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Diomin is a world governed not by science but by myth. It is a world where sorcery functions and the Gods play an active part in everyday life. Diomin is not even a globe, but is in fact flat. What happens when you reach the edges? No one has yet explored that far, but sailors tell tales of horrendous monsters and an ever growing void.
Diomin is at the juncture between the Spirit World and the Divine Realm, created by the One God to act as a bridge between the two. Sorcery and mortal life is the product of this joining and Diomin is what is being fought over by the Gods to this very day. The Gods themselves live in the Divine Realm and interact with mortality through their representatives as well as their magics. Those in the Spirit World also have dealings with mortals as well as powers and magics of their own.
The continent of Diomin is itself but a part of the world of Diomin. Rumors have it that powerful Kingdoms exist to the east and unknown powers make pacts with Darkness to the west. No one can speak of the west and only the Gnolaum can speak with surety of the east, and they have told no one of what lies beyond the Great Sea.
So welcome, traveler, to our world. There is much to discover and much to accomplish as nations fight with nations and Gods fight each other. Whole cultures are in the process of change, not knowing what the future holds. But, there is a sense in the world that Hero's are needed in the coming times. So, gird up your armor and sharpen your sword, adventure awaits!
In the beginning was the Void. And the Void was without form and without dimension. The One looked upon the Void and felt alone. Therefore, using his power and authority he created Servants with which to spend his time. But all was not harmonious with His new creations. For one of these servants, Cedron to some, 'The Liberator' to others, denied his station and rebelled against the One, taking many of his brothers and sisters with him.
This saddened the One, who wanted harmony in his realm. But He also knew that Cedron must stopped. Therefore, He called forth Barak, known as the Viceroy for his dutiful obedience to the One and charged him with the defeat of the Liberator and the return, if possible, of the remaining rebels.
This conflict between brothers raged for millennia and now threatens the Bridge that The One created between the Divine Realm and the Spirit World. For the bridge, or mortal realm, is a world where the potential of the souls is great and powerful. And if these souls can be enlisted, new warriors can be brought to the conflict, and the conflict can finally be brought to an end.
Barak, knowing that Cedron had to be stopped before he could claim the world, fought his brother and almost won. However, using treachery and guile, the Liberator escaped his defeat. Cedron, wounded and nursing his pride, but vowing revenge, sent his chief lieutenant, Akish to the world to claim in for their own.
And thus do the Gods enter the world of Diomin. Divided into camps, distrustful of one another, but bound by a divine heritage, they wage war over the souls of men. Each gathering soldiers for the final battle soon to rage among the heavens.
Barak 'The Viceroy' - God of Law, Good, and Protection.
Ashima - 'The Templar' - Goddess of War, Law, and Strength.
Chemosh - God of Knowledge, Magic, Law
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Sepharvaim - God of Good, Healing, and, Protection.
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Akish - Goddess of Chaos, Destruction, Evil
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Rimmon - God of War, Strength, Chaos, Destruction
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Molech - God of Knowledge, Evil, Magic
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Ashtoreth - Goddess of Chaos, Healing, Trickery
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Tartak - God of Chaos, Luck, Trickery
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Succoth-Benath - Goddess of Chaos, Earth, Good
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Nebo - God of Knowledge, Plant, Earth
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Kalaratri - Goddess of Chaos, Death, Trickery
The races and cultures of Diomin are diverse and humanity makes up only a small part. To the north live the Arak, a wild barbarous, inhuman people, who worship clan totems and call upon their shamans in times of need. To the east live the Gnolaum, a wise, learned race who fled unknown horrors across the Great Sea. To the south live the humans, divided into two peoples: the Tirasim and the Zeredites. They are enemies, but share a common origin. In the west live the Gadianti, foul cat-like beings who worship dark Gods and work for the subjugation of all life. And finally, on their own island, are the Hearthom, strange rock-like beings whose only care seems to be profit and money.
Each people worship the Gods in their own way and each struggle with their own goals. Each race considers themselves the epitome of divine thought and so they struggle one with another. All they can be certain of is that someday there will be a reckoning among the Gods and only They know what will happen then.
In the language of the Arak, the word arak means The First. This is the source of their pride, their noble carriage, and their isolation.
According to the other races of the world, the Arak are little more than blue-skinned barbarians. If you called an Araki a barbarian, he would probable snort and mutter, "What do you know? You are but a simple t'endrak." Unless you spoke Araki, the fact that you had just been named the worst insult than one of the Arak can utter would me lost on you. If you did speak it, you'd know that he'd just called you a Second.
That is the core of the Arak worldview. You are either one of the Arak, or you are just a Second…simple, foolish, and one of the lost.
All Arak have blue skin, black hair and reddish colored eyes. There is almost no variation among them. Most wear their hair long. Warriors wear a single long braid with bands of color that signify the battles that they have won. Women, if they do not wear their hair long and loose, will wear two braids, and if married will wear the same bands as their warrior husband, but only in the right-hand braid. If their husband was killed, the bands will be transferred to the left-hand braid.
They stand between 5'4"-6'2", with males averaging toward the higher end. Due to a lean diet they usually weigh less than humans of the same height. You will see few bulky Arak -- even the strongest men in the clan tend to be thin and wiry rather than bulky. They move with practiced grace, and have excellent balance.
