Lurker's Stories Comment Section

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

DeMatt said:

It's not? Huh. It just seemed like a good place for it to end. Certainly, if I was reading a chapter book, I'd expect that line about "riding it out - literally" to be the last line in a chapter. Not really a cliff-hanger, since we know what's coming up next thanks to the database entry, but a good natural breakpoint between Karen getting caught and Karen getting impregnated.

Don't let my opinions stop you from writing the rest of the smut, though. The way I'd plot it, chapter 1 would be what you've written - Karen getting caught. Chapter 2 would then be the impregnation. Chapter 3, she wakes up in the wyvernkin's lair with a bulging belly, and gets to experience being nursed by the wyvernkin up to and through the birth. Chapter 4... searchers find her naked body and she wakes up in the hospital, and that's the end.

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True, but I can't leave it without a nice gooey ending now can I?

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

Just wanted to say I finished reading the rest of your L4D: Advanced Infection story and really enjoyed it. Short but sweet but still the ending gives me the chance to come up with all kinds of interesting imaginations. Slowly, slowly I'm giving in to the zombie obsession...

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

First off: I've edited the first post to be up-to-date with all of my writing endevors, both from the start of the fourum to present day.

Second off: I'm getting the writing itch, though in the 40k direction for some reason. I've heard people wanting me to bump Advanced Infection though so I may try to do that.

Third off: I'll post these two here for the lulz: Older 40k writing focused on my Chaos champion char Kelinas and some army concepts. Perhaps it's what's sparking my creative moods (mixed with a visit to 1d4chan wiki of all things)
Fluff Thread: Servents of Kelinas and Dragonrose Renegades
Destruction of Malar, a story written for a 'Fluff' contest that needed to feature a battle. I jumped to the end of the story more or less

Fourth off: POST IN PATHS OF ADVENTURE ADVANCED FOR FRAG'S SAKE!!! I NEED INPUT YA GROTS!!!

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

Decided that, to help aliviate some of the writer's block I've gotten in regard to Darkness Reversed, I'd get back into my 40k writing again. Looking back and deciding I barely fleshed out the world where Rise of Kelinas (and later, hopefully, Seraph's Fall) are set, it'd be best to flesh out the history of the Malar system, and perhaps try to tie the story in a bit better with at LEAST the 1d4chan interpretation of 40K, if not proper fluff.

And thus, timeline of events:

-M31, aka Great Crusades Era-

* Colony ships 'Haven' and 'Miracles' arrive at the Malar system, positioned at the north-eastern sector of the universe. The ships have a relatively easy landing on the planets Malar IV and Malar Prime, and swiftly turn into small colonies. Malar IV in particular is made of seperate, smaller desert colonies, whereas Malar Prime is found to find a high degree of metals and ores required for high-grade munitions and other constructs. Sororitas Missionary fleets and other ships reach the sector, until finally fringes of the Great Crusades arrive. Malar Prime is sanctioned as a Forge World.

-M39-

* A proper Church for the Adaptus Sororitas is formed, called the Church of the Pandemic Rose. Orphanages are set up in the sector, taking advantage of Malar's seemingly large population of females.
* As time draws to the 26th Founding, a apothecary gets the crazy idea of trying to combine the geneseed of the White Scar and Iron Fist. Attempting to make a strong but fast army, he obtains samples of these two legendary chapters, only to find them fragmented and deteriorating from improper handling. Desperate for a replacement, he is - begrudgingly- forced to use geneseed of the Knights Inductor (otherwise known as the 'Reasonable Marines') to fill in the gaps of the broken geneseed samples.
* The resulting marines from this combination of geneseed leads to Battle-Brothers both highly intelligent and also steadfast in defense of the Imperium's people, where the hoped speed of the White Scar legion is mostly regressed. Unfortunately, neither the warp immunity of the Knights or the strategic mastery of the Iron Fist properly sticks, and as a major downside the Knight's weakness of resistance to hypnotherapy means they must be trained slower. The resulting marines are still sanctioned as a chapter at the 26th Founding, resulting in the Asturius Nova marines, and are stationed in Malar IV as their homeworld.

-M40-

* The Asturius Nova begins showing a distinct interest in technology, and several of the tech marines begin to tinker with new patterns, allowing the Forgeworld of Malar Prime to pick them apart. Two designs, after much tentative thought and 'What the Fuck' reactions by the techpriests, are put through a test creation: The 'Sidewinder' pattern cluster rocket launcher and the 'Archon' pattern Double Heavy Bolter. The Asturius begin testing these weapons in conflicts with the local Ork populations.
* As if the universe was asking for a larger test population, Hive Fleet Gorgon begins to push tendrils of itself into the nearby system, and Malar 4 soon comes down with the case of the 'Nids. The Archon and Sidewinder prove super effective against the mast hordes of the invasion, and for the most part the planet is cleaned of the xeno scum, between the Nids fighting a two-way war of the Boltbusta Orks and Asturius Nova mareens and the new tech helping to stem the tide. Many of the Nova marines are lost however, resulting in only around 1,000 ready battle brothers by the end of the invasion.
* Thanks to the new weapon's success, the Forgeworld takes the sign that the tech marines probably have some good ideas, and decide to slightly break from tradition and let the Nova marines work on researching new tech.

-M41-
* The Nova marines turn into a mainly techy version of the Imperial Fist, relying on masterful technology to hold the line while using the cunning and smarts relayed to them from their Knights Inductor side to realize they couldn't keep going with the number of male recruits that were vastly inferior then what they needed for holding the sector and growing a proper chapter. When these concerns are brought up to the proper Chapter Master, a librarian named Grits, he ensures that time will allow them to grow to strength. Seemingly he's expecting the 1,500 brothers gained during the last millennium to grow exponentially in the face of the huge Y chromosome factor that the Malar system has had since it's inception?

-M41 - 10 Years before the Malar Heresy Incident-
* An apothecary, Brother Hermes, decides enough is enough, and acts to try and stop the declining numbers in an entirely new way: engineering a process to reform geneseed into female applicants, spurred by desperation for keeping the Chapter intact. Between his actions and the actions of a Techmarine called Brother Harthorn, Project Artemis is created. Their first test subject is a Imperial Guard sergeant called Genera Blackmason, who is shown to be able to handle the geneseed using a modified testing procedure. Genera is put through a massive hormonal and gene therapy, before the necessary implants, organs, and so on are installed, but the process, while taking nearly a week to properly finish, leaves Genera as the project's first success.
* Chapter Master Grits naturally outcries Brother Hermes and Harthorn's outright breaking of the Codex, but before he can finish decrying all their work- Genera included- destroyed, he is interrupted first by the arrival of a Inquisitor, and reports of an attack by Dark Eldar on one of the outlying settlements.
* The villiage of Tamerine is destroyed by Dark Elf raiders on Malar IV. As Vox dispatches several marines to help with the cleanup procedure, Inquisitor Paulina manages to reach the site as well. Only one survivor is found, a young Seraph Soulstorm, who is sent to one of the Pandemic Rose's sponsored orphanages. This same attack has Seraph's sister Kelinas stolen as one of the many Dark Eldar captives.
* Pauline is assisted in the judgement of Hermes and Harthron's judgement by a secondary Inquisitor. Not only is the two cleared and credited for having broken the key of a severe recruitment issue, but also Grits, enraged at the verdict, attempts to take violent action against Genera. Reacting on instinct from her Imperial Guard training, Genera slays the Chapter Master in self-defense. As a result, a Inquisitorial Sanction is now slated on Genera herself. Those Imperium politics... -,-
* Meanwhile, in the Dark Eldar capital of Commorragh, the Wytch Heryich decides she likes the squirms and whimpers of a particular slave for some particular reason. As a result, Kelinas Soulstorm is forced to endure ten long human years in the hellish world under the well-manicured claws of her captors, constantly repaired by her captors before being brutalized again.

-M41 - 9 Years before the Malar Heresy Incident-
* Genera is finally cleared of any wrongdoing of Grit's demise. Harthorn's placed in command of the Ashturius Nova. Project Artemis is once again resumed, however even with this new process progress is slow for volunteers, due to the relative newness of the process used in Artemis and concerns that the Pandemic Rose's recruitment may suffer.
* Paulina takes time before she leaves to inspect the Malar Defense Force's bunkers, and is alarmed to find a 'heretical' artifact. Without any further explanation or chance to explain her actions, Paulina has the ENTIRE COMPLEX burned to the ground by holy fire. Malar IV is thrown into an outrage, especially as she won't elaborate what this 'artifact' is. The entire sector is in uproar, to the point a good chunk of the surviving Guardsmen desert their station. Pauline is as a result quickly ferried out of the sector before she is literally stoned to death in a political shitstorm.
* Attempts to contact the separated soldiers fail, as open-cast vox communication fails to garner reaction to the deserters. They are begrudgingly deemed heretics.

