WILD ARMS RPG: STEEL SAVIOR
PLOT DOC
VERSION 1.0
by Gayo (joas@nbnet.nb.ca)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Basics
2. History & Background
3. Denizens
     a. Humans 
     b. Elws
     c. Guardians
     d. Lesser Spirits
     e. Wild Beasts
     f. Monsters
     g. Demons
     h. Golems
     i. Other
4. World Powers
     a. Adlehyde
     b. Arctica
     c. Alexandria
     d. Seim
     e. Isle of Conflict
     f. GaiaCo
5. Guardians
     a. Gurdijeff
     b. Stoldark
     c. Moa Gault
     d. Fengalon
     e. Nua Shakks
     f. Ione Pawa
     g. Duras Drum
     h. Denogenos
     i. Odoryuk
     j. Ge Ramtos
     k. Stare Roe
     l. Lucadia
     m. Aru Sulato
     n. Solus Emsu
     o. Zeldukes
     p. Equitus
     q. Rigdobrite
     r. Raftina
     s. Justine
     t. Zephyr
     u. Luceid
6. Places
7. Legendary Places
8. Current Events
9. Chargen

--REVISIONS--
0.1: Only contains sections 1 and 2. Released it so Grue could get a leg up on his character ideas. 
0.3: Added "Denizens" section.
0.5: Added "World Powers" section. Which sucked to write, I might add.
0.7: Documented every damn Guardian. That sucked. I bet two-thirds of them won't even get much exposure during the game. Blargh. On to locations...the end is within my grasp...
0.71: Er, as you can tell I'm going nuts.
0.8: Did "Places" up to the M's. 
1.0: Added a little disclaimer-type thing to "basics". Finished "Places", and added the final three sections, "Legendary Places", "Current Events", and "Chargen". Thank god. 

1. BASICS

WARPG: Steel Savior is an IRC RPG based on the video game Wild Arms, to be run on Lunarnet, Sundays from 5:00 to 9:00 or 10:00 EST. It is run by me, Gayo. That is pronounced with a long I sound, not a long A sound - spread the word. WARPG is based entirely on the events of Wild Arms and TOTALLY ignores anything related to Wild Arms 2, which looks to be a rather peculiar "parallel universe" sort of sequel. I plan to have 6 or 7 players. Applications should not suck. Stats will be done AFTER applications; no one touches anything system-based until they've been APPROVED for entry into the game. If you want to apply for anything risky, bizarre, or AT ALL plot-altering, I STRONGLY reccomend you give me the gist of the character before writing anything, so I can tell you whether there's any chance of my accepting it. You don't want to do a big in-depth application for a fruit vendor character only to find out I'm not accepting fruit vendor characters. Incidentally, if you ask and I give you the go-ahead to write an app, that does NOT mean that application will necessarily be accepted. Here's a partial list to give you a basic idea of what won't even be being considered:

THINGS I DO NOT WANT

* No Metal Demons, Holmcrosses, or anything made of living metal
* No robots
* No aliens unless I'm *really* impressed by your freaky alein mojo
* No Elws
* No one with significant a biological relation to any major character from Wild Arms (and I tend to scowl upon any other sort of relation either...)
* No "high" royalty - "low" royalty (mayors, counts, senators, etc.) have a chance, but I'll expect a good motivation for their adventuring, as most of them have local responsibilities
* No pickles

	A bit more advice for interested parties: I won't flat out refuse them, but I kind of dislike extremely involved backgrounds. It doesn't mean your application can't be long, but I'm less likely to accept characters who have 10 pages describing their past exploits. A character should have between zero and two truly remarkable events in their past. Beyond that, you should at least not document anything you don't really need to be a part of the application. Don't play a character who you'd rather write a fanfic about than play in a game; this IS a game, and all potential characters should be tailored to the medium. Also, I can deal with tragic pasts, but if you're going to do them, make them GOOD, and if your character looks like a whiny angst magnet as a result of said tragic past, be prepared to convince me that it's for the best to accept him or her into the game. A final note with regard to backgrounds: characters DO NOT need to have some noble ancestry or ancient artifact or in fact anything at all remarkable about them to be good. That said, I'm perfectly willing to accept the ones that do, but it helps to keep a down-to-earth view of things, to avoid going overboard. Just keep in mind that the more the character demands of the plot in the application, the better said application will have to be.

	Now, what I DO want. This part is more specific. Beginning characters start at level 3, and while it's VERY hard to ascribe a realistic scale of ability to the level system, level 3 out or 40 is a novice any way you cut it. Your character should not be a master at ANYTHING, but ESPECIALLY not combat or his magical talent. You don't need to play an absolute novice (though you can), but you are playing someone of no better than average skill as a warrior, probably less than average. I'm a little more lenient with non-combative abilities, but still, keep in mind: A level 3 character can have an absolute maximum of 7 in any one skill, in a system where a master has a skill of 15-20. Thus, you can't start off playing a master thief, just a good one. Basically what I'm saying is you can't be really good at anything by comparison to the masters, but you're already pretty good by comparison to the average schmoe, who's at levels 
0-2...and you have a vast potential for growth. Play on that if you feel the need to run someone with remarkable ability. At any rate, that's that, let's talk about motivation, the other big thing that I need compliance with. This is, in the tradition of video game IRC RPGs, a rather largeass chronicle involving saving the world and nearly dying and shit like that. Characters must be willing to risk their lives at least a BIT, and must have enough interest of the well-being of the planet that they'd actually want to save it. If your character loses all IC reason to be with the party, I will be forced to either let him leave, or do something nasty to him to give him motivation. The main problem with people in Filgaia today is that they lack the three Virtues. For a lack of Love, people bitterly squabble and fight over petty material goods; for a lack of Courage, people don't stand up for what they believe in and protect what matters to them; for a lack of Hope, too many of the people of Filgaia simply no longer care what happens, secure in their dark shell of bitterness. If your character doesn't have at least one of those things, it's going to be a problem working him or her into the game. It is possible to accomodate a craven, apathetic, hateful bastard so long as he has a strong Desire, but that's not a path most heroes choose to follow. And please, no one suicidal. I hate that. FINALLY! This is quite specific, but all starting-game PCs need an excuse to be in the Kingdom of Adlehyde at ther beginning of the game. See Current Events for info on the most obvious plot hook.

	Incidentally, by applying for this game you agree that I can use any information about your character on the game's website, can post logs in which your character roleplays, and can NPC the character if I am required to. If you get kicked out of the game, I may still wind up NPCing your character. If you can't deal with those terms (though I can't imagine why not), don't apply.

	Oh, and as to the title "Wild ARMs"...ARMs are Ancient Relic Machines, legendary magical technology from the age when Elws and Humans first defeated the Demon Race. They are incredibly valuable, as the technology in them is very complex, and at the high levels far exceeds the current reaches of even magic. However, ARMs can't be used by just anyone - they require the user to "synchronize" with them, allowing him to operate the ARM's magical interface. Once synchronized, an ARM can be activated and operated by thought alone, though most require physical interaction to use with skill. While ancient technology of a non-magical variety does exist, it's less valuable, much more decrepit, and generally requires some sort of energy source. 

2. HISTORY & BACKGROUND

<NOTE: Even if you're well-acquainted with the plot of Wild Arms, it'd be wise to read the history...in doing so, you may notice that many things have been left out. The following information represents the common knowledge of the people of Filgaia. If something was in the game but is not explained in the history or elsewhere in this document, your character most likely does not know it. If you want your character to be privy to "secret" information, it should be well-justified in your application, and you should discuss it with me.>

THE FIRST DEMON WAR

	In an ancient time recalled only through the mists of legend, there were three races on Filgaia that lived in harmony: the Humans, the Elws, and the Guardians. Humans cultivated the land and built cities and empires, Elws studied the inner workings of magic and technology, and the Guardians used their powers to ensure that Filgaia was a rich and bountiful world. Only a few scraps of records remain from that time, but it is said that the ground yeilded up its crops freely, lush plantlife covered the land, and all manner of mythical beast lived in harmony with the people. Life was good until the demons invaded. A race of invincible Metal Demons fell from the sky in a falling star and began laying waste to the world, perhaps a punishment from some divine hand for the complacency of the Filgaians. To confront the threat, the three races banded together and drove the demons to the arctic edge of Filgaia, where they defeated them in a final showdown. 

THE THOUSAND YEARS

	Filgaia had been rent horribly by the Demon War, and much of it was left a barren wasteland while the rest was condemned to slowly die over the course of a thousand years. The Humans had been on the front lines of the war using Elw technology, and that technology caused as much damage as the demons' dark powers did. The Elw, upset over this, renounced technology, banded together on one of the few green places left on Filgaia, and used a strange and powerful magic the likes of which the world has never seen since to transport the continent, and the entire Elw race, to another dimension where they live in peace, leaving humanity and the Guardians to their ruined world. Almost all records were destroyed in the havoc of the Demon War, and so it is that most records go back no farther than this time, when humans were desperately trying to solicit the help of the Guardians in the revival of Filgaia. The Guardians, however, had been weakened more than the other two races in the war because of their connection with the land, and were forced to vanish from the physical world to survive, existing only in spirit form. Without tangible evidence of the existence of the Guardians, humans lost faith in them, and thus lost their bond with their world. Filgaia died a little each day. 

THE SECOND DEMON WAR

	Well, if the other one was called the "first", you know there has to be a second. Roughly a millennium went by after the Demon War, an era some now call the "thousand years of peace", though in fact humanity warred enough among itself that the title is a misnomer at best. At any rate, the northern kingdom of Arctica, built on the continent where the demons had first been banished so very long ago, found an old ruin which, upon exploration, turned out to be the remains of the falling star the demons had ridden to Filgaia. They began excavation, only to find that a few of the demons had survived hidden in the wreck, guarding the dormant form of their leader, Mother. Seeing how weak humanity had become, the demons seized the opportunity to eradicate the population of Arctica Castle, and set about claiming what demonic technology remained untouched or overlooked from the first war and repairing it. The humans, now possessing only fragments of their ancient Elw trechnology and having forgotten how to use it, were easily overcome, and the fate of the world looked grim, until the princess of the kingdom of Adlehyde, Cecelia Lynne Adleyhyde, teamed up with a band of warriors to combat the demons: Rudy Roughnight, a boy capable of using ARMs with unprecedented skill, Jack Van Burace, the sole survivor from Arctica Castle, Professor Emma <does she have a last name?>, a brilliant scientist studying Elw technology for modern applications, and Calamity Jane, a mysterious sharp-shooting bounty hunter from the area now known as Seim. With the help of the Tear Drop, an ancient and powerful artifact of Cecelia's, the warriors were able to ally with the Guardians and destroy the demons and Mother once again, this time hopefully for good.

