Interest CheckThere are tales of a time when the gods were benevolent and just, when they nurtured and protected mortals in exchange for small showings of tribute and reverence. Nobody remembers those times any more. For as long as anyone can remember, the gods have plagued the world with ferocious beasts and cruel demons. The mortals fought back with their skill, their wit, and their magic, only to be crushed by these merciless forces for whom surrender was not an option.
Some fled the fighting, some were run out of their homes, some simply wandered off where the wind would take them. However, they all ended up here in Kado village, a small recluse deep in the heart of a vast forest. Nobody knew who built or founded the village, but for a time things were peaceful. The forest was bountiful with game and vegetation, and it seemed to be neglected by the wrathful gods. In time, an entire generation was raised that never saw true turmoil. However, things were about to change…
* * *So, welcome one and all! This is a reboot of something I never managed to get off the ground, but I think the idea has potential so I’m going to try it again. For this RP, I want to give players lots of freedom while still keeping everybody in one place to optimize interactions. Also, as it says in the title, I am heavily inspired by anime, so expect gratuitous amounts of awesome. This will not be an adventure, per se, since it will be taking place within Kado village and its outskirts, but there is plenty of opportunity for action, rivalries, romance, whatever. I am going to be fairly liberal in terms of playable races as well as magical powers, so long as they are kept in moderation. I also want to really flesh out this village so that while it is only one place it seems like a real community. So, I’ll be having players submit a point of interest as a part of their CS, this way we’ll all have a piece of the village. Also, as a player, you will have the opportunity run your own story arc. PM me if you are interested in being a "Storyteller."
Rules1.) The chain of command is as follows: GM --> Co-GM --> Storyteller --> Player. Be respectful to everybody, but follow the instructions of those higher than you in the chain of command.
2.) Posts should be 1 – 3 paragraphs (more is ok, but not expected), with respectable spelling and grammar. If you are prone to mistakes, write up your post in Word and proofread it before submitting it.
3.) Posts should be in third person past tense. OOC should stay in the OOC thread, but in the event that there needs to be OOC in a post, put it in double parentheses. Bolding dialogue is optional.
4.) Be active. Try to post at the very least once every other day. More would be preferable. I will of course grant leaves of absence if you expect (or don’t expect) to be away for a while, but I want this to move at a decent pace.
5.) The following powers are forbidden: teleportation, regeneration/a physiology that trivializes injuries, mind reading/control, predicting the future, polyelementalism (the ability to control more than one element), controlling/artificially influencing other characters, and any attack so powerful that it is liable to leave a crater (or a shield/barrier that could block such an attack). I have forbidden all of these to promote creativity and an actual sense of vulnerability for the characters.
6.) Any questions or concerns should be directed to the GM or Co-GM. There should be no arguing in the OOC.
About Kado Village
History: The current inhabitants of Kado village settled there roughly 100 years ago. The village was found already built and in surprisingly good condition for being in the middle of the woods, yet it was completely abandoned. Various groups of people stumbled across the village in waves, each for various reasons, and once the population became stable they began to send out envoys to search for more people seeking a peaceful retreat. The village now boasts a population of approximately 500 people. To this day, nobody knows who built the village or why. In the center of Kado village is an extensive library with books written in a long-forgotten language. A small group of scholars has been working to translate these books in the hopes of discovering the origins of the village, but there are many books and only a few scholars, so the work has proceeded very slowly.
Government: Kado village is essentially a democratic republic with no formal leader. All decisions regarding laws or crises are put up to a vote via a town hall meeting. Every working citizen is allowed to participate, everybody who wishes to speak on an issue is given one chance to speak, and the order of the speakers is decided by drawing lots. Kado village has gotten away with this relatively loose form of government since there have never been any terribly urgent issues for it to address, but will this system continue to work, or will somebody need to take charge?
The Guardians: Kado village also has a small police force that fluctuates between 5-10% of the population. These “guardians” are volunteers that vow to keep the peace in addition to performing their other work. To become a guardian, one must demonstrate aptitude in combat, particularly non-lethal techniques, express complete knowledge of the village laws, and must have five witnesses, who are not related by blood to the candidate, testify to their moral virtues. Guardians are encouraged to primarily keep the peace and have the authority to mediate issues on the spot, but will bring a suspect in for trial on the rare instances of heinous crimes. The vast majority of guardians never have to take their job this far. Kado village does not execute criminals; the most serious punishment is exile. If the village falls under attack, it would be up to the guardians to defend it, but how effective can such a small, untried force be at protecting the people?