-M41 - 5 Years before the Malar Heresy Incident-
* Contact with the 'Bolt Bustaz' Orks begins to grow again with the Defense Network. Reports also stem on seeing the renegade armies, causing panic and concern to grow into the general populace.
* Unseen by the Imperium, two chaos cults grow in the jungle: a group of Nurgle psykers, gifted with some form of prophesy, and a Slaanesh pleasure cult, stop outright bickering with each other, ending in a begrudging standoff. The leader of the Nurgle faction, Blankrot Mechthoric, gets the premonition of a Chaos Chosen will eventually rise in power on Malar IV and consume it.

-M41 - Incidents preceding the Malar Heresy Incident
* A chaos cult begins to form on the jungle world of Malar III, while simultaneously the Tau Empire attempts to get a foothold in the sector on that planet.
* Blankrot's premonition begins to echo through the chaos-laden folks of Malar IV, before eventually reaching the ears of the Arbites. Pauline is once again called forth to deal with this new heretical threat, while the Imperial Guard wonders how many more barracks complexes she's going to burn while here.
* Two Greater Demons, Zionis the Possessor and Kurthroth the Sluggish, argue which of their masters is truly better then the other. Deciding trying to impress a mortal with their great power was the best way, they search for a weak open soul, and stumble upon the spirit of Kelinas, who has somehow resisted being entirely broken by her captors for ten long years. Deciding she was perfect, the two demons instantly decided to use her. Kurthroth started first, infecting Kelinas with tons of various plagues. A disgusted- and suddenly infected with a painful virus- Heryich swiftly removed the source of infection, but Kel stayed infected with the worst of it for about of month. Afterwards, Zionis quietly took the weakened girl into a small corner of the warp, lavishing attention and sensations to Kelinas. When the demons finally told her the ghist of their little contest and gave her an ultimatum- choose which helped her more- Kel couldn't just select one of them, instead having one of their followers graft her shoulders with the symbols of Slaanesh and Nurgle each. The two demons, while somewhat disappointed in not being chosen properly, were amused with the turn of events and seeming blind devotions to her savior, gifting Kelinas with several powers, but leaving a few nasty side effects. Though Zionis was heavy-handed in her gifts granting her beauty back and heightened senses (and a minor form of invulnerability to smaller wounds) at the cost of needing to feel strong emotion regularly, Kurthroth was the most restricting, ensuring if she went to strong emotions she would forcibly exert the Plaugefather's gift, a large monstrous claw that sprouted from her arm which excreted slime that could rot even the strongest metals. Vowing to herself to use her new powers to ensure others won't suffer at the hands of the Dark Eldar (or the incompetence of the Imperium) like her, Kel begged her new saviors to return her to Malar IV.
* Seraph Soulstorm finally reaches the age of being properly accepted in the Pandemic Rose. In comparison to her more fervent Sisters, however, Seraph is more composed and often silent, more acting instead of speaking. However, this is in part of her not personally believing the Imperium's blind indocturation. Instead, she holds beliefs in early Malar customs that sprouted up before the Imperium returned, traditions that her parents worshiped and listed as word, and reasons her will to fight as protecting the people, not the religion. She is registered into the Pandemic Rose, and even worse for a closet heretic, as part of the Inquisitorial Escort wing.
* The Ashturius Nova's numbers have steadily climbed since the induction of Project Artemist, resulting in an even mix of Artemis and standard battle brothers, leading to a chapter of 8,000 strong. Project Artemis is considered a rousing success for the Nova Chapter.

---
The events of Rise of Kelinas and Seraph's Fall take place
---

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

lurker said:

If someone tells me how that thing COULD be made for smexings I would still say no. There is no boomers at all here, thank the gods

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boomer? hm....VOOOOOOOOOORRREEE SMEEEEEEEX

makes sense i think ^^
lol im to big a perv xD

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

mataroki said:

boomer? hm....VOOOOOOOOOORRREEE SMEEEEEEEX

makes sense i think ^^
lol im to big a perv xD

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..Talk about necroing o_o Ya do realize the story that was describing has for some reason deleted itself from the fourum, right?

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

Thanks to a web comic series called Spinnerette, I'm suddenly inspired by a older story idea that I will probably use to try to get my writing back to a more nominal level. I keep getting stuck on Darkness Reveresed, and even Dark Gate posts make me take forever x,x; so hopefully something new will help.

Basic synopses is essentially a mix of slightly-future, misused science, and teenage hyjinks centered around a somewhat abnormal PI agency for paranormals created by a group of ex-specimens by said science misusing people. Which btw still try to free other specimens in their offtime. The story name: Paranormal Inc.

-----

Longer synopses: When a young man down on his luck is dragged away by mysterious people, he awakes in a testtube during the crisis in a laboratory owned by the shady Pentacorp Industries. While escaping, he inadvertently rescues two other people, a young woman and a strange slime creature that follows them around. Upon escaping from the labs, cold and vulnerable, they are picked up by a man named Dr. Ford. The good doctor transports them to an old mansion on the edge of the town, and explains the situation:

Pentacorp Industries is a high-profile genetics researching company, and it's shady experiments in the name of science resulted in the two humans gaining traits and powers related to various mythic creatures- if it wasn't obvious from the lad having a mutated arm, large horns behind his ears and a draconian tail now. They learn there are others like him, as well as the startling fact that cryptozoology isn't quite the crackpot science as people believe it is. Until the heat of their escape is over, Dr. Ford invites them to stay at the mansion, however they need to figure out how they are to keep the mansion's rent payed in the meantime. Being unable to really go out in public, the male, who takes the name Sparx, suggests maybe trying to form some sort of paranormal Private Investigation. The woman, Tahnia, simply finds it crazy and, being somewhat normal in the status of her mutations, instead takes the job of outside world liason and working as a grunt at local shops.

Surprisenly, the PI plan works: Thier first client related to 'Paranormal Inc' as they call themselves, is a young vampire - who is seeking a secondary voice when it comes to her side of an inheritence, with an extremely racist mother, and naturally doesn't care about her more free-spirited daughter in comparison to her more 'proper' vampire brother. Long story short, the brother's sort of a evil guy....

Least, that's what I got planned thus far storywise. There's MUCH much more, and considering I had a sizable cast beyond Selica's induction and perdicament I'm sure it'd help me get my juices going again

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

Been working on some conceptual stuff over at the Warframe threads, which included my rusty drawing skills. I submit a link here for some insult-dropping here by people not out of practice ','

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

Dun mind me, just dumping another in-progress item from another place of derpitude and perpetually figiting. Behold the Poididae, a racial concept for that one thing that barely anyone has probably heard about, Trials in Tainted Space.

Thread -

Google Doc -

Also, working on the idea of putting the Path of Ashes ruleset onto Google Docs and letting people other then me look it over in a more organized fashion or perhaps use/abuse it as they see fit. Yay or nay?

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

So, remember that 40k story I had written on ages ago featuring Kelinas Soulstorm and her terrible amount of self-admitted Mary-Sueness? >_>;

Well, I'm revisiting the Soulstorm Choronicles, but I'm gonna be doing it at a slightly-saner dustoff point for this factor. In this case, I'm chucking my creation onto Fanfiction.net for some extra sanity saving so I don't have to copy it over and over again, as well as allowing a admittedly easier formatting time over having to tweak it on every forum ever...

Anyway, this post is dedicated to the revival of Soulstorm Chronicles, in this case starting with Kel's sister Seraph. An athiest in the 40k storyline's equivalency of a sanctioned cult? Well this can only end in tears!

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

Because noone saw this coming, here's the start of the rewrite of Kelinas's story selection.

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

So, I'm deciding that it's finally time that I really think seriously about trying to do drawing commissions. May not entirely help paying bills, but hey, depending on things, it may help my art get better and my timeliness at jobs get a little more dedicated.

I'll probably debate more detail on prices as I work on seeing how much time it takes to crank out a better-quality sketch or two over today, but been debating maybe a 10 buck base for a black and white, unshaded sketch, with more detail or characters resulting in a extra 5 bucks per extra bit. Adult and mature content could also be a added fee, but I am unsure about that one still.

Still, may be worth experimenting.

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

Brain exercise, trying to help worldbuild the world of Blackshard a little bit. Blame one of the /tg/ worldbuilding threads for starting this, however this really needed to be done just so I can try to continue the story further.

- Blackshard Worldbuilding Bits -

*General Kalifer Notes*

- Blackshard's main continent is mostly spherical, split into the four kingdoms of the major races. After Rift Magic became a thing, certain fragments of the world took on extra details based off the Abyssites. Good examples would be an oasis forming in the greenskin's desert area with wild Abyssite plants growing.

- There is a secondary continent to the northwest, and a island chain off of it's eastern shores. The eastern islands are home to the Dragonkin Empire, and minus some trading from the tropic ports there is little contact with them by Kalifer itself.

- Wild monsters and beastmen existed before the rifts, thanks to Kalifer's magical energies. Beastmen commonly require females of other species for breeding, and tend to be aggressive to any trespassers. Attempts have been made to try and make peace with beastman tribes before, but in general the Beastmen are too wild of a mindset to last for long. Only one permanent village exists for the Beastmen where there is some cohabitation with them, in the northern mountains. This village, known as Herdspire, is pretty much an entity of itself, outside of any kingdom's laws.

