Application:: singularityrpg Zhaneel // Heralds of Valdemar

[bondedgryphon]

Player Information
Your Nickname: Alma
OOC Journal: almalthia
Under 18? Nope
Email/IM: almalthia80 @ AIM
Characters Played at Singularity: Harley Quinn

Character Information
Name: Zhaneel
Name of Canon: Heralds of Valdemar
Canon/AU/Other Game CR: N/A
Reference: Wiki
Canon Point: Book One; before she meets Amberdrake and after she meets Skandranon

Setting:
::The Mage Wars::
The war between Great Mages Urtho and Ma'ar resulted in the Cataclysm and its aftermath, and the exile of the Kaled'a'in (some of whose clans supported Ma'ar during the Wars). The Cataclysm followed the destruction of the two powerful mages, Urtho and Ma'ar, and the magic that was sent loose upon their deaths. The Cataclysm will lead to mage storms that cause magic to be unstable, meaning that many that have the mage ability will lose their powers, or will be seriously weakened.

~A History~

Before Foundation (B.F.) there was a time that magic was not nearly so controlled by the land of Valdemar, nor its denizens within. A year tentatively marked as 1000 B.F. brings the start of the history that includes within it a gryphon by the name of Zhaneel; although her part in the tale is less marked than that of her future mate, Skandranon Rashkae.

Even in the prehistory of Valdemar there was magic. The land was made of it, its creatures born and formed from it, its people becoming masters of it. Nearly 1800 years before Herald Mage Vanyel made his mark and 2300 years before Tarma and the Mage Storms that would follow nearly 100 further years later is the time of gryphons.

****

Since the gathering of Ma'ar's evil forces drove away High King Leodhan, Urtho, the Mage of Silence, has been forced into becoming the leader of those opposed to Ma'ar. Among Urtho's subjects are the Kaled'a'in, including the kestra'chern Amberdrake, the magnificent gryphons and other non-human races.

As Ma'ar's power continues to grow, Urtho and his forces struggle to keep him from destroying all that is good in the world. Should Ma'ar succeed in overthrowing Urtho and his people, he will begin to bend magic further than he has yet and it will lead to an unknown, yet terrifying future for those under his rule.

Urtho, Mage of Silence, known by that name for his ability to create enchantments undetectable by other mages, is probably the best there ever was; he was at least the best of his time. And, while he was the creator of many other magical creatures, the Gryphons were his masterpiece, and the key to the war against Ma'ar. However, the war is not going well for Urtho and his people, and everyone, from the soldiers and generals to those who heal mind, body, or heart, is working themselves to exhaustion.

The gryphons are magically constructed beings, created by Urtho during the Mage Wars, with the hope of being his great chess piece. Intelligent, fierce, magical and loyal to a fault, there could be no better a soldier than the creatures that called him 'Father'.

Non-humans (including not just the gryphons, but the hertasi, tervardi and many others) were respected by Urtho and many amongst his armies, but not by all. By a good number they were considered simply cannon fodder and treated as such; never mind that they were not simply sentient, but intelligent creatures, capable of far more than they were given credit. And although respected by their Father, they were also held in his service is a most unkind manner; their ability to pro-create was unknown to them and controlled by Urtho. The Mages' fear was that if the gryphons, his most loved children, knew the secret to pro-creating, that they would not feel the desire to remain with Urtho and fight for him. He also did not want them bringing young into the world, so rife with magic and warfare, unless they were prepared for it (although this is not learned until after his death).

Already understandably upset at being treated like second rate chattel, this with-holding of information causes great strife amongst the gryphons and they stage a coup, sending Skandranon (Urtho's favorite amongst the gryphons) into Urtho's tower to find answers for them all. After finding out the secret to free-breeding, instead of fleeing as Urtho feared, the gryphons remain with their Father to defend and fight for their army. They prove not only to their Father that they are so much more than he thought, but also those humans that thought them no more than breathing cannon fodder. They are viewed with a new level of respect and treated with better dignity than they have been since their creation. During the final battle, those that cannot fight help evacuate the encampments and the flee to safer grounds by way of Gates, taking with them books and information of import that will prove vital to starting a new colony. It is not until after the simultaneous deaths of Urtho and Ma'ar that any of the gryphons begin striking out on their own, though most remain to help start the city of White Gryphon.

Zhaneel was born to an average gryphon pair that were in service to the Wing and Urtho's forces. While they were both broadwings (hawk or eagle based in shape), Zhaneel herself was born a gyrfalcon (falcon based and slimmer in shape and wing form). Shortly after her birth both of her parents died while on a scouting mission for the Wing and Zhaneel was left in the care of her Wing and the Wings' Trondi'irn, Winterheart. It was from this point that the little gryphlet's life went to hell.