Economy: Kado village operates primarily on a barter system. It is a clumsy system, but with no immediate source of precious metals and no central government to back a currency, it is the best that the village can do. Still, the village is small enough that the people rely on one another to maintain a decent standard of living, so they are usually able to work out fair trades. It has become customary for people who offer services to give “service slips” as a way of paying for goods now and promising future services. However, these slips are only accepted from citizens with a good reputation; if the citizen fails to deliver a requested service in a timely fashion, they can be blacklisted and nobody will accept their slips any more. Likewise, metals like iron are very scarce, and are usually only brought in by newcomers. Swords and the like are considered highly valuable heirlooms and are not to be used or traded lightly.
Education: There is a single schoolhouse in Kado village where all children are given a primary education. They are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as a system of morals. There are no formal grades and the children proceed through the education at their own pace. After this primary education, the students generally learn a trade from their family, or seek out a kind benefactor if the family business is disagreeable to them. Since the class sizes are often very large, the students are usually broken up into groups upon entry and one teacher is assigned per group. Since the students have the same teacher throughout the course of their education, they usually end up forming strong relationships with their students.
Recreation: Alcohol is a scarce luxury in Kado village since most people simply don’t have the time, resources, or knowledge to make any drinks. As such, athletic people take to sports, and the less physically adept stick to storytelling or board games. The most popular sport is a ball game similar to rugby. Guardians, and some more aggressive folk, also arrange sparring tournaments for either wooden weapons or unarmed combat.
Magic: There is no formal study of magic in Kado village. Most magic takes the form of unique abilities that have been passed down through family lineages. Some scholars claim that the mysterious library holds the secret to understanding magic at a fundamental level and devote their lives to discerning the cryptic runes found in several of the books. Others have taken a more practical approach and developed a technique for preserving and repairing metal objects. Since metal weaponry is so scarce, magic tends to be a primary means of offense for guardians and the like.
Points of Interest
The Guardian HQ lies in the northern part of the village. It is a single-floor, wooden building, like most of those in Kado Village, but it is about as large as five houses put together. It has a set of double-doors with images of large shields engraved into them, and a carving of a tower shield sitting as a centerpiece on the roof. Upon entering, there is a small waiting room with a receptionist who will hear any grievances or disturbances that the citizens may report. At the end of that room is a hallway that leads into the other rooms of the building. There are a few holding cells, which are very rarely used, a small armory that boasts a couple dozen short swords, and about half as many shields. It is the largest armory in Kado Village, but still not enough to fully equip the Guardians. Finally there is a meeting room with a large table and enough comfy chairs for the whole force. When there is no formal business taking place there, which is quite often, the Guardians use this as a social spot.
The library is an ancient building made of stone that was found by the first settlers of Kado Village. The outside is a pale white stone completely covered with engravings of animals, plant life, and various other scenes in nature. There is a wide arch across the opening with something written in the ancient language of the books within carved into the stone. The scholars have deciphered it as best as they could: “Open thy hand, open thy book, open thy mind.” The library is two stories tall, and both floors are comprised entirely of long aisles filled to the brim with cryptic books. Scholars have added a few tables and research nooks for anybody who wants to try to decipher what is written (some of the books contain maps and pictures, so at least there is that), and while anybody may look at the books, the scholars regulate the process carefully and it is forbidden to remove any book from the library’s walls. Lining the walls on the inside of the library are masterfully crafted statues of two animals: an owl and a squid. Scholars are uncertain why these two creatures are so juxtaposed, or why only these two animals are featured, but they assume that it has something to do with the old gods.
Just outside the southern edge of Kado Village is a small, but reliable, stream that pools into a moderate sized lake. The stream is the primary source of water for the village, and the lake is a seasonal breeding ground for several species of migratory fish. The lake resides in a large clearing in the woods, and was so named for the pale blue hue of the pebbles that dot the shore. Though the river flows out of the lake, the current is slow and calm, and it makes a cool and refreshing place to go for a swim. The shore is also dotted with a variety of colorful flowers, and the open land makes a great spot for friendly competitions, be they sports or sparring. Whenever there is time for recreation on a nice day, most people of Kado Village gravitate towards Bluestone Creek.
'Tree of Nesting'. Just a short walk outside of the south part of the village there resides a rather large, red leafed tree. It is very colorful and has many different kinds of fruit growing from its branches and vines, along with countless kinds of flowers one might not find around the village. Many of its branches have been carefully molded by Ru-Ru over the years to allow others to climb the tall tree, and some of the branches themselves are shaped to allow one to sleep there if they so wished. The bottom of the tree is a bit unusual, it had started to rot at some point before Ru-Ru found it. But with his careful help and melding of it with another tree, he managed to form the bottom into a decently sized room. Though there are a few holes for windows, there is no door. Very soft moss covers the insides along with vines. There are a few places were a table and shelves have been molded from the tree, allowing for storage and a place to make potions.
