Races

Here will be the known races that inhabit Yndel, some representing cultures from the different nations. There are four sub-types for humans and one sub-type for xynthetics and will be explained below.

Credit for this illustration goes again to Jennifer S. Lange. Go to www.jsl-art.de to see more of her work.


The races are, from left to right;

Xynthetic (Cyborg)
Xynthetic (Android/Robot)
Genesian
Human (Gaarian)
Human (Argent)
Human (Thaodyn)
Human (Cyrian)
Wyverian


In the image, the races also represent some of the prominent cultures on Yndel, although that is not to say that one culture is exclusive to that race or subtype.


Xynthetics

The xynthetics are a relatively new race to Yndel, although they have existed long before they were recognized as such. It was when they were given conscious thought and free will by Nevermore that they revolted from their organic masters and creators to found Ligeia in the southern wastelands. They are a widely diverse people, coming in all forms, shapes, and sizes. They took the name from the group created by Nevermore, the Xyneth Order and since then called themselves xynthetics. They believe that they can save the world by "transmuting" it into a synthetic utopia, along with all its lifeforms. Organics who have been subjected to heavy augmentation or neural cybernetic surgery are compelled to Nevermore's will and are also considered xynthetics. The process in which xynthetics assimilate organics is known as the "cyber baptism".



Genesians

The "first people" as they call themselves. It is long believed by the genesians that they originate from a celestial lineage and have divine powers. Though this remains to be uncertain, genesians do appear to be far more magically inclined than the other races. They are generally a proud and dignified people, which sometimes earns them a reputation of being conceited, which some genesians may themselves even agree to. Many genesians believe that as the first people, they are entitled to govern all of Yndel, to keep the continent from withering. When Etil showed up, rumors circulated from people who claimed to have witnessed his divine power. He quickly gained support from the elders of Devinidae to found the Genesian Supremacy and go to war for the sake of Yndel and the genesian heritage.



Gaarians (Human)

The gaarians are one of the few races to have some sort of connection to a deism, linked to evidence. The term gaarian is derived from Oringaar, god of the sun and what little documentation that exists advocates that Oringaar created the gaarians by forging them from within the sun, charring their skin dark and hardening them into stalwart champions. In Lokran, near the village of Agora, a single temple dedicated to Oringaar remains from the ancient days and many people go there still to pray. One gaarian who devoted his life to researching Oringaar and his temple would later discover the techniques used in the "sol-style" martial arts and pass his knowledge down to those who wished to worship Oringaar on after him, reviving the temple completely and providing Lokran with the much needed traffic that helped turn it into the bustling nation it is now.



Argent (Human)

When a human spends too much time near a source of raw mana, their body absorbs trace amounts of the residual energy and ultimately causes an affliction known as "mana poisoning". Many people who suffered from mana poisoning were documented to have considerably paling skin, tremors, and mental ailments such as obsession, paranoia, and even dementia. The argents are considered to be a link in the case of mana poisoning, due to their pale, sometimes even gray skin, their red eyes, and their almost inherited affinity to magic. In the world today, there are very few true blood argents, but for ones that do exist, they are valued highly for their ability to innately control and understand magic, and their resistance to the mana poisoning itself.



Thaodyn (Human)

Like the argents, the thaodyns are a thinned bloodline, so a full-blooded thaodyn is somewhat of an uncommon sight. They were known for their skin, which ranged from bronze to an olive color, and a gray eyes trait that was common in their bloodline. What sets thaodyns apart the most however, is their abnormal strength. A single thaodyn could easily demonstrate the strength of five normal humans, breaking bones with simple strikes and splitting stones open with a sturdy blade. Many people have thaodyn blood on Yndel, however it has become so diluted that the traits have become overshadowed by other, more prominent ones. This is also believed to be the cause for the human's high survivability and sturdiness.


Cyrian (Human)

An average, common folk with lightly tanned skin. cyrians are an innovative and tenacious people, being the only sub-race of human not to have had some sort of lore linking them to a deity. Because of this, they are occasionally called the "untouched", and considered to have few talents. As though to make up for this, many cyrians are experts in architecture, engineering, and even cybernetics. Most structures in the human nations of Yndel were built by cyrians. What they lack in raw ability, they make up for with their creativity and craftsmanship and have since made their mark on the world.