- As well as beastman, there is also female monsters, known as monsterkin. Some specimens exist in Herdspire, but most are wild specimens, hard to tame. Much like beastman, they require another species to repopulate, however with the matings of beastman and monsterkin tends to result in only beastman, they tend to avoid each other. The only monsterkin truly trusted by any species is the Underelves's treaties with the Driders, with both the matriarchal society and the spidertype monsterkin sharing the race's men.

*Major Race Notes*

- Human -

Bog-standard human, with emotional energies behind them acting as their magic source. This form of magic is a bit more wild and untamed than the ones used by the other species, which rely moreso on channeling from one medium or another realm, but the effects are much more varied, from conjuration to even artificial life, depending on the strength of the spirit behind the spell or if it's augmented for better or worse with the rush of emotions.

*Kaliferian*

The primary human presence on Kalifer, tan-skinned and skilled with spear and horseback to compensate for the long plains and deserts that make up much of Kalifer's landmass. Kaliferians are a sturdy lot, with a heavy reverence to the god patheons that they worship. The Kaliferian main lord is the Rashiah, or High King, who oversees the actions of various city-lords, who further oversees the lands around the cities they own. Architecture tends to be hybridized between ascetic and militaristic, with large plain fortifications often surrounding highly decorative and intricate designed architecture.

*Shiriti*

Primarily living in the jungle, this female-dominant tribal society has dominance in the islands to the southeast of Kalifer, primarily surviving with fishing and hunting the many monsters of the jungle. The Shiriti have a high reverence to the goddess of war, Grandian, and often hold sacrifices of foodstuff and animals to gain her affections, with a yearly offering of a willing sacrifice to add to her harem in the afterlife. The Shiriti's primary warfare tactics rely on the spear and arrow, with highly decorative armor of feathers and pelts decorating their strong female warriors. For some reason, the men of the Shiriti tend to have stunted growth, causing a minor role reversal and a dominant, matriarch society.

*Helius*

Far to the east, beyond even the Dragonkin Empire, the Helius were rumored to exist for thousands of years, long before the Rift War began. However, a great cataclysm struck them, believed to be the goddess of elements, Kirania, punishing them for the perfection of soul magic to the point they could transfer soul energy into inanimate objects and golems, creating a massive empire which was constantly boasted at being the strongest of it's time. Massive earthquakes and tsunamis battered the island city of Helios, until finally it was brought into the ocean below. However, the Helius are believed to have somehow cheated death, and several members of thier society has popped up recently in the Dragonkin Empire, demonstrating this amazing technology that they bring along and speaking of Helios being able to hold the water back with their soul control. The question is, however, for how long can this last.

*Braxilian*

To the northwest of Kalifer lays the kingdom of Braxil, a strange kingdom which shows much more tolerance to the Beastkin and Monsterkin societies, with many fragments of such creatures even finding ways into the hierarchy of society. With that said, however, they have become a massive trade empire and a figurehead of technology, with many gifted individuals and scientists working alongside other races and creatures to rapidly plumb the secrets of the laws of magic and science. Known greatly for the advanced technology they wield and have invented, such as the massively powerful magitech boiler and airships, and a favoritism for gunpowder and fencing, the Braxilian humans are a vocal minority on the continent of Braxil but one wonders if the place would be the same without these pale-skinned inventors. Unfortunately, Braxilians have lost a lot of sight to the gods and goddesses of the world, becoming quite focused with the knowledge that they often get confused with the magical miracles those blessed by the spirits tend to show.

*Nullimite*

The Nullimites live to the south of Braxil and the west of Kalifer, and for the longest while it seemed that the kingdoms being formed there was relatively peaceful. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line a mysterious power rose through the ranks, by the name of the One Faith. Believing in a unnamed goddess above all and finding any that didn't share thier faith 'unworthy', the kingdom has quickly isolated itself, with horror stories of the fanatics butchering nonhumans and the nigh-devotion the Nullimites have to this unnamed figurehead. If and when the Nullimites develop naval ships strong enough for them to take their holy wars from the small island that had formed thier home, both Braxil and Kalifer fear that a conflict even greater than the Rift Wars may erupt.

-Elfkin-

Guardians of much of the southern jungles and central forests, the Elfkin are considered the most repressed species by the other three races, but when a race lives for centuries, it's hard not to stay relatively mellow. The elfkin mostly live in the sprawling Wood Elf capitol of Forest's Heart or the underground catacomb that is Spiderbloom, the capitol of the Under Elves, with small groups and individuals living in various locations around the world.

Most elven society is a primary matriarchy, with the Wood Elves' Grand Matriarch acting as the primary ruler of their kingdoms and main liaison for the Elfkin. The Under Elves' Spider Queen is also a seat of power, and often the Grand Matriarch and Spider Queen must meet against each other on a monthly basis to keep relations strong.

*Wood Elf*

Taller than most humans, with various sizes of ears, the Wood Elf has a unnatural synergy with nature, able to manipulate it easily without damaging the plants and animals. Wood Elves tend to be quiet and aloof, feeling that this great power of forest control is something worth renown and interest. Most elves take up the combat tactics of the archer and ranger, with skills of bows being one of the best of any race. Unfortunately, the elves suffer from a long development time and extremely low birthrates, when combined with the standard aloofness means that Wood Elves don't have huge numbers in comparison to some of the more breed-happy races. With that said, when a elf reaches 15 years old, their body has mostly matured. with only their minds being quite underdeveloped and arrogant.

*Under Elf*

Nearly the opposite of the Wood Elves, the Under Elves are highly connected to the nature and creatures that live far below the earth, managing to tame many of them and holding alliances with many of the Monsterkin and Beastmen that roam below. The Under Elves are also much more arrogant and sure of themselves, with the elves showing much interest of showing off their dominant personalities instead of repressing it like their surface cousins. The Under Elves barely go up to the surface, though they are well-skilled with the longblade and chakram when they do leave their underground home.

*Snow Elf*

The story of the Snow Elves is a sad one indeed. In the past, a colony of Wood Elves attempted to make a home into the Razorspine Forest, a dangerous woodland nestled into the heavy mountains of the far north. At first, these elves thrived, managing to tame a glade to make their home. Unfortunately, they had been close to the last secret hiding place of the Nether Worshipers from the Rift Wars, and several weeks after the colony was set up, they were attacked, many of them killed and many more of them captured. When the royal armies of the Grand Matriarch finally rescued the survivors and put the Nether Worshipers to the sword, the remaining elves had been twisted by the Nethermancy and cold environment, with bluish skin and white hair. Thus resulted the Snow Elves, outcasts of elfkin society who fear the curse they had been put under may spread to the other elfkin. Mostly loners, the Snow Elves have made very few settlements, the curse they suffer making their bodies constantly chilled but resistant to such harsh elements. Occasionally they will assist those that get lost in the dangerous mountains of the north, but it is rare when a Snow Elf will willingly leave the mountains they have been banished to.

-Dwarven-

Claiming to be the first race on the world, the Dwaves are a stalwart, if remote ally to the other kingdoms. With a focus of technology over any of that 'distrustful' magic, the Dwarves have instead discovered magic-laced stones such as flarestone, blast powder, sparkmetal, and so on, each allowing myriad of ways to be combined with more mundane materials like iron and gold to create truly marvelous technologies. Creating an empire based off of magitech, the Dwarves are one part trade empire, one part master technicians, and the technology they forge can be seen in many large settlements, even the magic-rich elf homes sometimes making use of the more basic magical stones and tech pieces for reliability reasons.

The main form of Dwarven production is threefold- magitech, ores and magic-infused stones and gems, and high quantities of salt, all of which are traded for the few things that the dwarf society isn't able to self-create. Most Dwarven fortress-homes require at least some degrees of self-sufficiency, due in part to being set in remote locations in comparison to standard villages. Luckily, a combination of ground roots, surface farms, and domesticated animals ensure dwarfish society keeps ticking.

*Mountain Dwarf*

The primary dwarf society, the Mountain Dwarves has dominance over many of the mountain ranges of Kalifer, with the dwarven fortress Grand Forge acting as both the seat of the Dwarves' Forgeking and one of the burial places of the cursed Blackshard Vaults. Dwarves are a rowdy bunch, constantly drinking and making merry when they aren't busy with work and tasks, often quick to anger and known to hold grudges over many years. With that said, the Mountain Dwarves are relatively open to other species, even the Elves that they tend to find as bad company.

*Cave Dwarf*

Most dwarves live in the upper elevations of mountains and caves, however at some point in history a colony of dwarves dug too deep, getting lost in the massive cave systems the Under Elves call home. Forced to fight against the monsters of the deep and too prideful for years to accept help, the colony resisted the calls to aid until they finally had secured a strong foothold and the underground fortress of Earth's Heart was created. Unfortunately, this constant war and anger at the 'outsiders' has left the Cave Dwarves as a extremely angry species, one that still to this day constantly rebukes outside help and shows great suspicion to any outsiders.

