<strong><span class="bbc_u"><em><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Belka </span></em> </span> </strong><br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Brief History</strong></span></span><br/><br/>Once a simple mining settlement focused on the vast ore deposits found within a the deep canyon of Belk from which the settlement took its name, the people of Belka were both amazed and astounded when one dig sight unearthed something unexpected. The remains of a dark and majestic castle. After a year’s worth of work they had unearthed it enough to explore. Upon opening the doors they were met by a single soul. A young woman no older than her 20’s who possessed a strange aura. They had no way of knowing it but she was a lesser demon who had been imprisoned in the castle to wait until she was set free by the one who would rule at her side in the new kingdom they would forge. She quickly slew all but one of the men who had entered the castle saying unto him “You will be my king”  and thus the kingdom of Belka was first brought into the world. The demon promised power and protection to any who would follow her, and worship her for it was from this worship that she gained her powers. Many of the settlement’s population could not resist the temptation, those few noble souls who did found themselves beset by the demon’s restored power. Slowly and painfully transforming into brutish, un-aging mutations of their former selves unable to do anything but follow the orders of their ‘queen’ it was their newfound strength upon which the city itself was rebuilt, to fit the new image of its rulers and it is by their labor that the kingdom’s many forges burn day and night. After 90 years both the King and Queen seem to have not aged a day, and the populace has entered a cast system. With the lowest rung occupied by the ones who originally chose not to follow the queen and king, their offspring, and any poor souls who have for whatever reason suffered mutation, above them are the craftsmen and merchants, then general soldiery, next the nobility, followed by the military's high command, and finally the Queen the King. The placement of the military's commanders over the nobles was a decision made by King Harkonon himself. His reasoning being that the military was always going to play a bigger part in maintaining the security of Belka then the Nobles ever would. As well as the fact that he was far less likely to be stabbed in the back by an old general than a young Nobel. This has led to a strong military tradition in almost all of Belka’s upper ranks, with each Nobel house attempting to gain stature by advancing the military ranks. As a result of this the Nobel’s hold very little if any real political power unable to co-operate with one another and more set on gaining individual power. Leading to a distinct lack of dissent against the King simply because there is no one with enough power to voice any complaints who has not already passed the point of no return with regards to serving the King. It has also fostered a culture of military idealism, with most if not all Belkan’s seeing their military as the most honorable of all professions. In addition to all this a cult has sprung up dedicating itself to worshiping the “Demon Queen of Belka”, as they call her.<br/><br/><br/>The kingdom itself is small, due both to its small population, which no matter how many ‘re-population drives’ are held will still take many years to truly grow from the size of a single city, and by the fact that the queen’s powers only extend a short way’s past the canyon. She simply does not have enough people worshiping her to extend her power any further. And she along with the king and the elite guard are the only ones with access to any real magical items. To make up for this every member of the military is trained to the best possible level, and equipped with the strongest armor and weapons that Belka’s forges can manufacture.<br/><br/>As a whole the people of Belka are a suspicious and wary lot, knowing that the practices they keep would most likely not go over well with those outside the kingdom, and also knowing that their small size could make them a potential target they are always on the watch for the day when they will be forced to defend themselves. They take a very bleak view of life seeing it not so much as a precious commodity but simply a circumstance of existence. With a firm belief in the afterlife they do not fear death, nor do they have any qualms about causing the deaths of others<br/><br/><br/><strong>Resource Situation</strong>: Belka for all its changes is still sitting on a very rich ore deposit, as a result they are capable of producing more metal than they would ever need in a single year, even on a full war footing they would have quite the surplus. In addition to this they are constantly quarrying the walls of the canyon for stone. This means that they are able to export both the luxury of metal made goods and the necessity of stone building supplies. But this blessing is also a curse, the very forges that provide for them also take away. The land has become barren and dark as a result of the constant ash blown into the air. As a result of their lack of plant life and people with any supernatural healing abilities. They are constantly attempting to import both food, and medicines that they cannot derive from plants or the modest amounts of livestock able to survive in Belka.