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Prayer Magic Prayer magic is one of the rarer forms of magic on Axios, for it’s difficult to handle and learn. It is a combination of prayers and the offering of blood and mana towards the gods with the goal to boost either strength, speed or the reflexes of the caster’s own body. With extended learning,the caster can activate two or three of these enhanced abilities at a time. Some people are even mistaking it for Blood Magic, which requires blood to create greater mana pools; however, Prayer Magic requires the user to offer their own blood to the gods and get physically enhanced for a short amount of time instead of creating mana pools for stronger spells. Due to Prayer’s magic connection to the Gods and to ancient rituals, it was deemed a deity magic instead of dark magic. History The origin of the Prayer magic can be traced back to the slums of Salvus. Soon after its initial appearance in Salvus, the magic sprung up in Felsen. It was originally used by a group of Mercenaries and assassins, which prayed to their gods before they engaged combat. Casters offered their own blood to the gods and displayed respect to the gods with the lives taken as result which supposedly proved the existence of their gods. It’s said that the real origin of prayer magic lays in the blood magic, but not enough evidences can be found for this beside from the usage of the own blood to cast and the possible problems occurring with the usage of the magic. This discovery of this form of Magic lead to a raising of Warriors, those which would like to use the magic to be on equal footing with the stronger forces they faced. However, they barely thought about the curse on this form of magic, which often caused the warriors to die after their battles. Many Warriors’ lost their lives and fear spread throughout the warriors as they noticed what the magic would do to them if they weren’t careful or used it without thought and recklessly. In time, fear caused the warriors to forget all about the form of magic, calling it deadly and even too dangerous for even the strongest of warriors. The fear spread throughout the warriors, refusing to use such a deadly power. This fear was a reason to forget and ignore this magic, considering that overuse was deadly and the battles were long. It wasn’t a wise move to use such a power. The magic was banned and nearly vanished completely from most documents as result, pulled from plans, but some people are still studying the magic. These people are mostly mercenaries or Farfolks, which wanted to learn a new way to fight and to combine it with their own fighting styles. Etymology Although the form has roots within the reign of the Farfolk, no record of what they may have referred to it as has been discovered throughout the years. The term, ‘Prayer Magic’, is a Heartlander simplification of the Farfolk term, “Kam Ira”, a goddess of Blood and of Wars. It was later used to describe the God of the Heartlanders and as such the church of Oren by the Farfolks. Some mages are even describing it as Blood Magic, which is basically wrong, since the magic isn’t exactly using the blood itself, but the power granted by the deities after an offering. Blood magic would normally use the blood itself to create mana pools, holding the blood intact the whole time, but the blood offered for Prayer Magic vanishes and the deities are granting the user's new might and strength. Usage of the Magic Prayer Magic is often described as a combination of prayers and the offering of blood and mana towards the gods with the goal to boost either strength, speed or the reflexes of the caster’s own body. Each aspect can be strengthened by the magic to a certain level without getting hurt by the magic itself. The activation and usage of Prayer Magic can be seen as something unnatural, since the usage of this magic requires the user to offer their own blood for the spell to work. The normal amount to activate one of the aspects is at 100 Millilitres of Blood, but the spell can always be re-activated for the same amount of blood. Many users are using this system for their fights, since they can deal more damage depending on how long they can cast and hold one of the chantings up. To actually activate the spell each user needs to have a tattoo or tribal on his arms, legs or head and needs to make a personal prayer towards the gods. This will cause the chanting to start and the tattoos or tribals will start to emit an aura with the same color as the tattoos or tribals are having. This aura, which is similar to the Mana Mist created by Blood Magic, stays around the boosted body part and will remain there until the spell runs out. As soon as the aura vanishes the blood will leave the body, often through the mouth, nose and eyes, and turn into fog. This fog vanishes after a few seconds and doesn’t has any particular effect on it’s own. People are claiming that this fog will travel to the gods and that it will be given to these in need of new life or blood. Ranks and Tiers Like other forms of Magic, Prayer Magic is divided into different ranks and tiers, each of them representing a new amount of power used by the magic. The most common rank found under the users of this magic form is the rank of the “Spark”, often referring to the beginning of something new. These users are able to cast T1 and T2 spells, however only of one aspect at the