Vanity was their greatest sin.

When humanity first arrived on the vibrant planet Azalea their beginnings mirrored those of the first civilized pioneers on Earth. Through unyielding perseverance and the ever-flowing passage of time, the humans managed to settle the harsh yet beautiful alien world. Passing years saw cities sprout into the sky and smaller towns and villages dot the landscape all over. The bravest of society ventured farther into the unknown lands and eventually society began to look very much like it did on the now destroyed Earth. When life settled into a familiar beat and routine, the attacks began.

All manner of alien beast and flora called Azalea home, but it was the giant beasts that proved to be hostile even when unprovoked. Seemingly offended by the presence of a new species threatening to take over, these giant entities - they were dubbed "Behemoths" by the populace - stormed into human cities and settlements all over the world and ravaged as much as they possibly could. Using a combination of their superior size and strength along with the yet fully understood force called magic, these clearly intelligent beings struck fear and awe into the hearts of all who witnessed their rampages. It was fortunate however that the attacks had not started until years after humanity was fully settled on the planet because while the greatest minds of the population put the finishing touches on secret weapons that could combat these beings, the relatively recently formed armies of multiple cities came together to fight back against their enemies. After countless skirmishes and battles strewn all over, humankind stood on the brink of extinction just as the Idol project was finished and activated.

The Idols were giant, humanoid creations fusing man-made technology and android bodies with the unlimited potential of magical energies that granted them sentience and free will. The Idols were the result of mankind's selfish desire to create beings in their own image and ancient texts unearthed during the construction of cities. Once operational, the Idols - which rivaled the size of the Behemoths - came together and fought against the Behemoths in what would come to be known as the Great War. Though long and arduous, mankind's creations were partially victorious - they could not destroy the Behemoths completely, but they were able to banish them to different parts of the planet, sealed and put into a magically induced dormancy. Celebrations were short-lived however; the Idols were privy to their own uncanny ability to wield magic to its fullest potential and quickly made the decision to rule over their creators as gods. While a part of humanity were understandably opposed, most were grateful enough that they felt no qualms about trading worship and reverence for everlasting protection. Thus, the Idols split the planet amongst themselves and ascended to the heavens in order to serve as gods who observed, but never interfered.

It was vanity that began the Idol project, but it would be vanity that ultimately resulted in future events. Vanity was their greatest sin and humanity would learn this lesson the hard way.

Ten thousand years ago, the historians say something called The Great War took place where gods created by men and angry beings known as Behemoths battled over the fate of humanity. Most do not believe in such stories. Life on Azalea drones on with regularity and, for the most part, it is a peaceful life. Governments preside over major cities and towns and villages with no desire to dabble in politics eke out a living in a way that makes sense to them. The two largest, and wealthiest, kingdoms - Algareth and Ivalice - live in an eternal rivalry always seeking to outdo the other in one area or another. As of late, relations have grown increasingly hostile and though all out war has not broken out yet, a series of seemingly unrelated incidents seesaw back and forth between the economical and political giants. Citizens are uneasy, but each nation assures their population that amicable settlements are coming.

In a bid at bringing about a peace treaty once and for all, the president of Algareth decides to meet the ruler of Ivalice in her own territory to hash out differences and come to some sort of resolution. For such a tense situation, the president of Algareth employs his Royal Guard for protection. However, in secret, he also calls forth an elite unit shrouded in mystery and legend - the Kingsglaive. The Kingsglaive are a small group of highly trained, branded warriors able to harness magical energy and whose existence is only known to the president himself. They carry out the most covert operations in times when plausible deniability is necessary, but in a manner in which their actions can never quite be confirmed.

This story begins with the Kingsglaive and chronicles the tale of the group as they navigate increasingly dangerous odds beginning with political intrigue and eventually spiraling into a plot much bigger and more comprehensive than ever imagined.

Though no one truly knows for sure, the Kingsglaive is said to have existed for centuries in some form or another. The original story states that during the golden age of monarchy, war was much more prevalent. As battles were being fought across the lands with swords and shields, political combatants decided to wage their own war through the acquisition of intelligence and espionage. At some point, the Kingsglaive came to exist to fill this necessity. Though their objectives changed over the course of time, their ranks and order never changed. Kingsglaive members were never comprised of those with the greatest aptitude for combat, but rather those with the strongest potential to be molded into something more. In the present time, the current members of the Kingsglaive have been together for three years still upholding the honor and necessity of the small unit.

001.

Common decency and common sense are necessary parts of a smooth roleplay. Please respect your fellow players and GM decisions. The GM has the final say on any disputes and any debates that reach the hostile argumentative level need to be taken to PM. Let's keep the OOC thread fun and positive if we can all help it.

002.

As this is the Advanced section, I do require that posts be at least three paragraphs long, but I also value quality over quantity. The three paragraph minimum just helps all players with having enough material to reply to at the very worst scenario. I also do not institute a posting order for the most part, I just want players to be courteous and not leave others behind too badly due to speed posting. Collaborative posts help in this effort.

003.

Where activity is concerned, I have a few guidelines. First, please be active in both the OOC and the IC. I tend to allow my OOC threads to have far more diverse conversation than just those that concern the RP itself. This is important to me because it makes the experience that much more tight for everyone and the chemistry we build contributes to IC posts. Second, please be communicative of your situation. I understand that life happens, I just ask that you let me know of any absence via the OOC thread or by PM. If you're inactive for two weeks straight then I reserve the right to drop you completely. Third, if you know you only like to create characters and then never actually post in the IC (or OOC), please reconsider joining. That just stunts the whole process for everyone involved and it's a negative all the way around.

004.

For the purposes of this narrative, I can only allow one character per player right now. The situation may change in the future, but for now it will be one character per player. Thanks for your understanding on this.

005.

This roleplay will be of a mature nature employing dark themes at times and what some may consider to be disturbing imagery; please be aware of this going forward. I have no problems with romance as well as long as it's done tastefully and organically. The standard board rules concerning anything overtly racy (fade to black) is enforced here also.