<br/><br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Goods In surplus: </strong> </span><br/><br/><br/>Gold<br/><br/><br/>Silver<br/><br/><br/>Bronze<br/><br/><br/>Metal Tools<br/><br/><br/>Metal Weapons<br/><br/><br/>Metal Armor<br/><br/><br/>Stone Masonry equipment<br/><br/><br/>Stone for building<br/><br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Goods in Shortage</strong></span><br/><br/><br/>Foodstuffs<br/><br/><br/>Wood<br/><br/><br/>Livestock (Chickens, Cattle, Oxen)<br/><br/><br/>Manpower<br/><br/><br/>Medicines derrived from plants<br/><br/><br/>Medicines derrived from magic<br/><br/><br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_u"><strong>The City of Belka</strong></span></span><br/><br/>(http://www.24oranges.nl/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/project_indigo_2.jpg)<br/>It is a dark and mournful place its sky filled in equal measure with the grunts and moans of the laboring slave beasts, the din of a hundred forges, and the chanting of an untold number of cultists worshiping their fell deity. The earth has become a wasteland, warped by the pollution of the forges, and the demonic influences of the Queen. Natural wildlife is non-existent, having been slowly warped, mutated, and corrupted by the very demon that the people worship. In it’s place have arrived many subspecies of demonic creatures and fiends, some capable of thought, others little more than wild beasts. They provide no food source to the people, for fear that their flesh will induce horrific mutation in its consumer, thus placing them on the bottom rung of Belkan society forever.<br/><br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Notable Belkan Structures. </strong> </span> </span><br/><br/><br/><strong>The Castle</strong><br/><br/>(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w38/Zelda_Rider/dark_castle.jpg)<br/><br/>Known to its people simply as the Castle, King Harkonen and his Queen’s residence houses himself, his dark bride, and the majority of Belka’s military when it is not out on patrol or training to further its readiness.  The castle also houses within its darkest depths The Demon Gate. This to, Belka’s knowledge, is the only passage way from the infernal demon lands to those of man.<br/><br/><strong>The Great Gate: </strong><br/><br/>(http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/8601/thegatebywoodhurst1.jpg)<br/>Belka’s primary defensive structure The Great Gate spans the entire with of the mouth of the canyon. When closed there is no practical way for an army to enter Belka other than taking the gate. With this in mind extreme effort has been taken to insure that this never occurs. Armed with the best artillery that Belka can create. Each wall, each stone has been placed to give a defensive advantage it is as close to being a perfect defensive wall as it will ever be.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Belkan Royalty:</span></strong></span><br/>Each member of the Belkan royal family is constantly escorted by their protector, the only one allowed to approach them in person. With the exception of various Generals who are allowed only in the presence of The King and The Crown Prince.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>The King: </strong> </span><br/><br/>(http://wiki.guildwars.com/images/a/ac/Warrior_Silver_Eagle_armor_m.jpg)<br/><br/>Once known as Leland Harkonen, now King Harkonen is a strong willed man, it was he who originally founded Belka back when it was simply a mining town, intent on making his fortune through the mines. When things didn’t turn out as well as he had thought he began to lose hope of ever having any real power. It was then that they discovered the castle and his whole life changed. Now having been equally responsible for the raising of his kingdom he knows that tough times are likely to be ahead but has no fear that if played right the situation could easily be turned to his nation’s advantage, he won’t see his chance at greatness stripped away from him. On a personal note he has been known enjoy all the pleasures of the flesh, whether they be as simple as refined as an artistic masterpiece, a beautiful piece of music, or more carnal in nature. He has been known to enjoy the company of any woman who catches his eye, in addition to The Queen.  He is rarely seen by the public outside of his armor. Simply because he prefers to put up an image of being the invincible military protector in an effort to keep his people’s faith.<br/><br/>Military Skills: With an impressive body, and a keen mind few can match King Harkonen on the battlefield. He wields a large two handed sword in battle, with the ease and speed that a normal man would use a short sword. His other hand kept free to grab hold of his enemy or any weapon of opportunity.<br/><br/>Fighting: 2<br/><br/>Tactics: 1<br/><br/>Stratagey: 3<br/><br/>Magical Skills:<br/><br/>None<br/><br/><strong>Ruby: </strong><br/><br/>(http://pages.infinit.net/creator/Ivy.jpg)<br/>Born into a noble family Ruby was selected at the age of 16 for the simple reason that her body was appealing to the King’s eye. King Harkonen secure with the knowledge that he is protected by his Queen’s power, the demon possessing his own armor, and his on martial skills. Has no fear of assassination, and as such he has been known to select his protectors on a whim. He has also been known to go through them much faster than either the Queen or the Prince. Ruby herself is as capable at the magic arts as she is at physical combat. She takes her job seriously, in every aspect even that means that many of her duties are carried out within the confines of the King’s quarters.<br/><br/>Military Skills:  Ivy is well trained in the use of her body as a tool for the King, she fights with quick agile fluid movements, while using her demon possessed whip to both wound her enemy and restrict their movements.