The Xhelia Archive

Holy Age Faction Spotlight: The Thousand Clans of Myr'ahn

2010-06-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

Today we talk about one of the most powerful nations during the Holy Age of Phycos: The Thousand Clans of Myr'ahn.

Territories of nations in Myr'ahn, circa 1300.

Dominating most of the known parts of the great southern sub-continent of Myr'ahn, the empire known as the "Thousand Clans" is exactly as its name indicates. This centuries-old confederation of Xurax (southern lizard) clans has remained strong despite the increasing number of invasions on their homeland. It is also the home of the last remaining Faldarin Tree in Phycos. These trees were once used to channel magic energy and spread it across a certain area, ensuring the bountiful growth of life and preservation of a temperate climate. When the lizard kingdoms dominated the continent, there were six, but the constant infighting between the kingdoms caused their destruction and the eventual downfall of those kingdoms. These kingdoms since broke into smaller clans no better than barbarian nations, and the lizards mutated into more savage forms now known as nurax (northern lizards). These nurax were subject to enslavement by the races that later colonized Phycos (humans, saal).

A Thousand Clans army.

The Faldax clans that would form the Thousand Clans, however, did not go down this path. Seeing in-fighting as the inevitable destruction of their way of life, five great clans banded together and started to unify the smaller clans around them in Myr'ahn and the surrounding islands, through force or diplomacy. In the end, each clan was given its place in a new empire, and prosperity returned to the southern nations. With its faldarin tree intact, the Xurax kept their forms and their society flourished.

Clox, the immortal prophet-king and original unifier of the Thousand Clans.

Outsider nations that later came to Myr'ahn were under the impression that the Xurax of the Thousand Clans were savage and uncontrolled like the nurax they had enslaved. These nations found themselves gravely mistaken, once they faced the powerful, unified, disciplined military of the Thousand Clans. Since then, the rich territory of the Thousand Clans have fallen under constant conflict, with nations from all around Phycos vying for control. Most of the greatest conflicts of the Holy Age usually involved some nation trying to take control of Myr'ahn, with the Thousand Clans at the defensive. Yet, despite these odds, the clans remain strong and continue to beat back invaders.

Various clan warriors and druids.

The population of the Thousand Clans consist almost entirely of Xurax, with humans being the most significant of the minorities due to the long-time presence of Tiergonian humans from the east. All races are welcomed in the clans, but few ever come willingly due to the overwhelming "evil" stigma that many outsider nations have associated with the clans. The conflicts of the Holy Age have served to make the people of the clans more xenophobic than ever, since it seems every outsider is trying to take something of theirs.

The daunting Gate of Saur, one of the first lines of defense into the heartland.

Other nations want to say that the Thousand Clans are a bunch of savages drawn together, when in fact the Clans have perhaps the most developed and advanced society in Phycos. The cities within the heartland of the Clans (the area surrounding the faldarin tree) are rich and beautiful, with great structures blending in naturally with nature, a testament to the Faldax's belief in their mother goddess. The Clans are ruled by a council of elected officials, with an immortal prophet-king serving as a figurehead and a source of guidance for the mortal leaders.

Their technology takes a more balanced approach, using a combination of magic and nature to create a material known as "traz", a plant like substance that grows into a solid form with the consistency of bone or wood. The density, form, and shape of traz is easily altered depending on how its grown, allowing it to serve as a building material from anything ranging from weapons, to buildings, to tools. In addition, it has the ability to grow back when in the presence of magic energy. Since magic energy flows thick in Myr'ahn, this means weapons or structures made of traz that are broken will seemingly regenerate back to their original forms. As a sister material to traz, there is also what is known as "uraz", a leafy cloth like material that is instead used for softer things like clothing. These two materials and their countless variations are the literal building blocks of Thousand Clans society. Coupled with the much-underestimated ingenuity of clan engineers and scholars, the Thousand Clans reach a level of technology not expected of a nation that follows the goddess of nature, and certainly not a nation of "savages".

Some of the fearsome cavalry of the Thousand Clans.

Of course, the "savage" appearance is probably helped significantly by the military of the clans. Aside from its formations of intimidating foot soldiers, archers, and fearless berserkers, the Clans' most notable aspect are their mounted forces. Riding atop carnivorous lizards or armored, horned lizards, Clan cavalry presents a daunting face to all its enemies. Combined with this are the fearsome Jel'arir - champions of the Clans who have undergone significant magic mutation/enhancement to become even greater warriors. Some of these warriors end up breathing fire, running with impossible speed, having indestructible rubber-like bodies, or even becoming giants. All these forces combined to make a powerful, unique force that most foreigners are not prepared to see.