Ru-Ru often calls this 'his' tree, as he worked so very hard to keep it alive, it is where he makes all of his potions and the alike, even where he sleeps most of the time! But in truth it is a place for people to come and go freely, the tree has a very homely, welcoming feel to it. The tree virtually has no rules, though Ru-Ru has warned people not to take all of the fruit or to pick any of the flowers... Something about the tree becoming very upset! Though as to date, the tree hasn't hurt anyone.
An ancient clearing just north of the main village, encircled by small stones the clearing contains several massive oak trees that stretch high above the rest of the surrounding forest, each easily 40 ft tall with dozens of branches. The park is popular amount residents of all ages, it's a fairly tranquil place where people often go either to relax, study and converse. The place is also enjoyed by the children of the village, the wide open space is perfect for playing games and running around.
A low and black cave of stone and moss, forming a gaping maw with trees jutting from it's top, and roots jutting from its ceiling. It has a series of slants, some steep and some shallow. If traversed deep enough it leads to a wealth of luminescent fungi and grasses, as well as pools of spring water. It has quite a few rare specimen in it and is often considered dangerous as many have been known to be poisonous. It's entrance is located southwest of the town nearly half an hour walk away. It is damp and it's walls are often jagged. A somewhat restricted area few ever bother to deal with. It is marked with six tall and mossy stone near it's entrance, creating sorts of columns that shape a path to it. It has an odd sickly sweet smell and it's opening is likened to a terrible set of earthy jaws. There are few low hanging passages in it that thus far lead to nowhere of interest. It is not known just how deep it actually is, or how far it's tunnels actually reach.
Kun Fan keeps a still near his swamp-house where he brews all manner of exotic liquors and potions. The still, itself, also acts as a means to heat the hut in winter months, as the boiler sticks halfway into the lower floor of the shack, and the upper half doubles as a support for the balcony. Simply put, the shack and still are effectively a singular object, sticking out of the swamp like a great metal-and-wood beacon to wanderers and monsters alike.
Guo Fu has a small hut near the swamp-house where he works on his wood-carvings, and stores some of them. The hut is curiously made out of large chunks of drift-wood which were hobbled together in a somewhat passable shelter. The top of the hut is tied together with a thin rope, which looks a bit chewed up. The inside of the wood-carving hut has barely enough room to allow two regular sized adults to stay in their by squating. If there were two people in their they would be bumping into each other due to a lack of space. The outside of the hut has wood carvings of it, the right side depicts a man flexing his right bicep while choking a crocodile, the other side depicts a variety of barrels with a large bear holding one. Above what would count as a door, is the inscription "Carving Shack". And there is a conspicuous rock that is a few paces and is about half the size of the opening 'door'.
An oddly named field of flowers not far behind the school. It is surrounded by foliage and isn't all too easily accessible. It holds flowers known as "death bells" that only bud at night. They collect sun in the day, and bloom once darkness falls, letting of light particles and showing a fantastic glow. The field is often empty and mostly children venture to it. It is a somewhat uncomfortable place due to it's unkempt grasses. It has a small divot in it that has been cause of a few scraped knees. Teachers often warn to be careful when treading the field and it has been argued in the past whether children should be allowed there at all.
Alexander built a shrine carved into a tree trunk, incenses burning from it with flowers laying aside it. The parts of the shrine sticking out of the trunk are themselves made out of wood and painted red. The inside is also painted. On the shrine is a cross as well as the picture of an apparently young woman presumed to be Alexander's wife. a metal cup filled with ashes is placed in front of the picture, several sticks of incenses sticking out. Every night, regardless of how drunk he is, Alexander will go to the shrine and write a letter, burning it before the shrine and watching as the ash rises to the heavens. He does this regardless if it rains or snows. A flat, rudimentary roof is built over the shrine to keep rain away.
The Quarry started out as a few holes that Joesph dug himself. Over the years with the help of the village it became a full blown quarry. Though it is not rich in anything particular, it contained more then anyone had found before hand. If nothing else a few artifacts have been found in the quarry, and are being kept at the Library for study. The quarry's name came from an annual event that some of the villagers started up. Once a month a group of them would gather under the full moon and hold a fight club of sorts, testing their skill in the quarry like it was some kind of arena.
Next to the Quarry is Joesph and Liliana's home, a few simple tied together canopies and their forge. Joesph doesn't let anyone touch the forge beside himself and his wife when she needs to use it as a fire pit. Everyone has offered time and time again to help them build a proper home, but the two of them quietly refuse every time.
Located on the eastern edge of the village, all of it is a rather recent construction compared to many other buildings within Kado. The whole place is made up of a small two-story building, a pair of sesame plantations and an oil mill. The two-story building stands at the forefront of the farm and its lower floor acts as a fast food eatery where people can drop by to acquire a variety of deep fried goodies cooked on the spot, while the upper floor is where Kumazawa and Uncle Masa live. The pair of sesame plantations aren't too large, only requiring a few workers to function, but their output is more than enough. The mill stands at the tail end of the plot of land and needs to be powered by a large animal or, more often than not, by Kumazawa himself.
