Styrta
The Garden of Life

Outside the Basin of Life, tucked into a verdant valley on the outer edge of the Razine Mountains, is Styrta, a city forged into the steppes by the will power and determination of a hardy, peaceful people. They live by the Two Words of Styrta: Trust and Peace. Having split from the population of the Basin of Life due to fundamental differences in their means to restore the world, the people of Styrta rely on themselves and the material world around them, not in magic or spirits, and certainly not the Taint. Although this has meant great hardship for them, their history of overcoming nearly insurmountable obstacles speaks to their determination. To overcome many of their problems, they have turned to the strong of body, their defenders, and the strong of mind, their engineers.

 

Nexus: The Archive of Chronicles

The most elaborate work of all of their artisans became known as the Archive of Chronicles which houses all the records of Styrta, and a continuing record of all that its people have done even to this day. All are encouraged to visit the archive at least once in their lives. Copies of the most important chronicles are brought to the schools where children learn of the struggles of their people to survive and their triumphs in the face of adversity. Fueled by their history, future generations are spurred on to continue doing their best to not let anything stop them. The Archive of Chronicles serves as a source of strength to all Styrtans, a Nexus of Power.

 

Guilds

The Two Words of Styrta pervaded their everyday lives and their efforts to protect their home. While they sought only to live peaceful lives, the beasts of the wilderness forced them to protect themselves. To that end, they learned from history of how the most dangerous forces to come against life were defeated. The stories of Shanth, however, influenced them the most. His quiet and unassuming way of life very much reflected their own desires, and the fact that he was the only Vernal God to single-handedly defeat one of the Soulless Gods confirmed in their minds that his way was worth remembering and building upon. Their warriors formed three distinct groups, all emulating Shanth in his speed and wit.

Glaviers: The Glaviers were the first group of warriors formed by the Styrtans. Fighting in the mountains proved to be a challenge with swords and maces, and since most of their people were accustomed to making use of walking staves to make the steep climbs easier, a combat style developed around several types of polearms. Speed and precision mark their styles, be it quickly slashing and spinning the kwan do, leaping and rapidly piercing with the spear, or charging right into their foes with a lance on the back of a mount. Even the common folk of Styrta have been known to be quite proficient with their walking staves.

Glaviers are a warrior archetype. They may specialize in Kwan Dos (Tornado), Spears (Meteoric), or Lances (Avalanch). They take Athletics like most other warriors. They can take Forging as a tradeskill.

Kavi: The art of Kavi, otherwise known as "The Way of the True Strength", requires its members to attain mastery of their bodies, much as the stories of Shanth related he had, or at least the creators of Kavi thought he had. It took several decades for the first Styrtans to study the history and then put the principles they learned from it into a form of combat. Their way of fighting involves quick strikes and graceful defenses. They capitalize on weaknesses in their opponents, creating them when none are readily found. With few resources to forge armor and weapons, the Kavi studied their bodies to devise methods of making themselves more resistant to the attacks of the beasts they fought, and to make their own bodies into weapons stronger than steel. After the resources became readily available, some of the Kavi began using weapons and armor, and so the school was split into two "ways":

Kavi-Xal: "The Hidden Fury" hold true to their foundation, mastering their bodies to unprecedented heights. Their combat style relies heavily on defensive movements and blocks, while striking with unstoppable power when the time is right. Their extensive training has allowed some of their way to puncture steel with a finger, or block a spear with their chest. With such control of their bodies, and superb grasp of their selves, they are able to force their bodies to heal themselves faster, slow the progress of poison in their blood, and even dive into the depths for hours without needing to breathe. The impossible is simply another obstacle to them, and they are determined to overcome anything that comes against them.

Kavi-Rahin: "The Steel Fang" split away from the "purists" who relied only on their bodies, and instead began using weaponry such as handclaws, cesti, and katars. They also began using light armor to protect themselves so they could focus more on their offense. The Kavi-Xal say this has made them weak, but they have many advantages, such as their less experienced warriors can participate in combat much sooner than their training-intensive counterparts. This is not to say they don't train as hard, they simply train to use their weapons better and find ways to make their enemies let down their guard so they can strike. They have also attained a level of control of their bodies and their weapons, using them as an extention of their bodies. By studying the movements of combat, they can make use of little armor to protect themselves, such as a simple bracelet or kote instead of a shield.

Kavi are a warrior archetype. They may specialize in either the Rahin or Xal styles. They take Athletics like most other warriors. The Kavi-Rahin can take Forging as a tradeskill.

Engineers: The introduction of 'machinery' into vital areas of Styrtan life caused many people to pursue engineering in more depth, finding many other ways to make use of it in their every day lives. The guild of engineers, in cooperation with the weapon smiths, created weapons that made use of air pressure, springs, gears, even small charges of generated electricity. Since the weapons are prone to 'technical difficulties', only members of the Guild of Engineers can maintain them in the field when helping to fight off the beasts. The great benefit of this guild is that even those who are not physically strong can help defend the city alongside the mighty warriors. Their machines are their strength.

Engineers are a warrior archetype, thus they learn athletics. Only Engineers can take the tradeskill: Machinery.

 

 

 

Alright, it's not in the game yet, and it may never be, but this is the city Iscarak hails from in his RP.