Hello folks!
For those of you who haven't read my little introduction thread, which I'm sure makes up for most of you, my name is Basilisque, and I'm new to the site.
I came here mainly because a friend of mine, Rulaan, asked me to set up this very roleplay here. Originally, it was set up as part of a personal challenge on another site, which i won't mention as part of the challenge was that I've got a grudge against the guy who runs the place, but never actually got running.
So, Ruulan has asked me to move it here.
This is the seventh roleplay that I am running in this world and continuity, most of the previous ones run under the name 'Dragonson', and the world, 'The Five Planes', has accumulated more plotlines, lore-nooks and characters than I could realistically get in written form during this lifetime.
Among these are the stories and characters of previous roleplays, including three of Rulaan's own (R.I.P. Sestina Lamente).
The previous roleplays have been largely popular (although i cannot fathom how), and hosting a new one has been requested for... a long time, as I've been too busy writing on my to-be novel in this setting to run it as a roleplay. :P
Anyways, I wont bother you any more with trivial blabber. Let's get on to the hopefully-interesting part, shall we?
Cheers!
-Basilisque
To make sure if you have any interest in this RP before you read my wall of text, here's an extremely low-detail summary.
Genre: High-Fantasy. Tendencies of slight Steampunk.
Time-Period: European Renaissance.
World: The Five Planes (No, You're not supposed to have heard of it.)
Gameplay Type: Rule-Less, Attempt Based* (Probably what you folks categorize as 'Casual')
*all actions that affect other players, NPCs, objects or simply has a high chance of failure are 'Attempts', and the DM will inform you whether you succeed or not. Occasional exceptions.
Example:
Player: Vorg takes a deep breath, then attempts to jump over the wall.
DM: Vorg fails miserably.
NOTE: Players can chose to deny the DM's immediate deciscion with a dice roll. Rolling a 6 on a D6 (a regular die) will force the DM (Me) to alter the results of the attempt in the player's favor.
Do not think you can mess with the DM and get away with it, though!
Gameplay Focus: Survival, Politics, Gaining Personal Strength and/or Acquiring Personal Wealth. Both groups of players banding up together, as well as roaming the RP on your own, is possible.
At the center of the world, we found a tower.
It was the size of a mountain, it's top hidden beyond our view.
Into the skies it went, and into the skies we followed.
We walked up that spiral road, five days without light.
Then we reached the top.
There we stood, in the gaze of a stone dragon.
A mighty dome we found ourselves in, a great temple.
Sunlight shone in through massive windows of grey glass, six grand gates of stone beckoning us.
We forced them open, and found ourselves in a garden surrounded by towering walls.
Six grand roads led outwards, through six grand gates once again.
We forced them open.
We found a city there.
On an endless platform, lay a new land.
We found thousands of nations there, living on this great expanse.
We walked on this new ground.
We tasted their food, we heard their music.
We bathed in their rivers, we slept under their stars.
It was a second earth, a second world,
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps18600919.png
Under the Second Sky is a RP set in the city of wonder, 'Platform City'.
It lies far above ground, atop the mysterious 'Black Tower', which
no-one really knows who built. It was found by a wandering tribe millenia
ago, abandoned and pitch-black. According to the Gru Monolith, at least.
From the ground, the tower looks like a pillar holding up the sky. With
a tremendous diameter of three kilometers, it resembles a chunk of black
wall which goes all the way into the heavens. The tower goes beyond the
clouds, and no-one has ever been able to scale it or measure it's
height from the outside, nor has anyone ever actually seen it's top.
It is built from a stone, or metal (no-one is really sure) which appears
completely indestructible: No man or woman has ever put as much
as a dent in it. Inside the tower is a spiral path, which leads to the top.
If one walks constantly, one can make it to the top in three and a
half days. This is not something done often, however, for two reasons:
One: Very few people have the stamina to walk for three days straight.
Two: The traffic is terrible.
You see, if a tower without architect that ascends into the heavens isn't
baffling enough, there is a platform atop the tower. One doesn't see it at first,
as when one arrives one finds oneself in a grand cathedral. In it's center is
a great statue of a dragon, just as indestructible as the tower's black stone,
but colorless. Sunlight shines in through massive, gray stain-glass windows
(if the second sun is shining, that is)
and through six massive gates a constant stream of people are coming and
going. When one leaves through one of these gates, which one has to unless
one wishes to be trampled flat by travelers, one is met by a beautiful garden.
It is eerie, tranquil, kortovischafingly beautiful. Some call it a 'last chance to
breathe fresh air', for when one leaves the garden through a second set of gates,
one finds oneself in Platform City.
Yes, atop the tower is a platform. Or, it is assumed that it is a platform. Once you
leave the garden, there is nothing that gives away that you are not standing back
on the surface. Earth beneath your feet, sky above your head. Everything seems normal.
