Races of Phycos Part 3

And now we come to the last part of this piece on races. This time we'll cover immortals in general . This third category can't really be considered a race since these are not species per se, but rather a form of life different from the original. Immortals are not born but are made through various means, including mortals using powerful magic or gods creating them.


The way "immortals" are defined in Xhelia is a bit different. An immortal is a being who has surpassed their mortal life and transformed into something greater. Immortality doesn't necessarily mean invincibility, or the ability to live forever (although this is very common among immortals). Instead it's just a way of referring to a higher state of being. Granted, the common folk often refer to long-lived mortal races like aer as immortals, but since these races are born naturally, this is not the case.

Anyway, without further ado, here we go:

--IMMORTALS--

ASCENDED

The term "ascended" refers broadly to any mortal that has become an immortal, either through their own means or through the blessings of a god or heavenly being. No matter the means, the ascended tends to keep their mortal appearance with some variations, but becomes more powerful as a result. Some common examples include:

-Champions of gods, who are selected by a god's agent to do that god's work. Usually, a faithful follower is chosen and granted great power by the agent in exchange for a greater responsibility to further that god's cause. These champions, sometimes called templars, become important religious figures or heroes within their society.

-The immortal champions of the Thousand Clans of Myr'ahn, the southern faldax empire. A particularly talented warrior is selected for a ritual in which they are changed, ranging from gaining elemental abilities to being mutated into a more powerful being or even a giant version of themselves. This is seen as a great honor within the society, and is quite similar to the above example.

-Rilonian arch-mages who become so powerful that they are able to make themselves or someone else ascended using their own magic.

-Demonic transformations, in which a demon can choose to be mutated into one of the greater demon races. This is also similar to the above example.


PSELIAN (IMMORTAL)

Pselians, referred to as immortals by common folk, includes any being that came from the immortal plane of Pseliakros (world of the gods). These could be champions sent down by a god, or exiles, or even simple travelers. Pselians tend to be very powerful, since it takes a significant amount of power to cross back into the mortal plane. However, once in the mortal plane, they tend to become weaker. Despite this, pselians still keep a good portion of their abilities. Their most common trait is their ability to change their appearance, allowing them to blend into society seamlessly. The agents of gods often do this to further the cause of their religion.




UNDEAD

Last but not the least, the most feared and loathed immortal being, often not considered immortal. Undead in Xhelia refers to any being that has returned to life through any means. The main thing that sets this apart from the above categories is the fact that the being had to have died first.

Although undead can be created using magic, most undead are created due to the presence of what the faldax call "zus", better known as "dark energy". This is a form of energy that permeates certain parts of the continent, reanimating the dead as a result. This is the cause for what some refer to as "natural undead", which means any undead that rises without the direct assistance of another being. Although zus exists all over the land, some parts of Phycos, specifically the north, are especially thick in it, creating a large undead presence.

Although undead seem to never need sustenance, this is actually not the case. Undead exist by draining magic energy from the air. With Phycos being so thick in magic energy, a standard undead being can literally live forever just by using the energy in the air. However, more powerful undead use up larger amounts of energy, to the point where the magic in the air is no longer enough. These undead must rely on acquiring energy through other means, such as other beings.


The undead can also enter a state called the "dark sleep", in which the undead being becomes idle and sleeps for any length of time. In this state, undead can still absorb magic energy, allowing them to store this energy for later use. During the dark sleep, the undead's soul enters a parallel dimension called the "dark plane", a dream-like spirit world that exists between the mortal and immortal planes. In this place, the undead can change the world around them, allowing them to create their own paradise or even restore their old mortality, even if temporarily. It serves as a sort of dream world and escape to some undead, and is a useful way to regain lost energy.

Here are the most common examples of undead:



GHOST - The most common and probably the least dangerous. Ghosts are ethereal beings that have limited influence on the physical world. They can be created anywhere after a mortal dies. These beings are usually born out of powerful emotions or regrets, which seems to attract zus, causing the person's soul to linger in the mortal plane. Most ghosts are not aware of their state and end up existing in an endlessly repeating state, bound to whatever past caused them to linger. Others become aware of their state and attempt to do something about it, and others even drain energy from other living beings to become even more powerful, turning themselves into more malevolent wraiths.