Wyverians

Wyverians are a reptilian humanoid species based off of the legendary creature, wyvern, of which the name is derived. There exist many variations of wyverians, exhibiting such features as barbed tails, tipped with venomous stingers, horns, and scales either lining a portion or the entirety of their bodies. For many years the wyverians suffered from oppression, being treated as savages for their primal nature and looked down upon as being beneath the other races. It became worse during the Psyklone Wars, when Psyklone forced wyverians to his labor camps to gather resources for his conquest. After Destructus defeated Psyklone and the wars came to an end, several nation leaders stepped forth to compromise a liberation of the wyverian from prejudice and oppression, and to recognize Athos as part of Yndel's National Council. With the agreement made, the wyverians are slowly moving up from their tribal traditions, and modernizing with the rest of the world.

Nations and Factions

Referring back to the map, there are ten prominent nations that inhabit Yndel. Some of the more powerful and influential ones are at war with each other, for various reasons beyond domination of the land.

Neutral Territories

• Athos

Athos is the homeland of the wyverians. After recovering from their recent oppression, their civilization has not accumulated the resources or the will to go to war, although a great deal of the population supports the Yndi Alliance in Galibern. They are welcoming to all outsiders.
Athos has somewhat of a tribal culture to it, though slowly modernizing toward an emulation of Galibern.

• Nevl'e

Where the more extreme genesians laid claim to the east in Devinidae, a more peaceful clan settled in the west. The people of Nevl'e hold no interest in going to war, neither supporting the humans or their brethren in the Genesian Supremacy. Despite being neutral, many genesians in Nevl'e still exhibit apprehension toward their human neighbors, breeding minor prejudice, especially in Rook.

• West (Harbingers)

Although they do not have an initial claim to the war, the harbingers of West are heavily involved behind the scenes. The harbinger cultist group known as the Soothsayers exist all around Yndel, all the while monitoring and manipulating events in their favor.

• Lokran

A land of trade, rich with scrap from the ruins buried beneath the sands. Lokran is perhaps the most peaceful of all the nations on Yndel. The population is diverse and filled with each of the races, who are able to live together in harmony.

Warring Territories

• Erduul: the Sharp Empire

Erduul is a nation of industry, extremely prosperous and known for their ingenuity. Founded by the Sharp family during the Age of Annex, they built their nation on the concept of the second (modern) ancient civilization, as it was more cost efficient than the third (futuristic), and less primitive than the first (medieval). Erduul was never meant to be a war nation, however they did raise private armies to protect its territory and research from those who wished to take it. When Huntir Sharp died and his son Vandel came into power however, he turned Sharp Industries in the capital of Mashena into the Sharp Empire and set out on a campaign of conquest, drafting the citizens into his armies and tripling his forces. The Sharp Empire stands as one of the most dominant forces in the war with their ability to mass produce weapons and combat vehicles.

Its population comprises mostly of humans, and relatively unwelcoming toward genesians. A long-standing feud exists between both Nevl'e and Devinidae toward Erduul due to the Sharp ancestors taking the fertile, green lands of the north and polluting them with their factories and waste.

• Devinidae: the Genesian Supremacy

After the Age of Annex, a group of genesians rallied together to take the eastlands, preventing the Sharp family from expanding their "grunge-tech" into what was left of Yndel's lush lands. They settled there and formed the nation of Devinidae. Unlike Nevl'e, the genesians here are more outspoken and passionate of their proclaimed celestial heritage, and regard themselves as the first beings ever to inhabit the planet. With this in mind, many genesians believe they deserve to rule over all of Yndel, to preserve and protect it under the belief that the humans are the reason for the decaying of the world. It was only until recent days that Devinidae became a military force with the appearance of Etil, the Unbound. A genesian who was rumored to have divine powers that would guide them to victory.

With their sheer numbers and affinity with the remaining magic of the world, the Genesian Supremacy was formed and quickly became one of the four dominant forces in the war, along with the Sharp Empire, Yndi Alliance, and the Xyneth Order. They are unwelcoming to all other races and guard the largest forest on Yndel, named the Devinidae Forest.

