The island nation of Avalon, where once there were seven gods who protected it's peoples. Three thousand years ago, six of those gods disappeared without known reason, the seventh, for equally unknown reason, built six temples to venerate his fellows, and within each he placed a powerful orb. These orbs, legend has it, can be brought to the castle of Thalos, and there they will break open the seal to a golden paradise, from whence the gods will return, and usher their children into a new age.
The country of Thalos was created by the seventh god, as he laid down his powers and became the first of a mortal line of kings.
The newest king to the crown of Thalos, Mordred believes it is time for the people to go to the promised land. He has called out for at least one representative from each of the surrounding fiefdoms, so that they might collect the orbs and bring them to him.
In “Avalon” you play one of the many representatives. How you go about collecting the orbs, returning them to Mordred and such, is up to you. But the overall goal is to collect all the orbs, either as a team or individually and bring them to Mordred. Here is a brief layout of the history of Avalon (BTT means Before True Time, and TT means True Time):

(-200 BTT) Six of the seven gods of Avalon disapeared.
(-100 BTT) The Temples are created by the Seventh God
(0 TT) Beginning of the Thalosian Empire created by the seventh god, first Great King of Avalon
(1000 TT) Aluvia secedes from the Thalosian Empire.
(1037 TT) Aluvia attacks Acclasia home of the Temple of Light, and the War of Midnight Forever begins as Aluvia systematically destroys Acclasian forces.
(1045 TT) The first stage of the War of Midnight Forever lasted only eight years, and after Acclasia fell, Aluvia turned its armies loose on Pharagos.
(1050 TT) Pharagos fell in five years to the Aluvian Coalition (as they called themselves now).
(1234 TT) The Thalosian Empire steps into the War of Midnight Forever and marched against the Aluvian Coalition at Pharagos.
(1236 TT) Pharagos is liberated by the Thalosian Empire.
(1242 TT) After reconstruction of Pharagos, the Thalosian forces marched against Acclasia.
(1243 TT) The Aluvian forces remaining in Acclasia are forced to retreat to the capital of Yavvan where they are penned up by a siege.
(1244 TT) The Aluvian Coalition surrenders Acclasia to the Thalosian Empire.
(12 47 TT) The Aluvian Coalition is officially debanded, and it’s armies are forced to demilitarize.
(1568 TT) Aluvia is forced to rejoin the Thalosian Empire.
(1588 TT) The Aluvian citizens rebel against the Thalosian Empire and a state of civil disrest is issued throughout the nation.
(1589 TT) The Firebrand Massacre starts in Aluvia, resulting in the deaths of thousands, and signaling the beginning of the War of Secession.
(1592 TT) The war of Secession officially ends with the withdrawal of Thalosian troops from Aluvian land.
(1688 TT) Worship of the Great King of Avalon becomes the official religion of the Thalosian Empire, although many cling to the old ways and worship the old gods.
(2000 TT) Necrolord Solus the Fallen begins the Wars of Everlasting Shadow.
(2011 TT) Pharagos falls to the demonic armies of Necrolord Solus the Fallen, and the capital of Yavvan becomes the official fortress of Solus.
(2016 TT) Acclasia falls to Solus.
(2018 TT) The Thalosian army retaliates against Solus by attacking Pharagos, they are repelled time and again for the next five years.
(2027 TT) Kesh falls to the armies of Necrolord Solus.
(2038 TT) Herath falls to the Solus the Fallen and Solus ousts the old ruling class of lycanthropes and orders them hunted down. Few royals of Herath survive this tumultuous time.
(2042 TT) Mordenguard is occupied by the forces of Solus during the Battle of the Borderlands.
(2055 TT) Mordenguard is reclaimed through the efforts of the Thalosian Empire.
(2067 TT) Herath is liberated by the Thalosian empire.
(2088 TT) Aluvia begins to remilitarize under the rule of powerful kings called the Dragonmasters of Aluvia.
(2093 TT) Acclasia falls to the forces of the Dragonmasters, and the Aluvian Coalition is born again.
(2133 TT) Kesh is liberated by the Thalosian Empire.
(2158 TT) After much fighting Necrolord Solus drives the Thalosian empire from Kesh, but loses Pharagos to the Aluvian Coalition.
(2223 TT) Necrolord Solus the Fallen is destroyed by Dragonmaster Akaris.
(2224 TT) Kesh is absorbed into the Aluvian Coalition.
(2500 TT) Davion the Sar of Pharagos begins to rebel against the Aluvian empire and used a magic sword of evil to cut bloody swaths against the great nation, shaking it down to it’s foundations.
(2556 TT) Davion was finally destroyed in the Battle of Crimson Meadows at the cost of much of the armies of the Aluvian Coalition.                                                                              (2679 TT) Kesh rebels against the Aluvian Coalition under the leadership of Luthan Velonous and liberates Kesh thanks to the aid of the Thalosian Empire.
(2788 TT) A great evil is defeated in the land of Kesh by an adventurer named Akia and her compatriots, all but one sacrificed themselves to seal up the beast.
(3000 TT) Mordred, newly crowned king of Thalos has sent out orders to the surrounding kindoms for representatives to acquire the orbs of the gods, so the people of Avalon may move on into paradise.

