4 July, 2019, 12:00 PM UTC

Favoured by Siroth, despised and envied by her peers, Cruetraxa rightfully holds a position of great privilege in the Demonic hierarchy. She is cunning, vengeful, and, above all, skilled in the art of war. Mortal scholars believe she rules over a vast hellish plane of brimstone and fire, a legion of damned souls and lesser demons at her beck and call. Like all of her kind, Cruetraxa is a creature of vice, her arrogance and lust for power permeate everything that she is.

In battle, she appears clad in a terrifying armour birthed of dark magic - flesh fused with platinum and enchanted to be harder than dragonscale. Some demonologists even theorize that the armour, in truth, is fused with Cruetraxa’s body. Whatever the truth of the matter may be, delivering the killing blow to this vile warrior has proven to be a very difficult task. Even when brought low, she rises once again, her wounds healed. Worse yet, the armour appears to be siphoning the life of Cruetraxa’s victims and uses it to keep her physical form from being banished.

Her spear appears to have been forged in the same ritual. Its edges can effortlessly cut even through the toughest armour. And with her mastery of the dark arts, Cruetraxa can weaken her foes and dispell the magic protecting her foes.

It is hard to say what kind of kinship might exist between elementals, and yet Inithwe and Drexthar Bloodtwins may indeed be considered brothers. Summoned from the same realm and bound to Siroth's cause, these beings of ancient power are terrifying opponents to face on their own - more so when fighting together. But where Drexthar is fire and destruction, Inithwe is darkness, cold, ruthless, unrelenting.

Encased in a suit of armour similar to that of his kindred and armed with a powerful greataxe, Inithwe descends upon his foes with a fury unmatched. His very presence saps away at the life force of those who would oppose him. And while his foes wither and weaken, Inithwe himself grows stronger, feeding off their life's blood and regenerating whatever damage may have been inflicted upon his mortal form.

Despite this terrifying power, some scholars theorize that a Void Elemental is not evil per se - it merely follows its nature. If that is true, it would be possible to turn that nature away from the perpetual wickedness of Siroth and put it to better use serving the people of Teleria.

The Lizardmen society is hardly homogenous. While some tribes live nearly as humans and elves of old did, building settlements and crafting tools, others are little more than intelligence predators that live and hunt in packs. Jareg is the leader of one such “family”, having guided it for many decades. He may not be a peerless strategist or a weaponmaster, but there are two qualities forged by the hardships he had to endure that are invaluable - tenacity and instinct.

As pack leader, it is Jareg’s duty to defend his kin from whatever danger they might face as well as lead them in hunts and battle for more territory. Over decades of constant strife, he learned to protect those who depend on him, even if it means placing himself in harm’s way. And, surprisingly, his knowledge of herms and their properties allows Jareg to provide basic but efficient relief to wounds and injuries that his allies might suffer.

As fierce and temperamental as her fiery hair suggests, Teshada is a skilled warrior whose reputation has been solidified among her allies and foes alike despite a fairly young age. A daughter of the Amber Moon Clan, banished to the Krokhan Desert generations ago yet holding dearly to the old ways, she was subjected to rigorous training from the moment she could walk. Both boys and girls must know how to handle a weapon, be it a noble sword, a bow that strikes true, a mighty hammer… For Teshada, a combination of axe and shield has proven to be the best choice. Though she channels her fury in powerful strikes, the weight of the shield in her hand ever reminds the young warrior of the importance of defense.

What truly marks this red-haired spitfire, however, is her connection to the spirits of the Ancestors that her Clan reveres. As a young girl, Teshada was lost in a violent sandstorm that caught her outside the village. Though many believed her dead as even experienced clansmen perished in such storms far too often, the search for the body yielded unexpected results. The girl, alive and unscathed, was found hiding in a small grotto that was perched among the cliffs of the nearby oasis. She claimed that it was a scout of the Clan that led her there. But of the mysterious man, there was no trace and no scouting parties were out on that day.

Encounters like that continued in the future, but it was not until many years later that the Clan’s shaman finally accepted Teshada under his wing and taught her to harness this connection. Now, she can use the favour of the spirits to bring back allies, who have passed to the Realm of the Dead recently. But as with all things, there is a price to pay - the spirits demand a life in exchange for life. Fortunately, there is no lack of suitable sacrifices in battle.

Though Lumaya is worshipped far and wide across Teleria, but there are still multiple beings who live not knowing her light or her love. So many live in ignorance, venerating mere spirits and false prophets. Or worse, suffer in the yoke of Siroth. There is only one way to liberate them - through the Words of Lumaya. Many brave men and women of the Sacred Order volunteer to undertake long pilgrimages to the farthest corners of the world, spreading the one true faith where only darkness and foolish superstition dwelled before. They must be charismatic, well-spoken, and learned above all.

But while there are poor souls yearning for guidance out in the world, there are also evil men, those who would knowingly lie to the naive and the ignorant. For the sake of power, wealth, or some darker design. They would oppose the Faithful at every turn, if they could. Which is why every Missionary must be a warrior as well as a preacher. Oftentimes, the most efficient way to sway a more primitive culture to their side is to defeat their false Champions. Thus the Missionaries are good at delivering debilitating blows or provoking their foes with words of truth and wisdom - allowing their allies to do the rest.

The Palace of Aravia attracts many thieves, spies, and even would-be assassins. The Queen’s Royal Guard have their job cut out for them and number in the hundreds, a number that is just enough to cover the gargantuan complex.

Among the Guard, Interceptors play a special role. Their duty is to capture the perpetrators alive, if at all possible. To that end, they are trained in techniques to incapacitate and force their target to surrender. They are even given a special alchemical solution that would put a troll to sleep, if properly delivered.





