Though loved by her parents, she was treated completely in the opposite by her fellow Wing mates and the humans in charge of her Wing. Taunted with jibes of being misborn and useless, Zhaneel grew to believe this of herself and took advantage of any patrol that would keep her away; even if the patrols were the most demeaning possible. She didn't care that they were patrols made for fledglings to teach them the lay of the land, preferring to take them as her own and enjoy the solitude of a long patrol circuit. At no point did those responsible for her ever make her feel like she was more than a stupid beast meant to serve at the commanders' will.

All the while, she was treated as a cull and mis-shaped gryphon by those around her. She grew to believe this of herself, not seeing that the differences between she and her fellow gryphons was not a fault, but the next step in gryphon evolution.

It was not until she made a chance encounter with three makaar (warped and evil gryphons) that her life began to make a change in the positive. In defeating the makaar, Zhaneel earned herself a special token that she is told she may use with the kestra'chern for special treatments and pampering. It was through his (Amberdrake's) gentle guidance and consolation that Zhaneel began to find faith in herself once again, not misborn, but instead .. something new. Urtho would not have made it possible for his prize creation to be anything less than perfect, so why would she consider herself such? He helps her see her differences as positive, rather than negative. Her forefeet were more human than her Wing mates, which would allow her a dexterity that they did not have, and the usage of tools that they could not manage.

It's with Amberdrake's assistance (and that of Skandranon and Tamsin) that Zhaneel designs and creates an obstacle course. She proves, through the use of the course, that she is a valuable asset to the Wing, and so begins to prove it to herself. Not many are able to manage the course on first go, but Zhaneel has various traps and triggers placed that she does not know about, and manages to escape unscathed and victorious. She also manages to catch the eye and attention of a certain gryphon she fancies.

Personality:
Years of emotional abuse has taken it's toll on the young gryphon, Zhaneel. Losing both parents at a very young age, her care was entrusted to the Trondi-irn (non-human healer) of the Sixth Wing. Most unfortunately for the gryphlet, Winterheart (said Trondi'irn), was amongst many that believed gryphons to be no more than unintelligent beasts not worth her time and certainly worth no more concern than she would show an injured war-horse. Had some care been shown, it is likely Zhaneel would not be half the emotional wreck that she is.

Zhaneel believes herself misborn and an improper gryphon, this due to constantly hearing such throughout her fledgling stage. She is shaped differently from her Wing mates, and unfortunately different means bad. She is taunted and teased so much and made to think so lowly of herself during these first few years, that she believes her parents deliberately flew themselves into the path of death to escape their embarrassment and humiliation over having given birth to a cull. These taunts and vicious words become reality to Zhaneel until she herself believes that she is clearly misborn because she does not look they way they believe she should.

A head too big and wings too long and thin, ear tufts that are barely visible even when at their most erect. Who could love such an ugly, misborn creature?

So becomes her mantra, pushing her to the point of suicide right under the nose of those that should be most attentive to her well-being and self-esteem.

She takes patrols that are meant to teach fledglings basic flight and procedure; a demoralizing and demeaning set of patrols that would only be assigned to a gryphon her age if they were being punished. Still, she believes herself worth no better a patrol Circuit and takes advantage of the several hour long flights to allow even a brief respite from the taunts that always greet her upon her return.

She believes, literally, after having been so abysmally brow-beaten, that the army would be better off without her and wishes desperately to be worth something. When she attacks the makaar, she goes in with the hope that she will die and in that death, finally mean something; finally prove herself worthwhile in some aspect to those that have never seen worth in her.

It's amazing to her, then, that she succeeds in taking out not one of the misshapen gryphons, but all three that she moved in against. She had expected the move to lead to her death, but instead she survives and finds herself receiving praise and a prize token from Urtho himself. She is flabbergasted, not knowing what to make heads or tails of, finally going because she is told that the kestra'chern can bring her pleasure and make her feel well.

She wants nothing more than to feel acceptance and love, so the notion that she can receive this from someone, even if paying with her prize token, is acceptable to her. Amberdrake's refusal of her confused advance leads her back into a loop of self-loathing and self-deprecation. Not even he, someone that lives to heal and make gryphons lovely, sees her as anything more than ugly and misshapen. When 'Drake begins to show her that her differences are an advancement and not a hindrance, she does not believe him at first.

However, when asked if Urtho would deliberately make her anything less than perfect, her denial is absolute and instantaneous. Their Father would never create something less than perfect in his eyes, something that his children believe to the very core of their being. This point, though, had never been brought up to the heart-sick gyrfalcon before. She begins to look at her differences in a whole new way, taking a certain degree of pride in that she can fly Circuits faster and higher than any others in the Wing; even if those Circuits are just for fledglings.