Its great strengths, however, come at a cost. The Clans are only able to replenish their forces in their homelands, and their forces tend to be spread relatively thin. As such, they tend to have greater trouble holding territories they have taken from other nations. Most clan gains are lost soon after, keeping the territorial lines somewhat stagnant during wars. While strong at protecting their own lands, they are unable to do much more. More importantly, as more and more invading nations realize the true strength of the Clans, they to start to band together and form coalitions capable of meeting the armies of the Clans head on. In time, it's possible that the Clans will find themselves facing an alliance of nations even greater than their own.

In the end, however, the Thousand Clans remain strong, as they have for the millennium that their union has endured. With their sacred charge to guard the last faldarin tree and the desire to protect their homelands, it would be extremely difficult to remove the Thousand Clans from Myr'ahn. After all, their ancestors rebuilt Myr'ahn from the ashes of the Four Meteors, and they still feel a responsibility to protect the land, one that they will never abandon.

Some xurax weapons.

Races of Phycos Part 3

2010-03-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-17T21:10:00.001-07:00

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.

History Spotlight: The Third Demon War

2010-03-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Today we focus on possibly my most developed time period in Xhelian history, and one of the latest. This is none other than the Third Demon War, the last and bloodiest conflict during the Phycosian Age of Bloodshed. Often referred to as "The Great War" or "The Continent War", this is the largest and bloodiest conflict in the history of Phycos.

Above: The Battle of Sector 28, a sky fortress battle between the Sirh Empire and Tyrant Legion

This war actually began near the end of a war already in progress. Since the year SC 2525, the recent truce between the Sirh Empire of the west and the Phycosian Confederation of the east fell apart once again, and the seemingly unending conflict between the two, referred to as the "Black and White Conflict", returned with a fury. The Black and White Conflict has endured for almost two centuries, and entire generations came and went under either banner. It was only natural that, after so much conflict, the masses started to grow disillusioned with either faction.

Both factions gained a darker face by this time. The ancient Confederation continued its ruthless, intolerant rule, viewing itself as superior beings to all those who would not submit to its rule, with its own religion of absolute loyalty to its immortal king. The younger Empire, on the other hand, once opened its arms to all walks of life, even those persecuted by the Confederation. In time, however, it proved its own cruelty to its enemies and its own people, being extremely ruthless to any perceived as traitors, its leaders not above sacrificing the lives of its soldiers and people for small goals. With these two powers in control of most of the continent, it was inevitable that rebellions would begin throughout the land. This state of affairs had been present long before SC 2525, and both the Confederation and Empire had been fighting rebellion and civil unrest for decades.

Above: A sky fortress battle between the Sirh Empire and Phycosian Confederation

Seeing this, the alliance of far-western nations known as the Galevostus Demonarchy saw its chance to conquer its long-time enemy once and for all. Having lost the First and Second Demon Wars, the Demonarchy realized that a mass invasion was no longer viable. As such, the Demonarch pooled its resources into infiltrating Phycosian society in the decades leading up to the war, funding those who would fight either faction and causing unrest of their own, while concealing their identities and motives the whole time. If they could cause society to slowly tear itself apart, then it would make it that much easier to pave the way for the Demonarchy's true invasion.

Above: The ten "wings" of the Phycosian Legion

Thus, unrest grew and more and more started to separate from the Empire and Confederation. First groups of people, but soon, entire nations started to break away. In time, ten of these nations came together to secretly form the "Commonwealth of Ten". Unknowingly funded by the Demonarchy, they developed a plan to dethrone both the Confederation and Empire once and for all, and return the continent to the people. The Ten began constructing a continental military force intended to liberate the continent, which they came to call the Phycosian Legion. With their manpower resources low, the Ten recruited any they could find, including inexperienced idealists, deserters of either army, criminals, neutral soldiers, mercenaries, outcasts, and even the undead.

Above: Political map of Phycos at the start of the Third Demon War

On SC 2535, the Ten unleashed the Legion upon the continent, launching surprise attacks on imperial and confederate holdings across the land. Gaining the initiative, the Legion took back many provinces, and countless more surrendered or defected to them, seeing them as saviors. In no time, the Confederation and Empire found themselves severely weakened. The Third Demon War had begun in earnest.

