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Role Play Theater / Epic Tales of Clashing Empires

« on: September 22, 2010, 05:16:49 AM »

CHAPTER 1


-Obsidian City-

It is an early evening hour in the core of the Grari power, the one remaining empire in the known world of Memad, and home to the racial queen of the grarim race and her Obsidian Palace.
The market's bustle has died down, and pairs of various races walk the streets, some within it's walls, others in it's outskirts.
A lone figure can be seen from some of the towers, standing quietly in a hill overlooking the city.

With many colorful birds still chirping overhead, grasshoppers beginning to make their presence known, and wolves howling to the three moons from nearby woodland, a small anthro wearing imperial uniform rushes past the city gates, leaving behind an atmosphere of calm, as if he were never there.


-Obsidian Palace, Throne Room-

A single piece of china falling and breaking was enough to warrant only a moment of stunned silence in the grarim audience chamber, doubling today as a ball room, which really was more of a party room at the point.
With remains of aged wine and exotic foods littering the round oak tables, several maids trying their best to replace the quickly emptying plates of food, and one little greenscale, probably no older than ten, making a futile attempt at removing the caviar stain from the polished blue obsidian floor, this was one of the new queen's more successful parties.

For some reason many would fail to understand, this white-furred woman, which appeared to be some sort of hybrid between a lisk and a shilton, appeared to appreciate the sight of drunk, happy aristocrats making fools of themselves all around her.

Her green, catlike eyes slowly moved from side to side, like some metronome, as she admired the scene she had created, until one of the patron's would once again get her attention. Having no muzzle, her black anthro nose and lips looked like some sort of curious stain on her otherwise snow-white face, her pointy canine ears standing at attention as she listens patiently to that one count again as he complains about the scarcity of fish.
No one dared assume that the short, uniformed ruko running into the room would be of any significance. Some took offense when the queen rejected the drunk barons in favor of lending the little soldier her ear, and while many decided to ignore her when she left the room, few failed to notice her sweet, enticing aroma grow scarce.

The previously festive party fell to whispers.


-Obsidian Palace, War Room-

The queen shook her head, not sure what to say or do, leaving a worried-looking ruko to stare at her in anticipation.
The Obsidian Castle's War Room has seen no use whatsoever since the days of the previous-previous queen-empress, but has been kept in pristine shape by the slave-maids, leaving it completely lacking in the dust department, which, for some reason, irritated the queen, who frowned at her reflection on the polished glass table dominating most of the room's floor.
“So... Until my generals show up...” the queen sat down on one of the chairs facing both the table and the way out “...What exactly are we expecting?”
The ruko's ears perked up.
“Well, your highness, like I told you earlier, a large group has been spotted heading towards the capital as we speak. They will most likely arrive tonight, from the south. We estimate it to be roughly a hundred men, most of which are slaves armed with farming tools. I can't imagine them getting past the walls...”
The ruko tried very hard not to snicker. He wasn't looking at the queen, but rather at the large banner adorning the wall – deep blue, with silver vertical stripes at the sides, and a silver circle within a silver diamond in the middle.
His efforts weren't required, apparently, as the queen didn't seem to notice, instead drifting off into her own thoughts.
“I don't understand – why would anyone want to rebel anyway?” she asked herself, out loud “It's not like we're treating the slaves badly-”
“For freedom, your highness” the lowly ruko cut the queen off, leaving her blinking at him with an expression of shock has he smiled far too innocently for a soldier and wagged his tail.
“...Well, I-” the queen began saying something, but was interrupted by the doors swinging open.
All four of her generals stood at the doorway, clad in their armor, prepared as always. Or, at least, that seemed to be the case. Most of the stranagrari military has not seen actual combat, so their experience stemmed from drills developed and documented several generations earlier.
“...Ah, my warriors are here.” the queen settled in her chair and smacked her hands against the table “Please be seated, we have much to discuss!”
A loud bang sounded across the castle, the sudden tremor causing nearly everyone to jerk in surprise.
“...And little time.” the queen added, horror dawning on her.


