(In case you're interested, the font used in the logo above is Endor.)
Introduction
"From this moment onwards, you are more than human."
These are the first words you hear as you return to wakefulness. Or perhaps you're dreaming still? The world around you is one of endless darkness, such that you aren't even sure if your eyes are open, if not for the lone woman floating in the void before you.
The words you've just heard come from this woman, but they seem to more aptly describe the woman herself than a (formerly?) mundane human such as yourself. She superficially resembles a young woman in her early to mid twenties, though an impossibly, inhumanly beautiful one, fair of skin, with sky-blue eyes and waist-length hair of a glossy silvery white. She is clad in a pristine white bodysuit that hugs her perfectly proportioned figure from the neck down, made of some unknown material, decorated by myriads of faintly luminescent lines of blue and purple, forming futuristic circuit-like patterns. A pair of wings extend from the woman's back, angelic yet vaguely mechanical in shape, their each individual feather made of what appears to be solid white light. A soft white glow emanates from her being, lighting up the otherwise impenetrable blackness.
But more than her beauty, you can feel the power within this woman. Though her presence is almost the epitome of gentle and soothing, you can't be more certain that she is capable of erasing you from existence without the slightest effort.
A goddess. That's what she must be, a deity who has appeared before you for reasons only she can fathom. Or maybe it's you who has appeared before her? Has she taken you away from your home and brought you here? You try to open your mouth and ask, but find your whole body paralyzed, as though you haven't quite yet fully awoken. You can only listen.
"I have brought you to my world, the Cradle of Divinity, so that you may ascend beyond your human limits and become something far greater," the goddess continues. Her voice is sweet and melodious, exactly as how a being of inhuman perfection should have. Does she mean to transform you into something like her? The notion seems more far-fetched than anything else you've ever heard in your life. "In fact, it has already begun."
And then you feel it. Somewhere deep within yourself, not physically but something more curious altogether, there is a power that you're quite sure hasn't been there before. It is something words cannot quite accurately describe, something both new and intimately familiar, pulsing in sync with your every breath and heartbeat. In fact, now that you're aware of it, you realize that this strange power has already permeated every fiber of your being. Despite your current inability to move, you feel strong and healthy, better than you've felt in a long while.
"You are now gifted with the power to manipulate the elements with your mind," the goddess says. "In your human society, power like this is beyond your current understanding of science, and would be assumedly called 'magic'. In time, with practice and experience, these powers will only grow stronger. However..."
For a moment, the goddess closes her eyes. Suddenly, her entire visage shifts, the radiant light transforming into an all-consuming darkness that somehow stands out against even the featureless black background. Her hair has become jet black, as has her bodysuit, its circuit-like patterns now glowing red and purple and shifted to more closely frame her alluring curves. Her formerly angelic wings are now still mechanical, but demonic and bat-like, with membranes made of the deepest darkness. When her eyes open again, they are now red as blood, as the goddess's previously gentle and serene expression changes into a seductive yet sinister smile. As the eyes of this dark deity stare into yours, you feel a chill down your spine. But you can't look away.
"Many forms of power come at a price. And the price for yours... is your freedom." The goddess's silken voice echoes through the depths of your mind, a sweet temptation that you fear will lead you to utter ruin. "You belong to my world now, to me. You will no longer age past your physical prime, and should you die to any other cause, you will simply reawaken at one of my many shrines." Her smile widens into an unmistakably sadistic grin, as though you're nothing but a toy to be used and abused for her amusement. "But I should tell you two things... Might makes right, and there exists nothing in this universe that is absolute. Do you wish to regain freedom? Do you want to return to your previous life? Or perhaps you desire to bend planet Earth to your will using your newfound powers? If so, there is a way..."
The dark goddess waves her hands, and a number of shapes seem to materialize out of the background void. To the goddess's left, three dark figures: a demonic statue made of hellishly blackened embers; a writhing mass of dark slime with the vaguest hint of a humanoid female shape within; and a scythe-carrying form cloaked in shadows and wisps of deathly cold. To the goddess's right, three figures of light: a majestic dragon with wings of brilliant fire; a man with crystalline tree branches growing from his back and a lower body of adamantine roots; and a delicate young girl seemingly frozen in a monolith of the purest ice, yet moving as though the ice is water. Behind the goddess, three figures of raw elemental power: a young woman with the lower body of a sea serpent, swimming in boiling acid; a slender girl with three pairs of fairy-like wings, surrounded by motes and sparks of ethereal light swaying in a gentle breeze; and a man made of liquid metal, possessing a glint so cold that it seems to freeze the air around itself. And finally, above and far behind the goddess and the rest of the figures, a man clad in some sort of futuristic armor, his entire form blurry and indistinct. Though the face of anyone except the goddess is too hard to make out, you can feel their gazes on you, analyzing you, like the test subject that you are. And you can sense the power from every single one of them, making you feel like a tiny ant in their presence.
"Seek out the powerful beings in this world, defeat them, consume their essences, and take their powers as your own," the goddess speaks. "Become strong, so that you may one day challenge my pantheon and I, the gods of this world. We are the ones keeping you trapped here, so it should be clear what you must do, shouldn't it?" She gazes down upon you, her crimson eyes gleaming with cold delight.
And then the world begins to fade away. The other figures meld back into the featureless black expanse, which begins to brighten and crack, like a dream about to end and give way to the waking world. The dark goddess once again assumes her angelic form then, bathing you in a soft white light as she smiles.
"I assure you, there is a reason why all of this is happening. However, you are not yet ready... The truth will only be revealed to you once you earn your freedom. Until then, I sincerely wish that you enjoy your stay here."
Your eyes do truly open this time, to take in the sight of an unfamiliar metallic ceiling decorated with faintly glowing lines similar to those on the goddess's clothing; you aren't sure if those are supposed to be circuits or magical runes. Through the window, you can see a lush, verdant forest, in stark contrast with the various machinery in the room that look as though they come from either the future or a sci-fi movie set. You yourself are in a medical pod of some kind, and through the transparent lid you can see a number of people in similar pods around you, all waking up at this time. The pod opens without resistance. As you check again, you're certain that the power you've felt within yourself before is still there. In fact, you feel like you can accomplish feats of "magic" at this very moment, if you so desire.