REVENANT - This term is a loose term that refers to any undead that rises from the dead and continues "living", their souls remaining bound to their bodies. Most of these beings are destroyed before they even realize they have become undead. Those that do survive are usually wracked in confusion and fear at their new existence and their awareness of it. Revenants are essentially ghosts and can display ghostly attributes but are still attached to a body which continually decays over time. They are essentially walking corpses or skeletons, but possessing a free mind. These undead, when possessing a strong will to continue living, can become very powerful over time, even gaining the ability to change their very appearances and physical forms using their ghostly abilities. Most liches and undead champions began as revenants.



ZUSERAX - A faldax word, these are a form of fleshy undead that are able to continue existing by absorbing or devouring the flesh of their enemies, and are the closest to mortal out of all the undead. The sophistication of zuserax can vary greatly, ranging from mindless zombies and flesh beasts to artificial mortals who are almost indistinguishable from any other, such as vampires or agents of the flesh empire. Though these beings can be powerful, they don't have the same toughness and resilience as the fleshless undead, and are enslaved by their need to consume flesh.




BOUND - The bound are created entirely through magic and technology, and are a sort of "synthetic undead". In general, this involves taking a detached soul and binding it to an artificial body, creating an undead being. They function much like revenants - in fact, many older revenants choose to transform themselves into bound once gaining sufficient power.

The possibilities for this are endless - powerful necromancers and liches have been known to create artificial mortal bodies, attaching souls to them and essentially giving birth to an undead being no different from any other mortal (with the exception of lacking mortal traits and needs). Some create bodies that are entirely mechanical, creating a sort of mechanical undead being known as a "siraf", which were used to devastating effect during the Third Demon War as giant mechanical soldiers. Some even merge these two together, creating masterpieces or abominations all the same

Over the centuries, the more adventurous saal scientists studied the art of creating bound undead with mechanical bodies, a sophisticated practice referred to as "necro-engineering". Undead with bodies made of "necrotechnology" tend to be some of the most feared on the battlefield, and are often so sophisticated and different from their other undead cousins that conservative religious sects sometimes overlook them. In fact, in later years, creating a bound undead became a ritual much like the ascension rituals practiced by the agents of gods.


Anyway, that's that. That should about cover all the races in this mess of a continent.

Races of Phycos Part 2

Now we go over the next bunch of races that dwell on the continent of Phycos, a group of different races known collectively as the "cursed races", or the more common title, demons. It's important to note that the term "demon" in Xhelia is more of a name attached to a stigma and a bad history, not so much an issue of divinity or a preconceived idea of good or evil. In fact, many demon races, having been forcefully evolved from humans, still keep most of their human traits. Like I mentioned earlier, the term "cursed" came from the fact that these races mutated and evolved from humans exposed to the chaotic energies of the four meteors, and became separate species on their own right as a result.

ABOVE: Lol chibis

I guess it's also a bit inaccurate to call this post "races of Phycos" because demon society with limited exceptions does not exist on Phycos. Most demon inhabitants of the continent came from one of two places - the autonomous floating landmass known as Demulus in the northwest corner of the continent, and the massive far western continent of Forneos, better known as the "demon continent". Demons are generally hated by Phycosians thanks to a series of ancient wars known as the "Ancestor Wars", accounts of which were passed down through the ancestors of the pure races and greatly exaggerated in storytelling and religion. As such, most demons found are persecuted or imprisoned, if not killed outright.

One last thing, I'm not going to list every demon race there is. There are so many variations that I could go on forever (as if these posts need to be longer, lol). Instead I'll be listing the major races, and the ones best known by Phycosians.

-- CURSED RACES --

GARIDS

Garids are a common demon race, and one of the most human-looking out of the demons. For this reason, many garids are able to infiltrate or live in Phycosian society without too many problems. The race's only distinguishing feature are a pair of horns that grow on their heads, which tends to grow larger with age. By hiding their horns, garids will seem otherwise human, except for the fact that they possess immense physical strength. An average adult garid could easily be as strong as an adult nurax despite the latter being twice the size. The race's weakness is a nearly non-existent aptitude for magic.

Some garids, through a certain ritual, are able to mutate themselves further to the point that their physical appearance becomes more beastly but at the same time, granting them greater strength. These garids are generally revered as champions and tend to be more common among the warring demonarchies in Forneos, but some occasionally appear in Phycos.