As the decade dragged on with its bloody course, the Ten's decision to openly recruit anyone into their legion soon became their downfall. Most of the ten wings of the Phycosian Legion came into the power of ruthless and bloodthirsty "wing lords" who took rampaged across the continent sacking cities and brutalizing conquered nations. The Ten quickly lost control of the Legion, and in no time, the various leaders of the Ten were replaced by those loyal to the wing lords. The Commonwealth of Ten became nothing but a name, and only the Legion was left. The most notorious of the wings of the Legion, the Blood Tyrants, became so infamous and feared for its deeds that it soon came to represent the Legion itself. The people soon called the legion by a new name - the Tyrant Legion.

Above: An average-sized imperial sky fortress. All three factions used large numbers of fortresses like these throughout the war.

By the last half of the war, the Legion held most of Phycos. Seeing no other alternative, the Empire and Confederation put aside its centuries-old conflict and formed an alliance to stop the Legion once and for all. Joined by those who defected from the Legion, this new force started to take back territory in pieces and seemed to stop the relentless advance of the Legion. However, as the final years of the war came, it became apparent that the Legion's resources and power became too vast to contend with. Unleashing sky fortresses armed with mass-destruction weapons all over the continent, the Legion intended to put an end to all resistance. The Empire and Confederation made one last ditch attempt to defeat the Legion by assassinating its leader, a plan that succeeded and seemed to throw the Legion into disarray.

Above: A picture of the 10 wing lords of the Legion, and their conflicting egoes.

However, this proved to be the ultimate downfall of the continent. No longer restrained by a centralized power, the wing lords of the Tyrant Legion ran amok and tore the continent apart unchecked. The continent faced its end in those following months. The broken survivors of the Empire and Confederation went into hiding as the wing lords divided the continent among themselves. When all of their enemies fled or died, the massive egoes of the wing lords clashed, and they started to make war upon each other. So ended the Third Demon War, and so began the Third Phycosian Dark Age.

Above: Political map of Phycos during the Third Dark Age, now divided among the wing lords.

I like this time period so much because this war demonstrates the pinnacle of Phycosian technology and society. During this war, battles were fought EVERYWHERE. They were fought in the skies with fleets of sky fortresses, deep underwater with equally colossal fleets of submarines and sea fortresses, on ground with a vast array of land weapons and mechs, under the ground, and possibly even in space (...maybe). Two of my major storylines are based here - Serian's story, which happens during the war, and Reclamation of Phycos which happens in the dark age that follows. No matter how much Xhelia changed over the years, it seems this conflict was always present. Of course, I haven't drawn anything from it recently, but hopefully that will change.

Development Background: Skulhoarse

2010-02-26T17:17:00.000-08:00

So today I'm focusing my spotlight on the Xhelian character that people know the most about.

Yes, our favorite undead knight, Skulhoarse. If anything I'm just going to shed some light on his development history in very general terms, so that I don't have to keep trying to explain things.

This guy's name in general goes way back, back to the days when I just mashed words together to make names (well heck I still kinda do, but instead I do it with syllables now). He was some random skeleton general guy who was a bad guy but that's about it. That old story died, and so did he, but I resurrected his name and attached it to a familiar zweihander-wielding undead knight when I first made the Immortal Avatar about 3 years ago, making him one of its 10 protagonists. Here's what he looked like then:

He looked a bit more ragged but otherwise the same guy. I liked this look actually, but at some point I got fascinated with gothic armor (probably thanks to Medieval 2) and decided it would be cool if he was a fully armored guy, essentially making the armor his body. And plus I was getting tired of people saying he looked like Skeletor. I don't have any beef with Skeletor or anything but I usually prefer my characters to stand on their own. So yeah, I came up with his current appearance.

Some months after, I decided to create the Hundred Suns storyline and took most of the IA protagonists and stuck them in there, except for Skul and a couple others. Skul's story was still strong on its own so I decided to keep it that way. After the GW Tourney hype died down, and I started reading more graphic novels (specifically Conan ones), I got some serious influence and wanted to make a storyline series that follows one guy's adventures around the world, where I don't have to write huge long-winded stories every time and instead write smaller episodes. With that in mind, I started to go crazy creating possible Skulhoarse stories and it just took to the sky after that.

So we come to today, where he's pretty much the poster boy of Xhelia and his story is basically the flagship of it. Other than Skulhoarse's story, the Xhelia story I'm developing the most is Immortal Avatar, to which he is still a protagonist. So yeah, he's definitely the bigshot now. Not bad for a formerly invalidated character.

