Welcome to Gaia! ::

>>> Thareon
Thareon is the world of the dead much as Earth is the world of the living. The spirits of those who die on Earth live in Thareon as Cor Edirrs. Because Thareon exists as a 'shadow world' of the planet Earth it has much of the same environment and does not fit in with the description humans hold dear of Heaven nor Hell. The ecosystems the planet hosts are similar to that of Earth with rainforests to deserts and everything in between. Though overall the weather is traditionally warmer on Thareon than what one would expect on Earth; there are still some snow-stricken regions and winters get extremely cold. Wild weather changes are also not abnormal within Thareon though it will never go from hot and sunny to snowy and frozen within the span of a day.

Most Cors' have settled on a large continent referred to collectively as The Sanctuary because it serves the life of a Cor well and seems to be the 'dumping point' of the recently deceased souls. Within The Sanctuary lie the Academies that Cors attend to learn of their new lives and of trades that can aid their people. As Cors live in Clans and rely on people to do things humans expect technology to do, those who follow are warriors earn more respect than those who aren't. Some Clans choose to dwell outside of The Sanctuary and these are usually the more aggressive Cors, who pay little mind to dealing with harsh environments with few to rely on or creatures that do not want the Cors to trespass in their home.

Much of Thareon past The Sanctuary has been left unexplored, so while The Sanctuary boasts buildings and tradesmen to purchase clothing the rest of the world is mostly wild with few cities. Many different types of beasts, most of whom humans do not believe exist, live within Thareon and The Sanctuary. The farther from home you travel, the larger and more aggressive the beast you are likely to find. Because of this, it is recommended that until you are through with your learning at the Academy you do not tread far or without a Val-Aeon by their side.

>>> Sanctuary
The Sanctuary is a the size of a small country and located in the northeast section of the continent called Foraise, which is filled with vast forests and an equally large residential and mercantile districts that surrounds the Academies and Guilds. To the north of The Sanctuary you would find a mountainous region and far to the south begins a desert that spans much of the interior of the continent. Aside from the desert in the middle and the plains in the west, the continent is covered primarily with forests, mountains, rivers and lakes.

Due to the structure of The Sanctuary there is no specific ruler over all, instead the place separated into Districts, each of which have their own respective leader who oversees their immediate needs. When a need arises that requires more than the District's leader to look into it, they have a communal meeting in which all leaders and vice leaders from each District come together to vote on the solution. There is a similar meeting held annually to ensure that The Sanctuary is fulfilling the needs of each District with changes made as necessary and that borders are re-drawn when needed. Should any problems arise that can not be dealt with words, a Trial of Arms is held to see who is right. The winner of a Trial of Arms gets to decide the solution and others must follow their choice. Because the Cors are a largely warrior based race they are bound by a Code of Honor and while they may not always agree with the victor, they will respect the decision made at all costs and obey any new laws or rules that come from it.

>>> the Academy
Most of the Cor-Edirrs that come to Thareon are raised and trained within the walls of the Academy, because of this fact alone the Academy has one of the most powerful presences in The Sanctuary and the rest of Thareon. The Academy began many eons ago by what were, at the time, the noblility and has continued to grow into the massive webwork of buildings and Cors that it is today. While the nobility no longer have anything to do with The Academy some aspects from the olden days still remain in a Council of the Wise which consists of administrators from all five schools of the Academy. These council members come together to discuss matters of the Academy and the Cors' it hosts as students regularly for the advancement of the school's own needs and desires. The Council also often discusses issues within The Sanctuary and weighs in when necessary on the expansion of The Sanctuary.

The five schools within The Academy are the School of Primitive Care, The School of Education, The College of Crafts, The Healer's Hall and finally the Military Academy. Some students might dabble in all five schools, others might touch base in only one or two before settling into their final home at The Academy. Each school specializes in their own thing, with all five creating a well rounded and fully developed Cor by the time their education is complete. The School of Primitive Care deals mostly with the newer Cors and touches base on caring for themselves in their new bodies, prepares them for maturation, and teaches them the basics of the Hunt. Occasionally classes will also be held with the beasts and creatures from within and outside The Sanctuary. The School of Education builds their foundation of knowledge of Thareon and their fellow Cor to prepare them to become educated peers able to help make decisions and contribute to their Clans. The College of Crafts is where things such as the arts, cooking, and other such abilities are honed. Those that do not wish the physical hardship of the Military Academy might choose to stay here rather than continue on with their education to the Military Academy. The Military Academy tests its students' physical prowess and strategical mind before accepting them, but once you are there you will learn all the traits necessary to not only win a Test of Arms but also battles within a war should they be needed. Here the Cors are made into warriors and prepared for the true tests of the wilds.