SAVALIDS

Savalids look almost entirely human, with the exception of markings and patterns all over their bodies and a pair of insectoid antennae that protrude from their heads. Otherwise, like garids, they are easily able to conceal themselves within Phycosian society with little effort. Savalids otherwise are no different from humans in ability and strength, and like garids have a weaker aptitude for magic.

However, a savalid's true talent comes from his racial ability to use his magic energy to create armor around his body based on the aforementioned patterns and markings. Upon doing this, their armor tends to take an insectoid appearance, giving them that feared demonic look. In this form, a savalid will also generate a pair of insectoid wings of energy, and coupled with an increase of reflexes, the savalid becomes extremely agile. As a result, savalids are some of the toughest and most agile of the demon races, but rely on transforming to do so, otherwise they are no stronger than an average human.


TRAXIDS

Traxids are a race that resembles faldax greatly, but tend to have different skin patterns and smaller sets of horns instead of frills. Unlike the faldax, they are very physically frail, but possess an unnaturally strong aptitude for magic. Most traxids spend their later lives carrying themselves using their magic instead of simply walking and relying on their weaker bodies. As a result, most traxids tend to be practitioners of magic or intellectuals, and the traxid race easily possesses the greatest magic aptitude out of all the mortal races.


DRATIDS

Dratids resemble humans but have large wings and slightly less human appendages. They are generally average among demons as far as physical prowess and magical aptitude, but stand out due to their physical traits and their ability to fly with very little effort. Phycosians generally find their appearance fearsome, and as such few are seen in Phycosian society.


OXIDS

Oxids resemble centaurs, with a four-legged lower body and a humanoid upper body. These demons, like dratids, are rare but very much feared. Their main ability lies in their physical strength and powerful builds, and though they possess very limited magic ability, they still perform extremely well when using their own bodies. Oxids are a race of greater demons that are not born - instead they are created out of any demon that wishes to achieve greater strength. The more powerful oxids tend to grow larger and in some cases, they gain a savalid's ability to create natural armor, making them extremely dangerous warriors on a battlefield.


MAHIDS

Mahids are a rare but fearsome demon race. Mahids look like a twisted cross between a human and a centipede, but possess the ability to change the form of various parts of their body to suit any need. As such, many powerful mahids are able to take flawless human forms, allowing them to conceal their true nature until the need arises. Mahids tend to be very intelligent as well, and combined with their ability to morph their bodies, they are also formidable fighters. Like oxids, mahids are created rather than born.


TARIDS (DRAGONS)

The feared tarids, better known by Phycosians as "dragons", are perhaps the most powerful of the mortal races. Born with a very human appearance, tarids gain the ability to transform into their greater dragon forms during their adolescence, this form becoming more powerful as they get older. Like the Aer of Phycos, they possess an elemental alignment that factors greatly into their abilities, and tarids have differing subspecies based on this very elemental factor. In addition, tarids stop aging at a certain point just like Aer.

The dragon forms possessed by tarids come in various shapes and sizes based on the elemental affinity and the tarid himself. Some tend to be more human sized, while others could be the size of a village on average. With their ability to pass as humans, tarids are easily able to conceal themselves in Phycos. Of course, with the constant war between the demonarchies in Forneos, most tarids found in Phycos are there only to find a more peaceful life.


OTHER INFO:

ABOVE: Prime Demons

PRIME DEMONS - Every demon race has a "prime demon", a powerful demon champion who serves as a leader for the race. The prime demon is usually the greatest example of that particular race, a demon above demons who serves as a shining example to all others of that race. Once elected, a prime demon is granted immortality through magic and given greater powers. Prime demons are universally accepted by all demon nations and are generally neutral and part of a council. Of course, with the chaos of Forneos, this doesn't always hold true.

HALF DEMONS - The more human demon races, such as garids, savalids, and tarids, share enough common ancestry with humans and aer such that these races can actually produce offspring. Given the widespread hatred of demons in Phycos, half demons are seen as a great abomination, to be eliminated when found. As such, most half demons end up living in demon lands where they are more welcome.


So yeah, that about covers it. Tune in next time for our next category - undead, immortals, and all that other weird crap! Also, man I used a lot of ancient drawings on this one...

