Lands of Genus

Humans

Humans are quite simple to explain. They are the least magically-gifted race in Genus and as such have had to rely mainly on their ingenuity to get by. They are also the most populous race, giving them an advantage simply with sheer numbers.

They are divided, mainly, into three groups: The Amyranthians, the Jamai and the Igni. The Amyranthians are based in the temperate quadarchy of Amyranthe and are divided into a strict caste system. The Jamai are tribal humans that live in the frozen wastes past the Withering Woods; they worship the great frozen spirits whom they believe guide them to prosperity. Lastly, the Igni are a dark-skinned folk that are ruled by a very materialistic dragon in the deserts close to their capital.


Fey

The elusive Fey are the least common race in Genus, rarely venturing out of their Fey Forest unless explicitly threatened by outsiders. Their appearance varies the most out of any of the races; for example, one clan may be grass fey that are covered head to toe in green blades and another may be fungal fey that are pale and have spores protruding from their bodies.

The fey have no real religious beliefs and instead revere the natural order and attempt to keep it in balance in whatever they do. The fey are also not welcome in human territories (Amyranthian) due to the humans' isolationism and general distrust of any unknown entity.


Undrenfolk

The undrenfolk are the founders of the Underkingdom to the east of Amyranthe. Their skin is like stone in both appearance and texture and just as durable too; the only exception being their eyes which are filled with gem-like spheres. Other than those obvious differences, they are quite similar to humans.

Undrenfolk are skilled artisans and most go into blacksmithing, jewellery, or goldsmithing due to the prominence of minerals in their homeland. They have a neutral relationship with the other races.

House Rose

Leader: Heather Rose (pic below)
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House Rose is the youngest of the 4 royal houses, only being founded due to the heroic acts of Sir Rouge Rose throughout his career as a knight. One such act was saving the life of the (at the time) leader of House Oak from a riot.

The house values chivalry and loyalty above all else to live up to their founder's name. They also have a reputation for their passionate personalities which has landed a few members into trouble in the past including Heather herself's bastard, half-fey son Rubrum "the Fool".


House Oak

Leader: Duran Oak (pic below)
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House Oak is one of the original three houses ruling over Amyranthe and is the kingdom's best supplier of soldiers. When their kingdom was founded, House Oak was the main contributor to the kingdom's defensive structures such as the outer wall made of enchanted oak trees and the establishment of the city guard.

House Oak values endurance and dauntlessness in the face of danger and resents cowardice in any form. They are known to be strict in both personal and political matters leaving very little breathing room for some of their younger members.


House Bluebell

Leader: Azora Bluebell (pic below)
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House Bluebell, being one of the three founding houses has significant influence despite being poorer than the other royal houses. Since the kingdom's creation, House Bluebell has always cared more for the well-being of the peasantry than the opinions of the nobility which causes much strife in the political world.

House Bluebell values charitability and humility above all else and it reflects in their appearance and castle being less grandiose and expensive than one in their stature would receive.


House Yew

Leader: Aldous Yew (pic below)
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House Yew, the only one of the royal houses to practice magic in any form. Because of this, they have more inclination to trust the fey creatures of the wilds than most other humans.

The house values intellect and ambition, always striving to uncover the mysteries of the arcane and the fey. Their ways tend to be seen as eccentric and immoral due to a general lack of understanding of magic and so are probably the least trusted of the 4 royal houses.

Heather Rose

Age: 40
Spouse: Cecil Thornton
Children: Rubrum Rose (20, bastard), Redmond Rose (15)

Heather was born in the year 450 to Rowan and Garnet Rose in their home - Rouge's Rest. From an early age, she was tutored in both sword-based combat and diplomatic courtesy and manners. She was a prodigy at both subjects and was quick to garner a reputation among the high society as "the one to watch."

However, things changed when at age 19, Heather went with her father on a hunting trip into the Fey Forest - a dangerous place on the best of days. Things were going well for a while; Heather snared a few hares and put a spear through a boar which brought her father an obvious sense of pride. As they were heading out of the forest, a creature was heard in the brambles, scuttling about frantically. As a soldier went to see what it was a vibrant green hand pierced through his chainmail and into his chest. Heather didn't remember much of what occurred next apart from the smell of blood and the screams of her father's men.

