate the red Draga with all of their being and want them off of Shiron. They have claimed it as their own continent and have established their capital, Agraz (Ag-rahz) on top of the tallest mountain on all of Talamenta, Mt. Shiron. Overall, there is a sense of order and war.
Appearance- This form of Draga is dark purple, almost black. Their hides are armor-hard and hold out the cold of Shiron. A Draga's normal and maximum height is around seven feet tall, sometimes growing taller, but not often. They are suprisingly humanoid, standing on two feet, having two arms and hands, even speaking the human tongue perfectly. One of the most fascinating things about the Draga race is that of their wings; massive and slightly menacing. Small claws come off of the tops, and a leathery membrane fills out the appendage, allowing the Draga to glide effortlessly through the air despite their weight. Their fingers end in claws, non-retractable and long. Fangs line their snout-like mouths which are usually turned into a mocking sneer. They can shoot a dark poison spray from their mouths, melting flesh, bone, iron, steel, anything, but special bacteria line the inside of their mouths and throats to keep it from burning them.
History- The Ebony Draga clan (or Clan Agarazium) have been on Shiron as long as their records go back. They will not tell us much until we choose a side, but they have let it be known that Clan Leader Ranuu is new to the position, and that his parents had led the clan for nearly two decades before him. In most opinions, he is better, and they have won more battles against the reds since he has been leader than they ever won under his parents. Supposedly, Agraz is a much older city than the red's capital city of Dimvarn (Deem-vahrn), and the ebonys therefore have seniority and superiority over them.
Ties-
Resnin- Uneasy alliance. The Resninians fear the large Draga. The Draga take advantage of this, knowing the Resninians will do whatever the Draga want out of fear. An ebony and a red Draga reside in Vir Castle as ambassadors to the Krian.
Lornar- Enemies. The ebonys are angry at not being able to intimidate the Lornarians. They have tried melting the trees of the forest with their poisonous breath, but to no avail, for the trees are magical and cannot be harmed.
Xindir- Neutral. It is true that the ebonys have made a better argument to the emperor why he should join their side, but he also knows that they are smarter and more cunning then the reds, and is waiting for a (hopefully) smart red to come along.
Red-
Notable personality traits- The red Draga are not quite as sharp of mind as the ebony, but they make up for it in pure strength and battle prowess. They are extraverted and publicly attack ebony Draga in the streets of the human-run neutral cities. The ebonys, though they have no chance of winning one-on-one face-to-face battles, fight on and lose, and are ridiculed by the reds. Any red Draga that loses to an ebony is shunned for the remainder of his/her lifespan. The reds are prone to giving into more primitive emotions of fury and going into a frenzy, killing all of those around them. They hate the ebonys with a passion. Their clan base, Dimvarn, is unorganized and violent.
Appearance- In physical means, the reds are not all that different from the ebony Draga, leading many scientists to believe that the clans are closer related than they think. They are a bit bigger, muscles rippling down their bodies, and have slightly duller facial features. They are red, of course, ranging from a near maroon to a reddish-orange. The clan leader's family is known for the fact that they look as if they are on fire. The traveller will always know, even in dark, the difference between a red and ebony Draga for the fact that reds can breath fire for quite a while, some of the elders being able to keep a stream going for up to twenty minutes (though this is quite extreme, and the warrior's stream can only last nearer to five minutes, and it is usually only used in short bursts during battle). Their tail and wings are the same as the ebony draga, and their snout is a bit wider.
History- Once again, not a lot of history is known about this Draga clan, for they have refused to tell anything to the humans until an alliance is secured. What we do know from talking to some of the reds with less mental strength is that their leader, Quarr (Kwahr), thinks that the emperor is extremely idiotic and a coward for not joining either side yet.
Ties-
Resnin- Uneasy alliance. The Resninians fear the large Draga. The Draga take advantage of this, knowing the Resninians will do whatever the Draga want out of fear. An ebony and a red Draga reside in Vir Castle as ambassadors to the Krian.
Lornar- Enemies. The reds have tried burning the trees before, wanting to intimidate the felines, but the trees cannot be harmed, being magical.
Xindir- Neutral. The reds are not quite the smartest species nor the best negotiators, but they have at least kept Xindir from joining the ebonys up to this point.
Xindiran Humans- (side note) Llirans and Xindirans are rock-solid allies, and both don't quite like The Others.
Llirans (Year-uhns)-
Notable personality traits- The Llirans hold the northwestern part of Xindir. They are philosophical and scholarly, and are known for producing excellent writers, artists, and poets. Some of the reading involved with what they do causes most Llirans to become mages. They all have very official attitudes and personalities, and are quite refined in everything they do. Llirans are not fighters, and most of them despise war and think all soldiers/warriors barbarians. They are, however, extremely good negotiators.
