The Warrior Kingdom of Avernae is a nearly entirely landlocked country on the eastern coast of the largest continent in the world, Muil. It was founded when the city-state of Tordur fell in a coup led by one of the city-state's military leaders.
The Tordurian General who lead the coup, Artillo Avernae, was a powerful Aura user who over time became tired of taking orders from those weaker than himself and wanted to build a country based on military ideals, where the strong led and the weak followed.
As a general Artillo was extraordinary, but as a leader, he proved to be sensational. Over the first 15 years of his reign as king, he expanded his kingdom from a small city-state with barely over 150,000 people, to a kingdom 150 times larger, with a population soaring into the tens of millions.
He led his people and set down laws for the land. All men once they reach the age of 12 will be given a choice. To join the army, become a Warrior, and learn the ways of Aura and fight for their kingdom. Or to apprentice to his father, mother or another and learn a craft.
Despite this fact, where in most countries women were discriminated against, in Avernae they were given power and freedom to do what they wished, women usually led the businesses and learned crafts such as potion making, blacksmithing, tailoring, and so on. All women were forbidden to fight as a woman cannot learn Aura, but they were allowed to pursue whatever they wished, other than fighting.
So the country's economy was well run, stable, and always climbing higher, despite the lack of trade due to the lack of a port or even routes to countries they were not constantly at war with. Due to this, the unemployment rate was non-existent, as even a broken soldier could take care of his family at home while his wife worked. Because of this, the country was neither Patriarchal or Matriarchal but instead led by the more dominant member of the household.
After several wars and being pushed back over and over again by the surrounding countries and empires, things came to a standstill. In order to replace the men he was losing due to the wars, he decided to postpone conquest and set down a foundation for future generations.
Artillo, wanting the country to stay a Warrior kingdom decided to allow the queens and princesses to run the financial side of the country while the kings and princes of each generation led the armies. This led to a stable foundation on all sides, and less in-fighting amongst his family, and why his family still rules to this day.
At present, the kingdom is surrounded on all sides by the Gaelish Empire to the northwest, the Kingdom of Ir to it's south and the ocean to the northeast.
The reason why it's said to be nearly landlocked is that the entirety of its ocean border is steep cliffs that drop directly into the ocean, leaving no room for docks or anything of the sort.
Its capital city is massive and built lining the cliffs with walls from the ancient city-state of Tordur. The ruins of the city-state of Tordur being mostly destroyed and built over by the Warrior Kingdom's thousand year history.
At war with Ir and the Gaelish Empire that surrounds it, Avernae is only able to sustain itself through its Aura training manuals left by their Tordurian ancestors.
Once Artillo died and his son took over, the country had a myriad of rulers who did nothing but keep the status quo, losing land here and there, and gaining land in other areas. The army never truly strong enough to compete with the size of its foes despite its elite nature, as not just the elite of Avernae's armies were Aura users, but every single soldier was an Aura user.
----------------------------------------
In a fort on the southern side of Avernae, a young boy looking 11 or 12 was running down one of the streets adjacent to one of the walls of the barracks where his test to discover his talent in Aura and his journey to become strong for his nation would begin.
A gigantic smile on his red face from the overexertion of his morning run and a bit of his excitement for the day to come.
The noise of music and laughter and children talking and yelling happily and proudly was slowly growing louder in his ears as he got closer to the entrance to the barracks.
He rounded the corner joining the crowd of parents leading their sons with smiles of pride at their child's decision, and a bit of worry on the edges of their eyes as well. Knowing that in just three short years, regardless of Aura talent or ability, they will be thrown into the battlefield in one way or another.
----------------------------------------
Either as a guard of this fort or another, a grunt soldier, a leader of a unit of 5 men in a battalion, an officer, or should they have immense talent or ability in combat, perhaps even the Aura Guard, a special unit of 1,000 men who garrison at Tordur, the capital city still with the name of their ancestors, who are led directly by the King, his brother princes, and his two sons.
100,000 people apply for the Aura Guard but only 10 make it each year, as an army, the Aura Guard can only ever be as big as 1,000, but usually it hovers at around 800, because of the amount that dies in each battle, should the Aura Guard ever be less than 300, the king takes his own life and the strongest of the princes take the throne.
The throne is a place of honor. Each king when they take their own life or die of natural causes, whether it be in war or on their deathbeds, are etched into the Avernae Chronicle, which is in the middle of every town. At the top of the Avernae Chronicle are the names of each king since the beginning, and at the bottom all around the giant stone monolith is the name of each man from that town who's fought for his kingdom and died.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
At that time there is a special recruitment of however many men they need to fill the guard, as despite the fact they only take 10 each year there are still many who are more than qualified to join but are unluckily outshined each year.
To join the Aura Guard you must be at the Orr Aura stage or higher or be able to defeat one at the Orr stage despite not having enough Aura.
The Stages are as follows, Ewe, or Awakening, Lurr, Anz, Divur, Orr, Evin, Turr, Lon, and Aur. Each is named after one of the nine ancestors of humanity. The first users of Aura, the Saviors of all.
----------------------------------------
Jac reached the square of the small town inside his home fort of Selez, stood next to the Chronicle with the rest of the young boys and looked to the large gates with the crest of Avernae, two swords bathed in blood with a Steel helmet behind it and blue Aura leaking out of the eye slits.
The crowd still as boisterous as ever heard the gate's loud clack as it slowly started to open, all the parents giving one last hug or kiss to their child and slowly leaving the square to the large stands that have been placed to the side for spectators.
