Realm of Thulan

The Realm of Thulan is considered to be a graveyard for the various realms of existence. In this realm, countless myriads of ruins exist- strewn erratically about- yet all being those of former civilizations, peoples, and nations that once thrived in the many realms. Decay binds Thulan together as a form of life, as the decrepit and rotting husks of once-powerful kingdoms lie as effigies of times long forgotten while slowly rotting away.

The people inhabiting this realm appear hollow and lifeless, as they live off of what scraps they can find and produce while fending against the treacherous environment. Yet with new ruins seeming to pile upon the realm, many of the ruins seem to be perpetually collapsing down, only creating further dangers for the realm’s inhabitants. Many of these entities do not dare to venture too deep into the ruins, lest they face off against hordes of skeletal beasts, zombified remnants, or the Shadow-Walkers.

Known largely as a terrifying legend to many a denizen of Thulan, the Shadow-Walkers are creatures standing at seven and a half feet tall that is capable of rapidly draining the vigor of a creature through their grasp, weakening them enough to be finished off by their sharp claws- or even being devoured.

Thulan is often considered the graveyard of the Aether and in due time, everything that ever was or ever will be may rest upon the desolate piles of rubble and dead kingdoms within the Realm of Ruin.

## **Summons**

### **Apprentice:**

#### **Stingers (BEAST)**

A summoner is capable of bringing up a beast from the realm, skeletal beings that have been shifted over endless time. These creatures are about a foot tall and crawl along the floor, quickly before sending out a burst of air behind them to launch themselves to the victim's feet and impale them. They narrow their legs into a fine point and drive it through someone's entire (unarmored) foot or other soft parts like the eyes or stomach. The stingers can only pierce up to Gambeson in a concentrated spot where they dig into.

#### **Shards of Irritation (SPELL)**

Summoners of Thulan are capable of projecting a portal that spews forth a torrent of metallic shards that only seem to gain strength, flexibility and finesse as they progress in their magic. Upon casting through the palms, a summoner of Thulan is capable of launching small rusty steel shards that are similar to an arrow. These shards are able to pierce gambeson, though against soft skin it can pierce and cut with ease.

These shards needn't be used only offensively, though, as a summoner is allowed expel these shards in such a manner that they link together to form effective, albeit largely temporary barriers about themselves (though not directly on themselves, as that would restrict the flow of Vitor); not able to really effectively block anything beyond an intermediate's spell or a hail of arrows, these interlinked Shards are perfect for reactively warding ranged attacks that come their way.

* **At Apprentice,** the portals for the shards may not extend past 10 feet from the summoner, the shards themselves fall off after 25 feet, losing momentum and force and the shards themselves can only be fired for roughly 10 seconds per individual cast of the spell. It is powerful nonetheless, but the lack of a vitor pool of an Apprentice makes this not-at-all able to be cast en masse.

* **At Expert**, the portals for the shards may not extend past 25 feet from the summoner, the shards themselves fall off after 45 feet, losing momentum and force and the shards themselves can only be fired for roughly 20 seconds per individual cast. A few of these portals can be opened up at once without much issue, but an expert cannot expect to litter an individual in shards without exceptional placement and planning beforehand.

* **At Master,** the portals for the shards may not extend past 40 feet from the summoner, the shards themselves fall off after 70 feet, losing momentum and force and the shards themselves can only be fired for roughly 40 seconds per individual cast. Masters are capable of reliably carpeting rooms and small, open areas with consistent and repeated usages of the spell, though it wouldn't be instant, as forming that many portals at once would take an absurd amount of concentration and effort.

* **At Oracle**, the portals for the shards may not extend past 60 feet from the summoner, the shards themselves fall off after 90 feet, losing momentum and force and the shards themselves can only be fired for roughly 1 minute per individual cast. Oracles, pinnacles of magic on par with Archmancers and Master Runecasters they are, do not require the concentration and focus to achieve the feats of this spell previously mentioned, and with the requisite focus are able to nigh-effortlessly carpet anything with shards within the radius of the spell.

### **Expert:**

#### **Fading Memories (SPELL)**

As time decays and the world around grinds to dust, memories are the only thing in Thulan that is resistant to the erosion of time. Even if one was to cling onto a thought or memory, the mind often confuses and changes it in a desperate attempt to hold on. Insanity. A summoner of the Thulan realm can craft the essence of ideas inside an object. Channeling vitor through and directing the arcane energy towards a target makes them hallucinate or forget what they were currently doing. Often more times than not the affected person’s mind fills the gap with a false memory, sometimes of the Summoner’s choosing. *After one hour, the effects will fade and the person under the influence of the spell will regain the memory they lost. At master, this increases to two hours.* It does not increase at Oracle level. Additionally, the targeted person must be of the same level as the caster or lower, the spell will not work on those of a higher power than the caster. **With PTC/RTC the caster can make the loss of the specific memory permanent.**

#### **Manifest Destiny (SPELL)**

The realm of Thulan is renowned for its shriveling world, kingdoms, and people. Channeling and directing their vitor at an object or through one allows them to decay an object. Throwing the spell at a sword would cause it to quickly rust in 15 seconds, as long as contact is still made. The bigger the object the longer it takes to decay it, and costs more vitor.