So why did I get so attached to him? Probably because he represents some of my desires and ideals in some cases. I'll admit that the concept of immortality and being able to travel the world without risk of harm and with all the time of the world is perhaps my biggest unattainable dream.

At the same time, I made sure that Skul was not like every other undead protagonist you see out there, who is usually some kind of antihero or is woefully powerless to their own dark side. Nope, Skul is a total saint and the personification of a "white knight", and the only thing dark or evil about him is the fact that he's undead. This goes as far as making him actually dislike the idea of vengeance even though he was brought back from the dead to bring about just that.

Does that make him a mary sue? Well from what I know, a mary sue is a character for whom all good things happen and always wins. In this aspect, he definitely isn't, because a lot of his stories revolve around his idealism making him gullible to manipulation and the fact that he seems powerless to save the people he cares about despite his best efforts. Dying wasnt enough for this guy; fate constantly throws him a crappy hand and he has no choice but to shoulder it.

But at the same time, he has a strong will as undying as his body and is determined to do what mortals or weaker beings are unable to do so they don't have to do it themselves. So no matter how much crap fate buries him in, he will constantly push on and continue to do good deeds. Besides, he's immortal and he's undead. What excuses does he have?

Current Timeline of Events

2010-02-25T13:38:00.001-08:00

Well here's a rough timeline of what I have so far. This should put this whole "10,000 year period" thing into better perspective. Note that most of this deals with Phycos because as I mentioned earlier, most of my major stories happen there.

Note that the SC years I indicated are rough approximations and not specific dates.

Some background on the entries there:

FOUR METEOR CALAMITY - A legendary war between the gods that ripped apart both the mortal and immortal planes. It was finally ended when the goddess Tyrnaxhel deprived the gods of most of their power by taking the Immortal Heart (source of the gods' powers) and shattering it into 4 large fragments, then sending these fragments into the mortal plane, out of their reach. However, these 4 fragments descended as meteors and caused serious damage to the continent, nearly eradicating all life. For the next few centuries, the remaining gods did what they could to repopulate and rebuild the continent. At the same time, these four meteors leaked out the same powers of the gods, filling the planet with it. This same energy, and the changes and powers it brings, would later be known as "magic".

During these early years, the Goddess of Nature, Krinafalda, created the lizard race using humans as a base, and called them the Faldax. She used the Faldax to rebuild the continents of Phycos and Krinakros, and as a result, the two continents grew lush and healthy, and great lizard kingdoms were established. When she left them to their own devices, however, they became mortal once more and were subjected to mortal whims and desires.

TIME PERIODS:

Old Krinakros Civilization - Refers to when the pure ones settled Krinakros and built their new civilization there until they were driven out by the demons.

1st (Phycosian) Dark Age - Refers to the time after the exodus from Krinakros, where the survivors of those civilizations were still weak and struggled to rebuild their old glory in the shadow of the lizard kingdoms.

Adurian Empire - The first great empire to unify most of Phycos, this empire was instrumental in standardizing language and sharing ideas across Phycosian cultures, laying the groundwork for many future nations.

2nd (Phycosian) Dark Age - Occurred after the Adurian Empire splintered into smaller nations. These nations resorted to infighting, and many of the achievements of the previous empire were overwritten by chaos.

The (Phycosian) Holy Age - Also referred to as the Phycosian Middle Ages, this was a time when great religions controlled the fates of nations, and when the 2nd dark age gave way to great advancements and developments in society and civilization overall.

The Zarkenic Empire - The second empire to unite Phycos, though its later years were plagued by corruption and its fall nearly threw the continent into another dark age.

The Phycosian Golden Age - When the last lizard kingdom, Myr'ahn, took up the banner and desire for unity of the fallen Zarkenic Empire and reconquered the continent, finally uniting all the nations of the continent for the first time in history. The Phycosian Confederation is born, and it ushered in a period of relative peace for centuries, though slowly succumbing to corruption over time.

(Phycosian) Age of Bloodshed - The decline of the Confederation and the damage done by the Second Demon War led to widespread unrest and the rise of many rebel nations, specifically the Sirh Empire which would become the Confederation's greatest enemy. This period is characterized by constant conflict.

3rd (Phycosian) Dark Age - Following the victory of the Tyrant Legion in the Third Demon War, the continent is split between the leaders of the legion, who rule with cruelty and do as they please, while making war with each other, effectively throwing civilization back more than 1000 years.

