The War for the Rose: Book One Complete

[alexthewhite]

The Story of The Rose

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The first thing you should understand is "The Rose" was originally a derogatory name.

The ignorant savages of this medium-large rock lived in a barren, infertile desert. Very little happened. Tribes fought and killed and died over food and women, and nothing worth mentioning was accomplished. Other, more progressive continents considered colonization, but that was always an ill-fated affair. The voyage was perilous, the locals unruly, the land unyielding. And so for many generations, neither plant nor innovation sprung from The Rose.

But of all the three thousand or so gods proclaimed by different religions, one must have smiled upon The Rose. Five enormous meteors crashed into the island. For a generation, the sky was obscured with smoke and perhaps two in three died.

But the survivors emerged to incredible bounty. Each sight of impact had left a gift. One meteor left a pit teeming with liquid. Like water, but clearer, more beautiful. One rather inquisitive man, a long-time admirer of beasts of , dropped to his knees and drank.

Moments later, he found himself with the ability to fly. And with a wave of his hand, so too did the hut next to him.

And thus it went in four other locations. Around one impact, a volcano had formed. The pools at the base of the massive mountain were first drank by an old warrior. His wife of 20 years had been killed by a roving band of marauders, and he sought vengeance. It was soon that he realized, so did his sword. His weapon became empathic, and as a result deadlier than he could have dreamed. He slew fifteen of the brigands single-handedly. And so great was his rage that with a shout, volcanoes across the land became active, spewing death on the unsuspecting beneath.

Another had struck a mountain. The already-sizable mountain had been enlarged by the impact, and its peak was quite possibly the highest point in the world. A young woman, having lost her equally young love to fever, climbed to the summit in an attempt to jump off. Before she jumped, she came across a pool and drank. Her sorrow released cold winds and frost through the entire mountain range. And thus would winter reign in that land for all time.

A fourth meteor struck an underground system of caverns. A merchant's son, seeking wealth and adventure, descended to the bottom of the exposed system and drank from the odd liquid at the bottom. A day later, he emerged from underground on the back of a man, fifteen feet tall and made of solid diamond.

And the fifth and final meteor struck where a sapling had been just about to sprout. That sapling had grown to a tree so tall that the lowest leaves hung a full two miles in the air. By no doubt, it was the tallest tree in the world. And it yielded a sap that, when drank by a young lover of nature, allowed him his heart's greatest desire: the ability to commune with beasts.

Millenia passes. More drank from the pools, and found themselves with gifts just like the first drinkers. Some used their gifts to protect themselves, others for wealth, still more for power. Lords rose and fell. Control of the liquid, the liquid of the gods, shifted many times, until one day it simply ran out. Save a few vials held by wealthy collectors, all the liquid has been drank. And the descendants of those who consumed it still bear its gifts, or at least weakened offshoots of these powers.

In time, the people of the lands came to an understanding. Fighting among the different sets of powers that had sprung up was pointless. Why fight your neighbor, if he worships the same gods and uses the same land? No, the people who should be fought are those wretched foreigners with their weak, heathen gifts. And thus did nations spring up, and from these nations, great and terrible wars.

You have the fortune to be born in a time where the latest war has just ended. Let us take a look at the participants:


The Nations of The Rose:

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Avalia is the kingdom of the man who made the whole world feel his wrath. Its people are a steady sort, farmers and smiths. Avalia is rich in grain, and this is perfect for feeding the army of a nation that loves war so much. When invaded, the nation's priests force one of the many active volcanoes dotting the landscape to erupt, drowning the invaders in a sea of fire. Their empathic magic, along with a proud history of blacksmithing, allows for the creation of incredible equipment. Avalian swords are widely considered to be the best in the world. They are wielded by the Berserkers, soldiers who trained at the bases of active volcanoes. They feel no fear nor remorse, only rage. And their weapon responds in kind.
The capital Fourthmon is situated in the center of a trio of gigantic volcanoes. Attacking is only possible through three thin valleys, and should the capital ever fall, the volcanoes would be made to erupt. That would kill everything that could so much as see the city, Avalian or otherwise. Avalia is ruled by the King of Rage, who serves as the nation's absolute monarch.