same time for around 5 minutes. Another common rank is the rank known as “Rising”, often associated with the rising of the sun each day until it reaches the highest point of the horizon. This rank is also describing the ability of casting T3 magic and two Aspects of rank T2 at the same time, however mages of this rank are often able to maintain a spell for over 10 minutes. The last and most uncommon rank is the rank known as “Enlightened Soul”. Users of this rank are often teachers towards the younger ones and are known for their ability to use all three aspects without getting any real problems but excessive use, however, may result in death. Users of this rank are able to cast the strongest spell, the Blood Waltz, or two T3 aspects at the same time. They are also able to maintain all three aspects at T2-Level for some time and are able to maintain their spells for around 15 minutes without having bigger problems. This form of magic can be learned through one of the really rare, old tomes and hard training, however most users were taught by a teacher to increase the chance of success and to minimize the dangers of the magic. Sadly-wise not many tomes were left, since most of them were burned after the first people died from the magic and as such the remaining ones are really expensive or sealed away in churches and libraries. Also reaching the rank of an “Enlightened Soul” takes up to 15 years. This means that every user is normally learning the magic for 5 years until reaching the higher tier and to cast both more and effective spells. Aspect -> Tier I V Aspect of the Mind Aspect of Strength Aspect of Speed T1 - A single sense will get sharper - Most common are eye sight and hearing - Strength will grow in the arms - Able to shatter a bone on direct impact - Movement speed increased - Essentially doubles running speed T2 - Up to three senses at the same time, are sharper - Increased speed of bodily reflexes - Strength and toughness of the skin increased - Able to shatter thinner plates of metal - Increased jumping height - Able to reach a height of 5 Meters T3 - All senses increased at the same time - Musculature is able to withstand Arrows and slight cuts - Strength increased and can shatter swords on direct impact - Musculature is able to withstand falls from around 15 Meters - Tripling the running speed and increased jumping abilities to a height of 7.5m Blood Waltz The Tier 1 till Tier 3 spells aren’t really dangerous for a person as long as they aren’t getting refreshed the whole time, unlike the Blood Waltz. The Blood Waltz is the only spell of the Prayer Magic which would fall under the Tier 4- or Tier 5- Category, since it’s the most powerful and at the same time most dangerous possible spell. The Blood Waltz was given it’s name, because the movements of the users are often looking like if they would dance through the battlefield instead of a normal fight. The name is also an association towards the amount of blood which needs to be used to cast this spell and the bloodbath created by it. To activate the spell users are required to offer 1 Litre of their blood, often causing their death after the spell runs out since the blood loss would be too much to maintain the body's vitality. As soon as the spell gets activated the senses, reflexes and muscles are getting flooded by holy energy, which is causing the user to see the world move a lot slower, nearly as if time would have just slowed down for them. At the same time their aura gets emitted from all of their tattoos or tribals at the same time, covering the whole body at once. As soon as the user is completely covered in the aura the speed and strength of the whole body is getting boosted. Users are able to run at the same speed as horses would do, jump 15 Meters up in the air and are able to shatter thinner stone walls with a good placed punch. This amount of strength and speed created some legends all over the empire that experts of this magic could erase whole armies if they would give away her life and use the Blood Waltz to fight. However the Blood Waltz isn’t turning a person invincible and the user can still get hurt if not watched out by all weapons, causing it to be only used if the user is fairly good in combat and has trained enough years to avoid getting wounded. Curse & Restrictions The curse of the prayer magic isn’t like the usual curse of magic users, which would weaken them on a physical level, instead strengthen them for an even bigger and way more dangerous price. Each user needs to use the own blood to cast one of the spells, which is limited on the amount of spells at the same time and if they are getting renewed over and over again. The loss of blood will cause the user to have nausea, dry skin, insomnia and a lot more of physical and mental problems if it’s overused. However these effects are only starting to take action as soon as the spell runs out after a few minutes, causing the user to be a lot weaker after the usage of this magic until their blood amount has reached the normal level again. The overuse of this magic isn’t always ending deadly, as long as T1-T3 spells are used, since the body will react on the blood lose by falling into unconsciousness until the blood loss was recovered. Sadly-wise the usage of the Blood Waltz is often ending deadly if any spells were used before and if the blood amount is already lower than normally. This makes the blood waltz