Races of Phycos Part 1

Today I get to talk about the various races present in Phycos. Note that this isn't an all-inclusive list, this does not factor in the other 3 continents and whatever weird races and creatures they may have, nor does it factor in the other less-known parts of the land, such as the underwater and underground worlds.



To start with, most mortal races fall into 2 categories:

PURE RACES - These are the races that were either created by the gods as part of some purpose, or the original, unaltered races of the world.

CURSED RACES - Generally referred to as "demons", any being that was mutated as a result of the Four Meteor Calamity is considered a "cursed one". All cursed ones were once human, and branched off into their own species after the calamity. There were countless mutations as a result of the calamity, but only a handful were able to survive naturally as a species.

A third miscellaneous category will be used for this post to include the ones that don't really fall into either category. Note that I'll be talking about this with the Holy Age in mind. In later eras, the races start to get much more mixed up and are no longer found by region.

For this post, I'll only focus on the Pure Races. I'll get the rest on subsequent posts. And so...

--- PURE RACES ---

HUMAN

The human race is physically the weakest out of the pure races, but possesses the greatest aptitude for magic. Their lifespans tend to be on the shorter side, but tend to reproduce faster than the other races. The human race is the oldest race of Xhelia, having been around since before the four meteor calamity. There tends to be a main distinction between the human races of Phycos.
Western humans are concentrated around the Horis landmass in the west. They tend to look more like humans as we know them, with a more natural appearance. These humans tend to have a stronger physical side than eastern humans.
Eastern humans, on the other hand, are concentrated around the southeastern parts of the continent. Sometimes referred to as "Rilonians", these humans can have very strange traits due to their exposure to magic. Most notable are the radical variations between the colors of their physical features, such as skin and hair color. Sometimes western humans see them as cursed mutants but otherwise they are the same race, only with a stronger aptitude for magic.



AER

The Aer can be considered a sort of "superhuman" race. Aer are a sort of genetic defect among western humans, though calling them a "defect" would be somewhat inaccurate. Instead, Aer are very gifted humans. It's unknown what causes an unborn human child to become an Aer, leading society to believe that they are chosen by gods themselves. Aer look identical to humans with the exception of some unusual birthmarks.
The similarities end there, however. Aer are born superior in almost every aspect, ranging from physical strength, reflexes, intellect, and the like. Their only weakness is in their magic aptitude, having the lowest among the pure races. However, this is counteracted by the fact that Aer are born with a strong elemental alignment which leads some to believe that they are also partly magic beings. This elemental alignment is so strong that Aer can literally feel better or worse depending on what environment they are in. In some cases, such as fire elemental Aer, they can even regenerate wounds or lost limbs in the presence of the appropriate element. Above all, their most coveted trait is the fact that they seem to have an unlimited lifespan - no Aer has been known to die of natural causes as of yet.




SAAL

The Saal, or wolf race, were once humans who were given a new form by Juram, the god of technology and civilization. During the exodus from Krinakros, Juram granted his loyal followers this new form to better prepare them for the frigid nature of their new home. The Saal have grown since then, becoming one of the most powerful races for most of Phycos's history.
Saal tend to be stronger and faster than humans and often live longer, but they also have a much weaker aptitude for magic. However, Saal are gifted with great intellect, a parting gift from their god. Saal in general value technology for this reason, even if they don't believe in Juram. True to their form, Saal also possess a powerful sense of smell, but have generally weaker eyesight in exchange. For this reason, scopes and spectacles tend to be common accessories for Saal.
Saal tend to fall into two subspecies - the Zerden who are the larger, stronger Saal with thicker fur who live in the north, and the Zembul, the smaller, slender Saal with thin fur. The color of fur can vary from region to region, and to other races, telling between a male and female Saal can be nearly impossible.