Zhaneel begins to think, to hope, that there is a very deliberate reason that she looks the way she looks.

What is Zhaneel?: A desire to not only survive, but to excel. When Amberdrake reads Zhaneels emotions and finds her suicidal, he also notes in her a desire to be recognized and to make her death count for something. It's not that she wants to make an impression on those around her (though she does seek to impress the attractive Skan), but that she wishes to prove she's better than she is thought of.

No matter that she's been beaten down emotional for years, Zhaneel still has an inner fire burning within her; a will to not simply live, but to thrive. She wants to do well and prove that she can do anything and everything thrown at her. And though she does not believe herself worthy of praise when completing a task, it's her own personal victory that she did succeed. She wants to see gryphons given the respect they are do and to see them treated as the sentient and brave creatures that they are.

She sets out to make her obstacle course to prove her worth to others (and herself), that she was made different because she is special, not because she was a mistake or a cull. Though it was Amberdrake that instilled these thoughts in her originally, it is she that is ingenious enough to design the course; a course that only she is able to maneuver without injuring herself. Her self-worth begins to improve drastically, though she finds praise difficult and embarrassing to take. She is not accustomed to being recognized in any fashion, let alone by those of rank.

Zhaneel believes that the gryphons should be treated as any other participant in Urtho's forces and, as she gains her courage, takes it upon herself to voice these opinion when confronted. The lioness part of Zhaneel is made apparent and she fights for her beliefs, showing a backbone that none had believed her capable of.

Though wary of meeting new people, when she befriends you there could be no less loyal a companion or friend. She is a fiercesome creature, willing to fight to the death in defense of hearth, home, and those she loves or calls friend. If she sets herself on a mission or cause, she will see it done; one way or another. She will never stand by and watch a bully in action, having had to take this for years herself. She will step in to the defense of the underdog and take them (possibly literally) under her wing. She cannot stomach senseless violence, or people that cannot see worth in things around them (be those things people, creatures, plants, etc).

She is not one to carry a grudge against someone that has admitted their fault in something, but she damn well will remember it. Let it happen again and consequences might prove a little heavier than you anticipated.

Every day is a new day of emotional growth for the gryphoness, though some days are harder than others. She pushes with the notion that she was made the way she is because she is special and so much more is expected of her. She lives each day to prove this to herself and those that helped get her to this point in her life. She is grateful to those that have helped her see herself as beautiful and the thought of letting them down is unacceptable to her. She can only hope to repay them for all that they have done for her, even if most of the work has been her own.

Flaws/Fears/Insecurities: Though she is beginning to find a place for herself and come into her own, Zhaneel is still very prone to bouts of self-doubt and self-deprecation. The opinion of others has been hammered into her since her birth, and so she sought it for many, many years. It's a habit hard lost and she still finds herself caring about the opinion of others far more than she should; she worries about such too much, in truth, but can't help herself.

She was bullied physically and emotionally for years, so she also has a tendency to shrink back from altercations, though this was beginning to improve after her public dressing down of Winterheart.

She fears failing, and will run herself to the ground to see a task done and done as well as she believes it should be. A failure will result in her withdrawing and closing off to those around her.

Abilities, Weaknesses, and Power Limitation Suggestions:
Human-like forefeet - She can do pretty much anything a human can with their own hands, save it's with taloned feet so she has to be a bit careful.
Crossbow - Self taught and talented with the use of a crossbow due to her human-like forefeet.
Basic healing - Can wrap and otherwise treat general level wounds/injuries
Fast/Agile flight - Gryphons as a whole can out pace all species save for the Cold Drake. Zhaneel is better than all those of her generation due to being the first of her sub-species, the gryfalcon. She can fly a circuit 1/3 faster than any others in the Wing
Mind-speech - allows those who possess it (and the companion Gift of Thought-sensing) to send words and images to each other silently and across long distances.
Magical Immunity - natural ability due to gryphons of this world being 'created' creatures
Magic channeling - natural ability to channel magic, or have magic channeled, through or from themselves (much like a focus stone). This is due to gryphons being magical constructs at their creation, and not of natural birth. ((It was not until years past their creation that they are able to breed on their own. By the time Zhaneel is brought to the Wood, the trick to pro-creating has been learned and spread amongst the gryphons.))

Inventory:
Neck pouch for carrying items, inside a gold reward chit. Crossbow/bolts and war-claws.

Appearance:
Zhaneel is a gyrfalcon, namely a gryphon with falcon shape and coloring. Her wings are longer and slimmer, allowing her to fly higher/faster than her brethren. Her coloring is that of her namesake.