MAJOR CONTINENTAL BATTLES:

1. The Ancestor Wars - This was the first great war between the so-called "cursed ones" (later to be known as demons) and the "pure ones" (ancestors of the non-demon races). "Demon" at this point referred to anyone who was not mutated by the energies of the meteors. This resulted in the pure ones being defeated and driven to the continent of Krinakros where they built their civilization. The great Demonarchies (demon nations) developed a grudge against them that they would hold for millennia.

2. War of Krinakros - The Demonarchies attempted to do something about their grudge, and waged war on the descendants of the pure ones and their great civilizations in Krinakros. Once again, the pure ones were defeated, and the demons placed a sort of energy all over the continent that did ill to all pure ones within. Eventually, the pure ones once again had to flee, this time north into Phycos, in what came to be called the "Exodus from Krinakros".

Some centuries before this, a great war erupted in Phycos between the lizard kingdoms and the age became known as the "Age of Blood and Cold". This conflict serverely weakened the lizard kingdoms to the point that the fleeing survivors of Krinakros were able to establish a foothold in the continent with ease.

3. First Demon War - Occurring during the Holy Age, or the Phycosian Middle Ages, the dragon demonarchies of Forneos banded together and launched a massive invasion of Phycos across the oceans. However, Phycosian civilization grew powerful, and this time the Demonarchies suffered a crippling defeat.

4. Second Demon War - The Demonarchy returned once again, this time using subtler means to wage war. They took advantage of the Confederation's weakening state and caused unrest, finally culminating in a demon invasion. The invasion was stopped, but not without causing serious damage to the nations under the Confederation.

5. Third Demon War - The greatest and bloodiest of the Phycosian demon wars. Taking advantage of the constant conflict between the Confederation and the Sirh Empire, the Demonarchies rallied those disillusioned with both into one powerful military force known as the Phycosian Legion. With the demons supporting the Legion, it became a faction so powerful that the demons hardly had to involve themselves in the war. Due to its ferocious speed of conquest and brutality, the legion would later be known as the "Tyrant Legion" by its enemies, a name that it later took for itself. This resulted in a crushing defeat for both the Empire and Confederation, and the Legion conquering all of Phycos.

MAJOR PHYCOSIAN WARS
(Note: most of these have already been described above. I'll talk about the ones that weren't)

2. War of Myr'ahn - The greatest war of the Holy Age, it was a war fought over the resource-rich lands of Myr'ahn. Countless nations from around the continent banded together and joined one side or the other. Ultimately, very little was achieved, but this weakened many nations to the point that the Zarkenic Empire saw its opening and began its conquest shortly after.

5. Black and White Conflict - Refers to the period of about 2 centuries where the Confederation and Sirh Empire fought wars on and off. It's called this both because of the national colors used by these two nations, as well as the kind of technology they used.

MAJOR STORIES

1. The Lost Age - Refers to a flashback or a telling of life as it was in the highly advanced Lost Civilization, shortly before it was ripped apart by the Four Meteor Calamity.

2. The Ancestor Wars (see above)

3. Old Krinakros - A story detailing the conflicts between nations of Old Krinakros, which was ended abruptly by the invasion of the Demonarchies.

4. Skulhoarse - Refers more to when Skulhoarse rose from the dead, some time in the Holy Age. Skulhoarse is a wandering undead knight who strives to do god's work while claiming vengeance for lost souls, which runs contrary to his beliefs. His story extends all the way to the end of the timeline, but this is where it begins.

5. The Hundred Suns - A story of a medieval mercenary group that strives to be more, trying to become a more honorable and dependable group that protects the weak and innocent. The Hundred Suns endure up to the end of the timeline, but this is where their major story is.

6. The Immortal Avatar - A story set in the aftermath of the War of Myr'ahn, where the news of powerful artifacts sent down by the gods sends people and nations alike into a crazed search for this power. This story follows 10 characters from different walks of life and their attempts to gain the fragments fo the avatar for various reasons.

6a.. Eighteen Heroes - Did not list this on there because this is more of a Skulhoarse story, but this happens immediately after the Immortal Avatar story. Skulhoarse goes back to his home land to remove the 18 corrupt "heroes" who control society.

7. Rise and Fall of the Zarkenic Empire - A story that follows Milius Zarkenda, emperor of the Zarkenic Empire, and how he goes from a great visionary conqueror and unifier to a corrupt and twisted tyrant.

