OoN Info: PART 1

_{AA. People of Orthana
AB. Map
AC. Gods
AD. History and Factions
AE. Vyrnn
AF. Seals
AG. Order
AH. Heretics
AI. Unbound
AJ. Magik Academy
AK. Pacts
AL. Order's Oath}

AA. People of Orthana
<sub>Deaur (Dee-are)- This country is a mix between medieval Europe, and some Irish in the southern parts. There are all manner of people here, but the true natives will have lighter brown, blonde, red hair, sometimes black with any eye color.

O'dheasba (ode-hay-s-bah)- This is the southern land that had long been considered a part of Deaur, and is mostly a blend of Irish and Scottish people. Much of it covered in lush green fields and forests with high mountains. Most have brown and/or red hair with green, brown eyes and fair skin with freckles.

Sahirla (Saw-here-la)- The neighboring land is a vast desert area with several oasis and a few lakes, and large rocky mountains. There is some African and Indian culture here, with soft, colorful fabrics and jewelry made of gold and precious stones. They have brown skin and dark eyes and hair.

Severak (Seh-ver-rock)- A cold land with mountains and frozen tundra. There aren't many who use magik here in the snow, and the natives rely mostly on furs to keep them warm, and blades, axes, and stone walls to keep them safe. Those who live here are like Norse and Scandinavians, who pride their skills with weapons over magik, and look upon it as 'weak', save for beasts. They usually have brown, blonde or some red hair, and blue or brown eyes.

Lumi Maa (Loo-me-mah)- The Southern part holds a very spiritual people, and though magik is used openly, they are always wary of outsiders. There is not much known about the people here, only that they live in the snowy hills and on frozen tundra. They are closest to the Native Americans/Eskimos people, and have light brown skin and dark hair.</sub>
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AB. Map
madmother88.deviantart.com/art…
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AC. Gods
Deaur
Alru- </b>God of Duty. Rules over trust and responsibility. Represented by Dagger and horse.
_{'No oath shall be broken.'}

Civesk- God of Nature. Rules over harvest and stone. Represented by Gems and elk.
_{'No devouring of that which is not yours.'}

Durauk- God of Passage. Rules over voyages and direction. Represented by Compass and wolf.
_{'No rejecting of the poor/needy.'}

Hrika- God of Skies. Rules over wind and storms. Represented by Fans and Dragonfly.
_{'No being higher than the Gods.'}

Jawlnare- God of Warfare. Rules over conflict and doubt. Represented by Skull and Boar.
_{'No death without reason.'}

Ruen- God of Decision. Rules over choices and events. Represented by Two branched twig and Owl.
_{'No deceit among kin.'}

Sollen- God of Sun. Rules over seasons and fire. Represented by Gold and Hawk.
_{'No breaking the law of the land.'}

Trestil- God of Moon. Rules over shadows and ice. Represented by Lotus and Black koi.
_{'No admission to home after dusk.'}

Severak
Bior- Chief Deity. God of Battle and Wisdom.
Hior- Brother of Bior. God of Wind and Seas.
Asev- Mother Deity. Goddess of Fertility and Light. _{Associated with the Sun.}
Sibhal- God of Dance, Love and Marriage.
Frey- Goddess of Fire, Death and Stars. _{Associated with the Moon.}
Gisilf- Goddess of Song, Stories and Poetry.
Rejan- God of Loyalty and Dreams.
Para- Goddess of Fate and Judgment.

Sahirla
Paran- King of the Heavens. Is the God of Justice, Order and Vengeance.
Sareet- Queen of the Heavens. Is the Goddess of Love and Birth.
Ferdel- Eldest Prince Deity. God of Agriculture, Earth and Burials.
Ni'din- Middle Prince Deity. God of Wealth, Skies and Music.
Anar- Youngest Princess Deity. Goddess of the Sea, Plants and Death.
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AD. History and Factions
The Great War: It was a time of peace, until a small group of humans challenged the God's rule over them. This grew quickly into a large amount of people, somehow receiving powerful magiks. They attacked the Gods, and thus started what became known as the 'Great War'. The humans that went against the Gods used powerful dark magik to fight against the immortals, but it twisted them into demons the Gods called 'Vyrnn'. This war lasted 50 years, until the Gods finally trapped the Vyrnn in the earth, and charged humanity to guard the Seals.
Shards from the god's armor was scattered across the lands, and the only things capable of opening the Seals and freeing the demons within. The Order was soon made afterwards, their goal to protect the Seals.

