Augmented Realities

[Ahzoh]

This is only a working title until something more descriptive can be found.

This thread is for all information regarding my RPG project which is in development hell very slowly being worked on.

Setting:
The main setting of the story is Yat-Vrkhazh, a nation controlled by the magocratic empire Ma'lis Wustun (Empire of Mages). The land is described as mostly an arid desert in the north and a tropical forest in the southern with two large mountain ranges in the north and east. Its neighbours are Yashi Hammbyy on the south-west coast, Tligkiz on the north-west coast behind the Eastern Mountains, Ethuanek in the East, and Paliqapke to its north.


Background:
When the ancestors of the Vrkhazhians, Ethuanekans, and Hammyyics, known as the Himoshians, arrived on the continent, they built a sturdy civilization and adapted fairly well to the diverse climate for a few thousand years. However, for unknown reasons, rifts started to appear every century or two with vile creatures of darkness called mansud pouring from them, destroying everything in their path before strangely returning from whence they came.
The Himoshians were ill-equiped to defend against these creatures as the creatures seem unaffected by their weapons. While their mages could harm them with fire, for the creatures were very weak to it, there were too few of them to fend off their onslaught. For centuries, all that the Himoshians and their descendants could do was prepare for the invasions and focus on damage control. This was done mostly by the construction and employment of golems, large beings fashioned out of various metals, which reduced the number of living casualties. However, eventually these constructs became unstable and often collapsed into piles. Some became possessed by the mansud and turned on their human creators. For this reason, the golems stopped being created and knowledge of how to create them became lost.

Initially, the descendants of the Himoshians formed alliances with each other, such as the Ashrnic Pact. However, years passed and the invasions got worse and worse, and so their relationships strained and they grew more and more culturally and politically distant and their alliances eventually crumbled as they grew distrustful of one another; a distrust formed by the culmination of successive failed attempts to protect their own people while the aid from their allies was either arrived too late or did not come at all.

Then, many centuries later, a young soldier named Ihmeki Arashjun, born of the city of Uzer, discovered a kind of magic that could imbue objects with the power to kill the mansud. Using his newfound power, he united all the tribes of Yat-Vrkhazh under his banner, forming the Vrkhazhian Empire and becoming its ruler. During the golden age of his reign he conquered vast territories and amass great wealth. In preparation for the coming appearances of the rifts, he devised military strategies and formations, increased the numbers of soldiers in his armies, prepared them to watch and guard key cities, and equipped them with weapons that were imbued with the mysterious magic. By the time the rifts did appear decades later, the empire was prepared to defend its people with the largest armies the continent had ever seen. Due to the magic imbuing the armies' weapons, the creatures were able to be slain for the first time since they appeared and the rift itself could be sealed up. The success of the campaign gave the Vrkhazhians a newfound sense of pride and release from the centuries of despair and fear they and their ancestors felt. However, before the empire's victory could be truly celebrated, Arashjun suddenly disappeared.

Recovering from a short power struggle between his generals and his family, his descendants took the mantle of defending the empire, however they proved unable to drive back the creatures with the same effectiveness as Arashjun, as the creatures came in far greater numbers than before and now brought with them horrible powers that could spread plague and raise the dead. One invasion occurred 114 years after Arashjun's disappearance, which resulted in the complete destruction and desertion of The City of Wise Scholars, now a cursed ruin on the southern edge of the Wall of Yat-Vrkhazh that no-one dares to approach.

Eventually, people started noticing over time that the rift stopped appearing as it usually did, which created a long period of peace and prosperity lasting even to this day. However, many had begun to forget about the creatures, now believing them to be only myths and legends. During this time, a powerful mage named Sem'eli Ikani overthrew his brother, who was the emperor, and handed his throne over to the Omniscient Order forming a part of what would be called "The Empire of Mages". This act of not only usurping his emperor but handing over the nation to foreigners was perceived as a great act of treason and thus the people gave him the name "Ikani the Traitor".

The magocratic empire, with its new acquisition, continued to expand in the coming centuries. Using its large armies, it grew to span across lower half of the continent from the south coasts to the Death Marches north of Yat-Vrkhazh.
However, the Empire of Mages now struggles to maintain control of their peripheral territories, as they have begun to rebel against it. Additionally, the empire has made several enemies with other nations and empires, who collectively call themselves The Inland Powers. As of now tensions are high between the Empire and this alliance and whispers of a potential war reverberates across the land.

Amidst this conflict, strange deaths have been occurring sporadically across the empire and an ominous feeling is being felt by those who travel near ruins of the City of Wise Scholars.

Story:
The Empire of Mages has declared war on an alliance of nations known as the Inland Powers. The protagonists of the story are conscripted soldiers that must fight in a war that threatens their homeland, however, mysterious events lead them to discovering that there are great powers that could threaten all of humanity.

Characters:
Sem'eli Humri of Ubiya
The older brother of Yavi and Osha. He is very loyal to his family and his nation and believes strongly in the cause of the Empire of Mages. He leads a nomadic pastorial lifestyle, herding his goats and cattle across the desert, but often returns to his home village for every year to visit his siblings and assist his younger brother in some of his farm work.

Zmeri Yavi of Ubiya
The younger brother of Humri and Osha. He was born with albinism which is considered a curse to the villagers. Because of his condition he is outcast by the rest of the villagers and lives on the outskirts of the settlement. His only friends are his family, and maintains a strong relationship with his older siblings. Due to his social isolation, he is reclusive and somewhat cynical. Additionally, because of his albinism, he is prone to sunburns, forcing him to stay inside or wear a cloak that fully covers his body and head.

Rizhiya Osha of Ubiya
The older sister of Yavi and younger sister of Humri. [to be elaborated]

Dlahtisatami Shushmi of Ubiya
The childhood friend of Humri and Osha's husband. [to be elaborated]

Features to be implemented

• ABS where player is transported to a battlefield like Star Ocean Second Story.
  
• Environments that can damage characters without sufficient items.
  
• A mechanism for making characters fearful
  
• 8-directional movement
  

Scripts Used

• DerVVulfman's Lycan ABS