-Hill overlooking Obsidian City, Southeast-

Kigar gazed at the obsidian city.
Ironic he thought, to be named after obsidian but have simple stone walls, his old, ancestral cape fluttering in the wind.
An old shilton bandit knelt behind him, his chipped axe laying aside, beyond which stood the combined forces of most of the east's bandit gangs.
“Please, allow me to apologize again.” the bandit muttered in a gruff, hoarse  voice with a hint of a heavy smoker “I didn't realize you are of-”
“Forget it.” Kigar interrupted him “The dragon empire is long since vanished, the land it occupied is long since vanished, and with those, any meaning to the respect you offer me.”
The bandit stood up, adjusting the padded leather he wore.
“I grew up constantly remind by my father how great our people used to be...” the bandit spat aside, gazing at the bright orange light of the setting sun “To see us reduced to mere slaves of those damn...”
He was about to say furries. Kigar knew this. But this one old bandit was smart enough not to – he had lisks and rukos among the bandits who answered to him.
“...Well, either way.” the bandit continued, narrowing his bright green eyes “I feel it is us, and by extension, you and your kin – who should be the ones doing the ruling! I mean, the very thought makes me...!”
The old bandit pulled at his thick, graying blue beard in frustration, but Kigar only sighed in response.
“There is no need to be concerned.” Kigar finally turned to look at the old man who finally opted to pick up his axe “Though our past is no longer of any meaning, our future is still ahead of us. Look-”
He pointed towards a woodland west of the city. Numerous armed folk – appeared to be mostly composed of well equipped farmers – have began to emerge... Followed by rams and catapults.
“There is no way those slaves could've assembled this alone.” Kigar smiled “They've had some sort of benefactor. So, what say you, Raven?”
The old man, identified by Kigar as “Raven”, scratched his balding head, not sure what the djuni meant. So Kigar decided to spell it out for him.
“Shall we join the party?”
'Raven' narrowed his eyes, but grinned, showing several missing teeth.
A roar and a wave of his axe followed, and the outlaws charged.
Kigar stood by, leaning on a tree, chuckling.
“The Shadow...” he muttered “...The fire, and the storm, eh...?”
Old man 'Raven' had already left, leaving Kigar to stand alone as bandits charge by him. He thought the visage was beautiful.
With a deep breath, and few words of self-assurance, Kigar joined the charge.

2

Role Play Theater / Epic Tales of Clashing Empires - Sign Ups, Chapter 1

« on: August 30, 2010, 12:56:07 PM »

Having finally acquired proof of interest, I am proud to present the sign ups.
RP will commence on September 22nd in the year 2010.
I'd prefer all characters ready by then!
If you want more background info than presented here (which is only the basics) or a special position for your character (such as leaders), PM me.
Please read the thread thoroughly before putting down your character!

The RP's rules are based on THESE RULES that Virmir wrote.

The Rules:

== Theme ==

A fantasy medieval type deal. Magic is encouraged. Technology should be low (but a few weird inventions are okay). Guns are permitted if you really want them, but they shouldn't be too effective.

There are two types of people in the RP: characters and NPCs.

=== Characters ===

You can now have any number of active characters, just don't go overboard. These are your characters and your characters alone. No one can control them but you.  Guidelines for creating your characters are at the end of this rule set.

=== NPCs ===

NPCs are more flexible. Often you’ll see some soldiers, villagers, monsters, or other non important characters. Generally, anyone can create and use these characters. But if someone is using a NPC in a character like fashion, it’s probably best not to control it for them.
Occasionally an important character will be marked for shared use (such as a leader of a group of NPCs). These NPCs, while they can be used by anyone, should only be controlled sparingly.

==== NPC Groups ====

Large bands of NPCs with similar interests are "Groups".  Some examples include the villagers of a particular town or the soldiers of an army.

Groups can be controlled en mass much like a single NPC, however much more description is expected.

Groups are SLOW.  The larger the group, the slower it is.  For example, a large advancing army will take several posts to arrive at its target destination.  If the said army is attacking a village, the villagers will be SLOW to organize and react, unless it is made clear that they have been preparing for the attack beforehand.  If another army is called in to defend the village, it will take a while to arrive, etc.

Groups will remain in context.  Soldiers will very readily fight in an organized manner.  Villagers will not because it is not what they specialize in.  Merchants will always be interested in money and profit, etc.

Group sizes should remain reasonable.  An army in the tens of thousands is very large.  A hundred thousand is unfathomably huge, and would require very many posts to set up.  A million will likely get you a polite request to edit your post. Remember that this is a medieval world we're talking about, so it's not very densely populated.
As a rule of thumb, it's best to run any intention to use a group of more than a few thousand by me before using it.

