Joining the Guild is a surprisingly simple task. No background checks are conducted to begin with; the Guild believes that a person's life prior to joining the Guild matters no longer once they have become a member. Still, new recruits must go through a probationary period where they have restrictions on their access to Sentinel's Watch to ensure that they do not intend the Guild harm.
All that must be done to begin the initiation process is to visit the Guild registrar at Sentinel's Watch. Their office is located on ground floor within the central tower of the keep, so a guard must escort the new recruit through the keep's grounds. Specific days throughout the year will be designated as open recruitment days however, allowing anyone to visit Sentinel's Watch and sign up without arranging the visit with the guards.
The registrar requires rather little information from the new recruit: their name, species, gender, age, a physical profile of the applicant's appearance, a psychological profile to determine their temperament, and optionally their region/town of origin and a background profile if the applicant wishes to disclose their history. There are few if any disqualifying factors for Guild membership at the application process, but it is possible to drop out at the next stage of the process: the initiation itself.
New recruits upon submitting an application are required to go through initiation. This involves three tests which correspond to the Explorers, Mercenaries, and Researchers. The Explorers initiation features an obstacle course which recruit must navigate while picking up tokens, being rewarded both on the time they take and how many tokens they retrieve. The Mercenaries initiation involves combat, naturally, with the recruit fighting one of the Guild's trainers and being judged on their overall performance, not on rather they win or lose. Lastly, the Researchers give new recruits two tests: both a written examination as well as a practical test where recruits are challenged with solving a number of puzzles in the time given.
All three branch's initiations must be performed by new recruits to judge their aptitude and initial rank within the branches. One of the few ways to disqualify from Guild membership and be forced to drop out is to fail all the tests, however as long as a recruit passes just one test they may become a Guild member.
The test results determine the recruit's initial rank within each branch, and thus the opportunities available to them. Failing the initiation test for a branch will give them the pseudo-rank of NG, disallowing them from performing missions for that branch until they attempt initiation again and pass. An average passing score will see the recruit start with the base rank of Initiate for the branch, while a truly exceptional result can grant a Novice or even in extremely rare cases Intermediate rank instead.
With initiation complete the recruit is then free to start their life as a proper Guildsman! The initial probationary period for new recruits lasts two weeks or until they achieve Intermediate rank with any branch, whichever comes first. During this period they may require an escort into the Sentinel's Watch keep and are unable to use the city's secondary entrances/exits, among other smaller restrictions.
GUILD LIFE
To a Guildsman, there are many things they can spend their day doing. The most prominent is, of course, to take on and perform missions. Missions can be found posted to boards in the Mission Bazar, located in the administrative district of Sentinel's Watch near the keep's gates. Missions are categorized by branch and specialty within the branch, and then farther have a minimum rank required to accept the mission. If one of the mission postings catches a Guildsman's eye, they merely have to take the posting and give it to one of the clerks located in the bazar. The clerk will record the mission and provide any farther instructions. From that point, the member is free to head out and perform the mission according to any directions given.
An exception to this format is for lab researchers, who rather than looking for mission postings at the bazar will instead want to head to a laboratory and sign in. There, they will be issued tasks according to their rank, such as being assigned an artifact to study or working underneath a higher ranked researcher as an assistant. The Guild's primary laboratory is located underneath the Guild library within the keep, however there are a few ancillary laboratories throughout Sentinel's Watch for use by lower-ranking and probationary members.
Outside of missions, other opportunities are available within Sentinel's Watch on a volunteer basis. New recruits will most likely be interested in free training sessions which they can sign up for. Training is available for a number of things including combat, survival skills, and even more scientific subjects such as physics and chemistry. Tours of Sentinel's Watch are also given to newcomers, affording the chance for new recruits to get acquainted with their new home.
Further volunteer opportunities are available within Sentinel's Watch. Those who can use electricity are encouraged to volunteer at the city's power plant, located underneath the keep next to the Guild's primary laboratory. The city guard also accepts volunteers along with full time guardsman, and there are many other positions such as grounds caretaker for the city's parks. In general, most businesses and jobs associated with the Guild's Civilian Division will be happy to take on volunteers from the Guildsman Division, though monetary reimbursement is not necessarily guaranteed.
ADVANCEMENT
The Guild uses a ranking system where a member is judged by their rank in each branch individually. That is, a Guildsman will have separate ranks for Explorers, Mercenaries, and Researchers. The ranks are as follows, from lowest to highest. Each has both a title as well as a letter used to designate them in shorthand.
Your rank can be advanced by completing missions for the Guild. Given either enough successful missions or a truly notable performance that the branch leadership took note of and you can expect your rank to increase to the next level, though higher ranks are harder to advance to than lower ones. With increased rank comes greater opportunities as more lucrative and challenging missions become available, with better rewards as well.
Normally, the highest rank one can achieve within a branch is rank A, Veteran rank. Rank S and above are reserved for members who have chosen to pledge themselves to a branch. Pledging to a branch can only be done once a member has reached rank A within the branch.
