[center][b]The Crystal Tower RP[/b][/center]

[indent][i]You are gently awoken from your sleep as the boat comes to a stop. You yawn deeply, taking a deep breath of cool, salty morning air, and stretch pulling yourself up into a sitting position. You slowly rub the sleep from your eyes letting them adjust to the feint early morning light. You can vaguely make out the dark shape of the ferryman, standing over you and your companions. But he is not what everyone is staring at. Before you, jutting out of the small, rocky island, stands a structure that you had only heard about until this moment. A huge crystaline tower rising up into the clouds, it's smooth surface shimmering and glowing with a feint light of a color you cannot quite place your finger on. The hair on the back of your neck begins to stand up and your heart begins to beat faster and faster. You can feel the quiet thrum of energy pulsing, and flowing through the air around this place, and slowly you come to the honest realization that this is the place where you will spend the next ten years of your life.[/i] [/indent]

[img=http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110223204108/ffxv/images/d/d7/Crystal_Tower.jpg]

[b]Welcome![/b] This is my first attempt at running a forum game. My idea is that you are all children discovered to be able to use magic, brought to the Mages Tower most prestigious school for magic outside of perhaps the Grand Imperial College of Magic. The Mages Tower is a mysterious crystal structure that rose out of the ground nearly two hundred years ago in the middle of the great city of Amsusesh causing part of the city to break off and drift out to sea. As the years progressed the structure was investigated and found out to be hollow on the inside and set up like an actual building. There were floors and stair cases, and doors and windows. Mages begin to flock here in an attempt to be the one to discover the secrets of the tower. Well soon a small town sprung up around it, and once it was determined to be safe the mages set up a college to both study the crystal and to teach, and train new mages.

I will be playing most of the teachers and other students at the school but I will not have a character for myself. This is better for me as it will allow me to focus on giving all of your own characters their own storyline and arc. I will also be somewhat busy as I am going to school and I recently got a job, so I will have periods of absence, but I will try to post something at least every couple of days. 

[b]Rules[/b]

[list=1]
 [*]No godmodding, remember you are in fact apprentices. I will let you get more and more powerful as it goes but at least as of now you all should be fairly weak at magic at least.[/*]
 [*]I admit I do make mistakes, but if you do have a problem with something, please pm me. It will be easier for me to take criticism that way.[/*]
 [*]Please do not make a character if you are going to drop it in a week or so. For my sake, I don't want to just introduce your character then have them drop[/*]
 [*]I understand if things come up and you can't keep up with the game, but please tell me if you do. I don't want to be waiting around for a week for you to respond if you aren't going to.[/*]
 [/list]

[b]Setting Information[/b]
Below is some information on the setting. Not all of it is important to this game in particular and I'll only request that people at least read over the stuff under the Crystal Tower, and How Magic Works sections. The rest is is extra for those of you who are interested. 

[hider=The Crystal Tower] 
[/hider]

[hider=How Magic Works] 
Magic works by drawing in, and controlling new energy into a closed system, the closed system being the universe. This can produce a variety of effects such as barriers, throwing lightning, or pretty much anything you can think of that involves energy. It does have it's limits though. Firstly it does take time to cast a spell, the better you get at magic the quicker you can cast but even the best mages need a few moments to concentrate to throw out anything potentially lethal. Second, drawing on magic harms your body, I'll go into this in more detail later in the gathering section, but basically if you use too much magic you could end up with serious organ damage. Third there are certain effects that just can't be accomplished through magic. You can't create or destroy matter, you cannot teleport or manipulate space, you cannot manipulate time in any way, and it is impossible to invade another person's mind. Illusions are a funny subject, you may enchant an object or place to appear differently or invisible but it is very hard to do and takes weeks and weeks or calculations and work to make it look right from all angles, and it only works if said object is not moved. Creating Illusions on the fly is outright impossible.