=== Actions ===

Each character is limited to three "actions" per post.  An action is something your character does. Some examples:

* Attacking another character
* Defending an attack
* Charging/preparing an attack (i.e. for bigger than normal spells)
* Starting to walk/run/fly from one place to another
* Arriving on the scene
* Picking up an item

... etc. Basically use your own judgment. Conversation with other characters doesn't count (so you can talk as much as you want).  This is a maximum and not a required value.  Remember to keep the fluidity of the story above all else.

Note that both starting to travel to one location and arriving at a location are each considered one action, but it is a bad practice to have your character leave one area and arrive in another in the same post.  See the 'travel' section below.

=== Charging Techniques ===

An action is "charged" if it requires more than one "set up" posts to execute. Each of these posts require a description of the action charging or being set up. If a post does not contain description of the action being charged, then it does not count as charging that specific action. Furthermore, the length of (real world) time passed and the number of posts by other players in between the beginning and execution of an action have no effect on how much the action has been charged.

Basically,  if a character "charges" an attack, honor that attack as more powerful than normal.  This is furthered generalized by the following.

=== Rule of Proportional Effects / Proportional Posts ===

This is more of a guideline than a steadfast rule.  Think about what your character is doing and how many people (other characters and NPCs) his/her action is going to affect (cause them to take an action, or make them do something completely different than what they currently are, etc.).  The number of posts describing your character taking that action should be proportional to the number of people that are being affected by it.

In other words, a simple fireball attack might affect 1-3 people-- just one post for that.  Some sort of shockwave might blow apart a large section of a town-- better take two or three posts, the first an elaborate description describing your character preparing the spell, the last for the character executing it.  Need to rescue your friend from 30 armed NPCs?  There's no way that can be done in one post.  Probably should go for three or more.  What your character actually does during those posts doesn't matter.  He could fight through all the guards, sneak around them, prepare some elaborate plan, etc.  Some sort of event that involves an entire city, say, should be detailed through probably ten or more.  Some event that involves the entire planet?  Probably an entire chapter.

=== Story events and nature of actions ===

As far as the story goes, anything can happen as long as it's in good taste and doesn't disrupt the flow of the RP or its medieval setting. The only restriction is that you don't control other players' characters. i.e. If you throw a fireball at someone, you let them decide whether they get hit by it or not.

=== Travel ===

Try and be realistic in the amount of time it takes to get to one place from another. You should never leave one area and arrive in the next in the same post. Places that are farther away should take more posts to get to. I'm not going to spell out the distances between each place we've been to so far, so use your own judgment.

Be descriptive! Especially when you're entering a place of your own design. Try and build off of other posters' descriptions as well. This is important, as it’s easier to tell what’s going on if you know where you’re at.

=== Posting ===

There is a limit of three ’updates’ per day.  An update is a post that contains any actions for any of your characters.  The only exception is a post that contains only dialogue,  i.e. if your character is just talking to another character.

On the other hand, try and stop in to update at least once a day!

==== No one-liners ====

No lame one line "Character A followed Character B" posts. Let us know what they're thinking, what scenery they're looking at, etc.

==== Three day rule ====

If you are fighting someone and your opponent doesn't post for three days, assume they were hit by your attack and knocked unconscious.

==== Location  ====

Most posts should have the location name at the top of each group of characters you are updating like this:


 ''- Location name A -''
 
 Update for character A here.
 
 ----
 
 ''- Location name B -''
 
 Update for character B here.


When you'd like to keep the location secret, use '? ? ?' or the equivalent.
This helps keep track of where everyone is at.

==== Comments ====

Comments not part of the flow of the RP should be made obvious by placing them in between parentheses or slashes, etc.  Try and keep commenting to a minimum.  Major questions should be asked in the current chapter's signup topic, rather than in the middle of the RP.

Try and refrain from quoting other posts unless absolutely necessary, since they just look bad and disrupt the flow of the RP.

Comment-only posts are discouraged.  If you want to discuss something, post in the signup topic.

=== Limitations ===

No unbounded instant teleportation.  If they have the ability, characters can only teleport for short distances, and even that should be used sparingly.  No instant transmission from one place to a totally different one.  And traveling at the speed of light is the same thing... so don't!