Many different types of people live on the island of Avalon, from the humans that form the basis of the population, to the halfling nomads of Roushe. From the shifters of Herath to the dwarves of Mordenguard, Avalon is full of diverse and intricate people.

Shifters:
Descended from the royal families of Herath, Shifters retain a modicum of their ancestors shape-shifting ability. Shifters can not fully change shape, but can take on animalistic features–a state they call shifting.

 When Necrolord Solus the Fallen took over Herath he captured the High King of the time, a Merrick, and the rest of the immediate royal family. He took great pleasure in twisting their psyche and their minds. Now trapped within a form halfway between human, and halfway between wolf, they became the basis for a race dedicated to the death of all Lycanthropes. Many centuries later, these Lupins still plague Herath with their raids and attacks. Although not evil, they do believe all lycanthropes to be a bane of all things living, and thus do they continue to hunt them down, unwittingly serving a long dead master’s last wishes.

Humans:
Most humans are the descendants of pioneers, conquerors, traders, travelers, refugees, and other people on the move. As a result, human lands are a mix of people–physically, culturally, religiously, and politically. Hardly or fine, light-skinned or dark, showy or austere, primitive or civilized, devout or impious, humans run the gamut.

Dwarves:
Dwarves are known for their skill in warfare, their ability to withstand physical and magical punishment, their knowledge of earth’s secrets, their hard work, and their capacity for drinking ale. Their mysterious kingdom of Mordenguard, carved out from the inside of mountains and complex cave systems, are renowned for their marvelous treasures that they produce as gifts or for trade.

Elves:
Living deep within the primordial forests of Cynedicia and on the banks of the many lakes and rivers there, the elves are a fair and beautiful race. Known for their poetry, dance, song, and lore, elves favor things of natural and simple beauty. When danger threatens their woodland homes however, elves reveal a more martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, and battle strategy.

Eldrich Elves:
A cousin to normal elves, these beings live longer, and exhibit a natural affintity for magic that erks their less fourtunate kin. Believing themselves superior to normal elves, these beings hide away in mystical forest cities virtually untouched by the outside.

Gnomes:
A site of civilization amongst the inhabitants of Roushe. The gnomes occupy the Plains of Wasting, and are an agrarian  people, although one would never know it from the gnomes one meets. Deeply immersed in technollogy, gnomes are the inventors and engineers of the world, they are welcomed almost everywhere for their skill and innovation. Their only visible pitfall is that they are a very mirthful community and their pranks and jokes are seldom as funny to those who are on the butt-end.

Half-elves:
Humans and elves sometimes wed, the elf attracted to the human’s energy, and the human to the elf’s grace. These marriages are over quickly as elves count because of the short lifespan of humans, but they leave a legacy, the half-elves. Seldom truly belonging to either race or culture, the half-elf is a loner, ostracized by the elves and humans generally, they are not scorned, but neither are they respected. They are merely there, and sometimes, that is exactly how the half-elf wants it.

