Okay, let me elaborate on the branding a bit more since it is a hot-button issue. First let me explain the fear of spirits and the rationale behind the brands. In this world, there are many violent and powerful spirits that DO cause destruction. Just like with people, you have friendly spirits, and malevolent spirits. However, with the ability to hide in human form, it is difficult to track them down and retaliate should they decide to hide. With the brand, it makes it impossible for these malevolent spirits to hide who they are. Plus, it puts people's minds at ease knowing that the person you are talking to is being honest about their species.

Now, many of you are comparing The Guild to magical Nazis. Let me make a few distinctions. First, and perhaps more importantly, is the fact that spirits are generally a lot more powerful than a human. This power dynamic means that mortals may want to know if they are walking up to something that could literally be their natural predator. Much of the fear of spirits derives from this very real imbalance of personal power. Second, no special legal restrictions are put on spirits once they accept the brand. The Jews in Nazi Germany had far more restrictions: they had to live in segregated communities, they had special curfews, they couldn't own automobiles, etc. No such restrictions are put on spirits. So, with that explained, I don't really see the scenario as analogous to magical Nazis.

With that said, yes, there are social consequences to the brand. Some mortals are just, believe it or not, racist. However, many others see those spirits who accept the brand as honest and forthcoming and would rather befriend the people with magical powers rather than piss them off. There is also resistance in the spirit community. Many see the brand as demeaning and insulting. As @Narcotic Dollie pointed out, the forehead it prime real estate. Not everybody steps forward, thus the reason for The Guild. It should be noted, that spirits do have representation on the council, so they have political power as well and The Guild really does try to get spirits to comply before hunting them down.

I am well aware that good and evil are not clearly defined, even with all of this considered. I do not consider The Guild to be a bright and happy organization, but rather an organization doing dirty work for the sake of peaceful coexistence. It should also be noted that I love me some moral ambiguity.

So, with all that explained, if you guys still don't like the idea, I'm always open to suggestions.

Also, you mentioned griffins, orcs, and elves. Those are all extremely western fantasy races; orcs were codified in Lord of the Rings, and griffins originated in Greece and the surrounding areas. If your goal is to have a Japanese setting, you should exclude traditionally western races.

Well, based on the feedback I've been getting, both in the thread and privately, I decided to go with the hybrid fantasy option. This will be a fictional world containing elements from both Eastern (and not just Japanese) and Western fantasy. Even so, I'd still like to hear the ideas you have.

@Takashi
That, is exactly what I was hoping the guild was going to be. I for one, am all for it and will definitely be making a spirit who is part of the guild if this is the thing we ultimately go with.

So you have my vote~

Well, based on the feedback I've been getting, both in the thread and privately, I decided to go with the hybrid fantasy option. This will be a fictional world containing elements from both Eastern (and not just Japanese) and Western fantasy. Even so, I'd still like to hear the ideas you have.

I'll be honest. I was really hoping for pure Eastern fantasy. China, India, Japanese. Things from those areas. I don't mind the hybrid fantasy thing, of course, but ah well~

Okay, let me elaborate on the branding a bit more since it is a hot-button issue. First let me explain the fear of spirits and the rationale behind the brands. In this world, there are many violent and powerful spirits that DO cause destruction. Just like with people, you have friendly spirits, and malevolent spirits. However, with the ability to hide in human form, it is difficult to track them down and retaliate should they decide to hide. With the brand, it makes it impossible for these malevolent spirits to hide who they are. Plus, it puts people's minds at ease knowing that the person you are talking to is being honest about their species.

Now, many of you are comparing The Guild to magical Nazis. Let me make a few distinctions. First, and perhaps more importantly, is the fact that spirits are generally a lot more powerful than a human. This power dynamic means that mortals may want to know if they are walking up to something that could literally be their natural predator. Much of the fear of spirits derives from this very real imbalance of personal power. Second, no special legal restrictions are put on spirits once they accept the brand. The Jews in Nazi Germany had far more restrictions: they had to live in segregated communities, they had special curfews, they couldn't own automobiles, etc. No such restrictions are put on spirits. So, with that explained, I don't really see the scenario as analogous to magical Nazis.