When she awoke, she was greeted by a very strange-looking man around her age. He was stunning to behold: his skin was pale like snow, shifting to bark around his brow where crimson flowers blossomed like hair; his eyes were the colour of honey, intoxicating to gaze into and he was built like a sturdy oak tree - stocky and solid. He introduced himself as Briar Rainfall, a fey gatherer and they soon got well-acquainted.

He spent a few weeks tending to her wounds and talking with the young Heather and growing closer with every word spoken. Eventually, when the time came to leave, Heather and Briar shared a sorrowful farewell and Heather rode out of the Fey Forest for the last time.

Upon her return, she had learned that her father and his men were not as fortunate as she and had perished in the forest. She soon took her father's seat on the quadarchy and for a few months adjusted as well as could be expected. Then came Rubrum.

She gave birth to Rubrum a mere 3 months after her altercation in the Fey Forest, an unusual time for any human pregnancy. Rubrum's heritage was known instantly by his father's bark-like skin in patches and unnaturally crimson hair. Due to his birth, Heather was swept up in droves of controversy and had no choice but to confine her newborn son to a secluded room in Rouge's Rest, only bringing him out when necessary.

To cover up the scandal, she was wed to Cecil Thornton a vassal family of House Rose and five years after marriage she gave birth to Redmond, a red-headed boy filled with House Rose's fiery passions.


Duran Oak

Age: 60
Spouse: Serena Mossfeld (deceased)
Siblings: Volker Oak (55), Matilda Oak (50)
Children: Garrick Oak (42), Dara Oak (39), Arvid Oak (37)

Born in 430 to Cassius and Regina Oak, Duran was the eldest and first in line to his father's seat on the quadarchy. Due to his heir status, he was favoured above his siblings and given the best armour and weaponry in training bouts.

In childhood, Duran favoured heavy armour and tower shields which made him perfect for his future career as a frontline general. He amassed a reputation as a stalwart defender of Amyranthe by age 16 after his father's campaign against the raiding Jamai tribes of the north - along with a few scars. Though, not all of Duran's adolescence was filled with war and combat; at a feast in the Oaken Keep, he met the love of his life - Serena Mossfeld.

Serena's father was a low-ranking baron under his father's dominion and wasn't wealthy or very prestigious, though Duran didn't care about that. All he could focus on that night was Serena and when the time came for the noblemen and women to take to the dance floor, Duran uncharacteristically scurried to her side and held out a hand asking her to dance. Fortunately, she found the action cute rather than desperate and they danced the night away and started down the long road of their romance.

A year after their initial meeting they were betrothed and wed, much to the surprise of Duran's family due to Serena's considerably lesser heritage. The consummation of their marriage resulted in a son whom they named Garrick after Serena's grandfather. They had two more sons named Dara and Arvid in the years to come and as Duran ascended to his father's throne they all became princes.

Things were going well for the next few years; Duran succeeded in many more military campaigns earning his house more fame and fortune than any other had before him - until the death of Serena.

It happened suddenly, with no warning as Serena was found dead in the middle of Oaken Keep's courtyard with a dagger plunged into her chest. Duran flew into a rage, tracking down the assassin relentlessly until at last, he had a name - Azrail Yew.

Charging over to House Yew's own keep on his warhorse in full armour, Duran demanded a duel to the death with Azrail proclaiming "If I am to die, I shall be with my beloved again; if you are to die then she shall have justice. I'd choose the latter over anything. She deserves more from me than a reunion!"

The duel commenced and steel rang throughout the dark courtyard until Azrail ran for the other end of the courtyard, begging his brother Aldous to end the duel. Duran simply picked up his greatsword and threw it like a spear through the back of the young prince of Yew - killing him in an instant.

No words were spoken afterwards. Duran collected his weapon and left on his horse, dripping with Yew blood. From then on, he was a lot dourer, his eyes duller and sunken. He would oftentimes be found on his balcony when not in combat, gazing upwards towards the sky for hours upon hours. No one said a word to him, knowing what he was doing. Nothing could fill the hole Serena left behind, not even the infinite sky itself.


Azora Bluebell

Age: 14
Spouse: None
Children: None

Young Azora was born in the year 476 to Marilee Bluebell whose husband Chimalus Bluebell had died in a raid mere months prior.