No character is allowed an off-the-wall "sensing" ability. Nobody has tracking devices on their person, magical or otherwise - unless you explicitly place one on their person during the course of the RP. Limited sensing is allowed, such as sensing general things like life within a few dozen feet and sensing a specific person within a few feet.

=== Story Integrity Guidelines ===

The following amendments are added to keep the basic story and RP world on track, and to prevent things from getting out of hand.

==== Dimensions ====

A "dimension" is defined as any place that cannot be reached through normal means of travel (e.g. walking, flying, etc.).  

Characters cannot "control" dimensions.  Dimensions cannot be destroyed, time flow cannot be changed,  the fate of a dimension cannot be linked with character's life, etc.

This RP does not operate on the "infinite number of possible dimensions" idea, where there's a multitude of dimensions in which random key events occurred differently in their individual time lines, so each world is slightly different from the others, but have mostly the same people in them. There can be multiple dimensions, but each one is unique.

The "real world" is not a dimension any character or NPC can access or reference. If it is referenced via the Fated (read below), the character is magically incapable of sharing or discussing this information with anyone other than their Fated.

==== Dimensional Travel  ====

Each player may have his/her characters cross into another dimension only once per chapter.  There can only be one crossing, and the number of characters involved does not matter.  Once the crossing occurs, none of that player's characters can change dimensions until the next chapter, even if they didn't take part in the crossing.  (Exceptions can be set up if need be.)

=== Reading ===

It is important to read every post of the RP since your last post. In order to create a coherent world, we all need to know what is going on  with everyone else, even if what other characters are doing on the other side of the world do not immediately affect your own.

If you get totally lost, just ask in the sign up topic and one of us will be happy to give you a short summary of what's going on.

Though the rules are long, they will probably not be as long as the collective posts the RP receives on a good day.  
Chances are if you've just skimmed though the above rules and  jumped to this line you are not cut out for this RP.

== Character Signup ==

=== Specializations ===

Characters only are allowed to have a specialization in a few areas, which will be described in the character's biography.  Specializations can be very specific (e.g. "Fire Magic", "Sword Techniques"), or more broad (e.g. "Destructive Magic", "Bladed Weapons").  The broader the specialization, the less effective the character's talents should be in that area, but on the other hand, the character will have a wider variety of skills.  Think of this as sort of a "class".

This is to prevent characters from suddenly using uncharacteristic abilities out of nowhere.  This does not mean that characters cannot have hidden abilities, just that those abilities need to be added to the character's specialization once they come out.  Try not to make the list of specializations too long or unreasonable, though.

=== Bio ===

Post your character signup right in this topic.  I will look it over and then give you the okay if it's fine. Though to be honest, I doubt there's anyone here I won't okay.

Include the following information in your signup post:

Name:
Gender:
Race: Can be pretty much anything, canon to the background or not.
Specialization(s): Same
Age: Try to avoid 'ageless' characters.
Occupation:
Weapon(s): Plus a description, if necessary
Alliance: Could be a kingdom, tribe, cult, person, etc. (or no one at all!)
Description: Physical appearance
Bio: A short background. Perhaps just his/her immediate past, but can be more in depth if you want.

Background Information:

=== Geography ===

The world in which this RP takes place is called Memad, of which the known portion is the shape of a quasisphere beyond which is a seemingly infinite waterfall and mist. On it, there are two main continents, called Wyvernon and Sicklen, which are joined by a small land bridge. A pair of large islands are also known, and there are many unexplored small islands.

=== Common Native Races ===

Note that you can play any race you wish, and these are only here to provide general guidelines to how the world works. Feel free to create your own race. It will either be a minority in the known world or from elsewhere. Like I said, up to you...
Each race may have subraces, which are usually only different from other subraces by their colors.

-Anthros-
The anthros are a specie native to Sicklen of mammalian humanoids.  They have typical humanoid features, plus fur, long pointy ears, and a tail. The three most widely known subraces of anthros are:

• Lisks

Lisks are fox-like anthros, in appearance, usually living together in small, tightly-knit communities. They are stereotypically branded as compliant farmers.

