The Council of Twelve

Rhydin is Ruled by the Council of Twelve, officially.

They reside usually in the main city of the realm, but they can live anywhere. They have no set schedule of meetings, in fact, they are only said to meet when they absolutely have no other choice. It's said they actually hate one another, but some ancient binding event has forced them to work together. They are all extremely powerful and if any form of God system did exist on Rhydin, these twelve would be considered the lords of Rhydin and many people see them this way.


Member list:

Number one: Amatrix, She would easily be considered the least one of the members to start a fight, generally friendly to the world at large. She is generally seen as anything she chooses to be, but usually spends most of her time disguised as an average person to better connect with the population and their needs. When the council meets, more often than not, she is the voice of reason that keeps order when things start to get out of hand. She is much more powerful then she appears, and her true form is said to be deadly to mortal beings, and extremely damaging to those of greater powers.

Number Two: Terazine. He is powerful, and filled with justice. However the guy does not see in shades of grey. There is right, and there is wrong. If it were up to him Rhydin would be ruled with an iron fist of order and nothing "Bad" would ever happen again. He spends his free time being a crusader. He is legendary for destroying entire lairs of gangs and villains singlehandedly, and no, mercy isn't his strong suit he does kill his enemies with frightening ease. His true form is that of an intense burning fire elemental, but he is not an elemental at all.

Number Three: Draknar. He is usually quiet, always taking the "Wait and see" approach to any situation. Always having plans to back up other plans, he always thinks ahead and worries constantly that despite their best efforts, things just won't work out the way they are supposed to. He spends his free time locked away in his tower in some lost, unreachable place in Rhydin, keeping an eye on all the major events with his magical methods.

Number Four: Otherheim. He is violent and cruel most of the time. Always wanting to solve every problem as if the only tool he had was a hammer. He is the leader of the offical armies of Rhydin, however he does value every fighting man's life. Despite his violent methods, he isn't entirely reckless, just likes to wreck things. He is often seen as a heavily armored knight that towers over everybody, he spends his free time making sure every branch of the military is in top shape.

Number Five: Xyaniel. She is the magic user, the actual best magic user in all of Rhydin. She is calculated and logical. Magic and emotions never truly ever get along and even a slight outburst of rage could send waves of destruction for untold miles. Due to this, she too spends most of her time locked away in a great fortress she has built, it is the greatest structure in Rhydin, or that's what she keeps telling the others. Every once and awhile people go to her for a single lesson in perfect magic. Sometimes she reveals a minor secret, other times the person is never seen again.

Number Six: Loknar. He is actually an Ancient, and immortal Platinum dragon. He is wise in most things and always seems to know the answer to most questions. He is always seen in his human form, and this form can change at will. His dragon form is rarely, if ever seen. He is the ambassador to the Dragon race and through him, and him alone the council's authority is recognized. With out him, the Dragons would have little reason to even view the council as true force. You don't find him, he finds you.

Number Seven: Scrayon. He is a vampire, one of the greatest undead in Rhydin, old and necessary. Most people don't understand exactly why a monster like this is on the council, but the truth is that something the ways of darkness need to be seen from the point of view of the monsters that populate it. His view and understanding is needed as sometimes the forces of darkness just don't make any sense. Nobody knows where he spends his free times, but when the call to gather is made, he always is one of the first ones to appear.

Number Eight: Mala. She is a spy, silent and beautiful as she is dangerous. If there is an issue that needs more information, she is most likely the one to obtain such information. Nobody knows what she truly looks like and she is very convincing in all of her ways. Easily the most social of the group and outgoing when not on duty, she goes by many names, many appearances and many people will never even know it was actually her at all.

Number Nine: Cytoline. She is the advocate of nature. Technology progress to her is a sin, to the olden days she wishes to return. She is powerful and herself an elemental of sorts. She always puts the animals and the land before the people and the plans the others might have. She shows no mercy to the destroyers of nature for their own profit and gain. She spends most of her time deep in the wilderness, protecting it with all of the powers she has at her disposal. She is the source of many legends out in the wild.