That is, unless you spend a couple of days digging into the ground, as you'll
find a surface just as indestructible as the tower itself, and in the same ebon shade.
The platform has been dubbed 'The Endless Plain' (or just 'The Platform'), and with
good reason; No man or woman has yet found it's end.
Many have tried venturing forth, travelling across the great plains only to return
with no results, or to not return at all. Some believe that the platform stretches as far
as the sky goes, others believe that the platform IS the sky, but the important part is:
There lies a city there.
It has always been there, as long as anyone can remember. Just like the tower.
The greatest city of them all, it's size rivaling the continent on which the tower
stands. Formed by thousands upon thousands of tribes and nations that
have fled the cruel world below, this city is a true metropolis. Divided in thousands
upon thousands of districts, varying in size and each with their own laws, the
city is a home to such a variety of cultures that the world outside pales in comparisson.
Indeed, had it not been for the city's age-less protectors, it would have been
complete chaos.
For, despite the fact that those who settle there generally do as they please
within their own lands,the humongous city is not entirely without overlapping
laws. Keeping the place in order, are nine priests.
They have always been there, never seeming to age, and they are ever-vigilant.
They live in the cathedral at the center, each in their own secluded room. There
they listen to the Gray Dragon, their silent god.
Should anyone ever raise an army on the tower's plain, and attempt to conquer
it's 'peaceful' network of interlocking micro-nations, they will be there. It takes
more than an army to oppose the laws of the tower.
But where in all of this do you, the player, come in?
Well, for starters, you are all rather insignificant. You play as tower-born,
people born in the tower, and who may never have seen even the slightest bit
of the world below. Fresh air is a luxury, and the idea of an ocean is alien to you.
Maybe you are part of one of Platform City's many guilds and orders,
maybe you are the heir of a merchant-king, maybe you are one of the millions
that live in the tower's enormous slum districts. It doesn't matter. In Platform City,
a single life, and a single death, is nothing more than a single tear, in a single home.
But there are those that are remembered. Those who do great things, and change
the way the city works forever, or simply cause so much death that a single tear won't suffice.
And right now, there is a perfect opportunity to do both.
Something has happened in Platform City, something which even for a city the size of a continent,
populated by humans, lizardfolk and anything that comes in between or on the sides,
most of which have some sort of access to magic, isn't normal. That says a lot.
In one of the wealthier parts of the city, something happened that sent tremors through
the platform. And whatever it was, it was destructive. Forty-Seven districts were devastated
beyond recognition. Thousands dead, and even more wounded to near-death. What happened?
Hard to tell. Anyone who saw it are either dead or very dead. But for those left in the forty-seven
districts, what happened is of little importance.
An eerie fog is spreading, and the moon in the second sky is full. Shadows move across the
devastation, and the news are starting to spread; The priests have sealed off the area.
Something threatening enough for the great priests themselves to be unable to deal with it
immediately lurks at the center of the destruction, and there are no ways in or out.
Whether you like it or not, you are stuck in these forty-seven devastated districts.
No, what is important now is not what caused this situation. What is important now, is how you can gain from it.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...psa601dff2.pngUnder the second sky, you play as one of the citizens of Platform City that are stuck in the forty-seven districts... Apart from that, it's all up to you.Magic in this world is best described as the absence of rules.
Platform City is so large, that even with all the lore i have already written for it it would take me a lifetime and a half to write it all.
As far as who and what your character is, you've got near-total freedom. Just remember to stay within the vague borders of the setting, and to use common sense.
I am however not running this on all player-made content, and as previously mentioned i have a LOT of lore written for Platform City, and the world around it.
Below you will find a character sheet, which is used as a template for signing up for the RP, as well as a few important gameplay points.
What to Expect Under the Second Sky:
Freedom:
What you do, what your goal is, what you accomplish in the end... It's all up to you.
The world is large, and your range of possibilities even larger. Railroading of the story will be kept to a minimum, and i'll try to avoid it completely unless things get dull.
A Volatile Flow of Magic:
Though, that too is of course a rule, and it is occasionally broken.
Anyone can use it, anyone can master it. It just takes time. Usually.
Lore-Shaping:
As mentioned earlier, Platform City is so large and so varied that there is no way i could possibly write for all of it.
Therefore, players have great freedom with who and what they play. On top of that, i am willing to play along with most things if it's well thought out.
Is your character the blood-heir of an old line of rebels that sought to overthrow the Nine Priests?
Are you mayhaps the prince of a solitary micro-nation, which has not spoken to anyone outside their walls for generations?
If what you make up is good, I will write it into the world as you play, and who knows? Maybe one day you might receive a sealed letter with the signet of your ancient family-line embedded on it, beckoning you to the great wilderness outside the city, or something along those lines.
