This is an anime-style story that will be broken down into several story arcs along the way, this is an adventure fantasy that will focus just as much on character interaction and development as it will combat. It will begin with a sort of introductory arc and following that there will be successive arcs that will be plotted with the help of the players, possibly in respect to their characters. However, there actually IS an overarching plot that will be slowly touched upon as the story goes on and eventually will take the center stage at a later date. Though this won't exactly be gritty and will actually be quite fun, expect there to be darker themes or elements in certain places.
AURELIA
The name of the planet this story takes place on is named Aurelia. A rather hospitable world, a perfect distance from the local sun and with a blue moon that orbits it, that supports many different climates and forms of life. If Earth can be considered a "water planet", the same sense can be used to call Aurelia a "sky planet." The core of Aurelia is incredibly dense energy called Aura. Aura is not only the core of Aurelia, but the key component to it's structure. From the core outwards is a progressively less dense layer of air, composed primarily of oxygen and hydrogen. Similar to Earth's oceans, the majority of Aurelia is covered in what the natives call oceans as well, though it is not of water.
It is of air. The planet's natural Aura keeps the land masses of Aurelia floating, resulting in the majority of the planet's land being large and separated islands. Despite having no solid root or hold onto other islands or even the core of Aurelia, they are all held in place by the Aura and thus maps are accurately made. 80 percent of Aurelia consists of these sky oceans. While most of the land masses are typically islands or large islands, there are several continents. There is a large continent on the northern magnetic pole, called Taviore, a large continent on the southern magnetic pole, called Maviore, and an archipelago along the entire equator called Fuschiore. Though these are the three largest masses, there are many thousands of islands scattered across the sky oceans of Aurelia.
Much like Earth, there is diverse life on Aurelia. The dominant species is, of course, humans. However, due to the properties of Aura and how much it can vary, evolutionary lines have more variability than on Earth. While common house cats and dogs can be related to lions and wolves, on Aurelia there are not only those examples but even larger or otherwise evolved versions of canines and felines, as a basic example. The diversity of life is still not completely discovered and new scientific discoveries are made every day. However, it can be determined that the only truly sentient creatures on Aurelia are humans. As diverse as animal life is, plant life is just as much if not more so. In fact, carnivorous plants or otherwise "living" plants are more common and larger on Aurelia than on Earth, as another basic example.
THE MAGES
Aura is an incredibly powerful form of energy that is naturally formed in Aurelia. However, it is unique to Aurelia itself and is only generated from the core where it radiates outward. Though Aura can be captured and used by certain technologies, there is a type of Aura that is generated naturally within all living things, referred to as Mana. In essence, Mana is simply a watered down version of Aura, created by living things converting the Aura in the air into something they can use. While all life has Mana, some can manipulate this energy. Those born with especially high Mana levels are called Mages.
Mages can be detected at birth by their high levels of Mana. There are four classifications of Mages. Arcane Mages make up 70 percent of all Mages. An Arcane Mage can use their Mana to manipulate or create one specific element. Such examples would be a fire Mage, an ice Mage, a flower Mage, etc. These Mages are capable of performing such magic on themselves, such as a water Mage turning into water. The other 30 percent are split equally between what are classified as White Mages and Black Mages. White Mages can use their Mana to not only heal injuries but to assist other Mages such as speeding up their Mana regeneration. Black Mages have more destructive skills, being capable of raising the dead or spreading disease. While Arcane Mages can possess similar ability as a White or Black Mage, it is never to the degree of the "higher power" category. Neither White or Black Mages can use their magic on themselves. The final category is incredibly rare, being that there are only five recorded Mages of this type in history. They are called Time Mages. Their Mana and ability are so powerful they can bend space and time around them. The extent of their power is largely unknown, but what is recorded implies that Time Mages are the ultimate beings on Aurelia.
