[center][img]http://s21.postimg.org/6ii3d6zo7/heaven_and_hell_2.jpg[/img] Sanctuary[/center] [hider=tl;dr] just go here if you're lazy: [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/2293/posts/ooc?page=1]LINK[/url] [/hider] "Anya! Get down here, supper's ready!" came Miria's melodic voice from the living room. She gently placed three plates on the table before her, smiling as her stew smelled promising. "Better hurry before it gets cold, now! Bring yah brothah, too!" she called. Upstairs, a young, eight year old girl set down her book and jumped off her bed. Running to her younger brothers side, she pulled the four year old lad up and ran downstairs, "Dinner time, Roddy!" As the family gathered at the table, Miria turned on a TV sitting at the counter. The screen flickered on to reveal a music video of sorts. Miria scoffed and flipped through the channels until a passing news channel caught her eye. Turning the TV back to the Leginian News Network, Miria set down the remote and began eating her stew. An emergency broadcast, despite having a rough signal, managed to catch even the young children's attention. [quote=LNN] [b]"THIS IS ACTUAL FOOTAGE! WE ARE [i]LIVE[/i] ONLY A MILE OR SO AWAY FROM SOVEREIGN'S OFFICIAL BORDER! THAT [i]IS[/i] WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! I'M NOT EVEN SURE THIS IS AUTHO-[/b] *bzzt**bzzt* - [b]SO CLOSE! IT'S AL-[/b]*Bzzt* [b]BRENDA BACK US UP A LITTLE! YES, LOOK AT THAT! THOSE ARE GOLDEN MERCENARY SHUTTLES, AND I HAVE CONFIRMED THAT THEY ARE-[/b] [b]HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THA-*[/b]bzzt*bztt-*" ... ... ... ... //A large, hooded giant resembling the grim reaper roars as it backs into what was once a large segment of Sovereign's quarantine wall. The city, which was spontaneously quarantined one year ago due to unexplained catastrophic events, has only recently made contact with the outside world in over a year of isolation behind the enormous wall. The quarantine, which was run by the military, was broken by the Golden Mercenaries, a large faction that has always played a huge role in Leginian framework// [center][youtube]cSH-_ScN6G0[/youtube][/center] ... ... .."*bzzt* [b]WE'VE HAD TO BACK UP, BUT IT APPEARS THE LARGE CREATURE HAS BEEN VANQUISHED, AND IT SEEMS PEOPLE ARE FLOODING OUT OF THE LARGE HOLE IN THE QUARANTINE! SOVEREIGN HAS BROKEN OUT, AND IT SEEMS THAT THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE CITY ARE NOW FREE! YOU CAN SEE THE MANY SHUTTLES ESCAPING, THE MILITARY IS OVERWHELMED! THIS IS REPORTER BRAXTON DOK, REPORTING LIVE FOR LNN, TILL *[/b]BZZT*" [/quote] "MOMMY! THEY BROKE OUT?! DOES THAT ME-" Anya cried out in sheer excitement. Miria held up a hand to Anya, instantly shushing her, while her other hand covered her mouth, which was wide open in awe. The family stared at the television screen for a good minute. It was Rodrick that finally spoke up, "Is dad coming back?" --- Welcome to Sanctuary! This is a roleplay of the fantasy/sci fi genre, and it focuses on a group of survivors who have been forced to harbor otherworldly entities within the confines of their soul (thus giving them unique powers). Sanctuary has been active for quite a while now, actually, we JUST finished chapter one! However, there isn't a BETTER time to join the rp than now! It doesn't matter if you don't read a single page of the IC, if you come into the story fresh and new, you'll have a much better time than you think. Don't worry about feeling overwhelmed, what we accomplished in chapter one makes for a perfect prologue, as it was heavily centered on main plot. Now, chapter two opens a whole new world for characters to interact and follow their own paths. But let me first explain exactly what Sanctuary is: This story takes place on a planet known as [b]AEROS[/b]. It is extremely similar to Earth, but there are (obviously) differences. For example, there is a large amount of mystical, fantasy-type creatures/monsters roaming the vast lands and seas of Aeros. Furthermore, there are only three real continents in Aeros: Tribus, Leginia, and Henele. Leginia is the largest continent, and it is also the center of human civilization, as it is the birthplace of humanity. Leginia functions like the UN. It is split into four provinces, which are like four separate nations, but each province comes together to operate under a unified Leginian Government (known as the council, which is headed by one representative from each province). Here's a map: [hider=Aeros] [img]http://s22.postimg.org/5g76wbpip/Map.png[/img] [/hider] The four provinces (Gaia, Valira, Warshire, and Arcarus) have their own cities/governments/cultures/etc. More information on them is in the OOC. You can choose where your character is from, but there birthplace might (and should) influence their characteristics. Some history: [hider=history]Aeros' humans have advanced for a long time. Recorded history is the same as on Earth, and it begins roughly two thousand years ago. Humans of Aeros discovered mysterious gem like stones that contained highly concentrated energies capable of doing amazing things. For the most part, these gems were of specific elements, and they were known as cores (Fire core, water core, wind core, lightning core, land core, etc). Humans quickly utilized the cores' properties to build and innovate. Fire cores, for example, could heat homes for warmth, or melt metals, which, when augmented with land cores, could be shaped to whatever the architect desired. Wind cores could operate windmills, water cores could help agriculture, etc. More and more cores were discovered, such as Kinetic cores, which gave off kinetic energy fields, allowing for many, many uses. When humanity began to study cores, corologists determined that cores could