Blood & Thunder Background

Hark young one! And listen to the tales of an age of adventure! Of fire and foes and blood-red steel! Of an age where mighty thewed warriors walked the earth with sandaled feet and swords of star iron. When man was young and the earth was still wild and full of secrets! When the frosted pines of the northern forest stirred with ancient power, and the seas of Kajan were sprinkled with long lost civilizations and ancient accursed treasure. Then a barbarian could cut his way to the throne with only the might of his arms and the fire in his belly! There magic and sorcery were not superstitions but forces of clear fact! There all manner of inhuman creatures walked side by side with humanity or skulked beneath the dirt eyeless and hungry! Listen to the age of blood and thunder! For these tales surely are true!

Setting Details: Blood and Thunder is an RP set in a sword and sorcery style primal world of magic and mystery. On this world, adventure, danger, and intrigue are commonplace, and bands of treasure hunters, sellswords, and mercenaries are common. Grand empires, with glittering cities, intricate sorceries, and massive armies rule in some places. While in other regions naught but the law of the jungle governs life.  Basically it's a big mysterious world full of adventure and magic and swashbucklery for us to dick around in.

Races: In this world humanity is not the only sentient species to walk the green earth, many other species exist right next to them. Pale furred ape-men whose single joy is to plunder and kill, slender limbed fair folk whose exploits inspire tales of fairies and so on and so on. Yet the main races are more or less these that follow.

Humanity: Humanity in this world is quite a bit different than in ours. In particular, the humans of this world seem to have a much higher ceiling of physical prowess. Magic and its use are the other big difference, of course, being a force that while not incredibly common is still a well-known reality in this world. Humanity is widespread, diverse, and organized in many different tribes, kingdoms, and so on.

Giants: Some say humans are the descendants of these mighty folk. Towering beings with great physical and sometimes magical power, giants are not as common as they once were. Massive monuments to their rule now dotting the landscape in the form of ruins. The more common form of giants is their half-breed offspring with humans, who often rise to power as mighty warriors amongst humankind due to their potent power in their blood.

Scale-Folk: Native to the thick jungles and murky swamps of the more humid regions of Hyrrkora, the  Scale folk come in myriad forms and shapes. Blood-mad crocodilians that are even deadlier beneath the water, svelte and alluring Serpentines, and on and on and on. If there is a form of reptile, there is most likely a scale-folk equivalent to it somewhere in the world. Ancient scrolls and dust-worn tablets speak of a time where long ago the scale-folk ruled much of the Earth in a golden age of civilization. They built fabulous cities, monuments of limestone and gold leaf, and courted with the very gods themselves. Yet sometime around the birth of the human race, this all came crashing down for reasons lost to history. The similar time frame of these two events leads many scale-folk to blame humanity for ending this era and hold prejudices against them.

Magic: A powerful and truly unknowable force of the cosmos. Some claim the gods created magic long ago when they crafted the earth itself. Other's say the opposite, that magic was there at the very start, wild and free, and birthed all the strange creatures that inhabit the earth. What is known is that magic is a harnessable and terrifyingly powerful force. Through its use one can channel the power of the very elements through devastating spells, summon horrific demons and terrifying angels from other realms, and imbue objects with world-shaking mystical power. Those who use magic have myriad names and titles across the world and are treated with varying levels of respect or hatred. Magic users that channel the element through gut instinct, work ethic, and talent are called sorcerers and are mighty in battle. Those who call upon beings from other realms to do their bidding and destroy their foes are known as Summoners. Finally, the magic users who spend their time forging and crafting items of power are known as enchanters.