Half-orcs:
In the desert regions of Roushe, anything is possible, and one of those possibilities is the half-orc. They may live with either human or orcs, but they are nevertheless exposed to both cultures. Some, for whatever reason, leave their homeland and travel to more civilized lands, bringing with them the tenacity, courage, and battle prowess that they developed in the dunes.

Halflings:
Halflings are clever, capable opportunists. They are cunning, resourceful survivors. And they are main bulk of the Roushian population. Hiding in caverns by day to escape the desert sun, and springing from behind sand dunes to attack their prey, the halflings are amongst the most adaptable and hearty people of Avalon. Many make their living as scavengers and traders, constantly on the move from one area to the next in search of the big score.

Warforged:
Built as mindless war machines to fight against the Necrolord Solus, the warforged developed sentience as a side effect of the arcane experiments that sought to make them the ultimate weapons of destruction. With each successive model that emerged from the creation forges of the Aluvian Coalition, the warforged evolved until they became a new type of being–living constructs.

Golmoids:
Originally crafted to aid the dwarves as laborers, haulers, and heavy lifters, golmoids labored for years as mindless constructs. Then an accident in one of the many mines of Mordenguard, a spiritual vortex of magical energies was unleashed upon the world. Unaffected the dwarves were surprised to find their servants were not only thinking, but alive. The dwarves spent one day of deliberation and then freed all the golmoids to do as they would. Most have decided to stay with the dwarves, and the two races share a bond that seems unshakable.

T’kels:
T’kels have long been seen as savages, monsters that plagued Cynedicia for countless years. When times grew tough, t’kels raided nearby villages and towns in search of food. This savegery gave them a fierce reputation they struggle to overcome to this day. However, over the last century, t’kels have gradually shifted from a hunter-gatherer society to an agricultural one. They are blooming into a diverse society based on the philosophies of their current leader.

Orcs:
Orcs are aggressive humanoids that raid, pillage, and battle other creatures. They have a hatred of elves and dwarves that began centuries ago, and often try to kill them on sight When not actually fighting other creatures, orcs are usually planning raids or practicing their fighting skills.

Fighter:

Avalon is home to many different types of warriors, with many different styles of combat, from the Keshan Blademasters, to the Dwarven Defenders of Mordenguard. But every warrior must start somewhere, and the following classes are choices you may make in deciding what occupation you character has. There are a variety of fighters, and they have a variety of different combat styles.

Fighter: Complete customization, these fighters may not have the different abilities others have at their disposal, but with a proper choice of feats and a bit of skill, they can face off against all-comers.

Bodyguard: While Anyone suspicious, alert, and tough enough can serve as a guard, the bodyguard is a warrior specifically trained to protect a charge. Bodyguards need to be just as adept in battle as any other fighter, but they cannot content themselves with that. In any situation, their first thought must not be how to defeat the enemy, but how to best protect their charge. They remain alert for ambushes, test food for poison, and identify liars and deceivers. Many bodyguards become skilled bargainers so that they can deal with situations that force of arms cannot solve.

Commander: Commanders are soldiers trained in recognizing and using other’s abilities in battle along with their own skill. These men and women can lead hordes and armies, take charge of a battalion of soldiers, or even direct a small group of elite troops, such as a party of adventurers.

Fencer: Some fight for riches, others for the love of combat. The fencer fights for pride and personal honour. He is a refined warrior trained in a specialized style of combat steeped in ritual and rule, for only a proper fight will satisfy his honour. Some call him a dandy or a fop, but few would dare say so to his face. He might stink of expensive perfume and lack calluses of labor on his hands, but his sword is as sharp as any grizzled mercenary’s, and his life of luxury only leaves him more time to train–as the foolish find out the hard way.

