The Country of Grenheim has been under the threat of war for the past several years, and has been increasing the size of its army ever since. As of now, 40% of Grenheim's men have undergone military training. This isn't enough.
Two years ago, Grenheim's greatest magi made a revolutionary discovery: a powerful ritual that allowed them to take two people who share a powerful, nearly unbreakable emotional bond, and grant them great power, and an even greater connection. Grenheim's king ordered this ritual be immediately put into use, and that anyone elligable for the ritual be found and put through it.
A small training acadamy was built to house and train those with Celestial Bonds, though due its hasty construction, it was nothing more than a bunch of shacks and an open field for combat training. Well, that was how things were one year ago, anyway.
You are part of the second batch of future soldiers to be put through the ritual. A small batch of 18 people, 9 bonds, makes up your entire "class", and each and every one of you have been blessed by the gods. You are the holders of Celestial Gears and Celestial Potential, the legendary group that shall save, or doom Grenheim.
Of course, no self respecting King would allow holy warriors to live in the miserable conditions you were headed for. And so, the King had a nearby noble allow you to stay within his mansion, as well as use his grounds to train.
Lore
Currently being written. This will eventually include the mythology/religion of Grenheim. I will finish this by the time the OOC is made.
In Depth Information
emotional bonds simply have to make sense, and be the kind of bond that wouldn't falter or fade under most/any circumstance. That kind of unbreakable emotional connection is what allows the Celestial Bond to form in the first place. If you do really want to have your bond weaken over the course of the RP, PM me about it, and we'll talk about it, though this may be pretty difficult to do..
Two people that share some sort of an emotional bond go through what is essentially a godly rite which awakens the bond within them, morphing their bond into the form of magical power for one, and a magical weapon for the other. The bonds that go through this ritual must be virtually unbreakable.
Bonds that have undergone the ritual are called "Celestial Bonds"
Those gifted with a Gear by the Celestial Bond are deemed "Knights." They tend to have no affinity for magic.
Those gifted with Potential by the Celestial Bond are deemed "Mages." They tend to have a greater affinity for magic.
Said to be artifacts that make up the bonds between the mortal and celestial realms. "Knights" are the half of the celestial bond that gain control of one of these gears. These Gears have magical properties, a sort of special skill or technique that the wielder can use. These abilities are generally quite varied and abstract, though generally mesh and synergize with the Knight's corresponding Mage. The Gear can be summoned and dissipated at will.
Within the ancient legends were tales predicting great heroes who, through their bonds, would gain great power in the form 9 artifacts that are said to be derived from the spirits of old gods. Those who hold these great weapons will gain the marking of the olden lords somewhere upon their body.
While not physical in any form, the grand potential is the magicial capability imparted to "Mages" of Celestial Bonds. Most mages of our world take decades to master their craft, but the grand potential gives you control in mere seconds, and the ability to master it in mere years. While not as immediately striking as the Knight's Gear, the Grand Potential has much more... well, potential, imbuing the Mage with a focus, or a particular type of magic that their skills build around. Much like the Gear's abilities, the Grand Potential's focus is rather abstract and quite varied, though it generally synergizes with the Mage's corresponding Knight.
"And so the gods decreed that the olden lords will live on in the sword, whilst the new lords shall aknowledge the stave." - Decrees of Halingard. The Celestial Potential is to Grand Potential as the Celestial Gear is to the Gear. Though, this power is not a remnants of the old gods, but is a mark of those who usurped them. The 9 Celestial Potentials have never been described within the God's decrees, and are thought to be much more abstract and limitless than the Grand Potential. The Celestial Potential seems to retain the Focus, but gives the mage a greater range of abilities (spells) that they can control and use from the start. Those who gain the celestial Potential are marked by the Sign of the New lords.
The magi who designed the Celestial Bonding ritual based it on a number of old teachings, ancient texts, godly decrees, and grand prophecies that speak of 18 heroes that function as 9, referred to in almost every text as "The Fateful Few", a relatively simple name for the fate that they hold. The Fateful Few are destined to either bring glory to Grenheim, or completely destroy it. The Fateful Few aren't seen as grand mythical heroes, since most of the legends mentioning them are difficult to find, and rather unknown, so only those who are involved in the Celestial Bond project, as well as those close to the King and his court of magi even know of The Fateful Few.