 Anyway lets get to some of the specifics of casting a spell:
Gathering - The first step to casting a spell is to gather energy for it. To do this a mage must reach outside of the universe with their mind and tap into a seemingly infinite sea of swirling chaotic energy, called the Aether. This gives the mage a rush almost like adrenaline but better. This is often considered a very good feeling, warm, excited, you feel like you are unstoppable. Because of this many mages end up accidentally drawing in too much energy, particularly on their first try. This is often deadly causing the poor young mage to either die from internal bleeding (note: the rush of energy sometimes causes the mage not to feel his internal wounds until a few minutes later.) if they are stopped soon enough, or outright explode. Most mages cannot perfectly control the energy the gather, so bits leak out as they are casting the spell. This produces small effects like a slight glow or a breeze when all but the most powerful mages are gathering. 

Shaping - once the mage has gathered energy he must shape it to his wishes. This takes both quite a bit of discipline and the ability to estimate and do mathematical calculations on the spot. If their mind is distracted in any way, the spell will go awry. If they have any other emotions or thoughts in their head that could interfere with the spell, and cause the magic to do something completely different than intended. For example if a mage wanted to close a door with magic, but he was exceptionally angry he could accidentally rip the door off it's hinges. Mathematical calculations are necessary because you need to know exactly how your application of magic will effect the energy of the world around you. Sort of like the butterfly effect, any spell has many unforeseen effects if you do not know how to contain it properly. Most mages describe casting a spell and weaving energy. They describe "lines" or "threads" of magic, and to most it is a very geometrical process. 

Circles- Drawing a circle around yourself while gathering helps to stabilize the magic you are drawing in causing it to harm you less, and you to have better control over it while shaping. Many mages will also inscribe various runes around their circles which help them focus and control their magic. 

The Flow of Energy - Mages become more attuned to the flow of energy of the world the more they cast spells. This allows them to sense when other mages are casting spells, and if an object has any enchantments on it. This often comes across as a sort of "static electricity feeling" but more powerful mages can even sense what said spells and enchantments are supposed to do. 

Crystals - Crystals are able to hold and store magical energy. These are used mostly in enchanted items. Most crystals are not perfect for this and energy will leak out slowly over a few weeks so they have to be frequently recharged. There is a special type of crystal called Guilimite that will hold magical energy indefinitely though. These are fairly rare, and are the basis for the Empire's economy. 
[/hider]

[hider=Mages in Society]
Mages occupy many different places in society depending on what country or region they are in. For the most part, magic is fairly controlled and regulated even in places like the Empire where they are the ruling class. Things like Necromancy, or using magic to physically control people are practices that are almost universally outlawed and practitioners of such are usually hunted down and killed, if not by the local mages or knights then by the Church of Cashemar (see factions once I get it up).

Emipre - In the Empire the mages are the ruling class. The nobility distinguish social standing by how pure their mage blood is, which translates to how closely related one is to the Emperor. Anyone who is non-mage is often looked down upon. Anyone who is discovered with magical talent who is not noble born is often considered and treated as a bastard. Magic is widely promoted at developed, there are many colleges spread all over the Empire for mages, at least one in each city, and these colleges not only train new mages, but they also serve as places to develop new technology using magic.

Amsusesh - Mages in Amsusesh are often considered scholars and healers and are well respected my most people, and therefore often elected to public office. Mages here almost always go to study at the Crystal Tower at some point in their lives. Mages that stay here very rarely specialize in just magic. Most go on to become experts in other fields like history, medicine, or other sciences.

Talisport - Talisport is the birthplace of the Church of Cashemar and therefore has very heavy regulations on magic. There is a single college the Church runs for mages, where they are also taught church doctrine as well as magic. Here they have instituted a branding system where each mage receives a unique brand on their left hand detailing who they are and what sorts of magic they are allowed to practice. 