Azora had a good childhood, despite the shoddy, overgrown state of her house's keep; her mother had raised her to be just as humble and charitable as was seen as virtuous in their house. Azora, whilst good at heart, was also quite the shy child and could never truly feel comfortable when in parties or feasts much to the disappointment of her peers.

The only person she could open up to was her mother - she was her comfort zone. Obviously, this concerned her mother greatly; Azora was to inherit a quarter of Amyranthe and speaking to others was quite an important part of the duties that came with it. To rectify this, Azora was often sent to assist with the charity efforts in the city beside their keep.

The charity work was simple enough: pass the rations to the worker; the worker gives rations to peasants - rinse and repeat. Azora did, however, end up making one friend on these errands; he was a young street urchin called Edd. At first, all he came for was the food (he looked almost skeletal, so it was clear that he needed it) though, over time, he started talking to Azora; he chatted about life in the city, told her jokes (some rather crude) and spent quite a lot of time with her up until she headed back to the keep.

It seemed as if Azora was starting to come out of her shell; she spoke up more at parties and even asked a suitor or two to dance. However, that progress would be quickly halted at the news of Marilee's illness.

It seemed as if Marilee had contracted heartroot, in which a spore would enter the victim's bloodstream and latch itself to the heart, draining all contents the blood transported, growing larger in the process. There wasn't much any physician could do for her and within the month, she passed away leaving the 14-year-old girl the burden of running a fief.

Azora was very depressed and faced with much more stress a girl of her age should be. Her reclusive nature made matters much worse as she wouldn't take counsel with anyone, leaving her that much more emotionally unstable.


Aldous Yew

Age: 91
Spouse: Loralai Rose (deceased)
Siblings: Azrail Yew (deceased)
Children: Morgan Yew (60) Thana Yew (55)

Aldous Yew was born to Gifflet and Morrigan Yew in the year 399 along with his twin brother Azrail in the mysterious home of House Yew - the Yew Sanctorum. When the two reached the age of 6, as per tradition, they delved deep into the sanctorum and trained with the arcane masters until adulthood.

Aldous and Azrail were prodigies (Aldous moreso) and they adapted to life in isolation quite well considering their young ages. Aldous dove into books, reading all about transmutations, evoking ancient spirits and, more influentially in his life, the process of slowing time.

When the twins eventually left the darkness of the lower sanctorum, they both had exceptional knowledge of the mystic arts rivalling even the masters. Aldous, after years of patience and study, slowed his ageing to a crawl leaving him looking like he was 20 for decades to come. Azrail, on the other hand, forsook that path and focused more on... darker pursuits.

After their father died and Aldous took over as head of the house, Azrail was kept on a much longer leash due to Aldous' close relationship with him, leaving the young lord to pursue his ambitions with little resistance.

Aldous would learn of his brother's foolish actions one day when Azrail took off into the capital for no apparent reason, his eyes ablaze with a strange red glow. He returned in the evening, blood splatters covering his clothing. Aldous had tried to question him about the mess, though all he received in response were mumbled grunts.

He didn't have to wait long for answers though as the famed Duran Oak rode up to the sanctorum demanding vengeance for his wife's murder. Azrail was quick to answer the call to arms - rather uncharacteristically. Aldous watched as the two fought, that glow still in his brother's eyes; he was greatly concerned for his brother, unsure why a bookish man such as himself would agree to such a duel.

Aldous saw the light in his brother's eyes fade as the two became tired, his brother's stance changing from one of a warrior to one of a petrified man. Azrail ran to his brother begging for him to end the duel, asking what was happening frantically between breaths. As Aldous was about to call out for the duel's cancellation, it happened. A blade of steel erupted from Azrail's chest making the man scream bloody murder as he fell. By the time he hit the ground, a different kind of light faded from his eyes.

Duran left soon after. He couldn't say anything, not to anyone as the duel was within the legal right. Aldous watched in shock as his brother's body was carried away. He watched as his body was buried in the dirt. He watched as his brother's name was dragged through the mud because of the murder of the lady Mossfeld. It seemed watching was all he was good for in his position - at least that's what he thought.

Aldous delved into his study often after that, preoccupied with figuring out what Azrail had been studying before his death. It consumed Aldous' every waking moment, not even bothering to spend time with his wife (whom he had married purely for political reasons) and his children.