A reboot of an old RP I started. I want to see if anyone would be interested. If anyone is interested in being co-GM pm me.
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In the beginning there was only the True Source: the one god, omnipotent and everlasting. Searching for purpose the One God looked into the void and decided existence should be shared, the purpose for one should be in another. So the One God split himself in two and the brother gods Euros and Meros were born. In this something new was created: Perspective, for the brothers could no longer see everything in its entirety but rather they saw the void from their own views. They agreed the void should give way to a new realm, a kingdom for themselves.
Meros wanted a kingdom of spirit. Everlasting and unrestricted it would be everywhere yet nowhere, a world of pure conscious. Euros however wanted something different, something new. A world of sight touch and sound, new sensations which were as revolutionary as the gods' births. Euros created the physical world, the stars the moons and the sun. The brothers agreed that to regain their omnipotence they would have to see existence through many eyes at once, and so they began to fill their kingdoms with other creations in thier image, sentient creations.
Meros thought things should exist in absolutes, and believed there was only two truths to the unvierse: Things could be created and things could be destroyed. Meros filled his realm with creations to embody this philosophy, Angels who would strive to keep the universe at an equilibrium and demons who strived to set it off balance, good and evil. In this way Meros could see the universe from both perspectives through his creations, and he believed all was done.
Euros saw his brother's creations, but desired something different. He believed things should be ever changing, and while demons and angels were bound to good or evil, he thought his creations should be able to choose between the two so that they wouldn't be a slave to one or the other; Euros created free will then made man and gave him a home in his realm and saw that he thrived.
When Meros saw his brothers creation he could not comprehend what his brother had created, but instead saw man as a threat to both kingdoms, his and his brother's. So Meros struck out against man and took thier immortality so that they may die out and fade away. When Euros saw what his brother had done to his creations and saw the plight of man he created woman, so that though they may multiply, and although they may die their kind would never fade away. Then when his brother once again threatened to do the same, Euros sought to protect man against his brother, and the god sacrificed his own divinity to separate the physical world from the spirtual and he fell to Earth as a mortal.
When Meros saw his brothers sacrifice he recognized the wrong he had done, but wept when his brother was a realm away and untouchable. Rather then watch his brother die and fade to dust as the men he had cursed, Meros threw away his own divinity to create a bridge between the realms, and he gave every man a soul, a spiritual counterpart, so that when the physical body dies it would live forever in the spirit. In this way he would never truly lose his brother.
__________Intro__________The god reborn the Northmen call him: Malfear, the twisted creation of the Mages Tower. He was once a man , but now he couldn't be further from human. A sorcerer so powerful he held dominion over life and death itself, a Necromancer and the first of his kind. He was found as a boy by Mages of the Tower, and when they discovered this young child's aptitude for magic they took him in as their own. He would grow to be the most powerful among them, possessing a nearly inhuman control of magic they had never dreamt possible. He was the shining gem of the Tower and they promised the world that through this young man things would change like we never dreamt possible, and how right they were. Demonic influence, a twisted mind and betrayal, people can only speculate why the prized horse of the Tower turned on those who raised him but he did. When his brothers discovered he had been dabbling in the Dark Magics he slayed a number of the magi and escaped into hiding. The Tower pursued his trail relentlessly to the border of the civilized world, but there they ended the chase, and there laid their single greatest mistake. For in the North Malfear displayed to the barbaric peoples his control over life and death, and when they saw he could bring back the dead they worshiped him as god. When thier god asked them to unite and set the civilized world aflame, the barbarians were too happy to oblige after years of suffering militant conquest. Malfear returned to his homeland with an army at his side, and tore the Mages Tower down in the name of revenge. When armies from the Five Nations mustered to deal with this threat, a ten year war began, the savagery of which is forever engrained in the memories of those old enough to remember the days Malfear and his Barbaric army terrorized the world. Finally the armies of Malfear were defeated and the Necromancer was slain in battle. That was twelve years ago, and as the world still struggles to recover from this history there are whispers that Malfear has been reborn in the North. The world is too preoccupied to concern themselves with such unfounded rumors, for Malfear was killed in battle, but there are few who concern themselves with these rumors...