Aevum, the plural of Aeva, are a much more recent development on Aurelia, having only begun appearing approximately fifty years ago, around the same time as the Rifts did. Aevum are powerful spirits born from Aura that take physical form in the shape of a small wooden totem. Though their number is unknown, there aren't very many of them. They vary greatly in form and ability. These spirits can develop a connection with a human, allowing them to communicate. As they are born from Aura, they prioritize the well-being of Aurelia above all else. However, they can share their power with the human they connect with. Since this is Aura and not Mana, these humans can have extraordinary abilities that get even more powerful the more connected with their Aevum they are. As Aura is more powerful than Mana, those who are linked with Aevum, there is no official term for the connection yet, are considered to be more powerful than Mages. But it is not infinite. There is a finite supply of Aura that must recharge after use, just like with Mana. It must be noted that Aevum only ever choose humans that are good spirited or pure of heart. Those that are tainted by darkness will never have a link with an Aeva.
THE CRUCIBLELLIA EMPIRE
The Crucible, a slang term for the Crucibellia Empire, is the dominant government of Aurelia. A technologically-advanced dictatorship that claims nearly 70 percent of all of Aurelia. It has been ruled by the same family for centuries. The Crucible began in Fuschiore on a large island called Crucibellia. From there, it expanded until all of Fuschiore was under it's control. For the longest time, it was only Fuschiore that it controlled, leaving Taviore, Maviore, and the countless islands to be sovereign. However, one hundred years ago, after a technological revolution the Crucible began to expand once again, conquering both Taviore and Maviore. Lately, the Crucible has been slowly taking over the islands dotted around the world. However, the problem they have run into is that the islands that aren't a part of the main continents have put up a much stiffer resistance. Though the Crucibellia Empire is a dictatorship, most of its citizens do not feel as though it is a tyranny. There are many strict laws, but the citizens of Fuschiore favor the Crucible.
However, the less populated continents of Maviore and Taviore are very much oppressed. And on top of oppression, islands that refuse to cooperate are completely annihilated. The Crucible military has been an unstoppable force from their advanced technology and tactics. Furthermore, all children that are born in Crucible territory are screened at birth for their Mana levels, and those that are determined to be Mages are taken by the Crucible to be raised in Crucibellia itself as weapons for the Crucible military. With the rise of Aevum and an inability to use them, the Crucible had created a task force called Aevum Hunters. These men and women are some of the most powerful Mages and humans on the planet, since they are required to not only kill those linked with Aevum but to destroy the Aevum themselves. It is unknown how many Aevum have been destroyed. This powerful and daunting military is what most non-Fuschiore people on Aurelia fear most, even more than Rift Monsters in some cases.
Different regions of the world have different technological levels, so it would be easiest to explain by the most advanced technology available. There are several ways to power technology, the most common being Aura powered and solar powered, though gas and even wind powered devices exist. Generators on the bottom of the islands will absorb Aura and convert it into usable electricity for most appliances and devices. Solar power generators perform the same task, only on the top of the islands. However, for technologies that aren't stationary there are several methods of power. For sky ships, the most common form of power is solar though many modern ships also have backup Aura generators. Things like portable communication devices run on electrical batteries. However, an invention exclusive to Crucible weaponry, there are Aura batteries. Used in their rifles, these small packs of Aura are converted into bullets of varying size to fit the weapon. This universal ammunition is not only convenient, but is powerful and full of variety.
Like most high-end Crucible technology, it is restricted to Crucible military personnel. But the concept of Aura batteries has been spreading around the world and homemade or otherwise makeshift versions can be found on the black market. Though Aura batteries aren't exactly dangerous to the user, it is wiser to have batteries of good quality. The extent of Aura-empowered weapons does not stop there, but in general these types of weapons are difficult to obtain and knockoffs are not only illegal to own but often ineffective. However, bullet technology is easy to obtain for those that do not live in Crucible territory. Swords, axes, even less effective weapons such as whips are outlawed in the Crucibellia Empire but typically are perfectly legal depending on the sovereign island you are standing on. With the rapidly improving technology on Aurelia, perhaps there are even more kinds of weapons and devices that are being invented right now or are just waiting to be discovered by the public eye.
THE FREE WIND AND THE LEAGUE
The League of Free Skies, often shortened to The League, was an organization of sovereign navies led by ten commanders that allied to protect the sovereign islands from the Crucible. However, ten years ago, The League was mostly crushed in a series of debilitating battles with the Crucible Navy. Though the sovereign nations that composed the League still exist, they were mostly destroyed and are shadows of what they once were. It is common knowledge that The League still exists and those that are oppressed by the Crucible cling to the idea as their hope of salvation. However, it is a fact that there have been no efforts to fight since their crushing defeat ten years ago. The League is shattered, and it is almost improper to say it is a thing. Though the original leaders are all alive, they are unknown to the general public and have made no attempts in ten years to protect anyone.
