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The Boundary Lands: On the Edge of Civilization (Updated 5/9/11)
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<blockquote data-quote="hayek" data-source="post: 5417575" data-attributes="member: 53760"><p><strong>Background and Prelude</strong></p><p></p><p>If you’d rather jump right into the story you can skip this post (though character introductions are at the end of it). Long story short: the party is a team of ‘special forces’ for the Emperor of Nerath, formerly ruler of the massive Empire of Nerath, now just ruler of the small city of Verind’s Edge on the edge (thus the name!) of the known world.</p><p> </p><p>(Yes, the name ‘Arinfax Colossus’ is a total rip-off of ‘Ventifact Colossus’ from Sagiro’s story hour, but I can assure you only the name is a rip-off… it is not also a giant turtle).</p><p> </p><p><strong><img src="http://theboundarylands.fileave.com/Banner.JPG" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Background</strong></p><p> </p><p><em>The Empire of Nerath</em></p><p> </p><p>The Empire of Nerath spread over most of the known world for nearly a century, but it began to fall into decay, internal rivalries blossomed into civil war, and eventually the empire fell entirely. As its borders receded, ambitious nobles seized the opportunity to reclaim their past lands and titles, and vicious warlords arose to claim new territory for themselves. The Empire of Nerath was originally founded in the ancient nation of Kasalat, at the northern edge of the civilized world, and its capital remained there, in the city of Korindor. As Nerath’s end became imminent, the current Emperor, Essran, conceded defeat and brokered a deal to preserve himself and the remnants of his empire.</p><p> </p><p>The Emperor took what was left of his army, no more than 3,000 soldiers, and his remaining loyal followers and led them to reclaim the city of Verind’s Edge – an outpost that has been lost for nearly a century to the Goblinoid races of the Torin Plains. The Torin Plains border the nation of Kasalat on the northwest, and throughout all of history, civilization has never spread into the plains. The Torin Plains have always been inhabited solely by a mass of Goblinoid races – orcs, kobolds, goblins, ogres – and other monstrous creatures. The Boundary Lands are the northwest regions of Kasalat that border the Torin Plains. Verind’s Edge is the farthest that civilization has ever ventured into the Torin Plains and for centuries it was the first line of resistance against the Goblinoid races. The nobles and warlords of Kasalat were willing to let the Empire of Nerath live on in a small city on the edge of the world if it would extend the borders of Kasalat and reestablish the nation’s presence further into the unclaimed lands of the Torin Plains. Moreover, Nerath’s enemies thought there was a good chance the Goblinoid races would simply finish off the Empire on their own.</p><p> </p><p><em>Verind’s Edge</em></p><p> </p><p><img src="http://theboundarylands.fileave.com/VerindsEdge_Upload.JPG" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p>Essran arrived roughly seven years ago, and he has successfully revived Verind’s Edge and fended off the attacks of the Goblinoid tribes. The keep is now the center of a bustling city (as much as one can be when it sits on the edge of the known world). Essran married a noblewoman, Larindra of Thersi, from the Boundary Lands to help legitimize his standing within the region. He kept the original name of the city unchanged to gain favor with the peoples of the Boundary Lands who have known Verind’s Edge by no other name for centuries (though Essran still names himself as the Emperor of Nerath).</p><p> </p><p>Some of the existing nobles in the Boundary Lands resent the emergence of Verind’s Edge. There are some precious resources native to the Torin Plains, and by occupying a city further out in the Boundary Lands, Verind’s Edge has taken a hefty share of the trade in such goods. Moreover, the city has become somewhat prestigious for successfully reclaiming lands that had been lost for nearly a century. The nearest fiefdom, Uthrin, led by the noble, Sir Uthrin III, is particularly bitter towards Verind’s Edge. Outright war has not broken out, but some skirmishes do occur, and relations are quite strained to say the least.</p><p> </p><p><em>First Knight Thalus</em></p><p> </p><p>Some time after reclaiming Verind’s Edge, the Emperor discovered an ancient Goblinoid prophecy, which claimed a great creature known as the Arinfax Colossus was destined to rise up and lead the Goblinoid races to crush the civilized lands. The Emperor sent his most trusted man, First Knight Thalus, to hunt down the Arinfax Colossus and slay it before it could complete this supposed prophecy. Sir Thalus recently returned with good news – after exploring the Torin Plains for some time, he discovered the beast was a great dragon and tracked it to its cave where he slew it. The city of Verind’s Edge now plans to host a grand celebration to honor Sir Thalus and the slaying of the Arinfax Colossus.