one of the most feared spells which can be used by the mages of this form and this caused the spell to be defined as a last prayer towards the gods by the church. Mechanics Strengths Weaknesses -Boosting of the user's own Strength -Sacrificing vitality for power -Boosting of the user's own Speed -Only usable with the own blood -Boosting of the user's own Senses and reflexes -Creates nausea, dry skin, insomnia and a lot more of physical and mental problems -Ability to fight with Hand-To-Hand Combat -Can end deadly if overused by the mage -High possibility of death if the Blood Waltz is used -Requires a Teacher or one of the rare and expensive tomes to study this form of magic Trivia Some users are starting to sing while they use this magic, however it is unknown why that reactions happens. Some people assume that the singing is used to transfer the blood easier from the throat and inner organs to the mouth. It is known that some members of the church are using this magic to fight against Liches and other undeads. Most users of this magic form are using medicine and plants to restore their amount of blood in a short amount of time. Written by Ragnio Checked by Vellisar 

An introduction to Dread Knights Section I - What are Dread Knights? Section II - How do I start? Section III - What do I do when I'm not killing? Section IV - I lost a fight, now what? Section V - Providing a Setting Section VI - A high standard Section I - What are Dread Knights? This is a fairly straightforward question, that being they are artificial constructs. While some still hold their former bodies within their armor it holds no real purpose. This is only part what they are, however. Basically they're soulbound to a suit of armor and driven by their orders. A Dread Knight cannot effectively command itself, as it is made for taking orders and carrying them out. It's like putting a golem in charge of an army. Section II - How do I start? Well first off, you should know that being a Dread Knight makes you a bad guy. That's it, anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong simply and plainly. A good first task might be going with another more senior Dread Knight and to kill a few people, to give you some hands on experience. You should not by any means have your character pulling a Thing from Fantastic Four and go and try and be normal again, as your mentality is different. You are not by any means a person anymore, you're a machine that takes orders. Section III - What about when I'm not killing? Well if you're actually on the character, most of your time is spent between killing and making repairs, forging new armor and weapons and of course capturing individuals got a conversion. As well, Dread Knights can sometimes serve as an emissary for their Blood Mage master, usually the message heralded by blood and a warning. However keep in mind your Dread Knight isn't going to be picking flowers and kissing babies, something that has been a problem recently. Section IV - I lost a fight, now what? Good news! This isn't the end of your character! While you may not be revived by Monks, you aren't exactly dead. Nor are you really alive for that matter but it is irrelevant. It's hard to actually kill a Dread Knight, and it has always been a thing we pride ourselves on, that if you kill one properly we will permanently kill that character no questions, however sufficiency in the RP is required. If your Dread Knight happens to find itself taken apart and scattered or pieces broken, eventually the parts will seek themselves or the entity will choose to disconnect themselves from that part, sort of of a salamander chooses to detach a limb. Often times, Dread Knights missing limbs will simply make a new one if they cannot find the original one, or it is too hard or illogical to retrieve it. Section V - Providing a Setting As an antagonistic villain, you are held to a higher standard of Roleplay and are not only expected to, but required to uphold that standard. You are not playing this character for the loot, you're doing it to provide a villain that can be rallied against and that causes chaos. Too often did the role get abused for pixels or winning when that isn't the cause. The purpose is like the Undead were originally, to make fun. Sadly the Undead failed in this and we have before previously but all hope is not lost. A big part of this, is helping to coordinate events OOCly with faction or group leaders and maybe making a quest arc. If you do it right, you'll know because you'll be told. Section VI - A high standard I mentioned this briefly, how we are held to a high standard and expected to uphold it. In Asulon, the purpose of the Dread Knights was as a server antagonist. Unfortunately this fell through due to the heads of the group being preoccupied with other roleplay and such. Because of this, the Dread Knights went unproven. When you play a Dread Knight, you are making a statement you are there to provide fun for others even if it means you lose some pixels or you die, that is the risk you take. That is your job as a Dread Knight. Note-