Horseman: Horseman trade encumbering armor for enhanced mobility and swap a single devastating lance charge for a series of punishing ride-by-attacks. Rather than run roughshod over the front lines, these warriors weave their way through the ranks and leave a trail of corpses behind them.

Kensai: Instead of investing their time in learning how to wield all manner of weapons, some warriors spend all their time training with a single weapon and become masters of it almost at the start of their adventuring careers. These warriors are known as kensai. Although the word literally means “sword saint”, a kensai can devote himself to any melee weapon she chooses. There are kensai of axes, maces, even flails and spiked chains. What defines a kensai is the single-minded focus to a particular weapon, not the weapon itself.

Knights: Knights, both good and bad, are the masters of mounted combat and command, and the elite of noble soldiers. Only after many years of menialtasks, such as tending horsesm taking care of weapons and armor, and fixing meals, all occasionally broken up with lessons from a master, does a squire graduate to knighthood. Those without the persaverance to complete apprenticeship never earn the title “Sir”.

Pugilist: Pugilists don’t waste their time learning a large assortment of weapons. Instead they master the simplest of weapons: their own hands. They are boxer and brawlers; tough people who punch hard and weather savage beatings. While often harsh in their fighting and brutal in their appearance, they are, by the very nature of their fighting style, more merciful than most. While fights with more traditionally armed fighters end with dead littering the ground, fights with pugilists end with battered, unconscious opponents.

Shield Bearer: Shield bearers are fighters that make the shield their primary focus instead of their weapon. While certainly proficient with a blade, shield bearers possess unparalleled mastery of armor and shields. They often surprise opponents with their technique, parrying with their weapons and smashing back with their shields. When violence comes, they charge to the front ranks, for they are melee fighters first and foremost, eschewing most ranged weapons because of their incompatibility with the warrior’s beloved shields.

Survivalist: Survivalists are not nature lovers. They do not see themselves as a part of the wilds, and if they had a choice, they would stay within the confines of civilization. Unfortunately, dangers sometimes force people out of the cities, and when that happens, the suvivalist is prepared. These people might not love the wilderness, but they can trap game, make shelter, and find fresh water.

Targetteer: There are archers, there are marksmen, and then there is the targetteer. Focusing on the totality of ranged combat rather than settling on a single weapon, the targetteer is a dangerous opponent, for he possesses a reach often longer than it first appears and deadly accuracy.

Monk:

Dotted across the landscape are monasteries–small, walled cloisters inhabited by monks. These monks pursue personal perfection through action as well as contemplation. They train themselves to be versatile warriors skilled at fighting without weapons and armor. Various different styles of martial arts exist in Avalon, as well as various types of monks who study them. If you choose a fighting style, you may not then alternate into one of the variant monks.

Fighting Styles:

Cobra Strike: Monks of the Cobra Strike Academy specialize in agility and defense. Inspired by lightning-fast strike on the venomous serpent, the Cobra Strike school of martial arts teaches its students to combine mobility with deadly accuracy. By making herself hard to pin down, the Cobra Strike monk forces the enemy to fight on her terms. Cobra Strike members must be from Pharagos, as this is where the only school exists.

Denying Stance: The Denying Stance seeks to neutralize the opponents maneuvers, thwarting him at every turn until he makes a crucial error. Today, Denying Stance is widely practice by those willing to learn the art of a patient defense.

Hand and Foot: Students of the Hand and Foot style learn to use their appendages for both offense and defense. This style is very widely taught in all nations of Avalon.

Invisible Eye: Monks of the Invisible Eye rey on their other sense, particularly hearing, to aid them in combat. To the uninitiated, the style appears essentially defensive, yet a master of the Invisible Eye learns to turn defensive awareness into offensive prowess.

Overwhelming Attack: A monk trained in the Overwhelming Attack style always presses the advantage, preferring all-out offense over any form of defense. Some monks trained in other styles accuse the of unnecessary brutality, but it’s hard to argue with the results. Overwhelming Attack tends to be a very showy stylem with many devastating strikes and intimidating flourishes. Monks who practice this style tend to be enemies of monks that practice the Denying Stance do to an old rivalry.