AFTER THE SECOND WAR

	94 years have passed (not 100! Take that, oppressive base-ten number system!) since the second war. Whereas back then the land was a harsh frontier, nowadays nature has been tamed in many places, and industry has spread. Indutry brings people to cities, and so the population, once spread out, is now tightly packed in urban areas across the globe, each person vying with his fellows for a chance at employment and a living. The Guardians have been invigorated by the success of the second demon war, and they are slowly working towards making the land bountiful once again. No longer needing to battle with the earth to reap its treasures, humanity has prospered, creating new and better technology with the creation of the steam engine, and the recent and exciting discovery of electricity, a power scientists and engineers promise will bring people one giant step closer towards the grandeur of Elw ARMs. This is truly the age of industry and technology for Filgaia...but what price does it come at?

	It's true the Guardians seem to be flourishing since the final defeat of the Demon Race, but whether humanity is doing the same depends on who you talk to. Life is good for many: modern medicine, technology, and conveinences are revolutionizing the way people live, and some are even lucky enough to have electricity in their homes. Literacy has never been so rewarding with the invention of the printing press, and transporation by steam power is far faster than previous conventional means. On the other hands, things are bad for the common man. City life is rough, unpleasant, cutthroat and crude...capitalism has skyrocketed without political restraint, and with the lack of unions and work laws jobs go to the one willing to work the hardest for the least amount of money. With as much unemployment as there is, it's almost unheard of to be paid enough to live on for a 7-day, 90-hour work week at the factories or coal mines. Of course, there are other ways to scrape out a living...when Filgaia was still a harsh frontierland, brave souls called "Dream Chasers" ventured out to try and make a living as adventurers, mercenaries and bountry hunters, willing to go out into the dangerous wild where others feared to tread. These days the wild has not only been tamed, but in many places utterly consumed by man and his machines. Travelling is still dangerous, but not to the extent it was once, and the invention of non-ARM guns has taken a large bite out of the populations of hostile wildlife. The lack of Dream Chasers isn't even so much about that, though...after the Second Demon War a period of great energy, creation and optimism followed for a couple decades, and as the leaders of that period gradually became aware that the world was still a dark, misery-filled place regardless of the state of the demons and Guardians, a new age of cynicism and depression set in. Many people today in Filgaia are apathetic and materialistic...could it be that dreams cannot survive in a world that has no demons to battle?

3. DENIZENS

Filgaia used to be home to many species of note...but over half the planet's lifeforms were killed in the First Demon War, and many of the currently existing species are on a slow spiral towards extinction even now. The days when dragons walked the earth are long gone...

3a. HUMANS

Filgaian humans are more or less the same as real humans. This RPG revolves around humans, as they are the ones who have inherited Filgaia. In the fabled Golden Age before the First Demon War, humans were the more forward-thinking, ambitious and confrontational of the three major races of Filgaia. The human tribes frequently battled among themselves for supremacy, but when the Demons came to Filgaia, they banded together and took up the battle on the front lines, supported by Elw technology and Guardian magic. The humans suffered least from the harm the world suffered, being ever-resilient, and it's for that reason that they are the only prominent sentient race left today. 

3b. ELWS

The Elws appear human for the most part, but are predominantly short and blonde, and have furry, animal-like ears, usually either floppy and sheep-like or pointed and cat-like. Whereas humans were movers and shakers, Elws were scholars, studying the inner workings of magic and technology and perfecting both science and the mystic arts. After the Demon War, sickened by the damage their technology had done, and angry that the clash had done so much damage to the world they loved, they used gathered on a small forested continent and used strange magic to remove themselves and the entire continent from the world forever. One Elw remained on Filgaia, but she vanished not long after the Second Demon War.

3c. GUARDIANS

Of the original three races, the lest is known about the Guardians, as they kept no records and vanished without a trace. Evidence suggests that they were powerful shapeshifting beings of the land with a far stronger connection to the spirit world than anything else on Filgaia. Whatever the truth about them, it's known that the Guardians have some sort of tie to Filgaia, as it's only their powers that kept the planet from being rendered completely barren by the struggles of the Demon War. Because they are connected to inanimate nature and intangible forces, the Guardians are much more primordial than the other races, and tend to be strange and inscrutable. Evidence suggests there were many of them in the Golden Age, but now only twenty are known of. The reasons for this are unknown, but it's generally held that either the Guardians amalgamated their essences to become stronger, or most of them were killed off during the Demon War. Because of the Guardians' bond with Filgaia, when the world was rent so were they, and they were forced to leave behind their physical bodies and retreat to the spirit world. This sudden disappearance rendered them even more mysterious and unfathomable to humanity, who might have thought they were gone for good if not for the fledgeling art of shamanism that allowed people to form a bond with the Guardians across the divide. 

3d. LESSER SPIRITS

Any shaman can tell you that everything in the world has a spirit, from the lowly pebble the grand ancient dragon. While not everyone believes this, it seems to work for the Shamans. At any rate, the term "spirit" is most frequently used to refer to things who either no longer have a physical body, or never have. There is some evidence that the spirit forms of the dead may remain after their bodies are gone, but this is unclear. However, it is known that there are "lesser" spirits of various sorts. These spirits are even less known and understood than the Guardians, because they seldom have the power to make their presence known in the real world, and virtually no one considers becoming a shaman for a minor spirit. Those few shamans who have penetrated enough into the spirit world to ken its nature have said that most lesser spirits seem to defer to the Guardians, either out of respect for their wisdom or fear of their power. The most intriguing (and most believed in) of the lesser spirits are those that seem to have the ability to manifest in the physical world. The Guardians can do this briefly and with effort, but certain weak spirits appear to have the power to do it for extended periods. Why the Guardians appear to lack this power is unknown, though some Shamans believe they can do it and simply don't deign to waste their energy. 

The spirits that can easily become corporeal often do so on errands for the Guardians. Wind Rats are among these. Such things are rare nowadays, however.  

3e. WILD BEASTS

In the ancient days of the Golden Age, mythical beasts walked the earth, it is said. Dragons, griffins, manticores, sea serpents, centaurs...only a few specimens from that time remain, and the animals that populate Filgaia in modern times are more mundane, though some are still quite powerful. Most of the wild animals remaining are things that can be found in the real world, though there are a few oddities. Many wild animals fear humanity and will not attack humans unless cornered, but the encroaching of cities upon the wild has caused some animals to get used to humanity and no longer fear it, and scarcity of food has led some to kill humans. Still, with the advent of the rifle humankind has managed to decimate the numbers of hostile predators and large prey animals. Only a few species of animal have been domesticated; horses, mules, cattle and common housepets, primarily.

3f. MONSTERS

Monsters differ from normal wild animals in that they tend to be bizarre and horrible, and are all openly hostile, though they avoid large settlements of humans. They are the flesh and blood beast servants of the Metal Demons, but the more powerful monsters died with the Demon race, and now only weak stragglers populate Filgaia, staying alive despite humanity's hatred of them through sheer numbers. While many consider monsters to be just another, really unpleasant sort of animal after having lived with them for over a thousand years, they seem somehow unnatural compared to normal wildlife. Before the Second Demon War monsters were plentiful, and it was nearly impossible to travel without warriors to battle them. The resurgence of Guardian strength appears to have cut into their numbers, as things aren't nearly as bad now. However, monsters are still a serious threat to the unprepared traveller.	

3g. DEMONS

Filgaians don't believe that heaven is in the sky - the sky is a strange, unknown void from whence came the Demon Race. Of the Metal Demons, only one friendly one remains, but the race has had left an indelible mark on Filgaians' culture and world that it will never be forgotten. The Demons got their name from their bodies, which, upon dissection of one of the weaker ones during the First Demon War, were revealed to be similar in construction to Filgaian creatures', but made of metal instead of flesh. That is to say, they were NOT robots, but rather inorganic living beings of tissue and blood and bone, all metallic compunds. This made them much stronger and more resilient than "normal" creatures, and gave them a huge edge during the wars that helped to counteract their small numbers. Apparently the Metal Demons wanted to colonize Filgaia because they had no more world of their own, but they didn't seem to care if they rendered it a barren rock in the process, and certainly intended to kill off the current inhabitants either way. Little is known about them, and the one who remains refuses to discuss their motives.

3h. GOLEMS

The Golems were giant, vaguely humanoid war machines of stone and metal that were created in the First Demon War to battle the Metal Demons. They were immensely powerful, and even the Demon leaders feared them. The Golems were not sentient, however, and were found, stolen, and reporogrammed by the Demons in the Second Demon War, at which point it became necessary to destroy them. Only one, the Earth Golem, was untainted, but it was destroyed protecting humanity. The golems were: Lolithia (Air), Belial (Thunder), Leviathan (Water), Barbados (Earth), Diablo (Fire), Lucifer (Light), Sado (Darkness), and the Earth Golem (Neutral).

Lolithia, Belial, Leviathan, Barbados and Diablo were destroyed by the forces of humanity. Sado and Lucifer were too powerful to be controlled by the demons, and were sealed away somewhere.

3i. OTHER

The universe is a big, scary place. There's stuff out there that the imagination can't even comprehend. No one knows how far space goes, and even on Filgaia there's the mysterious world of spirits, and the existence of other dimensions is believed in, but not known. The demons' leader herself, Mother, isn't a demon, but something else that no one understands. Ineffable horrors from beyond the stars are said to be sealed in the Abyss. Madmen whisper that the Dark Lord, Angol Moa, slumbers beneath Filgaia waiting to damn humanity to an eternity of hell. Some say the Guardians themselves aren't of Filgaia originally. Who knows what's out there...?

