The Cultures and History of Places in Lore: Reboot

There was really no other forum I could put this in, so this will have to do.

Understand that this will be, for the most part, a discussion thread, since I'm sure people are interesting in hearing what people think of their ideas. The main attraction of the thread will indeed be information on the people and places of Lore: Reboot.

Also, limit your Cultural/Racial information to one post only. Which means, edit the post. Before any comments can be made in this thread, all active story members of Lore: Reboot should make a post that simply states, "Reserved" until they can fill it in with Culture and History.
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The Lazuli (all areas will be expanded as I get new ideas)
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The race got its name from the beautiful mineral known as "Lapis Lazuli", which was found in great amounts in their mines (along with sapphire) and was their prime commodity for a long time, funding their great interest in the arcane arts. At first, the race was uptight, and conceited and sought to be as dignified as they could be though this and their strict clothing code would grow to be pretty lax as time passed. Clothes(which were typically shades of blue due to their obsession with the beautiful colored stones their mines housed) revealed as little as possible, even the swim wear they used revealed very little. This along with the soon-to-be-mentioned climate resulted in the race developing with pale skin. The country is far to the northeast of Elro, and it is pretty cold up there, with snow being frequent and with the snow, hot springs being a very popular escape from the harsh weather.

Strangely, the regions composing the nation only exist because they serve a specific purpose, unlike other existing countries which are comprised of many smaller states for political reasons. The Lazuli are very much a war-focused people, though for unknown reasons. They have had no significant past conflicts, those that had the potential to be significant were tactfully settled with diplomacy, their primary course of action when faced with conflict.

Obviously having everything blue was too dull, even for the Lazuli, so they mixed things up a little. In leadership positions and in the cases of awarding high honors to individuals, their clothing restrictions would be expanded to another color that signified an honor or a rank. In the case of the ranking system, you could also wear any color that was set to be below your rank, but to avoid confusion, the esteemed individual would have to wear some accessory or clothing that was clearly visible and denoted the wearer's true rank.

-Rankings- (In order of importance. Sapphires are applied to essential personnel)

Grand Magus - White, with Sapphire shards, has absolute power over the whole Empire
Magus - Yellow, serve as those who inform soldiers and citizens of the Grand Magus' will. They rule over towns and stuff, but must adhere to the Grand Magus' doctrine.
Council member/Political leader/Nobleman - Violet (usually wear a blue overcoat like Zera does), Suggests laws to pass, Discusses current issues
Hero/Honored - Gray
Sapphiric Guard - Sapphire (they would wear literal crystals on their clothing and gear)
Phase Assassin - Black
Esteemed Arcane Researcher - Pink
Warrior Caste - Red (only applies to commoner clothing, their war gear is a Sapphiric blue to ensure they are identified with their Lazuli allegiance)
Commoner/Worker - Blue (Raiya prefers this as she likes keeping a modest profile, regardless of the laws. Later she will be duty-bound to wear the Grand Magus coloration and clothing, to her disdain.)


- States and Such -

Capital - Zexulkarus, the most North you can be in Lazuli territory before you enter the Northrend. Relations with Northerners, unlike other parts of the Lazuli territories, are very good in the capital. This is also where most of the Warrior Caste reside as well as their armories. Zera and Raiya come from here, though they were sheltered by their parents(who are big players in the world of politics) before Zera's crime, so the twins know much less about Northrend than they would otherwise.

Deroi - The economic centre, it has a thick mana barrier that is impenetrable by conventional means. Although any human-sized entity can pass through the barrier unharmed, making infiltration its prime weakness.

Axis - Magic is the focus here, and the most prestigious arcane college in the world rests here. This state is the least accessible, as most of it is located deep below sea level in a large canyon. It is the least-populated state and has ridiculous taxes and prices on goods, as all goods have to be imported. Yes, the college happens to be impossibly expensive.

The Grand Transit - An underground cave system that connects all three cities. There's no apparent purpose to the confusing tunnel system, but there are as you would guess, many rumors and theories. In actuality, it links all of the continents together, with the tunnels ending when they breach into another region/country's tunnel system.

Yep, three gigantic territories containing many, many cities.

- Army -

The Sapphiric Guard are the equivalent of Knights or Samurai, though like all parts of the Lazuli military, they are present in only a fraction of the quantity of their counterparts in other nations. As all soldiers are capable of, they can perform phase acrobatics(allows them to dodge magic damage completely, though it can only be used in mid-air as they will no longer be solid and the effect is very brief) due to the light weight of their armor, and take reduced damage from spells. Their greatest weakness is melee warriors.