Your previous life is gone. You are more powerful than ever, but trapped in an unfamiliar world, and you aren't sure if you even qualify as human anymore. Nascent godling, what will you do?
These are the first words you hear as you return to wakefulness. Or perhaps you're dreaming still? The world around you is one of endless darkness, such that you aren't even sure if your eyes are open, if not for the lone woman floating in the void before you.
The words you've just heard come from this woman, but they seem to more aptly describe the woman herself than a (formerly?) mundane human such as yourself. She superficially resembles a young woman in her early to mid twenties, though an impossibly, inhumanly beautiful one, fair of skin, with sky-blue eyes and waist-length hair of a glossy silvery white. She is clad in a pristine white bodysuit that hugs her perfectly proportioned figure from the neck down, made of some unknown material, decorated by myriads of faintly luminescent lines of blue and purple, forming futuristic circuit-like patterns. A pair of wings extend from the woman's back, angelic yet vaguely mechanical in shape, their each individual feather made of what appears to be solid white light. A soft white glow emanates from her being, lighting up the otherwise impenetrable blackness.
But more than her beauty, you can feel the power within this woman. Though her presence is almost the epitome of gentle and soothing, you can't be more certain that she is capable of erasing you from existence without the slightest effort.
A goddess. That's what she must be, a deity who has appeared before you for reasons only she can fathom. Or maybe it's you who has appeared before her? Has she taken you away from your home and brought you here? You try to open your mouth and ask, but find your whole body paralyzed, as though you haven't quite yet fully awoken. You can only listen.
"I have brought you to my world, the Cradle of Divinity, so that you may ascend beyond your human limits and become something far greater," the goddess continues. Her voice is sweet and melodious, exactly as how a being of inhuman perfection should have. Does she mean to transform you into something like her? The notion seems more far-fetched than anything else you've ever heard in your life. "In fact, it has already begun."
And then you feel it. Somewhere deep within yourself, not physically but something more curious altogether, there is a power that you're quite sure hasn't been there before. It is something words cannot quite accurately describe, something both new and intimately familiar, pulsing in sync with your every breath and heartbeat. In fact, now that you're aware of it, you realize that this strange power has already permeated every fiber of your being. Despite your current inability to move, you feel strong and healthy, better than you've felt in a long while.
"You are now gifted with the power to manipulate the elements with your mind," the goddess says. "In your human society, power like this is beyond your current understanding of science, and would be assumedly called 'magic'. In time, with practice and experience, these powers will only grow stronger. However..."
For a moment, the goddess closes her eyes. Suddenly, her entire visage shifts, the radiant light transforming into an all-consuming darkness that somehow stands out against even the featureless black background. Her hair has become jet black, as has her bodysuit, its circuit-like patterns now glowing red and purple and shifted to more closely frame her alluring curves. Her formerly angelic wings are now still mechanical, but demonic and bat-like, with membranes made of the deepest darkness. When her eyes open again, they are now red as blood, as the goddess's previously gentle and serene expression changes into a seductive yet sinister smile. As the eyes of this dark deity stare into yours, you feel a chill down your spine. But you can't look away.
"Many forms of power come at a price. And the price for yours... is your freedom." The goddess's silken voice echoes through the depths of your mind, a sweet temptation that you fear will lead you to utter ruin. "You belong to my world now, to me. You will no longer age past your physical prime, and should you die to any other cause, you will simply reawaken at one of my many shrines." Her smile widens into an unmistakably sadistic grin, as though you're nothing but a toy to be used and abused for her amusement. "But I should tell you two things... Might makes right, and there exists nothing in this universe that is absolute. Do you wish to regain freedom? Do you want to return to your previous life? Or perhaps you desire to bend planet Earth to your will using your newfound powers? If so, there is a way..."
The dark goddess waves her hands, and a number of shapes seem to materialize out of the background void. To the goddess's left, three dark figures: a demonic statue made of hellishly blackened embers; a writhing mass of dark slime with the vaguest hint of a humanoid female shape within; and a scythe-carrying form cloaked in shadows and wisps of deathly cold. To the goddess's right, three figures of light: a majestic dragon with wings of brilliant fire; a man with crystalline tree branches growing from his back and a lower body of adamantine roots; and a delicate young girl seemingly frozen in a monolith of the purest ice, yet moving as though the ice is water. Behind the goddess, three figures of raw elemental power: a young woman with the lower body of a sea serpent, swimming in boiling acid; a slender girl with three pairs of fairy-like wings, surrounded by motes and sparks of ethereal light swaying in a gentle breeze; and a man made of liquid metal, possessing a glint so cold that it seems to freeze the air around itself. And finally, above and far behind the goddess and the rest of the figures, a man clad in some sort of futuristic armor, his entire form blurry and indistinct. Though the face of anyone except the goddess is too hard to make out, you can feel their gazes on you, analyzing you, like the test subject that you are. And you can sense the power from every single one of them, making you feel like a tiny ant in their presence.
"Seek out the powerful beings in this world, defeat them, consume their essences, and take their powers as your own," the goddess speaks. "Become strong, so that you may one day challenge my pantheon and I, the gods of this world. We are the ones keeping you trapped here, so it should be clear what you must do, shouldn't it?" She gazes down upon you, her crimson eyes gleaming with cold delight.
And then the world begins to fade away. The other figures meld back into the featureless black expanse, which begins to brighten and crack, like a dream about to end and give way to the waking world. The dark goddess once again assumes her angelic form then, bathing you in a soft white light as she smiles.
"I assure you, there is a reason why all of this is happening. However, you are not yet ready... The truth will only be revealed to you once you earn your freedom. Until then, I sincerely wish that you enjoy your stay here."