4. WORLD POWERS

There are five major world powers in Filgaia today: The Kingdom of Adlehyde, the Kingdom of Arcitca, the Democracy of Alexandria, the Republic of Seim, and the Isle of Conflict.

4a. ADLEYHYDE 

The Kingdom of Adlehyde is the most ancient country on Filgaia, dating back to the time of the first Demon War. Perhaps it is its patronage by Zeldukes, Guardian of stability, that has allowed it to withstand those forces that shattered the world. Adlehyde is a monarchy, but has certain democratic elements to it. There are four levels of government: Parliament Members, Ministers, the Prime Minister, and the Monarch. Parliament Members are composed of both hereditary nobility and elected officials in equal number, and deal with matters in specific areas of the country assigned to them. Minsters are voted in by Parliament members, but the Monarch has a vote which is equivalent to the votes of one-quarter of the parliament, and thus the Monarch usually gets to assign the Ministers, pulling sway with the hereditary Parliament members if the vote is in doubt. Ministers tend to have specific country-wide tasks assigned to them, such as Defense, Agriculture, Commerce, International Relations, and so on. Each position is voted for separately, and only nobles, rich people, and former MP's are generally allowed to run. Each time the four-year political term of Ministers ends (the MP's have a one-year term), the Monarch selects one of the Ministers from the ending term to be the Prime Minister for the NEXT term. Each branch of government can veto actions of the lower branches, though the Monarch usually doesn't step in without the support of the PM, and if a Minister wants to veto something outside his field of duty, he has to call a vote of all the Ministers which then needs a two-thirds majority.

Adleyhyde's capitol shares the country's name, and is a castle with a large city surrounding it. The current King of Adleyhyde is King Ronald Adlehyde. He has two surviving children, Etienne, the oldest, and Amelia, the younger, though he had a youngest child named Selman who died of illness a few years ago, when he was 16. The current Prime Minister is Maximillian Endwell, though his appointment was an unexpected measure following the assassination of the prior PM, Joseph Osburn.  

4b. ARCTICA

The Second Demon War began with the slaughter of all those living in Arctica Castle, which threw the country into chaos. The major heads of the country had been wiped out in one shot, and the remaining nobles were incabale of ruling responsibly. Annoyed with the foolishness of the squabbling titled elite fighting over what to do with the country, General Thrad Mordant, the "Arctic Wolf", one of the few surviving ranking military officers with some semplace of competence, whipped everyone into shape and organized the damn country himself. He became King, and while many consider him to be a harsh and violent figure in history, the fact remains that few men could have done what he did. Since then Arctica has adopted a somewhat more military outlook than any other country, being ruled by a line of generals. Arctica is a true feudal country, scoffing at the modern trappings of democracy. While some accure it of being a relic in this age of freedom and capitalism, the Arctican ruling class merely looks on impassively with an icy gaze. 

Arctica's capitol is the same Acrtica Castle the demons attacked 94 years ago. No one is allowed to live near the castle without special permission. The country is ruled by King Destral Mordant, grandson of the Arctic Wolf. He has one son. The Queen died of illness about eight years ago.

4c. ALEXANDRIA

Some fifty or so years ago, Alexander Thompson, then the mayor of Rosetta, embarked on a quest to unite the various small nationalities that comprised the area around Rosetta into one large country composed of many smaller states. The Democracy of Alexandria was born. People flocked to the fledgeling country to try and get a chance at a good life in a world where many of the other places were oppressive, and so Alexandria became known as the Land of Opportunity, though many of those who go to work in the Gaiaco factories every day might be more inclined to call it the land of cutthroat capitalism. Alexandria, more than any place, is the country to make money, and those who do it well tend to be quite ruthless. There are no unions and no wage laws. Plutocrats own all the newspapers and have the support of all the politicians, who get campaign funding from them. Nonetheless, it's STILL nicer than some other places in the world. The political system in Alexandria is composed of Governors, Senators, and a President. All three are elected by the people, though only the President is elected by the people of the entire country - Senators and Governors represent areas, and are elected by the area. Each state gets one governor, and a number of senators proportional to its population, generally ranging from 1 to 4. Senators deal with federal matters, and governors deal with state matters. The President supervises everything, appoints certain other officials, and is required to pass laws, though the Senate can pass a law against his wishes with a majority vote. 

The capitol of Alexandria is Rosetta, a walled city surrounding the Presidential Mansion, where President Albert Hannigan and his wife and three sons live.		

4d. SEIM

The area surrounding the old town of Cort Seim had always been rich with ancient technological ruins. It was discovered during the Second Demon War that one such ruin, known as Gemini's Corpse, was nearly untouched and well-preserved, having had a large underground area that its previous looters didn't know about. Archaeologists and Dream Chasers flocked to the area, and eventually the houses they built to live in became a new city, which they named New Seim. Cort Seim became "Old Seim". Eventually the people of New and Old Seim became bold and declared the entire area its own country called the Republic of Seim. This wasn't as big a thing as one might suspect, as the area was too far off on its own for any of the other countries to manage effectively, and until the Second Demon War had been far too harsh and dangerous to be heavily populated. Seim is a democracy, like Alexandria, and in fact is very similar to Alexandria, but retains more of the Aldehydian class systems - more of the wealthy people in Seim have hereditary wealth, and look down upon the nouveau riche. This doesn't discourage people from trying to make a fortune on the many bits and pieces of ancient technology to be found in the country, however. 

The capitol of Seim is New Seim, a bizarre city that extends underground into what was once the Gemini's Corpse ruin. Its leader is Prime Minister Joseph Jackson, a stern, elderly man rather unpopular with the poor class, though favored among those of wealthy families.

4e. ISLE OF CONFLICT

The Isle of Conflict was discovered by an adventurer named Pegucci a bit over a hundred years ago. It is thus the oldest of the "new" countries. At the time it was populated by peaceful aboriginals, whom Pegucci slaughtered, tricked, and enslaved, taking control of their island and quietly amassing resources out of the reach of the governments of the world. When he felt he was strong enough to dig in should someone try to take the island from him, Pegucci send an envoy to Rosetta explaining the location of his island, rechristned the "Isle of Conflict". Pegucci found bloodshed amusing, and hosted a lawless gladiator arena where the desperate go to battle for money, often to the death. In time, he amassed an army, and while the Isle's manpower seems unimpressive, assailants have told of the terrifying, animalistic ferocity and skill with which Pegucci's army fights. Most of the other countries leave this tropical "island paradise" alone, partly out of fear, partly out of a realization that it has made little attempt to expand its territory. The nobility of Conflict seem content to drink their fill of wine and watch their inferiors spill each other's blood in the arena day in, and day out...and so the Emperor's ships continue their trips to the old world, seducing the desperate with a faint promise of riches, and taking them back to the colosseums to spill their blood.

The capitol of the Isle is in fact the only large "civilized" place there, known only as the Arena. It is a city where any forbidden pleasure can be bought for a price, and a cloud of bleak despair smothers all, ruled over by the bloated and decadent Pegucci III and his eight brides.

4f. GAIACO®

GaiaCo, the largest company in Filgaia, is not, technically, a world power, but everyone in the real world can attest to the clout corporations weild. GaiaCo has an advantage the countries to not in that it is welcome everywhere, and has its fingers in every pie. GaiaCo factories and mines are everywhere, and GaiaCo products are ubiquitous. GaiaCo is run by the rather unpopular Alexandrian plutocrat, Claudius Shamesworth. Claudius is considered by some to be an example of a common man's success story, as he was poor when he left Arctica to come to the Democracy to make his fortune. However, despite his lauded "philanthropy" (he does give out a lot of money for educational and cultural facilities, but it's only a ten thousandth of a percent of what he keeps), many feel that he is a better example of how power and success are corrupting, pointing to how horribly he exploits his destitute factory workers and coal miners.

5. GUARDIANS

Not even their own shamans truly understand the Guardians, though some claim to. The Guardians are perhaps the greatest enduring mystery of Filgaia, so close, and yet so very distant and intangible. To the layman it often seems like shamans bend the Guardians to their will, but those few shamans foolish enough to think so quickly realize the error of their ways...the Guardians are benevolent, but their motives and methods are veiled in an impenetrable fog. A little, however, is known, and this knowledge is perhaps the more significant for its scarcity...

5a. GURDIJEFF

Rune: EARTH
COMMON
Gurdijeff is one of the four Guardians of magical energy, the spiritual patrons of magicians. Favored by those who study both shamanism and magery, he infuses his children with the power of the Geo crest. In return, he asks that his followers stay true to the spirit of the Earth and push their limits to become more than they are. They must endure hardship without cracking under the strain, and draw on their faith to stand up to adversity in whatever form it takes. Gurdijeff respects endurance and persistence, and as such tends to gravitate towards athletes, though he is more likely to accept someone as a shaman if they study the inner mystical workings of his element, Earth. 

Gurdijeff manifests in the form of a huge, bluish-grey dinosaur (though Filgaians don't know what a dinosaur is ^_~ ) with scales like slate, and spines made of crystal.

5b. STOLDARK

Rune: WATER
COMMON
Stoldark is one of the four Guardians of magical energy, the spiritual patrons of magicians. Favored by those who study both shamanism and magery, he gives his followers preternatural mastery of the Muse crest. Stoldark is said to be the favored Guardian of the ledendary Cecelia Adlehyde, and as such has a certain celebrity status among the Guardians. Of the four Guardians of magery, Stoldark is the one least likely to accept non-mages, as he favors those with a passion for knowledge and an interest in the secret ways. All shamans of Stoldark have some sort of interest in mysticism, and are often introspective, as he looks down upon rash displays of emotion. Stoldark's shamans thus tend to be magicians, or at least pursuers of knowledge, wisdom and philosophy, as well as studiers of the element of Water. 

Stoldark manifests in the form of the World Turtle, an ancient, wizened tortoise with a long neck, whose carapace is inscribed with mystic designs. The Tree of Knowledge grows on the back of his shell.

