SUMMER

Angkar: Wet season. Precipitation is common during the late afternoon and evening hours. Vegetation grows significantly during the summer, but flooding is a danger due to the monsoons that ravage the country. The rainforest sees evenly distributed rainfall throughout the season.

Ashoka: Desert: Extremely hot and dry. Violent, heavy downpours following long dryspells. Jungle: Hot and humid with frequent, violent rainstorms.

Morrim: Relatively hot and dry, but with a chance of thunderstorms from time to time. The heat may cause forest fires.

Soto: Hot and humid, tree cover is dense while ground growth is restricted. Thunderstorms see the most amount of rainfall during the season, and it can be very windy. On occasion, there are flash floods that can destroy homes and farms built on flood plains.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

March 30th, 2018 As you might have noticed, Elenlond has changed hands and is now under new management! If you have any questions, please direct them to DaringRaven! As for the rest of the announcements, including a season change, you can find them over here at the following link!

January 16, 2018 As you might have noticed, Elenlond has a new skin, all thanks to Mel! Don't forget to check out the new OTMs as well!

December 2, 2017 Winter has settled on Elenlond, bringing sleep for some and new life for others.

September 26, 2017 With the belated arrival of autumn come some interesting developments: new OTMs, a Town Crier and the release of the Elly Awards winners!

July 14, 2017 After a bit of forum clean-up, Elly Awards season has arrived! Head on over to make your nominations!

May 31, 2017 Summer has arrived and so has activity check! That's not all though – we also have some new OTMs for you and some staff changes!


WHAT IS ELENLOND?

Elenlond is an original free-form medieval fantasy RPG set on the continent of Soare and the Scattered Isles, which are located to the south in the Sea of Diverging Waters. The four chief nations of the western side of the world—Ashoka in northern Soare, Soto in western Soare, Morrim in eastern Soare, and Angkar, the largest of the Scattered Isles—continue to experience growth and prosperity since the fall of the Mianorite gods, although power struggles within the countries—or outside of them—continue to ensue.


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  • CURRENT EVENTS

    Angkar: To honour the reinvigoration of the ancient city of Mondrágon, the majestic Queen Eulalia has permitted the opening of a Coliseum where people from around the world and all walks of life can test their combat skills against one another. Many have already done battle in search of honour, glory, prizes and money.

    Ashoka: In an otherwise peaceful times, Ashokans are beset with the relatively minor inconveniences of wandering undead and occasionally-aggressive giant rock worms. There has also been some controversy over the recent re-legalisation of human sacrifice.

    Morrim: Rumour has it that Emperor Leofric de Hollemark is mustering forces for a war. Though the threat from Soto’s forests has passed, the forces previously employed in watching the forest now linger at the border. Rumours also circulate of a small group that has been dispatched to make contact with the tribes of the Do’suul Mountains.

    Soto: The Sotoans have defeated the fey and liberated themselves from Méadaigh’s oppression! Preliminary efforts have been made at rebuilding the city of Madrid, which had been captured at the beginning of the war. However, the Sotoans are hindered from recovery famine. Méadaigh’s magic caused summer to persist in the Erth’netora Forest through the winter. Her power has been withdrawn and the plants die as if preparing for winter – even though it is now summer. The Sotoans must sustain off what food they can get, what creatures they can kill and what can be imported into the city from Morrim and Angkar.

    For a fuller description of our most recent events, check out our most recent edition of The Town Crier!

    daringraven
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    Qayin Graves
    SHADOW
    Supporting Admin.

    Kestrel Sumner (Shadow)
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    Welcome to our home, a world in which anything can happen. From sprawling deserts and vast forests to massive volcanoes and luscious hot springs, Soare and the Scattered Isles are beautiful places just waiting to be explored. For the brave and the bold or the cautious and the wary, creatures of all kinds roam the earth, looking for adventure or for a place to call their own. Species of all kinds - the well-known and the unknown - thrive here, though not always in harmony.

