Take the Crown

Deep in the underground of Blaru dwells a secret sect of Witches, fighting for equality in their male-dominated society. They began small at first, peaceful protests and minor demonstrations, but as their ranks swelled so did their brazenness. After several member of the Shroud were imprisoned on the grounds of treason, The Shroud took up arms, bombing the statue of the Duke in the town’s center and magically rearranging the rubble to form the words: “We Will Not Be Silenced.” After their demonstration, The Shroud was only spoken of in hushed whispers, the citizens too afraid of inciting their wrath.

In the present day, Warlock’s have loosened the yolk of suppression from their witch brethren, but their prospects are still meager. The Shroud continues to meet in secret, their powerful allure attracting more Witches to their cause. Soon…their ultimate goal will be realized; Warlocks will no longer control their fates. They will take destiny into their own hands.

Demons are the product of another realm, their physical bodies unable to penetrate the barrier that surrounds Ormére. They can only be summoned by powerful Witches and Warlocks at Grimhall, where the two parties can enter into a sacred pact and be given immense power. Once this deal has been struck, the Witch or Warlock is branded with the mark of their demon. The two will always be in correspondence, the demon either occupying a recess in the back of their host’s mind or choosing to take a body and possess its form. If the latter, the host and demon must always be no more than 100 feet* apart or death is quickly assured.

Social repercussions are unfortunately grave for those that chose to undertake in this process. Those that are marked are allowed to rejoin society, but are typically ostracized and regarded with scorn, for tainted magic is corrupted. Those that happen to survive the pact and live longer than a year, have found salvation in Bosveuil as neither the Queen of Darkness nor the Cenor are strangers to demons.

Those bound to demons are typically cursed to die young, most souls too fragile to handle the binding process. However, there is always the exception to this rule, extraordinary Warlocks and Witches who have conquered their demon, living in a beneficial symbiosis. They are forever changed, their features manifesting to resemble their demonic counterparts. Their gift is near immortality and increased magical prowess. Those bound with demons have magic unparalleled by anyone except the Queens and the Duke and Duchess, but they are cursed with occasional psychotic breaks and malfunctions in their vast power.

In general, demons are not to be trusted. If you are not well prepared, you can easily sell your own soul, or worse…find yourself permanently trapped in Grimhall with no hope of return.

(*30.48 meters)

The Cenor are a race of fear eating demons living in the Kingdom of Bosveuil under the direct control of the Queen of Darkness. They thrive under her rule, the fear she elicits from her enemies keeping the entire population happily fed. They hear the whispers of war and thrive on its potential inevitability. The more chaos the world falls into, the stronger the Cenor become. However, there are those that would rather spend their time in peaceful prosperity, finding other ways to obtain nourishment then harming the innocent. These are few and far between and are typically regarded with scorn by other members of society. As a whole, the Cenor are a seductive and powerful race, considered to be one of the most beautiful in Ormére. They dwell in the immediate vicinity of the Queen’s capital, their homeland considered the capital of the western hemisphere of Ormére. For as long as history has been recorded, the Queen of Darkness has ruled over the Cenor, their loyalty to her rule dating back from the very beginning of civilized life. For now, the Cenor remain steadfastly loyal to the Queen, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be swayed by a powerful alliance.

As a whole, the Cenor are draped in mystery, their beliefs and customs looked at with disgust and fear by the other races of Ormére. Their striking beauty only serves to intensify the mystery, people mistakenly being drawn into their web of destruction and fear. They have a tendency to corrupt everything they touch, their inherent magnetism a powerful lure despite their dangerous reputation.

The Witches of Blaru have only recently achieved a small victory towards individualism manifesting in the supposed extremist organization The Shroud. The organization has only existed for a period of eighty years, its major activity limited to the last ten years. Before this time period, Witches were extremely subjugated, considered the weaker and more unpredictable. Warlocks always regarded them as untrustworthy and incapable of self-control, much to the Witch populations’ chagrin. Instead, Witches were mostly kept indoors, dealing with the cultural and artistic aspects of Blaru. One of the few positives of their situation, Witches are considered to be the best artisans in Ormére. Their proficiencies involve the crafting of clothes and many different types of artistic mediums.