Your eyes do truly open this time, to take in the sight of an unfamiliar metallic ceiling decorated with faintly glowing lines similar to those on the goddess's clothing; you aren't sure if those are supposed to be circuits or magical runes. Through the window, you can see a lush, verdant forest, in stark contrast with the various machinery in the room that look as though they come from either the future or a sci-fi movie set. You yourself are in a medical pod of some kind, and through the transparent lid you can see a number of people in similar pods around you, all waking up at this time. The pod opens without resistance. As you check again, you're certain that the power you've felt within yourself before is still there. In fact, you feel like you can accomplish feats of "magic" at this very moment, if you so desire.
Your previous life is gone. You are more powerful than ever, but trapped in an unfamiliar world, and you aren't sure if you even qualify as human anymore. Nascent godling, what will you do?
Game Overview
In this RP, the player characters are ordinary humans from a fictional version of modern Earth, who have been abducted by what appears to be a goddess, granted superhuman magical powers, and taken to a new world called the Cradle of Divinity. They're told to seek out, defeat, and consume powerful beings in this world to become stronger, so that they can challenge the gods and regain their freedom. The player characters are expected to explore the Cradle, interact with its various inhabitants, and gradually find out more about the truth of this world and the goddess's motives.
This game takes place in a fictional universe shared by all original works of fiction produced by me, with its own laws of physics, of which magic is a part. A detailed explanation of magic in this setting can be found in sections 2 and 2.1.2 of this document, and I suggest that you at least give the appropriate sections a skim. Overall, magic is not too different from the magic in other settings that use an “MP meter”, though there are subtle differences that may arise in specific situations, which should have been addressed in the links above.
To prevent any magical ability from being overpowered, all abilities are subject to limitations described in section 2.2 of the document describing magic. No one is exempt from these limitations, not even the gods that the player characters are ultimately expected to defeat.
Note: The document above makes references to "the Worldsphere", the setting that my novel takes place in, which is not the same setting as the Cradle of Divinity. The Worldsphere is a different planet altogether, in a different solar system. It's in the same universe as the Cradle, and has the same laws of physics, which is why I linked to that document here. But the Cradle is otherwise completely unrelated to the Worldsphere, so please don't get them confused. Aside from the stuff about physics, magic, souls, etc., nothing else in the Worldsphere applies to the Cradle.
This game takes place in a fictional universe shared by all original works of fiction produced by me, with its own laws of physics, of which magic is a part. A detailed explanation of magic in this setting can be found in sections 2 and 2.1.2 of this document, and I suggest that you at least give the appropriate sections a skim. Overall, magic is not too different from the magic in other settings that use an “MP meter”, though there are subtle differences that may arise in specific situations, which should have been addressed in the links above.
To prevent any magical ability from being overpowered, all abilities are subject to limitations described in section 2.2 of the document describing magic. No one is exempt from these limitations, not even the gods that the player characters are ultimately expected to defeat.
Note: The document above makes references to "the Worldsphere", the setting that my novel takes place in, which is not the same setting as the Cradle of Divinity. The Worldsphere is a different planet altogether, in a different solar system. It's in the same universe as the Cradle, and has the same laws of physics, which is why I linked to that document here. But the Cradle is otherwise completely unrelated to the Worldsphere, so please don't get them confused. Aside from the stuff about physics, magic, souls, etc., nothing else in the Worldsphere applies to the Cradle.
Elements
In the Cradle of Divinity, magic is heavily focused on the manipulation of elements. There are nine of them, which can be combined with one another to create more complex effects. The elements will be described below.
The most common elements in the Cradle are the six "natural" elements, which are arranged in a circle similar to the red-green-blue color wheel. Three of them are the elements of "energy": Heat (red); Life (green); and Cold (blue). The other three are the elements of "matter": Earth (yellow); Water (cyan); and Air (magenta). Each element of energy can be combined with an element of matter, and vice versa, to produce a "composite" element, i.e. a more complex elemental effect.
Most of the natural elements are fairly self-explanatory, but some are not, so they'll all be briefly explained here.
The remaining three elements, less commonly found in the Cradle, are the "spiritual" elements, which have no counterparts in non-magical energy or matter. They can be combined with the natural elements to mix their effects, but these combinations have no specific names. The spiritual elements will be briefly explained below.
The most common elements in the Cradle are the six "natural" elements, which are arranged in a circle similar to the red-green-blue color wheel. Three of them are the elements of "energy": Heat (red); Life (green); and Cold (blue). The other three are the elements of "matter": Earth (yellow); Water (cyan); and Air (magenta). Each element of energy can be combined with an element of matter, and vice versa, to produce a "composite" element, i.e. a more complex elemental effect.
Most of the natural elements are fairly self-explanatory, but some are not, so they'll all be briefly explained here.
- Heat: The element of thermal energy and melting.
- Magma (Heat + Earth): The element of lava and explosives.
- Earth: The element of rocks and minerals.
- Plant (Earth + Life): The element of vegetation and nature.
- Life: The element of growth and decay.
- Slime (Life + Water): The element of sludge and poison.
- Water: The element of water and liquids.
- Ice (Water + Cold): The element of ice and freezing.
- Cold: The element of cold energy and stasis.
- Frost (Cold + Air): The element of cold wind and blizzards.
- Air: The element of air and gases.
- Fire (Air + Heat): The element of plasma and combustion.
- Acid (Heat + Water): The element of corrosion and dissolution.
- Electric (Life + Air): The element of electricity and magnetism.
- Metal (Cold + Earth): The element of metal and machinery.
The remaining three elements, less commonly found in the Cradle, are the "spiritual" elements, which have no counterparts in non-magical energy or matter. They can be combined with the natural elements to mix their effects, but these combinations have no specific names. The spiritual elements will be briefly explained below.
- Light: Broadly speaking, this element represents the altruism in one's soul. It resembles typical "white magic" in fantasy, but is not inherently good. It is good at healing, cleansing, strengthening, and restraining, but can also smite with holy light.
