NO LONGER ACCEPTING NEW CHARACTERS
Thanks for your interest, though.
Welcome
The Library is the heart and brains of this world, more influential than the government herself. Much like a modern day company, the Library offers various services to those that can afford the fees. They develop magitechnology (magitech for short) fund scientific research and own most knowledge, and outsource specialists as well as mercenaries and administrative workers.
The players will take the role of the employees of the Library. The mercenary branch, to be more specific (although you can be part of a secondary branch) and become holders. Holders are connected to a spirit that can be practically anything. Do you want a samurai, a Roman gladiator, a satyr or even a fire-breathing dragon? It is all fair game! With your new companion, you will fight alongside the other holders against other super-powered beings... That for some mysterious reason want to kill you!
Library Structure
This is where the general info part starts. The Library is split up in different departments, or branches if you prefer.
The Library's branches are the following:
- Administration
- Culinary
- Intelligence
- Medical
- Mercenary
- Political Relationships
- Public Relationships
- Recruitment
- Research
But you're free to add suggestions.
Every branch has a small hierarchy. Names may differ depending on branch; but these are usually their roles.
- Head of Department
- Manager
- Team leader
- Worker
All players start out as 'workers' but may grow in rank over the course of the RP. Power level has nothing to do with rank and holding a higher rank grants no combat-related advantages.
All departments are under the lead of the director and the council. The director is the leading executive but requires permission from the council for major decisions.
The council itself has no executive power. It mainly consists out of major shareholders and heads of departments, but also a few certain managers. The highest possible position for a player to achieve is a council-member.
The World
The country in which the Library itself resides, is called the Hub. The dominant style in architecture is Victorian, like this, this, this, this and this.
The technology advancement is very similar to our own steam-era. However instead of steam; the Hub uses magitech. The (often liquid) magic that runs through machines is commonly referred to as mana. Rule of thumb is; if it doesn't run on a steam engine, it prolly won't run on mana either. Mana-powered machinery is often heavy and rarely makes an indirect connection with other machinery. Exceptions exist, but will be specifically mentioned in the IC and/or OOC.
In terms of the social and moral setting; think more or less modern. Money, knowledge, job and connections are what give a person power. Race, gender and castes are completely irrelevant.
Aside the Hub there are many other lands; all will be specified in the missions they're relevant to, but they range from rainforests to volcanic regions. From lands full of cavemen to nations nearly as advanced as the Hub.
Spirits
Spirits are immaterial beings that may or may not have been amongst the living at one point. Little is still known about them. They come in all shapes and forms and are drawn to mana, for some reason. Only through the use of mana, people can see and communicate with spirits.
Most spirits are intelligent. They have similar levels of intelligence to humans, regardless of what they look like, be it a man, an elephant or a grasshopper. Also all of them can speak, but only holders can hear them...
Holders
Sometimes a child is born with mana in their bloodstream, but people can also have implanted mana into their bodies artificially. People who hold mana in their bodies are called holders and can bond with spirits. Bonding with a spirit has some great benefits; but they differ from person to person. We make a distinction between different types of holders; Pawns, Rooks, Bishops and Knights (Queens and Kings are not playable.)
These are the most basic of holders. Pawns can't do anything with their spirits, most can't even talk to them or see them, but they are still more powerful than the average human.
Rooks focus on the physical side of combat. As a Rook, you're tougher than a regular Pawn and can wield spirit-weapons! Every Rook has an arsenal of three weapons, based on the spirit itself. A holder of a samurai's soul for example, may have a katana, yumi and naginata. A dragon's soul, on the other hand, could grant you a huge flaming zweihander, a cannon in the shape of a dragon's jaws and ball (skull) and chain (spine). These weapons are the material form of the spirit itself and can be summoned and dismissed at any time.