An infamous name in Crucible territory. The Free Wind is an armed freight ship that works for a transport company of the same name. Though it is a small company, it is infamous for the fact that it deals almost exclusively in transportation of illegal goods and those that work aboard are all wanted criminals in Crucible lands. Often referred to as pirates by the Crucible, that is not an accurate statement. They commit no acts of pillaging, murder, or theft. They simply transport weapons, other criminals, illegal foods, essentially anything between Crucible lands and the sovereign islands. It is rumored that the Free Wind was once a part of the League of Free Skies, judging by the name similarity, but that is unconfirmed. The crew of the Free Wind is constantly hounded by the Crucible, but despite several skirmishes and close calls it is yet to be captured after nearly fifteen years of activity. Though the identities of the crew are unknown to the general public, they are famous names in the Aurelia underworld. This is the ship and crew that the story will revolve around.
Captain - Summer Skies A young woman that doesn't seem to age. Born into the Crucibellia Empire as Summer Orlovets, she changed her last name after defecting under mysterious circumstances just over fifteen years ago. While the extent of any combat ability she has is unknown, she is infamous for her intelligence, being regarded as one of the brightest minds of the underworld. She is one of the more colorful characters in the underworld as well, being one of the few cheery types despite the overal situation the world is in. While her personality stands out among those in her business, her reputation as a successful transporter makes her stand out the most. Behind that smile is a cunning mind that has managed to stay one step ahead of the world's most powerful force for over fifteen years. She has only ever let people on board the Free Wind if they are wanted by the Crucible.
First Mate - Weston Bright A powerful man that was also born into the Crucibellia Empire. He once served in the Crucible military, though he defected fourteen years ago in such a fashion that resulted in a portion of Crucibellia itself being destroyed. Now aged thirty-eight, he is considered the powerhouse of the Free Wind. It is also a common misconception where people believe he is the captain instead of Summer. Though that is not the case, she does often consult him on important matters. His name is infamous as being one of the most powerful humans on the planet and he also has the highest bounty on his head in Crucible territory. While he is not as brilliant as Summer, he is quite intelligent on his own. His two-sword style has been idolized and his weapons of choice are two large but not identical buster swords, though he is skilled in all forms of combat.
RIFTS
Approximately fifty years ago, abnormalities in Aurelia's Aura began spawning dark portals. These portals, called Rifts, allowed Monsters to appear and begin attacking both humans and animals. These Monsters vary in size and shape, but in general their primary means of attack come from teeth, claws, and tails. On rare occasions, there are flying variants. However, as compared to fifty years ago when Rifts began to appear, these Monsters have been growing progressively larger. While at first they could be compared to a pack of wolves in both size and threat, they are much more dangerous in modern times. The threat of Rift Monsters had led to a rise in Rift Hunters. These humans and Mages not only specialize in killing or capturing Monsters, but also in closing Rifts to prevent more from coming through. Through data collected by Rift Hunters, it was determined that Rifts were also composed of Aura. So specific devices were invented to close such portals. Though they are mass produced, one needs to be licensed to get their hands on such technology. In the more rural areas across Aurelia, a Rift Hunter organization is typically owned and operated as a family business. Whereas the urban areas will have multiple firms on the business. Due to the increasing frequency and threat of Monsters, Rift Hunting has become more popular. All Rift Hunters within Crucible territory are regulated by the Crucible government.
THE BEGINNING
The story will begin with the present crew of the Free Wind being forced to land on the small, rural island of Krukow due to mechanical problems. Coincidentally, the Crucible Empire's Scouting Legion has come to annex Krukow. The majority of the cast will be native to Krukow and will have little knowledge of the world (though of course variety and non-native characters are to be expected). The chaos that will ensue will leave the player characters with a choice. Join the Free Wind and escape from the Crucible's grasp or stay in their homeland and suffer.