<br/><br/>Fighting: 3<br/><br/>Tactics: None<br/><br/>Stratagy: None<br/><br/>Magical Skills: Ivy’s abilities focus on crippling her enemies, and allowing her to make the easy kill, or the easy escape for King Harkonen<br/><br/>Elemental: 1<br/>Chained Light: With a bit of focus Ivy is able to steal the light from her opponent’s eyes trapping them in a total darkness. As long as she keeps focused on them and they do not stray too far she can keep them in such a state. She is able to cast this spell on more than one person at a time, but it obviously requires more concentration, and more of her own energy.<br/><br/>Charms: 2<br/>Born beautiful Ivy has a strange charm about her, she has know this since she was a child, it was this natural magic ability that first brought her to the attention of her superiors and singled her out for protector training. Over the years she has perfected this ability and is able to make herself seem to be amazingly beautiful to any man, woman, or beast. She is not above using this ability to achieve her own ends, weather they be giving an opponent pause in the middle of battle, or keeping the Kings eyes on her and wanting more, and thus keeping her securely in her station as his guard.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>The Queen: </strong> </span><br/><br/>(http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/krunk357/dark/DarkElf-050901.jpg)<br/><br/>The Dark Queen, The Goddess, Demon in her life she has gone by these and many other names, though to those who she holds dear she is simply know as Sapphire. A creature of pure indulgence she exists forever tied to her King until his death, then she searches out a new King and follows the same pattern. She had waited many years to finally be free of her prison, and as it was decreed she now serves the strongest of those who freed her. She is a creature attracted to one thing and one thing only…power. She has no fear and no moral qualms she will do anything to further her goals which at this point are the preservation of Leland and the realization of his desires. It is not by choice that she does these things, rather by need it is what she was born to be and she revels in it. Her personality can be summed up in the one tenant that she handed down to her ‘faith’ “Thou Shalt Be Strong”<br/>Military skill:<br/>Sapphire is a powerful combatant in her own right, possessing all the unnatural strength and speed of a demon. She is fully capable of holding her own in close combat. This having been said she is still a demon and subject to the fickle whims that are a staple of her kind. Meaning that she lacks an eye for both strategy and tactics, never thinking far enough ahead while in the heat of battle. She is known to wield a large halberd in battle which crackles with her own dark powers.<br/>Fighting: 3<br/>Tactics: none<br/>Strategy: none<br/>Magic Skills:<br/><br/>Elemental: 1<br/>Immolation: Sapphire possesses the ability to set aflame anything that she chooses to, from a simple pile of underbrush to a skilled assassin, she need only focus her full gaze upon it. This takes time though as the object or person’s temperature must rise high enough to spark a flame. Moving targets also take additional time due to the added difficulty the Queen has keeping them directly in her sight.<br/><br/>Summoning: 2<br/>Alpha Demon: With a great amount of focus and power Sapphire can tear a hole in the fabric dividing our world from that of her own kind. Calling fourth a single alpha demon, a creature of great size and strength many times the size of a full grown man. It knows nothing but the commands of the one who has called it fourth. Capable of single handedly defeating immense amounts of opponents. This does not come without cost, namely that of life. The gate must first be opened within the body of a living being. The demon then possesses its host, warping their body to fit its needs, until the host ceases to exist and there is only the demon. The stronger the host, the strong the demon that will arise from it. This ability drains massive amounts of The Queen’s energy and she is not likely to be able to do much more than order the demon that she summons.<br/><br/><br/><br/><strong>Thrasos: </strong><br/><br/>(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3397/bloodmoonmonkbyhideyosh.jpg)<br/>The protector charged with the defense of The Holy Queen. Thrasos is also the high priest of The Queen’s cult. He believes her to be a divine deity and will do anything in her service. He was selected at the age of 12 from the cult’s clergy. His faith was deemed strong enough to warrant the necessary training despite the fact that his potential for magic was not as high as would have been ideal. He has faithfully served for the past 70 years yet still possess the body he did when he was in peek physical form at the age of 23. His weapon of choice is a large sickle named “The Man-reaper” that is said to drain the soul of any it kills, and use it to add to Thrasos’s power.<br/>Fighting: 3<br/>Tactics: Adept<br/>Strategy: none<br/><br/>Magic Skills:<br/>Elemental 3<br/>Fissure: By driving “The Man-reaper” into the ground and using it as a focusing rod for his modest powers Thrasos can create instability in the ground, the result of which is a very localized very miniature earth quake ending in a fissure opening in the ground in the direction of Thrasos’s desire. He has been known to use this both as an offensive weapon. Sending any out of his reach falling to their death. Or defensively creating a crack in the ground so as to cut off a pursuer’s path.