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A1 - General Background

The world of Ketarhr is a lush realm, covered mostly with forests and the occasional mountain. The animal life is active and quick, with most species capable of either flight or running faster than any man on Earth. Magic here is rare, as few have reason to seek it due to widespread Psionic ability. Almost all thinking species and even some wild animals have some psychic ability, though the abilities of the thinking species are much more advanced.

However, the forests have recently begun to recede, starting at the edges of the known world. The Psions, and even the rare wizards have yet to find a reason for this. It started slowly, at first, but in some places it has accelerated so much that there are forests where the ground is replaced with sand, causing trees to eventually topple over. Psions have investigated the largest desert, and have detected a malevolent presence that seems to permeate the very sand itself. They eventually came to the conclusion that the desert itself is either being driven by a fell power, or that it is a creature never encountered before.

Many have gone to the desert to try to find the source, and exploration parties have gone farther than they ever have before. However, they have yet to find a source that holds under investigation. What they did find, however, is that their food and water seemed to perish much faster in the desert than it normally would. Even worse, they were exposed to diseases that were never encountered by the doctors of that time. Some parties went into the desert and never seemed to come back.

However, there were parties that never went into the desert, but still came out. The Servants of the Sand eventually began cropping up, and, at first, the inhabitants of Ketarhr were reluctant to interact with them, often to the point of waging war upon them.


Currency:
In Ketarhr, bronze, silver, gold and platinum are the forms of currency. 1 bronze is about 5 cents, 1 silver is about 1 dollar, 1 gold is 20 dollars, and 1 platinum is 400 dollars.

20 Bronze=1 Silver
20 Silver=1 Gold
20 Gold=1 Platinum

A3 - The Races

Races:
Aerdian: The Aerdians are descendants of the Ketonn Hraal known as Aerdiu, who lived 2,070 years ago. They are the youngest race in the realm, but show the greatest talent in altering or directing one's body merely by thinking. It is believed that Aerdiu altered his own physiology and founded a new race.

They appear like the Ketonn Hraal, though they have much finer fur on their body, nearly as invisible as a human's body hair. They also have a more compact, muscular build.

With their crazy Psychometablism, they can reach adulthood at age 10 and live to be over 1000 years old.


Ketonn Hraal: The Ketonn Hraal are the oldest race in Ketarhr, and were the ones who named the realm. They show a general talent in all psychic abilities, and produce the highest number of psions. However, they are the least populous race, and have only recently resurfaced in mainstream Ketarhr.

The Ketonn Hraal are covered in a fine coat of fur mottled with rosettes like a jaguar, and are camouflaged in the forest shadows. Their posture is very human-like, though they are slightly taller and more slender. They also have sharper teeth, and have only three fingers and a thumb on each hand.

The Ketonn Hraal reach adulthood at 17 years, and can live to be 85 years old.


Mauforaum: The Mauforaum are one of the strangest races in Ketarhr. Their magical talent is second only to the humans, but they still produce more Psions than they do. Many speculate that they originated from another place entirely, though no Mauforaum seems to know their own origins; only that they suddenly appeared around 2,000 years ago. Mauforaum names normally start with S, R, or N.

They are humanoid in appearance, with much darker skin than a human, almost black. They have a pair of magnificent, though still dark-colored, wings on their back, and are the lightest thinking species in Ketarhr. They are a bit more hunched over than humans, and have tails that commonly reach 1.5ft in length. They are capable of short flights. They have teeth that are more adapted to a vegetarian lifestyle, and most of them do not eat meat. They can see by moonlight.

The Mauforaum reach adulthood at 16 years, and often live to be 70 years old.


Human: Humans are the most common species in Ketarhr, and as such, the near-universal language of the realm is based on their native language. They, out of all the races, show the least amount of psychic ability, so most normally only have minor psychokinesis or limited telepathy. However, they show the greatest talent for magic, and are credited with its discovery.

Humans reach adulthood at around 18 and can live to be 90 years old.