She is approximately two 1/2-three times the size of an adult human male, which is approximately horse sized (Icelandic) in comparison. She can hold up to 180lbs in flight without the aid of magic to lighten to load. (ie: average adult, packs, etc etc)

Age: Approx 6 (17-20 human years)

OC/AU Justification
If AU, How is Your Version Different From Canon, and How Will That Come Across?
If OC, Did You Run Your Character Through a Mary-Sue Litmus Test?
And What Did You Score?

Samples
Log Sample:
Zhaneel stared ahead of herself, breath coming quick and shallow as she tuned out the cheers of the crowd around her. She had already completed the first of several sections of her obstacle course and bested several traps Vikteren had prepared unknowingly for her.

The fireballs had been a nice touch, though she would be sporting a few singed covert feathers until next molt; that had been the closest of near-misses so far. She had told him to place traps throughout the course and that she didn't want to know about them; how could she prove herself if she knew about every twist before it happened? If there was no risk, then it would not be a proper simulation of a rescue mission. If the commanders thought it simply a game, then they would continue to not take the young gryfalcon seriously and she'd likely find her patrol load doubled to make up for the time she'd been putting into her training.

In Zhaneel's mind it didn't matter that some of those same commanding officers were standing outside the course boundaries cheering her own and applauding. It didn't matter that some of the same gryphons that had taunted her her own life were looking on with respect and awe.

She wasn't doing this for them. Amberdrake had told her to not do this if it was simply to impress the others. If she was doing this, then it was for herself that it should be done.

But she was also doing it for him and she couldn't deny that to herself entirely. She wanted to impress the Black Gryphon more than she supposedly already had. She wanted him to think highly of her, and..

Her thoughts turn back to the course with a skree of alarm as a netted trap triggers off in her path and she narrowly misses it, body twisting as she cuts to the side. A gasp escapes the audience, followed by an almost collective exhale. Zhaneel curses herself silently, turning her mind and full attention on the second half of the course still waiting for her.

She had no doubts that it would only be harder than what she'd already flow through.

Network Sample:
[There is a rustling sound, as if something of substantial size is shifting against the cluttered ground of the junkyard. Someone has activated the audio mode of her wearable after finding the device secured around the 'wrist' of her right foreleg.]

Fatherrr??? [A soft groan and a few quick breaths. The individual on the other side of the wearable doesn't sound pleased. They sound, actually, just a touch panicked.] Fatherrr????!!!! [The last is accompanied by a soft keen that is clearly strained.]

Wherrre am I? Thisss iss not my home .. everrrrything issss differrrent.. Metal insstead of trreess...

[There is another pause in the soft voice. A moment of silence as she examines the wearable again, but knowing next to nothing about devices as such she leaves it be for the moment. Instead she chooses to address her words to the junkyard at large, uncertain if anyone can even hear her, but unwilling to think otherwise.]

I am familiarrr with magic and magical devicessss of many perrsssuassionsss, but thiss iss unlike any I have ssseen beforre. Who iss rressponssible forr thiss? I do not know how I came to thisss place, but I mussst go back .. I muss- They will find me herre! They will find me..

[The last escapes as a breathy keen, clearly distressed, before the entry ends entirely on the nerve-wracked gryphon.]

Comments

**REVISIONS: VALDEMAR SETTING**

[bondedgryphon]

**Gods**
The world of Velgarth is a world where magic is real and one might actually find themselves in an sit down conversation with a God or Goddess that has taken an interest in them. Deities are real and take an interest in the Velgarth setting; this interest can range from granting abilities to their priests to large-scale protection like the Iftel border and shielding of Iftel and Karse by Vkandis Sunlord and the Dhorisha Plain by Kal'enel after the Mage Wars and again during the Mage Storm trilogy.

Other, less proactive deities and their sects are occasionally mentioned in the stories. Most notable is the small sect of female mage-warriors to which Need belonged during her human life. Baron Valdemar prayed to "every deity he had heard of" in the Grove on the night the first Companions were born, which may explain in part Valdemar's historical tolerance for all religions.

[bondedgryphon]

**Magic**
Magic lies throughout the worlds of Velgarth, but only a few can gain access to it.

Energies follow patterns and levels...
-The Earth energies: are the very energies that supply the Earth with life. These are very primitive, but sometimes primitive magics are the strongest and hardest to control.
-Magic "flows" in river-like sequences known as Ley-lines.
-Wherever one or more ley-lines meet and/or cross are the places known as nodes. These resemble "bulges" among the lines and can hold much more magic energy than the lines themselves can.
-The Tayledras were granted, by their Goddess, a way to store tremendous amounts of energy so that they can cleanse the lands and supply energy to their Vales. These are known as HeartStones. These are basically really big nodes; But unlike nodes, which have ley-lines feeding and leaving it, HeartStones only have ley-lines feeding into it. The only way for power to get out is if a mage were to take it out.

