As the Crusade grows and The Continent develops into a more defined, independent, and unique fantastical creation (similar but different from Tolkien, D&D, and others), general rules about The Continent and its peoples have emerged.

This document is meant to serve two purposes. First, this document is critical for the new Eryndor members who wish to join in the rich and unique Eryndor storyline. It is most crucial for these new individuals to grasp the nature of the places and peoples of The Continent.

Second, this document is meant to serve as a collection of information for the well-versed and inspired Eryndor veteran who wishes to write detailed stories about the Crusade and The Continent. This information should be very useful.

The rest of the document is organized into two sections: characterization/culture theory and specific rules about character/culture.

Character and Culture Theory

• If you chose to be a race other than Man and Woman, you must apply characteristics of that race. For example, Elves have long, pointed ears and no facial hair. Thus, if you wish to be an orc, elf, or other non-human creature, you carry the responsibility to look like that creature at Dagorhir events.
• Magic is nearly non-existent in The Continent, so there are no true magic users The Continent. However, certain beings have the ability to draw energy, especially Necromancers of servants of Maegamarth. They can use dark energy to achieve basic abilities like “rot wood” or “re-animate.” In the story, even those two simple “spells” would exhaust the Necromancer for days. For the witches and other spell-casters that do exist in our world, the overwhelming majority of their power comes from skillful herbology and forms of hypnosis – and very little ‘true’ magic.
• The battle skill of your character should be roughly comparable to your actual, real-life battle skill. For example, your character can’t be a master archer when you struggle to even load a bow. If you wish to call yourself “the most glorious warrior from Location X,” but you cannot even defeat most Eryndor recruits in one vs. one combat, you may need to rethink your character. A good example of how your character progresses with skill is Athron’s character. Athron, in the beginning, was nothing more than a meager squire with tattered clothing, limited ability, and poor weaponry. As Athron has progressed as a Dagorhir fighter over the years, he has since made it public knowledge that he is the last of the line of Paladins (but he far from becoming a Paladin himself) and Athron now carries himself differently on the Dagorhir battlefield.
• Orcs, Goblins, Ogres, Trolls, and other “evil” characters are similar to most characters familiar to the public (Tolkein, D&D, Magic:The Gathering, etc.). However, there are other distinctive traits of each race on The Continent that make them unique and different to any race you once knew. For example, most greenskin Orcs will slay a Man in an instant, their motive will be for territory rites and self-preservation more than senseless slaughter. As far as senseless slaughter, that’s what the Black Orcs are for. Don’t assume that the sweet Ogre you want to be because of Warcraft III is the same type of Ogre that exists in The Continent.
• The Continent is a rich world full of nuances, secrets, and surprises… but please don’t ever infer that that means you can do or be whatever you want to be. Part of the fun of ANY good fantasy environment is that there are some “rules” and “boundaries”… please respect those boundaries. If you desperately need to be an Amazonian Demigod of Thunder or a Nightmare Demon of Hades… there are hundreds of other fun online roleplaying games or Dungeons and Dragons waiting for you… play those as well!
• There’s a good chance you can pick just about any Race (Human, Orc, Elf, Hobbit, etc.), and there’s a good chance you can pick any Class (infantryman, painter, sailor, blacksmith, farmer, etc.)… but don’t be surprised if you cannot mix both logically in our world (re: An Undead warrior would NEVER fight as a Good Knight, a Black Orc would NEVER be a diplomat, a Hobbit would NEVER be the General of an Epic Army, and an Elf is not likely to be a humble tenant farmer).
• When developing your character, think of a concept, and don’t worry about the details. Think about your character’s personality and what he hopes to become, his skills, and his motivation for joining the Crusade. Then, once you have the concept of your character understood, those who are well versed in The Continent can assist forming the specifics of your character (where he’s from, where he joined the Crusade, etc.).

Specific Character and Culture Rules

• Cannot be from Edheliu because the Elves of the old world are true to their isolationist ideal.
• Paladins are a class unique in our story. Today, no one of the Continent has truly achieved the Light and become a Paladin.
• All Black Orcs must be evil, because they are solely creations of Maegamarth, and their eyes are bound to the eyes of the Dark One himself.
• You cannot begin as a god, demi-god, ent, or anything of the extreme mystical nature. Not only are better characters derived from humble beginnings, but god-like beings do not even exist in our story.
• All Undead must be evil, especially if they are one the Undead of Maegamarth. Undead may also be raised by Necromancers, but to have the ability to re-animate, a Necromancer must be deep into Dark energy, and thus their followers would be wicked as well.