*The spell does not function on any living organism.*

#### **Black-tipped Arrow (ITEM)**

Void and decay, the summoner is capable of channeling their arcane energy into a projectile such as an arrow, bolt or war dart to taint it with a black coat. Upon striking the target, a small area of flesh would turn rotten, wood would age and weaken, etc. Once flesh has been rotten, it will appear a disgusting green/black until treated to which the effects will revert. This rot will severely weaken and lock up muscle and joints in the area struck for a few minutes. May be used in the Master’s Soul Bow if this summon is taken.

#### **The A’tat Striders (BEAST)**

A long-forgotten relic of the past, originally from the Azuran Realm in Trepheon, the A’tat Strider has long been extinct. The few remnants of the beastial species have adapted to the fledgling realm called Thulan. The A’tat has long lost its dangerous venom, trading it for a much stronger form and sharper claws so it can scavenge easier. It stands at the height of a minotaur, 6’4’’, and weighs 230 lbs. The two-legged beast, with scythe-like arms and a gaping maw is capable of inflicting massive damage against any opponent.

### **Master:**

#### **Soul Bow (ITEM)**

A summoner can conjure up a bow with a dark gray enchantment known as the “Soul Bow”. The bow is capable of traveling greater heights than the average bow’s accuracy. The Soul Bow is compatible with any arrow, and upon knocking an arrow into the bow, the arrow is attached and positioned to it like a magnet, preventing the arrow from falling off or detaching from the bow. This is mostly as far as the bow’s cosmetics go, normal bows travel effectively 130m, however upon firing an arrow it will go as far as 200m (400m at Oracle) effectively. The great distances the Soul Bow can fire do not improve a user’s vision or sight, so shooting at great distances may not always go as planned. The summoner can imbue their shots with notable personalities, hence the name of the item.

**Rage:** These arrows carry the strength of an arbalest bolt (*up to low-quality plate*).

**Determination:** These arrows can track a target until they either strike the target or encounter an obstacle.

**Intelligence:** These arrows can travel considerably faster toward their intended target.

**Jealousy:** Upon piercing a target and drawing blood, these arrows will generate a mist that induces severe coughing fits, but only affecting the target.

**Indecisiveness:** This causes the bow to simultaneously release two arrows.

#### **Deadwalker's Floor (SPELL)**

A summoner of Thulan can cast onto a 25x25 feet area, summoning a gateway on the ground for which the following effects will occur for the next twenty minutes; anyone present inside will feel the day turn night, and the area turning foggy. More importantly, however, the summoner can send themselves through the summoned floor momentarily, as if dropping through a hatch and out though never going through. This lets them dip into the ground and slide through the earth at a running pace. However they do not become invincible, fire can coat and burn the floor and the summoner will be visible as a dark blob shrouding across which anyone can stab into to force the summoner out.

#### **Spirits of the Damned (BEAST)**

The prisoners of Thulan are bent to your will, a master may summon five humanoid damned souls from Thulan. These souls will appear from a portal, with only their upper body peaking out of it. The souls will let out a series of horrifying screams towards the victim, piercing their ears and petrifying them. Those who are affected by the radius of the screams will be induced with fear and paranoia, forcing them to flee out of the user’s range (60 feet from the user). A Master+ may attempt to resist the souls of scourge and resume their fight.

### **Oracle:**

#### **Ancient Armory (ITEM)**

Only the strongest are worthy of wielding these gauntlets. A summoner is capable of equipping themselves with an eerily ancient set of armor. The armor is described to be a suit of full plate, however, it is not made of steel or metal, rather a yellowish-white colour that resembles bone. The suit is transparent, allowing people to see through it, however, it emits a dark grey hue that stops weaponry from piercing through the plate, equal in durability to steel. A weapon of similar material, of the summoner’s choice, may be summoned alongside the armor with the initial strength Stratstone, but with the weight of normal steel. The weapon retains its strength for five successful strikes against an enemy before it degrades entirely to steel.

#### **Shards of Annihilation (SPELL)**

Summoners have the ability to conjure a sizable portal either directly above their position or within a 30-foot radius, through which they can consistently launch steel shards at targets located up to 100 feet away, maintaining this barrage for a continuous duration of approximately 20 seconds while retaining the freedom to move about. These shards can easily pierce chainmail and gambeson if they do hit, slicing into a person’s flesh. These shards are approximately 10 inches and if they do hit plate armor they can penetrate it an inch or two except for the thicker helmet and cuirass. Forcing the target to find cover, or align themselves on the line between the caster and the portal.

Furthermore, the caster has the capability to utilize these shards to fashion a defensive barrier by seamlessly linking them together, crafting a solid dome that can provide protection for a maximum duration of 20 seconds.

