The world of Kiandhra is, and always has been, a world of extremes. Desert forms half of the continent of Zhivar, while forest covers the other half. The two extremes are split in two by a long mountain range, and there are only a few passes between the mountain. Wasteland is the most prominent feature of the continent Farahdi, though the lower half is dotted with small forests, and mountain ranges border nearly the entire continent, like some ancient, jagged wall to seperate the land from the rest of the world. Several more continents form up the rest of the world, though the most prominent features of each are either grasslands, swamps, sparse forests, deserts, ice fields, or barren rock quarries. Harsh weather is also a staple feature of these other three continents, with such extremes as drought, snow, rain, and windstorms occuring in close proximity. Islands are the last feature of the world, as there are many of these, and the climates vary, from desert to forest to rainforest.

Despite these harsh climates, many races and creatures thrive in this harsh world. Kingdoms seperate the land into smaller areas, and tribes live on all the land that is 'free'. Villages, cities, towns, and ports are many, and trade and communications among the different races is civil. However...war is brewing. Strange creatures, humanoid and beast alike, have emerged from the darkest, wildest, most secluded areas of the world. Rumor has it known that a stronghold of some sort is being built on the continent of Farahdi, in the massive wasteland there, and dwellings for what appear to be an army have already been erected. Night never falls fully over that wasteland, and the screeches and growls of strange creatures can be heard at all hours of the night. Anyone caught too close to the area in question disappear, as if they had never been, and the area is thus avoided by all wary travellers.

Preparations for war are also being made by the various Kingdoms and occupants on Zhivar, the lower half of Faradhi, and the rest of the islands and continents. Help is about to come from higher places as well, as the leaders of the Order of the Gifted are to discover by premonition. The Exalted Ones are about to be born into the world again, and their coming will likely decide the fate of Kiandhra, as it was in times past...legends are to live again.
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Specifics:
In this rp, you can play almost any race you can imagine, as there are many races living hidden in the wild places of the world.
To begin with, here's a list of the most common races:

-Elves: Immortal, they are considered the Fair Race, and most of them live on the continent of Zhivar, in the massive forest there.
-Dwarves: Hardy and stout, they are known as the Builders, choosing to dwell in mountain ranges and anywhere where stone can be quarried from the earth to make dwellings. Long-lived compared to humans, they have an average life expectancy of about 250 years.
-Humans: The 'Youngest' race, they are the most changeable, the most adaptable, yet the shortest living of all the races. With an average life expectancty of 100 years, humans must make the most of the time they have..quite literally. Their race is divided into tribes, as it were, with variants such as forest dwellers, nomads thriving in the desert, farmers farming the fertile lands of the grasslands, and other variations.

Countries and Kingdoms:
-Irvanrhi: The main 'Kingdom' of the elves, it covers the vast forest on the continent of Zhivar.
-Abyth, Desert of: The massive desert that covers half of Zhivar. Oases form the basis of survival tools here, and the most common inhabitants of this forbidding climate are nomadic tribes of humans.
-Tzarad, Mountains of: The mountain range that encircles of continent of Faradhi. Small colonies of dwarves have made their dwellings here, yet they avoid the mountains surrounding the Wasteland of Duzakha at all costs.
Duzakha, Wasteland of: The vast wasteland that covers most of the continent of Faradhi. Travelers avoid this land at all costs, due to the danger assosciated with even going near it.
-Jaerim: An island just off the coast of Faradhi, this is, by far, the largest island in the Great Sea. Mountains cover the top half of the island, and a small forest and desert share the rest of the island. Both humans and dwarves dwell here.
-Kitarna: The main 'Kingdom' of the humans, it is located on the outskirts of the elves' Irvanrhi.
Baelri: The main 'Kingdom' and stronghold of the dwarves. It is located in the lone mountain range on the continent of Zhivar.
Other towns, cities, continents, etc., will be named as we go along.

Other information:

Order of the Gifted: This is an organization of humans, elves, and even dwarves. Since the Beginning, certain individuals have been gifted with special 'abilities'. Often, these abilities manifested at most innoportune times, often when the individual in question was in danger. These abilities range from controlling fire, water, air, etc., to moving things with just a mere thought. These individuals never have more than one or two abilities, however, and they have to go through rigorous training to even be able to control these powers.The organization itself has existed for millenia, as long as there have been Gifted, they have had an Order, in one manner or another.

The Exalted: Like the Gifted, these individuals have abilities, though they can manifest just after birth. The 'abilities' are also far stronger, oftentimes erratic, and without lessons in control, one could lose complete control over these abilities. Another characteristic seperating these individuals from the Gifted is the fact that, more often than not, they have more than just one or two abilities. Also, they have a distinct..appearance differential from their counterparts in power, the Gifted. Always, they are born with a strange mark, somewhere on the body. It looks like a starburst, encircled with a halo of ancient runes encircling it. Their past goes on as far back as the Gifted, yet their origins are far nobler. They also always have a counterpart of the opposite gender, whom they must work with, often closely(and many times, this working relationship leads to romance). (If you need clarification into the history of these individuals, feel free to ask, and I'll see what I can do. There is a distinct difference in the history of the two ‘organizations’.)

Now..the abilities used by the Gifted and the Exalted are listed below:
Abilities:
-Mind control
-Telepathy(mental communications between individuals)
-Telekenesis(moving objects with the mind)
-Weather control(ability to control/change the weather at any given time)
-Healing(ability to heal one's-self or others of anything ranging from poison to sickness to injury)
-Earth manipulation(ability to manipulate the earth, whether to make plants grow, or to communicate with animals on a primal level, or even 'healing' defects in the land itself.)
-Air manipulation(ability to manipulate and control the air, or wind, whether to change wind currents, generate hurricanes and tornadoes, and other abilities of the like.)
-Fire manipulation(ability to control and manipulate fire. Enough said.)
-Water manipulation(ability to control and manipulate water, whether by drawing it out of an object, creating it, or just manipulating the movements of the ocean, rivers, or any other body of water.)

Biography sheet:
Name:
Age:
Race:
Gender:
Appearance:
Attire:
Personality:
Weapons:
History:
Exalted or Gifted(If neither, leave blank):
Abilities(for Gifted, two maximum. Exalted, there is no limit):
Counterpart(for Exalted only):

Characters:
Raina(female Exalted) and Rylin(male Exalted) - Raven
Exalted [?] - Shadowcat
Landen(male Exalted) - Star Gazer
Alistina(female Exalted) and Penfire(male Exalted) - Eruraina
Exalted(male) - Elenya
Exalted(female) - Artemis
Yrudit(male Exalted) - Lady Dark Moon

Counterparts/pairings:
Landen/Raina