    Elenlond is an original medieval fantasy RPG with a world that's as broad as it is unique. Calling on characters of all kinds, the sky's the limit in a world where boundaries are blurred and the imagination runs rampant. Restrictions are limited and members are encouraged to embrace their creativity, to see where they can go and what they can do. It's no longer just text on a page - it becomes real.

    Enter Our World

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    Setting Out; Story Thread
    Topic Started: Apr 2 2018, 11:10 AM (79 Views)
    Alicia Valka
    Would-be Dragon Queen of Everything

    To Alicia, everything about the party seemed slightly wrong, somehow, as if reality had been not twisted but somehow amplified in such a way that everything seemed out of place. The food was too rich, the decorations too lavish, the music simply too loud... Worst of all were the people, all dressed in outrageous outfits that, if seen on the street, would have been the objects of as much derision as envy. The women in particular looked almost more like dolls than natural beings, without a hint of skin visible underneath the makeup they used to hide their every imperfection.

    Alicia could hardly justify to herself why she was here, surrounded by these shallow people. For their part, most of them didn't seem to want her here either. Oh, they were polite enough, some from lesser houses even fawning, as if desperate for her favor. Most of the glances shot her way, however, had nothing to do with admiration, but instead were tinged with undercurrents of such emotions as envy and hatred, sometimes at the same time as they were tinged with lust. She wasn't like them, wasn't like any of them, and they all knew it.

    One part of it was obvious enough, in that, unlike most of them, she wasn't even human. She had the blood of dragons and of angels running through her veins, and that made her different from them. Some might have said "better" than them, or at least accused her of thinking that. She wouldn't have argued that point, except to say that any aspect of being "better" had nothing do with with her heritage, and everything to do with the depth of her character.

    This was the other point, in fact, that others viewed her as pretentious and conceited. The irony was, they thought this because the opposite was true- She didn't care what they thought about her, except in the sense that what they thought influenced how amenable they were to her manipulations. She wasn't vain, and had no care for looks or image except in the most practical sense. This was, in fact, what made her so much different from the rest of them. All of them were so concerned about appearing to be the most intelligent, the most cultured, the most beautiful- She wasn't concerned about being these things. She simply was these things.

    All of this would have sounded arrogant, had she said it of herself. She never would, of course, unless she saw a use to it. What she knew about herself, she knew from careful introspection, just as what she knew about others was known through careful observation. She didn't have an unduly high opinion of herself- She simply had a realistically low opinion of those around her.

    The fact that she viewed these others around her as vain and shallow did not stop her from interacting with them, however. Isolating herself would do her no good- She needed to make connections and get to know people in order to do what needed to be done. And some people were more useful than one might think, or even more cunning than they appeared. Of these, many were still less cunning than they thought they were, but a select few could be considered worthy rivals, or potential allies.

    Alicia made her way across the floor, stopping periodically to greet one acquaintance or other, sometimes exchanging meaningless compliments and disguised barbs, sometimes at the same time. The barbs were usually directed at Alicia rather than by her- She tried to avoid creating unnecessary hostility, but given her own unavoidable status as something of an outsider, it couldn't be helped.

    Another reason why Alicia was unpopular was that some people blamed her for Luciana Valka's death. Alicia knew herself to be innocent, but her father had poisoned many peoples' minds. As such, many people thought that she was, basically, an untrustworthy wretch who would murder her own mother. Even some who didn't actually believe this to be true didn't want to be associated with her.

    And yet, she wasn't a complete social outcast. She was the heir to a powerful noble house, after all, even if she was in opposition to its current head. Some wanted her favor, and her father did have political enemies who she could find common ground with.

    After the initial social part of the party, there was to be a dance. Alicia's first partner was Lord Naviarre, a man that she'd interacted with a number of times previously. He was an incessant flirt, which was tolerable, but also fawning and desperate for favor, which became less so.

    While they were dancing, he spoke to her.

    "You know, Alicia, we've known each other for a long time..."

    "Yes, we have." Alicia responded simply.

    "I believe we get along well, and I think we might continue to do so. And I think our houses would do well with a long and lasting friendship."