Magic's Three Sources
1. First source of power is from within the mage himself. You have to have the Talent to use that source. This means that they have to use their minds to find the power within; the people who have mastered this are the Heralds as seen with their mind magics.
2. The Second power is created by living things. One has to have the Talent to sense the power, but you don't have to have the Talent to use it just so long as you know it's there. Many mages who do not have the Talent still turn to the dark blood-path magics so that they can gain access to the powers they would normally not be able use. Death releases a lot of energy in one burst. So the blood-path mage will know the power will be there when he kills someone.
3. The Third power comes from creatures who are not of this world, or this Plane. These powerful creatures belong to what mages call the Other Planes:

Planes 1-4
The first Four planes are home to the Four Elemental powers; Earth, Air, Fire and Water. These four planes are known as the Ethereal Planes

Plane 5
The Fifth Plane is known as the Abyssal Plane. This plane holds the evil, power-hungry creatures that humans call demons.

Plane 6
This Plane is known as the Empyreal Plane. This is home to the powerful creatures that aren't quite Gods, but do seem kindly inclined towards humans.

The Nether Planes
Also called the Void. This is the Plane where all of the natural magical energies end up; here, everything is chaos and energy. It is from this Plane that the flow of energy repeats its cycle by channeling back into the World Plane to be used by living things. This is also the place where Ma'ar (and his many incarnations) hid throughout the centuries to await their next victim and potential body. This is also the place between the Gates used by mages. By using personal energies, a mage can cross vast distances to their objective locations by simply stepping across a threshold or a doorway. Like two far away points on a map, the mage "folds" the map by sending energies out into the void to reach the other point, and steps across to it...weird huh?

The World Plane
This is the Plane we, humans, live in. This is where the chaos and energies from the Nether Planes gets regenerated into magical energies to be used by living things.

-There are probably many more Planes and Planar creatures than this, but the humans of Velgarth have yet to discover them.

Two Types of Magic
Low Magic
-Includes casting Healing Spells and Earth-Witchery.

High Magic
-No Earth-Magic... High magic users are vulnerable to Earth-Magics.
The one Exception to this rule: Tayledras Healing-Adepts. Though these are very rare.

Mage Rank from lowest to highest.

Apprentice - Mages that are still learning. They are barely trained and can not control magis yet.

Hedge-Wizard & Weather Witches - These sense the energies of the earth around them. They can predict the Weather and can even use their own energies to change it if need be.

Journey Man - These are mages that can only tap into their own personal energies for power.

Master - These mages can tap into the ley-lines to help supply themselves with power so they don't have to use up their own strength.

Adept - These are the highest-ranking mages, for only these can control the wild node powers. These are very powerful mages.

Healing Adept - These mages can Heal the environment and tend to be the most powerful among the rest, though very rare. They are still considered a class of Adept, however.

Mind Magic

-Heralds have mastered the Mind Magic abilities, though they each only have their own special Gifts. Heralds are also not the only ones to have such Gifts, they're just the most experienced with them.

-Animal MindSpeech - This Gift enables the person to talk to animals.
Though many (but not all) Heralds can "speak" with their Companions.

-Empathy - This Gift enables the person to sense other people emotions. If the Gift is powerful enough it can make the other person feel these emotions, though that is against the others free will. This Gift is common amongst Healers and rare among Heralds.

-FarSight - This Gift is very useful. The person with this Gift can use their mind to "see" great distances. These people work well with Fetchers.

-Fetching - If this person can concentrate enough, and if they have a mental image of the object in their minds, they can make that object come to them. One second it's in one place, the next, it's in their hands.

-FireStarting - This Gift is also very rare. Most FireStarting capabilities come in the form of True Magic that Mages use. This person can make things start on Fire, very dangerous to control.

-ForeSight - This is a strange Gift that enables the person to "predict" the future. They cannot see exact futures because the future is always changing. They sometimes only get feelings that something is coming.

-MindSpeech - This enables the person to communicate with others mind-to-mind. Very useful. If you are a Herald you can also use this to "talk" with your Companion. There are also Two other aspects of this Gift. One is Thought-Sensing the other is Projecting. Thought-Sensing can enable the person to sense what another is thinking. They cannot read minds but they can delve into memories if the person is willing. Projecting is the ability to make people sense what you want them to.

Other
Healers can use True Magic as well as Mind Magic to Heal. These People cannot Heal the mind, only the body. They use Mage Sight and other talents to "see" an injury, then they urge the injured person's body into healing itself faster than it normally can. They cannot heal scar-tissue but can, if caught right away, prevent that from happening. People with the Healing Gift are not normally Chosen because they are needed elsewhere.

-Mind Healers
This is a special type of Healing that cannot heal the physical body, only the mind. I do not know exactly how it works.