*Gnome*

Believed to be a offshoot of the Dwarves and responsible for the Dwarve's hatred of actual magical use, Gnomes are even shorter than dwarves, looking nearly childlike in comparison to the stocky, bulky dwarves. Some have theorized that the gnomes are nearly indestructible, with surprising amounts of elasticity and a rapid healing process, and even a little bit of the human's form of magical control, with power ebbing and swelling with their emotions. Gnomes seem to always be in a chipper mood, and are hard to angry or upset. Gnomes do tend to have a special effectiveness of technology, though the attention span required for enhanced technology tends to be wanting without practice.

-Greenskin-

The Greenskin race's history is a bloody one. Before the Rift War, the Greenskins were the main instigator of a lot of world conflicts, thanks to a bloody warlord acting as the Tribechief, the high leader of all the Orcs. When the Warlord finally fell in battle, and the other three races of Kalifer threatened to put the race down, a shaman approached his people, and attempted to lessen the bloodlust that the warlord had instilled in the Greenskins in general. History would remember him as Fribechief and High Shaman Gul'thog Spiritbreaker, and his rule over the Greenskin tribes would travel through most of the Rift War and beyond.

The Greenskin tribes are split into various sizes of demihumans, the development having split sometime in the past before developing into what we know them as today.

*Orcs*

The primary Greenskin tribe, Orcs are a proud, noble warrior race, who only began to find their magical niche under the tutorage of the great Spiritbreaker. Realizing that they could contact the spirits of the long-lost, the Orc temperament of a warrior culture mellowed slightly, mixing with a high amount of shamans and other spirit-using members.

*Black Orc*

Unfortunately, not all Orcs were able to fully contain themselves in battle, and as a result, the Black Orc subspecies came out of the woodwork somewhere in the time of the Rift Wars. Often referred to as Blood Orcs, because they are often smeared with crimson blood of a fresh kill, Black Orcs are terrifying berserkers, always in a angry rage, whose spirit has been twisted with the darker edges of the Orc's spirit control. Often, spellcasters of the Black Orcs are versed in darker arts such as necromancy and intense forms of spirit control. Those that can't control these gifts turn into unspeakable killing machines, known in Orc society as Thur'rags, aka Spiritmad. Spiritmad Orcs are a serious threat, and one that the Seers of the Orcs constantly hunt out.

*Goblins*

Much like Gnomes, Goblins are believed to be a similar mutation of the Orc genus back from the chaotic days of magic control, and before the Orcs themselves drove towards warrior combat before they became spiritual. Oddly, they also have the interest in technology, with the added bonus of the focus required to really work on the technology. Unlike gnomes, Goblins have no active control of magic themselves, instead relying on scavenged or handmade technology and the occasional dwarven or Gnomish creation. They're crafty little bastards, though, and their large ears are really sensitive to sounds. Combined this with similar, surprising survivability like the Gnomes, and a even larger desire for breeding in female specimens, and these a numerous addition to Greenskin society, often serving as the working class with their hodgepodge machines while the larger Orcs and Trolls fulfill as the primary armed forces and hunters,

*Trolls*

Also primarily living in the jungle edges near the Greenskin territories, trolls are interested in mysterious magical arts such as voodoo and necromancy, as well as more substantiated magical arts like herbalism and necromancy. Tall and lanky, Trolls have massively high regeneration rates, elongated ears, and long tusklike teeth, as well as a major interest with piercings and jewelery that seems to be a species-wide interest. Trolls in general are calm and relaxed, though if they enter battle they can become terrifying berserkers with a affinity with axe and throwing weapons and a great weakness for electricity.

-Abyssites-

As a general rule, the Abyssites are a mix of concepts- combining the classic ethereal and infernal themes, with a few shades of the Draenor destruction story in regard to the ending of their plane of existence, with a tiny bit of Cthulu-style background.

Originally in-tune to the realm known as 'the Nether', the Abyssites began to fear the creatures that dwell within, and through great spellwork on their part, managed to mostly sever them from that line of magic. Unfortunately, many individuals are still in tune with that magic flow, and after the realization of another dimension than theirs, the Rift Wars was sure to have been inevitable. After the Rift War, the Abyssites wound up having to create settlements of their own, and are perhaps the most widespread race in Kalifer as a result.

More than any other race variant, the Abyssites have the most varied of subspecies, ranging from hulking behemoths that at first glance look like a Beastman race, to slender and lithe near-human specimens. This sheer amount of variance has made it hard to classify Abyssites into a direct bloodline tree by the other races, though the Abyssites tend to refer to themselves under various 'tribes' thanks to specific generation traits or dietary needs.

*Cubite*

Smallest Abyssite variant, and the one that seems the least mutated in comparison to the standard humanoid races. Cubites are spirit-eaters, who must suckle spirit energy to feed. Luckily, humanoid species tend to have hearty spirits, but even still, it a cruel curse for the Cubites to suffer. Cubites are best known for being natural seducers and seductresses, and the usual variances of the Cubite race usually have short claws, some form of wings and tail, light horns, a mostly-humanoid body, uncommonly a form of foot mutation, and rarely a set of horns or more.

*Tetra*

Tetras ironically didn't start as a Abyssite race, but as a countereffect to the original human soldiers that went into the Riftlands. The first generations of children after they left the parents were surprised and confused to find them born with extra arms and other minor traits of the Gnarled, like occasionally horns and tails. Still, the primary difference is the near-human appearence, usually similar traits to the Kaliferians, and additional sets of arms. Usually this is a singular extra set, though certain individuals have had even up to eight arms at a time.

*Gnarled*

Arguably the most common of the Abyssites, the Gnarled were originally quite beautiful according to their history, only for the twisted practice of the Nethermancy to twist them into the forms they have today- hunchbacked, with a wide variety of mutations ranging from facial tentacles, elongated arms and fingers, twisted and digigrade legs, multiple arms, tentacles from limbs and backs, various forms of ears and tails, chitin and tendril hair, and other odd mutations, randomly between individuals. Gnarled are a stoic race now, usually quiet and studying the new world they have found themselves in, often taking up hobbies such as alchemy and herbalism as a result.

*Thrull*

Unlike most of the Abyssites, the Thrull are surprisingly uniform in how they appear, thanks to them having originated as a colony insect species many centuries prior to the Rift Wars. Resonances of Nether Magic help further develop these creatures faster than they were originally planned, resulting in a mostly-insect species with several humanoid members at the top of the evolution chain.

Thrull begin as a larval state, a large, two-foot-long spiky creature which, while it can defend itself, cannot really fight back as easily. This larva then evolves eventually into the other thrull variants, from smaller organisms that do various hive tasks to the three primary sentient Thrull variants, the Broodqueens, the Broodlets, and the Broodguards. Broodqueens are the primary breeders, entirely hermaphrodite and uses a combo of ovisposition and standard sexual intercourse to lay Thrull eggs at a rapid rate. Usually there is only a few Broodqueens per hive, though, as the tendency for one to try and assert dominance over other queens is strong thanks to natural selection. Broodguards are the warrior caste, with near meter-long claws and multiple spikes acting as defensive and offensive weapons as the case may need be, with vestigial wing muscles instead forming back scythes. Finally, there is the Broodlets, which are under-developed Thrulls which usually act as extra breeding stock (mostly as harems for the Broodqueens) or ambassadors for the Thrull hives. They appear similar to the Broodguard, but are much lighter in frame and the amount of sharp spines, as well as bearing long antenna and dragonfly-style wings from the shoulder blade.

It is rare to see a Thrull beyond the boundaries of the hives they have formed in the forests and deserts, but occasionally one can find a Broodlet or Broodguard who has become either hiveless or lost contact with the hive mind of the Broodqueen. Occasionally the sentient species are also grabbed as slaves, especially Broodqueens when they are found to be easily captured.

*Gurnord*

Massive in comparison to most their kin, Gurnords are huge, hulking Abyssites that stand easily nine feet tall or even larger, Gurnords however are quite accommodating to others, having a even temperament most of the time. With scaled skin, swept-back ram horns, digigrade legs, and commonly spikes from limb joints and claws. Coloration vary between individuals, but the Gurnord's are general guessed by the minor traits similar to the Gnarled as well, usually on a much more grand scale.

*Garden Watcher*

The Garden Watchers is a generalization of another form of the Abyssites, and possibly the closest to being a untamed species like the Monsterkin. This specimen type is formed similar to foliage and other trees, similar to the dryads and other elemental spirits in the forests, however they are separated in how they develop and the main food source.

The typical Garden Watcher growth form comes in a immobile, plant form, similar to a arulane, eventually creating itself legs to explore it's territory, before eventually becoming entirely independent. Eventually, the plantgrown woman no longer requires the ground-based nutrients, and is finally allowed to explore the world fully without requiring a tether to their roots. At this point is when most people are first aware of the Garden Watchers, this third stage.

Garden Watcher's diets require standard plant nutrients, such as light and sunlight (Varying depending on the base plant genus). However, much like the Cubites, the Garden Watchers are drawn to the lifeforce of other sentient species, and feed on the blood of these victims with surprisingly powerful seduction tactics.

Some common growth cycles of the Garden Watchers include Lust Rose/Rosus Erectus/Noctis Blossom, Bloodshroom/Spore Walker/Mushqueen, and Blood Sapling/Hunter Dryad/Redbark Walker.

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Post got too long aaa.