• Rukos

Rukos are raccoon-like anthros in appearance. They are stereotypically branded as savages and bandits, except by the holiim, who view them as very very very distant cousins, mostly due to the nomadic habits thing. Unlike many other sentient races, most live a nomadic lifestyle.

• Grarim

The grarim(plural, singular is grari) are different from other subraces in that they make look like any mammalian race in the area, or a hybrid of two. Additionally, the grarim differ from others in that they are a pheromone based society. The pheromone encourages loyalty to a grari queen, of which there typically is only one (when another one becomes queen, the old one naturally ceases to be one).

-Zohal-
The zohal are a race of reptillian humanoids native to Wyvernon, with two arms and two legs, each with three clawed digits, a bald head, holes instead of nose and ears, as well as a tail. Sometimes they have patterns on their scales. The three most common subraces of zohal are:

• Greenscale

Greenscales, like their namesake, are green-scaled zohal, usually with yellow eyes.  Most of them live in forests, and their culture revolves around nature and her bounty. They are stereotyped as tree-huggers by others.

• Dirtscale

Dirtscale scale colors range from dirt brown to pale yellow, and their eyes are usually teal. Most of them live in a large walled island, where their xenophobic elders spend their time tutoring their young.
They are stereotyped as being "the wise hermits" by other cultures.

• Blendscale

Blendscales are unique in that they have a chameleon like ability, and are able to assume any scale color, either blending into their surroundings or passing for members of another zohal subrace. Their 'default' color is bluish-white, and their eyes are usually red. They used to have a vast empire until recently, but it was dissolved due to internal conflict. Many of them are mercenaries, while others live among another zohal subrace, hiding their identity. Others stereotype them as greedy ninjas.

-Farmen-
Basically, "far-men", named so because they aren't native to the known world. Said to have fled from their homeland during some sort of horrible cataclysm, these beings look pretty much like humans. The only known subraces of farmen are:

• Holiim

The holiim are olive skinned, dark haired and dark eyed farmen. Most of them prefer a nomadic lifestyle, usually as merchants or sailors. They are stereotyped as hardy survivors or devilish merchants, depending on who told you about them...

• Shiltons

The shiltons are ivory skinned farmen with brightly colored hair and eyes of any color, up to and including unnatural ones. It is said that back in their home they have a large proud empire - whether this story is true or not can no longer be confirmed, however their culture certainly encourages pride in who they are and an outlook of inferiority towards other subraces and races, except the Djuni. Shiltons are highly talented, and any member of the subrace is roughly five times as likely to boast extraordinary talent of some sort. Stereotyped as being a bunch of snotty bullies.

• Djuni

The Djuni are said to have once been the ruling class of the Shiltons. They always stand out among shiltons because they have the unique combination of fiery red colored hair and bright golden eyes. Unknown to most, the Djuni have but a speck of draconic blood in their veins. With the proper magic, this speck can be made into power, allowing the djuni to shapeshift into red dragon form either partially or fully, as well as use the dreaded hellfire. Fortunately for most, the Djuni are very rare.

=== Background ===
For years the Blendscale empire of Frostarn and the Grarim empire of Stranagrar ruled and shared most of the known world as allies, failing only to conquer the fortified Dirtscale refuge of Dirt Island due to it's heavy fortification and the distant mysterious isle of Masecha due to it's remoteness. A few years ago civil war broke out in Frostarn, as even the blendscales were no longer happy with their emperor. This gave the slave races incentive to rebel, and eventually the Frostarn empire dissolved. Unlike the ruthless Frostarnian rule, Stranagrar kept their slaves in velvet shackles, but news of their neighbors rebelling and winning has given them incentive to try and overcome their masters like their distant brethren did...

=== Theology ===
There are many beliefs in the world, but few can dispute that beings called Loudras made the world long ago and vanished soon after, due to a large amount of temple and shrine ruins left pretty much everywhere. Oddly enough, while all cultures called them "loudras", each depicted them as looking differently, so nobody is sure what they looked like. Either way, few see a point in worshiping beings that no longer attend to their reality, so people have turned to others for prayer:
Druidism: Worship of Memad as a conscious entity, similar to "mother nature". Druidists try their best to live in harmony with nature.
Angelism: The worship of angels, often incited by encounter with a particular one or hearing about a particular one from a friend, usually involves prayer to that angel for blessing or assistance with whatever the individual is trying to accomplish, in return trying to please the angel by staying virtuous.
The Fated: The belief that somewhere out there, somewhere, are mysterious beings that influence or control the fate of mortals. The Fated's desires are up for interpretation as there are no clear doctrines anywhere, making this a very popular faith.
In truth, the fated are us - the players. By controlling the actions of our characters, we control the fate of the world, no?
Neo-atheism ("there are no gods anymore") is also prevalent.