• Galibern: the Yndi Alliance

The center of Yndel held clusters of ancient, medieval castles and other similar structures. In the Age of Annex, the Sharp family and the Angelys family contended for the land, and the Angelys family won this central region. They reconstructed some of the ruins to accommodate their new civilization and centered their technology and lifestyles around its medieval themes. The name Angelys became known as royalty, and a monarchy was established as its governing power. Previously, the throne had been a seat for King Nell Angelys and his wife Carrilon, however the king died of illness and left it all to his wife and their daughter Belle.
As war began to emerge, Anarc, leading the Yndi Alliance sought the queen's help to liberate all of Yndel from tyrannical control, however she refused, believing Galibern's involvement in the war to only accelerate the calamity that was growing nearer. She however fell ill like her husband and passed away much to the dismay of her people. Anarc then persuaded Belle, whom he shared a relationship with to help him in his crusade and she agreed. Galibern's armies became an extension of the Yndi Alliance's might after that day and one of the four dominant forces in the war.

• Yorik: the Family

Nobody is certain what lies beyond the Shady Gloom, on the island of mysterious island of Yorick, and not many people bother to find out- however when war broke out, they announced their participation nonetheless. They called themselves the Family, and declared war on all of the other nations on Yndel. Despite this, there has been no noted evidence of their involvement since the start of the conflict. With their small territory and considerably limited resources, none of the other nations regard the Family as a threat. Some consider their participation as nothing more than a joke.

• Recwyim: Infiniti

From the ruins of the old Psyklone headquarters from the Destructus series, a corporation quickly rose up and kept Recwyim from crumbling completely, called Infiniti. With all of the events in play from the previous war, there were few who stood to question the rising corporation, and those who did found it to be a harmless manufacturing plant, looking to take advantage of the nation's collapse and make a profit. As the confusion broke out as the next war began, however, Infiniti took control over the weakened nation and became a governing power while the other nations were to busy with their own endeavors. Within the years that followed, Infinit had amassed a formidable army, seemingly out of nothing and had taken their place in the war. Although with large armies, their organization appears unrefined and they do not command as much of a presence as the four dominant nations.

• Ligeia: the Xyneth Order

When Recwyim fell after the Psyklone Wars, it could no longer hold onto Lokran and the other territories it had conquered and quickly shrunk to the southwest point of Yndel, leaving the southlands without rule. Despite being unclaimed territory, none of the nations showed interest in holding the baron wastelands the south had become, that is until a signal was broadcast throughout all of Yndel, compelling all robotic and many cybernetic entities to journey to Tamerlane and causing them to revolt against their masters. They gathered as they had been directed and a being who called itself Nevermore spoke to them. Nevermore rallied his audience into creating a synthetic utopia, where all organic life must be assimilated and transmuted. After that day, the Xyneth Order was formed and its people became known as xynthetics. 

Over the years into the next war, the Xyneth Order had become incredibly dangerous and powerful, turning the southlands into Ligeia, a newfounded territory. Able to create more soldiers from the rich scrap held in the wastes and the mountains, they have quickly become one of the four dominant forces in the war.

Yndel

The story takes place on Yndel (Pronounced either "End-ell" or "Yin-dell"), the last large continent left on the planet that has not yet sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

The map was made by Jennifer S. Lange, and you can find more of her art at www.jsl-art.de.

The continent is comprised of four known races; human, wyverian, genesian, and xynthetic and is home to ten different nations, six of which are warring with each other for dominance. I'll get to the races and the factions in more depth later.

Yndel, like the rest of the old continents, is also slipping into the ocean, year by year. People see it as a sign of an in-progress apocalypse. Some try to find ways to stop it, others accept it and just live their days normally, while some consider it as a necessary step in cleansing the planet. Either way, the future only holds uncertainty.

The past of Yndel only goes back to an estimated 800-1000 years, and what is beyond that is shrouded in a peculiar mystery that nobody can decipher. They call it the "Age of Oblivion"; an era that could not be remembered. The only clues as to what was left behind are ruins of ancient civilizations, three of which do not seem to be related to each other (ancient castles, run down buildings, and buried space-aged structures).

This image shows the level of the wastelands, the desert-like region in the south that is slowly expanding throughout Yndel, drying the water and killing the forests, giving the world an even more bleak impression.