The act of pledging is a formal declaration that you will devote yourself to the branch and as such those who have pledged are no longer eligible to do work for other branches. In exchange, they may advance to the S ranks within their pledged branch. The S ranks do not have an upper limit and are indicated by appending a number after S: S1, S2, S3, etc. Pledged members also get other benefits depending on the branch, such as housing within their tower and access to an exclusive branch store.
A pledge can be revoked at any time a week after the initial pledge was taken. In doing so, the member would drop down to rank B within that branch and lose any special privileges they had gained. They also may not pledge again with any branch for a full month, to discourage "hot swapping" pledges between branches.
Guildsman who reach rank A in all three branches are quite rare and as such receive a special title: Warden. Wardens are considered the elite of the Guild, and while perhaps not as skilled in a specific branch as high ranking pledged members, they are prized for their versatility. Wardens receive special housing within the keep and access to other privileges similar to pledged members.
TEAMS
The concept of teams is not formally recognized by the Guild. Every member is judged on their own merits and must be registered individually, while there is no formal process to register a team. Nonetheless, teams of Guildsman who band together to complete missions is common and some concessions have been made to accommodate them.
The largest concession to teams is that with most missions only one member of the team has to meet the rank requirement for the mission. That is to say, if a mission requires rank C with the Explorers, so long as any one member of a team has rank C or higher with the Explorers the rank of others on the team does not matter. The mission will still count towards the records and thus advancement of everyone on the team regardless of rank. Some special missions will waive this, however, and require that EVERYONE taken on the mission must have a specific minimum rank within the branch.
TL;DR JUST TELL ME HOW TO MAKE MY OWN CHARACTERS
You are free to make your own characters within the Guild if you wish! To do so, all you really need is to make a standard profile with the character's basic details: name, species, gender, age, physical profile/drawing, a psychological profile, and optionally their region/town of origin and a background profile. Movesets, natures, abilities, etc are NOT required! Pokemon are not restricted to just four moves in Varlaja, but you may feel free to provide the character's "signature moves" if you wish as well as other flavor information.
Note that some Pokemon really shouldn't be joining the Guild! Any Pokemon that is part of the Varlaja religious pantheon is NOT eligible to have any other Pokemon of that same species within Varlaja, and thus can't be part of the Guild. Check out the informational page on Varlaja for details on the pantheon which includes most legendary Pokemon. Some legendries are excluded from the pantheon are thus acceptable, while others don't exist in Varlaja at all.
You will also need to provide the character's ranking within the branches, see the Advancement section for details on ranks. For new recruits it is recommended not to have a rank over D, while older and more experienced characters may have better ranks. Try to avoid making the character TOO good, though! A rank of A in all branches is exceptionally rare within the Guild and I'd prefer for such characters to be avoided!
Once you have your character made, feel free to go ahead and do with them as you wish, at least so far this isn't one of those groups where I give out missions to perform. Use your imagination to come up with exciting adventures! Also, I would prefer if you showed me your characters and blog, of course! NSFW use of the Guild is okay as well, just be sure to give proper warnings as always for NSFW material.
The Guild at Sentinel's Watch, The Varlajan Guild, or simply The Guild, whatever you may choose to refer to it as you can be sure that all will know what you're talking about. There may be smaller guilds across Varlaja, but none has achieved the same level of fame as the guild a Shaymin by the name of Cedric established at an old, abandoned, out of the way fort.
What is this guild you ask and what makes it so successful? Above all, Cedric has pledged his guild to the benefit of the people. From explorers who map out uncharted territories and rescue lost citizens, mercenaries who ward off bandits and root out dangerous feral Pokemon, to researchers who uncover the buried secrets of Varlaja's past, every member of The Guild has taken a solemn vow to aid the helpless. That is not to say every guild member is an upstanding example of morality, of course—The Guild welcomes all without question—but if you are in need you can count on The Guild to render assistance.
GUILD LEADERSHIP
Guild Leader: Cedric (Shaymin, male)
Councilor of Merchants and Services: Edgar (Delphox, male)
Councilor of Sentinel's Watch: Louise (Lucario, female)
Councilor of Foreign Affairs: Avidah (Mienshao, female)
Researchers Subordinates: Brianne (Braixen, female) and Brooke (Meowstic, female)
GUILD STRUCTURE
The Guild's leadership structure can be seen as an upside down tree of sorts, with the Guild leader, Cedric, at the top. Cedric maintains absolute authority over the Guild, though he rarely overturns decisions made by the collective Council.
Beneath Cedric, the Guild splits into two divisions: Civilians and Guildsman. Each of those divisions then farther splits into three branches. The most familiar to Varlaja's populace would be the Guildsman branches: Explorers, Mercenaries, and Researchers. These are where recruits joining the Guild will be stationed. The Civilian division is more concerned with the welfare of the Guild itself, its headquarters of Sentinel's Watch, and its relations to Varlaja's governments. Its branches are Merchants and Services, Foreign Affairs, and the overall governance of Sentinel's Watch. Joining one of these branches is more akin to a normal job, with prospects applying to the business of office they are interested in directly.