5c. MOA GAULT

Rune: FIRE
COMMON
Moa Gault is one of the four Guardians of magical energy, the spiritual patrons of magicians. Favored by those who study both shamanism and magery, she teaches her followers the way of the firey Fray crest. Moa Gault is the embodiment of flame, and demands that her shamans always live life with passion. Shamans of Moa Gault have been able to discern that she and Stoldark seem to have some sort of ongoing arguement, and as such no one has ever managed to appease them both at the same time, which isn't surprising, as Stoldark favors calm introspection, whereas Moa Gault insists that those who follow her let her passion and fury into their hearts, and never back away from a challenge. She favors no particular sort of profession, but demands that her shamans have a firey soul, and show their veneration by studying the workings of her element, Fire.

Moa Gault takes the form of an incandescent phoenix clad in white-hot armor, representing her warrior soul. 

5d. FENGALON

Rune: WIND
COMMON
Fengalon is one of the four Guardians of magical energy, the spiritual patrons of magicians. Favored by those who study both shamanism and magery, she imbues her followers with the power of the mystic crest of Wing. She respects quick thinkers, believing that wits are more important than Gurdijeff's perseverance, Stoldark's intelligence, or Moa Gault's intensity. Her shamans must prove they can keep up with her, or she'll leave them behind. Air is everchanging, and she's quick to abandon followers that stagnate too long at one pursuit, insisting that they keep things fresh, and above all, stay on their toes. Somewhat surprisingly, businesspeople have shown a particular fondness for Fengalon in recent years, though the shamanic lifestyle must come first, and, of course, study of the element of Air. 

Fengalon's form is that of an anthropomorphic white tiger, but it's not unusual for her to move so fast that only her shamans themselves can actually follow what's happening. 

5e. NUA SHAKKS

Rune: THUNDER
COMMON
Nua Shakks is the Guardian of Thunder. The lightning bolt strikes from above in a fatal instant, precise and deadly. Nua Shakks demands her shamans be the same way - they must make every action with simple elegance and surgical precision. She has little but contempt for people who beat around the bush, or insist on wasting time with flowery airs. Etiquette isn't a very high priority for her shamans, because they, like her, generally want to cut to the heart of a situation as quickly as possible, do what must be done, and move on. Not a lot of people can deal with that, and so Nua Shakks' shamans can sometimes be rather irksome. But they don't care. It's what happens when you're the only one who knows how to do something right...

Nua Shakks appears as a large, silvery-blue lioness whose roar is the sound of rolling thunder. A silver horn adorns her forehead, from which lightning arcs to bring flickering death in an instant.

5f. IONE PAWA

Rune: SAINT
COMMON
Ione Pawa is the righteous Guardian of Light, punisher of the unworthy. He is the paragon of righteous fury, descending from the heavens like a storm to smite the sinners and defilers of the world. Of all the Guardians, he is one of the most critical of his shamans, demanding they not succumb to immorality, and always battle injustice wherever it may lie. His children are sanctimonious and critical themselves, striving to maintain the holiness and purity of those around them as well as themselves, and always burning with the anger of the heavens. Ione Pawa and Duras Drum are well known to dislike each other, to the point where their respective shamans sometimes try to kill each other despite the importance of Guardianists sticking together in this modern world. He despises liars and manipulators, and absolutely refuses to have them among his ranks, believing that a truly righteous person speaks his mind without need to hoard secrets and puppeteer others. He is a popular Guardian among priests and knights of the church, but his ranks have been depleted in the past few decades, as some find him harsh and rather tactless.

The religious town of Saint Centour is named after Ione Pawa's form, a centaur. The fur of his horse half is brilliant white, and his skin is a dark brown. Long green hair runs in waves down his back, and he wears war paint. He carries with him a holy spear adorned with the totems of many animals. 

5g. DURAS DRUM

Rune: HADES
RARE
Duras Drum is an enigma, and that's the way he likes it (or is it a he? That's what people say, but who really knows?). Most people are terrified of the Guardian of Darkness, whether they admit it or not, and he has virtually no shamans as a result. While impressed enough at anyone with the guts to try and be his shaman to give them all a fair chance, Duras Drum respects cunning and skilful manipulation in his followers. His interest lies with the intelligent, and some have been known to seek him out simply for the intellectual challenge of his tests of worth. Really, though, Duras Drum remains the most oblique and inscrutabl e of the Guardians, personifying some of the most unsettling aspects of Filgaia's spiritual protectors. Those who dare to speak his name whisper that in his secret realm he has a book containing every secret of every person ever to live. Is it any wonder people are scared of him? It's important to remember that Duras Drum IS a protector of Filgaia, and is not immoral, despite what most people think. He just has morals that others aren't...comfortable with.  

Duras Drum is the only guardian whose form has been known to change. There is a constant, howver: his true appearance is always hidden behind dark blue, chitonous armor. 

5h. DENOGENOS

Rune: SUMMIT
COMMON
One can only appeal to Denogenos for shamanhood after a grueling journey, traditionally to the top of a mountain. Those who give up lose his favor. Denogenos is the Guardian of the non-element, Neutrality, and of the inner strength of true heroes, Willpower. He pushes his followers to the limit to see if they can handle the pressure that comes with standing up for what one believes in. More than any other sort, Shamans of Denogenos are known to burn out violently, sometimes becoming suicidal or having nervous breakdowns. This does not sadden Denogenos...they are the ones who challenged the mountain without the will to see it through. Life is a long, hard road, but those with the power can move mountains through their will alone. This is the power of Denogenos, that he both inspires and demands. 

Denogenos's physical form is saurian, like Gurdijeff's, but more humanlike and erect, with longer forearms. His tough, scaly skin is the color of earth, and his eyes burn with inner strength.

5i. ODORYUK

Rune: LIFE
COMMON
Odoryuk, the Guardian of Life, is the Guardian a lot of people think of when they think of religion. He is the favored patron of priests and priestesses, and loved by the people for his benevolence and love of life. He gives his shamans the ability to ease pain and cure sickness with the understanding that they will use the ability to alleviate suffering wherever they go. Cruelty and uneccesary killing appalls Odoryuk, who requires that his shamans not take life unnecessarily, and even then mourn for the souls of the departed. It's not really surprising that shamans of Odoryuk are considered the "morally superior hippie bastards" of Filgaia, but in this harsh world, everyone needs someone to help take away their pain now and then.

Odoryuk's form is that of a glittering unicorn, so unfathomably beatiful than few who look upon it can help but appreciate the sanctity of life.

5j. GE RAMTOS

Rune: DEATH
RARE
No Guardian inspires the same fear as Duras Drum, but the mistress of death, Ge Ramtos, comes close. It is said that none have seen her face and lived. It is said that she carries the drying from this world in her arms to submerge them in the River of Eternity. It is said that she will be the last of the Guardians, the one to finally snuff out the sun when the world ends. Many things are said about Ge Ramtos...but nothing is known, for ultimately death is the unknown, the final threshold of the waking world before the plunge into the cold waters of epitomal darkness.  It's no wonder that many consider the black queen a monsterous spectre, but the few who dare delve into her forbidden realm know otherwise: death is a necessary thing, without which the world becomes clogged ans stagnant. Ge Ramtos' shamans must appreciate death for what it is, and never hesitate to end the lives of those in pain if they cannot be saved. It is the job of the Death shamans to keep the wheel of forever turning, so that life can go on. However, Ge Ramtos' shamans also have a tendency to go stark raving mad, a fact which does little for her repuation. No one really understands why, but more than one has been led thrashing to a permanent stay at a corrective facility, screaming of horrors only she can see. It seems that standing on the line between life and death has its disadvantages as well...

Ge Ramtos manifests as six-armed, blue-skinned woman covered in beads and robes. Her skin is smooth and supple, but her voice is that of an ancient crone. An opaque veil covers her face that does not sway or shift in the breeze, hiding the visage so feared by humanity. 

5k. STARE ROE

Rune: FLASH
UNCOMMON
One might think that the Guardian of truth and revelations would be a bit more candid than the others, but that's not really the case. Stare Roe believes that the truth can only truly be known when it is strived for, and so he sees to it that those who seek his patronage must strive indeed. It is said the beetle guardian first taught the Baskar people the ancient rite of the vision quest. He rewards those he deems worthy with his powers of perception and understanding. Stare Roe's shamans are beacons of luminosity in a dark and hazy world. In return for his gifts, he requests that they continue on the path that brought them to him, always seeking knowledge and truth, always lucid and aware of their surroundings. Those who most closely follow his edict are paragons of awarness, demonstrating such great perceptive and deductive abilities that some have mistakenly ascribed psychic powers to them. Stare Roe has never been a popular Guardian, however, as his chosen few are feared, mistrusted, and even reviled by some, though few would admit it. The fact is, the truth is almost always less pleasant than outward appearances, and everybody has secrets. Stare Roe's shamans really don't go around picking about in everyone's private lives for embarassing secrets, but people somehow expect them to, and so the Guardian of awareness and truth is somewhat disliked, albeit not nearly as much as Duras Drum, Ge Ramtos, and Luceid.

Stare Roe always manifests as a horned beetle (you know what they say about beetles with big horns...), though accounts vary wildly on his size, ranging from smaller than the animal whose form he bears, to larger than a single-story house. 

5l. LUCADIA 

Rune: TRITON
COMMON
Lucadia is the Guardian of the Seas, well-known to sailors, who have a variety of superstitions they believe help appease her. Shamans of Lucadia are revered by sailors, and can generally get free passage on any ship in the world simply by offering to perform a ritual appealing to her for a safe journey. Steamships dominate the seas now, and ocean travel is not as perilous and time-consuming as it used to be, so Lucadia has lost some of the reverence she was once treated with. Nonetheless, she remains the mistress of the seas, beautiful and serene in calmness, and grand and terrifying in anger. Lucadia's shamans must always respect bodies of water and help to maintain their sanctity - a special ritual must be performed before dumping anything into the water, and even then some pollutants simply cannot be tolerated. The sea is a paradox of calmness and fury, beauty and horror, mixed together, and whether intentionally or not, Lucadia's shamans find themselves susceptible to the mood swings sailors fear in their mistress.   Mood swings are particularly prevalent during the extreme phases of the moon, and very devoted shamans may even find physiological effects occur at those times. 

Lucadia is the Leviathan, an enormous sea dragon slick with nacre and glistening mother-of-pearl. 