It would be foolish of me to make the players create characters in a setting they know nothing about. So here's a little bit on the island of Krukow, for the characters it will be relevant to.
The island of Krukow is relatively small, being only 30 miles across. It is mostly flat, though heavily wooded. The town of Krukow, creatively named after the island it inhabits, lies toward the north end of the island by a large lake. Guess the name of the lake. Anyways, the primary industry of Krukow has always been lumber exports, but lately has been shifting to more agriculture due to the land opening up from the deforestation. While it is a small place, it is well kept. The community is mostly tight and it seems that everybody knows each other. The town mayor, Vladmir Maximus, is also the leader of the Rift Hunter business in town, Maximus. Due to the small population, there is only one school that children of all ages attend, where the education is divided up by ability rather than age. Neighboring the island of Krukow is the island of Kuiper. Often considered sister islands, Kuiper is just as small but much more modern. The entire island is one large city. The two islands are only 50 miles apart, so it is not all that uncommon to see Krukow natives make weekly trips to Kuiper with a skiff or perhaps their own personal air vehicle. Air vehicles aren't exactly rare on Krukow, but due to their expensive nature most people on Krukow don't care to own one. After all, they can just ride a hovercraft to wherever they need to go on the island, and those are much cheaper to operate. Krukow itself doesn't have much on it, making it the more boring or drab of the sister islands, but most of the community doesn't mind that. It is typically the younger folk, especially teenagers, that aren't content with their home.
OTHER STUFF
Rule 1: I am the boss. Simple, the first rule of every roleplay. In fact, I'll even include all the common rules here. None of that power-play, meta-game, or any other similarly negative happenings shall be going down in here. ESPECIALLY in regards to other players or characters. Respect the players, respect the game, respect the boss.
Rule 2: Y'all starting off weak. What's the fun in being good from the get go? Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities for characters to grow in both strength and personality.
Rule 3: Any plot ideas that will involve the entire crew must go through me first to approve them. You will all get a chance to have your own arc, more or less, but it still must be acceptable by yours truly. I would suggest PMing it to me instead of posting it here, especially if you have any surprises or twists.
- Refer to Rule 2 of the RULES section. - Ain't nobody starting off with an Aeva. However, one can be obtained early on so if you want your character to obtain one, PM me the details and we'll organize a good time for them to get one. - On the topic of Aevum, Mages cannot obtain a link with an Aeva. If this upsets your for some reason, I have a logical explaination I can provide. - If you want to make any companion characters or pets, they do not need a full sheet like this. Just describe them in the backstory section and make a note somewhere that the person is a companion. - Ain't nobody being a Time Mage. I waited just a few rules to get the hopes up so they could be crushed. :D - Characters can have similar abilities, so don't expect your character's powers to be absolutely unique. - For those with Krukow natives, your characters don't have to be ignorant of the world. But limited knowledge will mean they can become more worldly as the story goes on. - That's pretty much it. Don't get too crazy with it. Though this is anime-style, there should still be a realistic element.
Insert quote here.