Each of these six branches is led by a Leader in the case of the Guildsman branches or a Councilor for the Civilian branches. These six along with Cedric make up the Guild Council. While any Branch Leader or Councilor is able to enact changes that only affect their own branch, any proposal that would have sweeping effects across the Guild or are otherwise major enough that its influence would be felt outside that branch must be voted on by the Council, with the majority vote winning. Traditionally Cedric abstains from most votes unless there is a tie, in which case he will break it, or it is an issue he feels strongly about.
Each Guildsman Branch Leader also has a subordinate (or two, in Gavin's case) who they can choose to assist them in their duties. Civilian councilors can have assistants as well, but rather than a single person they instead have entire departments with their own individual organizational structure. In either case, the structure beneath the branch leaders is ultimately up to the leader or councilor themselves. For instance, the Mercenaries under Felicity's leadership has a much stricter and hierarchal organization than Maverick's Explorers.
Lastly, the Guildsman division is special in that underneath the Explorers, Mercenaries, and Researchers branches the organizational tree actually merges. The common Guildsman such as new recruits is not bound to any one branch, but rather rests under all three of them at the bottom of the organizational hierarchy. Only once a Guildsman has pledged themselves to the service of one particular branch will they move into that branch's organization, but this is not required to advance in the Guild.
THE BRANCHES
When the common Varlaja citizen thinks of the Guild, it is the Guildsman Division's three branches they will think of: Explorers, Mercenaries, and Researchers. Each of these branches has a particular focus identified by their name, while also containing additional specialties that the branch offers services for. Unlike other guilds, a recruit does not have to choose any one branch to join and may do work for all three at the same time, being rated in each branch individually with this rating affecting what missions they may take within that branch.
Reaching the max public rank within a branch grants the opportunity to pledge oneself to that branch, allowing them to advance farther and receive other benefits but disallowing them from doing work for the other branches anymore. On the other hand, those who do not pledge and instead reach max rank in all three branches receive the title of Warden and receive additional benefits similar to that of pledging.
Under the leadership of Maverick and Thalia, the Explorers are often what many will think of first when the Guild comes to mind. Focusing on small teams of two to four or even solo Pokemon that are able to move quickly and unseen, Explorers are the most agile of the Guild's branches. Their primary task is the discovery of resources and locations across Varlaja; this may mean literal resources as in money, food or materials, but also knowledge and artifacts of the past. Additionally, Explorers often serve as pathfinders both for other guildsman and civilians inside and outside the Guild, as well as cartographers to map out Varlaja's wilderness and scouts to seek out danger ahead of larger groups.
Mercenaries are a surprisingly diverse group within the Guild's structure that represents its strength. They are led by Felicity and Hano, who have styled the branch much like an army. Despite this, most work done by the Mercenary branch is true to its name: mercenary work to fulfill contracts the Guild has taken up with settlements across Varlaja. Most such contracts only require a smaller team, but the branch has plans in place to deploy larger militias should the need arise. On the other hand, smaller strike teams are sometimes more useful, able to get in and out of hazardous situations fast.
The most mysterious of the Mercenary's specialties are the Shadows, a secretive team run under Hano's direct command. Few are willing to disclose what Shadows actually do, but many assume that they are dispatched for missions where stealth is of utmost concern. Including, it is rumored, assassinations. Shadow missions are not posted publically, and one most first join the Shadows before receiving missions directly from Hano.
The Researchers
Leader: Gavin the Glaceon.
Subordinates: Brianne the Braixen and Brooke the Meowstic
Specialties: Lab Researchers, Field Researchers, Scholars, Engineers
Many are dismissive of Gavin's Researchers at first glance, deriding them as being little more than lab rats who never leave Sentinel's Watch. Indeed, Gavin himself is a polarizing figure within the Guild due to his eccentric nature as exemplified by bucking the Guild's trends and taking on two subordinates: Brianne and Brooke. He posits that this is due to needing Brianne to run the Guild's laboratories while Brooke runs the library, but it is hard not to notice that both are young girls who would not normally be the first choice for such roles.
Nonetheless, the Researchers are vital as the Guild's intellect. While it is true that lab researchers may never leave the city, instead spending their time in a laboratory to analyze artifacts the Explorers have found, there exist many field researchers as well who choose to instead venture out to locations and conduct research on artifacts that are unable to be moved. Scholars are much the same, and while some may spend all their time in the Guild's library others are just as likely to travel to Varlaja's other cities in search of elusive tomes. Lastly, engineers can be said to take the knowledge gained by the other specialties and put it to practical use.
SENTINEL'S WATCH
Any guild needs a headquarters to operate from, no matter how far its reach may be. In the case of Cedric's Guild, this headquarters would be Sentinel's Watch. An old fortress constructed on Edheren's southern coast over a thousand years ago, it has grown from an abandoned, crumbling ruin into an impressive city that can rival any of Varlaja's regional capitals in size and influence.
Sentinel's Watch is a dominating sight that conquers the view for miles around. Situated on a tall coastal cliff, Sentinel's Watch is surrounded by plains and farmland for nearly as far as the eye can see on one side while facing open ocean on the other. While physically located within Edheren, Sentinel's Watch is considered to have extraterritorial status and is autonomously governed by the Guild.