On the southern edge of the village, there is a tranquil plot of land, cleared out by the villagers not long after Kado was founded. Tombstones of varying styles poke out of the flat, grassy earth, marking the remains of the dearly departed of Kado village. Most stones bear a name and a brief epitaph, but a few blank tombstones dot the outskirts of the cemetery. Saya made these humble resting places for those who she witnessed fall to the cruelty of the gods. These poor souls had no family left to care for them, or their bodies were mauled beyond all recognition. Perhaps their spirits will at least find some peace here.
Tetsuo’s restaurant is the most popular place to dine in Kado village… for those that can handle the flavor. The place has a bright and exciting atmosphere with plenty of windows to keep the place lit during the day, and plenty of torches to keep it lit at night. Tetsuo sees to it that there is always some form of entertainment going on, whether it be a pretty girl he hired to sing, or his own dangerous knife-juggling stunts. What keeps the customers coming back, though, are the unrivaled dishes he creates that can make even the toughest, burliest man sweat from the heat. While he does offer mild dishes “for the kids,” it has become a rite of passage for many youngsters to eat on of his infamous stuffed peppers, said to be the spiciest food in the world.
Not far away from Bluestone Creek, there is a small cliff that seemed to be of no use. Garoth changed all that one day when he decided his throwing exercises were more important than his arithmetic exercises. So, with a bit of chalk that he found, he drew a little target and began pelting the cliff with those white chalky pebbles from a distance to see how good his aim was. This activity caught on, and since then, villagers have carved an array of proper targets into the cliff and smoothed it out to make it an excellent spot for recreational or competitive target practice.
Ken Jian's own home is a dusty, small building. Inside is a singular, large room, with many racks upon which rest wooden practice swords of varying size, from miniscule to ridiculously large. A single scroll hangs from the wall that reads "The sword must become one with a swordsman's mind, body, and spirit. Only with his blade is a samurai whole. Out front is a carved wooden sign reading "Four Gods Style Sword School."
A little ways off, on the edge of the forest lies a steep cliff face which after a 20 meter drop pointed rocks spear through the ground. The bluff has it's name for a reason, - Jisatsu meaning suicide in Japanese - and a dark story lies behind the simplicity of the sheer rock face. When the Kado first began, when darkness was supreme reign, the village was not as happy as it was as it is today. It was thought to be the world's end, and there was no hope left. A man named Yirigami Hitomi rallied a group of he and a good 4 other villagers to commit a suicide pact. Hitomi was a known lunatic, as many years running from the Gods had left him traumatized and crazy. He told his fellow villagers that they should keep their dignity, rather than let the gods claim their souls, they would sign the deed themselves. He and the villagers who thought it best linked arms and ran off the cliff, the person they had linked arms with dragging them off. If the fall didn't kill them, the rocks did. The razored rocks were plunged through their bodies, painting the ground a red, crimson and flowing river. These days, they say if you go to Jisatsu Bluff you get a foreboding feeling, and a severe case of the willies.
Character SkeletonName: Include any nicknames or aliases and who would use them.
Age: For this RP, assume that all races age as a normal human does.
Gender: If not male or female, explain how this is possible in this setting.
Race: Should be human-ish, but I'm going to be pretty liberal with this. Kado village is a place for mortals. If you're not sure if your race is mortal, ask me.
Appearance: Pic or description is fine.
Occupation: What is your character's role in Kado village? Keep in mind that guardians all have an occupation in addition to their peacekeeping duties.
Skills: What is your character particularly good at?
Powers: What magical abilities does your character possess?
Inventory: What uncommon items does your character possess?
History: How did your character, or character's ancestors, arrive in Kado village? What has your character done? What are your character's aspirations?
Point of Interest: Create a location in or around Kado village. This can be a notable shop, a recreational location, a natural landmark… be creative. I encourage you to relate the location to your character somehow, but it is not necessary. Use the points of interest already posted as a model for this section.
Accepted CharactersRurian, Played by MayadereKeyton Hogarth, Played by GuySenpaiMillion C. Bonefinger, Played by deadpixel101Xaio Kun Fan, Played by ParserXaio Guo Fu, Played by Professor_WyvernHace P. Dolcie, Played by deadpixel101Alexander Warcall, Played by DescartesJoseph Iverson, Played by Gamerdude369Kumazawa Takeo, Played by Zero HexSaya Tanzo, Tetsuo Takashi, and Garoth Brightwing, Played by RuronihsKen Jian, Played by IncredibleBeeDesu Janguru, Played by Inuyasha