Sleeping Tiger: The Sleeping Tiger was created by a monk descended from the Bors, based on his own animalistic urges and understandings. It is a style that mixes smooth motions with powerful strikes. It favors a quick, first-strike approach, preferably from a position of ambush. This is one of the more physically challenging of the known fighting styles, demanding a combination of strength and agility in those who master it. For that reason, it is also one of the rarer styles, taught by only a handful of senseis throughout the lands, although the Bors of Herath offer this style of training to their officially sponsored monks.

Undying Way: Monks of the Undying Way believe in patience above all else. They work to outlast their opponents by means of superior endurance. The Undying Way is popular among dwarves, who claim to have invented the style. Most believe this claim without difficulty, since the style takes advantage of dwarven durability and is still most widely known in Mordenguard. Masters of the Undying Way are known as “Immovables” and are highly respected withing dwarven communities.

Monk Variants:

Holy Monks: A monk who is particularly devoted to her religious beliefs gains divine powers in trade for some of her other talents. This type of Monk may freely multiclass with paladin and vise versa.

Hunter Monk: After mastering the basic talents of martial arts, some monks are selected to trade life in a monastery for a life of hunting the enemies of his order. This type of monk may freely multiclass with a ranger.

Martial Monk: Some monks train as soldiers rather than ascetic mystic warriors. These martial artists have a greater ranges of combat talents, but have less time to practice other skills. These types of monks may freely multiclass with any fighter class.

Raging Monk: A monk who learns to master his inner fury is capable of channeling this into greater physical power, although at the cost of some of his physical and mental grace.
Steadfast Monk: A monk might choose to give up some of his mobility in exchange for the ability to withstand attacks.

Vigilant Monk: A monk who can open her mind into greater awareness gains the talent to identify her enemies more easily, but she gives up some of her inner peace.

Champions of the Divine:

They are collectively known as holy warriors; champions of the divine who strive for a lifetime to live up to and personify the ideal in honor. Yet despite their shared devotions, which often draw dangerously close to fanaticism or obssesion, the various holy warriors cover a wide range of ideals and beliefs.

Paladin: The paladin is the most common of the holy warriors. The compassion to pursue good, the will to uphold law, and the power to defeat evil–these are the three weapons of the paladin. Few have the purity and devotion that it takes to walk the paladin’s path, but those few are rewarded with the power to protect, heal, and to smite. In a land of scheming wizards, dangerous beasts, and bloodthirsty dragons, the paladin is the final hope that cannot be extinguished.

Anarch: The anarch is a holy warrior charged with opposing law and order and encouraging others to do the same. He is a roving force of chaos, never remaining in one location for long but leaving his mark in the form of mayhem wherever he goes. Some anarchs profess that chaos is the ultimate freedom. Others claim that change is the natural state of the world. Few anarchs veiw of their holy mission is the same, and most change their opinions many times.

Avenger: The avenger is a guardian of the downtrodden and a champion of the victims in the world. She is a loner, wandering from town to town in constant search of wrongs to right and oppressive dictators to overthrow. Yet despite the avengers obsession with vengeance and punishment of those who do evil to others, she is not a cruel or sadistic person. She aims to temper her acts of vengeance so that the punishment fits the crime. Execution is a punishment of last resort, reserved only for the truly evil and despicable.

Sentinel: The sentinel is a wandering crusader who often lives the life of a nomad, sleeping under the stars and taking what sustenance he can from the natural world. He does so in order to patrol the breadth of the world, constantly watching for incursions from the Lower Planes. The sentinel finds the endless hordes of demons, devils and other fiends to be the most offensive and dangerous threat to life, and he has sacrificed much in order to become the perfect warrior, dedicated to preventing them from gaining any further hold on the world he loves.

