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Welcome to Rainos! 

Rainos is a battle-scarred land of independence and opportunity.  After successfully rebelling against the old Mythronian Empire, Rainos re-established itself as a patchwork of individual nations and communities, ranging from hill-dwelling tribes to magnificent city-states.  More than any other faction, Rainos offers the opportunity to play as a warlord or a knight, a peaceful wanderer or a famous raider.  As befits a nation made of a dozen smaller nations, Rainos has no official flag or colors. 

More than two centuries ago, the armies of Mythron conquered the less-developed island of Rainos when the last local king surrendered at Hadran.  The victors seized the territory with an iron fist, establishing their own nobility as the dominant landholders and virtually enslaving the native population, reducing the once-free Rainosians to serfs.  Yet time proved that the oppressors could not crush the spirit of the island; even Mythronian overlords began to adopt the local customs. 

Twenty years ago, with Mythron at its weakest, the newly-appointed Duke of Rainos gathered the armies of the clans in open rebellion.  His forces met the knights of the enemy five years ago at the Battle of Unbinding, where King Mythron himself was slain.  Free at last, the clan chiefs crowned the duke King Bartok I of Rainos... and promptly forgot about him.  Now, loosely-bound clans hold their own against attempts to take back the island and usually manage to considerably harm their enemies, the King waits restlessly in his castle, and heroes set out for adventure. 

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Rainos

Clans

Although Rainos has a king, in reality it is closer to a conglomeration of many different nations (in fact, even King Bartok has his own personal domain).  These groups - be they large tribes made up of many clans, small bands of people affiliated by blood or friendship, feudal-style dominions or cities and towns - are free to pursue their own goals (usually dictated by the players that created them) and even war with each other, but, since the Spring of 7 AU, they are also affiliated with a communication network that allows them to coordinate their military power when the times demand. 

The Boar Clan

The Boar Clan wears black armor, often with silver spiked rivets (see the "Evil Knight" from the collectable minifigure line).  Their emblem is a dark brown boar's head, and rumor has it that they occasionally ride giant boars into battle. 
Notable Figures: Lord Ribald Boar's-Tusk (Kaeleb Appleyard)

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The Bull Nation

The Bull Nation is structured around the ideal of building an advanced civilization while retaining the culture and values of northern Rainos.  Traditional laws such as weregild are upheld alongside acts passed by the military government, and semi-professional soldiers are equally likely to be sent raiding on longships as dispatched to cut roads through the forest.  Conduct even between soldiers of vastly different ranks remains informal, but direct orders remain inviolable.  Members use black, plain red, brown, and old dark-stone-grey garments, often with dragon-styled helmets in the fashion of the villains from Knights Kingdom I, but they have been mixed with elements from the Fright Knights and other black-and-red warriors. 
Notable Figures: Cedric the Bull, leader (Gilbert Despathens)

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Dark Valley Clan

This group from the area around Iremore wear chain mail and use dark blue as their primary color, but can be distinguished from Mythronian grunts by their mix of brown wool clothing and their extreme proficiency with the longbow.  Since this peaceful clan rarely marches to war, King Bartok often employs them as guards of his castle.  The last major battle they took part in was the liberation of the Iremore region at the start of the Rainosian War of Independence, in which they slaughtered regiments of crack knights with massive arrow storms. 

The Dragon Clans

The Dragons make up the largest tribe in Rainos, and outsiders often think that Dragon soldiers are the "official" troops of Rainos.  In truth, though, the Dragons are made up of several different clans, each represented by minifigures from another era of Lego castle.  Most clans are, however, fairly organized, giving an outward appearance of being less barbaric and more like Mythron in culture.  While this is not quite true, the Dragons did treat with Mythron during the Rainosian Civil War, and they tend to view King Bartok as more of an authority than some other clans. 
Notable Figures: General Lukas Spine Senior (Asad .);  General Lukas Spine, Junior (Asad); Lord Gormeing (Night Reaper); Lord Aragoth (Kaeleb Appleyard)

Guaire's Army

After Rego Arian (Toa Infernum) came to rule the city, he provided its garrison with new armor and uniforms and recruited additional members.  This private army wears the garb of the Castle black-and-red Dragon Knights with Roman helmets, and is often difficult to tell apart from Gormeing (Night Reaper)'s branch of the Dragon Clan.  One of the key indicators is the polished, ruthless attitude with which these paid city professionals approach their battles contrasted to the informal, wild atmosphere that surrounds a typical raiding party. 