Etonsia is the land of the man who rode on the back of a man made of diamonds. This has bid rather poorly for the Etonsians. They possessed great wealth, but had little interest in war. Their neighbors, however, did not share their pacifism, and the people of Etonsia came to a realization. Why just mine their country's vast network of caverns? Why not live in them, as well? And thus the first underground city was born. The people of Etonsia are traders and miners, not warriors. Their armies remained small, for they were supplanted by an incredible asset: the golem. A beast usually made of stone, the golem was an extension of the will of the priest that created it. More than a match for a dozen men, golems have kept Etonsia safe and prosperous for a long, long time.
The capital, Great Util, is protected by a small group of Diamond Golems, which are said to be almost completely indestructible. None can say for sure, for it is nigh-impossible to assault an underground city successfully. Etonsia is ruled by a council: the Mind, the Body, and the Soul. The Mind governs the state, the Body governs the people, and the Soul governs matters of religion.

Honit is the kingdom of the woman who felt great sorrow. Its people are also miners, but of much less precious metals than the people of Etonsia. It is a rather poor but hardy nation, with people who have grown accustomed to the harsh conditions of mountain life. Honit often resorts to hiring out mercenaries, and this is a great source of income for the crown. Honitian soldiers eat little, fight hard, and if the buyer has the coin to rent a priest (quite difficult for Honit has very few of the magically inclined,) he can alter the weather of the battle as he sees fit. Also among their ranks are the Wardens, a secretive group of peacekeepers. All that is known of the Wardens is that they prefer long, curved swords that can lop heads off with a single swing.
The capital is Mount Erritt, the tallest mountain in the world. The city is built into the mountain rather than on it, and it is only reachable by a long, winding path from the mountain base to halfway to the summit. An army attacking it would have to deal with ambushes, rockslides, and bad weather aplenty. Honit is traditionally ruled by a queen, and the current monarch is no exception.

Whitesky is the kingdom of the man who found himself able to fly. Generations of warfare had left the people of Whitesky hardnosed realists. Much of the population has magic in them, but almost none have enough to make themselves fly. Instead, Whitesky has constructed a fleet of airships (in fact modified regular ships) that can only be flown through magic. Whitesky is a desert, and much of their industry comes from trade with the wealthy nations far to the south. Cities are built around the numerous oases, and the people live lives of hard work and little humor. A grim, but honest, country.
The capital of Whitesky is Skyport. Outside of harsh desert winds, the city has no abnormal protection. However, reaching it when under attack by ships that move across the air like it was water has yet to be done. Whitesky is ruled by a strict and humorless king, whose will is carried out by a small army of masked men called, in another brilliant naming decision by the Whiteskyians, The Masked.

The Garden of Reegus is the theocracy of the man who sought to speak with animals. It was once said you could walk from one end of the heavily forested nation to the next and not see a single local. The people are highly elusive, choosing to hide the location of most of their cities and to look upon intruders with fear and suspicion. The people are skilled hunters, which is why the economy is based primarily off of the sale of fruits, herbs, and meat at the fringe cities. The sale of lumber is large as well, but only of young trees. In Reegus (or The Garden, as the locals call it,) killing a tree that is older than yourself is a capital offense. Their army consists of skilled archers and beastmasters, which is an effective mix. Few men will stand their ground when faced by both poisoned arrows and bear claws.
Their capital is First Tree, built at the base of the tree that towers over all others. It is defended by Beast-Kings, creatures whose appearance are mostly unknown because everyone who has seen them is either dead or a priest of Reegus. The Garden of Reegus is a theocracy, and is ruled by the High Priest.

Lastly, there is the Ornegian Empire, or rather part of it. This area is, for all intents and purposes, a barren desert. The Ornegians swiftly crushed anyone who opposed their colonization perhaps 400 years prior, and are firmly entrenched into the land. They send any messenger or merchant home with a message that if they return, they will be killed. Next to nothing is known about the Ornegian Empire, other than the fact their army wears mostly black and is very, very large.

You do not know any of this yet, however. You are only three years old. Tell me, what nation do you hail from, little one? And please do not say Ornegia. If we were from there, we would know more about them!

[L33tsaber]

>Be from Whitesky. Airships are cool.

[Whimbrel]

Reegus

[Iyestorm]

Ooh... either Whitesky or Reegus would have my vote, but I can't decide between them...

[Ouroboros]

Etonsia or Whitesky

[alexthewhite]

For the record, I will choose the first to five votes.

Whitesky: 3
Reegus: 2
Etonsia: 1
Honit: 0
Avalia: 0

[Neopie]

Whitesky.