With that said, yes, there are social consequences to the brand. Some mortals are just, believe it or not, racist. However, many others see those spirits who accept the brand as honest and forthcoming and would rather befriend the people with magical powers rather than piss them off. There is also resistance in the spirit community. Many see the brand as demeaning and insulting. As @Narcotic Dollie pointed out, the forehead it prime real estate. Not everybody steps forward, thus the reason for The Guild. It should be noted, that spirits do have representation on the council, so they have political power as well and The Guild really does try to get spirits to comply before hunting them down.

I am well aware that good and evil are not clearly defined, even with all of this considered. I do not consider The Guild to be a bright and happy organization, but rather an organization doing dirty work for the sake of peaceful coexistence. It should also be noted that I love me some moral ambiguity.

So, with all that explained, if you guys still don't like the idea, I'm always open to suggestions.

<Snipped quote by IncredibleBee>

Well, based on the feedback I've been getting, both in the thread and privately, I decided to go with the hybrid fantasy option. This will be a fictional world containing elements from both Eastern (and not just Japanese) and Western fantasy. Even so, I'd still like to hear the ideas you have.

Don't go with a hybrid fantasy. If you have the only Eastern Fantasy genre game, you should roll with it and make it very eastern.

Furthermore I do have plot ideas we can use instead of magical youkai nazis, but they're designed around a specific time and location (Japan, from the 1500s-1880s) so if you're gonna throw in Western stuff at random, what's the point?

@Takashi
I wouldn't have minded straight up playing as the bad guys, but yeah, guild pretty much turned out like what I expected it to be like, so it's fine. Is player death going to be a thing at all, or can we expect the sort of plot armour that most group RPs have?

@Takashi I like it even better, now that you've explained it. I'm so excited to make a character for this!

I'm fine with keeping it pure eastern or having it be a hybrid. I think as long as we have a good group of players it doesn't matter as much. ^.^

With a hybrid there are more options but the era should be kept in mind. If something western is in the scene then it should have a reason for being so far from home. Anything from exile by a powerful lord to a summoning spell gone wrong would work to relocate a western zone character or factor into an eastern area. But, I do believe that the setting should be predominantly eastern with ... dare I say... western sprinkles?

Also, given the intense zealotry associated with any form of forced group identification, it might be wise to incorporate something more akin to a talisman rather than a brand. This talisman would be worn in a similar manner to an earing or other accessory and would cause an identifiable physical characteristic to be more spirit-like than human-like. Depending on the spirit, they might choose something that they feel is a more attractive feature like their ears, fins, hair, etc.

Furthermore, the hunting of spirits could be limited to those who dwell or linger within human settlements without a talisman. Basically, they need to be honest in introducing themselves in order to be respected. Even in our age, which is far less strict than before, failing to introduce yourself or lying about your identity is a deal breaker for both personal and business relationships. Given the odds of humans being on the losing end of such deception, the government would be failing to do its duty if it did not take some action to protect its people from duplicitous non-citizens as well as encouraging honest and well intentioned non-citizens to become citizens.

However, this is all brainstorming, really.

I like this idea it reminds me of the Marvel Civil War stuff. I think we should play on the side of the Guild but a separatist group could become evident later on.

The one thing I wanna say is maybe a bit more lenient on the branding. Not exactly the forehead but on the body maybe? It'd say a lot about a character when it comes to where they were branded.

Also maybe if Yokai begin devouring humans they transform into something evil and way more dangerous? Kind of like a sickness or mental issue thing going on where they become tainted. Another thing the Guild could have to deal with that would be a lot more dangerous than just other Yokai.

I also would want to be strict Oriental Influence, there's a lot of stuff if you go looking into it. Kinda sick of the same Cleric/Knight/Rogue types.

I think it's great as it is :P Love myself a bit of questionable ethics.