5m. ARU SULATO

Rune: ICE
UNCOMMON
Similar in some ways to Denogenos, the frigid Guardian of ice and snow is of much impotance to the people of Arctica, whom he first taught how to survive the numbing cold of the northlands. He also demands a test of endurance from prospective shamans, in his case one of wilderness survival. Aru Sulato is well-respected in Arctica, but almost unheard of elsewhere in the world: of all his shamans, there are only about a half-dozen non-Arcticans. The icy northern realm is only the most severe manifestation of his principles, however - wilderness survival everywhere is his domain. The ice Guardian's art is that of survival in a harsh world, and true followers are gifted with preternatural hardiness and survival skills. In return, his shamans must teach others in need the ways of survival, and help those at the mercy of the elements, as Aru Sulato himself did in ancient times. They must never live lives of decadence and comfort, lest they lose their roots. It's not uncommon for Aru Sulato's children to decline even a free bed for the night, preferring to sleep outdoors. 

5n. SOLUS EMSU

Rune: HEAVENS
UNCOMMON
Solus Emsu is the third and most unusual of the triad of "Holy Guardians" favored by the church:  Odoryuk, Ione Pawa, and the Heaven Guardian himself. Unlike the other two, he's rather arcane and mysterious, a patron of mysticism who protects huamnity from unnatural creatures. Solus Emsu is the enemy of ghosts and abominations, devoted to making the world safe for the natural and living, those who were designed to inhabit it in the first place. Not all monsters fall under his definition of "abomination", as some are very close to natural, but those that do should fear his burning gaze. Solus Emsu's other aspect is that of the judge - he is said to carefully weigh the merits and faults of each creature before deciding whether it deserves his compassion or his wrath. While he can personally be called upon to judge if something is truly evil or unnatural, he expects his shamans to rely on their own judgement most of the time, and to demonstrate the same impartiality and careful consideration that he does. Ione Pawa and Solus Emsu seldom share a follower despite having similar goals, as the former pursues impurity with a zeal the latter feels blinds him to true justice. Solus Emsu believes that even things which seem horrid and unnatural by design can prove good by intent, and well understands the complex events that shape each person and lead them to make the decisions they do. Shamans of his who judge quickly and with bias will not stay shamans of his for long. Incidentally, it stands to reason that Ge Ramtos would object to Solus Emsu's inclusion of the restless dead in his idea of "things that should not be", but their respective shamans report that the two are unusually silent on the matter. Weird.

Solus Emsu is a tan-skinned, white-robed angel whose halo shines like the sun that is his namesake. He has wings made of crystal and shaped into lacelike patterns, and wears a turban. His face is strangely beuatiful and conveys a sense of wisdom and comfort to those who view it, with the exception of those he feels should not be. They see his halo as a light as bright as the sun, that burns and drives them away.

5o. ZELDUKES

Rune: CASTLE
UNCOMMON
Zeldukes is the Guardian of Defense, patron of the kingdom of Adlehyde. He is the shield of humanity, defender of the weak and needy. Zeldukes, like many Guardians, grants specific powers to his shamans with the intent that they use them to serve his ends - followers of the Castle Guardian are granted mighty defensive capabilities, and he demands they put those powers to use protecting innocents. Zeldukes' shamans must never allow an innocent to be harmed through inaction, for they are the shield bearers guarding against an army of woes and cruelty. Similarly, the Zeldukes shaman cannot place himself out of reach of the rest of the world, or he is useless as a protector. Not surprisingly, soldiers, knights, and monks are the most common followers of Adlehyde's patron, but Zeldukes has less shamans than one might think for such a popular guardian. Everyone wants to be protected, but few are willing to give up that privilege to become protectors themselves. 

Zeldukes takes the form of a manticore when he appears in the physical world.

5p. EQUITUS

Rune: SWORD
UNCOMMON
Equitus is the Guardian of Offense, patron of the kingdom of Arctica. He is the sword of humanity, destroyer of the cruel and malicious. Equitus seems on the surface to be similar to Ione Pawa, believing in the same idea that evildoers should be punished by the sword - there are some important differences, however. Whereas Ione Pawa's shamans fancy themselves righteous judges and executioners, Equitus' are vengeance blades, striking down those who seek to harm the innocent. Equitus is a protector of humanity like his complement, Zeldukes, but he's more...proactive...about it. Shamans of the Sword Guardian find people looking to do harm and kick their asses, as well as meting out vengenace to those who have done harm already. They aren't as holier-than-thou as the Ione Pawa warriors, instead using the simple criteria that people who deliberately hurt other people are BAD people. Like Zeldukes', Equitus' shamans generally come from the ranks of the military and warrior monks, and like the Castle Guardian, Equitus has trouble finding knights capable of putting aside their own interests for those of humanity as a whole; nothing disgusts him more than people who attempt to curry his favor simply out of greed for the strength he offers.

Equitus always appears as a giant snapping turtle with a huge sword protruding from the center of his head like a rhinoceros' horn. 

5q. RIGDOBRITE

Rune: STAR
UNCOMMON
It's said that in the mythic golden age, Rigdobrite was the brightest star in the sky, watching over Filgaia from the heavens. One day, he saw another star fall towards the world below, and chased it to stop it from crashing. He grabbed onto the tail of the falling star, but it was too strong, and he was pulled to earth with it. From that star came the Demon Race, and the brightest point of light in the sky was now gone, grounded and unable to reach the heavens. Since then Rigdobrite has lived on Filgaia with the other Guardians, but there's always been something odd about him that keeps him from quite fitting in, and makes him a rather obscure Guardian few pray to and fewer still seek to study under. Those who do become shamans of Rigdobrite speak of the feeling of wholeness he brings to their lives. The Star Guardian rules over balance and adaptability, the power to triumph over adversity and broaden one's mind by becoming skilled at many things. Few understand why Rigdobrite is so adamant about this, but he insists his shamans not specialize too much in any one area, but instead develop a variety of abilities, so that when one is cut off they may rely on another. Shamans of Rigdobrite thus tend to be level-headed, healthy and well-rounded invididuals, though they sometimes fall prone to the vice of expecting others to conform to their ways.

Only the enigmatic and terrifying Duras Drum can match Rigdobrite for sheer strangeness of appearance. The Star Guardian's form is that of a giant metal sphere resembling a diving helmet, with a viewing port in one side. People who peer into the port can see a sea of blackness with a single bright point of light at the center of it. True to his beliefs, Rigdobrite sprouts whatever sort of appendages he needs at the moment from this peculiar "body". 

5r. RAFTINA

Rune: LOVE
RARE
Raftina is one of the ancient, misunderstood and forgotten Guardian Lords, the Guardians most distant from Filgaia. People still pray to the Guardian Lords sometimes for guidance, but most are deeply disheartened by their apparent absence from even Filgaia's spiritual world. Raftina is the embodiment of Love, one of the three Virtues. Raftina's shamans (what few there are) are all chosen for their deep and powerful love; they must never hate, and try to inspire love in others, for the Virtues are scarce in Filgaia today. Since the Guardians' shamans are their pipelines to the corporeal world, the scarcity of Guardian Lord shamans makes it difficult to know their minds...from what little can be gleaned about Raftina's personality, she is a pacifist like Odoryuk, and never gets angry, only sad. 

Raftina's form is supposedly that of an angelic and beautiful maiden in white and red nun-like robes. It's hard to say, as no one, not even her own shamans, has been able to summon her in over a decade, and the accounts of summonings before that time are apocryphal at best.

5s. JUSTINE

Rune: COURAGE
RARE
Justine is one of the ancient, misunderstood and forgotten Guardian Lords, the Guardians most distant from Filgaia. People still pray to the Guardian Lords sometimes for guidance, but most are deeply disheartened by their apparent absence from even Filgaia's spiritual world. Justine is the embodiment of Courage, one of the three Virtues. Justine doesn't even deign to have her presence sensed by those without large amounts of her Virtue, and so the few she chooses are known for their bravery. Unlike some other Guardians who on the surface seem to pride valor, Justine has a very complex view of Courage, and rushing headlong into battle is seldom enough to catch her interest, because true Courage involves facing what you fear most. Very little solid data can be found on Justine, but she is considered by those who bother to consider her at all as a sort of a warrior spirit. 

Justine is believed to take on the form of an anthropomorphic lioness. Her shamans have had no better luck in summoning her than Raftina's, so it's all up in the air. 

5t. ZEPHYR

Rune: HOPE
RARE
Zephyr is one of the ancient, misunderstood and forgotten Guardian Lords, the Guardians most distant from Filgaia. People still pray to the Guardian Lords sometimes for guidance, but most are deeply disheartened by their apparent absence from even Filgaia's spiritual world. Zephyr is the embodiment of Hope, one of the three Virtues. Once upon a time Zephyr was the most revered of all Guardians, but now he is the most obscure and distant of them all. It's believed that Zephyr appreciates hope, optimism, and perseverence in the face of despair and adversity in his shamans, but there are less shamans of Zephyr in the world than of any other sort, and on top of that many of them are believed to be frauds. Maybe Zephyr himself has given up hope in Filgaia...

No one knows what form Zephyr takes. He's been described as everything and nothing, and the ones who seem to know the most about him, the oppressed people of Baskar, simply say that he is the "west wind of hope". Due to the lack of continuity and the scarcity of records from the time when he was still king of the Guardians, it is difficult to say if and when Zephyr has ever been summoned. 

5u. LUCEID

Rune: DESIRE
ULTRARARE
Reviled One. Most Unholy. Seductress. Abomination. Luceid the Black Wolf of Desire has many names, and all are curses, though few dare to invoke them lest they draw her attention. Luceid is feared, but unlike Duras Drum and Ge Ramtos, she is less feared than hated. When the Demon Race came to Filgaia, Luceid betrayed her world and joined sides with them, for reasons that are to this day not entirely clear, but assumed to revove around their strong desires. With the defeat of the demons, Luceid hid from the wrath of her former siblings, and vanished into obscurity for a thousand years, during which the passage of time warped her memory into that of a devilish seductress in league with Angol Moa the King of Evil. During the Second Demon War showed up again to fight with the Metal Demons, and trough stufy of ancient scripts it was revealed, and thus remembered, that she was once a Guardian, the Guardian of Desire. She vanished again after the demons were wiped out a second time, and once again has achieved the status of a figurehead of foul temptation whom people despise without truly understanding. 