-Bardic
These are people with an extraordinary talent with music. They are said to be able to change a person's emotions by playing and weaving their songs. People with the Bardic Gift are not normally Chosen by Companions.

**Locations of Import**

[bondedgryphon]

**White Gryphon**
When Urtho, the mage of Silence, knew that he was dying, he told his peoples to flee. Urtho knew that they were losing the war against Ma'ar. He also knew that when he died, his death would trigger a very powerful self-destruction spell and everything around him for leagues would perish. Now this spell may have seemed a bit harsh but it was put in place for good reason. If Ma'ar ever got his hands on Ka'Venusho (Urtho's Tower) he would have access to some of the most powerful and potentially dangerous creations that Urtho had ever invented. So he told his people to flee via Gate as far away as possible.

They spread out; each Gate going to different areas of Velgarth. Most of the K'Leshya Kaled'a'in, including Skandranon and many other important characters, wound up in a place far to the West of Urtho's Tower. They kept traveling to the West for a whole year after that until they could come to a place that was safe and defensible. Finally, they reached the Western Sea and built White Gryphon.

Because of the major Cataclysm that occured due to the two most powerful mages' deaths (Urtho & Ma'ar), magic was often unreliable. It took them nine year to get most of the city built but what they accomplished was spectacular.

Not only was White Gryphon safe and defensible, it was a city built into the cliff. Originally , they were to build it on top of the cliff, but General Judeth, the best General in Urtho's army, wasn't pleased with that notion. Being a mason's daughter, it was she who discovered that the cliff rock was soft enough to carve and yet hard enough to support homes. And because the snowy white rock just happened to resemble the shape of a gryphon with it's wings outstretched, they named the city White Gryphon. This was in honor of Skandranon Rashkae; He once was the Great Black Gryphon until he got stuck in the magics between two Gates and was bleached white because of it, so now he's the Great White Gryphon.

The policy in building White Gryphon must have been "Recover with dignity." If an object could be made beautiful, it was. "When a simple box would do, an ornamental box was better." This strategy increased self-esteem and made the people feel less like beaten refugees and more like proud homesteaders. The "streets" had all been paved with pieces of crushed oyster shells which caught the sunlight and made the city gleam. Ornamental boxes filled with earth were placed on each path and street. Some were filled with trees or flowers and bushes, but a lot were filled with vines that would artistically fall down to the next layer. From afar this made the stylized White Gryphon of the cliff look like it had patterns in it's feathers. Magic helped put in water and sewage systems when it worked properly. The water came from a spring in the cliff so it would be impossible for possible enemies to cut off the water supply. The paths had all been edged or walled so that a person with a bow could easily help defend that city.

Three-forths of the citizens lived in sort of cave-dwellings carved into the rock. Some of these dwellings went back twenty or thirty gryphon-lengths in the rock. Each citizen either built their own or paid someone to build their homes for them. The humans, kyree, and hertasi were the ones most comfortable with the cave dwellings. The gryphons and the tervardi, who were generally a bit claustrophobic by nature, preferred terrace-like structures. These homes did not stretch back into the stone for more than one or two rooms. They also had lots of windows and a balcony or two.

**Dhorisha Plains and Pelagirs Forest**
The Shin'a'in are a people with no magic. Anyone born to a shin'a'in household who possess Mage Gift must either become a Shaman or leave to find their Clan Cousins, the Tayledras.

The Tayledras and the Shin'a'in used to be one tribe known as the Kaled'a'in. Though they separated into two groups with various Clans.

One group, the Shin'a'in, who had sworn off the use of Magic. They were ordered by their Goddess to protect the Plains from intruders and guard the dangerous magics that lie under the Plains...from back when Urtho, The Mage of Silence, created them.

The other group, the Tayledras, a people who embraced their magic to cleanse the damaged lands. They were ordered by the Goddess to return the wild magic-created lands back to "normal," they way they were before the Mage Wars of Urtho's time.

The Shin'a'in Clans took up residence on the Dhorisha Plains, or the Plains of Sacrifice, while the Clans of the Tayledras spread throughout the Pelegirs Forest.

The Tayledras are sometimes called the k'Varda, or the "Mage Clans." They are also referred to as Hawk brothers since they all Bond mind-to-mind with a bird.

The Tayledras (or Hawk Brothers) live in magically-made "Domes" called Vales. They stay in one place long enough to cleanse the lands (usually a couple generations) and then pack up and move on. The Vales are protected by "domes" of magic. This shield that surrounds their home informs them of intruders.
At the heart of every Vale is a power source known as a Heart Stone. This is basically a very powerful node that has many ley-lines feeding it. But unlike any normal node, there are no lines leading out of it, the energy just builds up for use of the Tayledras. The knowledge to create this was granted them by their Goddess.