But if the rumors are true, and Malfear once more walks among us, the five kingdoms must band together to face this threat or we will all face our doom.
__________The Five Kingdoms__________
Valeal is a country of grasslands and temperate forests. Notably it is also the host country to the current Circle of Magi, who after having their home razed and their order nearly obliterated were welcomed with open arms by Valean nobility in the capital city of Oslo. Valeal was the first nation to combat the armies of Malfear, and only when their Gorgon allies joined the frey were they able to drive the invaders out of their country... and straight into Ferros, an action for which Ferronians hold the utmost contempt.
Valeal is also currently preoccupied with war and civil unrest. It's eastern most lands have raised arms and declared independence, beginning a civil war to keep the country unified. The upstarts have taken to calling their land Valaria, and while the rebels have wrecked havoc on the eastern front the Valean king as called an order to arms, and currently Valean forces are marching east to quell the rebellion. However Valean king is unable to utilize the full strength of his armies, because as a portion of his forces march east the majority remain close at hand because of The Order of the Rose. After the events of Malfear's war, a sour taste for magic has been left in the mouths of many people, and all over the nation mages face persecution in rising frequency and violence as the days pass. The Order of the Rose is a organization of anti-magic followers whose goal is the apprehension and control of mages, which often results in a ritual stake burning. Their order is growing quickly as anti-magic sentiment spreads like wildfire throughout Valeal. Currently a host of soldiers from The Order are marching to Oslo to protest the king's hospitality towards the Circle of Magi, but there is a growing concern that more malicious intentions are behind their motives, and there is the fear of a coup.
Gorgon is a land characterized by swampland and dangerous wildlife. The inhospitable nature of the swamplands has caused the Gorgonite people to turn to fishery to keep their cities fed. There are no better sailors then the Gorgonites, and few more apt for survival then a ranger from the Gorgon swamplands. They are also Valeal's staunchest ally, but while the Valean king requests assistance in quelling his civil war Gorgonite forces are unable to response, as they are dealing with their own turmoils.
During the war against Malfear, Arthur Blackwater, the king of Gorgon at the time marched his armies to deal with the threat. In his absence, his opportunistic brother-in-law, Thomas Briar, seized the throne, igniting a manhunt and execution for every man, woman and child unfortunate enough to carry the name Blackwater. Hearing of this treachery Arthur Blackwater was forced to withdraw his forces on the brink of victory against Malfear. Arthur marched his armies home, and on the border of Valeal and Gorgon the armies of the Blackwaters and Briars met on a narrow strip of land hugged on both sides by inaccessible swampland. There the two armies waged a brutal battle for the crown in which the Briars emerged victorious, with the head of the Blackwater king mounted on a pike and the bodies of the defeated thrown into the swamps. This narrow strip of land is the only entry point by land into Gorgon, and is called the King's Pass by Briar supporters, but called the Traitor's Pass by what few secret Blackwater supporters remain. The surrounded Swampland has been aptly dubbed The Swamp of Sorrows.
Currently there are rumors that some Blackwaters with royal blood survived the ordeal, and there are whispers that the Blackwaters are mustering their supporters to reclaim the throne. While these rumors are unfounded there is little denying the unrest and mistrust amongst the Gorgonite nobility, and thus the Gorgon King, Thomas Briar, sits paranoid on his thrown with his armies at the ready.
While Valaria has yet to be recognized as a sovereign nation by the remaining world, the people of these lands are adamant they are their own rulers. Having declared independence against Valeal a brutal civil war was sparked, and while Valarian forces have been largely victorious in the petty skirmishes against the Valeans, they themselves are utterly divided. The power vacuum left by indepedence as left a number of claimants fighting for kingship, meaning Valaria is as much at war with itself as it is with Valeal. The two dominant forces are led by petty nobles, citing their royal birth as a right to wear the crown. The third and much smaller, albiest far more popular force is led by a Sir Elric Grey, who aspires to make Valaria a republic rather than a monarchy and has taken to calling his faction The Peoples Army. However due to lack of funding and supporters among those with men and gold, ie nobles, the dreams of a republic will likely never become more than a dream.
