THE REALM OF ARTEMA The story takes place in the realm called Artema. It is officially under the government of King Garaad Il Artema, but since the King is ill and has been in coma for two years, his son Prince Arod Il Artema currently rules in his place. The royal crest (which can be seen at the bottom of this page) has the form of a beast in it, and it is said that that is how the crest has always been, ever since the realm was first created. The royal palace is located on the north side of Artema's capital city, a busy, crowded metropolitan named Sceva. In the middle of the city is the Temple of the Creator, a place deemed most sacred and holy by all races in Artema, as the Creator herself used to dwell there, back when Artema was a place where no life existed. Now it bears a gigantic stone statue of the Creator that is said to be made and placed there by the first Artemians. To the east of Sceva, on its outskirts, is the mysterious dark forest of Duan, where nobody dares to go, and to the northwest of Sceva are the mountains of Pelagos. Sceva is otherwise surrounded mostly by rocky deserts, with villages big and small scattered about. These villages are usually located near or around water sources, or along the great river of Tyg, which runs along Sceva's south edge onto Riordan bay and into the sea, to the far west. top THE PEOPLE OF ARTEMA Knights They are human beings who are very good with a sword, but do not have any magic powers. Knights, however, are not to be taken lightly, since they tend to have a higher level of defense, i. e. what could be a fatal blow to others might simply result in just another cut to a Knight. They also tend to heal/recover faster. top Magus Magus are basically everyone with magic powers, be it black (attack/curse) magic or white (healing/protection) magic. They are usually not very skilled at handling swords, but they usually do carry some kind of small, handheld weapon (i. e. knife, dagger) to arm themselves with in emergency situations. top Eri The Eri are "the children of Erites"; chosen human beings that have extraordinary powers (ie. telepathic, telekinetic, invicibility, speed,etc). Though many in the world of Artema have powers and are able to use magic, the Eri have a distinguishable trait: they have crimson eyes. However, this fact is little known -- not all crimson-eyed people are Eri. People usually wouldn't know an Eri before he/she is awakened; after a certain incident (ie. death, shock, terrible anger/hatred because of a certain happening) in their lives, they would shed their human "skins" (ie. dies and reborn as an Eri). After becoming an Eri, they would bear the Mark of Erites and stop ageing. Though not susceptible to death of age or disease, they can be slain. They would also become like Erites herself: cool tempered, have terrible powers that stay unused. They would then function as the guardians/law enforcers of Artema, making sure that people don't do what they're not supposed to do. In short, the awakened Eri are the police, enforced on the realm and the monarchy of Artema by Erites. They do what Erites says, as they believe her to be the Creator, at least theirs. top Elves Elves are usually thought of as "creatures of the forest", due to their nature. Born from fruits of the Elf Tree, they live in forests, and are able to communicate with trees and plants. The Elf Tree, their origin, produces fruits and then dies. After a while it regenerates, much like trees in a season, but the cycle is about 100 years. A 100-year-cycle is called an elf generation. Elves don't age, nor do they die of old age, but once they turn 1400 years old (e. g. the 14th elf generation since their births), they simply cease to exist. No elf has been known to live for more than 13 elf generations, but it is prophesied that in times of great danger, a warrior that has seen and endured the suffering of the elven people for more than 1400 years will arise and save its fellow elves. Elves are androgynous, and they appear the same way throughout their lives, since they don't age (i. e. if it is born a child, then it will forever stay as a child, and if it is born an adult, it will always be an adult). They are commonly skilled with knives and short swords, and are extremely agile. top Manahath The Manahath is a legendary race of priests living hidden in the mountains. There are three clans, and each has its own chief, which the clan chooses based on the intelligence, wisdom, and skill. Not much is known about them, since they do not interact with the outside world much. They have blue skin and a bit of fur (mostly on the arms and legs), furry, long ears, and golden eyes. They do age, but very slowly; the Manahath are known to be androgynous, though, so it is not known whether they reproduce at all. They know of the Creator, and want to retain the goodness in the world for the sake of her. They are able to use magic spells, though their magic powers are usually not outstanding. Their true powers lie in their extensive wisdom and knowledge of the world; so intelligent are they that they seem to know almost everything, and are able to make lightning-quick calculations and decisions. It is also known that a Manahath is usually very good with a khanjar, their traditional weapon, which has the shape of a dagger with curved blade. Another distinct ability is that the Manahath people can transform into a (rather cute) beast form that has the keen hearing of a wolf, sight of an eagle, and speed of a cheetah. It must be noted, however, that the beast form does look suspiciously similar to the beast in Artema's royal crest... top