FALDAX

The Faldax, or "lizard men", were created by the goddess of nature, Krinafalda, shortly after the four meteor calamity as a tool for rebuilding the ecosystems of the world. Like the Saal, their bodies are based on humans, but are a very different race. The Faldax were given their own minds after Phycos was remade, but they proved to be just as mortal as humans all the same. Once the native race of Phycos, most Faldax nations were destroyed by the humans and saal when they migrated to the continent.
The Faldax are born in a very unusual way, with the infants growing separate from the parents in a plant-like bud until they have grown enough to leave their protective shell. These children are "grown" by their respective parents through a strange and somewhat magic ritual where the parents sacrifice some of their genetic material to create the bud. Once born, Faldax possess a very strong connection to nature in general, though this could diminish over time. The distinction between male and female faldax is somewhat easier to make, with the females having whip-like projections growing out of their heads that resembles human hair, and the males generally having frills or thorns instead.
The Faldax possess a very acute sense of hearing that allow them to sense the presence of objects based on vibrations in the air or the ground from the sounds the object or creature makes. They also possess lightning fast reflexes, allowing them to make good use of these senses. As such, Faldax have been known to perform seemingly impossible feats like snatching arrows while they are in mid-flight, or detecting the presence of incoming creatures just by feeling the vibrations on the ground. These senses tend to get weaker the farther they stray from nature, so the Faldax tend to gather and live in certain environments.
There are primarily two subspecies of Faldax on Phycos, though each one has its own breeds in turn. There are the slender Xurax, or "southern lizards", who tend to have proportions similar to humans and saal but much thinner and taller in general. Xurax are very agile but are the most fragile out of the pure races. Nurax are found towards the south of the continent, and often have elemental alignments based on where they live.
The second subspecies are the Nurax, or "northern lizards", the much larger cousins of the Xurax. Nurax live in the northern parts of Phycos on the fringes of society, living in societies other civilizations would call "barbaric". Nurax tend to grow very large, with most adults being at least twice the size of a human, and have immense strength while keeping the same sense of hearing and reflexes. Although not as agile as their smaller cousins, they make up for this in sheer toughness and strength. Nurax are few and far in between, but those few found are often valued greatly as warriors.




Those are the 4 main races in Phycos, and the most numerous. I'll make a post on the other 2 categories soon after this.

Character Background: Khyranne Allenthis

Today, we focus on the character I've drawn the most throughout the life of Xhelia, who until recently was the poster girl of the universe - none other than Reclamation of Phycos's protagonist, Khyranne Allenthis.

Khyranne in her Sirh Empire outfit, which she wears during most of the Reclamation.

I guess a bit of backstory is in order too. Khyranne was born to a large, rich family in Myran, back when the country was still part of the Phycosian Confederation. Being born far from the war between the Empire and Confederation, she had a peaceful childhood. She was one of many children in this family and as such she didn't always get the full attention of her parents. At a very young age, she started to show signs of great magical aptitude, and she ended up reading about magic on her own, even going as far as practicing during her spare time. Her parents tried to get her to stop and pursue something more practical, but she continued studying on her own.


The fateful day came when her magic experimentation resulted in a whole wing of the house burning down. This loss, coupled with the fact that she had been warned before, resulted in her parents disowning her, considering her a delinquent child and casting her out of their home. She was sent to live in a foster home far away near imperial territory where she lived in much poorer conditions along with other orphans. She was forced to adapt to this lifestyle quickly, and in time, found herself part of the wrong crowd, spending most of her teenage life stealing for a living. Of course, when she got a chance, she read more books on magic, and even stole them in some cases, and her abilities continued to grow. She started to put these skills to use in her "job", eventually earning her a reputation. One day, she was found by a man not much older than her who saw her potential and offered to give her a better life as a mercenary. Khyranne was more than happy to take this opportunity and joined immediately. That man was Czalyr Vintas, who would eventually become the most important person in her life.

Sprites of Khyranne for Convergence, in Imperial, Confederate, and Legion colors respectively.

For years, Khyranne fought alongside the mercenaries, fighting on the side of the Sirh Empire. In the meantime, Czalyr trained her in more practical skills, but soon found himself eclipsed by her abilities. Regardless, she always considered him a sort of superior, and not really much else. In time, the Third Demon War began, and the mercenaries found themselves spared from execution in exchange for serving the Confederation. The ferocity of the war slowly took the lives of her comrades, and their numbers started to dwindle. Everything came to a head when the mercenaries were betrayed and slaughtered, with only Khyranne and Czalyr surviving. The two were sent to a prison camp where they were subjected to harsh labor and torture, and Czalyr, feeling responsible for dragging her into this, had to watch painfully as Khyranne slowly lost touch of the world, all the while powerless to do anything. At least, until one opportunity came.