8. The Tyrant Slayer - A story about a rebel who rose up against the declined Confederation, gathering followers and ultimately laying the groundwork for the future Sirh Empire.

9. The Third Demon War (Serian's story) - This story is about a common man named Serian who joins the Holy Army (Confederation Army) in search of a lost love, and takes him through a series of events during the Third Demon War that would change him and the people he knows forever.

10. The Reclamation of Phycos - The latest story in the timeline, but also one of my oldest stories. This story follows the people of Phycos who band together to form a fighting force bent on removing the Tyrant Legion's various cruel rulers from rule and "reclaiming" the continent to rebuild civilization back to what it used to be.

The World Itself

2010-02-25T11:47:00.001-08:00

Of course it'd be best to start the blog off by giving a description of what Xhelia looks like. But let's start it off with an amusing picture so you can get a rough overview.

As the immortal historian, Dronos, says in this picture, Xhelia is a large planet with 4 moons and some weird things going on. Specifically we have the "Wall of Light" which divides the planet into east and west hemispheres. This ring is some kind of discharge of energy from deep in the planet that seems to go on constantly, and is so strong that the energy is literally shot into space and accumulates there, seen as a sort of ring for the planet. It also serves to keep the oceans in the area turbulent and has served as a sort of natural barrier between east and west.

The four moons are equally as strange, being that they seem to be very different from each other. The white moon, Lasta, is the most "normal" one, being the standard white moon we're familiar with. Paghdal, on the other hand, looks more like a secondary planet complete with its own atmosphere and water and all that fun stuff. Vulkas is a constantly-burning magma moon, and Sirh is a moon that is pitch black. All these strange quirks of the planet came into being thanks to the Four Meteor Calamity which I will touch on later.

The four or possibly five continents are more straightforward.

Phycos - The continent in which most of my stories take place, and also the smallest. Phycos consists of several landmasses around a central "Dark Sea", which is where one of the four meteors of legend smashed into the continent and split it into its current form. The meteor constantly radiates magic energy which has served to make this continent extremely abundant with magic. It is home to many species of intelligent life and a vast range of cultures.

Krinakros - A massive and largely unexplored continent that connects directly to the south of Phycos, across a great desert. Krinakros is said to be the cradle of civilization, where the races that now occupy Phycos once dwelled before a great evil drove them north to find a new home. Krinakros is a colossal and untamed landmass of undiscovered riches, but due to the above legend, it was largely ignored by Phycosians for centuries.

Forneos - Known as the demon continent, Forneos has been in a state of chaos for millennia ever since the Four Meteor Calamity. It was once the greatest continent of the lost civilization, and it was said that the entire continent was covered by one massive, continuous network of advanced cities. The calamity caused magic and otherworldy energies to rip through the continent, forever mutating its landscape into strange and sometimes surreal forms. Standard laws of climate and meteorology do not apply for Forneos, which seems to have its own set of natural laws. The continent is inhabited almost entirely by demon races, often at war with each other.

Ghallios - Largely unknown land, and perhaps the largest continent. It is unknown what kind of beings live there at this time, but it's said that an advanced race may dwell there.

Southern Continent - It is unknown if this place even exists, as nobody has ever been there, or at least nobody has ever brought back anything tangible. Only legends and rumors ever come from this place. So where exactly do these legends come from? Who knows...

Ielaxus - Not a continent per se, but a massive icecap that essentially connects the continents of Phycos and Forneos on the north pole. It is said to be a safer route to Forneos as opposed to sailing across the Wall of Light, but instead of turbulent seas you get the most unforgiving cold climate in the planet. Not exactly the best trade-off. Some creatures actually live on this land, though they tend to keep to themselves.

Blog Get!

2010-02-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

So I finally decided to create this blog. This blog will contain mostly storyline and setting information about my main universe where most of my stories take place, Xhelia. I don't have any game projects attached to this game yet, but I've been drawing and writing from this universe for more than a decade. I'll be posting anything ranging from updates to information about the universe or characters on here, as well as any Xhelia-related drawing. At least I have a better place to post my junk in case anyone may want to see it. Heh.

Note that there is about a 10,000 year time frame where most of my Xhelia stories take place, and I'll make sure to indicate the time period when I make a post. But since I'm pretty good at explaining these things anyway (or long-winded), it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I'll probably start with extremely general posts first to get a better picture of the setting.

Hope you enjoy it!