AE. Vyrnn(vy-urn): It is said that the Vyrnn were once human, but after starting the Great war, their defiance of the Gods began to make their bodies change and become twisted from the dark magik. As it happened, they lost their human souls to gain the demonic power. Forever with one goal in mind: Kill the Gods.
List of the Vyrnn
_{Rishnechla (rish-neck-la) Snake like body, with the head of a woman. Sealed in Deaur, center of Atilias.
Naubna (naw-oob-na) Head of a goat, body of a lion. Sealed on a small unnamed island, just north of Deaur.
Lutnarik (loot-naw-rick) Head and torso of a dog, and lower half of a man. Sealed by temple SunderRidge on island.
Sollettruk (sole-let-rook) Body of a horse, torso of a man, and head of a bull. Sealed on Southern island, south of Deaur, near Shancal.
Mawlechnii (maw-leck-nii) Tail and eyes of a snake, the body of a crocodile. Sealed Sarhirla, near Imonet.
Azetlu (ah-zet-loo) Wings and head of a predatory bird, and the torso of a woman. Sealed in Deaur, near the temple StarGleam.
Vaunal (vaw-oo-nawl) Arms of a bear, body of a man, and head of a wolverine. Sealed in Severak, in mountains.}


AF. Seals: The Gods created the seals to trap the Vyrnn after they were unable to completely destroy them. Placing the seals on Orthana, the Gods commanded the humans to protect them at all costs.


AG. The Order of Nevyah(nev-yuh): The Order was created not long after the Great War. A large group of humans were chosen by the Gods to protect the seals, and to destroy any fragments of their power left in the world. They are greatly respected by both great generals and Kings, and serve the Gods all their lives.
Many orphaned children are taken in to be taught about the Gods, and then given to homes with a family.
Order Initiates: Newcomers are bathed and clothed in gray tunics with pants. They are then taken to a room with statues of the gods and make a vow to uphold the abbey's rules while they are taught. Though mostly children that were either orphaned or given to the abbey by poor parents study there, others that have learned what they can on their own may ask to become a member of the Order.
Those that choose to stay and join will began to spend half the day studying about the gods, be taught to read and write and doing chores. They do this for five months, and then they began training with weapons. Those who have or develop a knack for learning/using magik may begin to practice with the abbey master, and receive a green stitch around the collar to show their new status.
Many types of magik can be learned through intense training. These include(but not limited to): Elements, runes, spells, and potions. Though not all have the aptitude for magiks, they will focus more on weapons instead, and the same strict rules apply.
After years of watching and practicing with the master, he will put his students through a test. Those who pass will receive a brown stitch, becoming a journeyman of magik. They will go on their own for a few years to gain more experience in the world before returning to the abbey and their master.
Having both green and brown on their collars show the master is pleased with their improvement, and dubs them ready of moving on. Whether they return out in the world and take jobs there or stay in the Order is up to them, and those who still choose to stay train harder until they are approached by the leader of the abbey, the Summa. The few however, who wish to become a master, stay with their own master and continue to learn from him or her.
They spend many more years, traveling from master to master until their final test is chosen from the master's council, made up of the most powerful sages, or weapon masters in Orthana.
From there the willing person is sent to a sacred place near the abbey. Tested by the gods, the person is put through strains of battle and emotional trauma. If there is darkness in their heart, they are killed by the gods. Each experience is different, and those who return unharmed are welcomed back and accepted into the Order.