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>The Prince: </strong> </span><br/><br/>(http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs45/f/2009/080/0/8/Dark_Elf_male_by_kerembeyit.jpg)<br/><br/>He is Horus, son of Leland and Sapphire, and The Crown Prince of Belka, he inherited his mother’s unworldly looks and his father’s will and enjoyment of his every desire. He is cold blooded and efficient, ready to make a name for himself. At the age of 23 years he now serves as his father’s second in command on all things military and will soon serve as Belka’s ambassador to the outside world.<br/>Military Skills:<br/>Fighting: 2<br/><br/>Tactics: 3<br/><br/>Strategy: 1<br/><br/>Magic Skill: none<br/><strong>Moira:</strong><br/><br/>(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/1378/slaaneshofzealots1.jpg)<br/>Horus’s protector she is now 18 years of age, her skin has been permanently died in order to liken her to the crown prince and present a unified front to those from outside the kingdom. Having been taken from her family before she had even ceased nursing Moira knows nothing of her previous family. She has been subjective to numerous ‘education’ regimens and as a result is a near fanatical believer in the preservation of Belka and its people. She has also at the request of the Prince been trained in the art of singing and other more physical forms of entertainment for the Prince if he desires it. Even in infancy the aura of magic was strong with Moira, as such she was a natural candidate for being a protector. Armed with a single dagger knife she relies primarily on her magical powers to protect The Crown Prince. And her blade to silently eliminate any who he desires.<br/><br/>Military skills<br/><br/>Fighting: 2.<br/>Tactics: capable<br/>Strategy: None<br/><br/>Magic skills:<br/>Elemental: 2<br/>Wall of fire: Moira is capable of creating a wall of fire close to her person,  she uses this to help protect the prince and herself when under attack. Either shielding their backs from approach, or by placing it in the path of incoming arrows, the fire burning hot enough to destroy them before they can get through to their target.<br/><br/>Ice Heart: Moira can turn your blood to ice…literally. Freezing her target’s internal organs and causing near instant death. It is much harder for her to do this against someone who has anything more than the most basic defense against magic.<br/>Chain lightning: Able to launch bolts of lightning from her fingertips Moira has been known to ‘fry’ more than the occasional opponent. After connecting with her intended target each bolt has a tendency to break off and strike the nearest creature, at a somewhat lower level of strength than it struck the one before, until  its power is spent.  She is able to control the amount of strength that travels through each bolt, enabling her to either stun, or kill her opponent. She has been trained not to use this ability at anything but mid to long range for fear that she, or the one she protects would be struck by a refracting bolt.<br/><br/>Instilling: 2<br/>Thunder Blade: In addition to her knife Moira can call forth a single magical weapon, little more than raw electrical power she is able to shape it into any weapon she needs from a sword, to a shield, to a spear with but a single thought. She is unable to use any of her other powers when using this weapon as it takes the full extent of her powers to keep the electricity under any semblance of control.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Belkan Military Forces. </strong> </span> </span><br/><br/>Belka’s military is divided into two branches. The human legions who comprise the majority of the army, and the demon auxiliaries.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Human Legion:</strong></span><br/><br/>The human legion is a well organized fighting force broken down into a single main army, and two levels of reserve components. The main force is an army of full time carrier solders tasked with defending Belka at all times, it is a conscript army, with every family expected to contribute their first born child. These children are trained almost from birth to fight and if need be die for the crown. They are Belka’s primary fighting force. Should it be deemed necessary the first auxiliary will be called upon. These are the clergymen and women of Belka’s church, they lack the military training of the active forces but make up for it with intense zeal and a willingness to follow any order…even a divisionary suicide charge. Because of this they are commonly referred to by the professional troops as the “cultist reserve”  In the most dire of times, when it seems that all may be lost the third reserves are called to the fight. They are comprised of the lower ranking common citizens of Belka as well as the mutated labor forces, lacking any training what so ever their strategic role can be summed up in two words “cannon fodder.”<br/><br/><strong>Belkan Infantry:</strong><br/><br/>(http://www.knowledge-meta.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_122/Evil$20Knight.jpg)<br/><br/>The average Belkan solder is well trained in his role as an infantryman. This is a necessity due to their small numbers. Each solder goes to battle confidant that he is clad in full armor befitting a knight and armed with the best weapons that Belka’s forges can manufacture. And that as long as they are within their own lands they have the protection of their Queen’s magic watching over them.  They fear no enemy.<br/><br/><strong>Beast Riders:</strong><br/><br/>(http://www.wizards.com/magic/images/mtgcom/arcana1000/1296_knight.jpg)<br/><br/>Mounted on the twisted descendants remains of Belka’s original horse population, these are the cavalry of Belka, trained to attack fast, hard, and deliver only killing blows. They believe themselves to be the proverbial cream of the crop loving the rush of battle, it is said that even their mounts share this sentiment, their mutated senses and minds knowing no fear.