Apoproriya

## SUBJECT TO EXAMINATION: APRORIYA

The country of Aproriya is not one you'll see nestled too closely to the other islands or continents.Yet that fact in itself is a blessing - those who make the voyage there or end up shipwrecked on its shores rarely ever make it off. And those that have escaped, tell wretched, horrible tales of the 'lost island'.

During the day, there isn't much amiss. Most of the countryside alternates between humid, mountainous timber lands and green, rolling plains. The closer to the center of the island you get, the more one can see the slow spread of civilization. Farmlands and villages, small city settlements with large palisade walls. Roads and pathways that snake and twine through the wilderness. At the very center lies three cities, all within a couple days' ride between each other.

The largest is Falkenrath, built on a hill that overlooks most of the southeastern countryside. Wide swaths of land run downward from the top of the hill, giving an eagle eyed perspective that covers many miles before it disappears into the timber lands. Cobbled roads lead downwards from Castle Falkenrath, snaking through the city in strange patterns. The alleyways are narrow and claustrophobic, and the buildings cast long shadows when the sun sets.The gutters are deep, as if to expect for plenty of rainfall, though Aproriya does not see that much rain despite how cloudy it gets.

The next city would be Avayren, the widest of the settlements - situated in the south-west of the center. Opposed to Falkenrath, Avayren is an almost-circular shaped city with long, labyrinthine-like streets. They circle and twist and turn to random dead-ends. The civilians of Avayren have no issue with finding their way around most of the time, but having an eagle-eyed view of the city makes navigation much easier. Most people note a strange downward pull towards the center of town where the foundation of Castle Avayren rests, and there are deep grooves that extend from that center to the very edges of town.

The final, northernmost city, is Balaren. The smallest yet most magnificent of the cities. The castle dominates most of the cityscape, the noble homes being built right into the rocky cliff that it rests on. There is no strange architectural anomalies in Balaren, and most of the population is made up of either the noble families or the servants that tend to them. The place practically screams wealth and class, though during the day, the people are few and far between.

The largest populations tend to be situated in these three cities, controlled by the three noble Houses. The Falkenraths, the Avayrens, and the Balarens. They hold dominion over most, if not all of the country of Aproriya, though naturally they have less influence the farther you are from their home. During the day, people keep to their work and socialize very little, focusing almost entirely on getting through another week. But it is strongly recommended that people do not linger out of their homes for too long in the three main cities. Once the sun goes down and darkness falls upon Aproriya...

The nobles begin their Blood Hunt.

It is mostly a gesture of kindness for the commonfolk, seeing as Vampires of Aproriya do not fear the sun, but they say that the night time is where the blood sings loudest. They feed off the fear and the terror of their commonfolk, hunting down any citizens with the gall to be caught outdoors. If there is not enough sport during the night, some vampires will even raid the homes of their people to feast off them in their beds. They do not hunt to kill, of course, only to feed, but those who have ran foul of the noble families often find themselves not surviving through the night.

The difference between the days and nights of Aproriya is astonishing, but despite this evident danger in the three main cities, it is no more safer in the outskirts. The closer one gets to the wilderness, the misty timber lands of the island, the closer one gets to a feral and terrifying mutation of humans. Wolf-folk who have completely and utterly embraced Saekanis as their patron deity. They run with the wildlife, worshipping nature spirits and channeling their ferocity on their own hunt through the country. They feast and devour once night falls across the land, raiding the small villages that lack the defenses to muster against their eternal savage foes.

What salvation is there for the humans? The good people of Aproriya? There is no saving grace to protect them from the horrors that treat them like cattle and sport. Each night is spent in deep prayer for the day to come once more. But in these outskirts, there still burns a small spark of hope. A rebellious group of humans known as the Order of the Silver Sun erect statues and monuments across Aproriya of their Divine Figure: An incredibly weak angel by all accounts, unless she bathes in sunlight. Her name is Soliel, and she flies across Aproriya's outskirts during the day, trying to protect her faithful flock. It is in Her that they put their faith, a faith that one day they can reclaim this land and purge it of evil.

Her name is invoked when one must make long treks across the countryside, or when one prays for protection for the particularly long nights. Magi of the Silver Sun are almost exclusively holy or cosmic magi, citing their blessings coming straight from the Angel herself. Their history and practices are passed down through ancient texts, and spend most of their time in an unwinnable, eternal fight against the darkness that grips the heart of the country. They put faith and creedence in outdated and archaic practices, blessing their weapons with the power to harm their ancient enemies and ward against their advances.

The Noble Vampire Houses. The Savage Kin of the Timber Lands. The Order of the Silver Sun. The bloody battle fought for Aproriya seems hopeless and grim, but when one fights against insurmountable odds, with no hope for outside help... Well, you fight as hard as you can, don't you?

