Visual References, the Cities & Important Characters

[usirmods]

Atrómitos: The Last Great War	The Free City: Modern
Thalassa: The Last Great War	Didymos: Modern
Krimnos: The Last Great War	Krimnos: Modern
The Kingdoms During the Last Great War
The Knights. The armor for the knights was designed for practicality and simplicity, suited for protection and movement in battle. All three kingdoms took their armor from the blacksmiths of Einjar, resulting in very similar structure and build. Bright, colorful tuics adorned their bodies to help cushion the armor and to help them distinguish ally from foe in battle. The Rulers. King Ioanrí, the dragonborn elf, ruled over Atrómitos. He was well-loved by his people and known to be an excellent strategist. He led and pushed his kingdom to continually improve and grow. Ionarí was good-natured but unwavering. He was a stubborn ruler and difficult to sway or advise. He was also the first and last in a long line of rulers from all three kingdoms to reignite the tradition of forming a blood pact with the guardian dragons shortly before the war. He embraced his change with enthusiasm. The dragon blood in his veins made him stronger than any elf but it came at the cost of his reasonability, and some would later say his sanity as well. He thirsted for more power before the madness consumed the kingdoms, and pushed for his kingdom to expand, his desire to reclaim the forests and the forgotten city of Anamcara driving him. King Corlo was the first human ruler, and first non-elf ruler, to ever be chosen by the dragons and given a place that had previously been reserved only for elvish royalty. Many elves, especially those in the city of Thalassa he ruled over, did not take to the change positively at first. A number of attempts were made against King Corlo's life, with the other kingdoms and a divisive section of his own kingdom furious over the change to tradition. In spite of this, Corlo's quick mind, even temper and reasonable approach to ruling brought the kingdom of Thalassa into an age of peace, growth, and prosperity. He treated all within his kingdom equally and opened the gates of the city to those that had previously been turned away. He managed to establish a safe passage route through the reefs beyond Fisher's Bay so that his people and their ships would no longer be ambushed or sunk by the merfolk. Under his rule, Thalassa flourished and beyond the loss of an eye, King Corlo did as well, quickly rising to the demands and expectations of him. Queen Lasairéan ruled over the cliff city of Krimnos and saw her people focus heavily on creating and inventing. Like Corlo she was seen as incredibly young to lead and was prone to acting impulsively, racing tieflings through the city, testing out new, potentially dangerous inventions, and befriending the massive cliff hawks that occasionally preyed on her citizens. She was known as the little dragon for her quick temper and penchant for dashing through the city after Thymoeides shadow. She was even known to scale the cliff walls up to his perch high above the city to sit with him. When she was not galavanting about she dressed to impress, wearing the finest tailored and most striking outfits, always with a dagger or two hidden somewhere on her body to press to the throat of any who dared try to touch her without permission. She brokered a strong friendship with the dwarves of Einjar and even established a village outpost between their city and hers where people from either city could rest safely during the treacherous mountainous journey.
The Modern Cities
The New Guard. War is no longer the sole purpose for armor in modern times. The new designs mix functionality with appearance. The Free City has the most practical armor for fighting because their city's location is riskier, surrounded by wildlands on all sides. The Defenders protect the city from wildland attacks as their defensive guard. Their armor is the heaviest and thickest of the cities to protect them from deadly force. Their masks have multiple smaller eye holes to prevent them from having their eyes clawed out. They are also organized by orc captains and the primary focus of their armor design is intimidation and power. Didymos is now the largest and most opulent city. Their knights are a status symbol and act as city guardians and law-keepers. Their armor has to be lighter because they are often sent out on ships and must be able to move quickly through the city streets. The gold detailing serves a dual purpose of appearance and making the knights more visible. Their armor is assembled in pieces that are open on one side and fastened by leather straps, making them easy to rip or cut off in case a ship starts sinking or they need to drop some metal weight. The knights of Krimnos are primarily a wall guard. Their focus is on ranged combat so they need clearer visibility and more flexibility. The climate in Krimnos is harsh, colder in the mountain cliffs than the coast and plains below. To help the knights keep warm their armor is padded with fur and layered, made of a fine metal mesh between cloth layers. They wear fur-lined leather gloves instead of metal to keep their hands warm and flexible and their masks are made of tempered enchanted wood so that they absorb the moisture of their breath instead of freezing it. The Leaders. The Free City is led by a coalition of officials. Lorna, Alice, Lykos, and