-Special Species-

Just a area for specific species and other sentients that appear in areas away from the main Blackshard plot, as well as specific beastie types.

*Blackshards*

The mad McGuffins of the plotline of Blackshard. Strange, parasitic creatures that can create powerful, nigh-invulnerable armor and destructive, powerful weapons. Believed to be created with the powers of the mad Nether magi, the truth is the Blackshards are natural creatures from the nether dimension- all that Ateryx did was bring them into the Riftlands, and further amplified them, including giving them a perverse intellect and other, greater powers.

In the Nether Realm, the Blackshards barely were activated, occasionally latching onto one of the other horrors of the Nether and getting easily plucked off and devoured. The modified Blackshards, however, have obsidian-hued carapaces that were as hard as diamond, and could be modified and even further enhanced with just a simple feeding on the love juices of the host. Even more devious, however, was Ateryx instilling the need to corrupt and force the host to enjoy the constant need for stimulation- eventually forming a form of manipulation by promising them further euphoric highs.

The most successful of these shards was the Blackshard given to Ateryx's mate, a Cubite named Ashur. Ashur was so taken by the shard that her own personality was taken over entirely by the shard, simply the fleshy vessel to hold inside of it for sustenance. Eventually though, the weakness of Ashur and the other Blackshard was discovered, and they were weakened to the point of returning into dormancy, the host destroyed with the Wychfire as a result.

Four of the Blackshards were captured, each held by one of the kindoms of Kalifer. Ashur was believed lost with the collapse of the Riftlands, although was recovered and sealed in a Nether worshiper's treasure hold. Left protected with the cult's riches, it would appear that Ashur was doomed to forever be without a host worthy to wield her again, though centuries later, was fated to bind with a young treasure hunter, beginning a new adventure...

Whether more such Blackshards can be discovered, or a way to recreate wild ones from the Nether Realm into the strengthened Blackshards we saw in the Rift Wars, all of Kalifer rather wishes to remain forever unknown.

*Trapdoor Drider*

Most Driders are content to live in the underground cave systems, using nonhumans and the occasional Drow male to sate thier appetites and urges. The Trapdoor Drider however is a active hunter, who lives primarily in the surface, mostly to be found in the southern jungles. Thier namesake is due to the habit of finding a small cave or hole in the ground and creating a camouflaged den out of it, from which they operate and hunt for prey. Most of the time, the Trapdoor Drider rests in her den for a few hours a day, occasionally being awoken as stealthily-hidden tripwires are triggered by animals and the occasional wandering male, rapidly awaking the Drider and usually leading to an attack.

*Werebeast*

Some humans are not entirely the same as others, a blood curse that infuses certain individuals with the traits and enhancements of animals at a terrible price. As the moon's focus in the sky grows stronger, the werebeast's forced to move into their full-blooded beast form, mostly mutated but having slight similarities to humans even within this form. The werebeast can call upon this form naturally, however they are forced into it when the moon waxes stronger.

This isn't a trait that happens just in humans, however. While humans (for the most part) usually exhibit werebeast forms such as wildcats, wolves, and bears, dragonkin have been known to become mythical werebeasts such as chimeras and true dragons, with dwarves and greenskin having similar mutations in their bloodlines as well with varying levels of mythical force. Elves rarely suffer from the werebeast mutation, though they seem to have the most control over the mutation, able to partly suppress it even during the full moon.

*Wyvernkin*

While the Dragonkin do claim that they are the the trueborn of the great dragons, the Wyvernkin are visibly a close second. With just legs and wings, and a poisoned tail, manelike hair, and scaled hide, the Wyvernkin are a mix of harpy and dragonoid, but are truely wild and feral, much closer to the Beastmen and Monsterkin. The wyvernkin have one other minor difference- they are entirely hermaphrodite, feminine forms with sizable cocks. Often when in the need to breed, they will swoop down to capture a target, raping them in midair before returning them to close to where they found them. Wyvernkin's tails contain a powerful paralyzing toxin, with minor aphrodisiac qualities, often used to subdue prey and breeding partners.

*Undead and Defiled*

Magic isn't always a helpful thing. Unfortunately, necromantic magic, while having a major stigma against it, isn't illegal, and does have it's uses to a progressive society, however the ones who have used it for evil are as numerous, spreading the curse of the undead to many creatures. Zombies, skeletons, and other such creations are terrible things, using the parts of the living to be used as soldiers and slaves.

What is even worse is the Curse of the Defiled. Certain sorcerers create their undead minions with a terrifying magical attack, cursing those who get felled by their hand to share the fate of undeath in the most terrifying of ways. While the Defiled's body starts to lose the strength and vitality of life, the Defiled's spirit begins to weaken, slowly being eaten away until all that is left is another zombie or similar horror.

While a Defiled is only truly free of the curse upon death, they can leech soul energy from other creatures similar to the Cubi to survive and regain some of their vitality and life again, with the downside that even the briefest of skin contact with result in this leeching of soul energy. Some are driven mad with this need, the rush of gaining sustenance turning into an addiction that makes them worse than even standard undead. Others immediately try to avoid population, as they would be feared and hunted after in general for just revealing the fate they have suffered.

As it stands now, no cure has been discovered for the Curse of the Defiled, but some of their members try to hold onto their sanity, hoping to find a cure before they are forced to spread the curse themselves.

*Shifters*

A race that seems to have appeared sometime after the Rift Wars, unknown whether they were originally from the Riftlands or from Kalifer's darkest corners. Shifters are a shady folk, often coated in dark hoods that obscure all from sight, with hunched backs and long, thing bodies, nearly pitch-black and with long claws. Some have described a Shifter without it's cloak as a living shadow with piercing-bright eyes, though apparently their eyes don't show through the cloaks they wear. Shifters are greedy and power-hungry by nature, and have great touch with magics many may consider to be unsavory, as well as the ability to manipulate their base forms at will for whatever task they need. Shifters are deathly afraid of sunlight, however, and have a weakness to any attack with bright light. Even with these weaknesses and their cowardly, backstabbing ways, they always try to climb the ladder to a place of power. Legends tell of a Shifer that, upon reaching queendom, became obsessed in attempting to find a way to make herself a goddess, and was overthrown as she tried in vain to plead to the heavens for the power to defend herself from the invading, starving peasantry. The Goddesses responded with a beam of light into her throne room, incinerating her utterly.

*Dragonkin and the Dragon Empire*

East of Kalifer and the Southern Isles is the Scaletail Islands, entirely populated by the Dragonkin and the last known resting place of trueblood dragons. The dragonkin has created a empire focused along the two major breeds of dragonkin, the bulky and strong Western Dragonkin and thin and mystical Eastern Dragonkin, each coexisting on the islands after finally being brought together via the plight of the great dragons themselves.

Open with themselves, their bodies, and their prowess, the Empire has a sizable form of armies and knowledge, though they do offer trading and occasionally the Dragonkin do wander from the islands, though the Empire itself hasn't marched to war since the great battles that happened before the Empire between Western and Eastern dragons. Most of the dragonkin practice many forms of martial arts, performance arts, and even freely practice many forms of sexual kinks openly, resulting in a lot of confusion by other countries at the open nature of the Empire.

*Constructs, Mechoids, and Machina*

Mechanized creatures were first created by the Helius, with their mystical Machina creations being given a soul via their own overwhelming soul energy. Other magicians and technicians would eventually figure out similar systems, creating artificial life in the form of Constructs and Mechoids, which assist sentient species to this day.

Machina are known for usually being designed around some form of aquatic animal, carved from heavy stone as a solid block before the soul magic infusement process, where articulation is molded into the stone as well as the primary energy. Gemstones and special 'Spectre Crystals' are installed into the device as well, with the Spectre Crystals also able to act as 'keys' to power a construct with specific uses. These devices are charged with immense soul energy, many of them being able to levitate and be guided around by the controlling Helius, while others are created much greater and left to roam and protect. Primarily of these is the great Leviathan, a Machina created by the Helius after they were sunk, to act as a guardian from hostile invaders.

Constructs are very similar, but are much, much less complicated. Usually a construct is created by random debris or specific, separate parts by a magos for a singular purpose before they are discarded again, requiring less finickiness and fuss preparing the construct. There is some who create specific armatures and parts for constructs, empowering them constantly to make them as assistants and servants, however they still rely on outside orders and are no better than just simple devices who constantly do specific tasks of the caster.

Over in Braxil, the people there started to develop technological bodies, which are then powered and programmed, resulting into a new version of construct called 'Mechoids'. As Spectre Crystals are a rarity in Braxil, most of these Mechoids are ran with boilers, tech engines and other mundane power systems. Occasionally, a extremely advanced mechoid is created with advanced technology combined with the soul energies of a Spectre Crystal, though because mechoids can learn and think for themselves thanks to artificial AI, it is a rare operation for such a infinitely-powered construct to be made in Braxil.

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

-God Patheon, aka the Great Goddesses-

The religion of Kalifer is primarily based around the Goddesses, a selection of celestial beings that watch over and subtly influence the actions of the world, and occasionally have minor quarrels that spill over into reality. While most worship the Goddesses as a pantheon, some individuals focus on the worship of a singular goddess, or occasionally decide to forgo the goddesses and just worry about the realm they inhabit right now. The primary pantheon is below, and the ones most recognized by the general Kalifer inhabitants, even if they do not worship them.