Incarnate: The Incarnate is unique among the divine champions, for instead of a religion, she focuses her faith and belief in the philosophy of Balance, that the best of all possbile worlds is both good and evil, chaotic and lawful, all in equal balance. She recieves her divine spells and abilities through her unwavering devotion to Balance. When one force becomes too powerful in a region, she fights to restore the balance, either by allying with the opposing forces or fighting on her own. An overly lawful society that oppresses its populace is just as wrong in the incarnate’s eyes as a society that collapses into anarchy and barbarism. Likewise, a creature that indiscriminately treats everything with kindness and understanding is just as offensive as one that kills and slaughters without remorse.

Enforcer: The enforcer is the ultimate warrior for law and works hand in hand with his patron deity and liege (The same thing in the Thalosian Empire). To an enforcer, the laws of the land are as holy as the laws of his religion. Upholding and enforcing the laws take complete precedence over all other factors, and those who would flaunt or ignore the law deserve swift, but appropriate, punishment.

Natural Spellcasters:

Drudic Circles, hedge magic, ley lines... there are many that tap the divine magic of the land in Avalon, and they are listed below.

Druid: The fury of a storm, the gentle strength if the morning sunm the cunning of the fox, the power of the bear–all these and more are at the druid’s command. The druid however, claims no mastery over nature. That claim, she says, is empty boast of the city dweller. The druid gains her power not by ruling nature but by being at one with it. To trespassers in a druid’s sacred grove, to those who feel the druid’s wrath, the distinction is overly fine.

Wild Reaper: Autumn is a time for harvest. The fruits of summer fall from the vine and collect to rot, bearing the seeds and becoming food for next generation. This is where death interjects in the cycle of life, making killing a means of rebirth. Wild reapers acknowledge this aspect of nature and love it for the vital force it is. With a dispassionate eye, the wild reaper sees the autumn of all creatures, and when a creature’s harvest time comes,a wild reaper is ready with scythe and spell.

Wind Walker: Air fills the voids, flowing into hungry lungs to give life to the newly born. Air passes soft lips to breathe words, granting creatures the ability to comprehend one another. The wind walker knows he cannot hope to master these, the air’s most subtle and powerful abilities, but he can gain power over its more brutal movements.

Metal Master: If stone forms the bones of the world, then assuredly metal makes for the land’s marrow. It colors cave walls and forms ingots in shallow streams, but it otherwise lacks the prescence and power fo the more obvious elements of nature. Yet when harvested and shaped for a purpose, few materials have strength enough to resist it. This quality of metal forms the core of the metal master’s philosophy.

Urban Druid: The urband druid knows each city is, after a fashion, a living organism. Each city has its own personality, its own joys, its own nightmares. The prescence of its citizens are its voice, and the memories of its dead are its soul. The buildings are its bones, the streets its veins, and the protective walls its skin. Its eyes are the market, and its ears the port. Urban druids draw their power from the city, and return it tenfold through devotion and faith.

Priests:

Religion is one of the defining factors in any culture. It influences behavior, attitudes, art, the making of war, and Avalon is no different. Many priests live in Avalon, and their doctrines differ in many ways, making them a diverse group indeed.

Cleric: The handiwork of the gods is everywhere, in places of natural beauty and in mighty crusades, in souring temples, and in the hearts of worshipers. A cleric uses the power of his faith to make his will manifest, and if he does so to increase his own lot, well, that’s to be expected too.

Ancestral Speaker: Many cultures, from areas of Herath, to the lands of Pharagos especially give their religious devotion not to deities, but to the spirits of their departed ancestors. An ancestral speaker calls upon his forebears, and the deceased patriarchs and matriarchs of his clan, family, or nation for spells and guidance. Unlike standard priests, whose devotion is often to their priesthood, an ancestral speaker serve and protects the honour of his ancestors and the well-being of his people with equal fervor. They are, after all, essentially the same thing; his people today are the family who of those who have gone, and they themselves will one day be ancestor spirits to the following generations.