Ratoul'An: These creatures are the only non-humanoid thinking creatures in all of Ketarhr. They have a talent for minor clairvoyance, just like most animals in the realm. However, beyond this, they do not have impressive psychic abilities. However, they are the physically strongest thinking race, thanks to their large, muscular build. They are the least intelligent thinking race, but thanks to their clairvoyant ability, they do not have as much of a call for intelligence as other races.

The Ratoul'An are quadrupeds, somewhat resembling an ox. However, they have larger, stronger legs, and have much longer fur. They also lack horns, and have a more subtle nose, indicated only by two slits in the middle of their face. They have bright green eyes with cat-like pupils. Their front arms are particularly muscled, and end in 5 fingers, with a thumb on either side. Their strong, thick hind legs end in strong digitigrade feet instead of hooves. They can rear up and move on two legs for several minutes before having to rest, though most of them prop themselves against one elbow and manipulate objects with their now-free hand. They can see in the dark as well as a cat.

The Ratoul'An reach adulthood at age 45, and can live to be nearly 300 years old.

Iquonir: This reptilian race is one of the older, more respected races, prized for their incredible capacity for knowledge. However, they have become rather rare as of late, and mostly reside in their homelands, which have highly restricted travel. They are the only race in existence with a common talent for teleportation, but not even all Iquonir have this ability. They have almost no known wizards.

Iquonir often reach 8 feet in height, and have tails that can stretch over 3 feet long. They have 3 fingers and 2 thumbs on each hand, and all their digits end in a claw, mostly for digging. They are humanoids, but have more muscle on their frame, and are hunched over at almost a 60 degree angle, with their tail to keep them balanced. They have powerfully muscled legs, and are one of the fastest running thinking species, faster than even the Ratoul'An. Their skin is a healthy green, with stripes of a near-black color to camouflage in the forest shadows. Their front teeth are sharp, but their back teeth are made for grinding plants.

Iquinor reach adulthood at age 30 and can live to be 250 years old.

A5 - Character Templates

Name:
Race:
Personality:
Description:

Weapons:
Archetype:
Fighting Style:
Spells/Psychic abilities:

Homeland:
History:


Archetype:
The three most common archetypes are Psions; people specializing in Psychic ability), PsyLord; a person using his psychic ability to supplement physical might and Wizard; a magic user, usually with some psychic ability.

Another archetype is Soldier; a rare person who has little or no psychic ability or even magic ability, and usually relies on physical force alone and Arcane Knight; a person using magic to supplement physical might, usually with little or no psychic ability. Rarer still is the Channeler, someone who balances both psychic and magical ability.

Very few can balance magical, psychic and physical ability and remain effective in all three. Those who attempt this are called Madcaps.

Fighting Style: PsyLords and Arcane Knights (as well as Madcaps) use their magical or psychic abilities to enhance or supplement their physical ability. They often use psychokinesis, telepathy, pyrokinesis (or the manipulation of any element or “energy”), and sometimes even Psychometabolism, Clairvoyance or teleportation to great effect (though the latter three are uncommon, except psychometabolism, which is often used by Aerdians). Describe what your character uses.

Spells/Psychic abilities: Psychic abilities are outlined above, and exact techniques are up to the player, as are spells. PM spells or psychic powers to me or Rinji_Rai for approval before submitting your character. For PsyLords, Arcane Knights and Madcaps, remember that anything not involving a physical strike should be placed here instead of described in your fighting style.

For spells, mention what it does and how difficult it is to cast. The cost is usually irrelevant, as you are merely channeling power from elsewhere. Power represents both the power of the spell/ability as well as the difficulty or strain. Special exceptions can be made, but they must be mentioned in the description. Do not just make high-powered abilities for low difficulty/strain!


Homeland: Your character has to be from somewhere. If you wish, you may make your own homeland and PM it to me or Rinji_Rai before submitting your character.

History: Surely things have happened to your character! Your history should be a few paragraphs long, and each one should have some detail. It can be anything from a summary of their life to specific events.