The city is divided into six districts: The central keep, port, residential, recreational, mercantile, and administrative districts. Of those, the keep is the heart of Sentinel's Watch and host to its top leadership. It is composed of tall, thick walls corned by four large towers which enclose an inner courtyard and a final, fifth tower that sits within the walls. This inner tower houses Cedric's residence and office on the top floor with the Council's meeting chambers one floor below. Beneath that, the bottom floors house various administrative offices for Guild leadership.
The four towers along the keep's walls each house a particular Guildsman branch, with the Explorers, Mercenaries, and Researchers each getting a tower for themselves. Within these towers the leader of the branch resides, as well as pledged members who have earned the right to live within the keep. The towers also include various spaces such as meeting rooms, storage, and any other spaces the leader desires. The fourth tower on the walls is special and offers exclusive housing to Guild Wardens: elite guildsman who have reached maximum rank with all three branches.
Lastly within the keep's walls is one last building that sits to the rear of the courtyard: the Guild library. Maintained by the Researchers, the library has a collection of several million books that have been gathered from across Varlaja. The library is open to any member of the Guild, though taking a book out of the library requires a minimum ranking to reduce the chance of loss. Underground beneath the library is also the Researcher's primary laboratory complex and power plant, though lower ranking Researchers will more often use secondary laboratories constructed outside the keep.
Moving on, the second district of Sentinel's Watch is the port at the base of the cliff the city is on. Due to the height of the cliff, either a long staircase down the cliff side or an elevator must be used to access the port. Sentinel's Watch has a small fleet of trading ships that call the port home, and it also serves to berth ships visiting from other regions.
Next is the city proper, which is arranged in a semicircle extending outwards from the keep. Like the keep it is enclosed in thick walls that may not be as tall as the keep's but still tower over the surrounding landscape. Set in the inner section of the city right up against the keep's outer walls is the administrative district, housing the city's government and other offices for Civilian Division leadership.
Central and below the administrative district is the first district a newcomer to the city will arrive in through the main gates: the recreational district. At its core the district is laid out as one long and wide central park that spans from the city's main gate through the administrative district straight to the keep's gate, being filled with grass, trees, and dotted with fountains. The most notable fountain is at the entrance plaza, the first sight upon passing the main gates. Lining this park on either side are the other features of the recreational district, including battling arenas among other entertainment businesses. Some restaurants can also be found here, and stands serving food in the park are also common.
The residential district sits to the right of the recreational district and is where most Guild members live. The district is filled with many apartments that Guild members can rent out and live in, along with some individual houses that are more costly. A school is also located in this district, close to the homes of the children who attend. A few smaller parks also scatter the district.
Moving to the left side of the city on the opposite side of the recreational district from the residential is the mercantile district. This is where most businesses in the city will make their home, including more restaurants as well as other shops selling all sorts of food, goods, and daily necessities. Workshops such as blacksmiths are also housed in this district among other services such as a post office.
While the wall surrounding the city ensures that access is restricted and helps protect against ferals, easy access in and out of the city is of course required. There is the single main gate of course, which is kept open most of the time albeit watched by the city guard. That is the only gate which is predominantly kept open, though other secondary gates are scattered around the wall but have restricted access to non-probationary Guild members only.
Outside the wall and thus outside of Sentinel's Watch proper are extensive fields where food is grown and domesticated feral Pokemon are farmed for meat and other products. Many of these farms have a trade agreement with Sentinel's Watch so while not a part of the Guild proper, they nonetheless provide food to the city.
While Sentinel's Watch is definitely the heart of the Guild, regional offices have been established in other regions. Most of Varlaja's capital cities is home to a Guild office, as well as the Archspire. These regional offices provide an outpost for guild members to work from when abroad, providing housing and supplies for members.
Found in a distant corner of the galaxy far from other populated worlds is a small planet the inhabitants call Varlaja. Distinct from the Earth that so many know of, Pokemon on Varlaja have developed without the influence of humans; that is to say, no humans exist on Varlaja. In their place, intelligent Pokemon have risen up into civilizations, living in towns and cities scattered across Varlaja's primary continent as well as other ancillary islands and smaller landmasses.
While Varlaja's history has seen many wars, today these Pokemon live in relative peace. Varlaja can be seen to be at an almost post-medieval level of civilization. Notably different from Earth's history, however, is the presence of electricity and technology. Thanks to the advanced scientific development of the city of Atlas, Varlaja as a whole is starting to see a surge in technology. Electrical lighting has become common place, and so-called "electric carriages" are beginning to take over the job of traditionally pulled carriages. Computers, on the other hand, are still rare outside of Atlas.
Not all Pokemon in Varlaja are intelligent, unfortunately. The wilderness is filled with feral Pokemon who will readily attack any who disturb them for a number of reasons: some ferals are carnivorous and will attempt to kill both other ferals and intelligent Pokemon alike for food when hungry, while others are territorial and will attack any who wonder too close. Still other feral Pokemon are aggressive by nature and will attack without any provocation or reason, and some "ferals" aren't aggressive at all and at will flee if approached. Ferals lack any special distinguishing features, but they're often easy to differentiate by their more animalistic movements and a lack of response when talked to. A third category of Pokemon are domesticated ferals, who are raised by intelligent Pokemon as a source of food and other products.