[/hider]

[hider=Nations]
Emeris - The continent where this game will be taking place. Broken into two parts the east and west. The middle is largely unexplored at least in current record, as there are two mountain ranges surrounding it, and any who venture beyond the mountains either report uninhabitable and impassable desert, or never return. The eastern portion of the continent is solidified into one kingdom under King Rolland, it's capital is the city of Aristia, a major seat of power for the Church of Cashemar. Other major cities include: Corden, an ancient city in the north with many old ruins, once said to be the home of a powerful necromancer, Goldport, a very prosperous port city build partially on the water and up the face of a cliff, and Dracmere, the seat of power of the Dracmere house, an exceptionally old family who produces many mages. The western portion of the continent is where this game will be taking place. There are two major cities on this side, and the two are often at odds. Amsusesh, a coastal city and also where the Crystal Tower is located, the government is sort of a republic, and there are heavy imperial influences throughout the city. Then there is Talisport, a city up the Talis river from Amsusesh. Talisport is the birthplace of the Church of Cashemar and therefore attracts many religious extremists. 

The Empire - One of the largest powers in the world, based on an archipelago to the west. They rose to power because they were one of the first to develop ships that could travel over open ocean, and they were the first to develop magic. Their control extended over several continents at one point including most of the coastline of Emeris. In recent centuries though they have been in decline having lost their major holdings in Emeris and a few in the Northern Lands. One's social status in the empire tends to depend on one's ability to use magic, and most Imperial nobles breed for magical talent. This also tends to be linked with having dark tan skin, red hair, and either green or blue eyes. Almost all imperial nobles have these three traits to some degree.

Heisis - a large volcanic island to the south east. Well renowned for it's schools of swordplay and hand to hand combat. Students that graduate from these schools are sent off throughout the world as mercenaries and are some of the most feared and respected in the world. They can be identified by their plain grey robes, and black swords. Pure blood Heisians often have dirty blonde hair and either golden or violet eyes. 
[/hider]

[hider=Factions]
The Church of Cashemar - This is a monotheistic religion worshiping a being known as Cashemar. They preach about the evils of abusing magic and how mages need to be controlled and regulated, and they spend much of their followers tithes on maintaining a military force called the Templars which they use to hunt down rogue mages.

The Order of the Cold Silver - A group of fifteen individuals that always seems to travel in pairs. They are dedicated to hunting down and killing demons, but what exactly a classifies a demon to them is anyone guess. They are identified by each carrying a silver coin with a unique symbol or design that are cold to the touch. 

Haven - a loose network of thieves all united by a similar code of honor. They offer shelter to various criminals, and they offer thieves places to sell their stolen goods, as well as information and contracts with individuals that need a thieves particular set of skills. They refuse to deal with murderers though. 
[/hider]

[b]Character sheet[/b]

Name: (Greek names are a good starting point. Just nothing too silly or modern) 
Age: (between 10 and 12. I will not accept any older, younger ones could be negotiated though. Remember I plan to do time skips so you will age as it goes) 
Appearance: (I would prefer a picture and a short description, but either works. Anime is acceptable but please nothing too crazy, particularly with hair color.) 
Background: (Most of you will have been trained by someone for a year or two before being sent to the Tower. Make sure you include who that was for my sake) 
Personality:
Skills: (List skills you learned outside of magic up to this point. Also list if you are best at gathering, which will mean your spells are more powerful, shaping, which means you have more control over magic, or sensing magic.)
Element: (One of the four basic elements. You will be slightly more talented at magic manipulating this, but are by no means limited to it. Not incredibly important but I'd like to know)

One extra thing I would like everyone to do once they have made a character is send me a message saying what you would like to get out of the game or what you are most excited for. This helps me make sure I give everyone what they want. It's my job as the gm to make sure everyone has fun and often times I assume someone is looking to get one thing out of a game and they actually want something completely different. This would just help me avoid that. 

Unfortunately though, for my sanity and the quality of the game as a whole I may have to limit the number of players I can accept (Probably no more than 6). I will not be deciding who gets in on a first come first serve basis, as I feel this would promote putting less thought into your characters, rather once I feel I have most of the characters in, I will then pick the ones I feel are the best. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to create a character though, and if you don't get in on the first round I will still keep you in mind if someone drops out or something. 

Will be continuously updating info on the setting. Feel free to pm me or post in the OOC if you want to discuss character ideas or have any questions about anything I posted. I really look forward to seeing everyone's characters!