- Dark: Broadly speaking, this elements represent the selfishness in one's soul. It resembles typical "black magic" in fantasy, but is not inherently evil. It is good at cursing, weakening, siphoning, and corrupting, but can also directly harm with dark energy.
- Aether: This element represents neutral, unaligned magic. It governs many effects not related to physical matter or energy, such as space, time, the mind, and raw magic itself.
Setting
The Cradle of Divinity is a roughly spherical world, with a radius of about a thousand kilometers. The surface of the sphere is a force field of shimmering energy, dubbed the Great Barrier by the Cradle's inhabitants. It completely encloses the Cradle, preventing anything from entering or leaving. All attempts at breaching the Great Barrier have failed, and none of the Cradle's inhabitants know what lies beyond.
The Cradle's equatorial plane, its ground level, is known as the Middle World. It is a circular area approximately a third of the size of the United States. Much of the Middle World is permeated by strong elemental energies, and is thus highly dangerous and hostile, requiring strong magic to survive in. It has a wide variety of different biomes, arranged in a wheel corresponding to the six natural elements. A (very rough) picture is provided below.
Out of all the biomes in the Middle World, only the mountains, temperate sea, and plain (i.e. the biomes corresponding to the elements of matter) are safe and stable enough to have large-scale settlements of intelligent beings; all other biomes are limited to small villages and towns interspersed in wilderness where monsters of bestial intellect roam. The Heat, Life, and Cold zones (i.e. the biomes corresponding to the elements of energy) are exceptionally dangerous even compared to the other biomes, and very few know what they're like. The Tech zone at the core of the Middle World provides a center of stability for the three "safe" biomes surrounding it, but no one has entered this biome and safely returned; it is widely assumed that the Tech zone is the most dangerous area in all of the Cradle.
In the sky above the Middle World is a series of floating islands, collectively called Heaven, aligned with the Light element and inhabited by angels. Deep beneath the Middle World are numerous underground caverns, collectively called Hell, aligned with the Dark element and inhabited by demons. A simplified illustration of this arrangement is shown below.
Each location in Heaven tends to have tints of some of the natural elements, depending on where in the Middle World it is above. For example, the part of Heaven above the desert, i.e. the Fire and Air area, will be aligned with Fire and Air in addition to Light. The higher you go, the stronger the alignment in Light, but the weaker the alignment with the natural elements. Similarly, each location in Hell is aligned with the natural elements of the area of the Middle World it is situated below; Dark alignment increases and natural elements alignments decrease as you go further down.
At the very zenith of Heaven, corresponding to the north pole of the sphere, is an extremely strong source of light that acts as the Cradle's Sun. It slowly brightens and dims as a part of the Cradle's day and night cycle, and is the brightest at noon. At night, the light is dim enough that it resembles the Moon, and it is also dim enough to allow light from the other floating islands in Heaven to be seen from the Middle World; these resemble the stars. Eclipses are possible if one of the islands moves to block out the Sun's light. No one knows what the Sun actually is, or what's inside it, as its Light elemental energy is far too strong to allow anyone inside safely.
At the very nadir of Hell, corresponding to the south pole of the sphere, is an extremely strong vortex of darkness called the Abyss. It seems to devour anything that falls inside, and no one has ever escaped from it. Thus, similarly to the Sun, no one knows what the Abyss actually is or what's inside it.
The Cradle's equatorial plane, its ground level, is known as the Middle World. It is a circular area approximately a third of the size of the United States. Much of the Middle World is permeated by strong elemental energies, and is thus highly dangerous and hostile, requiring strong magic to survive in. It has a wide variety of different biomes, arranged in a wheel corresponding to the six natural elements. A (very rough) picture is provided below.
In the sky above the Middle World is a series of floating islands, collectively called Heaven, aligned with the Light element and inhabited by angels. Deep beneath the Middle World are numerous underground caverns, collectively called Hell, aligned with the Dark element and inhabited by demons. A simplified illustration of this arrangement is shown below.
At the very zenith of Heaven, corresponding to the north pole of the sphere, is an extremely strong source of light that acts as the Cradle's Sun. It slowly brightens and dims as a part of the Cradle's day and night cycle, and is the brightest at noon. At night, the light is dim enough that it resembles the Moon, and it is also dim enough to allow light from the other floating islands in Heaven to be seen from the Middle World; these resemble the stars. Eclipses are possible if one of the islands moves to block out the Sun's light. No one knows what the Sun actually is, or what's inside it, as its Light elemental energy is far too strong to allow anyone inside safely.
At the very nadir of Hell, corresponding to the south pole of the sphere, is an extremely strong vortex of darkness called the Abyss. It seems to devour anything that falls inside, and no one has ever escaped from it. Thus, similarly to the Sun, no one knows what the Abyss actually is or what's inside it.
Character Progression
All player characters start out as ordinary humans from a fictional version of modern Earth. Upon arrival at the Cradle, each character has her body permanently strengthened by magic, such that she no longer needs to eat, drink, breathe, sleep, or excrete waste, though she may still choose to do these things. She now survives by absorbing ambient energy from the environment to sustain herself, though food and drink may still restore energy more quickly if she's tired. The character also has all physical illnesses and impairments removed, and is rendered immune to all mundane diseases, toxins, and other harmful substances (though not if the harmful substances are empowered by magic). The character will no longer age past her physical prime, and will stop aging altogether if she's already past her physical prime. However, the character is still far from invulnerable, as her body is no stronger than that of a normal human until her magic becomes more powerful.
Familiars
Each player character can have a number of familiars, which are magical creatures bonded to the character's soul; these are all controlled by the player who controls the character. The character maintains constant telepathic contact with all of her familiars, and can summon and unsummon them at will, potentially even against a familiar's will. However, a familiar has its own free will, and is not compelled to obey its master's commands. The character is thus expected to learn to work together with her familiars. While unsummoned, a familiar exists as a mental presence in its master's mind; the familiar can be unsummoned and returned to such a state from effectively anywhere. If its body is killed, the familiar returns to being a presence in its master's mind, and cannot be summoned again until the familiar recovers from its severe energy loss upon death.