How Magic Works:
(Note that those are not rules, merely guidelines)

Innate: Innate magic comes from one's flesh and blood, and is usually of any one theme. Fairies would probably have ability to cast illusions, angels would probably have evil banishing, healing, and light creating abilities, etc. Normally, using innate magic tires the body. Normal people wouldn't be able to use this, unless they get a transfusion or something from a magical creature...
Psionic: Psionic magic comes from one's mind, and requires great will to use. Psionic abilities range from telepathy, telekinesis, thermokinesis (the ability to increase or decrease temperature at any point of concentration) and the vague "planokinesis" - a technique in which one twists the fabric of space to create the tiniest of holes to other places in the multiverse, which can either do nothing (as solid objects can't pass through these holes), create tiny amounts of some liquid (water, acid...) or sudden expansions of gas, or even whirlwinds if the hole leads to vacuum.
Soul:Soul magic comes from one's spirit, often fueled by one's ability to feel emotions, empathy and sympathy. Soul mages can communicate with spirits, animate objects by binding spirits to them, lay curses and blessings, and read into people by observing their aura. Some souls also have an affinity for one thing or another, and allow the mage to create various effects depending on the affinity by ripping out a part of their soul and materializing it.
Ritual: Ritual magic is the only magic that doesn't require the user to have any power whatsoever. It has many forms, each following a different set of rules, be it incantations, runes, bizarre dancing, or any combination of the three, ritual magic tends to be much slower than other magics to accomplish something, but at the same time, much more versatile, and can in theory accomplish virtually anything, with enough effort and time. Users of ritual magic need only have access to the rules of whatever rule set they are using at the time, be it from memory or a book kept at arm's reach.

Tips for those planning to play their part as fated:

- You do not have to do this. Feel free to just directly control your character's actions, as you would in other RP.
- Should you wish it, you may speak to your character's mind or dreams. Their reaction is up to you.
- You may not speak to another's character.
- You may control but not speak to NPCs.
- Introducing characters to real world concepts is frowned upon. If you do, however, note the rule "the character is magically incapable of sharing or discussing this information with anyone other than their Fated".
- Revealing information to a character it wouldn't otherwise have is also frowned upon.
- Use your best judgment.

Oh, and here's my character:

Name: Kigar Esshora
Gender: Male
Race: Djuni
Specialization(s): Psionics - especially telekinesis
Age: 28
Occupation: Traveler
Weapon(s): Kigar a dozen simple, iron shortswords, as mundane as can be.
Alliance: Loyalist Shiltons, Djuni, and the rebels.
Description: Kigar stands 1.9 meters tall with a slightly muscular build. He has the classic Djuni crimson hair reaching halfway down his back, all of it brushed back and seemingly well taken care of. His eyes are also piercing golden, as one would expect, however, the normally white area of his eyes is black. His skin is a light reddish-brown.  He normally wears a full suit of heavy-looking golden-trimmed gray armor (which is obviously worn from age and use), but he tends to forgo the helm. He keeps two swords at each side of his thigh, four on his upper back, their handles showing over his shoulders, and four more on his lower back, worn horizontally as keep interference with movement minimum. He also has a dark maroon cape adorning his back, though it's old, somewhat torn and of waning color.
Bio: Kigar was born to a pair of Djuni in a small slave-village of shiltons in northern sicklen, under grarim rule. With the help of a traveling holiim, he was smuggled at the age of 6 all the way to a safe haven in Wyvernon, after the fall of Frostarn, to the village of Yuean. His father left instructions for his foster parents, clearly intending for Kigar to master his inner dragon and become a blood mage. Kigar didn't have the talent for it, but went as far as ritually boosting the dragon content of his blood, which resulted in his unsettling blacks for whites in his eyes and the unusual tinge to his skin. However, he did exhibit extraordinary talent with psionics, and deep interest in the history of his people. At the age of 24, he left the village for Sicklen.