Bishops assume the role of spellcasters. While not physically tougher than the Pawn, a Bishop has an array of three magical spells. Again, using the dragon for an example, a Bishop could possess the ability to breathe fire, grow two scaly wings and have a really loud roar! Or perhaps he can summon dancing katana, empower allies' weapons/spells and force an opponent to single combat. The spells are literally the manifestations of the spirit.
Knights do not use their own body or mind to fight, but instead summon a physical form of their spirit; the spirit itself. Knight-type holders may not be more powerful than humans, but their summoned spirits sure are! The spirit can have both spells and weapons (the combined number is still three), making it a lot more versatile. Knights often fight alongside their summons, or may even mount them!
Stats
As a holder, you are capable of growing much stronger than the average human being. For this there are three categories in which you can grow; Power (POW), Spirit (SPI) and Agility (AGI). A quick summary of what they do:
- POW combines physical strength, sharpness and sturdiness of weapons/claws/etc. (don't ask how) with defense and stamina. Bishops will also want to get some POW but in lesser amounts because spells don't exert body.
- SPI provides greater spell-strength along with defence against spells and helps out your ability to keep casting spells. Rooks want some SPI so they're not burned to crisps by Bishops.
- AGI is a mix of speed, reflexes and dexterity. So you're faster at attacking, more likely to hit and when things go wrong you want some AGI so you can run the hell away!
Skills
Your standard powers may seem pretty cool, special skills add a whole new level! As you level up you will gain 'skill points', with which you can upgrade your character by buying skills!
An explanation on how to use this section can be found here:
The list of skills can be found here:
Rules
Most rules are simple; play fair. Just abide to the common ones and you'll do fine. If you're unsure about something feel free to ask.
Aside that, there's a couple reservations I'd like to make as GM. Kestrel reserves the right to control your character if he/she is holding up the plot for an extended period of time. I also reserve the right to remove your character from the game entirely, should you be inactive for an extended period of time or be otherwise disruptive to the game.
I'm a fairly relaxed guy and I'm open to reason and discussion, but if I give you a no-go or warning; that is final. Insisting to argue a closed case may be considered as disruptive to the RP.
Oh and please don't put OOC-chatter in the IC. Just make a separate post in here. We get to read an uninterrupted IC and you get to raise your post-count! Everybody scores! But do place the name of the mission you're on on top of the post so that I can track them down more easily.
Character Sheet
Calculating stats is done as follows. You get 12 points to spread any way you like over POW, SPI and AGI. Average for a human to have is 1, so if you choose to have 0 POW you're weaker than an average human.
In addition to those 12 points, you get 2 predetermined points based on your class.
- Rooks get 2 points in POW
- Bishops get 2 points in SPI
- Knights get 1 point in both POW and SPI.
You also get 11 skill points to start out with. These can be spent on a skill right away, or saved up. Please make a notation of where they're going in your sheet.
The sheet is right below. We got an informative version and a clean, c/p-able version for your convenience.
A few notes:
- UPDATE: Instead of 6 stat points and 3 skill points, latecomers now join with 14 stat points and 11 skill points!
- Dual wielding weapons is permitted, if they are 2 of the same set. Twin swords, sword and shield, etc. All cool. However a single sword will be just as powerful as the twin swords are together and more powerful than the sword with the shield combo. Things like a spear and axe dual wield combo will cost you two slots no matter what excuse you use.
- Dual wielding spells is not permitted.
- On Knight's summons and natural weapons (fangs, claws, etc.) rule of thumb; if it is more powerful than a punch or kick it counts as a weapon. Flight costs you a spell slot, even if your spirit has wings.