One day, Czalyr and Khyranne were able to break out of the prison camp, and fled across a barren, frozen wasteland on their own, evading pursuers along the way. Khyranne was deathly sick and terrified, but Czalyr carried her as far as he could. For weeks they ran and hid, living off the land, until finally sickness threatened to take Czalyr's life. Khyr instead picked up the slack as best as she could, but even this didn't get them far. Having formed a powerful bond through their hardships, the two promised each other that they would stay together even in hell, they resigned themselves to their fate. However, this would not be - someone else found them instead.

Khyranne vs Mastoreon, as drawn by Capt. Strife

Persephone the Cruel, a powerful psychic and wing lord of the Tyrant Legion's Hundred Suns, detected the faint signs of the two escapees when they entered her territory. Sensing people in such a remote place intrigued her, and soon she sent her forces to pick them up. Persephone nursed both Khyranne and Czalyr until they had fully recovered, and used her powers to heal their minds. When the two were back to their normal selves, Persephone saw their potential and offered them a job - to serve as elite "monarchites" of the Legion, under the Hundred Suns. She promised them their vengeance, and even more power. The two were more than happy to take the job. They became part of a select few to receive the tutelage of the prime demons of the Demonarchy, which resulted in their skills improving by leaps and bounds.

Khyranne vs Crimson, as drawn by Sleeping Wind.

And so, in the following years, up to the end of the Third Demon War, Khyranne and Czalyr became champions of the Tyrant Legion, sweeping aside its enemies and leaving nothing in their wake. But like many others in the Legion, they soon saw it for what it really was - a rampaging army of criminals bent on ravaging the continent. When the war ended, the two left the legion and struck out on their own, returning to their mercenary roots.

Khyranne after a particularly devastating super move (taken from the art tournament).

And that brings us to the Reclamation storyline, which like I said in previous posts, is somewhat unclear at this time. Anyway, Khyranne stands out because she served as my "favorite" character for years, ever since I first created her in 2001 or so. She has always been a mage of sorts, and I gave her a shotgun for a weapon when the Third Demon War setting became more modern. One reason she sticks out so much for me is because of her unusual fighting style, combining magic with her shotgun to form different kinds of shots, while using the prime demon Arcan-traax's spells. Interestingly, I came up with this idea when i read about various kinds of shotgun shells at some point, and found the diversity to be awesome enough that I should implement it with her, except using magic instead. Turned out to be a good move.

The other interesting thing is that she isn't as "sexy" as most of my other female characters. In fact, her long coat outfit could be seen as kinda plain and unflattering in some cases. I dressed her in a more practical manner knowing that she'd be in cold environments, but the coat thing has been her outfit for so long that it's hard to see her in anything else. Either way, female charm hasn't really been her main draw, although I've done a decent job of giving her an attractive "mature woman" face in the last couple years. On the contrary, some could call her manly in some cases. But it's those quirks that make her more unique among the other female characters I have.

As I said before, she's the most-drawn character out of the 50 jillion that I've made. I featured her in the GamingW Art Tournament, in which I drew her in three comics, the third being 53 pages long. And so, even if Skulhoarse seems to have stolen the spotlight from her for now, she's always an important part of my universe, because a lot of my growth as an artist usually had her in it somewhere. Like I've said before, she'll have her moment again. Heh.

So here, have a gallery:

Khyranne and a couple other Reclamation characters, as drawn by Skie.

Khyranne's Diamond Spire move, one of Arcan-traax's signature moves that she added to her repertoire, often used to finish off enemies or do serious damage to machines or vehicles. This move can vary depending on how much power she puts into it...

...as seen here. (Art by Sleeping Wind)

Khyr likes to use her signature Frost Blanket to immobilize an enemy before blasting them to oblivion.

Star of Power and Magma Cannon, two of Khyr's mid-level spells. Star of Power creates three or more spheres of energy controlled by her mind which shoot lightning bolts at nearby enemies, while Magma Cannon is essentially a magic artillery shell.

Star of Destruction, a higher level spell similar to the weaker Star of Power, except this one shoots piercing beams in rapid succession.

Arrow of Destruction, a desperation move Khyr invented in which she pools all of her remaining energy into one devastating shot. This results in the explosion in the picture up there.