Everything Explained
This is a pair RP, meaning that your character will be immediately linked and tied to another character, which will be chosen by you! In any given pair (Celestial Bond) one character will become a Mage, while the other becomes a Knight. The mage gets a conceptual focus, and a versatile and flexible range of spells, while the Knight gets a powerful weapon (called a Gear) with some sort of ability. We have also included the ability for a sort of "ultimate last resort attack" on the Celestial Gear, though this may be subject to change if we find it unpopular. The Mage and Knight fight best as a pair, using their skills in tandem to combat any foe. The abilities of any given Celestial Bond should at least slightly thematically call back to the pair's emotional bond (Take whatever creative liberties you want with this. I encourage creativity and enginuity). Any two characters in a Celestial Bond should also synergize in some sense.
In addition to the abilities of Mages and Knights, the Celestial Bond gives the pair a fair greater connection, giving them a sort of mutual telepathy, allowing them to read each others thoughts and feelings, as well as predict and sense their actions. A sort of two acting as one type thing.
In this RP, your characters will be those who have gained the most legendary forms of the Celestial Bonds possible, equiping you with powerful Celestial Gears and Celestial Potentials. Together, you all hold the fate of Grenheim in your hands. Of course, this is not an excuse to be OP, and I will be quite strict with power level, though you are free to go just about anywhere with your powers and abilities.
The RP will start with your characters arriving at the mansion of the currently unnamed noble who has agreed to let you stay at his mansion. Your characters would have just undergone the ritual, and would most likely have yet to test out their abilities.
Also, there will be a big focus on teamwork in this RP, given that your character will be mentally and emotionally linked to their partner, and it is encouraged that you and your partner work together on posts (collaboration posts), as well as your character sheets.
Rules
1. Follow all RPG rules 2. Meta-gaming, powerplaying, and godmodding will not be tolerated to any extent. 3. Romance is perfectly acceptable, but keep rule 4 in mind. 4. Keep the RP PG-13, please. Mature content should be taken to PMs. 5. Please refrain from speed posting, or I will be forced to incorporate a mandatory posting order. 6. Posts must be at least a paragraph in length ( between 5-10 sentences, generally) with good grammar (I can let a few misspelling go, but if your posts are difficult to read due to bad grammar, I will probably ask you to leave.) 7. I usually expect about one post a week, but if something comes up, and you cannot post for some reason, just notify me. 8. Keep fighting out of the OOC. 9. This RP will require commitment, so if you believe you will drop this at some point, don't pick it up. 10. At first, you will have a maximum of one character. If we have less than 18 applications after a period, I will bump this up to two. 11. There will be only 18 character slots, which seems like a lot, because it is. I will not increase this limit for any reason.
Tips
Try to find a partner before working on your character sheet, and then collaborate and share ideas while making your sheets.
Be creative! I'm giving a lot of freedom for your abilities, so feel free to go crazy with concepts, just try to limit yourself to a reasonable power level.
Do some collaborative posts with your partner. I suggest something like titanpad.com
Encorporate your character into the world! Give them views on everything from Grenheim, to the religion followed within its borders. This world is highly religious, so it will be a pretty important aspect.
Character Sheets
Personal Information
Full Name:
Gender:
Age: Minimum of 15, with no hard maximum. I suggest staying below the mid-twenties.
Appearance:
Background Information
History: Tell me a bit about your character's past. You don't have to tell me everything
Brief Personality: I don't want to know everything about your character, save it for IC, but at least give me something
Emotional Bond:Describe the bond between your character and their partner.
Partner: Who is your character bonded with?
Combat Information
Fighting Style: How does your character fight, generally. I suggest including their role in combat with their partner. Try to differentiate your style from other players with the same type of character.
Equipment: What has your character brought with them? Don't go overboard. There will not be a hard limit, but whatever the character could carry on their person would probably be their personal maximum.
Weaknesses:This will be optional, but I suggest at least one.