The Warrior Cast is the bulk of the army and can be easily generalized. They number about two-thousand strong, and have an extremely rigorous training regimen. All of them use large shields other than Assassins and Archers. They are all extremely talented and due to their small numbers can be outfitted with the highest quality gear available.

All soldiers are commanded by their higher ups and such, who carry orders down from the most powerful mage in the Lazuli's society, who bears the title of Grand Magus.

- Natural Phenomena -

Whirling Tundra - A "deadzone" between Lazuli territory and other countries that is a barren tundra. It makes the Lazuli very isolated from all societies except for their Northern trade partners. The winds can prove to be fatal, as they stir up all manner of ice at such a speed that given time, if a traveler has not frozen to death, they will eventually be ripped apart by the lashing gusts. The only beings known to travel this area are undead, Necromancers, and extremely talented Magi who want to test their powers against the former. Being able to traverse the area and engage its dangers is a requirement when applying for high-level ranks in the military.

- Fun Facts -

----Women are rather underestimated in the territories, but at first glance, there is no obvious gap in rights. Everyone dresses similarly, women even work alongside men in most fields, but women have never been in a position of true, authoritative power(which are Magus/Grand Magus, for the record). Not because they are not allowed, but they have all grown up believing that they are either unfit for ruling or believe it is a role men should exclusively have. For the most part, they are discouraged from trying to ascend in power. Some certainly have tried to acquire the status of Magus and above, which are the commanders of the armies and such, but they have been unable to compete with the power of males in the combat that is required to be undertaken in order to progress into places of power.

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Northrend.
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capital city: Halfbark. Built around a large, dead tree, with bark covering only one side of it.

pantheon:

Udwark: father of all gods, prayed to for protection in all aspects of life. Usually depicted as an old man, with an endless white beard, and a crown made from tree branches upon his brow.

Vedynne: mother of all gods, prayed to for compassion and love. Usually depicted as a pregnant woman, with long, endless, flowing blonde hair, and a wreathe of thistle upon her brow.

Vonnyr: son of Udwark, undefeated in battle, prayed to for protection and strength of steel in battle. Usually depicted as a great, armored bear, and other times as a large, muscular man in hides.

Setrn: god of the night sky, prayed to for wisdom and direction. Usually depicted as a man with a formless head, as his head melts into the night sky.

Gertys: goddess of the winds and sky, prayed to for direction, speed, and swiftness. Usually depicted as a humanoid eagle.

Etron: god of death. Rarely prayed to, not even for the death of an enemy. Usually depicted as a cloaked, thin, pale man on a thin, white horse.

the belief is that the soul of any valiant fighter who dies in battle will be ushered into the cosmic domain of the gods, Alamarch. And they will feast for all time in the greathall Ulvenarch.

Ruling:
how Northend was established: It was once home to a humble, nomadic tribespeople, but advancement from the nearby Lazuli region forced the nomads to scatter, the people dispersing into Elro, or Virenni. A hundred years later, Odron the Mighty(who was rumored to have descended from Frost Bears), he rode into the new Lazuli city, cut a path of death through the city with his claymore, "Azurbane". He stormed the keep, killed the guards, and slew the Lazuli war leader in one night. After that, his party fell in and drove the Lazuli back out of their lands. He proclaimed the lands free from encroachment from Lazuli and the taxes of Elro, and declared it "Northend", and himself High King of the region. He set an everlasting precedent of the brutality and "cold justice" of the north. There has ever been a High King with the blood of Odron the Mighty, but recently the throne was usurped, secretly, by Beronnivar, a powerful warlock who took control of the High King's mind from his cave in the mountains. From there he slowly drove Northend into ruin.

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Dal'Virenni
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the race:
the Dal'Virenni are a race of desert-dwellers, who live in the central and western parts of the great Virenni Desert. They are identified by dark grey hair, sandy-yellow skin, and red irises. They thrive in dry, arid climates and can last for days without water, like camels.

the nation: Virenni is the leading export in silk, spices, myrrh, copper and tin. They live in large, walled cities with great sandstone pyramids, while they're famous magical institutes, Alumcuries, are great, obelisk-like structures made with basalt.