>>> surrounding areas
The geography surrounding Sanctuary is surprisingly complex - to the north and south, the land is cupped by mountain ranges. The plains in the west fade gradually into dense forests while those to the east drops into the ocean. Between the plains and forests to the south, however, is a strip of dense marshes covered in fog and poisonous vapors almost all year-round. A vast desert stretches itself from the other side of the mountains in the south as far as the eye can see. The mountain ranges to the north are treacherous and its slopes steep. None of the Cors who have crossed into them have returned with a detailed map of the peaks. These areas will be slowly opened in the future years without a doubt, as Sanctuary continues to grow and push its borders outward.

Cor-Edirr

Also referred to as the soul hunters, or Cors for short, the Cor-Edirr (singular and plural) are a warrior-like race that inhabit the world Thareon. They are similar to humans in appearance and levels of intelligence, except for certain unusual traits either inherited, or bestowed upon by the Menthari they equip. Traditionally, the Cor-Edirr value honor, strength of both mind and body, as well as loyalty above all. They disdain emotional outbursts, seeing it as a sign of weakness, as well as clemency in battle. It's almost unforgivable to beg for one's life on the battlefield, and the act of granting clemency is also nearly unheard of.

>>> Growth Cycle

These hunters mature in the same sense as humans do - when they are born they resemble a child, although their bodies are essentially composed of intangible fog from their chests down. Once they consume enough soul creatures, they evolve to the next stage where their waist forms. It's not until the third stage, however, when they finally form legs. Before the third stage, the child is usually tended by its parents and children of the higher class are usually taken to social functions to familiarize themselves with the politics of the hunter world [as the Cor-Edirr are rather intelligent even at a young age]. They are sent to the academy at birth to be trained, though it's not unusual for a noble family to withhold its child from attending the Academy until it fully matures [when the Academy begins actual combat training]. There, they are taught to hunt singly or in groups, to gain their own final menthari (and subsequently evolve), and will eventually be officially integrated into their chosen clans. The law of choice in the clans is, more often than not, a travesty. Most Magnati would choose to remain in the clans they originated from, either through peer coercion or fear of being viewed as treacherous, although there are a rare few who decide to flout tradition and pledge to a different clan. The Highborn have no such options.

The Cor-Edirr's evolution cycle goes from Aeon to Tyr-Aeon, to Val-Aeon [when they are going to be able to start breeding if desired], and finally, to Sin-Aeon. It is rumored that a stage beyond that of a Sin-Aeon is achievable, but none know how to achieve such power. Those who have tried integrating a fourth stone into their bodies have all died when the destabilized Menthari rejected the fourth addition and self-destructed under the stress.

Before evolving to the next stage, the tattoo-like marks found on a Cor's body starts to glow. This is an indication that they are ready to evolve and will need relatively few souls to finally push themself over that edge. Evolution happens naturally, though for different Cors, based on their past diets, have experienced growth periods of different durations. Some Cors have evolved over a matter of minutes while others have taken days. On average a growth period takes 3-5 hours to grow to the second level, a day or so to grow to the third, and 3 or 4 days to reach the fourth stage. While growing, the Cor remains in an almost coma-like state. This is the reason why Cors are the most vulnerable when they are about to grow into the next level, and tend to only trust family or their closest allies with their bodies. What happens most of the time is that the Cor will hunt for multiple souls before hand, hide themselves in a discrete location, devour these souls, and then come out again once they reawaken.

The process is slightly different for Val-Aeons. Once their marks begin to glow, the Academy releases them on what is known as the Final Hunt. They are expected to hunt an extremely powerful soul [lv.5] which would be expected to gift them with an elemental ability once they succeed. It's believed that a hunter is powerful enough at this point [and not before] to take down a level 5 soul by themselves, though despite such a finding, most hunters still invite a fellow friend [who is most preferably also close to growth] to go with them. Some daring Cors have succesfully hunted multiple lv. 5 Aeons before becoming ready to grow. Only about 5% of those Cors survive, though they do have significantly more powerful abilities than the average Hunter. Rezina, the #1 hunter on the List at the moment, hunted almost a dozen lv. 5 elemental souls before growing. The Academy discourages this kind of behavior, but gives no punishment other than making the students find their own healer to patch up whatever wounds they have received.

>>> Aging, Marriage, and Families
Once a Cor reaches the Sin-Aeon stage, it is considered fully mature. Their physicality peaks a few months after completing their evolution. At this point, a Cor usually look like a human in their late 20's or early 30's. Beyond this point, a Cor ages with battle - for each wound and injury it attains, its body ages depending on the gravity of the wound. It may take years for a Cor to completely grow 'old' or simply a few months. A fully aged Cor has eyes the color of pure silver. There are very few of these individuals around, as most Cors tend to die on the battle field from wounds that cannot be completely be healed before they even age completely.

Marriage occurs infrequently and often are only conducted as formal ceremonies for Cors of the higher echelon. Lower level Cors form partnerships or come together simply to mate when the need arises. Love is a rare thing, though when it does happen, the feeling tend to be very quick and intense - a cause for the brevity of romantic relationships between Cors. It's more often for Cors to form partnerships out of friendship to protect each other in times of need.