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Prelude</strong></p><p> </p><p><em>In the Service of the Emperor</em></p><p> </p><p>The party has been in the service of the Empire of Nerath in the city of Verind’s Edge for some time. The party has gravitated toward each other and forged a friendship, not only because they get along with each other well in their own peculiar ways, but also because they have recognized the potential in each other to excel far above the average soldier or officer in the Empire of Nerath.</p><p> </p><p>The party put their exceptional talents to the test recently – the nearby fiefdom of Uthrin has been squabbling with Verind’s Edge and has claimed that some of the new villages that have sprung up to the east of Verind’s Edge (between the city and the rest of the Boundary Lands) lie in Uthrin territory, and hence owe taxes to Sir Uthrin. Uthrin’s soldiers threatened some of these villagers with imprisonment if they did not deliver, and when the soldiers came to make good on that threat the party was there to welcome them, along with a few other soldiers from Verind’s Edge. The party members were the only survivors of the fight, successfully fending off the Uthrin soldiers. Some recognition followed this deed, and as a reward for being the sole survivors of the battle, the party was invited to attend a grand dinner with Emperor Essran himself. The dinner was part of the celebration of First Knight Thalus’s slaying of the Arinfax Colossus.</p><p> </p><p>The party finds themselves back in the city of Verind’s Edge enjoying the celebration, taking in the parades, and knocking back a few drinks before their dinner party.</p><p> </p><p>The party consists of:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Erik (Human Wizard)</strong> - Erik was raised amongst elves by a wealthy elven merchant in the great forest kingdom of Quinalyn. His brother, Luwin (his father’s son by blood), grew jealous of Erik’s developing arcane talents and their father’s admiration of Erik’s success as a wizard. This jealousy eventually drove a wedge between the family and Erik’s father had to send Erik from his home out into the world.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>The Zaza (Dragonborn Paladin)</strong> - Confident enough in her ability as a warrior to add an article to her official name, The Zaza was raised in a simple village of dragonborn in the Boundary Lands. She had a twin brother, Daza, who dreamed of becoming a hunter for the village one day. However, when they were only thirteen and exploring the wilderness around their village together, The Zaza witnessed her brother being kidnapped by a pack of “short people” – dwarves or gnomes she presumes. The Zaza watched in stunned silence, so scared she couldn’t even scream out for her brother as he was taken away. Afterwards, she was ashamed of her cowardice as she witnessed her brother’s kidnapping, and she pledged to become a hunter for the village in her brother’s place. She found her talents far exceeded those of the village’s best hunter, and also discovered her devoted relationship with the nature goddess Melora was blossoming into a strong source of divine power. Realizing she was destined for something more she left her village, partially in the hopes of finding her long lost twin brother some day.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Invicto Fizzleflame (Gnome Warlock)</strong> - Invicto was abandoned by his parents and raised by humans. He is somewhat bitter towards the world at large, which has contributed to his occasionally evil tendencies, including forging an infernal pact with demons to gain his arcane powers.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Fargrim (Dwarven Warlord)</strong> - Fargrim has a checkered past consisting of bouts of showing off military brilliance as well as bouts of ticking off numerous superiors and breaking numerous military codes of conduct. He has followed Emperor Essran to the edge of the known world to get one last chance to revive his career.</li> </ul><p>Later, the party is joined by:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Charm (Tiefling Rogue)</strong> - A later addition to the party, Charm has worked as an independent freelancer around the Boundary Lands for some time. She is able to handle a variety of tasks for her employers with discretion, but when necessary, she is fierce in a fight, unafraid to leap into the frontlines to go toe to toe with an enemy. Though her line of work is sometimes legally questionable, she is good at heart, truly embodying the idea of ‘honor among thieves’.