Arcane Disciple: Some priests give their devotion not to the many religions, but to the concept and forces of magic itself. They believe that magic represents the fundamental power underlying all reality and worship it as a force higher than any god. These arcane disciples believe that all magic is inherently linked, although they have only managed to cross the boundary between arcane and divine in minor fashion. Many arcane disciples multiclass as wizards and go on to obtain the mystic theurge prestige class.

Aspirant: Among some religious orders, the goal is not to serve the gods, but to become like them. Some people believe divine ascension is possible–that mortals can rise to take a seat beside the gods themselves. Others maintain that mortals cannot become divinities but that they might serve the gods on a higher plane as proxies and saints. Still others believe that even if they never achieve true ascension through their endeavors, their efforts to imitate the divine raise them above their fellow mortals.

Benevolent: In many places, the primary function of the priest is to bless the undertaking of others, to grant the god’s favor on those who labor in their name. The benevolent exemplifies this role. A benevolent is devoted to aiding and abetting others in times of need and to increasing the good fortune of his allies. The benevolent is as capable in combat as any priest–otherwise he could not accompany the soldiers on the battlefield–but his focus is on their needs, not his own. The vast majority of benevolents are good-aligned, although evil ones are not unheard of.

Crusader: the crusader is a holy warrior, a martial priest dedicated to battling the enemies of the church and spreading the teachings of his religion throughout the lands. The crusader is in many respects akin to the divine champions, but is solely devoted to ridding the world of his religion’s rivals, rather than any code. She wields the weapon and spell with equal faculty, and is willing either to lead others into battle or stand against the enemy alone.

Evangelist: Variably respected, scorned, or feared by other clerics, the evangelist has an intensely personal relationship with the divine. He has little if any formal training, and did not necessarily set out to serve any religion; instead, his link with his god or gods developed naturally, not unlike a sorcerer’s spellcasting ability. Evangelists have a narrower range of spells than a cleric, but they are capable of casting their spells spontaneously, with no need for advance preparation.

Miscelaneous Classes:

Wizard: A few unintelligible words and a fleeting gesture carry more power than a battleaxe, when they are the words and gestures of a wizard. These simple acts make magic seem easy, but they only hint at the time a wizard must spend poring over her spellbook preparing each spell for casting, and the years before that were spent in apprenticeship to learn the arts of magic.

Sorcerer: Sorcerers create magic the way a poet creates poems, with inborn talent honed by practice. They have no books, no mentors, no theories–just raw power that they direct at will.

Rogue: Rogues share little in common with each other. Some are stealthy thieves. Others are silver-tongued tricksters. Still others are scouts, infiltrators, spies, diplomats, or thugs. What they share is versatility, adaptability, and resourcefulness. In general, rogues are skilled at getting what others don’t want them to get: entrance to a treasure vault, safe passage past a deadly trap, secret battle plans, a guard’s trust, or some random person’s pocket money.

Ranger: The forests are home to fierce and cunning creatures, such as bloodthirsty owlbears and malicious displacer beasts. But more cunning and powerful than these monsters is the ranger, a skilled hunter and stalker. He knows the woods as if they were his home (as indeed they are), and he knows his prey in deadly detail.

Urban Ranger: Eschewing the woods and nature for the confusing and cobbled streets of the cities, these men and women are just as cunning and deadly as their more wild-oriented counterparts. Skilled in the art of the chase, these rangers often serve as bounty hunters, spies, and assassins. The bane of his enemies, to cross blades with an urban ranger is deadly indeed.

Bard: It is said that music has a special magic, and the bard proves that saying true. Wandering across Avalon, gathering lore, telling stories, working magic with his music, and living on the gratitude of his audience: such is the life of the bard. When a chance or opportunity draws them into conflict, bards serve as diplomats, negotiators, messengers, scouts, and spies.

Barbarian: From the dank forests of Herath, from the fallen towns and cities of the many wars of Avalon, and the desert wastes that are Roushe come the teeming hordes of brave, even reckless warriors. Civilized people call them barbarians or berserkers and suspect them of mayhem, impiety, and atrocities. These “barbarians”, however, have proven their mettle and their value to those who would be their allies. To enemies who underestimated them, they have proved their cunning, resourcefulness persistence, and mercilessness.