even be MIXED. However, politics rooted themselves in humanity's ambition, and cores were turned into weapons. This led to Core crusades, which lasted until a council was founded to govern peace across the entire continent of Leginia. [/hider] For a quick guide on what the technology is like in the world of Sanctuary: [hider=Technology] *Characters will be exposed to a weird mix of technology. *The transportation, architecture, and digital/electronic aspects of Leginian technology is more advanced than Earth. Imagine futuristic cars, boats, hovercrafts that travel real fast. If you've ever played Mass effect, the hover crafts resemble the shuttles. *The weaponry of Leginia, however, is not as modern. The era of peace that the council brought resulted in an end to the thirst for militaristic advancement. Guns are rare, and function based off cores (most will focus on using a Fire Core to project forward a bullet). Other than that, swords, daggers, axes, hammers, bows, throwing knifes, etc are all weapons. BUT: add the core twist. Cores are a unique type of technology that let the user generate elemental effects. So maybe you have a chain with a sickle attatched to it that can be swung and powered by a lightning core to create lightning storms, I don't know, up to you. *Transportation will be quite fast if you can get on shuttles (the flying ships mentioned/showed above). However, if your character is poor, or low class, it will be much more rough to move around without the help of a Kamikage/Onikage (find out below). [b]Common Technology:[/b] -[b]Holopads[/b]: A small, rectangular device that can be turned on by pressing a central button on the middle of the prism-shaped base that resembles the hilt of a lightsaber from Star Wars. When opened, the prism divides and separates - the space in between is then filled with a hologramic interface that is used to connect to the world wide wed and instantly communicate with other holopad users. It's like an Aerian cellphone ok? Damn. -[b]Shuttles[/b]: Like those in mass effect. These are box shaped flying vehicles that can quickly transport small groups of people. They look like [url=http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/057/b/4/mass_effect_3_shuttle_by_donabruja-d4r0v3u.jpg]this[/url]. -[b]Aircraft[/b]: Only available to super high class people. These can do long distance flights in a very short amount of time, whereas shuttles take quite a while to travel and require frequent pit stops. -[b]Core Firearms (rifles/pistols)[/b]: Powered by one of five elemental cores: fire, water, lightning, land, or wind. Water rifles are used by fire fighters. Fire, lightning, and land core rifles are used by authorities/military and fire rounds of the element. Land core rifles shoot strong metals rather than burts of fire or lightning. Wind rifles are usually used in riot control as they have deal no fatal damage, but can create a very strong force by lanching immense gusts of wind. -[b]Core Slots[/b]: Core slots are slots built into hardware that are shaped for specific cores that can be bonded to them and utilized for their respective energies. An example is a core slot on the hilt of a sword. Imagine a little octagonal slot in which a fire core, which resembles a fire stone from Pokemon, can be placed. Then, the sword can utilize that energy to emit flames from the blade or something cheesy like that. The core slots are built using some unique metals from Warshire. -[b]Kinetic Shields[/b]: One of the most popular cores known to mankind is the Kinetic Core. It's a core that is infused with the energy of pure motion. That is, it captures the unknown energies that are created when an electron simply moves. This energy can be used to power vehicles and such. However, it is most frequently used to power kinetic shields, which are the traditional shields found in military armors. How do they function? The kinetic core exponentially increases the rate of particle movement in the layers of particles surrounding the armor. So when any sort of projectile or weapon attacks the user, the particles can rapidly move at an enhanced concentration at the location of the trauma. As a result, the electrons generate enough electromagnetivity to emit a mixture of waves that successfully repel the projectile. It literally bounces off. If the force of the projectile is strong enough, it will make contact, but at a greatly reduced force since the shield is attempting to send it the other way. This sets the basis for hovercrafts. -[b]Radio Communication:[/b] Yeah. They can talk to each other over communication channels that are broadcasted via relays set up across the continent. The communication varies from simple telephonic communication to full scale hologramic communication. -[b]Carriages[/b]: Forget cars. They are too mainstream. Carriages are literally floating cars. They are shaped like small scale shuttles, but hover above the ground ever so slightly so there is no friction at all. Maneuverability comes with ease, as the Kinetic Thrusters which are located at the rear and bottom of the carriage can easily propel the carriage in any direciton at anytime. However, it is implausible to give every carriage the same amount of kinetic propulsion as a shuttle, so they carriages hover a maximum of about 3 feet above the ground. NOTE: Extremely heavy carriages requrie tires to move and have a more traditional set up. Tanks are an example. (These are called Grounded Carriages, or Groundies). -[b]Tanks[/b]: Military use only. Resemble [url=https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fy3dV_hOSNw/ToKq50imZQI/AAAAAAAAWrQ/xSRamiSSsa0/s800/mass%25252Beffect%25252Bm35%25252Bmako%25252Bpapercraft.jpg]this[/url]. -[b]Skyways[/b]: Located mostly in Sovereign, these are highways that are located in the air. They have Polarity Cores imbedded along them, which pull the carriages towards them and allow carriages to travel on them without having to worry about falling off. As a result, they bend every which way, twsiting around and wrapping upon one another. Imagine a spaghettic junction times 10. Oh, and the road is made out of pure blue energy. -[b]Cities![/b]: Architecture resembles [url=http://www.soundtracksandtrailermusic.