The Iber Clan

A small clan from Southern Rainos.  Members usually wear fantasy-line troll torsos resulting in sand green sleeves with yellow hands, and they often carry spears.  In habits and culture they are partially inspired by Spanish soldiery during the renaissance, but they maintain the low technical and social standards of the rest of Rainos.  They have black, brown, or dirty-blond hair, and import gold or shiny silver armor and conquistador helms from Enalica for prestige. 
Notable Figures: King Alberto III (NPC)

Orc Tribes

Some Rainosian clans are made up entirely of orcs.  Although almost all of these minifigures are from fantasy-line trolls or LOTR orcs, sometimes mutants are encountered who resemble sci-fi or Star Wars aliens. 

Redaxe Clan

The Redaxe Clan is one of the few clans in Rainos made entirely up of dwarves.  Until the Dwarvish Invasion of 8 AU, the Redaxe dwarves remained isolated in the dangerous swamplands near Guiare, killing any intruders who learned of their existence.  Why they have chosen to open their borders now remains to be seen. 
Motto: "Our secrets guard themselves; may yours do the same." 
Notable Figures: Lord Redhammer, clan chief (Charles Dunn); Captain Ironhammer (Charles Dunn)

Rider Gangs

These free-riders are associated with no community or background, and wander the island of Rainos in sleeveless chain mail tunics and other patches of armor, normally in a rebellious Mythronian blue.  Their weapons are numerous, ranging from clubs to brass knuckles to chains to daggers to bottles.  In a real battle, it is unlikely that they would stand against a trained army, but they wreak havoc in bar fights and against stragglers or people who look at them funny

The Stealth Clan

A band of mysterious masked warriors based in the north-east of Rainos.  They have connections to both Hythe and Exileseat, although it seems that their base of operations has followed its founder to Enalica.  Many, if not most, of its members seemed to have become affiliated with the Black Lotus, but they later followed their leader, the Masked, when he ultimately betrayed the Lotus and helped bring about its downfall. 
Notable Figures: The Masked (Caleb R.)

Wajihod Clan

A clan of fierce warriors, the Wajihod paint their faces red and white when going to battle... though some keep the paint on all the time.  They always wear a hood, and rumor says that they do this to cover their bald heads.  Wajihod prefer heavy weapons, such as axes, and are very rarely archers, claiming that their arms are unsteady.  These clansmen are always ready for a fight, and tend to start them without much of a cause. 

Rank Challenges

Rainos has its own challenges for each of the ranks in Version 3 of the Rank System.  After completing any other prerequisites listed in the rank thread, come here to find the appropriate rank challenge. 

Traditionally, guilds are founded when someone performs a noteworthy deed that inspires others to join up in a band to perform other noteworthy deeds.  For those seeking fame for acts of heroism, there is no better place to start than at the grassroots level.  Have a character make a big splash in a small town, whether by freeing it of an enemy, adding to the infrastructure or even setting a new record in the local fair's annual pig-eating contest.  If you can win over a village, getting some people to join a guild should be no problem! 

The proper way to reach an enemy's heart is through the gaps in his or her ribcage with something sharp and pointy, as any good warrior will tell you.  When you want to keep the heart intact, or even make it friendly, it is best to enter through the stomach.  To prove yourself worthy of being a diplomatic ambassador to another faction, have a character put on an impressive spread of authentic Rainosian cuisine for one or more foreigners.  Extra credit is given for serving a whole pig with an apple in its mouth, preferably one stuffed with a cow. 