A player character can make a contract with any creature found in the Cradle to make the creature her familiar, provided that the character's soul has an acceptable amount of magical compatibility with the creature's essence. If both the character and the creature are willing, the contract will be established smoothly. But if either of the two is unwilling, the unwilling one must be beaten into submission and exhaustion before the contract can be forcibly established. A contract can also be broken, which returns a familiar to being an unbonded creature. The process of breaking a contract relates to willingness in the same way as establishing a contract, though breaking a contract is in general much more difficult.
If a creature is already intelligent before establishing a contract with a player character, the creature retains its personality upon becoming a familiar. If the creature is not intelligent, then it will become intelligent after becoming a familiar, and develop its own personality; the development is typically influenced by the character's personality.
(Note: If you make a contract with an intelligent NPC creature, but aren't confident that you'll be able to roleplay the NPC properly, you can choose to let me keep roleplaying as the NPC, even though normally you should control all of your own familiars.)
If a character does not want to make contracts with pre-existing creatures, she may create a familiar from scratch by finding and consuming an extremely rare gemstone called an essence stone. After being absorbed, the essence stone will react with the character's soul, and become a familiar that is the manifestation of an aspect of the character's personality. This guarantees that the familiar will be highly compatible with the character's soul.
A character's power is divided between herself and all of her familiars. Thus, a character with no familiars will be relatively very powerful by herself, but lack the tactical advantage of having multiple fighters on her side.
All familiars are sustained by their masters, so they do not need to eat, drink, sleep, breathe, or excrete, even if they were not exempt from these needs prior to becoming familiars.
A character cannot have more than six familiars at the same time; her soul cannot sustain that many.
You must obtain my approval each time you gain a familiar.
A player character can make a contract with any creature found in the Cradle to make the creature her familiar, provided that the character's soul has an acceptable amount of magical compatibility with the creature's essence. If both the character and the creature are willing, the contract will be established smoothly. But if either of the two is unwilling, the unwilling one must be beaten into submission and exhaustion before the contract can be forcibly established. A contract can also be broken, which returns a familiar to being an unbonded creature. The process of breaking a contract relates to willingness in the same way as establishing a contract, though breaking a contract is in general much more difficult.
If a creature is already intelligent before establishing a contract with a player character, the creature retains its personality upon becoming a familiar. If the creature is not intelligent, then it will become intelligent after becoming a familiar, and develop its own personality; the development is typically influenced by the character's personality.
(Note: If you make a contract with an intelligent NPC creature, but aren't confident that you'll be able to roleplay the NPC properly, you can choose to let me keep roleplaying as the NPC, even though normally you should control all of your own familiars.)
If a character does not want to make contracts with pre-existing creatures, she may create a familiar from scratch by finding and consuming an extremely rare gemstone called an essence stone. After being absorbed, the essence stone will react with the character's soul, and become a familiar that is the manifestation of an aspect of the character's personality. This guarantees that the familiar will be highly compatible with the character's soul.
A character's power is divided between herself and all of her familiars. Thus, a character with no familiars will be relatively very powerful by herself, but lack the tactical advantage of having multiple fighters on her side.
All familiars are sustained by their masters, so they do not need to eat, drink, sleep, breathe, or excrete, even if they were not exempt from these needs prior to becoming familiars.
A character cannot have more than six familiars at the same time; her soul cannot sustain that many.
You must obtain my approval each time you gain a familiar.
Abilities and Essence Absorption
Each player character may either start with a small number of magical abilities for herself but no familiar, or start with a single familiar with some magical abilities but no abilities of her own. There is no strict limitation to how many abilities you can start with, but please try to be reasonable. As a general rule of thumb, don't start with more than five abilities. Note that some abilities may be passive, e.g. a layer of rock carapace that covers your character's skin as protection.
A character or familiar may gain new abilities through experience and practice, or through situations of extreme physical or mental duress, though those are important plot events that shouldn't happen too frequently.
In addition to the methods above, a character or familiar may gain new abilities by absorbing the essences of defeated creatures. Upon absorption, you will gain one or more of that creature's abilities, provided that the creature's power level is a significant fraction of your own; you won't gain much from absorbing weak creatures. The player characters and their familiars are expected to gain most of their abilities this way. A single creature's essence may also be divided among multiple characters and familiars.
However, if you absorb the essence of a creature that is much more powerful than yourself, your mind will likely be permanently warped by the creature's power. For example, if you absorb the essence of a powerful fire demon of rage, you may find it more difficult to control your own anger. Too much of this, and you may become no longer yourself.
It is also theoretically possible to absorb the essences of familiars, belonging to other people or even yourself... But this will only be elaborated further when it comes up in the plot.
As a character or familiar gains abilities, her appearance may change. Therefore, if two different people make contracts with two of the same type of creatures, the two familiars may evolve to become drastically different.
You must obtain my approval each time your character or familiar gains a new ability.
Note: A character or familiar's raw power level is independent of her abilities. Power level is typically increased by the same actions that grant new abilities, but that doesn't mean the two are directly related.
A character or familiar may gain new abilities through experience and practice, or through situations of extreme physical or mental duress, though those are important plot events that shouldn't happen too frequently.
In addition to the methods above, a character or familiar may gain new abilities by absorbing the essences of defeated creatures. Upon absorption, you will gain one or more of that creature's abilities, provided that the creature's power level is a significant fraction of your own; you won't gain much from absorbing weak creatures. The player characters and their familiars are expected to gain most of their abilities this way. A single creature's essence may also be divided among multiple characters and familiars.
However, if you absorb the essence of a creature that is much more powerful than yourself, your mind will likely be permanently warped by the creature's power. For example, if you absorb the essence of a powerful fire demon of rage, you may find it more difficult to control your own anger. Too much of this, and you may become no longer yourself.