Number Ten: Dex. This guy is the inventor of the group. Pretty much the exact opposite of Cytoline in that he believes in the ultimate power of technology and using the land to create an easier life for everybody. Usually is he is quite absent minded though and begins projects he never finishes, or invents things that people would kill for, and forgets all about them. He spends all his time in the work shop, he is an immortal dwarf whose skill is unequaled and people from all over seek his crafts.

Number Eleven: Acram. He is the closest thing to an actual hero this group has next to Amatrix. He knows the value of mercy and compassion. He tries to get the group to get along, but their natures are too one sided for him to see their value most of the time. He manages to get along with the others though, mostly. In his free time he is out saving people and doing all kinds of good things for people, but the forces of evil are many.

Number Twelve. Bob. He is unquestionably the most disliked member of the group by good and evil alike. But nobody knows what his true objectives are and usually he can get everybody to play his games and work his plans with out them even realizing it until it's too late. He is responsible for much misery on Rhydin, he is always calm and collected, but there is something about him that makes people not want to confront him too openly. Usually during the meetings, he is only there as an observer and little more. He spends his free time running his two businesses, and other equally mysterious plots. Some like to refer to him as "The Supervillain of Rhydin." He has more then earned this title, nobody calls him this to his face, it's a fact that pleases him greatly.

The Tenth Member: Dex

Dex is an inventor. He is one of the twelve ruling members of Rhydin. He got this way on accident though. Blessed with immortality by a nameless, yet supposedly kindred spirit of a God. He was given all the time in the world to learn how to make things, and how to make things work better. He is thousands of years old and has served under a great and many legendary lords both good and evil. Ages before Rhydin was founded and the great wars still raged on in the realms, Dex was there. He invented many war machines and terrible chemical weapons that became feared by any soldier.

Like all things though the wars came to an end and the war weapons were no longer needed. With that change Dex himself fell victim to becoming forgotten over time. He remained alone in some secret workshop for nearly one thousand years, through the age of heroes. Occasionally some would find him and request a special weapon be made for their mission. Dex was always more than eager to help, but everything he ever made caused more tragedy than miracles though. His swords and armor became the thing of legends, but eventually he stopped making them too, at least for people. He'd continue making the weapons and storing them in his secret caves.

According to legends, A great warlord was amassing armies from all over the realm for a power grab of the whole of Rhydin. But this warrior was using the caves of Dex as their main base and had no idea. Dex was none too pleased with this intrusion. So, the great inventor decided to take his home back. He unleashed his deadly machines, they were an army unlike the world had ever seen before, or since. The machine army destroyed the flesh army in no time at all. Dex saved the whole of Rhydin with one fell attack and didn't even realize it.

The leader of this army was Acram, the Knight. He came to oppose this force to uphold the peace that existed. He witnessed this attack on the warlord and it was at that moment that he decided that the leader of such a force would be a welcome voice to the council of Rhydin. It was in it's formative years back then and only had nine members at the time. After three days of negotiations, Dex finally agreed to join as the tenth member of the council.

Dex is a weird one. He is a mix between a Gnome and a Dwarf. He holds the passion for skill and inventions of both of his race. He doesn't know who his parents are, he used to once and has it written down somewhere in one of his ancient notes somewhere. Dex's workshop is something of legends. Nobody truly knows where it is, but those who have seen it can only describe it as a disaster that some how works. His "Discarded" pile is a treasure all on its own. Even his failures are masterpieces worthy of kings. His collection that he considers complete are beyond words.

Dex often forgets projects, gains interests in them and six other things at the same time. When you have all the time in the world its easy to take your time on what you decide to do.

As a ruling member, he still rarely comes out of his workshop to over see anything in Rhydin, but when he does. He is always in favor of making life easier for the general public with the use of the same technology he used to destroy so long ago.