Society in Blaru had always been a strict Monarchy, the Duke never occupying the role of King because the Queen of Darkness had always been considered sovereign. They were still an independent nation in spirit, subject to their own rules and customs, but the Queens of each of their respective lands still demand respect: namely in the from of their titles. Of course the alliance between the Duke and Queen brought swift changes to the kingdom of Blaru. Witches and Warlocks alike were now brought into contact with the Cenor, some suspicious to their new allies. After a few squabbles and skirmishes, the two races have final acquiesced to the others presence and life goes on uneventfully. Customs and traditions have been exchanged, and the two nations live in mostly peaceful assimilation.

Once The Shroud began its demonstrations, Witches were finally afforded minimal rights, although the main consensus still revolves around the archaic way of thinking. Witches can now hold official positions, engage in revelry, and participate in politics outside the home more readily. However, Warlocks still regard them with scorn and distrust, Witches’ opinions still considered insignificant when compared to their Warlocks counterparts.

The race of the fairies is divided into two categories: the pixies and the faye.
The pixies are a small and petulant race, the more tricky and cunning of the fairies. They are small in stature standing at about four to six inches, with small, mostly translucent wings. They are prone to lies and acts of cunning, harassing the other members of the Light Kingdom and fluttering out of sight before their unsuspecting victim can enact vengeance. In contrast, the Faye are a peace-loving and gentle people, detesting violence and calling for the unification of the lands. Most regard them with haughty distaste, seeing them as the most naïve of the nations of Ormére.

However, despite their inherent nature of equality for all, they are in possession of fairy dust, one of the rarest and most prized commodities in the entirety of Ormére. Fairy dust is responsible for imbuing non-magical items and people with temporary magical powers. It’s used for the crafting of magical weapons and gives fairy-kind their ability to fly. Above all, Fairies must always tell the truth. The repercussions are great for those that attempt to break this rule, resulting in permanent deafness or in some cases disfigurement. This pacts dates back to the first fairy and the deal struck to grant them the ability to fly.

The fairies best quality, bedsides their disarming nature, is their innate ability to manipulate words. A fairy can twist and confusing even the sharpest of minds, easily making up for their inability to lie.

Just as the Cenor are to the kingdom of Bosveuil, the Elves are to Rospellem. They are the Queen of Light’s people, having been in her kingdom since its first beginnings. They are a proud and pompous race, their traditions numerous and exclusive. They pride themselves on their individuality and customs, considered the wisest and most-skilled welders in all of Ormére. Everything the elves make is beautiful, from mundane household objects to weapons; their craftsmanship is a highly prized commodity. Despite the Elves pomposity, they are in possession of Ormére’s history, their people the first to begin keeping records of the world’s beginnings. After many protests from the Dark kingdom and indignant responses from the Elves, it was finally decided that the books should remain in the Elves possession, but all books would be copied and sent to the Kingdom of Darkness where they would be stored in the Cenor’s main capital building.

Physically, the elves are a tall, majestic people, with highly aquiline features and an inherent superiority. They are extremely hostile to the Queen of Darkness and the nation as a whole. They view the Kingdom of Light as the “true” kingdom and will not hesitate to jump on the pro-war bandwagon. Despite their refined features and overall elegance, they are a violent and martial people, sooner to stab you in the back then stray from their beliefs. They are loyal only to their Queen, and those that stray from this belief are typically ostracized.

The home of the Queen of Darkness. Boseveuil has an eternal snowfall that covers the kingdom. Cenors find the frigid temperature and shadows a perfect environment to prey on the fears of other races. The Queen’s castle sits right in the middle of her Kingdom, unafraid of any threats that may approach her domain, she has very few soldiers guarding her. No one has successfully infiltrated her fortress.

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