Okay, so it seems that everybody is in pure agreement about wanting a pure Eastern fantasy, so we'll go with that. I wasn't planning on making this a historic RP, but I think the best analog to Japanese History would be the height of the Edo Era. There would be one ruling body that unifies the region. We can call it a shogun or an emperor, or whatever we want. I'm fine with steel age technology, but I'm hesitant to allow firearms. Guns tend to break high fantasy settings.

I like @Haeo's idea involving talismans instead of forehead tattoos. It could be a permanent piercing of some kind that brings out one of the spirit's inhuman features, making their race obvious. Also, since we're going pure Eastern, we can call them youkai.

As far as player death goes, I'm not sure. The threat of death adds excitement and makes players think about the repercussions of their actions, but at the same time it's not very fun losing a character you spent a lot of time making. What do you guys want?

So, since we've got everybody on board for the plot or setting, I think I'll post a CS for you guys tomorrow. Let me know if there are any more questions I've left unanswered.

Okay, so it seems that everybody is in pure agreement about wanting a pure Eastern fantasy, so we'll go with that. I wasn't planning on making this a historic RP, but I think the best analog to Japanese History would be the height of the Edo Era. There would be one ruling body that unifies the region. We can call it a shogun or an emperor, or whatever we want. I'm fine with steel age technology, but I'm hesitant to allow firearms. Guns tend to break high fantasy settings.

I like @Haeo's idea involving talismans instead of forehead tattoos. It could be a permanent piercing of some kind that brings out one of the spirit's inhuman features, making their race obvious. Also, since we're going pure Eastern, we can call them youkai.

As far as player death goes, I'm not sure. The threat of death adds excitement and makes players think about the repercussions of their actions, but at the same time it's not very fun losing a character you spent a lot of time making. What do you guys want?

So, since we've got everybody on board for the plot or setting, I think I'll post a CS for you guys tomorrow. Let me know if there are any more questions I've left unanswered.

They had firearms (or gunpowder) way before Edo period though. Should probably think up a reason as to why firearms aren't used, or why they don't exist. And in regards to the emperor (shogun was more like the leader of the nobles) dude, you could refer to him as the Son of Heaven, in reference to the good ol' Mandate of Heaven that both China and Japan had.

And pure Eastern =/= Japan. Why not just refer to youkai as 'spirits' and avoid skewing everyone into making only Japanese characters? XD

I'd prefer player death being a thing, but I generally have a death boner and like to see people suffer, so...

Okay, so it seems that everybody is in pure agreement about wanting a pure Eastern fantasy, so we'll go with that. I wasn't planning on making this a historic RP, but I think the best analog to Japanese History would be the height of the Edo Era. There would be one ruling body that unifies the region. We can call it a shogun or an emperor, or whatever we want. I'm fine with steel age technology, but I'm hesitant to allow firearms. Guns tend to break high fantasy settings.

Pretty sure eastern/japanese cultures had gunpowder pretty early on in history. I'm not all that familiar with the history of the region, though.

I like @Haeo's idea involving talismans instead of forehead tattoos. It could be a permanent piercing of some kind that brings out one of the spirit's inhuman features, making their race obvious. Also, since we're going pure Eastern, we can call them youkai.

ah...I honestly like the brand better than the talismans. Makes more sense in my opinion, though that might just be because I'm honestly not a fan of piercings of any sort, and I really find them kind of...off putting. Would they have to be that, or could it simply be a talisman or something they'd have to wear?

But you can't please everyone, so if that's what you want to go with, go for it, though its a huge turn off for me and I might just make a human character if it is indeed a piercing of some sort.

As far as player death goes, I'm not sure. The threat of death adds excitement and makes players think about the repercussions of their actions, but at the same time it's not very fun losing a character you spent a lot of time making. What do you guys want?

I don't mind character death, but I also don't like it when people/characters die just for shock or because someone has a death boner xP

I'd say it's fine, as long as its something agreed upon with the owner of the character. I don't mind them getting hurt and possibly maimed or permanently injured, however, as long as it's something that is arbitrary and seems like it was forced.