#### **Abyss-Dweller (BEAST)**

Summoning a unique grey sphere from the realm of Thulan, a summoner can activate this sphere by prying off a seal on the top, releasing a bright aura that lurks into the summoner’s body. The summoner begins to glow a dark grey hue before their bodies begin to enlarge and twist into a horrific beast known as the Abyss-Dweller. The Abyss Dweller is a 10-foot humanoid creature with 4 arms and 2 legs, capable of running up to 29 mph to 35 mph as a maximum. The creature’s ability is its unique grey flesh which allows it to blend into natural darkness like a natural camouflage and surprise its enemies during the night, making it a nocturnal hunter. However, it’s camouflage pattern is rendered useless in the light. These beings have a naturally thickened body mass and muscle which gives them more durability against swords and polearms.

#### **Aura of Decay (SPELL)**

In the worst parts of the realm, cycles repeat over and over in seconds. The summoner is capable of casting a large 30 feet wide dome in the area that rapidly decays any non-organic material such as armor and swords that come into contact within just a minute. Upon entering the dome, swords and armor begin to rust within 10 seconds, and prolonged exposure destroys the items entirely, turning to dust and blowing away in the winds. The dome lasts for 3 minutes as the dust and decay whips around inside the dome mercilessly, bringing more things to ruin in the endless cycle of decay.

## **Auras**

### **Expert:**

#### ***Recollection of the Lost***

The land of Thulan is filled with the reclaimed souls of the forgotten in the Void; and of those souls are millions of vacant beings who have lost their humanity. Summoners attuned to the Realm of Thulan can choose to take certain facial features of the dead that they come across by resting their hand on their face; capable of calling back on it to change the look of their face and pigment of their skin to mimic the dead they have come into contact with.

#### ***Touch of Death***

Temporal decay is horrifying and as a reminder of its inevitability, the summoner with this aura gains the appearance of translucent hands that show bones beneath. Anything that touches these hands will decay with relative speed, meaning that gloves and the like cannot be worn; leaving their hands bare. Their grip has a natural necrosis to it that can expose bone when put into erode the skin of a person with relative speed. Upon first contact, minor necrosis will take away the top layer of skin, and prolonged contact afterwards will erode the skin down to the fat-tissue of the area; and even further contact will expose bone. This also works in decaying doors, barriers, and other weaker materials. This can be voluntarily stopped in order for the summoner to hold things like swords and weapons.

#### ***Ghost in the Rafters***

You are but a mere ghost of the past, forgotten to time and decaying with every waking moment. Through any decaying crevasse or rotting building you may pass through with ease. You may seep into any termite-infested support board. Passing through decaying walls **is nigh instant** whereas substances thicker than it require extensive time to seep through. This aura is expressed in a state of painless necrosis in the body of the summoner, their extremities becoming skeletal and rotted by its mere presence; merging themselves with decaying surfaces and moving through.

### **Master:**

#### ***Dead Man Walking***

It would seem that almost all hate you, except for those unwillingly left behind. **Undead of any sort ignore you entirely unless provoked**, barely acknowledging your presence with a groan before shambling onward. They will not attack you in any way. This aura is characterized by the summoner's skin and organs becoming translucent, making them appear as though they are a walking skeleton. These organs and skin tissue only retain this translucent-ness while on the summoner’s body, returning to a typical visage upon being removed.

#### ***Soul Gatherer***

Forgotten, but not useless - the dead linger on past death, their vitor serving a new purpose in death to the Thulanites who wander past. **With this summon, Thulanite summoners will be able to absorb the vitor of dead sentient beings (Humans, Helivians, etc...)**. This consumption is slow - and **the more vitor the dead person has, the more which will be absorbed by the Thulanite summoner**. Thulanite summoners will be unable to absorb the vitor of those who are a higher level than them due to the vast difference in quantity.

### **Oracle:**

#### ***Eye of Thu’takar***

Death is more than just a concept or a fundamental of life, it is part of you. At oracle a Thulanite may garner the Eye of Thu’takar, characterized by a single pitch-black eye. With the eye not only do the dead not attack you, they also **obey**. With this Aura a Thulanite may direct hordes of undead and bands of greater undead with simple commands. **However these commands are loose at best, with one-word orders such as STOP! or KILL! Being the only real commands registered by such monsters outside of vitoric undead, who can be reasoned with more coherently.**

#### ***Visage of Viscera***

The cruelty of a summoner's progression often goes unheard, you wear it like a badge of honor. The body is constricted and malformed, face splitting and warping as rows of new eyes erupt on the summoner's face. Skin rots away as the body snaps and reforms into a horrific amalgamation. The body of the summoner becomes mangled in a series of spider-like limbs, allowing them to scale walls with ease. These appendages may also be used to wield weapons, though they’re individually as effective as a man in terms of muscularity and can be combined to amass more strength. **In total a summoner may possess six appendages at once**.