Althanas

Althanas is a unique fantasy roleplay setting called home by a collection of talented writers and their interesting and varied characters. It boasts a close-knit community, discussing anything from prospective storylines, art, world news, games, and more.

The site's most popular elements are its level system and workshop elements, the likes of which one is unlikely to find elsewhere on the internet. Each character begins at Level 0, and must write to earn EXP for their level-ups. EXP is granted at the end of quests and battles by judging moderators based on the quality of the story and its writing. This is determined using a 100-point, ten category rubric that has been present, in one form or another, throughout the site's ten-year history.

In its current, and most popular, format, the rubric is divided into three super-categories - Story, including Continuity, Setting, and Pacing; Character, including Persona, Action, and Dialogue; and Writing Style, consisting of Mechanics, Technique, and Clarity - and the tenth category, Wild Card, which serves as a point of "judge's discretion" to represent facets of a particular story that do not get represented by the other categories.

At present, the known world of Althanas consists of eight major regions. Raiaera and Alerar are home primarily to the elven peoples, the bardic-inclined elves of Raiaera, and the technologically-inclined dark elves of Alerar. Alerar is also home, in lesser part, to the of Kachuk, who are politically subservient to the dark elven king and his court. Salvar and Berevar make up the Northlands of the same continent, both being politically and technologically less advanced than their elven neighbors, and home to a thriving human majority. Salvar, until recently, was under the dual rule of the Church of the Ethereal Sway and the King, though the demon that was behind the Church has now been destroyed and its political power is shattered.

The three major island nations are Corone, Fallien, and Scara Brae, all ruled by their own human majorities. Corone, by far the most popular region to write in, has a more democratic government, though recently a civil war has broken out after the murder of a major political figure, considered by many to be a ploy by the rest of the government to implement martial law. Fallien is a desert nation, xenophobic to the extreme, and with a very powerful church providing both religious and political leadership. Fallien is also the only place that the strong and magically resistant cillu glass can be found, along with various other special glasses made from the scorched sand of the island. Scara Brae is, arguably, the most traditional fantasy region, being a small and largely mountainous island ruled by feudal lords and a large merchant class. Until recently, Scara Brae was treated as a "new players' zone," where low level characters could interact without being caught up in the political waves of the rest of the world.

Finally, the most remote region is Dheathain. Dheathain is a lush jungle zone inhabited by the magically inclined faeries and the tribal draconians. The entire region is largely Celtic-inspired, and ruins of ancient civilizations litter the rainforests and swamps.

Players are, as well, encouraged to invent their own locations for adventure, and the less documented regions of the Tular Plains, the demonic Haidia, and the Istraloth archipelago are as well available for use and definition by the players.

Can be found here: here.