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Aramil (Eladrin Warlord)</strong> - This veteran soldier joins the party later on. He has been a devoted servant of the Empire of Nerath ever since it ruled over Quinalyn, thus he has continued his service to the Emperor in Verind’s Edge. He proves to be a very competent leader in battle and out, constantly recruiting young warriors into the party’s service in hopes to slowly build his own personal army. A quintessential ‘high elf’, Aramil believes in pursuing truth and justice, but also believes that sometimes the pursuit of truth and justice applies mostly to himself.</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hayek, post: 5417575, member: 53760"] [b]Background and Prelude[/b] If you’d rather jump right into the story you can skip this post (though character introductions are at the end of it). Long story short: the party is a team of ‘special forces’ for the Emperor of Nerath, formerly ruler of the massive Empire of Nerath, now just ruler of the small city of Verind’s Edge on the edge (thus the name!) of the known world. (Yes, the name ‘Arinfax Colossus’ is a total rip-off of ‘Ventifact Colossus’ from Sagiro’s story hour, but I can assure you only the name is a rip-off… it is not also a giant turtle). [B][IMG]http://theboundarylands.fileave.com/Banner.JPG[/IMG][/B] [B]Background[/B] [I]The Empire of Nerath[/I] The Empire of Nerath spread over most of the known world for nearly a century, but it began to fall into decay, internal rivalries blossomed into civil war, and eventually the empire fell entirely. As its borders receded, ambitious nobles seized the opportunity to reclaim their past lands and titles, and vicious warlords arose to claim new territory for themselves. The Empire of Nerath was originally founded in the ancient nation of Kasalat, at the northern edge of the civilized world, and its capital remained there, in the city of Korindor. As Nerath’s end became imminent, the current Emperor, Essran, conceded defeat and brokered a deal to preserve himself and the remnants of his empire. The Emperor took what was left of his army, no more than 3,000 soldiers, and his remaining loyal followers and led them to reclaim the city of Verind’s Edge – an outpost that has been lost for nearly a century to the Goblinoid races of the Torin Plains. The Torin Plains border the nation of Kasalat on the northwest, and throughout all of history, civilization has never spread into the plains. The Torin Plains have always been inhabited solely by a mass of Goblinoid races – orcs, kobolds, goblins, ogres – and other monstrous creatures. The Boundary Lands are the northwest regions of Kasalat that border the Torin Plains. Verind’s Edge is the farthest that civilization has ever ventured into the Torin Plains and for centuries it was the first line of resistance against the Goblinoid races. The nobles and warlords of Kasalat were willing to let the Empire of Nerath live on in a small city on the edge of the world if it would extend the borders of Kasalat and reestablish the nation’s presence further into the unclaimed lands of the Torin Plains. Moreover, Nerath’s enemies thought there was a good chance the Goblinoid races would simply finish off the Empire on their own. [I]Verind’s Edge[/I] [IMG]http://theboundarylands.fileave.com/VerindsEdge_Upload.JPG[/IMG] Essran arrived roughly seven years ago, and he has successfully revived Verind’s Edge and fended off the attacks of the Goblinoid tribes. The keep is now the center of a bustling city (as much as one can be when it sits on the edge of the known world). Essran married a noblewoman, Larindra of Thersi, from the Boundary Lands to help legitimize his standing within the region. He kept the original name of the city unchanged to gain favor with the peoples of the Boundary Lands who have known Verind’s Edge by no other name for centuries (though Essran still names himself as the Emperor of Nerath). Some of the existing nobles in the Boundary Lands resent the emergence of Verind’s Edge. There are some precious resources native to the Torin Plains, and by occupying a city further out in the Boundary Lands, Verind’s Edge has taken a hefty share of the trade in such goods. Moreover, the city has become somewhat prestigious for successfully reclaiming lands that had been lost for nearly a century. The nearest fiefdom, Uthrin, led by the noble, Sir Uthrin III, is particularly bitter towards Verind’s Edge. Outright war has not broken out, but some skirmishes do occur, and relations are quite strained to say the least. [I]First Knight Thalus[/I] Some time after reclaiming Verind’s Edge, the Emperor discovered an ancient Goblinoid prophecy, which claimed a great creature known as the Arinfax Colossus was destined to rise up and lead the Goblinoid races to crush the civilized lands. The Emperor sent his most trusted man, First Knight Thalus, to hunt down the Arinfax Colossus and slay it before it could complete this supposed prophecy. Sir Thalus recently returned with good news – after exploring the Torin Plains for some time, he discovered the beast was a great dragon and tracked it to its cave where he slew it. The city of Verind’s Edge now plans to host a grand