Politics:
For those who wish to meddle in the web of intrigues and twisting laws that is the internal politics of Platform City, there is much to be gained.
Gain power for yourself or your affiliated organizations, and strive to compete in the greatest game of all: The Black Ribbon Gamble.
Kiihmblades:
Every character has a Kiihmblade, a weapon that reflects the character's violent side, and which isn't necessarily a blade.
They shape themselves to be the character's weapon of choice, while still reflecting such things as malicious streaks and sadistic tendencies.
As you play, and your character develops, so does your Kiihmblade.
As for why your characters have these, it is another one of the tower's mysteries. It is however unrelated to current events, so I'll just inform you that in the tower any humanoid being that has reached a certain level of self-consciousness has one, and leave it at that.
Character Sheet:
Name: Your Character's name, as well as any titles or nicknames he/she/it may have.
Gender: I seriously hope I don't need to explain this one.
Age: Note that most people, including humans, live to at least four hundred years in this world. If they're allowed to go on that long, that is.
Race: As stated above, there is great freedom with which races you can choose for your character.
Common races are as follow:
-Humankind
-Grimmfolk
Tolkien-esque orcs, with slightly less warped looks and the ability to speak clearly. Also actually have a culture apart from grunting, riding wolves and holding grudges.
-Tower Elves
The closest parallel to Tower Elves in popular fantasy culture is High-Elves, although they aren't much like Tower-Elves when it comes down to it. More related to the Grimmfolk than 'regular' Elvenkind, the Tower-Elves have very sharp and pointy teeth that usually stick out between their lips, which gives them a feral look.
Many Tower Elves are ashamed of this, as they compare themselves to the regular elves and humans, and therefore cover the lower parts of their faces with masks.
-Elves
Stereotypical fantasy setting elves. Most of the time, anyway.
-Scaleborn
A race of dragon/lizard-human hybrids, which are known for their incredibly varying anatomy.
They can have anything from extra sets of arms to wings and a snake's tail instead of legs, and their scales can be any color that you can think of.
-Drak'Ron
Originally a side-branch of the Scaleborn, the Drak'Ron are essentially Scaleborn with exclusively black scales.
Unlike their multi-colored brethren however, the Drak'Ron have an immense potential within the arts of magically manipulating the earth. On top of that, most of them are born with four arms. Due to this, they have developed many unique styles of combat utilizing this.
Over the years, the Drak'Ron have overtaken the Scaleborn as far as sheer numbers go, and they no longer consider themselves a side-branch.
-Crycon
Large, usually heavily-built people that closely resemble humans. Most of them have extremely pale skin, as their country of origin is completely devoid of sunlight.
Affiliated Organisation(s):
Chose here if your character is affiliated with any of Platform City's greater organizations.
If you wish to be part of a lesser known organization that you make up yourself, that is also possible.
-The Karvayn Family
A family known for their many heroic deeds and their humane look on life.
They are a major political power in Platform City, and have allies in almost a thousand different districts.
-The Towershield Family
Rulers of the land beneath the tower, the Towershield family wield immense power due to their control of trade with the world below.
Not much is publicly known about their political views and standpoints, but they have many allies in the tower.
-The Circle of Ash
Not many years ago, a powerful man calling himself 'The Ashlord' took control of the more violent parts of the tower's underworld. He has turned the art of assassination into an industry, and anyone who takes money for their kills answers to him if they have their wits about them.
Those who follow him are The Circle of Ash.
-The Zealots
The Zealots are a group that oppose the Nine Priests. They think that the tower should be completely without an overall governing, and that the priests should just stay put in their cathedral.
The Nine Priests don't seem to care much about them though.
-The Erastriders
The Erastriders are a group that work to preserve the untouched land outside Platform City, claiming that the city's constant expansion is a desecration of the infinite plains.
Not many people in the tower take them seriously, but rumor has it they do all kinds of work in the world below.
-The Gravelholme Family
The Gravelholme Family aren't technically led by a family, but they have taken on the name to spite the Karvayns and the Towershields.
They are a group of the richest traders in Platform City, whose goal it is to establish free trade with the world below.
They have a near-ancient grudge with the Towershields, which has caused much pain an suffering for both families and anyone caught in the crossfire.
Other Affiliates: Most people have at least a few friends, or if nothing else a few accomplices that they can rely on. If your character has any of note, write them down here.
Physical Traits: How does your character look? Is there anything noteworthy about his/her physique and/or health?
Noteworthy Abilities: Talents, specializations, experiences...
Noteworthy Weaknesses: Phobias, handicaps, gambling debts...
Background: What's your story? Tell me, and I'll weave it into the world you'll be stepping into.
Alright, that's all I've got for now.
If I get a few players, I'll have this up and running in a day or two.
If you have any questions, ask away!
-Basilisque