Welcome to the world of secrets. Mala is a beautiful woman by anyone's standards, but she is a shapeshifter. Almost nobody knows. But she knows how to use more than just her looks to get what she really wants, and what does she really wants is information. Immortal and blessed with a perfect, and photographic memory anything she sees, reads, or hears she can remember it. Some see this as a curse and wonder how she hasn't gone insane yet, but others wonder if she really isn't insane after all. She walks the line between good and evil constantly. While she works with the council and often has many good and well informed information to give to the meetings, she'll almost never make a solid agreement on anything. She knows too much to do this and can always see as counterpoint to everything.

On a rare occasion she'll secretly help a group of people with their cause if she finds it worthy. Despite her shadowy nature she can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Mala is a spy. One of the best in the realm, if not the best one. Ages ago she began life as a thief, and she wasn't very good at it. She stole things people had a need for, food, money and other things. It was one of these other things that turned her into what she is. A great wizard was supposedly destroying caravans on a major trading route. A caravan hired her and six others to raid the evil wizard's lair and stop him. Well, the raid was a disaster. Acting out of self defense, Fidlan the Wizard destroyed the first six. Mala was going to be destroyed, but she told the wizard the story. It didn't help her case. Being tricked was her crime. The wizard cursed her with immortality and shape changing so she could always seek the truth from everywhere it might be. Thousands of years later, through hard work and skill alone she became the greatest spy in the realm.

She joined the council as it was forming. Always being one to be on top of a situation she was accepted. And it was a choice none of them ever regretted. Whenever there was a crisis or situation that needed to be dealt with, she would always have the reality of it ready for all to see.

She tries not to get involved in the affairs of the council too often, but she has expressed an interest in the inventions of Dex more than once. Because she knows almost nothing about them, but has heard so much. Of her things to hate, among the highest on the list is rumors and legends. She has an obsession to always know the truth about everything. Although Dex's inventions peak her interests, the other members of the council has their own secrets that she can't get to either. Some have said this is the only reason she joined the council in the first place.

During the meetings, she'll always try to stay out of it. But if asked, she'll always go on the side of common sense, because usually that is the best solution in her experience.

The Ninth Member of the Council, Cytoline.

Ancient, beautiful and completely filled with wrath. She has existed in Rhydin, some say since the primordial age of Rhydin when ancient beasts ruled and nature was unpredictable. She is the oldest on the council, maybe besides Bob. She has seen the rise of the first age and it's fall. And ever since then the realm in her eyes has been just been getting worse, and worse. The so called intelligent races of the realm had learned how to destroy nature around them and subvert it to their own will and purpose. Slowly she saw the world she knew crumble around her. Gone were the ancient forests and the beasts she knew soon enough. Although they did not die, the world became to hostile towards them. She alone knows the slumbering places of the great ones of the past.

Through the ages she has protected wild places, and to the present day they remain dangerous and legendary. People who dare venture into these places are almost never seen again. During the sixth and seventh age of Rhydin, she waged war against all civilizations using her considerable powers over the elements. Many lives were lost for a time the whole of society was threatened to be destroyed. It wasn't until the end of the seventh age that the council finally decided to invite her into the circle. In order to stop the violence and find some kind of balance between nature and society. She accepted the offer after much convincing.

The beginning of the eighth age was a stressful one. Cytoline was opposed to almost everything that involved with the progression of technology. She and Dex ended up hating one another with a passion, almost to the point of violence many times. Cooler heads always prevailed though in the end.

Cytoline is curious though. Despite her hateful and destructive ways, every once and awhile she will save people lost, or hurt in the middle of nowhere. She is the source of many legends and the savior of many would be champions of humanity. She can respect honor and good intentions but knows too well that most of the time these things always fade and are replaced with the negative natures beings like this are prone too.

She spends all of her time outdoors and in the wild places. She is never seen in a building other than where the council meets. Rarely is she seen at all. She keeps to herself most of the time trying to protect her lands and all the untouched places that remain. She is also the guardian of the lifeblood of the realm. She alone protects the energies that keep the whole place alive. if this is ever disrupted or changed, the whole realm could begin to die off. She worries that this rate of progress will allow someone to accidentally tap into this power source and start an unstoppable chain reaction of death and destruction.