Families, therefore, are luxuries to be enjoyed [or curses to be suffered by] those of noble blood. Families tend to grow very big due to one Vars copulating with several mates to create strong off springs. The Vars usually only show interest in those that he [or she] thinks is capable of inheriting the clan so there tends to be strong tensions in the household between the heirs and their parents.

>>> Clans

The Cor-Edirr's society is relatively simple in its structure - the land beyond Sanctuary is divided into smaller kingdoms ruled by individual clans or families. These families then form alliances, named factions, for protection and strength. Currently, there are only two factions - the Omirroth and Gothregor. Three families form the ties within each faction. Within each family or clan, they are governed by one single leader, termed the Var. The Var and his/her kin consist of those of purer blood and are a class by themselves, frequently referred to as the Highborn. It is not unusual for Highborn to marry within the family, interbreeding where necessary to maintain the purity of their line. Unlike humans, inbred offspring do not suffer from any form of debilitating weaknesses; instead, they are often stronger for it. Pure Highborn are rare, however, since there are only so many cousins and siblings one can mate with, and the Cor-Edirr are not known for their fecundity. Add to that their tendency to pick a battle with a neighbor every time peace so much as suggests itself and it is understandable as to why their ranks are constantly thinned.

When a Var dies, either naturally or unnaturally (frequently the latter), the next in line will assume power and every single Cor-Edirr previously under the rule of the prior Var will transfer their loyalty to their new leader. It is often unnecessary for these Cor-Edirr to be introduced to their new Var for them to recognize him/her. Through means yet unknown or unrevealed, once a new Var is selected, the Menthari that binds the Magnati and the Highborn alike will transfer the bond that links everyone within a clan to the new Var. The Vars are also notoriously tight lipped about how the transfer of power takes place, be it during privately, or in the heat of a battle.

New, smaller families are formed almost all of the time but they form as subgroups to the bigger clans and often adapt and take on the traditions and rules within that clan. They are ruled by their own head clansman and must pay the clan for protection. The Vars tend to follow a laissez-faire policy concerning these smaller families except for in times of war, when contribution is expected.
>>> Healers

Another class of Cor-Edirr are the Healers. Healers are normally detected at a very young age, though in some cases the abilities don't develop until later on in life. These Aeons are sent to a Healer's teaching hall and all ties to their former clans are severed. A Healer operates on a Cor-Edirr's soul structure to fix the problems there, that reflect on the owner's physical health. There is a correspondence between features of the soul struture and the nature and problems of the patient, and fixing things in the soul-structure can usually heal the patient of problems.

Unlike a common Cor-Edirr, a Healer does not gain his/her Menthari through hunts. Instead, for every healing of great magnitude, the price is paid in small pieces of the patients' own souls, which will eventually coalesce into a working Menthari. For every other healing, tribute is sent to the Healer's house as payment.

A Healer who appears to be blind, deaf or physically disabled in any way are usually shunned, as that is the mark of their misusing their abilities to harm any Cor-Edirr instead of healing. Heavy crimes are punishable by ostracizing from all social forms of support after heavily crippling the Healer's abilities. These cast out Healers usually die shortly after. No clan is permitted to offer them sanctuary, at the risk of being denied all healing services for a stipulated time period.

Important Vocabs

Cor-Edirr [core ee day r] noun; Plural : Cor-Edirr
a. A native or inhabitant of Thareon. b. A person of Cor-Edirr descent. c. Collective term or race for a person of any of the four stages of growth : Aeon, Tyr-Aeon, Val-Aeon, Sin-Aeon

Highborn [high born] noun; Plural : Highborn
a. Any group of Cor-Edirr, commonly related to the Vars of a clan, who are exceptionally powerful and influential. Highborn are usually of much purer blood than the common Cor-Edirr.

Magnatus [Mag na tuus] noun; Plural : Magnati
a. Those Cor-Edirr who are not of the Highborn; the common folk.

Menthari [mun tha ree] noun; Plural : Menthari
a. A spherical body containing any spiritual essence or force, eqquipable on any Val-Aeon. b. Any crystallized structure containing a low level spiritual essence or force; also known as Thari. c. A spherical body containing the spiritual essence of the residing Var; acts as the bond that links a whole clan to the Var, eqquipable on any Val-Aeon.

Thari [tha rii] noun; Plural : Thari
a. Any crystallized structure containing spiritual essence or force, formed after the spiritual being's soul structure is condensed by a Cor-Edirr.

Var [var] noun; Plural : Vars
a. A highborn lord or lady, who holds the bonds of that house's Cor-Edirr and Highborn. Vars rule for life, and are normally succeeded by the descendant of their choice. The Vars nominate their successor, but that choice has to be confirmed by the chosen successor. Vars are often referred to by the name of their House, not their personal name, which appears to be reserved for more personal conversation among their inner circle of friends; i.e. Lord/Lady Maraloth.

In battle, a Var has a war-guard, picked from his best fighting Cor-Edirr, whose job is to keep their Lord safe during battle.