The world of Gorika was dying, and none knew the reason. The land cracked beneath the feet of those who lived upon it; entire nations crumbled into fissures, and the seas boiled as the planet’s core sought to escape its prison. The skies sent forth volleys of corrosive rain down onto the inhabitants of Gorika, devouring those who were not fortunate enough to live under the protection of hastily erected magical forcefields.
Knowing their doom, the grand multitude of Gorika’s races gathered together on the last barely surviving continent, even as the very ground they stood on slipped into the abyss, and there, despite centuries of war, they allied themselves against the unstoppable force of nature. Thousands of wizards, mages and sorcerers merged their power as one, and vied to match the Quiet One’s strength by achieving a Godly feat of passage.
Calling to them the chaotic energies erupting from the planet’s surface, this gathering magical practitioners were able to force open a series of portals, through which their kin could escape. They paid a heavy price, however, as to keep the destruction from following those they were saving, they had to remain behind to ensure the portals were closed. This selfless sacrifice is known to all as ‘The Great Giving’.
The portals bypassed space and time, appearing instantly on planet Earth. This was never the design of their creators, whom lacking adequate preparation, had simply projected them towards a random star far from their dying home world.
The skies above Europe were torn a sunder, as unseasonal storms boiled from seemingly nowhere, striking the ground beneath them with forks of malevolent lightning. The Atlantic Ocean, reeling from the sheer power wrought by the gateways connecting Earth and Gorika, was whipped into producing gigantic waves. These destructive walls of water crashed across Spain and Great Britain, threatening to submerge them entirely, but withholding at the last second. Earthquakes racked France and Germany, bringing towns and cities to their knees.
The portals appeared randomly, all over Europe. The first of Gorika’s refugees to emerge, were the High Elves of the now non-existent Realm of Quandier. Appearing outside of the very walls of Rome, they were heavily sickened by the tolls taken on their bodies from traversing the gateways. Pope Innocent III, proclaiming that Hell had spewed forth its legion, ordered the Catholic nations of Europe to rally their armies for the ‘end times’.
Markward von Anweile, the Holy Roman Emperor’s defacto ruler of a recently defeated Kingdom of Sicily, descended upon the High Elves with an army of twenty thousand men.
… We came upon them at dawn, many of us mounted upon beast, and we fell upon them with lance and sword. They were a strange peoples; shorter than we, with long white hair, pale angular faces and piercing eyes of sapphire. They pleaded with us in an unknown tongue; but we heeded not the words of the devils, whom had surely come to claim our souls. For the greatness of God, we put them to the sword without question. Men, women and children all. Some resisted, and their weapons were of a strange quality, but they bled the same as us and soon victory was ours… – Makward Von Anweile, the Rome Massacre of Prince Thalas’ column.
Other portals soon opened however, pouring into the world a multitude of various beings. Some were as helpless as the High Elves at Rome; others, like the Orcs of Blackspire were not. Normandy burned as the Orcish Warchief Brakkar Fellblade led his warbands across the vast expanse of the Norman countryside, pillaging and slaughtering as he went. The English fought back with Arthur of Brittany leading the charge. After a bloody battle outside of Caen, Brakkar was finally brought to heel, but not before he had put the greater part of the region to the torch.
As the human Kingdoms and Empires fought a war of genocide against the ‘demon spawn of Hell’, Gorika’s refugees started to rally. Realising they had happened upon a hostile world, those who were fortunate enough not to appear in the face of the enemy from the moment they stepped from the portals, established themselves as armies with the objective of securing a foothold from which their people could continue to congregate safely.
The second High Elf column, appearing outside of Rome, and seeing the remains of their massacred kinsmen, quickly stormed the city. After a fierce melee upon the city’s walls, and a brutal engagement in the streets, the High Elves overcame the Papal army with the heavy use of lesser magic. After seeing fireballs launch from the hands of their adversaries, it was not long until other native forces within the city’s immediate bounds retreated north and south to the safety of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Pope was held responsible for the murder of the High Elven prince and his peoples, and was burned alive for ‘crimes against the innocent’; an ironic end to a man of such standing. With Rome secured, and the human population subdued under the boots of the High Elven occupiers, the way was clear for the rest of their kin to safely make passage through the portal; thus allowing them to establish the first Gorika kingdom on Earth. Other races from Gorika started to follow suit; despite early native victories, they were able to forge their way through the hostile world, and lay claim to areas of land which they would later call home. The Colliding of Worlds was in full swing…
Hello, and welcome to Colliding of Worlds. In this RP, players will choose one of two options:
Option A) To claim a race from Gorika, and to choose a nation that they have successfully liberated from native control.
Option B) To choose an existing native Kingdom or Empire.
Option B) To choose an existing native Kingdom or Empire.
You must then lead your country through this catastrophic time. Whether you are the English King, driving Dwarves from the fringes of Scotland, or a Halfling Prince, trying desperately to establish peace with Saladin in the Eygpt, your goal is to survive and expand. Form unexpected alliances, unite against your kinsmen, or indeed with them. Embrace Gorika’s refugees, or put Earth’s native humans to the fire for their evil reception of your desperate peoples.
- Live map of Europe, with coloured borders to denote the extent of all nations.
- NPC nations to be controlled by the GM, who will decide their diplomatic and military objectives towards players.
- Inclusion of lesser magic; to be explained in final product.
- Seasonal time system; simple and paced.
- Simple troop recruitment and technological mechanics.
- Diversity. Players will be able to create their very own fantasy races.
- Simple combat system. Detailed in final product.
- Religions, such as Catholicism, Orthodox Christian, Islam, Paganism and Krelanism.
- And more!
For those who are involved with me in other RPs, including the one I am currently running, the Fractured South, do not fret. Unlike everyone else, I somehow have plenty of time to see to my RP obligations despite having an active love life and a dreadfully depressing job.
To those who aren’t, does this garner your interests? I’ve got the RP outlined, and I just need to start fleshing it out. I don’t want to waste all of that time and effort if it’s for nothing, however.
Taking questions and suggestions.
I'm interested to see the mechanics you have in place, hopefully they're not too limiting.