AH. Heretics: They are sometimes called 'The living Vyrnn,' for they make little or no effort to hide their defiance. However, the power that the true Vyrnn had, vanished after they were trapped. Today's Heretics gather the weak minded, or vulnerable. Staging 'accidents' and stealing a dead couple's child, or taking a person who no one will miss, like a beggar. And any who defy the Heretic's teachings, especially after being taken in, will meet a painful death. Burning the God's temples and shrines are not above them. They also gain pleasure eating food offerings for the Gods, and pilfering money from the altar boxes.
The Order fights against them, for they seek to free the Vyrnn, and let them destroy the Gods.
Heretic Initiates: An oath must be taken, and a crime upon the gods that no one can repent for. To send a message to the Heretics is difficult, and there are a few ways of doing so.
Either taking a priest's sacred object, one given to him in the name of the gods, or, however others felt, murdering one. To send a message to the others, bringing a bloody robe from his body, and hanging it on a tree, was a favorite of many.
Simply attacking one was also enough for them, but the leader must know the person to be true. None will be accepted until the current leader knows it was not a tale to trick them into showing themselves.
When they are allowed in, they are branded with their mark, a black claw. Traced back to its origins of the time of their greatest warrior, the 'Herald beast of death' fought with them, they take it with pride.
To become a leader of  group, they must take a test. One simple, but hardly many accomplish.
Kill a member of the Order.
Not new imitates, but a fully fledged member. As prove, they must bring back the crest of the Order, as no member would ever part with it until their death.
Then, presented to the group's leader, they make this vow:
"My blood for this land, I give my life to only me. I vow death to the gods!"

AI. Unbound: There is a group that few know of, and have been accused of being heretics many times.
They call themselves the 'Unbound', and consider their organization a free public service for humanity. It is believed that they formed either just before or after the Great War ended, and traced their purpose back to the greatest threat other than the Vyrnn themselves, 'The Beast Herald of Death'.
There are still songs and dark stories of this man, not even a man most say, but a demon. He rides on an offspring of darkness and blood, a fiery breath that consumed all life around it.
There is a line in one of the sonnets about the War 'Dark wings cover the sun.'
It only gives a hint of what the beast looked like. Many have large wings, as the infamous Roc has, a large mighty bird beast that resides far in the sands of Sahirla.

The Unbound's service is simple enough in understanding, not so in how they do it.
They hunt down those with pacts.
Those that have crossed the line between human and beast that they despise. No human that should have any more power than what they work for themselves. And the people that have crossed the line are deemed 'unclean', or tainted with a kind of darkness that cannot be seen or known inside, even the one with the pact.
This is the greatest threat in Orthana. Power that only beasts or Gods may wield, corrupts the natural behavior and leaves a seed of grand-delusions in the human, and must be destroyed, or another like the Beast Herald of Death will rise again.

Those that wish to be a part of this reclusive group must swear their lives to hunting down those pacts, and fealty to the leaders that control the organization. They use enchanted weapons often, and make their coin by donations from those who share their vision. To how they find those with pacts, is shrouded to say the least.
Spells, powerful ones made to lead a line to them, gathering those with the gift of visions to help them find what they seek. These are also very skilled warriors, from many places and other countries. Mages of different kinds join as well, half of which is usually those that have been banned from some schools of magik, from the dangerous experiments they have performed.

The Unbound group seems to usually stay within the law, but many rumors have been told about this organization to be assassins for beasts, killers with no sense of moral direction, only that humans, and human-like races such as elves must stay separate from each other. They have, at times, helped the Order, and have been seen in respectable company.
Their work though will never be complete, as pacts are made more often than most think, is what the group believes. Whether it is possible to become part of the group while trying to sneak a peek at how they work, no one knows. Everything is clouded, and betrayers are killed instantly.

AJ. Magik Academy:
Falk Rune Academy

Falk Mernin was the founder, and taught many rune magiks, training several mages and battle mages that have been known throughout history.
His great great great grandson, Henning, now runs the renown Academy, only accepting the brightest and determined students, the school has become famous for training many battlemages that serve with the order, and campaigning against necromancers and dark magik.