    "I suppose." was Alicia's response.

    Suddenly, he let go of her in the dance, and went to one knee, holding out a box.

    "Alicia, would you marry me?"

    Alicia looked at him silently. Eventually he grew uncomfortable.

    "A-Alicia? Would you...?"

    Aware that others were staring, Alicia gave the only response she felt she could.

    "You're a fool." she said, and walked away, off the dance floor.

    While aware that rejecting him so harshly might make her seem cold, being gentler would have seemed weak, and quite frankly she had no desire to be associated with that man. She wasn't opposed to the idea of a marriage for political convenience, but this marriage would not have been particularly convenient- Naviarre's house was one of the least powerful in the kingdom, with little wealth or political influence. His marriage proposal was a little-disguised grab for more power for himself which would have been at her expense, not her gain.

    There was more dancing, despite this embarrassing display, and Alicia had several more partners. One of them was Lord Jiven, a young man with whom she was very well acquainted, a staunch ally of hers against her father. She was expecting word from him on a matter she had discussed with him previously regarding some supposed contacts of his who could help her overthrow her father. Part of the reason she'd come to this party tonight was to speak with him.

    While they danced, Jiven spoke quietly to her. "I have news. Pray, meet me by the servant's entrance later. I will excuse myself during dinner, wait ten minutes and then follow."

    Alicia simply nodded, and they continued to dance.

    Dinner came after the dance. The food, just like the hors d'ouvres earlier, was far too rich, with overpowering and unsubtle flavors, but Alicia ate without complaint and participated in the conversation. Sure enough, shortly into the second course, Jiven made an excuse and got up from the table. Alicia waited, just as Jiven suggested- However, she only waited three minutes, not ten, before standing up.

    "I feel unwell. I'm going to step outside and get some air."

    No one protested this or made any polite offer to accompany her, and she headed outside quietly. She went through the house to the servant's entrance, and opened the door to outside quietly. As it opened, she heard a voice, and she stood there for a moment, listening.

    "-remember, it must be done quickly, in one blow. There must not be a struggle, do you understand?"

    It was Jiven's voice. She didn't hear the response from whoever he was talking to, but she didn't need to in order to know what was going on. Jiven had betrayed her. It was unfortunate, but she would have to deal with it. It was a shame. She'd liked Jiven.

    Alicia stepped back from the servant's entrance, and went back around the nearest corner so that she couldn't be seen from it. She waited, counting, until she was certain another seven minutes had passed, and then she went back to the entrance and went outside.

    Outside there were some large bushes, no doubt behind which was the assassin Jiven had arranged for her. Alicia pretended to take no notice of these.

    "Well, Jiven?" Alicia asked, seeing him. "What do you have to tell me?"

    "Shh!" Jiven said, and beckoned her over. "Not so loud! Come over here..."

    Alicia hadn't been speaking loudly, but she said nothing and stepped over by Jiven, next to the bushes.

    "Well?" she asked again. "Is there good news?"

    Jiven shook his head, frowning.

    "No, I'm afraid not. My contacts... They said they want no part of it. It all seemed so promising before. I don't know why they changed their mind. We must determine-"

    It was at this point that Alicia, who had been listening intently, not to Jiven, but to the noises around them, heard a faint sound, like footsteps on grass, and was suddenly certain she felt a presence behind her. She stepped to the side quickly and spun around, while her hands went into the folds of her dress and pulled out two knives. There was the whiff of a blade slicing through air where she had been.

    Alicia didn't hesitate, waiting for the assassin to realize his mistake or for Jiven to feign surprise. She focused for just an instant and unleashed a flash of light toward the assassin's face, then rushed in, stabbing with both knives. They connected with flesh, and the assassin slumped to the ground while she pulled the knives out again.

    "Oh... Thank the gods you're alright!" Jiven said, his voice full of seeming relief, though no surprise. "I thought for a moment- Alicia, what are you-?"