@Rune_Alchemist
Eh, the only problem with 'only kill said character with consent' is that it pretty much gives them plot armor if they DON'T want their character to die, regardless of what stupid shit they pull though. I mean, this is an extreme example, but say that a player character spits in the face of the final boss when they're but a lvl 3 pleb.

His ass should be murked to pieces, but the power of 'no, I dun want my character to die' would mean that, no, he doesn't get bisected.

Reincarnation is an option~

@Rune_Alchemist
Eh, the only problem with 'only kill said character with consent' is that it pretty much gives them plot armor if they DON'T want their character to die, regardless of what stupid shit they pull though. I mean, this is an extreme example, but say that a player character spits in the face of the final boss when they're but a lvl 3 pleb.

His ass should be murked to pieces, but the power of 'no, I dun want my character to die' would mean that, no, he doesn't get bisected.

Ah, that is true.
But that's also stupid and anyone who does that should be severely punished for their idiocy xP

I should have said let's just keep it to a reasonable amount. Your character does something stupid, there should be consequences that reflect that. You spit in the face of the final boss when you're a level 3 pleb? Yeeeah, you're likely gonna get rekt no matter what ya do. Wouldn't make sense otherwise. Would you die? Dunno bout that. It'd depend on the circumstances. But would your character be out of commission for awhile? Most definitely, and maybe even have a permanent injury or something.

I'm fine with characters getting rekt for doing something stupid

@Rune_Alchemist@Ashifili On gun powder. I know for a fact that not just gunpowder, but guns were a thing even before the Edo era. Oda Nobunaga's effective use in guns were a major factor in his success. However, I feel like they undermine fantasy elements and are very difficult to balance. I think the only reason we need as to why we wouldn't have it is that technology took a different course in this world. In other words, the government represents the edo era, but the technology is lagging behind it in some respects.

Reincarnation is an option~

Reincarnation and then time skips, so we don't get three month old babies in the Guild? XD

I'm curious, is that supposed to be Accelerator in your avatar?

@Rune_Alchemist@Ashifili On gun powder. I know for a fact that not just gunpowder, but guns were a thing even before the Edo era. Oda Nobunaga's effective use in guns were a major factor in his success. However, I feel like they undermine fantasy elements and are very difficult to balance. I think the only reason we need as to why we wouldn't have it is that technology took a different course in this world. In other words, the government represents the edo era, but the technology is lagging behind it in some respects.

Depending on how prolific magic is, you could always just say that, because magic was so widespread, people never bothered with developing firearms. Want a big explosion? Use fireball! Want a super fast long range attack? Use lightning bolt!

@Takashi Personally, I believe that bombs are easier to balance than firearms. Gunpowder could still be in the rockets and bombs stage, given the weight and expense involved. Very few people could afford to consistently arm themselves with that kind of arsenal.

Also, enchanted/blessed gunpowder?

@Ashifili

Yup! Most androgynous pict I could find to confuse the filthy plebs!

So, here's a CS so that you guys can use to start working on your characters. Feel free to post them if you finish and I'll look over them.

Name: (Include given name and any aliases/nicknames)

Race: (You can be either human, or any creature from Eastern mythology)

Age: (Let's be reasonable. Humans have human life spans. Spirits... keep it under 300)

Gender: (This used to be a simple question, but these days, who knows.)

Appearance: (Pic or description is fins. Spirits, be sure to include your human and spirit forms.)

Skills: (What things are you good at? Know Kung Fu? Expert tracker? Put that stuff here)

Powers: (What magical abilities do you have? Let's keep the powers relatively tame. There will be room to grow)

Weapons/Equipment: (Any weapons, armor, or materials go here, magical or otherwise.)

Bio: (Include history, personality, and motivations. Why did you join the guild)

The next step I think will be to finally set up an RP thread. Still open to names for The Guild or the city/region/world. If nobody makes any suggestions, I'll just come up with them.

Age: (Let's be reasonable. Humans have human life spans. Spirits... keep it under 300)

Someone's probably happy about this right now...