Bloodsworn Recruiting *posters are hung up near the wilds dock and all around Abresi* The Bloodsworn are a group of some of the most elite fighters in all of Anthos. We work for contract or to accomplish goals that would involve the preservation and furthering of the cause of the fortress-town of Sakinaga in the wilds. Joining this guild will let you in on our rigorous training schedule that will allow you to unlock your true potential in combat. All Bloodsworn will be accommodated and fed within the confines of the town Sakinaga. Minor details about jobs are to be consulted with the leaders of the Bloodsworn. There is a ranking system within the guild that is represented within the main office of Sakinaga. The guild consists of three kinds of warrior. Three ‘paths’ if you may. These paths consist of the Sickle, the Dagger, and the Shield. The Path of the Sickle: This path has no tiers, unlike the others. Warriors of the Path of The Sickle help win battles at home, tilling the lands, keeping the books, building homes. If you are skilled at building, farming, or bookkeeping, this path is for you. The Path of the Dagger: This path has three tiers: Tier I: Pathfinder – The very beginner members of the guild. Not yet trained for the stealth combat this path consists of, the Pathfinders work as scouts or spies until they have been fully trained. Tier II: Rogue – A Rogue is a member recognized to be significantly more adept than the average Pathfinder. Not a full-fledged Shadow yet, a Rogue must serve under their higher-up until they prove their worth. Tier III: Shadow – The shadow is a true master of stealthy combat. A man capable of leaving an army in ruins with merely a knife and his skills, the Shadow only looks up to the guild leaders. The Path of the Shield: This path has five tiers. Tier I: Footman – The footman is a low-level officer of Sakinaga. His job is to protect the town at all costs, while honing his skills as a warrior. Tier II: Sergeant – The Sergeant is a distinguished guard, while having yet no authority, a Sergeant is better-armed than his lower rank counterparts. Tier III: Ronin – The Ronin is a low-level captain of the guard. They have command over Footmen if they so choose. Tier IV: Captain – The Captain has command over Footmen and Sergeants. He is authorized to give punishments to criminals in situations where no Sakinagan Officials are present. A select few can be promoted to this level; others are promoted to Samurai instead. Tier V: Samurai – The Samurai is an elite member. A samurai may be promoted from Ronin or Captain. They are considered Sakinaga nobility, and work for none but the Leaders. ! BELOW ARE THE LEADERS OF THE BLOODSWORN AND THEIR NAMES ! Main leader: Tanrïz “"The Shadow" Tovalin (arfavero1) Main leader: Stephanie Kusarai (arfavero1) Secondary Leader: None Secondary leader: None Secondary leader: Okami Ken (link22399) *below are application forms* MC Name: RP Name: Race: Age: Gender: Skills: Why you should be accepted into the ranks of the Bloodsworn: We look forward to seeing many people join our ranks

*rough pieces of parchment are scattered around multiples cities notice boards, including the various cities of Oren, Malinor and Urguan as well as some in Lenfarthing for the more adventurous hobbits. There are even a few in the Cloud Temple. Each one is written in plain ink and has some peculiar symbol painted on the top. It is quite obvious there were written in large numbers -- Style and beauty was not the intention of the writer. Some are even posted daringly close to the fresh and crisp Oren Navy recruitment posters* “The Pirates Of Red Sun Cove” Do you want riches? We have them Do you want wenches? We have them Do you want adventure? We have it Do you want blood? We have it The Red Sun Pirates are looking are looking for sea rats to man their great warships. If you want any of the above listed then you are our man..or woman. Any race and gender is welcome to join the Pirates, in their search for gold. If you have no experience you shall be taught. All plunder shall be shared between the crew and any disobedience will be severely punished. If you wish to join us you shall obey your captains and higher ranking members or be punished. You shall be allowed to live how you will and where you will, but should you seek safety we shall provide. To join the pirates you must contact Captain FireStorm by leaving a notice near to this notice. “Burn it in the name of gold.” To all of thee with little interest in joining us, but who see the potential of such a group, we shall gladly sell our services to you as Corsairs or simply Seafaring mercenaries in exchange for immunity in your lands and a hefty sum of gold or various other valuables. ((OOC)) Application MC Name: Rp Name: Skype name: What do you want to play as? (Bosun, First Mate, etc...): Do you have experience in sailing RP?: Will you obey the OOC rules?: Do you accept to not be an a-hole?: OOC Rules: -Don’t be stupid -Be pleasant -Don’t PG, etc... -Post your app here, as an OOC addition to an RP post with a note professing your interest in meeting me. Notice: -The Island itself is in the process of being rebuilt, don’t expect it to look awe inspiring at the moment. -If you join, try to be pleasant company and be ready to accept tips about RP etc, however this goes both ways and I (and the others I hope) Will welcome any tips you may have. But I’ll be glad to help newer people learn. Have fun! -This might be edited with more details or information as time goes by. ((OOC END)) *Some people mill about certain notice boards, apparently inconspicuous, but discreetly watching said boards carefully*