It is also theoretically possible to absorb the essences of familiars, belonging to other people or even yourself... But this will only be elaborated further when it comes up in the plot.
As a character or familiar gains abilities, her appearance may change. Therefore, if two different people make contracts with two of the same type of creatures, the two familiars may evolve to become drastically different.
You must obtain my approval each time your character or familiar gains a new ability.
Note: A character or familiar's raw power level is independent of her abilities. Power level is typically increased by the same actions that grant new abilities, but that doesn't mean the two are directly related.
Elemental Masteries
A character or familiar has a "mastery level" in each element, which determines how skilled she is at using abilities of that element. The more skilled you are, the more easily you can modify an ability on the spot to use it in different ways and combine it with other abilities. If you learn an ability but have no mastery at all in the ability's elements, then you cannot modify the ability in any way, though it will still scale in magnitude relative to your power level.
Example: Suppose you have high mastery of Heat, mediocre mastery of Air, and no mastery of Cold or Water. Suppose you learn a fireball ability, which involves Heat and Air. Your high Heat mastery allows you to adjust the temperature of the fireball, how much energy you put into it, and how concentrated the fireball's power is. Air mastery allows you to adjust the size and shape of the fireball, the rate and speed at which you shoot it, and whether it delivers any physical impact, but your lower Air mastery means you cannot adjust these properties as much as you can adjust the Heat-related properties. And if you learn an icicle spell, it'll always be a fast, sharp ice projectile that deals a small amount of damage relative to your power level, due to your lack of mastery in Water and Cold.
A character or familiar's elemental masteries are determined by her elemental cores. Each core gives a large amount of mastery to its own element, and a small amount of mastery to elements "adjacent" to it on the elemental color wheel. The elemental masteries given by each core are listed below.
To those who worry about this kind of thing, each core gives a total of 2 mastery points. And if you obtain one of each core (though you won't be allowed to have that many in the game), you'll have a mastery of 2 in each element.
Each player starts out with two elemental cores, chosen from the list above. The cores aren't unique objects, so multiple players can have cores of the same elements; you can even choose two cores of the same element. There are also no restrictions on choosing two cores of "opposing" elements, e.g. Heat and Water, Light and Dark. If you start out with a familiar instead of abilities of your own, your familiars will have the same cores as yourself.
During the course of the game, you and your familiars will have the chance to gain more elemental cores. It is possible for your familiars to end up with different cores than yourself.
You do not have to keep track of your mastery level in each individual element. You just need a list of your elemental cores; let me worry about the exact individual masteries.
Example: Suppose you have high mastery of Heat, mediocre mastery of Air, and no mastery of Cold or Water. Suppose you learn a fireball ability, which involves Heat and Air. Your high Heat mastery allows you to adjust the temperature of the fireball, how much energy you put into it, and how concentrated the fireball's power is. Air mastery allows you to adjust the size and shape of the fireball, the rate and speed at which you shoot it, and whether it delivers any physical impact, but your lower Air mastery means you cannot adjust these properties as much as you can adjust the Heat-related properties. And if you learn an icicle spell, it'll always be a fast, sharp ice projectile that deals a small amount of damage relative to your power level, due to your lack of mastery in Water and Cold.
A character or familiar's elemental masteries are determined by her elemental cores. Each core gives a large amount of mastery to its own element, and a small amount of mastery to elements "adjacent" to it on the elemental color wheel. The elemental masteries given by each core are listed below.
- Heat: 1/4 Air, 1 Heat, 1/4 Earth, 1/6 in each spiritual element.
- Earth: 1/4 Heat, 1 Earth, 1/4 Life, 1/6 in each spiritual element.
- Life: 1/4 Earth, 1 Life, 1/4 Water, 1/6 in each spiritual element.
- Water: 1/4 Life, 1 Water, 1/4 Cold, 1/6 in each spiritual element.
- Cold: 1/4 Water, 1 Cold, 1/4 Air, 1/6 in each spiritual element.
- Air: 1/4 Cold, 1 Air, 1/4 Heat, 1/6 in each spiritual element.
- Light: 1 Light, 1/6 in each natural element.
- Dark: 1 Dark, 1/6 in each natural element.
- Aether: 1 Aether, 1/6 in each natural element.
To those who worry about this kind of thing, each core gives a total of 2 mastery points. And if you obtain one of each core (though you won't be allowed to have that many in the game), you'll have a mastery of 2 in each element.
Each player starts out with two elemental cores, chosen from the list above. The cores aren't unique objects, so multiple players can have cores of the same elements; you can even choose two cores of the same element. There are also no restrictions on choosing two cores of "opposing" elements, e.g. Heat and Water, Light and Dark. If you start out with a familiar instead of abilities of your own, your familiars will have the same cores as yourself.
During the course of the game, you and your familiars will have the chance to gain more elemental cores. It is possible for your familiars to end up with different cores than yourself.
You do not have to keep track of your mastery level in each individual element. You just need a list of your elemental cores; let me worry about the exact individual masteries.
World Interactions
When interacting with anything that isn't controlled by a player, you must wait for either me or @BCTheEntity, the co-GM, to decide the results of your interaction. More specifically, BC and I will be controlling various antagonists that the player characters may need to defeat. Since we determine the outcomes of interactions, we do not have player characters of our own. Don't worry about any potential disputes between BC and I; we'll always work these out in private.
When interacting with another player character or one of her familiars, you may work out the results of the interaction with the other player, as long as it doesn't break any rules. Alternatively, you may choose to let BC or me determine the results.
It is (usually) not possible to die in this game. Littered around the Cradle of Divinity are numerous tech-shrines of Syn-Theia, the goddess who brought your character into this world. Whenever your character's body is killed, she will be resurrected at the last shrine she visited; all of her familiars will be unsummoned and returned to her mind as well. Each shrine is surrounded by an extremely powerful barrier that prevents anything other than a human or a familiar from entering, and you can teleport to any shrine you've already visited, so you generally don't have to worry about being "spawn-camped" by monsters.