The capital of Valaria is Vespar, and it is also the primary port of the nation. Having control over Vespar means having control over the flow of food and resources to over half of the nation. Currently Vespar is under the control of Sir Elric Grey, but likely not for long as the armies of one of the noble lords lay siege to the city. If monarchy is the destiny of the Valarian people, it will soon be so. If a republic has any chance of being more than a dream, The People's Army needs a hero.
Ferros is a unique culture. While chivalry and knighthood are prevalent in the other nations, Ferros sticks to the ways of old. Everyone capable of wielding a sword is expected to do so if the circumstances ever demand it, meaning everyone is of the warrior caste. Unlike their counterparts from other nation, below the Royal Family everyone is on equal ground, from the professional soldiers to the bakers, from the men to the women, they are all each others equal.
When the forces of Malfear were driven into the lands of Ferros, they were unprepared. Ferros is a land characterized by rain, huge pine trees and snow capped mountains. While the majority of Ferronian population lives among the mountains their farmland is the Lowlands at the base of these mountains. So when news reached the Ferronian king that invaders had crossed his borders he figured they'd break themselves on his mountains. Instead they laid utter waste to the lowlands and forced the Ferronians to come down from their mountains. As war was waged in the dense conifer forests of Ferros the civilian population quickly faced the strains of starvation. As armies from both sides clashed across the border, the Ferronian king marched a smaller army of two thousand to confront a small attachment of barbarians attempting to flank the border through the mountains. He marched north to the edge of his country, into the Caspian Mountains, and was never seen again. His only child, his daughter, assumed the crown after his presumed death at the young age of twelve: The Child King.
Facing defeat alone, Ferros requested aid from Valeal, but none was given. Surprisingly it was Kain, their longtime rivals, who answered their call for aid. The Kaininite king recognized the threat Malfear had become as the Barbarian army grew for every man slain. Malfear had nearly mastered his craft of Necromancy, and his forces were growing at a rate which could not be ignored. It was Kain and Ferros who broke the undead army, and that is a fact Ferros will not let die down. Less because of gloating that they had been the victors, but more because in their time of need Valeal did not answer. Now, Twelve years after the defeat of Malfer the Child King is no longer a child, but rather a capable queen who seeks to restore Ferros to its former glory.
Ferros is salivating at the mouth for a chance to cripple Valeal in the name of revenge, and is waiting for an opportunity to join Valaria against Valeal, if only Valaria could unify under a single banner. Ferros is once again gearing for war, making such costly preparations many wonder how much gold could possibly be left in the royal coffers. There are of course the rumors that the queen has turned to... otherworldly sources for assistance, all in the name of revenge of course.
Where the mountain ranges of Ferros descend to a rocky basin and give way to the savannah called The Great Expanse, are where the borders of Kain begin. In the Expanse exotic wildlife roams across seas of dry, golden grass and nomadic tribes of the indigenous people migrate with the wet seasons. Pushing further into the Expanse, the golden grass is slowly replaced by the sands of the Adahmah Desert, where water and wildlife both grow rare. The desert continues for some distance before it is finally fractured by a plethora of rivers which stem from a single great river, all of which flood annually and leave the surrounding lands a lush paradise amidst a scorching land.
While the majority of farmland can be found hugging the fertile lands adjacent to the aforementioned rivers, most Kainite cities find themselves on the coast, where similarly to Gorgon, seafarring is the most common occupation. Merchants from across the world over bring rare dyes, jewelry and silks to Kain for trade, while pirates under Kaininite employment bring their own stolen r smuggled goods for sale. Within the cities themselves citizens from all reaches of the globe line the streets, not only men from the Five Kingdoms but men from lands far beyond the great oceans. In the streets of the capital city of Able, slavers exhibit their merchandise under the shadows of colossal monuments matching any marvels found elsewhere in the world.