Khyranne fighting...Valeska? Yeah she makes a cameo in Convergence.

Also, here's an older introductory comic from back in the GW Art Tournament, somewhat summarizing the above backstory.

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Story Spotlight: The Reclamation of Phycos

This makes for a good follow-up to the previous entry, since it's directly related.

Now we'll focus on my greatest story over the years, the Reclamation of Phycos. Note that when I say "greatest", I mean more as in I've put more work on this one than any other. Sporting a script several hundred pages long and countless drawings and even a dead rpgmaker project or two, this story has been my flagship story for years until recently when Skulhoarse, Hundred Suns, Immortal Avatar, and Convergence started to demand my attention instead. Since this story has gone through countless revisions and is currently in a period of stasis, I won't do a summary of it but will just talk about what it's been about over time.

Above: The "Reclamation Eight"

The Reclamation tells the story of the resistance movement in the wake of the Third Demon War. If you remember the map on the previous post, that's the setting that this story opens to. I mentioned in the previous post that the Third Demon War has been around forever in my Xhelia universe. The Reclamation has been around for just as long, and has always been about the aftermath of this war. The name refers to how the protagonists and their allies are trying to "reclaim" their lands from the demons who currently rule it. It was conceived as a sort of smaller scale adventure story in a post-apocalyptic setting at first, but over the years started to grow out of control.

The story is still the same to this day. The big difference, of course, is that the cruel rulers are now the Tyrant Legion, and the demons don't have as strong a presence in the story until later. This story is more or less a direct sequel to Serian's story, and includes some of the same characters. Currently my idea for Reclamation involves a fight against the wing lords of the Tyrant Legion and their armies, and attempting to break their stranglehold on the continent. This resistance movement consists of survivors of the Sirh Empire and Phycosian Confederation, and follows eight characters I refer to as the "Reclamation Eight" who take part in this fight. Having a Reclamation Eight has been a constant through the years, and I always thought it was pretty catchy. Here are the eight characters:



Khyranne Allenthis - Former elite "monarchite" of the Tyrant Legion, under the Hundred Suns wing. Khyr received advanced tutelage under one of the Demonarchy's prime demons, Arcan-traax, and fights using a combination of raw magic and conventional weapons enhanced by magic. The years have made her very experienced at combat, but she is still prone to letting her emotions take hold. Generally a reckless and hotblooded fighter, and has difficulty trusting people due to events in her past.

Czalyr Vintas - Former elite "monarchite" of the Tyrant Legion, under the Hundred Suns wing. Czalyr is Khyranne's long-time partner in crime, and like Khyr, he was trained by a prime demon, this time Asgare. He fights similar to Khyranne but with an emphasis on the use of energy that can be turned solid and used in various forms. Khyr and Czalyr share a relationship much deeper than friendship which was tempered by the countless life or death situations the two barely escaped during the great war. Contrasting Khyr's personality, Czalyr is more calm and methodical in his actions. Seemingly laid back and unassuming, few know that he can be frighteningly ruthless when he needs to be, a trait he acquired from trying to protect Khyr from the harshness of war.

Fladj Fritzendag - The feared head enforcer of the Sirh Empire, known as "Red Fritzendag" or "Bloody Fritzendag" for his ruthless purges of people seen as traitors or rebels. Fladj is like a machine and thinks in a very practical manner, and sees himself as an instrument of the Empress, exercising the greatest discipline and accomplishing his tasks at all costs. Raised from birth to be a killing machine, his attempts to change himself in recent years have met with little success, and his reputation does not help matters either. He wields a fragment of the lost Immortal Avatar, the Meridian Edge, which manifests as a sword he can use to cut through any conceivable material, and fights using shock and terror mixed with speed.


Salvon "Angler" Roffus - An older man who lost his memory at some point, he has been living the last couple years as a humble fisherman in a distant village, but the attacks of the rampaging wing lords brought him back into the war. His skill as a sniper seems to be impossibly good, allowing him to be frighteningly accurate with any weapon he decides to wield. He seems to be fleeing from his past, and avoids fighting if he can.