## Soliel, and the Order of the Silver Sun (TENTATIVE)

Soliel, the Angel of Sunlight, awakened within the outskirts of Aproriya to the prayers of the lost refugees of the country. She is a young angel - Only having been unsealed in the past three centuries by the cries of the people. But since her awakening, she has led the people in their defense against the noble houses. Her magic is based on the power of the sun, which leads to many issues when the storm-clouds linger over Aproriya almost daily. And at the night time, when the vampires and wolfkin begin their hunt, she is almost powerless to defend her people.

Her worship is maintained by the Order of the Silver Sun, a sect of worshippers that draw their power from Soliel and the Sun. Their churches are entrenched into the earth, low to the ground and often covered by hilly areas or heavily wooded groves in order to avoid the sight of the vampires. Their entrances always face the dawn sun. The cut stone is enchanted, an ancient art passed on by Soliel herself that protects against the chaotic and the wicked. It's the only place they can safely pray, but it doesn't stop her symbol from being spread across the corners of Aproriya.

Crossroads and groves, settlements and villages, all end up carrying some manner of Soliel's symbol as a symbol of protection. Humans pray to her for safety when they travel the wild lands, and are even worn when the Order must commune with the Savage Kin. Their numbers are not as plentiful as the Savage Kin, but they still outnumber the Vampiric Brood of the Nobles. Under Soliel's tutelage, the Order's Elite at this point, can go toe-to-toe with most of the older vampires... But only Soliel herself, at her strongest, could combat with the Elders of each House. It is a fruitless struggle to try and cut the vampires at the head, until they find some new boon to shift the tides of war.

They employ hit and run tactics during the Night Hunt in order to compete with the Vampires' numbers. Though Aproriyans naturally fear the night, they know that the only time they can get the Vampires is when they are at their most vulnerable - Outside of their cities, away from the Brood. Armed with enchanted silver and iron weapons and the like, they rise together and hunt the hunters while they prowl the countryside. It's the only way they know how to protect the people, and perhaps one day slay the Vampiric tyrants. And if any of the Savage Kin try to hunt their own during their own moon-lit bloodlust, then they'll have to fight them too.

The Silver Sun Templars regard the Vampires as their mortal enemies, but the Savage Kin are more of an enigma. Though they are still at odds with the wildlings, they often are able to negotiate with the more peaceful, druidic circles. Some of the wildlings even stand in as guardians when the humans travel, or watch over the roads when the night is darkest. But when they hunger, the Templars know their fickle nature works against them. They do not trust the Savage Kin... But when one must fight for their life, they must make strange bedfellows. They deeply distrust their pagan rituals, but if you're cornered between a werewolf and a vampire, you'll want to make friends with the werewolf first.

Hearing from shipwreck survivors and the like, the Templars have been made aware of the continent of Agartha. News from the outside world is sparse and hardly worth their time otherwise. Their struggle is HERE, NOW, on Aproriya. Their war, and their cause, is remarkably small scale. They care not for a third divine war, if only because it doesn't concern them yet. They live day to day just trying to survive. Vampires are the Templars' natural foe.

## The Savage Kin, Wildlings of Aproriya (TENTATIVE)

The Savage Kin have turned almost entirely to Saekanis, the Wolf of Winter. Their gastly visages have turned more bestial over the years, embracing the savagery of their Wolf Deity in order to combat their own Mortal Enemies - The Vampires. Competing for the position at the top of the food chain, the Savage Kin hunt at night in order to catch human and vampire alike. Their moods are fickle and capricious, their hunger waxing and waning with the phases of the moon, but it's safe to say that 75% of the time, you do not want to negotiate with the Savage Kin.

They are largely unorganized and unaffiliated with one another, their packs working on their own as they prowl the countrysides. In the Timberlands, the Savage Kin is King, all holding themselves highly as rulers of the green. They believe in a survival of the fittest mentality, and see humanity as beneath them - an old phase of their life they have long since abandoned.

Some of the Savage Kin, though they continue to practice bestial rites and rituals, have at least opened the way for humans to travel. The Druids of Winter are what they allow the humans to call them, though they dare not ever refer to themselves as such. They are far more ready to negotiate with humans, and with what little pull they have with the other packs, often direct on the Templars' behalf where best to hunt for Vampires. It is a strained relationship, but the information is what protects most of their people from the dangers of the Savage Kin. Well, if they're feeling merciful in that phase of the moon.

They are similar to Ookami in body and nature, exclusively worshipping Saekanis, save for the few humans who have yet to receive their blessings. Cannibalism is in their nature, and before battle they paint their skin with the blood of a vampire in order to mask their approach.

Their numbers are massive, thronging and burgeoning as they grow unchecked within the Timberlands, and if the Vampires aren't careful, they might soon be overrun. The many packs of these Savage Kin could easily compete with the vampires, if they ever held the notion to raid the Broods' Noble Homes. But for now they lie in wait, picking off human and vampire alike. Their capricious, wild nature could get them wiped out one day... But until then, they grow, they hunt, they feast.

The Druids have heard talks of lands outside of Aproriya, and while they hold no interest in moving beyond their homes, the power nestled in Agartha might intrigue them. If they ever felt like investigating.