Because of the dangers ferals present, travel across Varlaja can be dangerous. For this reason, it's not at all unusual for someone to be born, raised, and live out their life in the same village without ever seeing anywhere else. Travel between towns is safest in numbers, so for those who do wish to get away trading convoys present a prime opportunity for travel between towns. These convoys are often large, with numerous carriages carrying both goods and passengers, as well as a number of guards armed with swords, bows, and even the occasional firearm.
REGIONS
Despite the dangers of feral Pokemon, civilization in Varlaja has flourished and many areas of the continent have been deemed relatively safe. Over time, Varlaja's primary continent has seen a number of wars that divided up the land into a number of distinct regions. These regions govern themselves from their capital, those cities often being shining examples of Varlaja's civilization. Here is a list of these regions and their capitals:
Freyden: A land of natural beauty, Freyden is a fairly large predominantly landlocked region that takes up the north half of Varlaja's central landmass. Lightly forested and with numerous lakes and rivers, Freyden often serves as a prime destination for travelers who desire to see the world. While not being exceptionally known for any specific resource, its capital of Fairkeep is one of Varlaja's most important trading hubs due to its central location, with it often being said that all routes will eventually lead to Fairkeep.
Edheren: The second of Varlaja's two central regions, Edheren is situated to the south below Freyden. Much of the region is open plains, which combined with fertile soil mean that Edheren is primarily known for farming. Food from these farms is traded to every corner of the world, making Edheren vital to the sustainment of life across the regions. Its capital, Orrinshire, is perhaps Varlaja's second most prosperous trading hub next to Fairkeep. Edheren is also notable for housing the headquarters of Varlaja's Guild, Sentinel's Watch, on its southern coast.
Whiteholt: A cold, heavily forested region to the northeast, Whiteholt has a particularly dangerous wilderness. However, at the same time, the density of trees mean that the region's primary trade is in wood and wood products. Its capital is the heavily defended valley fortress of Caer Cadmire, famous for weathering many sieges in the past and having never fallen to invaders.
The Iron Bay: Less of a region and more a single island, The Iron Bay is technically said to be little more than the coastline surrounding the titular bay to Varlaja's northeast. No one lives on the mainland, with the region's entire population instead residing in its sole city: Atlas. Atlas is constructed atop an artificial island in the center of the bay and serves as Varlaja's most technologically advanced city. With technology far beyond that of the rest of the region, Atlas citizens live an ideal life away from the stresses of the rest of Varlaja and as such see themselves as superior. Xenophobic and isolationist, Atlas is infamous for not letting any outsiders into the city and only grudgingly sharing the most basic of its technology in exchange for necessary imports.
Northwald: The northernmost of Varlaja's regions, Northwald is perhaps also the largest region but is mostly taken up by inhospitable polar mountains. With the region being extremely cold and treacherous due to blinding snow and sub-zero temperatures, the only notably populated settlement is its capital city, the Deepcourt. Constructed in an underground cavern accessed by a large elevator, the Deepcourt is always expanding and is Varlaja's primary source for metals and gems. Smiths from the Deepcourt are also renowned for their talent in metalworking.
The Shattered Seas: An uninhabited region consisting of dormant frozen volcanoes encased in ice and numerous glaciers, to the west of Northwald off the coast and extending upwards towards the planets northern pole. While geographically considered a region on most maps, The Shattered Seas lacks any government or population. Along with the islands being mostly icy glaciers with what little land there is being frozen volcanoes, cyclonic water currents make the islands near impossible to traverse by boat. Some pirates and thieves may call the outer islands home, but due to the shifting nature of the glacial islands it is unwise to stay on one for long as it may end up drifting deeper into the region, away from any hope of escape.
Blackdell: Covered in blackened dirt, Blackdell is home to many active volcanoes that erupt every few decades to a century. This has covered the region in ash and caused its soil to be of poor quality, which combined with warm soil due to heated underground water flows mean that no plants grow in the region. In turn, this lack of plant life means that there is little Pokemon life as well. Most of the region's intelligent population is composed of primitive tribes and nomads who have lived in the region for several centuries and adapted to survive in the harsh environment. Some of these tribes remain unaware of the outside world, however the region's capital of Redhaven serves as a connection to the rest of Varlaja.
Ivorith: On the mainland, Ivorith is just a strip of the southern coast that serves as a major vacation spot for those who are able to freely travel the continent. However, this does not give the whole story of the region. Extending to the south of the continent across the planet's equator are a large number of islands, which together have banded together into a loose conglomeration under the Ivorith name. Not all islands are willing to be governed this way and maintain their independence even in the face of growing pressure to join the regional government. Due to the oceanic nature of the region, sailing is an important part of Ivorith culture with fish being an important export. Its capital, such as it is, is Port Bonavita on the Varlaja mainland. While a trading hub, the port is known to be rife with criminal activity and less than safe for the unsuspecting traveler.
The Golden Wastes: A harsh coastal desert to the southwest of Varlaja, the region is surrounded to the north and east by tall mountains which offer few paths into the region. It is thanks to these mountains as well that the inwards bulk of the region gets such little rain. Its coast is, on the other hand, largely open and fairly hospitable. Like Blackdell the region is mostly a wasteland with little life, but adventurers are drawn to the wastes by rumors of treasure beneath the sands. Treasure which, of course, no one has ever found. Most who visit in search of treasure will find themselves staying at the capital of Hasham, a port city located on the region's southwestern peninsula to welcome those who have arrived by ship from Ivorith.