Player Characters
Knight Adeline Tourret - Valeric
Rook Andre Jackson - Alphakoka
Knight Arlette Langfeldt - Alphakoka
Bishop Diane Whimle - Hedya
Rook Emily Savanna Reece - Fallenreaper
Knight Eowyn Ryder Rohann - Alta
Bishop Ling En / Vologhn - Valeric
Rook Kurotori Uekira - Brovo
Bishop Lucy Fuhr - guinness
Bishop Lux Turrez - Alta
Bishop Mckenzi Bishop - Brovo
Rook Noelle Charesse - Xaltwind
Knight Nuka Hokolesqua Antiman - tirgesfu
Rook Remia Kyrie - Hedya
Rook Salia Kyrie - Hedya
Rook Sol Brumik - Player2
Rook Tonia Justus - guinness
Hiatus
Bishop Aelfric Moundrell - Lord Azazel
Rook Ramza Losstarot - Lyzan
Dropped Characters
Rook Aiden Sahar - Lukas Kelly
Rook Alexi de Bassitan - Heroguy
Rook Allen C Marks - ArvinLarn129
Pawn Aven Grey - Animus
Knight Bill Dowry - Trippy
Knight Daniel West - Shade13
Knight Ethan Novacheck - Brand
Rook Exazie Hasae - PinnyThePanda
Knight Firittes le Langley - orangebox
Bishop James Longfellow - Corporal Lance
Rook Kyle Christensen - Kiltz Man Bagz
Knight Octal Chaser - entranteer
Bishop Ophelia Mercelliér - Xaltwind
Rook Orian Brenton - Gamerdude369
Pawn Ryan Mccormick - antonm1107
Knight Sairen Cerbves - Asuras
Knight Sean Barry Merister - SIngemeister
Knight Shirley Baxter - Xaltwind
Bishop Steren Novaya - Zvezda
Rook Yuzuriha Takeru - Asuras
Rook Valerie Kharn - Blazinvire
Bishop William "Will" Durkgein - Embested
Available Missions:
In Progress Missions:
Finished Missions:
Monsters
Bihar Golem
Drogan
Sand Drake
FAQ
Q: Can Pawns advance to other classes?
A: Yes, they can. At a certain point they will be able to advanced to any of the other three available classes. This point will be requested by the player and determined by the GM's. Pawns will not gain advantages over players who did not start out as a Pawn.
Q: Are skills the only available weapons/spells?
A: No, skills are additional abilities completely separate from your weapons and skills. Weapons and spells their selves are completely up to you to design.
Q: Will we ever get more than 3 weapons/spells?
A: Not unlikely! At this point of time we can't say much about it, though, but until then there are always those extra skills that you may purchase.
Q: Can characters use normal weapons?
A: Yes, but normal weapons won't be affected by your stats. So at some point a 5+ POW character won't be damaged by your puny sword strike, then it will take your sword away and bend it with its own hands; because physical attacks utilising the body are affected by POW.
Q: If my character is a knight, do stats affect them as well as the spirit?
A: Only affect the spirit, yeah. Knights their selves stay human. The price to pay for their versatility.
Q: What happens to a spirit if their knight goes unconscious?
A: Without a concious knight, spirits have trouble staying on our plane so they will quickly fade out as if they were dismissed by their holder.
Q: Do Rooks carry all their weapons around all the time?
A: A rook's weapon is basically a materialised version of their spirit. It can be summoned and dismissed at any given time. However for this reason you also can't use two weapons at once. Only exception to this rule are Knights because parts of their summon's bodies may count as weapons.
Q: What's the deal with nobility in the Hub?
A: In this world taking pride in being of nobility means about as much as carrying around a plastic bag of poo; your nose might be held high but everyone can see your reason to do so is full of shit and will walk a circle around you. Nobility exists but it doesn't have any meaning. Just take note of that. It is just a title that's been passed down, the holder is just as likely as everyone else to be a part of regional politics as he/she is to do manual labour against minimum wage.
Q: Are there cars?
A: No.
Q: I'm new, do I need to read the entire IC?
A: In the post below this one, all finished missions have nice little summaries going on. Check 'em out.
Credits in Alphabetical Order
Hedya
Kestrel
Kilt Man Bagz
Player2
Rilla
Lazy GM's way of remembering the code for invisible text goes here