    Jiven didn't have time to finish his sentence as Alicia picked the assassin's knife off the ground and lunged toward him, not thrusting the knife into his chest, but bringing it around and plunging it into his back, before he even had the chance to resist.

    He sunk to the ground at her feet, incomprehension frozen on his face, while Alicia shook her head.

    "You shouldn't have betrayed me." she said simply, and walked back into the manor.

    She already knew how she'd explain what happened.

    ***

    "I'm tired, Zanir."

    Alicia spoke to the jackal-faced mage as he stood in his laboratory, mixing potions. He hadn't yet looked up to greet her, and he didn't look up now as he answered.

    "Then go to bed, Lady."

    Alicia frowned. "That's not what I mean."

    He still didn't look up.

    "I have a good idea what you mean, but what exactly do you want from me?"

    Alicia took a deep breath, and then said, "I no longer believe my place is with the nobility of this land, not at this time. I need allies... But I also need to hide from my father and his assassins."

    Now Zanir looked up.

    "...I think that can be arranged."

    ***

    Alicia couldn't have said which was more intrusive upon her thoughts; the stink of alcohol and warm, unwashed bodies, or the overwhelming, raucous din of the tavern's rowdy customers. Both were bothersome, but neither was as troubling as the nagging feeling she had that she was being watched.

    Well, of course she was being watched. Travelers came and went all the time in this little village on the Kaadian Way, but dragons and their kin always drew attention, no matter where they went. True, she was cloaked, and did her best to be inconspicuous, but she was still seven feet tall with a long tail, and that fact was hard to hide.

    Still, she couldn't shake the thought that there was some sort of attention on her beyond the usual kind, something more focused than the stares of random gawkers. Yet whenever she looked around, all she found, when she found anything at all, was the usual stares, and the nervous glances away when she met someone's eyes were of the usual type; slightly guilty, but not so furtive as if they were really trying to hide it. She knew the difference between someone who didn't want to be caught staring and someone who didn't want to be seen looking at all.

    She tried to shake off her anxiety, telling herself that the contact was going to come... Even if he was delayed, somehow, he would come. Zanir had been confident that the man would never dare betray him, and as such he wouldn't stand Alicia up. Yet, wasn't he supposed to have been in this town days ago? What could be holding him?

    The only thing Alicia could do would be to wait. She could wait as long as she needed to.

    She sat at a table by herself, having ordered a drink but not really drinking it. She wasn't willing to allow herself to become inebriated, and while it would probably take multiple drinks to affect her, she didn't even want the one weighing on her. She didn't expect danger, but she didn't like being impaired.

    Suddenly there was some kind of ruckus behind her, with people shouting and yelling. She thought she heard the sound of a fist thumping against flesh. She turned her head to look, and barely had time to duck as a barstool was flung toward her head.

    She didn't cry out, but stood up quickly. Apparently a fight had suddenly erupted, though strangely she hadn't heard any particular exchange of words leading up to it. She wanted no part of a bar brawl, and she immediately began trying to move away from the emerging fight, but somehow it caught up with her.

    A writhing tangle of three different men flung itself toward her as if by intent, and though she tried to duck the men slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. She found herself with no choice but to lash out to try and get away, trying to push their combined weight off of her. It was difficult- Despite her size, Alicia was only slightly stronger than an average human, certainly not strong enough to simply lift the combined weight of three men off of her. And it wasn't as if they were a single ball that she could simply roll off of her either, nor would they stay still...

    Alicia tried using her claws to pierce the skin of two of the men on top of her, hoping the pain would get them to move away. They barely even flinched, however, and she realized that she wasn't likely going to get a chance to simply move them off of her. She started wriggling her body and kicking out, trying not so much to push them off of her but to push herself away from them.

    She took a few hits, including some to the face, but she didn't lose focus of what she was trying to do- After what felt like several minutes but was probably much less, she got out from underneath the brawling drunks, and quickly pushed herself to her feet, trying to step away.