Luceid's form is that of a sleek, shadowy dire wolf. She has no shamans. She has never been summoned. She does as she desires.

6. PLACES

These are places in the world. I don't really FEEL like describing every place in the world. Thus, these descriptions will suck. If you want more information about a particular place, contact me.

ADLEHYDE
The capitol of Adlehyde chares the country's name. It is the oldest city on Filgaia, though everything has been rebuilt more than once - it is said that if you dig in the city, you can sometimes find relics from the more ancient version of that selfsame city. At any rate, Adlehyde is a very well-fortified castle around which a huge city has grown over time. Like all cities, the areas around the factories tend to be grimy and smell of ash, but Adlehyde is actually one of the nicer places to live, and is even experimenting with having a large coal power plant built to supply some parts of town with reliable electricity. There are many monuments and other depictions of the Guardian Zeldukes here, as he is believed to specially favor the country, and the city in particular. It's not entirely implausible...how else could Adlehyde have such a long and noble history?

ARCTICA CASTLE
Arctica Castle is nestled among the lower reaches of a frigid mountain range, well-fortified against any attack. It seems less a castle than a giant fortress, and many find it dark and foreboding. Few get very close to it, however, as there is heightened security around the entire area, to assure that Arctica will never fall again. For those few who live or work in the castle, it is a harsh, gloomy place of few creature comforts. This is not a cruel thing, but rather a necessary one; survival in the frozen northlands demands efficiency and precludes luxury. Even king Destral Mordant himself lives a considerably less luxurious life than the other world leaders. 

ARCTICA CITY
Arctica City lies several miles from the castle, in a less defensible but more accessible position. Being a less military place, Artica City has more of the basic amenities, but is still rather unpleasant to those not used to Arctica's climate. This is a place where people come from various parts of the world to trade exotic goods, hearkening back to the time when Arctica owned the Seim area and had things shipped from their to the islands. Today people come on their way to and from Seim by sea to bypass the mountains, or arrive looking for trade in the precious metals, ancient technology, and luxurious animal pelts that are Arctica's main exports. It is the only truly large city on the twin Arctican isles.

ARCTICAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
As the place where the final battles of the First Demon War were fought, Arctica has ruins of ancient technology rivalled only by Seim's. Eventually they decided to make something of all the tech prospectors and inventors they thus had coming in regularly, and gathered some of their best minds to establish the Institute, a large university campus on the less populated of the islands.  The Institute is widely considered the greatest place on Filgaia for the study of engineering, ARMs, and ancient technology. Just recently they invented the light bulb based on an old high-tech model and the recently discovered force of electricity. The institute is expensive to attend and discriminating about who it accepts, but nonetheless gets hundreds of applicants each year despite the fact that education is only just becoming mainstream in Filgaia (public schools are quite new). 

THE ARENA
The Arena that hosts the Isle of Conflict's bloody battles is known as just that, no more. It is considered by some to be the largest city on earth, though in fact it is several small settlements amalgamated together due to their proximity to the actual arena itself. The Arena is a cesspool of destitution, desperation, and deceit, where anything and anyone can be bought for a price, and cutthroat criminals battle in the alleyways over scraps of change. The government regularly sends its ships to other countries, offering anyone a free ride back to the Isle to enter the seamy tropical world of gladiators and slavery. Total anonymity is assured, and Pegucci is reaping the benefits of the destitution of the age as the poor and hunted take up his offer, hoping to make enough to live on in the colosseum. Those that manage to avoid the gladiatorial circuit nonetheless find themselves stranded without the money to book passage off the island, and so the Arena's population of desperate men increases even more quickly than the blood-soaked colosseum can snuff it out. The Arena is the only major city on the Isle, and despite its violation of many international treaties, other countries turn a blind eye, preferring to leave the problem isolated as it is than waste resources to try to stamp it out. 

BASKAR RESERVATION
The Baskar continent was perhaps the last sparsely-explored area of the world after the Second Demon War - several tribes of native peoples lived there in harmoney with the land, practicing a unique form of Guardianism alien to the churches and priests of the civilized world. Eventually Alexander of Rosetta came there in force, having heard from the few explorers that had gone before of the continent's rich resources. Basically he struck up relations with the natives then stabbed them in the back and tricked or outright forced them into signing treaties handing over 99% of their land. You know this story, I don't need to go into detail. Now what remains of most of the decimated tribes of the conintent have been forced into reservations, the largest being the Baskar reservation near what at one time was a large native settlement. The place is bland and unpleasant, but no description of it could go without describing the ways of the people who once lived in that area in freedom. The Baskar people worship the Guardians like the "normal" people of the world, but instead of placing the Guardians above nature as its creators and maintainers, as the Church does, the naturalist Guardianism of Baskar believes that the Guardians and nature are inseperable, and thus the worship of nature IS the worship of the Guardians. This sort of belief was prevalent in the rest of the world prior to the advent of modern Guardianism, and since modern Guardianism was forced to circumvent it before establishing itself, it considers it to be a pagan religion, misguided at best, heretical at worst. That didn't help relations any, though many of the remaining Baskar people still practice the old ways. Baskar is the last place on Filgaia where Zephyr is consistently regarded as the lord of the Guardians. They have always worshipped Zephyr despite his apparent absence, and it's said his presence was somewhat stronger there than the rest of the world until Alexander came. One temple of Zephyr, the west wind of hope, remains, the greatest of them all, a huge altar within the reservation itself. However, many of the people of Baskar seem to have lost hope, living out lives of cynicism, ennui and substance abuse to muffle their despair and resentment. 

CAGE RUINS
The Cage Tower near Saint Centour (see Places: Saint Centour) was originally built by a mad wizard. People avoided it for fear of him, and even after he died the fear remained, so it was easy for the demons to take over the tower and secretly use it in Saint Centour's destruction. After the Second Demon War, when only weak monsters remained in the tower and Saint Centour had been restored, the new population of the town went to the tower in a rage, battered it, and pulled it down. Now the Cage Ruins lie there, nothing more than a huge, caern-like mound of stone blocks and half-collapsed walls. Nobody visits these ruins looking for treasure, as everything is buried under the large stone blocks, and it would require immense effort to clear them away. 

THE CRATER
The crater is a crater, hence the name. It's not a really big crater, but it's rather deep. This is where the Metal Demons' falling star struck earth, and where it remained until 94 years ago - one can still see the huge hemispherical indentation at the very center where the star lay embedded in the ground. Now there's just a big hole. For about fifteen years the area was the most popular site in the world for ruin searchers and tech prospectors, but after that it had been stripped pretty well clean, and interest has dwindled. So that's really all there is to say. It's a big hole. It is worth noting that the area around the center is mostly devoid of snow, as it hardly ever snows in Arctica and the surrounding snow hasn't flowed in very far yet. 

CURAN ABBEY
Curan Abbey has had a bizarre history. It was originally a large mansion established 400 years ago near the city of Adlehyde as a secret society called the Order of the Rose, devoted to the study of magic (the Order was a secret society in the sense that everyone knew of them, but nobody knew much ABOUT them. As such, there were all sorts of conspiracy theories involving them, and even today people say the insignia on the tail side of Adlehyde's gold mark bears a secret Order symbol). The Order went on for a hundred and seventy years, until the Church openly challenged them, claiming that they were engaged in occult practices. The Order burnt all its records and shut down, but many of its members stayed in Curan for the study of magic, which was from then on supervised by the church to make sure nothing improper was done. Eventually the mansion became an abbey devoted to the teaching of Guardianist ways AND magic, as the church had no problem with magic as long as it was done their way. That mystical aspect of the Order always remained, and today the Abbey is better known as a place of magical study than of Guardianism, though the church doesn't mind anymore, being less nosy, paranoid and self-righteous than it was in that period 230 years ago. Until about 70 years ago, the Abbey did not take on male students, and was populated mostly by nuns. This has changed due to protesting, and now the Abbey houses both sexes of teacher and student. 

ELW TEMPLES
When the Elw left Filgaia, humanity slowly forgot how to use the technology they had left behind, but it remained, strange and unidentifiable. Of all ancient technology yet discovered, the Elw Temples are the most advanced, and least understood - in fact, even experts on ancient devices have made little headway with them. It IS known that they are teleportation devices, as Cecelia was able to return them to operation somehow after the Second Demon War. How she did this is unknown, and after the war people used the temples freely for a time, but found after several years that they became less reliable, finally stopping entirely. The people who dared enter them when they were at their least functional vanished forever. These temples are an immense and perplexing mystery of science and religion, condfounding yet alluring. 

EPITAPH OF SEA WIND
The greatest inventor, scientist and ARMs Meister in recorded history is Zepet Roughnight, father of the second Demon War's Rudy Roughnight - a man from some 110 years ago with an unparallelled understanding of the workings of the world. His notes alone have made significant advances in the field of science, and he created the only truly reliable flying machine, decades before anyone else experimented in that field, with technology and methods that are still far ahead of modern capabilities. The Epitaph of Sea Wind is what was once his workplace, a tower on a cape in a remote corner of Seim. The tower has, of course, been violated in every imaginable way by those looking for relics of the genius, yet still refuses to yeild up all its secrets. It is oddly infested with monsters, moreso than most other parts of the world, and it's said that the entire place is a series of endless dead ends, but that those few who have tried to break down walls have had little success, some even encountering security measures apparently set by the Zepet himself. The entire place is rather unstable now with several of the walls having been destroyed, and people are afraid to do too much more to it lest the entire place come crumbling down, destroying anything of value that might remain inside. 

GAIACO RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Seim is home to much of Filgaia's ancient technology and ruins, and one such place was a sturdy underground bunker which, while long since stripped of things of value, was adapted as a sort of emergency shelter by the people of Seim. About twenty years ago this place was purchased by GaiaCo, who wanted a secure area to perform sensitive tests. Today it is their R&D facility, where they work away at exciting new things on the cutting edge of modern capability. Well...supposedly. The place has very tight security, since GaiaCo would suffer massive financial loss if any truly revolutionary secret was stolen from them and patented. 