<br/><br/><br/><strong>Nobles and Officers:</strong><br/><br/>(http://www.black-knights-kill.com/files/images/black_knight_art/full_size_black_knight_art/black_knight_battle.jpg)<br/><br/>These are the front line leaders of Belka’s forces every one either a Noble or former common solder. They are highly motivated to excel in their posts due to the fact that the only upward mobility one can truly expect is gained through the military ranks. Their equipment varies usually having been family heirlooms used by the warriors of their family for years. They possess weapons and armor that have been infused with the essence of a demon, providing their users with great martial skills.<br/><br/><strong>Siege weapons:</strong><br/><br/>The siege weapons of Belka are made entirely of metal, firing metal spheres rather than stones, they can take quite a beating before being destroyed.<br/><br/><br/><strong>High Protectors</strong><br/><br/>(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa220/gothdeath904/Anime/Dark_Elf_900.jpg)<br/><br/>There a never more than 3 of these in existence at one time, one for each member of the royal family they serve as the family’s direct protectors, having been chosen from only the most promising of Belka’s young men and women they have each undergone many sessions with The Queen, undergoing many protective spells, demonic pacts, and learning to use what magic they can. They along with the Queen represent the only magic power in Belka. Which they wield with a skill that few can ever hope to match. They are the royal bodyguards.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Demon Auxiliary</strong></span><br/><br/><br/>Due to their inherently unstable nature, as well as the difficulty in training them the demon auxiliaries are few in number, at full strength they only make up a single company. Every one of them varied in form, and function each demon is its own work of grotesque art, bearing little if anything in common with its kin. Those demons used in the auxiliary are grouped simply by what military purpose they can serve. Whatever their specific duties they still all have one thing in common they are shock troops, used to spearhead an assault, break an enemy’s best troops’ moral or simply spread fear in the ranks of any who would oppose them.<br/><br/><strong>Demon Hounds</strong><br/><br/>(http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/62976/ModelSheet_ChaosHound_qjpreviewth.jpg)<br/><br/>The generic term given to the feral Demons used in Belka’s auxiliary forces they are kept chained and led into battle released when the enemy is within sight, they are unthinking unfeeling creatures, who know nothing but the instinct to kill.<br/><br/><strong>Lesser Demons</strong><br/><br/>(http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/6598/warpdemonsbycaptvovan1.jpg)<br/><br/>They make up the majority of demons within the auxiliary, not as fast as those demons in the hound groups, nor as powerful as the greater demons they possess enough intelligence to follow basic orders, such as “attack there” and “stay here.”<br/><br/><br/><strong>Greater Demons:</strong><br/>(http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7320/daemonettesbytentailedc.jpg)<br/><br/>Possessing more intelligence and bruit power than other demons these creatures are a rarity amongst their kind. They death incarnate for any who oppose them, by far the smallest portion of the auxiliary they are always in the thickest of the battle.<br/><br/><strong>Cultist Reserve: </strong><br/>(http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/705/nl0408011.jpg)<br/>Mad with faith these men and women are willing to die at the word from their Demon Queen. Their faith and zeal meant to make up for their lack of skills.<br/><br/><strong>Mutant Reserve: </strong><br/>(http://www.freakygaming.com/gallery/game_art/warhammer:_mark_of_chaos/assassin.jpg)<br/><br/>The last resort in the event that Belka will soon fall, little more than a mob, if they are ever called upon it is a sure sign that all stops are being pulled.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Military Summary: </strong> </span><br/>The Belkan military is small in size but big in skill and spirit. They possess a good mix of heavy hitting infantry supported by fast cavalry, as well as very small numbers of extremely dangerous troops and strong siege weapons. If they can be said to have a weakness it is the fact that due to the non-existence of wood in their homeland they lack archers entirely. And as such cannot expect ranged support when the enemy is bearing close on them. Nor can they easily chase off the archers of their enemies without either tiring out the infantry. Or committing their fast attack forces which could be better placed on the enemy’s flank.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Strengths: </strong> </span><br/>Well protected and powerful warriors<br/>Well trained professional soldiers<br/>Strong siege weapons<br/>Fear inspiring shock troops<br/>Strong defensive fortification<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Weaknesses:</strong></span><br/>Lesser numbers even when full reserves are deployed<br/>Totally lacking archers<br/>Small numbers of shock troops means that their elites can only be committed to one area at a time.<br/>Lacking in any forms of magic that do not directly affect their own armor and weapons.<br/>Even this magic is VERY limited and almost exclusive to those in the upper ranks.<br/>