Lirorious - The Mother Goddess, The Lifegiver
Lilorious is considered the starter of all life, creation, and even the celestials themselves, birthing them and asking them to assist in her creation. Lilorious is a humble goddess, however, watching her children mostly from the background as they tend to their duties. She is considered the goddess of creation and the patron of the realities.

Ashea - Goddess of Nature, Queen of the Woods
Ashea is credited for the many creatures and spirits that wander the woods in Kalifer and Braxil, seen as a centauress that drives through the woods, hunting those who dare defile the forest. Naturally, Wood Elves are majorly into this particular goddess.

Kirania - Goddess of the Elements
An easy to anger goddess, who guides the winds and rains around the world. She has on several times shown some minor irritation at mortal's attempts to stop her job, such as making barricades from floods or defending from winds. She's most known for the sinking of the city of Helios, the magical mastery the people showed, sinking the entire island into the waves.
Kirania is aided by Elementals, humanoid spirits that are comprised of many of the elements she has control of. These feminine spirits tend to wander idly in areas of high magical force, and show just the same amount of early temper as their goddess.

Shel'Khan - Mistress of the Forge, Goddess of Smithing and Metals
Shel'Khan is often depicted as an ogre, armed with a great heavy smithing hammer, who carries her forge on her back from place to place. Dwarven legends especially reference Shel'Khan, saying that she forged together the foundation of the earth in great iron and steel, with the great pressure of the land above created by the goddess's sisters breaking the earlier plates apart and resulting in the deposits of ore the Dwarves profit from. She is also known as a master craftsman, and is said either she or her servants forge all the Goddess's weapons and tools.
Shel'Khan's aides are the Smithkin, a race of iron creatures that work tirelessly in the Soulforge at the heart of the realm of the Goddesses, hammering out the tools and items used by the Goddesses from the purest of metals.

Grendrin - Goddess of Battle and War
Grendrin is seen as a greenskin goddess, armed with a blade that can strike through the strongest armors. Mostly worshiped by Black Orcs and Shiriti, the goddess also tends to be venerated at times of war, resurgence in her veneration coming whenever a battlefield is once again filled with the sounds of destruction.
Grendrin is always looking for the strongest of warriors to join her in her halls, and sends her Honorbringers to find those who were great warriors in life, leading them to her halls. Once there, Warbearers ensure to their every whim as they feast and make merry, until the end times where they are called for one final battle.

Lunis - Goddess of Night and Death
Lunis is the youngest of the daughters of Lirorious, often depicted as a small girl wielding a crescent-moon shaped reaping scythe. Lunis was originally given command of watching over one of the first creations of the Mother Goddess, but when she failed, the heartbroken Lunis guided the spirits of the two to her mother in the Afterlife. Lirorious was so touched, she gave Lunis command of the dark night and shepherding those who have passed on to the eternal lands.
Lunis is aided by Harvesters, specters that wander the plains of the dead and dying, watching over them until Lunis comes to bring them to Paradise. Cloaked, feminine riders wielding the same scythes as their Mistress, used to defend themselves from the darker spirits in death.

Dicen - Mistress of Luck
Dicen is mostly seen as a harlequin, with a mask for every occasion held into her belt, used in place of a proper face. She is the goddess given the role of keeping record of the passage of time and fate, but her mischievous ways tends to lead her to meddle with fate, to try and shape it towards a more desirable outcome for the subjects below. Dicen is held in high regard by gamblers for obvious reasons.
Dicen uses her Fateweavers to sew together the strands of fate, creating a web of past events chaining together in the records of the cosmos. Occasionally, she may send a Fatewalker to directly influence one marked by fate, gently guiding them along to a pre-determined attempt to shift time. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't- as it should be.

Khastorian - Goddess of the Sun, The Vexed Light
Khastorian is a goddess given control over one of the most powerful forces of the universe, the gentle sun that allows life to flourish under it's care. However, Khastorian was never satisfied with her gift, actively seeking to undermine her other sisters and gain greater control over the mortal plane. Thanks to machinations before, Khastorian managed to actually get a foothold in the mortal realm, via the Order of the Nameless Goddess formed in Nullium. This cultlike force attempted to invade Braxil, only to be repelled after doing serious damage. While the Order still exists, it lost much of it's sway over the Nullimites, leading it to be considered a cult much to the same level of the Nethermancers.
Khastorian has created two different minions to assist in her tries to take over the world, and often they can be found disguised in her followers at the moment's plans. Black Schemers, male birdmen with gilded feathers, and False Angels, feminine creatures with pale skin and six wings, but long black claws on both hands and feet, often disguise themselves as specific personas, using these guises to become entrenched in a cause and control it. Occasionally some flee from the goddess, and can be found exiled with broken wings. Known simply as Fallen, these spirits do their best to atone for the mischief the goddess made them assist in.

-The Nether Realm-

Originally, the Abyssites were worshipers of the Nether Realm, the creatures there being treated as gods. However, somewhere over time things shifted, and the Nether Realm became abhorred instead of venerated. The Abyssites went out of their way to separate their world from the Nether, however this was not something shared with by all Abyssites, resulting in the Nether Cults that eventually sparked the Rift Wars.

Nether species usually come in two different sizes, either small bottom-feeding creatures, or absolutely massive monsters that roam the endless plane of existence. There is very few of these massive creatures, though each one is a different species by itself, and were the main reason the Nether Cults worshiped the realm as gods. When these beasts aren't ravenously devouring flesh and souls of lesser creatures, they often sleep long years before they awaken and feed again.

Mondur, the Savage
Mondur is considered the most 'well-known' of the Nether Giants, as it was believed to be Ateryx's personal patron. Mondur has caused great chasms and craters in the Nether Plain during it's rampages, and it's short stocky legs and huge, armored plating, horns and claws has made it one of the more survivable monsters of the Nether Plain. Nether Cultists see it as a sign of war, strength, overpowering, and destruction, and many war-like cults focus on worship to Mondur as a result. It is also the one that Kaliferian nobles most remember in legend, speaking of the terrors they unleashed during the rift wars culminating in the original Blackshard Knights, a fear that should the Mondur cultists rise again, they would doom Kalifer to destruction.

Athulia, the Tendriled Mistress
Also known as the Fleshcrafter Patron and the Mother of Mutilation, Athulia is the smallest known Nether Giant, having a serpentine body that barely is taller than midway up most of her kin, however Athulia makes up for it in both length- easily matching over several dozen kilometers, even if she is limited to the Nether's masses of water- and in the many multiple limbs used by Athulia from a mane on her neck and periodically along her body, giving her the most well-known name of hers. Receptive to magic, those who worship her claim she has even responded back, showing curiosity and mirth at the creatures dimensions away showing her reverence. Those of her worship tend to be pleasure-seekers, using the techniques of Fleshcrafting taught from their Mistress to create new 'toys' to pleasure themselves and act as guardians. Due to being one of the few who know of the dimension of Kalifer, she is perhaps the most dangerous of the Nether Giants as a result.

Quaziallion, the Peaceful Giant
Quaziallion is a multi-legged creature similar to common insects like a centipede, however Quaziallion is unique in the fact that it is entirely a herbivore, and it's back chitin is home to a veritable utopia of plants and the Nether's less ravenous wildlife. It will wander the world, the many plants on it's back shaking seeds and other plant life off in it's travels, while the shed gore from the feeding beasts and dying plant matter of it's passing help fertilize new life in it's wake. As far as cultists are concerned, Quaziallion's cultists are seen as the most 'harmless', using Nether creatures and secrets to try and find greater harmony and assistance to make the lives of others better- in some ways, having slight kinship with the Black Orcs, but due to the brotherhood they share with their more aggressive brethren, they are outcasts still.

Zerius, the Skylander
Zerius is a flying creature, a great serpent with large sacks on it's side to assist it's flight and levitation. Two giant claws assist it with scooping up prey and food, as the hinged mouth greedily devours it's offerings, while quills dislodged from it's parasitic riders constantly fall below and impale the earth. The quills bouncing against each other even manage to form a slight electrical charge, occasionally resulting in electrical strikes from the creature's body to the ground. Zerius has gathered a small group of cultists to his name, sentimentalists and dragonkin being the most predominant in their number, and they have a tendency of creating or summoning winged creatures to allow them to experience flight unaided.

---

The many strange creatures that make up the smaller feeders are ravenous carnivores and parasites. They often feed off the larger creatures, only for the great abominations to regenerate as they feed. While the Blackshards are the most well-known, there is many, many other creatures that wander below the mighty abominations.

Blots
Blots are a parasitic species that devours blood and other liquids, formed like living oil or sludge. The blackened creatures flood over scabs and open wounds, acting as a form of scab until the flow of liquids cease, leading them to find another spot. Nethermancers have attempted to convert them like the Blackshards, only to find the terrifying intelligence the Blots have combined with such a ever-malleable body has led to... undesirable situations.