Falonde: Indisputably Varlaja's most mysterious region, Falonde is also its smallest. Tucked in a valley where the Golden Wastes mountain range forks to the north, unique weather patterns mean that rain frequently blows in from the open coast to the west. As a consequence, the valley is heavily forested with massive trees as tall as the mountains that surround the region. Thanks to the natural privacy the mountains afford, Falonde is reclusive and wary towards outsiders. The region's people live atop platforms built around the trunks of trees, connected by bridges into sprawling midair cities. Outsiders will likely never see most of Falonde, however its capital of Aerilon is grudgingly open to visitors and allows travelers a glimpse at Falonde's uniquely spiritual culture.
Greenwater: Another sparsely populated region to Varlaja's southeast, Greenwater is covered largely in one massive jungle spotted with the occasional swamp. Dangerous ferals, and worse such as rumored cannibal tribes, lurk among the tightly-packed trees. As a result, the region's capital of Barford is unique in that it's built atop floating platforms along the largest river that travels through the region.
The Archspire: Not a region per se, the Archspire is an ancient tower on a small island to the east of the continent. This island serves as an autonomous government, while the tower is frequently home to delegates from the other regions. The Archspire thus serves as a neutral meeting ground for Varlaja's disparate governments to work out disputes, trade deals, and political matters without any bias that could result in dignitaries visiting other regions directly.
RELIGION
Religion in Varlaja predominantly worships a pantheon of multiple gods. Outside of Varlaja, these gods are by and large known as "legendary Pokemon", though it is worth noting that not all legendary Pokemon are considered to be a god. Indeed, not even all legendries in the pantheon are true gods. The pantheon is divided into four hierarchical tiers, from highest to lowest: the two Supreme Gods, Lesser Gods, Deities, and Guardians.
Supreme Gods
Zachariel: Arceus, God of Creation
Armisael: Mew, Goddess of Birth
The two supreme or major gods are Armisael and Zachariel, commonly represented as a Mew and Arceus respectively. It is said that they are the ones who created Varlaja, with Zachariel forming the physicality of the world while Armisael gifted the new planet with life. The pair resides in the Ethereal Realm, existing in a higher dimension than our mortal world and are unable to physically visit Varlaja.
Lesser Gods
Dialga, God of Time
Palkia, God of Space
Giratina, God of Beyond
The gods of time and space, they rule over the passage of time and all of physical existence. In their absence is Giratina who exists outside the reach of time and space, in a world said to be the reverse of ours where souls that have departed the mortal world go to rest for eternity.
Reshiram, God of Light
Zekrom, God of Darkness
Kyurem, God of Void
The opposing gods of light and the dark also rule over the positive and negative energy of the world and its people. Sitting between them is Kyurem, who himself represents nothing, the absence of light and dark, positive or negative, maintaining neutrality.
Xerneas, God of Life
Yveltal, God of Death
Given their roles by Armisael directly, Xerneas and Yveltal are directly responsible for ruling over her children. Xerneas guides them in life, while Yveltal guides them in death to the afterlife.
Zygarde, God of Balance
The strongest of the Lesser Gods, Zygarde seeks to maintain balance and order among all of creation. He answers directly to his master, Zachariel, and has supreme authority over the other lesser gods.
Deities
Lugia, Deity of Moon
Ho-Oh, Deity of Sun
The creators of the moon and sun, Lugia and Ho-oh are said to continuously circle the world from high in the sky.
Groudon, Deity of Land
Kyogre, Deity of Oceans
Rayquaza, Deity of Sky
Regigigas, Deity of Shaping
Groudon and Kyogre created the land and oceans long ago, but have forever been locked in an eternal conflict as each tried to expand their reach. Rayquaza was created to regulate the two, exerting the pressure of the sky on land and ocean both. Related is Regigigas who assisted Groudon in the creation of the land by shaping the continents and thus Kyogre's oceans as well.
Jirachi, Deity of Wishes
Uxie, Deity of Knowledge
Mesprit, Deity of Emotion
Azelf, Deity of Willpower
Meloetta, Deity of Muse
The five deities of the mind, they gave creativity and individuality to people. They are what define us as unique people, and drive us forward in our lives.
Cresselia, Deity of Dreams
Darkrai, Deity of Nightmares
The deities of sleep, Cresselia and Darkrai rule over the realm of the unconscious. They are what give us dreams and nightmares, and are like two sides of one coin.