Appearance- Not the tallest humans, the Llirans have a normal height of around 5'5" for the males and 5'2" for the females. They wear elegant, flowing clothing, normally robes, and would rather die than be seen in rags. The mages can be seen walking down the street of their capital city (Dragonhearth) with books under their arms, sometimes stopping to practice a new spell on something. They always seem happy, though this might be because of the great system they have sat up in the said city.
History- The Llirans take ultimate pride on their history. Back when the humans first landed on Talamenta, the Lliran branch quickly sat off to obtain land for themselves, strategic minds already setting up a government system. They took the northwestern half of Xindir as their own, setting up perimeters and sending ambassadors to all the different races. This put them ahead of all the other humans, for they planned on settling into an establishment as soon as possible. Over the years, the land seems to have molded to benefit them, farms being built in the middle of large barren places where nothing should have been able to grow, and schools being built all over the plains. To this day, they refuse to tell anybody outside of their own country their secrets.
Ties-
Resnin- Interested alliance. The Llirans want to study the desert continent of Resnin and their odd inhabitants, and the Resninians do not mind it much. They have declared an alliance with them to, if nothing else, get access to Vir.
Lornar- Neutral. The Llirans want to get into the Lornarian forests, but can't, because of the Lornarians' cautiousness.
Shiron- Neutral. Though the Llirans want to study the Draga, they can't publicly form an alliance until they get permission from the Emperor.
Xindirans (Zeen-deer-uhns)-
Notable personality traits- The Xindirans are imperialistic and warlike in mostly everything they do. They are a mainly military-run people, the strongest general becoming emperor when the previous dies or is somehow else taken out of the position. They are extremely good on the battlefield; all but the lowliest peasants having some weapon training. Nobles spar occasionally with one another; this being as popular a way of meeting as conferences. Unlike other empires, where the emperor grows fat on top of the throne, the emperor of Xindir is the epitome of it's army, heading every charge in battle. Over the centuries on Talamenta, they have become shrewd negotiators, their ability to judge a situation before jumping in aiding them exponentially. Though they have not the bronzed tongues of the Llirans, they can hold their own in a debate against all but the mentioned.
Appearance- The Xindirans are almost always in great shape. Their bodies are fit and lean, mainly due to the healthy food found everywhere in Xindir (what they actually named their country). The nobles of Xindir wear fancy body armor in public; normally having capes and such over it to make them seem "above" others. Swords are openly on their belts, and sneers are upon their faces. The emperor sits in the capital city (which could not possibly be named anything other than Xindir) with his black-armored royal guard, hand-picked elites at his side.
History- Though not as politically forceful as the Llirans, the Xindirans made a great effort when they landed on Talamenta, establishing themselves into the land to the east of the mountain range. They built forts in strategic locations and set up the capital city near the lake, where they could establish a navy to protect it from three sides. Over the years, they have made quite a name for themselves, alienating the Resninian felines, even abducting them and using them as slaves for a time, and are still trying to patch up relations like the one mentioned.
Ties-
Resnin- Unease. The Resninians were once slaves to the Xindirans, and haven't quite forgotten it, though the current emperor has went to considerable extents to patch up relations between the two races.
Lornar- Unease. When the Lornarians heard of their cousins' enslavement, they automatically hated every and all humans. Now that the Xindirans are patching up relations with the Resninians, the Lornarians are easing up a bit.
Shiron- Neutral. The Emperor is still in the process of choosing a side in the Draga clan wars. He knows that the Ebonys are smarter, yet the Reds are stronger. None know who he is going to choose, and the Draga are forcing him to rush the decision.
The Others
All information- The "Others" are the criminals from Lliran and Xindir sent to the extensive penal colony that was formed in the southwestern part of Xindir *continent*. On the eastern side, it is guarded by the mountain range, where the few "Others" who escaped made it to. They have not been seen since they escaped into it, however, and are presumed dead. The colony is also bordered on the southern and western sides by the freezing, predator-filled waters. On the northern side is a large barrier wall, guarded by Xindiran militants and the few battlemages that have come from Lliran.
They have essentially been set free inside these borders, and have established a few settlements. All of these are impoverished and rotting, as the "Others" have not gotten supplies or support from either of the other human countries. They hunt their own food and do all their own work. It is almost impressive to see how they are self-sustaining, but living there would still be a virtual hell. It is the ultimate punishment, for the ultimate crimes.
The personalities range from murderous to raving mad. Some "Others" have chosen to completely cast off society and run around in the large area, hunting animals with primitive weapons like sharpened wooden spears and fixing them over makeshift fires. In the streets of the few settlements, murder, drugs, and more scandalous crimes are committed daily and are not given a second thought, as they are part of the culture.
Most of the "Others" are easily recognizeable either from the tatoos on their arm or the extremely horrible clothing they are forced to wear. And, being forced to get their own water, baths are not so common.