GAIACO SUPERFACTORY
This factory was built on the site of a very old factory in an island chain now owned by the Isle of Conflict. It's a very small island, but the factory earns its name by covering nearly the entirety of the land. Of course, the natural question is, why an island in the middle of nowhere where shipping costs to and from will be higher, and why under the juristiction of the Isle of Conflict, of all places? The answer that you'll never hear officially is that the Isle of Conflict is the last place where slavery is still a booming trade. Many people in the world don't even know this, as the world governments ignore it, effectively winking at the government of the Isle that as long as they take care to disguise any blatant evidence of slavery, they'll be free from international retribution despite the fact that slavery has officially been abolished worldwide. Basically then, the Superfactory runs on slave labor, though they do pay their workers a laughable pitiance to avoid certain legal restrictions. In this case an island is the perfect place: out of sight, and with all methods of escape and entry controlled by GaiaCo. Keep in mind that virtually no on e in the entire world KNOWS this. All they know is that the Superfactory is some place with its name stamped on the bottom of 30 or 40% of the merchandise they see. 

THE GUARDIAN SHRINE
On a small island in the center of Milama Lake and accessible by a long bridge, the Guardian Shrine is the second-largest place of worship in the world, after the Renaissance Cathedral in Saint Centour. It is an ancient stone building populated mainly by monks, who meticulously care for the grounds and building and spend their days improving their mind, body and spirit. Most of the shrine is offlimits to any but the monks, but people still make pilgrimages to it to pray, even in these times when religion is receding. It is said that the spirits can better hear your prayers here than any other place, and that the building was built by the first shaman many centuries ago.

HEAVEN CORRIDOR
The bizarre tower known as the "Heaven Corridor" is difficult to reach, nestled in a secluded valley in the country of Adlehyde bordered by mountains on two sides and the sea on the others. What few have approached it say that the tower is built with no regard to acrchitecture at all, yet stands up against the laws of physics, towering high into the sky. Very few people have gone far into the Corridor and come back. This tower is supposedly the home of the legendary mage Dhee, a 350-year-old archmage who once belonged to the Order of the Rose. Whether Dhee actually lives there, or if Dhee is even still alive, is unknown, but there are many powerful and unpleasant magical defenses erected inside the tower, confounding several expeditions' worth of efforts to penetrate it, so the origin of the Corridor and the fate of Dhee may remain shrouded in mystery forever. 
f
KA DINGEL RUINS
In ancient days, the three races built a tower that could reach to the sky. The legends say that some higher power was angered by their hubris, and sunk the tower to the bottom of a lake. During the Second Demon War, the Metal Demons raised this tower and used it to reach Malduc (see Legendary Places: Malduc). During the final battle in Malduc, the Dimensional Elevator that connects the two places was destabilized, and exploded. The explosion was contained by the Earth Golem (which died from the exertion), but since then then island ruins have been in a disturbing state of dimensional flux, keeping adventurers from salvaging any of Ka Dingel's technology. The island is currently owned by the Isle of Conflict due simply to proximity, but the Isle has sent two expeditions there unsuccessfully, and has simply decided, like most people who don't understand the nature of dimensional distortion, that the place is "cursed" and should be avoided. 

LOLITHIA'S TOMB
This was once a man-made cave near the city of Adlehyde designed to hold the Golem Lolithia after the First Demon War (see Golems). Lolithia was demoved and destroyed in the Second Demon War, and the place looked doomed to abandonment, but GaiaCo found a large deposit of coal nearby, and dug some new passages, turning the cave into a coal mine. It's close enough to the city that a number of city people go to work there. The mine has been plagued with accidents, but that's normal for a mine. Otherwise, it's pretty unremarkable.

MILAMA
Milama has always been known as the town of beautiful flowing water, and despite modern pollution, still stays that way to some extent. It is a resort town, seeing more tourism than any other place on Filgaia due to the combination of its warm climate, luxurious amenities, and prooximity to the mecca that is the Guardian Shrine. The latter has given Milama a slightly more religious atmosphere than most modern towns today, but now that travel is more common that has begun to clash with the atheist materialism of those who come for the sun and water only. 

NEW SEIM
The area surrounding the old town of Cort Seim had always been rich with ancient technological ruins. It was discovered during the Second Demon War that one such ruin, known as Gemini's Corpse, was nearly untouched and well-preserved, having had a large underground area that its previous looters didn't know about. Archaeologists and Dream Chasers flocked to the area, and eventually the houses they built to live in became a new city, which they named New Seim. New Seim is the seat of power for the Republic of Seim, and is the strangest capitol in the world. New Seim wasn't built with any INTENT in mind, and so it winds up being a mishmash city with no real logic to its design, and 50 different kinds of architecuture in the same area. In addition, the really nice part of the city is actually underground, WITHIN what was once Gemini's Corpse. The parliamentary complex is deep under the earth. Otherwise, New Seim is pretty normal for a modern Filgaian city, though there's naturally a great deal of technology there.      

OLD SEIM
This town was once known as Cort Seim, and frankly, there's not much there. It's mainly known for housing a large orphenage that Snidely Whiplash-types are always trying to close down. Once upon a time this town was nothing BUT an orphanage, but it's slightly more populated now. Still, it's pretty much overshadowed by New Seim, and has been since adventurers first turned their attention to Gemini's Corpse. Old Seim does have the dubious pleasure of being very near the Gaiaco R&D bunker, and is known for being one of the more rural, less polluted places on Filgaia. 

PANDEMONIUM
Pandemonium was the fortress of the Metal Demons during the Second Demon War, where they hid their most valued possessions and housed their most devout followers. Buried deep within a remote valley surrounded on all sides by mountains, the demon castle is the single most monster-infested place on Filgaia. A few people have gone NEAR it, but no one has been foolish enough to enter the actual castle since the end of the war. Seim has been toying with a plan to fly over it in some sort of air machine and drop a powerful explosive on the castle, but no one's really willing to commit their resources to blowing up a castle that can just as easily be ignored. 

PORT TIMNEY
A bustling Seim-owned port town, Port Timney sees all sorts of people and things come and go on a regular basis, being one of the largest ports in the world. It has a perfect position, located in almost the exact center of the Inner Sea that borders on most of the larger continents of the world. Port Timney is a pretty nice place, and the people there tend to be more openminded and diverse than elsewhere due to the many sorts of visitors it sees, but it has a severe pollution problem as a result of all the factories there. Port Timney is the most commercial place in Seim, rivalling Alexandiran cities in that respect. Additionally, it's a place to get exotic items without making the trip to areas like the Arena and Arctica City. 

ROSETTA
Ah, Rosetta, shining beacon of the beauty of democracy and capitalism. Rosetta sucks unless you're rich. In the destitute part of town, smokestacks tower above the streets, belching out clouds of soot (they used to be short, but had to be rebuilt when a deadly choking smog descended on the town). Even the rich and luxurious part of Rosetta where the moneyed elite stay  is plagued by ashes now and then. Like Adlehyde, the poor of Rosetta are very poor, and with no government support for the unemployed and little for the employed, it's very easy for them to be taken advantage of by rich employers. Because of this, there are many criminals of desperation in the less pleasant part of Rosetta, though the police favor the nice side and keep anyone scruffy looking out.

SAINT CENTOUR
Saint Centour is a devoutly Guardianist city, perhaps moreso than anywhere else in the world. It was attacked by demons during the Demon War and most of its citizens killed or forced to flee, but refusing to be cowed, new people and the old ones who survived returned to the town a few years after the Second Demon War, rebuilding and restoring the city to its former status as a religious haven. From that time building of the famed Renaissance Cathedral began, the massive and beautiful structure which to this day is still being worked on, 90 years later. Saint Centour is also home to the last of the Demon Race, a male demon named Zed. Zed fought with the other demons during the Second War, but eventually became disenchanted with their ways, falling in love with a human woman and assuming a human lifestyle. After she died, he became a priest. He has never been allowed to ascend above the rank of a simple priest despite his years oif faithful service to the Guardians due to his demonic nature, but he doesn't mind. While those outside the city may find the idea of a demon alive and woirking for the Church unsettling, those within Saint Centour have long since lost their suspicion of Zed, and come to accept him as their own for his kind deeds and good heart, metal or no. 

SHIP GRAVEYARD
This secluded Alexandrian port is officially called Yard, but is universally called the "Ship Graveyard" because the currents around it bring debris from the ocean to the beach here, and even a few ships have broken up on the rocks nearby. The locals are constantly cleaning piles of flotsam off the beach, and if a ship sinks in the vicinity bits of it will be coming up for ages. Other than that unfortunate claim to fame, Ship Graveyard has little to make it remarkable, save that the area is particularly beautiful and unusually pristine for a modern town. Part of this is due to the fact that the simplest overland route to the Graveyard crosses a barren stretch of desert. Nonetheless, a lot of people come and go from this place, sometimes because the currents bring them there, other times looking for things of interest that have turned up on the beach. In terms of straight distance, Ship Graveyard is pretty near Rosetta, but there's a small, treacherous string of mountains separating the two. 

STONE CIRCLE
Only two large relics of the Baskar natives remain: the altar of Zephyr (see Baskar Reservation), and the mysterious Stone Circle, a huge ring of stone monuments seemingly in the middle of nowhere, jutting out of desolate prairieland. While it's baffling how the huge stones were lifted and put into place by such a primitive society (as even the Baskar natives speak of the circle being there as long as their records date back), the truly perplexing thing is what it's FOR. It's assumed to be somehow related to Guardian worship, and it's been theorized that the eight massive monuments are some sort of stone calendar, as they are aligned in accordance with the sun's zenith. Really, though, not even the natives seem to know, so they're nothing but a perplexing enigma to scientists, and an interesting but rather remote sightseeing location for tourists.

SURF
The town of Surf was once a very small farming village, until it was discovered that there was a huge iron deposit nearby. Surf is now a mining villagethat revolved around the iron mine, run by GaiaCo. The town has lost much of what once made it pristine, as few people remain to tend the fields, but it has had a library and public school donated to it by GaiaCo president Claudius Shamesworth, which has improved the literacy and education rate somewhat. The town doesn't see much of the result of their iron mining, as it goes to a factory in nearby Adlehyde to be turned into steel, but there are caravans coming and going at all hours taking the metal, and the furnace where the iron is bled out of the ore burns all day and all night long. 