All the runes are taught, usually though students do not learn any more than two types of runes. But those picked out will undergo training that do not require runes.
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Fatorl Sorcery Academy

Atos Fatorl, one of the ancestors of the family line founded this school just before the Great War. They specialize in summoning of any kind, be it beast or element. It has stayed strong during the War, and still thrive today with Briam, the eldest of the main Fatorl line is the current head of the school, and is a strict teacher.
Their list of candidates are only deemed worthy of looking over if they either: come from nobility, or show exceptional promise in summoning.

The Fatorl line is famous for calling the elements mostly, and any students that practice this will most likely receive special help from teachers.
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Lirfor Holy Conservatory

Brothers Derg and Garet Lifor founded the Holy Conservatory sometime between the rein of Bain, and/or after, dedicating it to seek out and kill any and all necromancers. The teaching of future Paladins starts here, and they take care to teach them the magiks that can harm the undead, and protect themselves.
They hunt down creatures as well, like vampires and sometimes werewolves.

Many of the Paladins vow to serve the Gods, and do their bidding. They have also helped the Order in times of trouble, raiding heretic camps. They are cave divers as well, as many necromancers dwell there to summon their dead servants.
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Battlemage Academy
Founded by a group of mages that have long been the protectors of the royal blood line, and with the will to train others to be like them, to protect the royal family. They started in an old building that had been abandoned just before the Great war, though only certain noble families have been able to study and train to become such, the mages had the idea of, like any nobleman, there were others gifted with magiks from ordinary families.
This Academy does not hold one straight focus, but a starting point for any kind that is allowed. They start with a number of different kinds like: Runes, elements, summoning, and potions.

These are the start for many, and if they show one or two exceptional promise in a study, they are sent to another schooling with their favorite as the main focus. Most Battlemages are well rounded in other techniques, but are a deadly force to be reckoned with, as they can replace around five to ten men in an army, or more.

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AK. Special bond: Pact
Explanation about the pact: Whatever your partner is, you must go through a ceremony to be bonded. There are some variations for this, but usually there is the sharing of blood. Then there is a unique symbol for the beast you bond with.
Say you bond with a water sprite, and your friend bonds with a fire sprite. You both share a similar looking symbol on your body, but the elemental design will be different.
Also, you must pay a price for the pact. Nothing is for free, and certainly not the power the bond gives you. You may choose to give anything that is yours, be it any of the five senses, or a skill that you posses-but be warned: The more powerful the creature, the higher the price must be.
Depending on what price you do pay, the symbol will be on a different part of your body.
If the price has something to do with the hands (loss of the skill carving, shooting an arrow, etc), the mark will appear there. One or both hands, depending on the power of, and what you are willing to give up for the strength of the beast.
The power you gain from the pact also depends on the beast. Each pact gives the person all around strength, but may give the person one attribute that is stronger than the rest. There are certain types of creatures/races that you cannot make pacts with. For example, elves can make a pact, but cannot become a pact beast, as they are too humanoid.
Say you bond with a troll. Though the pact actually might not make you any or much faster, the troll with share some of its physical strength.

How it works: When a pact is on mutual agreement, the beast takes some of your blood and make a symbol. The beast then activates the magik, bonding you to each other. And depending on what you give up, the symbol is drawn on different parts of the body. As the symbol is just a way of showing one has a pact, the bond will still be there even if the sign is burned or cut off.

False pact
A pact without consent or blood is a false pact. Some heretics use spells to 'capture' creatures against their will, and use them. A false pact will though, increase the person's strength, much like a true pact will, but instead of their power gradually making them stronger, the spell rushes that power into the person all at once. This makes it extremely dangerous for both the person and the beast, and will only make them seem more 'invincible' for a short time. If you can survive that long, or able to stop the attack, do so. Unlike the true pact, when the beast gives you it's blood, the person who did the spell is the one to aim for. A true pact will revive the person when shot down, a false one makes the person weak.
Kill the human, kill them both.
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AL. The Order's oath:
My blood for the Order
My life for the Gods
I shall guard the Seals
Until the end of days