The world

world of Overtaken lies suspended in the sea of stars, illuminated in the golden light of the sun and the warm orange hues of Sudaris—a swirling sphere of thunderheads that dominates the sky. For eons, its people have gazed upward, watching its ceaseless tempests churn and tracing the wandering paths of four other worlds. Some hope that among them lies paradise, others believe that, like their own land, those worlds too must be cursed with conquest, slavery, and war.

For over a thousand years, civilization has stagnated under the dominion of the Zoth’kyrei hegemony. Once the reigning masters of nearly the entire known world, the Zoth’kyr had created a vast imperial system focused solely upon providing for their decadence, sustained by the ever-growing demands upon their subjects. Their master’s dogs, the Golfths—humans twisted by their overlords’ branding—have enforced this order through raiding, raping, and razing. To the Zoth’kyr, this world is theirs by right, and all others may either serve or die for their entertainment.

The tributary vassals, the remnants of man’s civilization, paid in ridiculous sums of slaves, gold, food, and drink for the mere privilege of continued existence, all for the Zoth’kyran’s base enjoyments. To meet the demands, the people are left by their rulers to face starvation, disease, and the predations of monsters; the alternative would bring down the weight of the Golfth hordes upon them.

But now the winds are changing.

A loose coalition of rebellious vassals, along with their allies from the few places of liberty remaining, waged a war with the Zoth’kyrei hegemon, the Golfthic kings, and tributary loyalists. After decades of bitter fighting, the conflict ended suddenly with the complete annihilation of Zatava, the capital of the Crescientolean crowns. Even now, centuries later, the world remains in chaos in the absence of the Zoth’kyrei empire; the rebel’s coalition, now in their de facto state of liberty, broke up with the revival of historic rivalries. Monstrous threats both ancient and novel have asserted themselves, making travel unsafe even for some of the most powerful armies. Perhaps worse than all other threats is the scarcity of food in many regions, despite the freedom from the Zoth’kyrei tribute.

In this world, you will endure unbelievable hardship.

If you cannot, you will be overtaken.

Races

There are many peoples who dwell in this world, some maybe more familiar than others. Among the sentient races there are a few standouts and major players that we’ll adress.

Humankind

Humans are diverse and plentiful, working both with and against each other, in this world filled with dangers and curious inhabitants.

Crescientoles

The destruction of Zatava shattered the Crescientolean homeland. What remains is not a nation, but a battleground of feuding lords, foreign raiders and ruins—a land so lawless it is now known simply as ‘the Chaos.’

The Union of Crowns had disappeared in the aftermath of Zatava’s destruction, and for decades it was assumed the royal lines had ended along with their city. This assumption was proven wrong when the new island continent of Quintally was discovered and trade relations established between the new world ‘Toleans and the Yeoldo.

As a people, the Crescientole are an adventurous lot; largely unafraid of the horror endemic to their world. They are known for their swordsmanship, scholarship, a love of theatrics (both personal and professional) as well as their storytelling. 

“Starvation drives the dog past the stick.”

-Common ‘Tolean saying

Eporians

On the eastern side of Midria is the land called Eporas. Thousands of years ago, a man known as Pallas Magnus, or Eporinus, united the various kingdoms and city states of his people and went on to conquer all of the known lands of Midria; founding a dynasty ruled for hundreds of years, only ending with the Zoth’kyran conquest. 

Even before the Great Rebellion, Eporas stood as a land of ruin and war. The rebellion only deepened its wounds, leaving its people clinging to survival in ever-worsening circumstances. The fractious leagues and states of Eporas have been in a constant state of war, which never ended even with the destruction of Zatava and the drawing back of hegemonic forces. Many have claim to Eporinus’ throne, and all are willing to kill for it.

Given one word to define the Eporians, many would choose stubborn, though they themselves would prefer stoic. They are cold people, willing to endure horrific sacrifices for their family, their nation and the Gods. 

“It is the just thing for a brave man to die,

Falling in his place of battle,

Fighting for his land, his family, his comrades.

But he who flees from war,

Will live despised, disgraced, and weak—

His family scorned, his name forgotten,

His land abandoned to the flames of ruin.”
-Thespian Law

Golfths

No one remembers the birth of Adal Golfth, only the chaos he sowed and the Zoth’kyran he slayed. A slave who broke free, a rebel who shattered chains, a name that’s now infamous. Though he died, his name did not. His followers took it as their own, and so the Golfths were born.

The Golfths were eventually defeated, and turned to serve the hegemony via the branding. This act twisted the natural form, they grew taller and stronger, traits inherited by their children, even those made with normal humans. Ever since they have served as the stewards of the hegemony, divided into kingdoms of which each is given a territory to administer. 

As a people, they are violent and bloody warriors to the core. Each is built for war; taller, broader—they strike with the force of two men, and they do not hesitate to prove it. All Golfths are easily identifiable by the branding, which scrawls across nearly their entire body. 

“We do not sow and we do not reap. We are not born, we are bred. We are not raised, we are trained.” 
-King Lyndel of the Astagolfths. 

Zoth’kyr

Though unclear where exactly these horrid creatures came from, in the last great frost they had arrived, and they’ve been actively enslaving and enhancing other races for their own benefit. The Zoth’kyr have created a vast imperial system to provide for their own decadence, to which the golfth were the primary enforcers.

Strong, large and in a certain way mysterious and elegant, they lay siege to cities before returning home to boast about it. All in the name of a better seat at the table in the homefront. They do not learn the languages, but bark their commands until they’re understood well enough.

Constructed or perhaps even grown from a type of metal that’s exclusive to them, their dark fortresses jut from the landscape as if a warning in themselves. Their ominous metal boats now crash to foreign shores to take back what is theirs, and to cut down anyone in their path, with the help of their beloved dogs, the golfth, of course.

Toltelcatl

Isolationists at their heart, they burrow in mountains and hills, digging deep into the earth for treasure and comfort. Although they do not venture out much, their craft is beloved by many cultures and they frequently trade for crops grown outdoors. For only a couple seasons of labor with the Toltelcatl, even a peasant can afford one of their prosthetics.

In their expansions they’ve made colonies across the continents, each with differing governing ideas but all with an unquenchable hunger for the fermented and the distilled. Their anatomy may be off-putting to some, but beneath the carapace is a soft and gentle heart.

Dwell upon what creatures they’ve encountered in the depths of the earth and fear their machinations, but the Toltelcatl are friendly unless provoked.

Fimarkyn

Confined to Quintally, These gargantuan, partially-feathered reptilians have claimed a secluded mountain kingdom far before the Humans, even far before the Toltel crossed the sea and settled on the island continent. They’ve gone through an age of myth where their painful remembrance from a violent past are sacred places of worship to others.

Annoyed as they are by the hubris of these newcomers, they’ve always proven helpful at the start. Their various subcultures behaving differently to every situation, as they might live near each other, they’re philosophically quite far apart.

Hwijeosneun-in

From deep within the oceans, the Yeoldo-in have discovered an intelligent race unlike any other, which has outlandish customs but is very curious to humans. Although they do not seem to grasp the concept of “trade” and only the concept of “gift”, the Yeoldo-in, and a small number of other human cultures have on occasion found a way to employ these hardy creatures.

Whether it be in the fighting pits on the beach or on a vessel at sea, these decapods are as formidable as they seem, and would be best to keep at more than an arms length if you’re not careful.