The Hawk Brother's houses are called ekele's. Picture a giant tree house up in a tree so huge it will be able to hold up to a dozen ekele's, each with a couple floors and living chambers.

Vales are very exotic places of plant growth and hot springs, magically sculpted waterfalls and serene views. Inside, The Vales stay "summer" all year long.

**Iftel**
Iftel is located North of Hardorn and East of Valdemar, South of the Ice Wall Mountains.

The people who first settled in Iftel were actually once part of Urtho's great army. When Urtho was dying he told his people to scatter across Valdemar for when he died a self-destruction spell would destroy everything for leagues. the people who Gated to Iftel served in the Third Army. After the Gate landed them there, they planned to keep traveling but had no strong mages to build another Gate somewhere else. So they settled and named the area Iftel.

Vykaendys, or The Holy Sun, created an impenetrable barrier around the borders of Iftel. Only priests of the Sun God and invited guests may pass. The occasional trader is allowed inside but they do not speak of it. If someone were to try and pass they would be forced back. If a mage tried magic against the barrier they would disappear, presumed likely dead. Anyone who wishes to leave Iftel may do so freely. When asked what it's like inside all anyone would state is that it is merely "boring".

Though they wage no wars, nor allow wars to be brought upon them due to the barrier, their military units train vigorously.

In order to keep from losing defense abilities over the years, the Peoples organized their aggressions into Games. These Games are very dangerous and verge on being blood-sport. Although no one has to participate, many do and it often results in serious injury and even death. So why play them?

The hierarchy of Iftel changes as the results of the contests change. And as the participants' ranking changes, so will the rankings of the various counties that they represent. That at year's end determines the hierarchy and tax distributions of Iftel.

After Tremane became King of Hardorn, Iftel opened it's borders up and sent a delegation to help him and be allies. This delegation was made up of gryphons so that they would make good time in flying over the land.

Tashiketh's wing (the leader of the gryphon wing sent) was formed entirely of Champions. They were considered the strongest warriors of their own counties. Tashiketh was the Grand Champion, the winner of them all. Not only do the winners participate in combat but the participate in intellectual contests as well.

The gryphons of Iftel don't look exactly like the gryphons of White Gryphon and K'Leshya. They are heavier of beak, neck and chest, like eagles. They are also a uniform color of dark brown with light brown markings, whereas the gryphons of K'Leshya and White Gryphon are all different colors with different markings such as masks and malar stripes.

A long time ago, Iftel used to send envoys to the Court in Valdemar but stopped for unknown reasons. Probably their need to keep peace drove them away from Valdemar and her numerous enemies at the time. Valdemar, traditionally, always left their suite open, just in case.

Iftel had always allowed one envoy from Valdemar into their land - but it had to be someone from the Merchant's Guild. They have never allowed any Mercenary Guild members or Heralds across their borders.

Had the Grand Duke Tremane not become King, Iftel would have sent the gryphon envoys into Valdemar instead. They preferred going to Tremane first because he was physically and magically bound to the land when he became King. So he would have to be a good ruler.

**Locations of Import Pt. 2**

[bondedgryphon]

**Rethwellan**
Rethwellan is directly South from Valdemar. To it's West lies the mysterious Pelagir Hills, to it's East, Karse.

Rethwellan's ruling family are the Jadrevalyns. Prince Karathanelan, Karath for short, was power-hungry. He was not born first so he could not gain the throne unless Prince Faram should die. There weren't very many possibilities open to him because there weren't very many bordering countries that had royal daughters in his age group or in availability. There was one, however, Queen Selenay of Valdemar. She was very young having acquired the throne after her father's death and she was also under a lot of pressure from her council to marry. Karath set out to win her believing he could have the Crown. Little did he know (or even want to believe) that according to the laws of Valdemar, a ruling Monarch must also be a Herald. He thought he could just convince Selenay to make him one, not believing that these white "horses" could have the intelligence to Choose a monarch. To make this a little shorter, after they were married and conceived a daughter, Elspeth, he set out to kill Selenay so he could get the throne that way. He was found out and killed.

Later, Prince-Lord Marshall Daren met Selenay and they became lifebonded. He also, that very same day, became Chosen by a Companion. So he became the co-consort to Valdemar. He fathered two children with Selenay, twins in fact, Prince Kris & Princess Lyra. These two became the Heir-presumptives after Elspeth renounced her position as Heir. They would not remain presumptives for very long because the Companions let it be known that they would be Chosen when they came of age.

There is also a tradition in Rethwellan, that of the Singing Sword.

This is a legendary sword that little is known about; this sword was used to choose the rightful King of Rethwellan. Over the years it became lost, or maybe it was stolen. Tarma and Kethry discovered it when they were fleeing from Raschar in Rethwellan. From there, they were rescued by a Herald and taken to a cabin. It just-so-happens that that cabin is where Prince Stefansen and his newly wed bride Mertis were hidding out, also from Raschar.

