Post by Gaea on Jul 30, 2013 19:25:05 GMT -8
Elibe has existed in a state of co-existence and co-prosperity for thousands of years. Dragons, the eldest of the races, have protected and nurtured the younger races as each sprang forth into the world. Taguel, second in age, range the vast forests and colossal mountain ranges, exterminating monsters and rooting out nests that would otherwise eventually attack civilization. Humans, a younger race defined by unrelenting progress and innovation, have been freed by this relative safety to pursue their dreams - their mines and forges create implements of war and peace alike, even as academies of mages struggle to pierce the veil of truths unseen. Elibe is a vast continent, after all, full of untapped natural resources and gorgeous sights - while local conflicts are common between small human kingdoms and dragons have never been masters of diplomacy, the mere concept of a continent-spanning war is almost unthinkable.
As each race grows, though, tensions have slowly begun to rise.
Humans chafe under the protection of dragons, who have laid claim to huge territories without regard for human interests and often demand tribute in return for their protection. Some have begun calling for greater autonomy, while a rare few dismissed as madmen even by their own people dream of an Elibe dominated by humans... and humans only. With little interaction with most Taguel, many humans think them little different than the monsters that range at the corners of civilization, never understanding what the beast-shifters do for them but keenly aware of the endless demand for weapons - weapons that they fear Taguel are stockpiling to use against them. Some see Taguel as no different than Dragons, filing both away as inhuman and dangerous, while some suspect that the secretive Taguel are keeping valuable natural resources or a paradise on earth for themselves.
Dragons, in turn, nearly universally view human notions of superiority as affronts to the countless centuries they have spent protecting them from harm; some believe that humans ought be little more than cattle, while others care naught one way or the other on matters of autonomy, instead concerned about the ever-growing power and dubious judgement of human mages - used to being the unquestioned masters of power in the world, they fear what humans with less experience than they might do with such terrible power. While some dragons actually support full human autonomy, many don't see a reason to change what has worked, and the Celestial Council has been unusually reticent on political matters of late. While there has always been concern about the constant petty bickering and small-scale wars between human kingdoms, some dragons have begun to wonder if it is only a matter of time before they are drawn into worthless human squabbles, something that very few dragons would accept with any degree of joy.
The Taguel simply soldier onwards, generally more concerned about matters within their warrens and general territories, but not every Taguel subscribes to their nigh-reverence for blood and work. The Taguel are the ultimate survivors, they say, a race that could easily hold every bit as much power as humans and dragons should they choose to demand status in return for their endless crusade to keep Elibe safe. Some go so far as to demand that Taguel everywhere simply cease their duties and wait for desperate humans and dragons to beg for help from the inevitably tide of darkness, but the Taguel as a whole are fractured far more than any other race - not only is there friction between rabbit, cat, and bird tribes, but the focus on blood relation rather than race ensures that most Taguel think of little beyond the confines of their tribe.
Complicating existing tensions, monsters have begun spawning at astounding rates in the past few decades, stretching age-old defenses to their breaking point - and beyond - as warriors of every race are forced to put aside their differences to stem the endless tide of shadow. The constant pressure has left what passes for local law enforcement spread thin, even as human kingdoms and Dragon arbiters alike recruit frantically in a futile attempt to match. Ambitious leaders see opportunity in tragedy, and more than one centuries-old blood feud has erupted into full-scale violence as human kingdoms capitalize on any perceived weakness in their peers to snap up what territory and resources they can. A few swarms of unprecedented magnitude have even broken through the ancient defensive lines of the mountains surrounding central Elibe, bringing home the truth of the nightmare to even the most sheltered humans - with one horde breaking on the walls of Arcadia itself for the first time in recorded history.
The world is changing, and in the moment when they are needed most, what passes for leadership of every race is paralyzed by indecision, overwhelmed by the challenges they now face. At the time when every race most needs to stand as one, the existing order's deterioration has simply hasted... and the more pessimistic have begun to wonder if any of this useless politicking will matter when the tide of shadow finally quenches the light of Arcadia, and with it, the world.
As each race grows, though, tensions have slowly begun to rise.
Humans chafe under the protection of dragons, who have laid claim to huge territories without regard for human interests and often demand tribute in return for their protection. Some have begun calling for greater autonomy, while a rare few dismissed as madmen even by their own people dream of an Elibe dominated by humans... and humans only. With little interaction with most Taguel, many humans think them little different than the monsters that range at the corners of civilization, never understanding what the beast-shifters do for them but keenly aware of the endless demand for weapons - weapons that they fear Taguel are stockpiling to use against them. Some see Taguel as no different than Dragons, filing both away as inhuman and dangerous, while some suspect that the secretive Taguel are keeping valuable natural resources or a paradise on earth for themselves.
Dragons, in turn, nearly universally view human notions of superiority as affronts to the countless centuries they have spent protecting them from harm; some believe that humans ought be little more than cattle, while others care naught one way or the other on matters of autonomy, instead concerned about the ever-growing power and dubious judgement of human mages - used to being the unquestioned masters of power in the world, they fear what humans with less experience than they might do with such terrible power. While some dragons actually support full human autonomy, many don't see a reason to change what has worked, and the Celestial Council has been unusually reticent on political matters of late. While there has always been concern about the constant petty bickering and small-scale wars between human kingdoms, some dragons have begun to wonder if it is only a matter of time before they are drawn into worthless human squabbles, something that very few dragons would accept with any degree of joy.
The Taguel simply soldier onwards, generally more concerned about matters within their warrens and general territories, but not every Taguel subscribes to their nigh-reverence for blood and work. The Taguel are the ultimate survivors, they say, a race that could easily hold every bit as much power as humans and dragons should they choose to demand status in return for their endless crusade to keep Elibe safe. Some go so far as to demand that Taguel everywhere simply cease their duties and wait for desperate humans and dragons to beg for help from the inevitably tide of darkness, but the Taguel as a whole are fractured far more than any other race - not only is there friction between rabbit, cat, and bird tribes, but the focus on blood relation rather than race ensures that most Taguel think of little beyond the confines of their tribe.
Complicating existing tensions, monsters have begun spawning at astounding rates in the past few decades, stretching age-old defenses to their breaking point - and beyond - as warriors of every race are forced to put aside their differences to stem the endless tide of shadow. The constant pressure has left what passes for local law enforcement spread thin, even as human kingdoms and Dragon arbiters alike recruit frantically in a futile attempt to match. Ambitious leaders see opportunity in tragedy, and more than one centuries-old blood feud has erupted into full-scale violence as human kingdoms capitalize on any perceived weakness in their peers to snap up what territory and resources they can. A few swarms of unprecedented magnitude have even broken through the ancient defensive lines of the mountains surrounding central Elibe, bringing home the truth of the nightmare to even the most sheltered humans - with one horde breaking on the walls of Arcadia itself for the first time in recorded history.
The world is changing, and in the moment when they are needed most, what passes for leadership of every race is paralyzed by indecision, overwhelmed by the challenges they now face. At the time when every race most needs to stand as one, the existing order's deterioration has simply hasted... and the more pessimistic have begun to wonder if any of this useless politicking will matter when the tide of shadow finally quenches the light of Arcadia, and with it, the world.