Celestial Gear Information
Name: Your weapon's name, it's that simple.
Type: Is it a sword, a dagger, a scythe? Refer to the weapon type list for suggestions and what has already been taken.
Appearance: What does the weapon look like? a picture or description is fine.
Function: The weapon's primary ability. This shouldn't be too powerful, but it should synergize with your corresponding mage in some way.
Last Resort: This secondary ability is only to be used in dire circumstances, and would probably have dire consequences or strict activation conditions. This may be very difficult to balance.
Miscellaneous Information
(completely fucking optional)
Height:
Weight:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Hobbies:
Character Theme:
Other:
Personal Information
Full Name:
Gender:
Age: Minimum of 15, with no hard maximum. I suggest staying below the mid-twenties.
Appearance:
Background Information
History: Tell me a bit about your character's past. You don't have to tell me everything
Brief Personality: I don't want to know everything about your character, save it for IC, but at least give me something
Emotional Bond:Describe the bond between your character and their partner.
Partner: Who is your character bonded with?
Combat Information
Fighting Style: How does your character fight, generally. I suggest including their role in combat with their partner. Try to differentiate your style from other players with the same type of character.
Equipment: What has your character brought with them? Don't go overboard. There will not be a hard limit, but whatever the character could carry on their person would probably be their personal maximum.
Weaknesses:This will be optional, but I suggest at least one.
Celestial Potential Information
Focus: The concept that encompases your character's magic.
Spells: You are allowed up to nine spells, but do not have to create all 9 to start out with. You can start with any number greater than 0, but any spells you add at a later time will have to be checked through me first. Just copy the name/function section for each spell.
Name: What you call this spell (honestly, this is optional, but spell names are cool)
Function: The effect of the spell. Please include all costs incurred from the spell's use.
[/l\ist] Miscellaneous Information
(completely fucking optional)
Height:
Weight:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Hobbies:
Character Theme:
Other:
List of Weapon suggestion (for Knights) Limit of 1 character for each weapon type. If you want a weapon type that is not on the list, PM me about it. I will allow the reservation of these while you make your CS, but I will only reserve it for a period of 2 days.
Sword
Scythe
Dagger(s)
Shield
Axe
Hammer
Armor
Polearm
Bow
Character List
Listed pairs, characters, and reserved slots will be listed here. If you reserve a slot, your reservation will expire in two days, unless you finish your CS in that time.
EDIT: I'm thinking of making a mage who specializes in sonic vibrations. Ideally, my knight will have a bludgeon-type Gear (like a bat, 'iron-whip', or kanabo) that vibrates like a tuning fork with adjustable frequency. The Gear can be tuned to the destructive resonant frequency of various materials. My mage could create 'cymatic zones' that amplify the Gear's destructive ability to whatever material the Gear is tuned to as long as the knight stays within the zone, as well as casting other sonic/air-based attack spells, such as sonic air-pressure slashes, sonic booms, vacuums, vertigo-inducing disorienting noise, etc. of course, whoever wants to be my partner, I am open to changes.
Another thought is making a gravity mage, though I haven't put as much thought into this.
I'd definitely be interested! Thinking about a mage specializing in jewel magecraft (conversion of power into gems and jewels to use attacks, make familiars, heal, etc.).
You bet your sweet, possibly firm ass I'm in, Var.
I probably will make a Mage with magic based around emotions and empathetic/support powers. I'm kinda hoping for an enemy/rival bond, if anyone's interested in partnering up, although I'm chill with anything else.
I can inform everyone that the lore is about half done. I worked on it for a couple of hours today. I will attempt to finish it tomorrow and get the OOC up.
OOC is up! I wanted to get the OOC out today, but due to something coming up, I didn't have time to write up a number of stuff about the world, and only finished the basic info on the pantheon of gods. You are all free to start submitting CSs now, though. The rest of the info will be written up and added over the course of the next week.
Also, I just realized, Stern Algorithm, you were in the original version of this from 2 years ago. Welcome back to dealing with my lack of GMing skills.
Oh, and for anyone interested, I was thinking of setting up a Skype chat for this RP so that we could all communicate ideas more easily. Sound good?