[maxicaxi]

would reegus have an infinate supply of the liquid?
Whitesky

[DWeird]

Etonsia.

Diamond dudes > flying dudes, swords/volcanoes, blizzards, and puppies.

[Sputnik]

WHITESKY, MOTHERFRAKKERS

[Wessolf27]

I'll go for Reegus, but it seems that Whitesky's the most favored, so that.

[Doopliss]

Diamond dudes > flying dudes, swords/volcanoes, blizzards, and puppies.

Are you honestly saying conquering the world with puppies doesn't appeal to you?

>Reegus

[Wessolf27]

Okay forget my post above, Reegus it is

[Asmodemus]

> Whitesky.

[crash826]

>Honit!

[alexthewhite]

You won't know it for a little while, but you were born in Whitesky. The sun seemed to never stop bearing down on you. Sometimes, you would find your father holding you and saying "Please don't die." You didn't have any idea what he meant, but it felt like he was saying something good, so you would fall asleep in his arms. You sleep a lot. But that's normal, right?

One day your father took you to a room full of books to meet a scary man. The scary man's name was "Setting Sun." He was big, even bigger than your father, with a lot of scars on his arms. He probably had more scars, but they were hidden by the long and flowing white robe he was wearing. Setting Sun grabbed you roughly. He squeezed your cheek, then your arm. Then he looked in your eyes for about thirty seconds. You wanted to look away, but found that you couldn't. You were physically incapable of breaking his gaze. He looked at your father.

"Is this the little lord or the little lady?" You felt your father's grip on your shoulder tighten.

"Go on, then, tell Setting Sun who you are."

(A note: the response I want is your exact words in response to Setting Sun. The response should contain both your name and gender. This being Whitesky, your name is going to follow a similar format to Setting Sun. That format is [Verb] [Noun].)

[crash826]

> "My name is Shining Force! Who are you, citizen?!

...

okay, I-I'm actually Hiding Spire, I'm s-sorry, i guess it wasn't t-that funny. I'm a g-girl."

[Wessolf27]

"Fleeting Gale sir... I'm a boy sir."

[DWeird]

"My name is Wavering Wing. Have you gone blind with age to not see that I am a man in the making?"

[Iyestorm]

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This wouldn't really work for a three-year-old's dialogue, would it?

"M-my name is Laughing C-card, sir. Uh, L-learning Card is my twin brother, b-b-but he's hiding behind daddy a'cause he's shy. Aren't you g-gonna look at him too?"
"D-d-did it.... did it hurt, Sister? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"N-no, he was just scary. But he's daddy's friend, so he's gonna be nice, right, brother?"
"I... I *think* so..."
"...Right, Daddy?"
"Well, maybe... but then again, daddy doesn't know everything..." Your father is obviously joking, but it fails to reassure you.
"...I hafta go to the bathroom right now. Can I leave now, Mr. Setting Sun?"
"Sister! Don't leave me here with him!"


(If siblings aren't allowed, then I'll just second Hiding Spire)

[Whimbrel]

"I'm, um, Hiding Spire; I'm a girl..."

[alexthewhite]

"I'm, um, Hiding Spire; I'm a girl..."

Setting Sun laughed loudly. It wasn't a laugh of someone who found something funny, though. It was a mean laugh.

"You bring me a girl? Towering Spire, you have brought me a girl, what do you hope to do?" Setting Sun turned around. On the back of his robe was a picture of a bird. The bird looked angry.

"Hiding Spire is to be married off to some nobleman's brat. I have no use for her." You frown at Setting Sun. What does he mean by that? "Do you have any idea the shame your family would face if she took a profession for a boy?"

Your father looked like he was pretty angry. Not as angry as the bird looked, though. "I have her older sister for marriage. You are under my command, Setting Sun. I am ordering you to teach my daughter."

Setting Sun wheeled back around. He was still mad, but also defeated. A lot of people listened to your father.

"Fine. What do you want to know, little girl?"

(It is at this point that you will choose a profession.)

[Whimbrel]

Suggestion 1)"I... I want to learn how to fly!"

Suggestion 2)"I want to help people..." (Medical field)

Suggestion 3)"I want to learn about other towns...I want to travel" (Merchant, ambassador, or something of that nature?)

I'm okay with any of these options~

[crash826]

"I... I w-want..."

*motion to lean in close; when he does so, into his ear, sinisterly as is possible:*

"...to destroy the world."

[Airedar]

"I want to know the name of the wind."