Whereas knights from other kingdoms favor the horse and plate armor, the Kaininites forgo plate for leather or cloth and employ the camel in place of the horse thanks to the scarcity of water. Because Kain is separated from the other kingdoms by endless miles of savannah and desert Kain has evolved its own distinct culture. Unlike the other kingdoms, with the exception being Ferros, women in Kain are treated as social equals and are allowed to inherit on the same grounds as men. Overall, Kain is an extremely foreign culture, and due to the vast desert in between it and the other nations, it's rather politically removed from the rest of the world.
__________Other Info___________
Although the Mages Tower was first created some hundred years ago, by a Valean king and his council of mages, it has never since nor ever shall owe fealty to any king. However, now that the Tower lay in ruin by the hands of Malfear, the mages of the tower and the Circle of Magi have been given refuge in Oslo, the Valean capital.
Because magic is such a volatile force, in the days before the Ivory Tower mages were feared and hunted, and as often as mages brought harm unto others either by accident or ill intent, they also destroyed themselves with the magic they did not understand how to harness. The Ivory Tower was built in response to this, to make the lands safer by teaching young mages how to wield their magic and hunting feral mages whom brought harm unto the innocent.
The Tower operates on its own agenda, separate of the five kingdoms. However, the Tower is guided by the Circle of Magi, or powerful mages who are in charge of the future of the Tower and all of its mages. It is tradition for each nation to select their most knowledgeable mage and send him to the Tower to become an Archmage of the circle, and at any time the Circle of Magi has a single Archmage from each nation. Upon entering the tower, mages abandon all previous loyalties during their time in the service of the tower. Mages under service of the Tower, but acting in the interest of any nation, is an act punishable by death.
Notably, following the Circle of Magi's relocation to Oslo Ferros and Kain have both stopped sending young candidates to the Tower, and have even become hostile to Mages of the Tower entering their territories. As a result, the Archmage of Ferros and Kain have withdrawn themselves back to their home countries.
Once within the Tower young mages are taught not only how to harness their magic, but also trained to use the sword. Mages who show exceptional skill at swordplay are given the opportunity to join the Wardens of Magi, or Guardians as their mage counterparts call them. If a mage skilled with a sword elects to become a Guardian, he undergoes arduous training for the next few years of their life, but near the end of the training the mage undergoes a sacred ritual in which thier ability to harness magic is taken from them. The bridge in their souls, the same bridge they use to draw magical energies from the nether is reversed. As a result, the mage loses his ability to wield magic, but as a result becomes immune to it.
During the training to become a guardian, it isn't uncommon for candidates to die, as once they undergo the ritual they are to accompany Veteran mages and guardians in a hunt for a feral mage. Sometimes the candidate gets lucky, and the feral mage they hunt is little more than a rogue pyromancer burning fields for joy, yet other times the candidates arn't so lucky, and their first time in the field they are pitted against far more dangerous mages which utterly overpower them. One thing is certain though, by the end of their training they stand as Guardians. The new Guardians are then taught the Ritual of Sealing, a ritual which leaves the target unable to harness magic, and sometimes whether by inexperience or intent the ritual also renders the target mage mindless.
Guardians are then assigned to a veteran mage or sometimes two, whose duty it is to protect and accompany in the hunt of feral mages.
What are Feral Mages? By the Circle's definition, feral mages are mages who use their magic with Mal-will towards any non-combatant. It's a rather slippery slope of a definition, since mages under the command of a king ordered to kill civilians are by definition feral mages, yet often times the circle will refuse to pursue mages such as this since their own label as non-combatants is kept in a delicate balance amongst the kings.
When Meros sacrificed his divinity and gave every human a soul, he created a bridge of sorts between our human bodies here in the physical world and our spiritual counterparts in the nether, or the place between heaven and hell. He can use this bridge to draw energy from the nether, and those who know how to wield this energy can turn it into powerful spells and incantations.