The gate slowly opened as a man, in his mid to late 40s exited in front of 50 Men in full plate armor, 50 men in leather armor with a bow strapped to their backs and 10 men in full black suits of leather, only their eyes showing through the slits in their uniform.
The man, with a scar on his neck and missing an eye stopped in front of the crowd of children, the men behind him getting into formation, 5 men in each squad, 2 plate armor, 2 leather, 1 black leather with the black leather standing in the middle of the 4 others.
A gentle smile reached the man's normally emotionless face, the creases of his ever still face going along with it, making him look slightly frightening.
He talks gently, but it comes out like it's right next to their ears, "Welcome, children of Avernae. Today, January 1st, 1028 AV, is the day where you cast of the shackles of childhood and become men, whether a man decides to become a warrior or a businessman, the age he turns 12 is when his life finally starts.
"For all of you, of course, today is the start of your Aura training. You will find out your talent, you will find out, by way of our kingdom's men what your perfect stature will be should you get the correct nutrients and Aura training. As all of you should know, my name is Major Ien Kenwall, commander of Selez, and your commanding officer as of this day, you may call me Major.
From tomorrow on you will start your courses on military etiquette, military strategy, and train in accordance with your specialty. There are of course four types of specialties amongst aura users, Death, which are the men in black leather." A man walks out from behind the Major dressed in black with deep blue eyes hiding behind his black outer layer.
He steps up to the crowd and from his eyes comes blackness, it slowly surrounds him until a chill is all you can feel, then nothing, and he disappeared from sight completely and appeared behind the Major with a knife in his hand at the Major's neck.
The Major looks down and smiles as he takes the dagger from his neck and the man disappears and appears back with his unit. "Death isn't as sinister as it sounds, it's just the ability to fool someone's senses until they can't see you, and like all other Aura users, a Death user has the ability to empower his body and weapons with his Aura, making his body much faster and slightly stronger, and his weapon has no sheen and slightly sharper and harder.
"A knight," the Major looks back and another man comes out, this one with heavy plate armor, 2 swords sheathed at his right hip and a heavy gauntlet on his right arm. From his eyes comes deep blue smoke, it coats his armor and creates an almost metallic blue shield.
From the Major comes a deep crimson, almost the color of blood, it attaches itself to his right and left hands from all over his body and slowly creates a crimson blood red spear. He looks down, "This," He lifts his spear with his right hand and looks out at the crowd, "Is a Blood weapon, highly powerful, the most powerful made weapon but weakest defensive power in Aura, also the rarest."
He starts walking to the Knight, his eye leaking a red smoke as he walks. He takes a stance and perfectly thrusts forth with the spear, it hits the shield with immense strength, the shield doesn't shatter, but almost does, the guy falls back several steps and bows as much as he can with the armor he's wearing and falls back into formation.
"The Knight gains a shield which is enforced be the armor he's wearing and his own Aura, and of course boosts in his endurance, natural defense and slight boosts in strength and agility. While Blood gets any weapon it needs from its hands, it can even use throwing weapons. Blood gets boosts in strength and agility, and a slight boost in endurance.
Last but certainly not least, is the Ranger." A man with leather armor walks out and takes his bow off his back, pulls back the string into a full moon pose and an arrow made of green comes into being on his string, he then releases at a Knight that walked up with him and hits the shield that shatters and shoves the Knight back 10 to 20 steps.
The Major smiles lightly and continues, "A Ranger is the second most powerful when it comes to strength of their weapons but the most powerful when it comes to blows, equally dangerous at any range, and accurate to within inches when trained well. A Ranger gets boosts in Eyesight and agility, with small boosts in strength and endurance.
Each Aura user has his own plus, and Each Aura user has his own detraction, but together, they are unstoppable on this earth."
The scarred one-eyed major stops for a moment to catch his breath as the children whisper to each other with sparkling eyes.
He pulls out a stone from his back as red comes to his eye, a Ranger, Knight, and Death walk up beside him and do the same. "The three next to me are the strongest Ranger, Knight, and Death we have in this fort, and they will be teaching each and every one of you how to use your abilities. The stones we are throwing out will color you a certain color depending on your class of Aura."
They all smile as the various colors of smoke come from their eyes as the stones light up and start releasing their respective smokes. The four men toss the stones into the air and they explode.
Lights slowly fall down on the square as the children start to light up according to their classes. The Major walks forward and says, "Line up in front of your class's leader." The children start to do so and everyone moves until only one child is standing in the middle, smoke around the boy glowing red and green until they're forming around him and swirling more and more, then they calm down, both colors accepting their place, red on his right eye, green to his left.
The Major stares at the boy, mouth forming a delighted grin and laughs loudly, "Hah! Looks like we have our selves a Blood Ranger!" His laugh getting more boisterous and the men in the troop look on in amazement.
The Major then walks to the boy and kneel's in front of him, looking into his eyes and softly smiling, "Blood Ranger, what is your name?"
The boy looks up into the smokey red menacing eye of the man in front of him and says, "Major!," he bows slightly to him, then gives a salute of his left hand sideways in front of his heart, his right arm behind his back, his eyes burning with the fire of red and green, his mouth twitching trying hard to hide his astounded smile. "Avernae's Blood Ranger's name is Jac Delain!"
Spoiler: Spoiler
Double attributes are super rare and almost nobody on the planet has one, so there aren't going to be doubles popping up left and right, there may be 4 or 5, but that's in the whole world and some are almost dead, so... yeah. ^^