several knowledgable citizens from the city form a council of minds that help manage the city's resources and ensure it remains a free city for all who abide by the basic laws of decency and respect. Lykos directs the city's reconstruction and community efforts but holds little sway over the city itself. He is well-liked in the city in spite of recent revelations of his were-cursed blood. Although technically still the Captain of the Defenders he has since given overall control of the city's defensive forces to Lorna so he can focus on helping rebuild and restructure the city's community. Lykos is rarely seen without his signature battle hood and mask but his body is riddled with scars. Sisters Lorna and Alice, both former Defenders, have vials and animas like the awakened but their status as awakened is not common knowledge. Lorna is known for being a survivor, strategist, and sharp mind willing to do whatever is necessary to accomplish her goals. She oversees the city's defensive strategies. Alice is a survival and creature specialist with insight into the minds and habits of the dangerous creatures that hunt the wildlands. She overseas the outskirts of the city and surrounding lands. Queen Adira & King Ardis are the rulers of Didymos. Since Adira and Ardis took the throne the city's reputation has suffered some but the city has continued to prosper. Twin siblings, the King and Queen divided the city into the ocean quarter and the overlook quarter and separated their rule to avoid conflict. Although the siblings get along and rule the city as joint leaders, their approach to leadership is very different. Adira is a warrior and a scholar, choosing to lead her half of the city with logic, reason, and a firm hand. She is a fair but demanding Queen and expects her people to abide by the laws of the city. Lately support for Queen Adira has lessened, especially following her discovery and subsequent protection of a Dragonet Hatchling she named Fortuna. In contrast, Ardis is a free-spirit who can more often be found wandering the streets than occupying his throne. He's a good-natured and silver-tongued rogue who mingles with his people and sees to it that their needs and disputes are met and settled. He immerses himself in the life of his half of the city and spends some of his time leading expeditions into the wilderness or out to sea. King Sitka is the ruler of Krimnos. Under Sitka's rule, Krimnos is a flourishing city, new life pumping through its mineral veins with the advent of new technologies. The city is the most advanced when it comes to technology. Its modern professions and feel have attracted a large population of dwarves, goblins, gremlins, and humans. Its standing as the first city to have a member of the beastfolk in charge has attracted a large number of omnivorous and carnivorous beastfolk, as well as herbivores comfortable with the heights and dangerous ledges present all around the city. Sitka's laid back, friendly nature and down to earth manner of ruling his city have made him very popular with his people who shared in mourning with him at the passing of the former queen, a dear friend of the former herbalist. Despite his friendliness toward his citizens, his advisors and his own concerns for the safety of his people have made him distrustful of strangers and quick to have the Knights of Krimnos act on or retaliate against threats to the city.
The Dragons
Epithymetikon. The largest of the brothers, a monstrous black dragon of wyvern build with crimson on the underside of his wings. Epithymetikon could not breathe fire on his own and instead ingested material of any kind, turning it into molten material within his electrical sac and spewing molten lava-like flames from his mouth. He had an endless appetite and an aggressively competitive streak. He strove to increase both the size of the kingdom and the city he ruled over and took pride in those who displayed impressive feats of strength or the ability to conquer fears or challenges before them. Thymoeides. Although he was the middle in size, Thymoeides had the most powerful magic of his brothers. The lightning produced within him created a plasma flame more intense than any dragon before him. He was the swiftest of the brothers, with powerful wings and a tail full of sharp, folding spikes. Like his brothers, he had a wyvern build and could often be seen scaling cliffsides or perched on the peaks of the mountains around Krimnos. His heart burned with a need to experience everything he could and he protected his city and its people fiercely and relentlessly, diverting or melting landsides, mudslides, and avalanches while providing the city with warmth in the coldest points of winter. He took pride in the most devoted and dedicated of his kingdom's people. Logistykon. The smallest of the brothers, Logistykon was a rare white dragon of wyvern build. He was the most acrobatic of his brothers, capable of far more maneuverability than his much larger siblings. He was fond of showing off his skills over Fisher's Bay. Logistykon could not breathe fire, his magic far too weak to create plasma from his lightning sac. Instead he used the lightning itself to attack, drawing on it directly rather than attempting to spark a flame with it. He craved knowledge and sought truth in all things. He took pride in those who were honest, sought the truth, or displayed ingenuity, intelligence, or creativity.