However, while you can't die physically, it is still possible for you to "die" by losing your very identity... I will speak no more of this matter until it becomes more relevant in the plot.
When interacting with another player character or one of her familiars, you may work out the results of the interaction with the other player, as long as it doesn't break any rules. Alternatively, you may choose to let BC or me determine the results.
It is (usually) not possible to die in this game. Littered around the Cradle of Divinity are numerous tech-shrines of Syn-Theia, the goddess who brought your character into this world. Whenever your character's body is killed, she will be resurrected at the last shrine she visited; all of her familiars will be unsummoned and returned to her mind as well. Each shrine is surrounded by an extremely powerful barrier that prevents anything other than a human or a familiar from entering, and you can teleport to any shrine you've already visited, so you generally don't have to worry about being "spawn-camped" by monsters.
However, while you can't die physically, it is still possible for you to "die" by losing your very identity... I will speak no more of this matter until it becomes more relevant in the plot.
Rules
To avoid possible disputes, there are a few rules in this game that must be obeyed at all times. Breaking one of the rules for the first two times will only result in a warning, but breaking a rule a third time will result in you being banned from this game.
-2. All forum rules apply. Obviously.
-1. Do not respond to anyone who is attempting to derail this thread, or the main game thread. Report the person and move on.
0. I am always right. I am allowed to break any of the rules after this one because I am the GM. Don't even try to argue with me or twist the rules and use them against me, because I am always right. You can ask me to re-evaluate a decision, but ultimately I always get the final say. If I say a discussion is finished, it is finished; attempting to argue further is breaking this rule and you know what that means.
1. Don’t be a jerk. Try not to do anything that may possibly cause anyone to spit profanity at you. That includes but is not limited to killing, controlling, maiming, depowering, or doing anything unpleasant to another player's characters without the player’s permission, or derailing the characters' subplots. If a dispute occurs, try to resolve it via PM. If that doesn’t work, PM me.
2. All posts can be edited. If a conflict occurs, one or both sides will have to edit their posts. If I tell you to edit one of your posts, you have to. If you refuse to do so, your post will be declared invalid, non-canonical, and will be ignored by everyone else; responding to such invalidated posts also counts as breaking this rule.
3. Don’t be overpowered. If I spot your characters doing something they should not be capable of doing, you must edit your post. Otherwise your post will be considered invalid; retcons will be used if necessary. There is a link above describing the limitations of magical abilities in this setting, in the Game Overview section.
-2. All forum rules apply. Obviously.
-1. Do not respond to anyone who is attempting to derail this thread, or the main game thread. Report the person and move on.
0. I am always right. I am allowed to break any of the rules after this one because I am the GM. Don't even try to argue with me or twist the rules and use them against me, because I am always right. You can ask me to re-evaluate a decision, but ultimately I always get the final say. If I say a discussion is finished, it is finished; attempting to argue further is breaking this rule and you know what that means.
1. Don’t be a jerk. Try not to do anything that may possibly cause anyone to spit profanity at you. That includes but is not limited to killing, controlling, maiming, depowering, or doing anything unpleasant to another player's characters without the player’s permission, or derailing the characters' subplots. If a dispute occurs, try to resolve it via PM. If that doesn’t work, PM me.
2. All posts can be edited. If a conflict occurs, one or both sides will have to edit their posts. If I tell you to edit one of your posts, you have to. If you refuse to do so, your post will be declared invalid, non-canonical, and will be ignored by everyone else; responding to such invalidated posts also counts as breaking this rule.
3. Don’t be overpowered. If I spot your characters doing something they should not be capable of doing, you must edit your post. Otherwise your post will be considered invalid; retcons will be used if necessary. There is a link above describing the limitations of magical abilities in this setting, in the Game Overview section.
Signup Sheets
In this game, each player is limited to one character, and up to six familiars. The character and familiar signup sheets will be included below.
Please post your character and familiar sheets in the OOC tab first, then move them to the Characters tab after they've been accepted.
Also, please update your character and familiar sheets as you progress through the game, e.g. when you gain new abilities.
Name: Self-explanatory. Put aliases, nicknames, and titles here too if you want, but please do make it clear which is your character’s main name.
Sex: Self-explanatory. Includes all possible variations on human sex, e.g. both male and female, sexless, changed from male to female or vice versa. Note that this indicates biological sex; things like gender identity go in the Personality section.
Age: Self-explanatory. Must be limited to plausible human ages.
Appearance: Self-explanatory. Please describe both your character’s physical appearance and clothes.
Personality: You can flesh out your character as you roleplay along, but it’s still a good idea to give a general description of his or her personality. If you don’t know what to put, think about virtues, vices, intelligence, temperaments, religious, philosophical, and moral beliefs, sexual orientation, quirks, habits, etc.
Biography: Briefly explain your character’s life before the game began. Remember that your character was a human living on Earth in the year 2015.
Skills: What mundane, non-magical skills does your character have? Examples include but are obviously not limited to singing, cooking, and martial arts.
Elemental Cores: As described in the Game Overview section. You start with two cores, but will gain more as the game progresses.
Abilities: This section contains your character’s magical abilities. Please read the document listing the limitations of magical abilities, linked immediately above the Elements subsection of the Game Overview section. Your character can start with up to five abilities, but only if she doesn't start with a familiar; she will gain more abilities as the game progresses. Also, please indicate the elements that each ability involves, to see which elemental masteries apply.
Familiars: List all of your character's familiars here. Your character can start with one familiar who has the same elemental cores as herself, and up to five abilities, but only if the character herself doesn't start with any abilities; she may gain more familiars as the game progresses. It will also be helpful to indicate the elemental cores each familiar has.
Possessions: List any items of significance that your character has in her possession. You do not start with any possessions, but may gain them during the course of the game.
Sex: Self-explanatory. Includes all possible variations on human sex, e.g. both male and female, sexless, changed from male to female or vice versa. Note that this indicates biological sex; things like gender identity go in the Personality section.
Age: Self-explanatory. Must be limited to plausible human ages.