Guardians
Articuno, Guardian of Water
Zapdos, Guardian of Lightning
Moltres, Guardian of Fire
Suicune, Guardian of Wind
Raikou, Guardian of Thunder
Entei, Guardian of Magma
Celebi, Guardian of Nature
Latias and Latios, Guardians of Souls
Regirock, Guardian of Stone
Regice, Guardian of Ice
Registeel, Guardian of Metal
Tornadus, Guardian of Tornadoes
Thundurus, Guardian of Storms
Landorus, Guardian of Earthquakes
The guardians are the weakest of the pantheon, directly dispatched to look over and guard the world. As such, they all have taken mortal form and can occasionally be seen wandering the land. They seek out disturbances related to their realm to quell them, and are frequently seen when disaster occurs, either causing them or seeking to suppress them. They are not on the side of either good or evil as such concepts were created solely by man, and so their actions may end lives just as often as they save them. The exception are Latias and Latios, who seek to preserve life and the souls that bind us to this world.
Legendaries not in Varlaja's Pantheon
Mewtwo, Deoxys, and Genesect are not in the pantheon due to their manmade or extraterrestrial nature. While it is possible for them to exist on Varlaja were they to be created or arrive from space, they would not be considered gods.
Manaphy, Phione, Shaymin, Heatran, Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, Keldeo, Victini, and Diancie all exist as normal, albeit rare Pokemon.
Any future legendaries (including Solgeleo and Lunala) should be presumed as not part of the pantheon until more is known about them and I can decide where they fit.
AETHER
Through the ages, it has been understood that there exists an energy that binds all life, and is indeed the source of this life. This is called Aether, the energy of life itself.
Many cultures treat Aether with varying degrees of respect, from the citizens of Atlas City who deny such energy exists in favor of their scientific progress, to the tree-dwelling denizens of Falonde who hold a deep spiritual respect for Aether. Among those who have little knowledge of Aether it may often be seen as magic, for those skilled in the use and manipulation of Aether can perform feats far beyond their own physical abilities.
Two concepts are vital to the understanding of Aether: Aura and the Aetheric Flow. Both represent Aether in its raw form, with Aura bound to a specific individual while the Aetheric Flow is a constant and pervasive stream of Aether that flows through the world. Simply put, Aura represents an individual’s soul, while the Aetheric Flow is a collective of souls from all who have died in the past. When a body dies the Aura is freed to join the Aetheric Flow, where a soul traditionally remains for the rest of eternity. Ambient Aether also exists in varying quantities; Falonde in particular is known to have a strong ambient field of Aether, as well as being a focal point of the Aetheric Flow.
So, with an understanding of Aether, what is one capable of doing with it? The answer varies heavily, with there being many schools of thought and practice on the “proper” way to manipulate Aether. Generally, it is agreed that to begin manipulating Aether one must acquire a focus to help channel the Aether, as well as acting as a sort of battery to hold Aether. At least one instructor and their students have learned to manifest Aether itself into a focus in the form of a sigil. Celine, the Guide to Avatar Shrike, is among those who have learned this technique.
With a focus acquired and a student able to gather and store Aether within it, many different techniques are available to them. Some schools will focus on using Aether to heal, and others for defense. Aether-enhanced movement is common, but no techniques are more impressive than using Aether for combat.
Indeed, Aether has been used for combat by Pokemon since the dawn of time, often without them being aware of it. Techniques such as summoning water, lightning, even fire for some Pokemon are all fueled by Aether. These combat techniques native to Pokemon draw from the user’s own Aura, and are often so instinctual that a Pokemon can be born with the knowledge, or otherwise easily acquire it with sufficient training or age. However, one’s own Aura is limited. While some Pokemon are better than others at channeling their own Aura into combat techniques, the unrestrained fury of channeling ambient Aether or even the Aetheric Flow itself can be a sight to behold.
Physical Appearance: While few have seen Armisael’s physical form in several aeons, it is known that she was a pink-furred Mew of below-average size, with contrasting white fur covering her belly. Many drawings of her depict Armisael as possessing a set of four brilliantly-white wings that protrude out of her back and can change in length from around 6 inches each to a relatively massive five feet. The length of her wings appear to correspond to her manipulation of Aether: when she is expressing her full power and control over Aether, her wings are at their longest. Most if not all of her Avatars manifest as blue-furred Mews, often with some sort of white accent though not necessarily on their belly as with Armisael herself. It is said that her Avatars are also capable of manifesting wings like Armisael’s, though the conditions for doing so are, as of yet, unknown.
Personality: Armisael was quite dutiful in her early millennia, seeing planets with life and enjoying meeting with her creations once they rose to sentience. Upon discovering her ability to manipulate Aether, however, she abandoned her duty to seed life in favor of a deep-rooted curiosity to understand the nature of Aether. That curiosity remained with Armisael for most of her life, even once she settled down as planetary guardian of Varlaja alongside the Arceus who had created it, Zachariel. However, her dutiful nature re-emerged as she bound herself to Varlaja and Zachariel, seeking to protect both her lover and what she now saw as her planet at all costs.
(I intend to update my bio format to include more details on a character’s powers and all, but for now here this is including a description of how Armisael actually looks.)
According to religious script on Varlaja, Armisael was born at the birth of the universe along with her partner and husband, Zachariel, God of Creation. Together the two created Varlaja and all its inhabitants, as well as the other Gods and Guardians who protect the planet and maintain cosmic order. Unfortunately, they reside in the Ethereal Realm and are thus unable to affect the mortal realm directly, so it is that they can gift their power to everyday normal folk like you and me, creating an Avatar with the purpose of expressing their will over the world.
