Bleeding Loyalties Plot

Twenty years ago, both Luminae and Wrenmae were united under one flag, however their religious beliefs began to split and riots began to occur. The Wrenmae, in hopes of resurrecting the Sleeping God Wren, began practicing rituals to bring the God from a deep to light slumber. Supposedly, Wren was to rise and create a paradise, but Luminae believed the Deep Wyrm would only destroy the land of Ryalk. Countless uproars and debates between the council eventually led to the splitting of the two nations, which in turn led to numerous wars and bloodshed. Both sides lost many soldiers and Knights, but Luminae managed to slow down their progress on the resurrection of Wrenmae, their God. It wasn't a permanent hold but it worked for the time being. After the split, both sides were left in ruins but began to rebuild.

With each side needing reinforcements and supplies, they had to make some changes. Each kingdom could no longer sacrifice their best warriors for battles that ended with each side retreating. So, with both having their own reasons, they created a council of their best Knights. Seven of them. They closely resembled The Knights of the Round Table and held superiority over the Kingdom. The only ones they answered to were the King, Queen, Prince, and Princess of the castle. Each Knight had skills in different areas, but they were the best of the best. Each council had one Knight that made the final decision and held control over the other six -- the first Knight of each group.

Twenty years later, both kingdoms had reached a stable point for a short time, however the latest battle between the two kingdoms left them in need of materials and further reinforcements. They needed anything they could take, Knights needed to be trained, and with the new kingdom rule of interrogation and then execution, it made things even more difficult. There was always a risk of being killed even after capturing the enemy, and they had to be on their toes. But they weren't the only ones affected by the constant wars and battles. Treispeiss, being a relatively new kingdom, formed after three small villages had united to create this nation of merchants. They were wealthy but sick of having their caravans and traders targeted by bandits, deserters, and thieves, and threatened to completely cut off trading with both kingdoms if they did not improve their security.

With that threat being put in place, Wrenmae has enacted the Inquisition protocol. Both Mercenaries and members of the Wrenmae Army are offered bounty hunting missions where they may trade in their kills for rewards. This also includes both beasts and monsters of the land, handing in paws, furs, heads, teeth, and anything else that can be used as material. This was part of their plan to win Treispeiss over and cut trading off with Luminae in order to be the victor in this war. It however left their main cities weak and vulnerable. Mages are now being paid to watch for Luminae spies and take care of Treispeiss Assassins, whether it be killing them or recruiting them.

Simultaneously on the eastern side of Ryalk, the ancient Elven race, known as the Halcarians, control two glades of the forest. They are the remnants of an age-old race who would protect the rest of the world from the beasts that lingered the forests inside. After a mass war between the beasts and Elves, a majority of them were wiped out. Their control over the entire forest dwindled to what they have now, the Halcarians themselves not daring to travel to the deepest part of the forests, which is said to be home of the most twisted creatures one can imagine. With the appearance of a new and powerful race, the Ryoloks, they are pushed even harder and these beasts now threaten even the mainland of Ryalk. These creatures are men who hold the power to transform into beasts the size of small houses, often taking multiple men to kill...if they're lucky. They are known to be blood thirsty and merciless when fighting, and will take no prisoners. Their goals are currently unknown.