Meanwhile, in the batcave Contents Lore - Culture - Government - Military - Demographics Ranks of The State Lore Ran in order, and control, Nihlus is in many ways the antithesis of the likes of Malinor. It is a settlement in which only the powerful (mentally, physically and situationally) survive. Though most do not care for each other in Nihlus, the success of it is at their hearts. And traitors are not treated with much respect, at all. Nihlus aims to become a thriving, and self-sufficient state of people, villains mainly, who aspire to maintain their own homes and lives, and success. Power plays will occur, people will die. But all in good fun for those involved. Culture Standing behind the norm of ‘only the strong survive’, the citizenry of Nihlus are commonly known to see traits such as kindness, benevolence, and compassion as weakness, and believe it’s existence is not what we should trust, as it is all a lie. This means that they are led to care little for others, though friendships and relationships occur as much as any other society. Nihlus has pure order. Everything is announced, organised, and sustained by it’s government. The military is decided upon by the High Command, and the economy is sorted by the High Command. Every single thing is the result of a Council member issuing the order, and maintaining it through either fear or leverage. Where most settlements accept the likes of non-Elves, Nihlus frowns upon the existence of them. However, it does not necessarily shun them from society. Comments are not passed on them commonly, though racism is definitely the norm. Elves are dominant in this society, and those who accept to become a Nihlun accept the terms that is; ‘You are weak, until proven otherwise’. Dwarves are generally disliked, and are the most shunned of the five races. They are considered ‘weak and unworthy until fear or use is shown’. Visitors to the state are treated with the same terms. Nihlus demonstrates it’s unique power system by hosting a bi-monthly ‘Field of Slaughter’ event. In this event, those who participate are guaranteed to die, as they take on hordes of monsters created or caught from the surrounding wilderness. The one to win this, is given a high position and a rarely obtainable manor house within Nihlus. FoS winners are seen of high value, semi-equal to the High Command council. Though they get no veto power, they get the option to post their opinions in council debates. Government The ruling governing body of Nihlus is called High Command. Similar to the High Council of Malinor, but entirely militaristic. Those who control the military have the most power in Nihlus, and the one who has the most power here is the High General. Equal to King, Mayor and Minister, the High General has control over the High Command, to some extent. He can tell them what assignments to do, and he can directly force them to claim their allegiance to his ideas in an emergency. But that is it. In normal times, he has little true power, and acts with the worth of two council members. The Council consists of four members, who are required to (as individuals) collect tax, resource, military prowess, and favor from the people of Nihlus. They are not elected, the positions are earned through success in the state. Whether this succeeds, is to be seen. Military Military service in Nihlus is owned and run by the High Command, who are themselves either elders of military success, or experts in their profession. For instance, if a specific High Command member was to be an elite assassin, and have proven to be better than the other three members, they would run the military. The military consists of all members of the state, even if they cannot fight, they will and must by oath. Demographics Nihlus is a place that is surrounded in common, and awkward looking buildings in the wilds. It, however, is uniquely kept clean, and somewhat orderly. Unless, of course, a brawl occurs. Then the remains are for those who actually want it to be cleaned do so. But it’s position in the world hides it from the nations, and hides it from trouble. For the wilds are not owned, nor are they cared about, much. The Legion of Nihlus is primarily the ones to keep the wilds clean, they wish to tear down awful buildings, but they understand and regard that it is not all their lands, and the weak should be allowed to fester outside their walls. Ranks of The State Rank ; Requirement ; Description Ranks of The State The ranking system in The State is very simple, and very dynamic, as shown in the following section. Rank Requirements Description High Commander Minister / Commander / High Command The High Commander ensures the state is running at it’s most optimal efficiency. High Command Minister / Commander The High Command is the council of The State, making and voting upon each decision. Minister Commander / Specialist A minister of a specific type is the trainer, and supplier of the resource of their type. Commander Specialist of War Being the commanding candidate, chosen by the High Command, the Commander is responsible for wartime, and siege survival. Specialist Citizen / Warrior A specialist is a master of their work, be it war, economy, culture or religion. Warrior Citizen Although every member is a warrior anyway, these members focus their time in Nihlus to defend it primarily. Citizen Passing of Judgement Citizenry is easy to acquire, but difficult to survive. There will be many out to test them, and use them for their needs. More to come, in due time.