The blade, when it came into Stef's contact, started Singing. It was this more than anything that convinced Stefansen to go back to Rethwellan and overthrow his brother.

**Karse**
Karse lies right beyond the Southern borders of Valdemar. It is difficult to pass into the border of Karse from Valdemar because most of the border is protected by mountains; this came in handy when Karse and Valdemar were at War with each other.

For a long time, evil Sun-Priests claimed that they were the "True rulers of Karse," known as the Sons of the Sun; Vkandis being the Sun. These False rulers would create "miracles" by way of mage gift to fool the onlookers in the crowd into believing them. They then made a new tradition, that of the annual Feast of the Children. This was when parents were ordered to take their children to the Temples and there they would be inspected by Sun-Priests. This began when a child was five and ended when he/she was thirteen. Some of these children who were "chosen" by the Priests were thrown into the Fires; others were taken for service to the SunLord. Regardless, the children who were taken were never permitted to see their parents again. The children that were taken were either extremely intelligent, or had the God-granted ability to use magic. If one of the children had witch-powers (like Mind-Magic) they were sacrificed. The others were taken to be trained as Black-Robed Priests; Or, the Demon-Summoners. The intelligent children would grow and study in places known as Children Cloisters until they were either chosen to be novices or were given duties as a servant. Now before the evil Priests had taken over, there was such a thing as Cleansing and the Feast of Children, but it was only meant as a Rite of Passage, not a feared place of sacrifice and abduction.

The long-time enemy of Karse was Valdemar. Valdemar was a supposedly a land full of DemonSpawn that rode on their White HellHorses (Heralds and Companions). Everyone in Karse believed this land and its people to be evil and they fought with the False rulers and the Demons that they summoned. This continued on for years until Vkandis Himself decided that it was enough. The False Son was struck down by lightning on a cloudless day during one of his fake rituals, with a lot of witnesses. Vkandis then possessed a golden statue that was a likeliness of Him and stepped towards the other Priests. He then took the large crown of prophecy off His head (which was quite impossible seeing that the crown was part of the statue), and the crown began to shrink. Once it shrunk to the size of a human's head, He placed it upon, not a man's, but a womans' head, declaring her for all to see as the True Son of the Sun and new ruler of Karse. Her name was Solaris. To further prove her worth, she was visited by a Firecat shortly thereafter. Solaris then declared all Fires to be extinguished forever and that Karse would be at peace with Valdemar.

**Hardorn**
Straight East from Valdemar's South-Eastern border and directly South of the land of Iftel.

The past Kings of Hardorn all partook in a traditional ritual known as Earth-binding. This ritual literally makes the ruler physically and spiritually bound to the land. The only requirement is that the leader in question have the Gift of Earth-sense. When something bad would happen to the land, the leader would know, and know how to fix it. This ritual also ensures that he/she will be a good ruler, for if the land was sick or mistreated it would have a direct effect on the ruler. Being so bound to the land also renders the ruler incapable of leaving it for very long, so there is no way a ruler can escape the responsibilities of land and people. King Alessandar took oath to this ritual, his son, however, did not. Ancar betrayed and murdered his father
and took the throne for himself. He tried to pin the murder on two ambassadors from Valdemar, Queen's Own Herald Talia and Herald Kris. Ancar was eventually overthrown, but not before depleting the land to sickness and reducing the population by more than half.

Then Grand Duke Tremane came from the mysterious and powerful Eastern Empire, intending to take Hardorn and make it part of the Empire. Due to certain circumstances, he failed this. Eventually, feeling betrayed by the Empire and alone, he came to care for the citizens around him and soon they came to respect him. The people saw that he was a good man and had him partake in the earth-binding ritual, in so doing they also gave him the crone of Hardorn.

**The Eastern Empire**
Located East of Hardorn, Iftel and Karse and West of the Salten Sea.

The Eastern Empire, also known as the Aurinalean Empire, was founded by stranded mercenaries. Not very many people know that those mercenaries were once part of Urtho's Army. When Urtho knew he was dying, he told his peoples to flee, for when he died a self-destruction spell would go off and destroy everything for leagues. This all-human faction was trying to Gate to the East somewhere when the Cataclysm that occurred during Urtho's death sent their Gate to a place much further away than they expected.

King Valdemar, the founder of Valdemar, was actually from the Eastern Empire. He was a Baron there and wished to escape from the tyranny of the Empire so he packed up his household and friends and fled into the West. He was not pursued because the Empire knew very little about the Western lands. They had only been conquering lands to the North, East and South.

**MAPS**
http://www.fileden.com/files/2011/1/28/3069297//Velgarth.png