celebration to honor Sir Thalus and the slaying of the Arinfax Colossus. [B]Prelude[/B] [I]In the Service of the Emperor[/I] The party has been in the service of the Empire of Nerath in the city of Verind’s Edge for some time. The party has gravitated toward each other and forged a friendship, not only because they get along with each other well in their own peculiar ways, but also because they have recognized the potential in each other to excel far above the average soldier or officer in the Empire of Nerath. The party put their exceptional talents to the test recently – the nearby fiefdom of Uthrin has been squabbling with Verind’s Edge and has claimed that some of the new villages that have sprung up to the east of Verind’s Edge (between the city and the rest of the Boundary Lands) lie in Uthrin territory, and hence owe taxes to Sir Uthrin. Uthrin’s soldiers threatened some of these villagers with imprisonment if they did not deliver, and when the soldiers came to make good on that threat the party was there to welcome them, along with a few other soldiers from Verind’s Edge. The party members were the only survivors of the fight, successfully fending off the Uthrin soldiers. Some recognition followed this deed, and as a reward for being the sole survivors of the battle, the party was invited to attend a grand dinner with Emperor Essran himself. The dinner was part of the celebration of First Knight Thalus’s slaying of the Arinfax Colossus. The party finds themselves back in the city of Verind’s Edge enjoying the celebration, taking in the parades, and knocking back a few drinks before their dinner party. The party consists of: [LIST] [*][B]Erik (Human Wizard)[/B] - Erik was raised amongst elves by a wealthy elven merchant in the great forest kingdom of Quinalyn. His brother, Luwin (his father’s son by blood), grew jealous of Erik’s developing arcane talents and their father’s admiration of Erik’s success as a wizard. This jealousy eventually drove a wedge between the family and Erik’s father had to send Erik from his home out into the world. [*][B]The Zaza (Dragonborn Paladin)[/B] - Confident enough in her ability as a warrior to add an article to her official name, The Zaza was raised in a simple village of dragonborn in the Boundary Lands. She had a twin brother, Daza, who dreamed of becoming a hunter for the village one day. However, when they were only thirteen and exploring the wilderness around their village together, The Zaza witnessed her brother being kidnapped by a pack of “short people” – dwarves or gnomes she presumes. The Zaza watched in stunned silence, so scared she couldn’t even scream out for her brother as he was taken away. Afterwards, she was ashamed of her cowardice as she witnessed her brother’s kidnapping, and she pledged to become a hunter for the village in her brother’s place. She found her talents far exceeded those of the village’s best hunter, and also discovered her devoted relationship with the nature goddess Melora was blossoming into a strong source of divine power. Realizing she was destined for something more she left her village, partially in the hopes of finding her long lost twin brother some day. [*][B]Invicto Fizzleflame (Gnome Warlock)[/B] - Invicto was abandoned by his parents and raised by humans. He is somewhat bitter towards the world at large, which has contributed to his occasionally evil tendencies, including forging an infernal pact with demons to gain his arcane powers. [*][B]Fargrim (Dwarven Warlord)[/B] - Fargrim has a checkered past consisting of bouts of showing off military brilliance as well as bouts of ticking off numerous superiors and breaking numerous military codes of conduct. He has followed Emperor Essran to the edge of the known world to get one last chance to revive his career. [/LIST]Later, the party is joined by: [LIST] [*][B]Charm (Tiefling Rogue)[/B] - A later addition to the party, Charm has worked as an independent freelancer around the Boundary Lands for some time. She is able to handle a variety of tasks for her employers with discretion, but when necessary, she is fierce in a fight, unafraid to leap into the frontlines to go toe to toe with an enemy. Though her line of work is sometimes legally questionable, she is good at heart, truly embodying the idea of ‘honor among thieves’. [*][B]Aramil (Eladrin Warlord)[/B] - This veteran soldier joins the party later on. He has been a devoted servant of the Empire of Nerath ever since it ruled over Quinalyn, thus he has continued his service to the Emperor in Verind’s Edge. He proves to be a very competent leader in battle and out, constantly recruiting young warriors into the party’s service in hopes to slowly build his own personal army. A quintessential ‘high elf’, Aramil believes in pursuing truth and justice, but also believes that sometimes the pursuit of truth and justice applies mostly to himself. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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