The average human, elf, dwarf or other player character is not a physical marvel in and of itself.  Most are weak, hairless beasts with poor night vision and no claws, for example, but they still manage to beat down the mighty forces of nature time and time again.  Their secret?  Tool-making.  In this challenge, stick with the spirit of necessary innovation and take on a custom-built creature significantly larger than a minifigure (pre-made bad guys from official sets don't count) and use quick wits and resourcefulness to devise a way to overcome it despite its physical advantages.  Simply killing it with a sword is forbidden - this challenge needs to show some creative thinking. 

The most famous explorers are not necessarily the finest at finding new land, but are the best at keeping hold of it.  Before you take the Explorer rank and go gallivanting off to claim new lands, prove that you are capable of defending them from rival explorers by holding position against an attacker with both superior numbers and superior tools or preparation.  While the obvious way to go is to find a hill to stand on and fight off wave after waves of enemies by strength of sword, there are other valid interpretations: winning an argument from the moral high ground, sitting on some local landmark to protest an administrative decision and refusing to come down, trying to ride a dragon that really doesn't want to be ridden and so on. 

Not so long ago, Rainos broke free of the rule of barons and other Mythronian nobles.  As a result, most people here are suspicious of power, and prone to disregard authority unless the person in charge has earned their trust or respect somehow.  To prove that you are worthy of such trust, you need to show that you can sympathize with the people who don't have access to such personal power.  Send a character against an higher-ranked authority figure in any of the Lands of Mythron and stand firm against any wiles or force your opponent may employ in the contest. 

Everyone bleeds sooner or later, and, when that happens, certain people prove to be skilled at patching the wound.  Masters of this art, healing, are often accredited with other, more-mystical powers, such as supernatural sight.  To earn this rank, you don't need to use any magic - the healing part is all that's required.  Have a character - even/especially one with no medical expertise - deal with an urgent medical issue from a friend's battle wound to a lethal disease in order to pass this challenge. 

It's a racket as old as time - find some kid with minor magical abilities or a suspicious birthmark, preferably an orphan, and tell him or her that she or he is the last heir of a fallen dynasty or part of some important prophecy.  Then, once you have the "chosen one" believing it, get a bunch of other people to start falling for it, too, and then use this belief to get them to do what you want, whether that means following you into battle or giving you money.  For this challenge, show one of these operations going wrong - maybe your character is trying to show everyone that they've been tricked after they've been strung along for years, or maybe it turns out that there is some powerful magic in play after all.  You, Rainosian player, are the only one who can complete this challenge - to do so is your destiny. 

Any old thug can kill people, and plenty of them can do it with a reasonable amount of stealth and discretion as well.  What sets a true assassin apart from the common crowd, though, is the grace and style with which they carry out their tasks, and that comes with complete mastery of their physical bodies.  Thus, if you want to become an assassin, murder is not a prerequisite - instead, you must choreograph an impressive physical display with minifigures.  Freerunning, martial arts, spellcasting with exaggerated hand movements, ballroom dancing, dodging arrows, high-diving into haystacks - choose a feat along these lines to depict with step-by-step pictures to earn the Assassin rank. 

True leadership is not about lining up blocks on a battlefield, or finding cunning ways to trap or befuddle an enemy, or even shouting "Charge!"  and rushing towards the enemy lines will ahead of one's screaming army.  It's about reading people, knowing how far they can be pushed and how to reach into their hearts so that they actually want to risk their lives in service to their cause.  Now, imagine that your character is in with a bunch of people who have suffered several catastrophes, are disorganized and tired, and have an urgent threat right on their doorstep.  In other words, they're absolutely terrified and can hardly control themselves for panicking.  If you can turn this situation around, then you can have the Tactician rank. 

There's not always a convenient tree-branch just below the edge of the cliff, or a moat to jump out of the burning castle into, or a book in one's pocket that is conveniently positioned to stop an arrow.  However skillful they may be, warriors and adventurers need aids like these every now and then to keep their jobs and their lives.  Out of respect for this uncontrollable force that saves some and leaves others to die, come up with the most over-the-top deus ex machina escape that you can reasonably accomplish in a single build.  With luck, your character will escape certain doom and arrive at glorious victory while you get the Mercenary rank.