Magic requires a great deal of concentration to cast, and the weaving of magical energies into a useful spell is not only a learned skill but a dangerous one as well, since losing concentration could result in a spell backfiring on the caster. Currently, there are three recognized branches of magic and these branches are broken down further into schools.
Destros
The following schools fall under the branch of Destros:
Airmancy is the school of control over wind magic.
Pyromancy is the school of control over fire magic.
Hyrdomancy is the school of control over water magic.
Geomancy is the school of control over earth magic.
Constructs , when used in conjunction with one of the schools of the four elements this school allows mages to create elemental constructs, IE: Fire Sentinels, Earth Golems, Water serpents and Storm Elementals.
Restos
The following schools fall under the branch of Restos.
Healing is the school of restoring the body from wounds, grievous or otherwise.
Blessings is the school of protective and augmentative magic, ranging from magical barriers, anti-magic shells, or blessings such as night-vision or water-breathing.
Purification is the school of expulsion, teaching mages how to expel unwanted magics and even substances from the body, ranging from poison to demon possession. Masters in the art of Purification can even 'seal the bridge' of an unfortunate target, effectively rendering them unable to use magic. The duration of this seal depends on the skill of the user, and can range from a few seconds to the targets entire life.
The following schools fall under the branch of Mystos, alternatively called the Branch of Darkness.
Illusion allows the caster to alter a targets perception of reality, and powerful mages can even trap a target within a false fantasy, much like a dream, and much to the Mages of the Tower's chagrin, sometimes a target is so entranced by this fantasy they refuse to leave, and eventually die from starvation or dehydration if not looked after for the remainder of their life. Effectively Illusion gives the caster control over a targets mind.
Necromancy : See how necromancy works.
Curses enables the caster to place hexes on an unfortunate victim. Hexes can range from turning a victim into an animal, fusing their body with objects around them and leaving them forever immobile, or simply giving them a string of bad luck. The imagination is the limit with curses, however curses more so then any other magic have a high likelihood to backfire.
Alchemy allows the caster to alter the physical properties of an object, such as turning iron to gold, or even altering their own forms such as turning themselves into animals or the exact image of another person, shape shifting as it's called.
Malfear was the first Necromancer the world had ever seen, and during his time among the living he passed his knowledge to many of his acolytes, some of whom survived the war and continue to spread their corrupt knowledge throughout the lands. Necromancy can consume the casters mind and leave them destructive shells of humanity, it should be noted however that some necromancers are unaffected by this decadence. The process by which one becomes a necromancer was chronicled by one such necromancer who retained her mind.
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We saw his power, great and unrelenting. Entire armies laid to waste only to be risen by the Master. He came us mages, captives of war, with an ultimatum. Join him or serve him. The ones who refused him were killed, and their bodies raised again as the mindless servants we've seen a thousand times over. I was the first to submit and so they pulled me from the line, their rotten hands pulling surprisingly strong on my arm, their eyes black and empty.
Then I saw one different than the others. Whereas the others were rotten and wreaked of death, this one was human I thought, as the skin on his hands and neck were unrotten, but he wore a mask of gold and silver on his face. In his left hand he held a dagger, and in his right he held a mask much like his own.
They threw me before him and I rose to my knees. He gripped me by the chin and whispered 'For there to be light there must also be darkness."
I then I felt his dagger sink into my chest, and the feeling of the cold ground rushing to meet my face was my last memory of the ritual. When I awoke, I found myself in a river with water so black I thought a great void laid beneath me. I looked up and I saw a ceiling of white, bright and nearly blinding, yet the light didn't fall on the river around me, nor did it illuminate my surroundings. Behind me was a single pale orb, unlike the others it refused to move and I felt drawn to it like a moth to light. I wanted to touch it, but as I moved closer to it something spoke.