~ Height - weight - build ~
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Personalia
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【Name:】
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【Nickname:】
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【Gender:】
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【Age:】
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【History:】
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【Classification:】
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【Skills:】
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【Techniques:】
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【Equipment:】
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[i]Please enter additional facial features, body features and general appearance features that are not apparent in the picture.[/i][/center]
[indent][h2][b][i][color=82D3FB]Personalia[/color][/i][/b][/h2] [i][b]Personal details of importance[/b][/i]
[b][u]【Name:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]Enter your name here.[/i][/indent]
[b][u]【Nickname:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]Enter your nickname here, if you have one.[/i][/indent]
[b][u]【Gender:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]Male/female/?[/i][/indent]
[b][u]【Age:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]Enter your age here, with a minimum of 14 and no maximum.[/i][/indent]
[h2][b][i][color=82D3FB]Psychological report[/color][/i][/b][/h2] [i][b]A report on subjects' mental health and forté[/b][/i]
[b][u]【Personality:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]Please enter how your character would behave, for example in positive, negative, neutral, emotional etc. situations. Please be detailed, with a minimum of one paragraph.[/i][/indent]
[b][u]【History:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]Explain briefly where your character comes from, and how he got where he is now. Explain how they got their skills etc. Again,be detailed, with a minimum of 2 paragraphs.[/i][/indent]
[h2][b][i][color=82D3FB]Combat investigatory reports[/color][/i][/b][/h2] [i][b]Data gathered by interviews and evaluations[/b][/i]
[b][u]【Classification:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]What would they be classified as? A mage? A human? A cyborg?[/i][/indent]
[b][u]【Skills:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]What can your character do and what is he particularily skilled at? Think in, and out of combat. Please keep these noteworthy. 'Walking dogs' is likely not a skill.[/i][/indent]
[b][u]【Techniques:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]Since we're based on an anime, we need to have [b]named techniques.[/b] Be creative, and awesome.[/i][/indent]
[b][u]【Equipment:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]What equipment do they have on them [b]at all times?[/b][/i][/indent]
[b][u]【Position:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]What would their employment area be? Or, in more normal terms, what's your job?[/i][/indent]
[b][u]【Theme song:】[/u][/b]
[indent][i]Whilst optional, you really can't have an anime based roleplay without theme songs. Queue battle music![/i][/indent][/indent][/hider]
@Kafka Komedy Yeah, that wouldn't count as a Time Mage but the Explosive/Nuclear idea is a bit too much. You could potentially make work with some kind of Solar idea, provided it isn't stupidly strong. But if you want a generally destructive magic then you can't go wrong with Fire.
Basically what I want is a firecracker to start off with, that grows into a cannon. I dislike fire because it's both generic, and it lingers. Ace doesn't linger, man. That's just the way things is.
I'm gonna try and find something similar to what I'm looking for. Superpower Wiki, here I come! If any of you guys have a suggestion, I am definitely all ears.
For clarification, Arcane Magic isn't only focused on literal elements so much as fields. Manipulating emotions would be a possibility, though to make it useful would require an advanced user of the magic. I used the elemental magic as basic examples, but there are more possibilities than just those.
On the topic of kinetic manipulation or combustion manipulation: those would have a lot of powerful potential. Likewise there are probably other magics that, in a sufficiently advanced form, would eventually encompass one or the other. I would suggest to come up with something more tame but I don't know how you plan to go about it, so I won't outright deny it.
For clarification, Arcane Magic isn't only focused on literal elements so much as fields. Manipulating emotions would be a possibility, though to make it useful would require an advanced user of the magic. I used the elemental magic as basic examples, but there are more possibilities than just those.
On the topic of kinetic manipulation or combustion manipulation: those would have a lot of powerful potential. Likewise there are probably other magics that, in a sufficiently advanced form, would eventually encompass one or the other. I would suggest to come up with something more tame but I don't know how you plan to go about it, so I won't outright deny it.
For Kinetic manipulation, the only thing I plan on him being able to do, is increase velocity of objects in motion. Maybe endgame he can slow things down, but at that point it becomes the Absolute Defense, because he can just stop things coming at him. He's essentially a glass cannon on his own, so I plan on him having small metal balls to fling at people. I was also planning on him not having formal training, so he can only use his powers subconsciously, like throwing or hitting harder than your average boy.
But if it's fields, then I have a feeling Kinetic might not work. At least, my version, since it's so specific.
So, combustion. I think maybe Gunpowder or something like that might work better. At first all he can make is a small firecracker explosion, but then he gets better, and can make big mounds and massive explosions. That might be a little more versatile, but I honestly like the Kinetic powers better.
@Kafka Komedy The Kinetic idea sounds overpowered. At a certain point it would just be able to completely overcome any defenses, as well as being able to stop any attack. So I'm gonna say no to that. The Gunpowder idea doesn't sound nearly as bad, so maybe you can go with that. I plan to demonstrate magic pretty early on in the story, so as to alleviate any confusion on the mechanics and capabilities, so I can't expect anyone to have a perfect grasp considering the IC hasn't even started.
For the most part, they will. They are NPCs at the end of the day, so there may be situations in which other players can handle them. One magical "field" per mage, correct. Their magic is inherent, dictated by genetics. A Fire Mage will always be a Fire Mage, for example.
Also, I've got the OOC up now, so you can post your character there when you're finished.