However, religious scripture is fickle, unreliable, and narrow-minded. Over the years it has been warped and corrupted, with many details of important having been lost to the ages. Most importantly, it has become rather Varlaja-centric, only focusing locally on our one planet with minimal regard for the rest of existence. Scattered and hidden across Varlaja in the ruins of civilizations past the truth may be uncovered, proof that Armisael was not the singular origin of all life ever, but rather one of many Mews who seeded the universe with life.
Armisael can trace her lineage through the Mew Alanoi and back to Omni, the proper origin of all life in the universe. Like her parent, Armisael was gifted with great fertility, and she spent her first several hundred millenia seeding a great many planets with life. However, as she grew older a peculiarity became apparent in her: a particular affinity for the manipulation of Aether, the life energy that flows through the universe and binds us all, and which goes by many names.
Discovering her Aether affinity, Armisael set out on a new journey, one of discovery rather than creation. She was fascinated by this energy and the potential it allowed for the creation of even more, special life. Initially her attempts at manipulating Aether were crude and often backfired, but as her journey continued she was able to refine her abilities until she could create new life from raw Aether itself.
All too eager to share this knowledge with other Mews, Armisael instead found her attention preoccupied by a rather peculiar planet. Her ability to detect and sense Aether had grown, and while normally she could only feel it strongly within proper life, this planet she discovered radiated Aether despite being a barren, lifeless rock. She was fascinated, and spent a rather long time studying the planet in a search to find the source of this Aether.
Over time, she came to a single conclusion. Localized around the planet was an extra-dimensional pocket universe, one made not of mass as in our own mortal universe but rather of raw Aether. Eager to see this Aetherial Realm for herself, Armisael managed to penetrate a small, pinprick of a window between the realms. She was unable to pass her own mass through this window, but Aether could flow freely through it. So it was that Armisael projected her own essence, her soul, her Aura into the Aetherial Realm for the first time.
This realm proved to be a desolate place, much to her disappointment. She had been eager to find a great amount of life hidden away, but instead, she only found but a single life: a nameless Arceus. This Arceus, having no mortal form and being bound to the Aetherial Realm for his entire life, was quite excited to meet someone new for the first time. He revealed to Armisael that it was he who had created the barren planet in the mortal realm, his reach able to extend through the barrier between realms even while he was unable to see his own creation.
With Armisael's Window now open, the Mew was able to guide this Arceus out of the Aetherial Realm and through the barrier, allowing the formless Arceus to view his creation for the first time. Proud of what he had made even without having been able to see it, the Arceus expressed his wish to see his planet gifted with life. Armisael was more than willing to oblige, using her honed Aether manipulation to seed the planet with many forms of life in a single moment. Instantly, the once barren and lifeless rock was now a teeming cauldron of life: Varlaja.
The two became enamored with each other, Armisael gifting the Arceus the name of Zachariel. Together they created an array of Gods whose essence would reside in the Aetherial Realm with their bodies entombed on Varlaja, and Guardians who roamed Varlaja directly. Unfortunately, Zachariel would prove to have problems with spending too long outside the Aetherial Realm himself. Without a body, it was difficult to keep his entirely Aether-based essence from simply dissipating, the same as mortal souls whose bodies have died. Zachariel would spend more and more time in the Aetherial Realm, only able to see but the smallest glimpse of his world through Armisael's Window.
Eventually, this would prove to be such that Zachariel could no longer spend even a mere hour outside the Aetherial Realm. Armisael was quite concerned about this and missed spending time with Zachariel, who she had taken as her husband. She could project her own essence into the Aetherial Realm, but it became clear that she suffered a similar issue as Zachariel, only it was her body that would degrade and threaten to perish if she spent too long away from it. Even were her soul in the Aetherial Realm, if Armisael's body was to perish so to would her essence.
Finally, Armisael made a drastic decision. She would breach the boundary between realms, moving her body entirely to the Aetherial Realm. So she would be forever cut off from the mortal realm and her own planet, but her commitment to her husband proved strong enough for her to make the sacrifice. The breach was difficult and by many accounts forbidden due to the disastrous effects it could have on not just Varlaja and the Aetherial Realm, but the very nature of Aether itself. Yet Armisael persisted, too enthralled by her love of Zachariel to heed any warnings.
When the Breach finally occurred, ripples could be felt in Aether across the mortal realm. Fortunately no lasting damage could be observed, and the Breach quickly closed once Armisael had fully completed the transit between realms. So it was that Armisael left our mortal realm and entered the Aetherial Realm, where she lives to this day with Zachariel, observing Varlaja through the tiniest of windows and with only the other Gods they created for company.
Yet, one must wonder, what if the damage the Breach caused was more than appeared? For the briefest time a gateway between realms was open, one which Armisael could physically pass through. What if something else had passed through it? Just as Armisael could enter the Aetherial Realm, perhaps something could have left it... Fortunately, without a body, such an entity would have quickly perished. Right?
(Alanoi, Omni, along with the concept of the greater Mew family as a whole belong to @askomni)
I hosted a text-blog character design request stream last night and here are the three requests I did for @varlaja, @ask-shiny-ninetales and @askshinybunnelby!!