Alumcuries: An Alumcury is a Virenni institution devoted to expanding mortal grasp on magic. The largest is located in the capital city of Virenni'tos, and features many libraries, with many extensive histories and accounts, and shelves upon shelves of magical and mythical scrolls and tomes. Alumcuries are oversaw by magisters, who all serve the Tols Magister, the Virenni master of magic. The Tols Magister, and the king, both rule the city in tandem, the Magister handling magical and mythical affairs, while the king handles the politics and economics. These institutes are very secretive, and only admit mages who are devoted to the Alumcury. To be admitted, you must, as a child, be given to the magisters by your parents, to be raised in the Alumcury and taught in the ways of magic.

The capital city is Virenni'tos, located in the center of the desert.

pantheon:

Amarat: The god of light, growth, and time. It is believed that the sun is his third eye, which he uses to fly across the sky, inspecting all that he can see.

Neurum(Nay-oo-rum): The goddess of the dark, the stars, and wisdom, and death. The moon is her third eye, which she uses to give sleep and dreams to people. But as her moods change, so does her eye. When she is happy, it is full, when she is sad, it is dark. It is also her task to usher forth the souls of the dead into the eternal desert, where live forever as stars in the night sky.

Elro
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Elro is the second largest continent just behind the continent of Notherend, home to the country of Northend and the Lazuli territory. Elro is also the name of the country that takes up most of the continent by its name. Elro is rich in political history and sort of represent medieval England in the sense that it is mostly run under a monarchy, but only most of the Elroan cities and towns are ruled by the king's lords. Elrun and Elridge are free from a lord's rule, but in exchange, its citizens directly obey the king. Elora, the largest city and the capital of Elro, ironically, does not house the royal family. Instead, the royal family operates in the port town of Elrun, which explains why Elridge and Elrun are both cities run specifically by the king, since they're in close proximity of each other.

Elro does have its share of magical institutions. This is called the Grand Hall of the Magi. It is basically a giant university where magical students from all over Elro go to devote their lives to the study of magics and also of alchemy.

Elro's main exports are beef, most vegetables, silver, gold, steel, and cotton.

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The Arkalite Range and its Inhabitants
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Yet another offshoot of the human race, they consider themselves the "best" human-based race. They revel in war and conflict, though their (typically) slender forms do not reflect this. Until recently no Arkalites have been known to leave their region, satisfied with the challenge their fellows present. Nowadays, they do indeed leave in search of more powerful, foreign foes.

They can absorb the souls and some of the power of their slain opponents provided they are of Arkalite descent. Those who know this are perplexed as to why they would leave their own territory, the explanation being those that leave care more for the fight itself rather than growing in power. These few, hyper-powerful folk are naturally hunted by their weaker peers who wish to become stronger by slaying them.

The ranking of a warrior is determined by one thing: how high along the mountains they live. You are only considered higher rank if you live on the summits of the mountains, though. It is said that is where the dead go to rest and where warriors of god-like power reside and meditate to grow their power further. It is said to be a very peaceful place, very disconnected from the troubles of the world. These warriors either employ someone to guard the entrance to their domain, typically a non-Arkalite of immense power(so they are not affected by Black Pyromancy, whose mechanics I will delve into soon), or they generate a magical field to negate entry by those who are not remotely as strong as they are, the latter being the most common.

They are two classes of people in the Arkalite culture. There are the Mages and Warriors. Mages work differently than the typical mage. They do not use Mana, but Blood Magic. They spend countless hours a day meditating, normally only coming from their dormancy when in need of food, drink, or battle. Warriors operate as warriors do anywhere else, and are the most common route combatants take on to express their fighting styles.

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Honor System and Beliefs
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The slain are to be given a proper burial at the base of a mountain in the belief their now powerless souls will ascend to the Summits, where they will rest in eternal peace, away from the conflict they were born into.

Black Pyromancy is strictly illegal, more so here than the rest of the world(though still illegal elsewhere), as it is said to completely erase the victim's soul from existence, leaving only an empty husk behind. It is known to be great for Necromancers, as it allows them to control the soul-burnt dead without cost to their mana, and the Soul Burnt will have identical capabilities and durability that its living counter part had.

This kind of Pyromancy also makes any battle uninteresting, as the one using the Pyromancy usually wins instantly, unless his target has no soul, or the target is stronger than they are. It normally is used by Arkalites against another when the target Arkalite is so much weaker than they are, that a fight would be a waste of time and enegry. You could say it's so insulting that it is illegal for you to use it on an opponent so much weaker than you.

Fire magic cast by Black Pyromancers is obviously black, and it has a white outline and core.

[Will Add More Later]