They tend to wear leathers or simple loincloths for clothing. Warriors and Shamans always drape themselves in the skins of their clan animal. (In the case of the Dragon clan, how they get their skins is a mystery known only to them and perhaps the clan elders of the other clans.) Women sometimes wear a shift or a halter, but sometimes not. Warriors, chiefs, and women rarely wear any jewelry, save for the most special of occasions. Shamans however, always have pendants, teeth, fetishes; bits of carved bone -- the usual tools of the trade.
The Tirasim are decedents of Tiras, son of Zered VI, and former heir to the Zeredite throne. They are a peaceful people, who delight in the arts, politics, and trade. They are the only democracy on Diomin, led by the elected Chief Judge and their other elected officials. They are also a peaceful people who try to avoid war, but when provoked, they have mighty armies, capable of defending their lands and people.
The majority of Tirasim are light skinned and have light brown hair. Males average 6'2", but usually range from 5'8"-6'5". Females average 5'4", but range from 5'0"-5'8". Most men wear their hair short, usually very close to the scalp on the sides. Women wear their hair long, with poorer women usually tying it up in order to get it out of the way for work in the homes.
Most Tirasim wear simple tunics belted at the waist although Judges and other high-ranking members of society wear togas over their tunics. They normally wear sandals that belt up to the calf, although soldiers wear hard leather boots.
Tirasim armor covers the breast, abdomen, and back, as well as the head. All Tirasim soldiers are normally armed with short swords and shields.
Tirasim elites have vambraces and grieves and are armed with long swords and shields.
The Zeredites are descendents of Idumea, former First Son of the Dragon Clan, and his people who were cast out by the Arak after the battle between the God Barak and his arch-enemy Cedron. They are a mysterious and dark people, prone to espionage, machiavellian politics, and war. The owe allegiance to their High King, always named Zered, but their complete fealty is only given to their House. They have a deep and abiding hatred for their brothers the Tirasim and look for every opportunity to destroy them.
The Zeredites are almost identical to the Tirasim in how they look. Males average 6'2", but usually range from 5'8"-6'5". Females average 5'4", but range from 5'0"-5'8". However, most Zeredites wear their hair long, in plaits and braids, whose colors and adornments signify their House.
Most everyone of high enough rank wear robes of silk and cotton, with colors matching those of their House. Poorer people make due with breeches and shirts of poor quality cotton.
The Zeredite army has always favored numbers over technology, therefore their soldiers almost always wear leather armor and are armed with short swords and wooden shields.
High ranking officers wear either chain or plate, depending on their wealth and stature.
The Gadianti are the decedents of the Jaguar and Tiger Clans, warped by their goddess Akish into the form of their totems. They are a foul, evil race, who delight in nothing short of blood and destruction. They are organized into three castes, the Priest, Warrior, and Slave. To be of the Priest caste, your mother must have been a priest. Everyone else who is not crippled, or retarded, or deformed in some way are Warriors and each grouping of Warriors are dedicated to a particular Lord of Darkness. Everyone else is a Slave.
Their goal is the complete subjugation of Diomin and the destruction of all sentient life.
Most Gadianti wear simple loin cloths and light cotton shirts in the cooler areas. With their natural fur they are protected from all but the harshest weather.
Gadianti warriors wear only their loin cloths into battle and sometimes they bathe in blood before combat. They are armed with whatever is the appropriate weapon for the God they are dedicated to. Gadianti Priests will wear robes when officiating in religious ceremonies and loin cloths most every time else.
The Gnolaum are the decedents of the Turtle and Dolphin Clans, lead by Barak to an unknown land in the East. They are a long lived race (avg. 350 years) who worship the Warriors of Light through communing with the Earth and Nature. When they returned a few centuries ago, they brought with them tails of horror and depravity that few had heard about. To this day they refuse to give anyone the necessary information so as to travel to their former homeland.
The Gnolaum owe allegiance to the King and his Queen. The Gnolaum love their Royal Family and will do anything to protect them from harm. They are also a highly organized and ridged people, who know their place in society and the world around them. In their family life they usually have a small number of children, who stay with their parent until they reach the age of adulthood, somewhere between 50-60 years. They are a deeply spiritual people, led by their Druids. They are also a highly advanced race technologically. Their weapons and armor are unmatched in Diomin, not even by the Hearthom. However, they do not sell their arms, but only give them as gifts, and that rarely.
Most Gnolaum wear ornate leathers, often decorated with silk, whose production secrets they brought with them. They have no standing army as such, although their lands are fiercely guarded by their chalat, spiritual warriors called by the Druids. No army has yet to penetrate Gnolaum lands, but doing so would be costly indeed.
The Hearthom are the most mysterious race to walk the land of Diomin. No one knows where they come from, but records show that they suddenly appeared a little over 700 years ago. What is known is that they appear to be made of some sort of living stone, which while hard, is warm to the touch. They are also the merchants, diplomats, and arms dealers of Diomin. Almost anything can be obtained from a Hearthom merchant, for the right place.
The Hearthom worship the Children of the Vineyard, and live on the Isle of Assarion. No one is allowed to visit their island, and strange and wondrous inventions are said to exist there. Anyone who tries to visit Assarion is met with stiff resistance, and if they do not back down, they are killed.
The Hearthom refuse to trade with the Gadianti and most Hearthom warriors will attack a Gadianti almost on sight. They have been at war with the Gadianti for the past 100 years, although no one really knows the reason why.
Most Hearthom wear breeches and shirts, although they have no reason to. Their stone skin protects them from the elements, but it is said they do so out of respect for the other races of Diomin and to better fit in.
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