Rippers
Named for the ever-ravenous serrated maws that cover most of these creature's upper body, these centipede-like creatures constantly crawl and chew at any flesh they can find, causing deep rivets of gore in the greater beasts. Nethermancers have tamed these horrors in the past, starving them before unleashing them to devour enemy armies, though the Rippers can also defend themselves with several mantis-like upper limbs, each with curved daggers used to puncture and rend.

Goreherders
The constant hunger and feeding of the other species tends to leave fragments of gore laying around. This is where the Goreherder arrives, highly-toxic creatures that crawl around on long, spindly legs and long, spindly arms. These creatures are untouched by many other specimens, due to the corrosive effects they have, allowing them to peacefully devour the leftover carrion with their huge, hinged mouths, shoveling it in with long, sharp claws.

-Nether Hybrids-

Occasionally, the Nether Magi have found ways to incorporate common creatures with elements of the various Nether Species. As a result, terrifying abominations known as Nether Hybrids have resulted, leading to devastating creations. These Nether Hybrids aren't as common as summoned Lesser Nether Beasts, as they require much more work to develop and make working proper. While no magic known to self-respecting Kaliferians are aware of how these creatures are made, ancient Abyssite lore states of a magical art known as 'fleshcrafting', which long held dark connections to it long before the Nether Cults became outlawed.

Horrors
Used by the most inhumane and debased cults, Horrors are Defiled who have been warped and twisted even greater by the Nether's embrace. While some Horrors are cultists that have gone too far with their own experiments and worship, most are innocent civilians who were captured, drenched in nether magic, and left to twist into terrifying mutations of their previous forms. Larger sized than the average, large masses of tentacles coming from the arms, and male sexual organs, with barbs and knots nearly at random, no matter the original sex, helps signify these creatures, as do the rampup of Defiled mutations granting them a horrifying appearance to the common man.

Nether Thrulls
Thrulls are already quite adaptable and mutative in their own way, with a few decades allowing for a hive to do subtle mutations in the worker class to allow for better environmental survivability in many different clients. When one bonds the flesh of a Blackshard into a Queen, however, this mutation tendencies goes into overdrive, as does the entire lineage's needs and lusts all diverting to breeding and capturing hosts. Rapid evolution and rearrangement of body plates makes even the weakest Nether Thrull a potential walking weapons arsenal, mutated insect physiology taking on the fast-mutating properties of a Blackshard to allow it to create new weapons and defenses nigh-instantaneously. Unfortunately, removal of the Blackshard genes from corrupted Broodqueens tends to be a fatal maneuver, and any Thrull born of the queen are so mad in breeding haze they will not be able to survive long afterwards due to sterilized genetics in non-queen Nether Thrulls.

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

-Common Herbs, Ores and Other Magical Artifacts-

Kalifer and it's neighbors are a magical realm, offering technologies and powers far beyond our knowledge in our own realm. Following is a variety of herbs, ores, and other materials that the average citizen in various lines of work will wind up using.

Flarestone
A common magic ore that has seen it's use in many settlements, the humble Flarestone is a magical gem that, upon being heated in some fashion, will retain the heat and light given to it, resulting in it giving off a fiery amber glow through the whole gem. When quenched, the gem is a clear, glass complexion, somewhat cloudy interiors when shaped into a larger chunk. This is commonly used in statues and lamps in various cities for light sources, and has been known to be used in lanterns and even to power boilers in Braxil's smaller contraptions. Flarestones can be cooled off deeper, but it requires cryomancy or similar chilling devices to cool the stone to the point to retain negative heat. When a Flarestone is 'frozen', it'll release a low blue light.

Nullmetal
A curious metal discovered by the dwarves, Nullmetal is immune to kinetic and thermal forces, making it utterly difficult to properly work like a standard metal. Comprising of a glossy, reflective metal to the casual observer, Nullmetal is unable to be forged standard, requiring the use of acids to shape it and hammering constantly with strong automated hammers in order to beat through the extreme kinetic resistance for shaping. The ability of a metal that is entirely immune to magic, heat, and strong blows is more than worth the pain of use, however, and this metal is commonly used as bridging in lava-inhabited areas of the underground, as well as containers for volatile substances and certain magical artifacts. Nullmetal was especially important in the creation of the infamous Blackshard Vaults, the entire structures lined with it to avoid and cracks that could be exploited by the Nethermancers.

Spectre Crystal
Mysterious crystals only harvestable from the deepest parts of Kalifer, with extreme concentrations found hidden in the underwater kingdoms of Helios. Able to channel soul energy, these crystals are especially useful as amplifiers by humans for those magic effects. These objects are also especially useful for the Helius, who use these crystals to work the strange Machina devices.

Blast Powder
This is the big daddy to gunpowder, being a similar mixture but with added bits of alchemy to treat it. Stabilizing it's volatile nature to a degree while ramping up the amount of explosive force, a few small pinches of Blast Powder is enough to create quite the burst of fire and heat generated. A huge quantity of the stuff may as well be magic-laced thermite.

Weresbane
One of two herbal substances to react to the Werebeast Syndrome, Weresbane is an allergen and irritant to the creatures, known to cause weakness and itching to a transformed werebeast in small doses. Large enough doses or concentrations into powder and liquids can be quite lethal even. Certain werebeasts have a minor resistance to it's effect, but this is a rare gift in a already rare syndrome.

Mooncloud
Another herbal substance that reacts to the Werebeast Syndrome, Mooncloud is a suppressant to the Werebeast's form. Taking the leaves of the Mooncloud plant will hold back full-on transformation, making this invaluable during the waxing lunar phases, as well as a safeguard for more civilized werebeasts to keep them from going full berserk during a casual confrontation. It's not entirely fullproof, however- occasionally, like Weresbane, a werebeast will be resistant to it, and during the full moon cycle it becomes extremely hard even for Mooncloud to fully suppress the lunar effect, usually forcing them into the half-beast form at the very least.

Drakespice
A rare spice found in the Scaletale Islands of the Dragonkin Empire. To most races, Drakespice is a tasty, savory spice great over most forms of meat. However, those of dragon and wyvern blood will react strongly to them, similar to cat creatures around catnip. Common effects include dilated eyes, relaxing of muscles, subtle twitching, enhanced libido, and dulled mental capacities.

Nethermusk
A Nether plant that was transferred to the Riftlands, only to later be transferred to Kalifer, this is perhaps one of the few artifacts of the Nether that is still tolerated. This dry, bamboo-like herb is easy to powder and condense, reeking of a strong, musty odor said to match the smell of some of the great Nether leviathans. Primarily, this is used as a aphrodisiac and fertility enhancer in both powder and injectable liquid form under the name Never Say Nether, with the greatest stock of this being shipped from the port town of Spire of the Abyss. Cubites, however, have a severe hatred of the drug, due to it's side effects of siphoning away sexual energy and leaving the users lethargic rapidly after sexual acts, resulting in less energy for Cubite sexual magic and forcing more of the partner's soul energy out instead. Nethermusk has been outright banned in the Braxil port town of Axitan by it's Cubite heads of house as a result.

Blackchew
Diluted from the Blackflower Cactus, Blackchew is mostly avoided by most greenskins, though it's a popular drug for Black Orcs who follow the path of the blade. Known to spike adrenaline while chewing, the drug and if juices if ingested are also known for causing violent stomach purging as well, requiring a fine balance for the user. This spike of adrenaline burns long after the drug is taken, making it useful for taking before a known battle, though some Black Orcs have been known to take it before bedding a partner, resulting in extremely rough sexual escapades.

Drider Silk
A special commodity from monsterkin societies, Under Elves and the monsterkin town of Herdspire, Drider Silk is similar to many effects to the webbing of much smaller spiders- strong webbing threads that can hold much more than it's weight, can dry at varying speeds depending on the consistency the drider made at spinning, and so on. With the right weaving techniques and curing, however, Drider Silk can become a extremely thin yet powerful cloth, superior in durability to silk but being just as tantalizingly thin, often woven just enough to be translucent to display and tease. Thicker, less exposing weaves do exist, however, creating a even stronger durability that is close to denim in composition, without making the wearer seem exposed. The chemical composition in drider silk is also unique, suppressing and diluting sperm that comes in contact with it, resulting in Drider Silk condoms being a popular pregnancy preventive- one size fits all, considering drider silk's elasticity.

Tendrilviper Venom
In the eastern jungles and Shiri Islands, the Tendrilviper is a serpentine creature with many tails branching off it's end, known to grow several meters long and wide enough to attempt to swallow a villager whole. While it's digestive acids isn't strong enough to kill, the venom used by the Tendrilviper is much prized, resulting in a psudo-taming of the massive serpents. The venom is known to react oddly with the human body, causing numbness and extreme sensitivity to victims in it's unprocessed state. However, the Shriti people have also managed to combine it with several citrus fruits and certain voodoo rites to create what is known as 'Blessing of Lilorious', a potent drug given to female tribewomen who wish to bond with another warrioress. Certain magic rites are used alongside the Blessing of Lilorious concoction, resulting in both women becoming hermaphrodites from the magic concoction, whereas the concentrated Tendrilviper Venom in the concoction results in such a heated drive of lust that both are lost in fornication for nearly a day, cementing their desires in each other and hopefully siring offsprings as a result.