'Follow' it said, and I did. I began to follow the river. In time I noticed the river and grown deeper and stronger, it now flowed up to the back of my knees and I could it tugging at my calfs. Then before me I saw a giant gate, half silver and half gold with the head of a lion carved into the surface. I put my hands on the gate and it opened despite its size.
I continued with the river. At some point I noticed the river had grown deeper still, flowing now to my waist, and the current was growing ever stronger as I continued this journey. The orbs of light still flowed with the river, with thousands upon thousands. As I walked on, I noticed not only did the river grow deeper but the orbs of light were now skimming just along the top of the water now.
Finally I came to a gate of pure black with a scorpion engraved on the front. By this point the water was chest deep and every step was a struggle against the current. I placed my hand on the gate, and noted how much harder this gate was to open then the first. Once the gate finally opened, a ghastly scream pierced the air. A woman's I think. I was startled and wanted to turn back, but once more the voice said "Follow". So I did. I would learn later the scream was the creation of a shade.
A short time after passing the black gate the water became too deep to wade through, I had to swim. The current carried me with great ease. The orbs of light still followed me, skimming along the surface of the water. Ahead of me the blackness gave way to a bright red, and as I swam closer I saw a gate of fire burning bright. It burned with an intensity and heat I thought would melt my flesh. Then I noticed that the orbs of light were submerging in the water just before they reached the gate, and the voice once more spoke to me, saying 'Take'.
The orbs that still floated above the water were immovable, my hand would just pass through it. Finally, I went for one of the submerged orbs, and I was able to grasp it. It was heavy, nearly too heavy to manage as It nearly pulled me into the gate of fire. I felt something grab me from under the water and try to pull me into the gate, but I swam hard enough to escape. The journey back was hard, and I nearly lost myself, but eventually I had returned to where I had started. I looked at the orb I saw when I had first entered. This time I touched the orb, and re awoke in the realm of the living as a necromancer, and successfully I carried a soul back into the living realm.
When a Necromancer passes the Scorpion gate, a soul is expelled from hell to attune the necromancer to the realm of death. These souls are then cast into the realm of the living, where they wander for a time before they can materialize into ghastly spirits. These spirits are unaffected by objects from the material world, meaning swords and arrows have no affect on them, neither does most magic save for Exorcism, which can dematerialize them for a time.
Shades can then posses the corpses of the dead, or even animals and suits of armor, but a shade cannot posses a living person. When the vessel of a shade is slain, the shade is dematerialized for a time, but always returns. The longer a shade remains in the physical world, the stronger they become and jumping from vessel to vessel, to the point where a shade can effectively jump from vessel to vessel without materializing at all, making shades a truly dangerous opponent as long as there is a nearby vessel to posses.
Shades often have no recollection of their prior lives, and because of this they often do not associate with any particular gender. If they do, the often only associate with the gender of the particular vessel they are inhabiting. Because shades are able to posses corpses, they are often confused with necromancers, and even though shades are born from necromancy they aren't related to it any further than that.
Shades can only return to the realm of the dead once the necromancer whom created them is dead, therefor for every necromancer there is a shade.
Some important notes:
Shades are an enigma throughout the Five Kingdoms. Few people have even heard of a shade, and far less have actually seen one.
Shades are the byproduct of Necromancy, but are not bound to necromancers and are not undead. They are their own beasts entirely.
Shades have free will.
Name:
House Name: If applicable. If you give your character a house, expect to see your relatives frequently throughout the RP. If you just want your character to be a common Joe then leave this part blank.
Age:
Appearance: Picture or words acceptable
Homeland: Choose one of the five kingdoms. Also, I use kingdoms and nations interchangeably. Sometimes I'll call it five kingdoms, other times i call it five nations.
Race: Guardian, Mage, Shade, Necromancer or just plain human.
Spells: There are three branches of magic, and multiple schools for each branch. If you are a guardian then you can't use magic anymore. Mages can pick two schools and shades can pick up one.
Bio: Try to make your character history as rich as possible. Throughout the RP i'll probably be drawing from your characters histories to shape the story.