Lunalia Sensatis - The "legendary" Ivory Goddess of the Phycosian Confederation, Lunalia commanded a significant part of the Holy Army during the war. Despite her youthful appearance, she is actually an Aer who is at least 400 years old. In addition to her military skill, she is an accomplished engineer and scientist, and was responsible for several breakthroughs in weapon technology that gave the Holy Army much of its superiority in past wars. She is also said to be "the most beautiful woman in the Confederation". She seems to be perfect in every aspect except for one - she is well aware of her reputation and beauty, and has an ego the size of Xhelia to match.

Linar'iax - A young Faldax girl who claims to be the adopted daughter of the founder of the Confederation, the immortal prophet-king Clox. She is skilled but has no experience in battle, and is very hotheaded and aggressive, and embraces the reclamation with far too much zeal. Surrounded by great fighters or leaders, she constantly feels overshadowed by their accomplishments but strives even harder as a result.

Xundarch Maris - An airship captain and leader of the Eastern Thunder, a crew of mercenaries who fight Legion forces near Rilonia - or at least that is the guise. In reality, he is funded and supported by the wing lord Alte Vinran, who controls Rilonia. He and Alte seem to have a complex relationship - Xundarch is given care of Alte's adopted daughter, Marisa, who also refers to him as her father. Despite this unofficial parenthood, Xundarch and Alte are usually at odds with each other, and Xundarch's decision to fight the wing lords further complicated this issue. Xundarch seems to be an Aer who was caught by Demonarchy scientists at least 70 years past, subjected to heavy mutation and left as a mindless mutant until his will was restored by Dronos. He seems to look like an average, albeit well-built man, but can transform and mutate his body into various forms depending on the need. Despite this, he is a kind and well-respected leader who is benevolent anyone who he meets.

Dronos Lekron - The mastermind of the reclamation movement. Dronos is a strange lich that has lived for an unknown number of centuries and has a vast knowledge of the world's history. For most of Phycos's history, he watched from his tower, commanding the Black Guardians - a sect of warriors and undead dedicated to controlling the existence of the undead on the continent. However, he grew tired with simply watching and began the reclamation movement, gathering warriors and leaders under him in the months after the great war. He uses a combination of necromancy and lost technology in battle, causing much wonder as to just how old he really is. He is surprisingly very approachable and friendly, and often long-winded when talking about history, science, or anything at all related to Xhelia.


The Reclamation has always been divided into two halves, the first half dealing with reclaiming the continent itself, and the second dealing with fighting the Demonarchy responsible. In past incarnations, I went crazy and included some kind of crazy conflict between gods and immortals and etc, but I stopped that after a while because the story started to lose its original identity. There was a time when it even became divided into two separate stories - Khyranne's and Xundarch's, the former being the standard Reclamation, and the latter being a wholly separate story altogether. Recently, I brought them back together, because ever since I developed the Tyrant Legion to this extent, the story works a bit better now.



Although all that I have on this story are a few hundred pages of outdated script and an unfinished game, the Reclamation was very important over the years. Major developments in the Xheila universe occurred because I was trying to solve an issue or develop something in this story. For instance, the whole Sirh Empire idea was born from the Reclamation, and the the various Phycosian races were fleshed out for this person. The Third Demon War also went from a standard medieval story to a crazy modern meets sci-fi story setting as a result of this story. You can see on some of the older pictures the evidence of this (lol bucket helmet Xundarch). I even went as far as making changes in Xhelia because I couldn't manage something in RM95 or RM2k while I was trying to make it (for instance, the dragon/aer race having human forms).

Overall, it may have been just another Duke Nukem Forever, but it definitely resulted in countless developments for me. Here's some additional Reclamation junk for you!

Field charasets for my old Rm2k Reclamation game.

The previous incarnation of the wallpaper up at the top, made a few years before. Note that they're still fantasy/medieval on this one. The bandana guy and minotaur guy have since been replaced by Czalyr and Lunalia. The dragon is Fladj, and the armored bastard is Xundarch.

An even older wallpaper image, this one from back around 2002. Again, it was still fantasy/medieval, and showing the same characters as above. This also features the very old logos of the Empire, Demonarchy, and Confederation (then called Phycos Alliance) from left to right.

Ch-chibis... (also, random Skulhoarse)

Random Reclamation Eight shenanigans.

This illustrates how the Reclamation has been neglected by me as of late.