Appearance: Self-explanatory. Please describe both your character’s physical appearance and clothes.
Personality: You can flesh out your character as you roleplay along, but it’s still a good idea to give a general description of his or her personality. If you don’t know what to put, think about virtues, vices, intelligence, temperaments, religious, philosophical, and moral beliefs, sexual orientation, quirks, habits, etc.
Biography: Briefly explain your character’s life before the game began. Remember that your character was a human living on Earth in the year 2015.
Skills: What mundane, non-magical skills does your character have? Examples include but are obviously not limited to singing, cooking, and martial arts.
Elemental Cores: As described in the Game Overview section. You start with two cores, but will gain more as the game progresses.
Abilities: This section contains your character’s magical abilities. Please read the document listing the limitations of magical abilities, linked immediately above the Elements subsection of the Game Overview section. Your character can start with up to five abilities, but only if she doesn't start with a familiar; she will gain more abilities as the game progresses. Also, please indicate the elements that each ability involves, to see which elemental masteries apply.
Familiars: List all of your character's familiars here. Your character can start with one familiar who has the same elemental cores as herself, and up to five abilities, but only if the character herself doesn't start with any abilities; she may gain more familiars as the game progresses. It will also be helpful to indicate the elemental cores each familiar has.
Possessions: List any items of significance that your character has in her possession. You do not start with any possessions, but may gain them during the course of the game.
Name: Self-explanatory.
Sex: Self-explanatory. Unlike your human character, your familiar is not limited to human sexes.
Age: Self-explanatory. If this is the familiar that your character starts with, or a familiar created from your character's soul via an essence stone, then its age is technically 0. Otherwise, the familiar's age will be revealed to you within the game when its contract is established.
Race: What kind of creature is your familiar? Only a short phrase here, please; more detailed descriptions go into the Appearance section. If your familiar is some kind of alien thing that doesn’t resemble anything in real life or fiction, put "N/A".
Appearance: Self-explanatory.
Personality: Self-explanatory. If your familiar is created from your character's soul (i.e. her starting familiar and ones created using essence stones), or if it is a previously non-intelligent creature that has become intelligent due to the contract, its personality will be a manifestation of some aspects of your character's personality; you get to choose. Otherwise, you will be told of the familiar's personality before its contract with you.
Biography: Self-explanatory. For your character's starting familiar, and familiars spawned from her soul, the familiar will have essentially no biography. However, it will have access to your character's memories, meaning it has about as much clue about what's going on as your character herself; it will also know that it is an entity spawned from your character's soul. Otherwise, the familiar's biography prior to establishing its contract with your character will be revealed to you.
Skills: If this familiar was your character's starting one, or otherwise spawned from her soul, it will have the same skills as your character, and may have skills your character has witnessed but doesn't have (e.g. the familiar may know martial arts from the tournaments its master had watched). The familiar may also have certain intrinsic mental qualities that your character herself may not have, e.g. intelligence, empathy. Otherwise, the familiar is a pre-existing creature, and its skills will be revealed to you.
Elemental Cores: Your starting familiar must have the same cores as your starting ones, and an essence stone will create a familiar who has the same cores as you currently have. Pre-existing creatures will have their elemental cores revealed to you when you make contracts with them. Familiars will also gain more elemental cores as the game progresses, and they do not have to be the same as yours.
Abilities: The same limitations as your character's abilities apply. Your starting familiar cannot have more than five abilities, and a familiar created from an essence stone cannot have more abilities than the member of your party (i.e. you and your familiars) with the highest number of abilities; you decide what abilities they start with. Pre-existing creatures that become your familiars will have their abilities revealed to you. In all cases, familiars will gain more abilities as the game progresses.
Sex: Self-explanatory. Unlike your human character, your familiar is not limited to human sexes.
Age: Self-explanatory. If this is the familiar that your character starts with, or a familiar created from your character's soul via an essence stone, then its age is technically 0. Otherwise, the familiar's age will be revealed to you within the game when its contract is established.
Race: What kind of creature is your familiar? Only a short phrase here, please; more detailed descriptions go into the Appearance section. If your familiar is some kind of alien thing that doesn’t resemble anything in real life or fiction, put "N/A".
Appearance: Self-explanatory.
Personality: Self-explanatory. If your familiar is created from your character's soul (i.e. her starting familiar and ones created using essence stones), or if it is a previously non-intelligent creature that has become intelligent due to the contract, its personality will be a manifestation of some aspects of your character's personality; you get to choose. Otherwise, you will be told of the familiar's personality before its contract with you.
Biography: Self-explanatory. For your character's starting familiar, and familiars spawned from her soul, the familiar will have essentially no biography. However, it will have access to your character's memories, meaning it has about as much clue about what's going on as your character herself; it will also know that it is an entity spawned from your character's soul. Otherwise, the familiar's biography prior to establishing its contract with your character will be revealed to you.
Skills: If this familiar was your character's starting one, or otherwise spawned from her soul, it will have the same skills as your character, and may have skills your character has witnessed but doesn't have (e.g. the familiar may know martial arts from the tournaments its master had watched). The familiar may also have certain intrinsic mental qualities that your character herself may not have, e.g. intelligence, empathy. Otherwise, the familiar is a pre-existing creature, and its skills will be revealed to you.
Elemental Cores: Your starting familiar must have the same cores as your starting ones, and an essence stone will create a familiar who has the same cores as you currently have. Pre-existing creatures will have their elemental cores revealed to you when you make contracts with them. Familiars will also gain more elemental cores as the game progresses, and they do not have to be the same as yours.
Abilities: The same limitations as your character's abilities apply. Your starting familiar cannot have more than five abilities, and a familiar created from an essence stone cannot have more abilities than the member of your party (i.e. you and your familiars) with the highest number of abilities; you decide what abilities they start with. Pre-existing creatures that become your familiars will have their abilities revealed to you. In all cases, familiars will gain more abilities as the game progresses.
I'll try to have a sheet in by tonight.