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/SkyworldTwoStepsFromHellFreeListen-636x310.jpg]this[/url]. [/hider] --- The story: So what all has happened so far? Well, our characters began in Sovereign, the capitol of the province of Gaia. This city is practically everyone's dreamcity, the NYC or LA of Leginia. It is located in the center of the continent, and is the largest city in the entire world. Here, the "apocalypse" struck. From out of nowhere, on a seemingly perfect day, earthquakes struck the city and the land around it. As the mayhem threw off the city, a huge white light pierced through the sky and into the ground below, creating a large Void Gate. This gate, a gargantuan pillar of light, rained down orbs of light, as if a meteor shower was striking the city. Because of the Void Gate opening, earthquakes, tornados, floods, hurricanes - you name it- plagued the entire CONTINENT. It was a cataclysm like no other. In the end, the city of Sovereign trembled as a mysterious wall rose from the city's borders and blocked off all entry and exit, including in the air, as an aerial barrier formed when the wall finished rising. The orbs of light that shot from the void gate scattered across the city, and it wasn't long before humans realized they were sentient. They chased and hunted humans, until they could come in contact with a host. Once they touched a human, they bonded with the human on a spiritual level - one of the most painful experiences perceivable by man. After the bonding was complete, the entity became one with the human's soul, able to communicate with that human in his or her mind. These entities are known as "Kages." Before the apocalypse, they were mere myths, and stories from religious legends. Unable to survive in the human realm, these kages were forced to seek shelter in human souls. However, the humans discovered that while the kages were bonded to them, they gained access to the kage's spirit, which was a large reservoir of spiritual energy, much denser than any other organic life form in Aeros. Because of this, "Hosts" (humans with kages bonded to them) gained the POWERS of their kages to a certain extent. Kages' powers were as diverse as their personalities. Some sought to control their hosts and devour other hosts' spirit. Others simply decided to "go with the flow" or maybe even help their human hosts. As of right now, the kage's intent is still a mystery. But a year has passed. One year under the destroyed city of Sovereign, and our characters all found themselves sheltered under the Golden Mercenaries. Known to be one of the most versatile and capable factions of Leginia (even before the apocalypse), the GM's were split up when the quarantine rose. Victor Esteves, the leader of the Mercenaries, was trapped outside while his younger brother, Hector Esteves (co-leader) was stuck inside. However, this did not stop them, as Hector called to the hosts and citizens of Sovereign to band together and fight the quarantine. Why was the city quarantined? No one knew, and the mysteries behind the council's disappearance seemed to raise new questions every day. But Hector had a job: to break out of the city. Deciding to use his men to train citizens and hosts to fend for themselves, he created a revolution. Our characters met under his orders, and they formed squads of hosts that used their powers to help Hector break out. Now, after a huge battle in which Victor (whom Hector made contact with) removed a section of the wall using a trap core (that can store any physical matter in a different dimension), the hosts and citizens of Sovereign are free. But what does that mean? The world outside has no idea what to expect, and the newly freed hosts and civilians have no idea what to expect from the outside. One thing is for sure, hosts will not be treated kindly. They will be feared. Hated. Hunted. Because on the outside, the tyrannical military is still in control. --- We, the roleplayers, JUST broke free from Sovereign. We've trained and gained SOME control over our powers, but the journey is JUST beginning. As a newcomer, you can choose what kind of character you want to make. A host? A civillian? A mercenary? A soldier? Anything! If you want to have powers, you have to be a host, meaning you bonded with a kage when the apocalypse happened. This means you were stuck in Sovereign with everyone for a year, and you just broke out with them during the final battle of chapter one as well. You can choose to do a flashback post when you enter to recount what your character was up to during that year. Or you can start a brand new. You can also choose to be a guardian or conduit (guardians are what people call hosts with KAMIKAGES, or kages that are considered "good guys". Conduits are what people call hosts with ONIKAGES, or kages that try to control the host's will and are hungry for more spirit. Spirit is the energy that drives all our powers, and your total spirit can be increased by killing and absorbing another kage.) If you have ANY questions at all, PLEASE PM me or Skai or Yugeto. We WANT to be asked questions, so don't hesitate! Hopefully we can get a new batch of characters in for chapter two! And trust me, your fresh entry will only increase your immersion, as everyone is stepping into a new world by leaving Sovereign.