TEMPLE OF MEMORY
The Temple of Memory is an old Elw ruin near Adlehyde, easily accessible by land. In fact, it's SO easily accessible that it's been stripped clean of anything interesting for hundreds of years. Now it's mostly just traps and emoty treasure chests, and so it's ignored even by archaeologists these days, since everything good is cracked and broken. Still, some adventurers have fond memories of the place, and one particular adventurers' society based in Adlehyde demands that all its new members get into and out of the Temple on their own. The temple is best-known for the computer at its entrance that asks yoou to type in your name; no matter what people type, it seems to have the same effect, and the tech aficionados who have gone there can't figure the computer out, though it seems to resist damage, since more than a few people have taken a whack at it. 

THREE VIRTUES CASINO
Privatized gambling is illegal in Rosetta, because the government wants to have exclusive access to gambling addicts' money, but eleven or so years ago they gave Baskar natives special dispensation to run private casinos, as reparation for taking all their land and killing most of them. Thus, the Three Virtues Casino, haven of glitz, camp, and cheesy native-themed entertainment, was born near the Baskar Reservation. The casino is one of the few places so far to employ electric lighting, doing its best to be as flashy and gaudy as possible. Still, it makes a hell of a lot of money, so some people must like it. Or maybe it's just the gambling. 

TRIPILLAR
Tripillar is a tower - actually, three interconnected towers made out of some strange metallic substance, rising straight out of the Outer Ocean near Pandemonium. Sailors in the area use it as a beacon on clear days, but it's avoided for the most part, because of its out-of-the-way location, infestation of powerful monsters, and the necessity of approaching by sea. Unlike most well-preserved ruins, no one really knows what Tripillar is for. It seems to have very high levels of security, and the demons must have gone to some degree of trouble to spawn a large monster population in what is effectively a vertical island, but those who have explored the place say that there's not a lot of technology, and many areas are totally sealed off behind unbreakable doors.

VOLCANNON TRAP
Not a lot of treasure hunters dare to enter Volcannon Trap. There used to be a machine here that amplified demons' and monsters' powers to incredible levels, and people avoided it for that reason. The device was destroyed in the Second Demon War to prevent the demons from using it, and the entrance caved in shortly after that. Eventually some intrepid folk found a second entrance in, but even without super-powerful monsters, Volcannon Trap is STILL one of the most unpleasant places on Filgaia. Its name comes from the fact that, like a volcano, it is filled with molten magma. It's unclear why the magma is there, as the place ISN'T a real volcano, but the fact is it is, and as a result not a lot of people go into the inner reaches, which are too hot to even stay conscious in for long without some sort of cooling device or magic. 

YGGDRASIL FACILITY
During the First Demon War, the Elw built a machine called Yggdrasil, the "tree of life", to restore life to the damaged world of Filgaia. However, the Metal Demons took control of Yggdrasil and used it to create new monsters. After the war the location of the Yggdrasil machine was lost, but the demons remembered where it was, and reclaimed it during the Second Demon War, turning it into a demon lab and using it to reverse the Yggddrasil's life creating abilities and turn it into a death machine with the air of the Tear Drop (see World Powers: Adlehyde), which they had stolen. They were defeated again, and now aware that Yggdrasil was on a small island off their west coast, Adlehyde send monster extermination teams to reclaim it for humanity. Today it is a scientific facility, where scientists work around the clock trying to find a way to restore epower to the machine, and use it for its original purpose. The project would not have gone ahead without the help of Princess Amelia Adlehyde and her late brother, Selmas Adlehyde, who many consider the premier environmentalists of the modern age. 

7. LEGENDARY PLACES

These are places no one can claim to have been to, but which are generally assumed to exist. With the exception of Malduc, their locations are unknown.

THE ABYSS
Even the most powerful monsters today, holed up in places like Pandemonium and Tripillar, are said to be weaklings compared to the beasts the Demon Race originally brought with them. After the First Demon War, The Elw, Humans and Guardians combined their efforts to seal away the most horrific and deadly of the monsters the Metal Demons had left behind in a pocket dimension called the Abyss. All that's known about the Abyss is that it contains the most horrific things ever to have existed on Filgaia, including the King of Beasts, Ragu Ragla, considered by some to be more powerful than Mother herself. Today the Abyss is a place of legend, used to threaten children, and little more. 

THE ELW DIMENSION
This is the dimension the Elw took their continent to. It is said to be a place of pristine beauty, where ancient, long-extinct creatures live, and nothing ages. While there have been some attempts to use the few remaining dimensional devices on Filgaia to reach the Elw Dimension, none have been successful. Not everyone believes the place even still exists, and some think that if it does, it would be better if it remained lost to the ages...for better or for worse, the Elw left Filgaia to humanity, and there's no way of changing that. if there are still Elw somewhere in another dimension, they probably wouldn't be too cheerful about being visited to begin with. 

THE GUARDIAN SANCTUARY
Legends say that somplace on Filgaia, the Guardians still live in the ancient ruins that was their capitol city when they had physical form. it's said that if you visit the Guardian Sanctuary, the Guardians cannot help but hear your pleas. Still, in this age of skepticism it's generally assumed to be a myth, or something to mention in prayers and flowery poetry and nowhere else. Only a few unexplored places remain in the world, and no such ancient city of Guardians has been found. Others believe that the myths referring to the Guardian Sanctuary actually refer to the Guardian Shrine, and that the actual Sanctuary is kept hidden by the monks deep in the Shrine's bowels. 

HELL
Hell is basically Hell. Fire and brimstone, souls of the damned tormented in flames for eternity, yadda yadda yadda. Not all people believe that EVERY dead person who sinned goes to Hell, but it's generally accepted that Hell does exist. While some have doubts, Hell is still considered to be a physical place deep under the surface of Filgaia. The main difference is that instead of Satan, the Dark lord Angol Moa rules there, slumbering and feeding the flames with his hateful dreams. Angol Moa is said to be a spirit of some sort who tried to slay the Guardian Lords and take over their position, but was sealed in the flames of Hell as punishment. As the legend goes, he dreams hateful dreams that corrupt mankind, and when the last good person on Filgaia is gone, Angol Moa will awaken, burst out of his prison, and usher in an age of darkness that will last until the end of the world. Not a lot of people are really concerned about that anymore, though, and the King of Evil and his realm mostly show up in curses and religious sermons these days.

MALDUC
Filgaia has two moons, but only one changes phases reliably, the Old Moon. The other, called the New Moon, is small, dark, and until recently free of blemishes of any sort. During the Second Demon War, it was discovered that the New Moon was actually Malduc, an ancient space station built by humans seeking the stars in the mythic age, and accessible via the Dimensional Elevator in Ka Dingel. The Demons seized control of Malduc during that war, and in the final battle that took place there, much of the station was severely damaged, resulting in the blemishes now visible from the surface of Filgaia. It's said that the technology in Malduc makes everything ever discovered on Filgaia look primitive, but now that Ka Dingel has been destroyed, there's no way to get up there, so it's a moot point. 

THE PHOTOSPHERE
The Photosphere was a giant, spherical spaceship of the Demon Race, the "falling star" Rigdobrite followed to Filgaia. It remained in Arctica for the "thousand years of peace", but during the Second Demon War was reactivated. Cecilia, Jack and Rudy destroyed it over the Inner Ocean, and it plummeted to sea, never to be seen again. At first bits of it washed up on the beach at Ship Graveyard, but that's long since stopped, so what's left must be too heavy or firmy rooted. A few efforts have been made to dive for it by Lucadia shamans, but none have been successful, as it's rather deep down and the water pressure does weird things to people. It looks like the falling star-ship of the Demon Race may be entombed in the very world they sought to destroy.

THE RAYLINE  
That should really be "Ley Line", but what the hell. Gotta stay with the translation. Anyway, after the First Demon War the Guardians combined their fading powers to create the Rayline, a spiritual thread that runs all throhghout Filgaia, make of the spirits of the Guardians themselves. It's believed that without the Rayline, Filgaia would be unable to survive even today, so long after the catastrophe. Not all Guardianist scholars believe in the Rayline, and those that do are split as to whether or not it is an actual physical thing or some sort of spiritual line that doesn't exist corporeally. It's said that some shamans are able to tap directly into the Rayline to increase their powers dramatically, but no one's currently able to demonstrate this ability, even those few who claim to have done it before. 

8. CURRENT EVENTS

Okay, as explained in "Basics" players need to have a reason to bve in Adlehyde. The most obvious reason is that Adlehyde is about to hold its big annual Restoration Festival, a big...well, festival to commemmorate the final victory against the Metal Demons. This is a big thing and there's opportunities of all sorts there. This year's festival will have very high security, however, do to events involving the mysterious assassin known only as Death. Joseph Osburn, the previous Prime Minister of Adlehyde, was killed in broad daylight by this assassin who some think is the Grim Reaper himself: reports say he was cloaked, cowled and masked all in black, had antlers, and used a scythe to kill the politician and his bodyguards. He then escaped. This created quite a stir, and some thought that the Restoration Festival, which requires the presence of the entire immediate royal family, would be cancelled if the assassin wasn't caught. However, Ronald Adlehyde, in an uncharacteristic show of cajones, has declared that he intends to go through with the festival, to raise morale in the kingdom and show that they will not be held hostage by a masked villain. 

9. CHARGEN

There isn't a lot to say here, but I have to emphasise, read the doc. If you don't read this doc, I won't be held responsible for any problems that result. However, if you really can't bear to read something so long, you must at least read the Basics section, the World Powers section, the Denizens section, and any Guardians and Places that pertain to your character. Once you've done that, you can apply. I was going to do a step-by-step chargen, process, but that sucks, so I only have a couple things to say: Consult the system doc (wa_sys.rtf)'s Tools section, and the Tools part of its chargen area. I'll want your tools in this first, statless application, and I'll expect a decent explanation for how you came by any level 2 or 3 tools. The other thing I have to say is that you MUST explain where you learnt your Talents. Magic usually has to be studied to be used, Augmentation is the same, ARMs have to be found, and most Guardians require some sort of test or journey before they will accept a shaman. The last bit is particularly important, ESPECIALLY if a shaman of that sort is uncommon, and ESPECIALLY ESPECIALLY if it's rare.

So...that's it. Go to it.