Re: Lurker's Stories Comment Section

- Important Groups of Kalifer and Beyond -

Kaliferian Kingdom
Primary Race: Kaliferian
Location: King's Plains
Current Leader(s): Rashiah Gareth Aduna
Main Coat of Arms:

Matronism of the Wood Elves
Primary Race: Wood Elves
Location: Everlife Forest
Current Leader(s): Grand Matriach Alilia Leafspar
Main Coat of Arms: Green field, white tree with stretching branches.

The Under Elf Dynasties
Primary Race: Under Elves
Location: Under Kingdoms
Current Leader(s): Dynasty Shiverblood
Main Coat of Arms: Lavender field, white spider in web.

Magmahammer Lineage
Primary Race: Mountain Dwarves
Location: Under Kingdoms
Current Leader(s): Helvoque Magmahammer
Main Coat of Arms: Stone hammer, marked with Flarestone head.

As the dwarves was forged in the dawn of the world, the many houses would form into castes, focused on one goal over another. Among them, the Magmahammer Lineage forged together the first of the dwarve's dwellings and houses in the stone of the earth. Eventually, however, the many houses led to bickering, and then eventually war.

The Underlands below Kalifer was filled with the ring of hammers against shields and the heavy thuds of crossbows, unnoticed but by the dark horrors in the dark and the fledgeling Under Elves. The dwarves nearly struck themselves out of extinction, where the Magmahammers not clever enough to start a plan of their own.

Upon one day, the Magmahammers, who had avoided the war and instead had busied themselves repairing the fortresses the other castes had sought to destroy, noticed the garrisons emptying, as men of all castes began to rush forward and prepare for a grand, cataclysmic battle at the heart of the earth. Working quickly, with messengers to other members of the clan, the Magmahammers rapidly barred the doors of every fortress in the underlands, sealing the soldiers and warring clans out of the fortresses they called home. When the many armies, worn from the infighting, returned to the fortresses, they were outraged, to the point of even trying to lay siege on thier own fortresses. However, the Magmahammer craftmanship held back the furious hammer blows and siege hammers, an entire week before each clan slowly began to surrender against the fortress keepers.

For learning of their hubris, the Magmahammers were allowed to act as the fortress guardians as well as the great masons, becoming one of the few unifying clans of Underland society and the primary unifying force of the Dwarves as a result. Three men have claimed the ruling title of Grand Mason for the Magmahammers, acting as the primary logistics member when it comes to city flow and operation, with the current Grand Mason, Helvogue, getting inaugurated a scant few years before the Rift Wars. As a result, he has had to act as ambassador for the Magmahammer lineage more times than he cares to admit, as well as be the first of the Magmahammers to stir his kin to battle in regard to the strike into the Riftlands, to destroy the Blackshard Knights.

The Shaman's Collective
Primary Race: Orcs
Location: Grut'rok Desert
Current Leader(s): Grand Shaman Gritor Spiritbinder
Main Coat of Arms:

The Dark Shamans
Primary Race: Black Orcs
Location: Grut'rok Desert
Current Leader(s): Black Shaman Grimrock Hellscream
Main Coat of Arms: Bleached bull skull, marked with dark runes and spell papers.

Some of the orcs rejected the shamanistic road offered by the grand shamans, and separated from the main Orc society. Finding a home in Bloodwater and Rifthut and other obscure lands, the Black Orcs formed their own collective of leaders with the Dark Shamans, who acted as the main spiritual guides without the restrictions of the magic practices that they could have. The primary Black Shamans who run the Dark Shamans do keep a open mind in case the Grand Shaman thinks of them as a threat, even with the difference in opinions, and have been trying to find ways for the Black Orcs to be seen as less of a threat in general by the general populace of Kalifer, though rumors that they have started to take on the research of the forbidden Rift Magic has not helped matters.

The Malius Bloodline
Primary Race: Abyssite
Location: Braxil
Current Leader(s): High Queen Amelia 'Bane' Malius
Main Coat of Arms: Black Trim, Violet Field. Two clawed arms are crossed, cupping in the center towards a ruby gemstone.

Braxil was first formed by the Malius bloodline shortly before the Rift Wars, and found itself home to a abnormal amount of Abyssites that fled the Rift Lands once the wars in Kalifer began. While the Nether Cults avoided Braxil for the most part, the land's high amount of monsterkin, beastman, and now Abyssites would shape the culture slightly over time. Primarily, the king of Braxil at the time fell in love with a Gnarled, and the Malius bloodline has had an abnormally high amount of Abyssite blood in it ever since.

Upon the end of the Nullimite War, only the previous king's daughter, resistance leader and now High Queen Amelia Malius, was alive in the bloodline, at the age of 19 she took her oath of loyalty to the kingdom and vowed to restore it to it's grand splendor and beyond, and then figure out what would happen if she didn't find a heir before her own passing.

As well as her personal guards, aides, advisers, the Royal Militia, and Wardens, the Malius Bloodline can call upon the aide of the Grand Knights- the elite, royal-picked of the fighting men and women in the kingdom, who are relied on when the royal hand isn't able to reach it through her other avenues. From espionage to special missions in far-off lands, the Grand Knights are the Crown's most favored servants.

Braxilian Royal Militia
Primary Race: Braxilian
Location: Braxil
Current Leader(s): General of Arms
Main Coat of Arms: Black Trim, Violet Field, Crossed saber and flintlock rifle over a magician's staff. Badges may vary depending on regiment.

Unlike other kingdoms, Braxil doesn't keep a standing military force constantly. This led to them getting bitten in the ass during the Nullimite War, when the kingdom was caught unawares by the invading force. Afterwards, the Braxilian Militia was kept organized and enforced into similar rankings as a standard military force, just without needing to stay in full unit cohesiveness at all times. Thanks to the surge in technology use such as the newly-invented telegraph and radio signal, even the most remote town can have it's militia members ready to run and transport in a matter of hours, ready for pickup by light airship.

Also unique is the smaller manpower for specific regiments of the Braxilian Militia. While primary regiments like the 12th Swordsman and 4th Pikemen are designed for work in extreme battlefields against typical fantasy warfare, many specialty regiments have been formed slowly over time, adopted from general regiments and given special training and equipment over time. Prime examples include the Alchelia Foresters, a specialist sniper/commando regiment, HydeTech Walker Calvary, using the Strider Light Walker armed with basic weapons, or 1st Siegebreakers, an artillery regiment working with experimental powder cannons and advanced magic-laced ordinance.

Braxilian Wardens
Primary Race: Braxilian
Location: Braxil
Current Leader(s): Lead Warden
Main Coat of Arms: Golden badge, crossed revolvers under a crystal.

Formed as a unified law and order for the kingdom after the Nullimite Wars, the Braxillian Wardens come from all walks of life, but most of them at least had some formal law experience before they became Wardens. Able to wander the land by themselves and in between towns at will, Wardens help the relatively-rocky kingdom have some form of stability reinforced after the harsh war of before, rooting out bandits and acting as judges in civil disputes.

The Order of the One God
Primary Race: Nullimite
Location: Nullim
Current Leader(s): The One Prophet
Main Coat of Arms:

The Council of Twelve
Primary Race: Helius
Location: Helios
Current Leader(s): The Twelve Elders
Main Coat of Arms:

The Children of the Grand Dragons
Primary Race: Western and Eastern Dragonkin
Location: Scaletail Islands
Current Leader(s): Dragon Ambassador
Main Coat of Arms: Two entwined dragons, black and reflecting both eastern and western designs, on a pink field. Usually in separated flags with multiple dangling extra flags.

Many centuries ago, there was two dynasties of the Dragonkin Empires- those of the Western Dragonkin and those of the Eastern Dragonkin.These two races would war endlessly, the isolated Scaletail Islands left alone by the rest of the continents. The battles were bloody and deadly, both sides eager to show their domination over the other variant of the dragonborn.

However, this was when the dragons returned. Very few of them survived, hunted by the other races and weakened from their own bitter rivalries. By then, however, the grand dragons had realized the same situation that had befallen their offsprings was also resulting in their own ruin.

Only with cooperation could the dragon bloodlines hope to survive, and as a result, the dragons worked to bridge the terrible ties that the dragonkin have created, ceasing the wars and starting to focus the dragonkin on rebuilding and knowledge over war and dominance.

The Dragonkin Empire is a oddity to the modern-day- having lived isolated from the other kingdoms until shortly before the Rift Wars by a lost Kaliferian vessel, the kingdom has developed a wider tolerance for many ideas and practices, allowing for this place to be a breeding zone for unique worship and arts. At the head, several castes act as the focal point, from military to traders to magicians and even those of erotic talents, the castes each have a representative to stand behind it. These representatives act as envoys to the royal palace, where deep below the last of the true dragons rest and are protected by the smaller kin. The dragons themselves speak to the dragonkin through 'Dragon Ambassadors', who act as messengers between the dragons and the rest of the culture. There has been times where Dragon Ambassadors have stepped in the way of conversations with the great beast, instead trying to force their own ideals and word in the way, but it is not long before the offending party is punished by their own hubris.