Thalos:
The main nation of Avalon is Thalos. Created by the first God-King it is the hub of the powerful Thalosian Empire which rules much of Avalon. Even though Aluvia contests it, the ruler of Thalos is referred to as the Great King of Avalon, and vernerated like a god. Defended by a special group of soldiers known as the Order of Thalos, the Great King of Thalos is one of the most well protected people on the continent.

Mordengaurd:
To the south of Thalos is the dwarven nation of Mordenguard. Home to the Temple of Stone Mordenguard has been known for it's finely crafted items and wonderfully sound architecture. Warriors of great respute are said to train here.

Roushe:
To the east of Mordenguard is the desert nation of Roushe, little more than a spattering of villages and nomadic tribes, Roushe is home to bandits, thieves, and liars. Halflings and Orcs come from these parts, as well as Gnomes from the more southern regions, where the desert sand turns into the Plains of Wasting. Roushe is an independent nation with few natural resources, and has an alliance with the Thalosian Empire in case of an attack. The Temple of Winds can be found amongst swirling sands here in Roushe, though it’s exact location is not well-known.

Herath:
South of Mordenguard, the land of Herath is divided into five-city states. Each with it's own royal family. The royals of Herath are distinct in that they are all marked by their natural lycanthropy. Because of royal and peasant liasons, many shifters (humans descended from lycanthropes with slight shape-shifting powers) roam the lands. The royal familes are the Merricks= Werewolves, Van Winkles= Wererats, DuLocs=Werebears, Darmouts=Wereboars, Bors=Weretigers. One of the rulers of each clan dominates the other four through use of his own personaly army or guile and is declared the Overking of Herath.

Stratis:
East of Herath and south of Roushe, the small nation of Statis is an independent country that runs on a republic monarchy. The Senate elects one person to lead them. And the people of a town elect the senators. Prideful, happy, passionate, the people of Stratis are good and loyal friends. Home to the Temple of Flame, this is where the Brotherhood of the Burning Heart, and ardent religious order started. And it now has chapters stretching not only across their country, but in large cities of Herath and some villages of Roushe.

Cynedicia:
Cynedicia is the home of the Temple of Droplets, an elven nation filled with peaceful and wise people, Cynedicia is a site to behold, with lovely lakes, luscious forests and villages that are built atop gigantic redwoods. They are a part of the Thalosian Empire.

Kesh:
To the west of Herath lies the nation of Kesh. Home of the Temple of Shadows this nation has seen many wars and many different rulers. At one time or another it has been both a part of the Thalosian Empire, and the Aluvian Coalition, however, at the moment it mantains it’s freedom from either. Under the rule of House Velonous the people of Kesh are treated with respect and peace is maintained by the strength of the Keshan Blademasters, powerful warriors who prefer two swords to one.

Pharagos:
Once the home of the destructive Necrolord Solus the Fallen, and then later Davion the Sar, Pharagos has seen it’s share of evil tyrannies, and under the yoke of the Aluvian Coalition, they find themselves the first defense against attacks by the Thalosian Empire. Beaten down for centuries, the citizens of Pharagos, once a proud people, are now cowardly and submissive. Some however, rise up to try and lead their people into a new age. These proud men and women boast of a time when Pharagos was a force to be reckoned with, and they rebel against the Aluvian Coalition.

Acclasia: Home to the Temple of Light, the Acclasians are a part of the Aluvian Coalition, and they accept it wholeheartedly. Away from the strict laws of the Thalosian Empire, they are encouraged to free speech, and higher level so art. The greatest scholars in the worlds are Acclasians, and they have established bardic colleges, and Wizards Towers in many places around the nation.

Aluvia: The base of operations for the Aluvian Coalition, the people of Aluvia are prideful and strong-willed. Preaching for freedom and liberation from the tyranny of the Thalosian Empire, some Aluvians fear that their nation has merely become another tyrannical force in the world.

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