    She started trying to make her way to the door, but encountered two more people fighting. One was a woman with short silver hair and an unusually muscular body, and the other one was a feline-faced person with blue fur. Alicia would have guessed them to be male, but wasn't sure. The woman was slashing at the cat-person with a knife, and the cat-person kept backing away, avoiding the blows entirely. Alicia couldn't help thinking that it looked strangely as if the knife-wielding woman didn't actually want to hit them.

    Rather than intervening, Alicia stood back, trying to wait for them to pass by, but then suddenly the cat-person dived away and the woman's next attack went toward Alicia.

    Alicia lost no time to surprise, and ducked away from the attack. She thought about drawing her own knife, but quickly dismissed the thought. She had no desire for the trouble that would result from killing or maiming someone, even in self-defense.

    Alicia closed her eyes for a fraction of a second, then moved her hand up toward the woman's face and unleashed a flash of light. When the woman recoiled, Alicia quickly lashed out with a one-two punch, followed by a knee to the stomach. When the other woman fell to the floor (with a grunt of pain that sounded oddly forced), Alicia stepped over her and went outside.

    She walked down the main road to the edge of town and then stood there, waiting for what she strongly suspected was going to follow.

    Sure enough, not five minutes later, Alicia saw the woman from the tavern and the cat-person she'd been fighting walking together toward her. As they approached, she saw movement from the corner of her eye, and spoke aloud.

    "I know you're there. Are you done with your little test?"

    From the corner of her eye she saw something moving again- Something seeming to become large, and solid, shadows turning into substance. A deep, masculine voice spoke up.

    "Well. You are observant, aren't you?"

    She said nothing, merely kept herself in a position where she could keep an eye on the two who were approaching, as well as the one who had just appeared, though unfortunately from this position it wasn't possible to have a good look at all of them.

    The newcomer laughed.

    "Cautious, too. I like that. But do you really think you'd be able to stop us if we wanted to hurt you?"

    Alicia shrugged.

    "Maybe not. That doesn't mean I should let my guard down."

    "Fine. But at least look at me when I talk to you. Little lady like you wouldn't want to be rude now, would you?"

    Alicia hesitated, and then shifted her gaze more fully to rest on him.

    Before her was a dragonborn man with deep black scales and red eyes. He was a bit taller than Alicia herself was, and a bit more thickly built, but she got a sense just looking at him of a predatory grace that would rival if not exceed her own agility. He was dressed in a black leather harness, which had holsters for many small knives, and two shortswords.

    "That's good." he said. "And you knew we were testing you. Impressive."

    Alicia looked at him impassively.

    "And the results of the test?"

    The man grinned.

    "Well, you successfully kept your cool, and showed yourself able to handle basic threats. It's a step removed from a real fight, but I'd say from what I know already that you should be able to handle yourself. So you passed."

    Alicia nodded.

    She heard the footsteps of the other two approaching, and she turned around to look at them.

    The cat-person raised a hand up, waving, with a friendly grin on their face. They spoke in a pleasant tenor, and Alicia judged that they were male.

    "Hey there. Hope you're not too sore about earlier. Nellerae likes to test his new recruits, preferably without them knowing."

    Alicia heard a slight growl from behind her, and looked back at the black dragonborn.

    "Thanks for introducing me, Ferris. I couldn't possibly have done it myself."

    Ferris, as the cat-man was evidently called, laughed.

    "Well, it's not my fault you took so long. She does need to know our names, if she's gonna be working with us."

    He looked toward Alicia, and gestured to the woman with him.

    "This is Ei'Rin. She doesn't really talk much. And like Nell said, I'm Ferris. Some say I talk too much."

    Nellerae made another grumbling sound, and then spoke again.

    "Anyway, yes, you passed. You'll meet Lyra and Akari later, they're the other members of our company. And we've got work waiting for us in Ashoka, so I hope you don't have any more business in Morrim, since we don't have time to wait around for it."

    Alicia looked back toward him, and nodded.

    "I'm ready to go whenever you are. I have no business left here."

    "Good." said Nellerae. "Then let's go."

    So they went, and Alicia knew she was stepping into a new chapter of her life.
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