[center][IMG]http://i65.tinypic.com/2qx3r09.jpg[/IMG][/center] [center][h3]The Plot[/h3][/center] The strongest currency has always been life itself. For the past four centuries, the Peacekeepers were monitoring the entire populace for unauthorised murder and have ensured the culprit got what they deserved - be it punishment or mercy. The arrangement was creating a strong moral opposition from all races. The demons were by far the most dissatisfied with the arrangement as their personal ascendance to power [i]required[/i] the essence of others. Naturally, the only way to prevent mass-murder was to ask the few angels that survived Judas’ insane prosecution to willingly donate their own essence for the sake of their brethren, leading to yet more conflict. In the midst of them all, as always, were the humans, the creatures whose very bodies and souls were changing as a response to the very air they breathed. It was exactly those humans that would become the key to solving this new world’s problems. While many battled unwilling mutations, some brave individuals took on a self-sacrificial mission of keeping the peace in a world that has long forgotten what that meant. Those soldiers, initially called Musicians and later on – Wielders, were for a very long time the only thing that held the everything together. Each of them were bestowed with a shard of power directly from the Essence of the World and had learned the art of war and peace in what became the most influential establishment after the Angelic Council – Master Melody’s Academy for Fine Arts. At their graduation, those young warriors would go on to act as a task-force, hunting down and surrendering to the Peacekeepers anyone who stole a life for their own goals. Often times they managed to avoid disaster even before it happened. But now a vital element of the equation is missing. The Essence of the World herself has disappeared without a trace. And with her – the Wielders’ ability to see all deaths at once. Luckily, while this is troubling news, the Instruments that she left her children are still functioning, allowing for a limited insight into the history of the crime scenes. The biggest concern is that victims refuse to stay dead. Loom’s streets were being flooded with apparitions, indicating that something with the very process of dying itself has gone haywire. And while those ghosts pose only a minor threat, their mere presence interferes with the casting of most magic. And worst of all – they possess voices, a crescendo of which beats at Loom’s walls after dark. For most who remember, that is a very painful reminder of the first ghost in this world, the one responsible for the fall of Hell’s gate and the arrival of Hellions on earth. So everyone has a good reason to worry. The wounds left by the death of loved ones are hard to heal if their restless spirits are still around to haunt your sleep. The everyday functions of the city are disturbed by the growing essence of death, which crawls at the very fabric of many creatures’ existence. And to make matters worse, with the Wielders’ lowered ability to control crime, murder is becoming fair game again. You should be worried. Very, very worried. [center][h3]The Basics/ Homework[/h3][/center] By rough estimates the year this season takes place is 2254. Pretty much everything but the Characters and Council parts are the same still. This is what you need to know to play with us. You don't have to read it all (you can use the summaries instead but they’re they are rather incomplete and might leave you puzzled as things get more complicated. There’s no section for Chimeras as those are any given combibation of abilities and appearances of the existing races. [url=essence-of-the-world.weebly.com/]The Site[/url] NB: The site is a bit outdated but still provides you with the basic knowledge of the world. Some of the characters are making a comeback but mostly you can ignore that section. [hider=Dictionary][center][h3]Dictionary[/h3] (so you know what I’m on about in the summary)[/center] [b]Essence:[/b] Essence is the name we use for that which is in all things living: a soul, a life-force, blood, life and spirit. It’s everything but very few can manipulate it. Pre-2014 it was only the Gates and Gatekeepers. Afterwards a few more people developed the possibility to see it and very rarely- to use it too. [b]The races:[/b] [b]Angels:[/b] Human bodies + wings and special abilities. Refer to the [url=http://essence-of-the-world.weebly.com/types-of-angels.html]types or angels[/url] and their [url=http://essence-of-the-world.weebly.com/the-angel-hierarchy.html]classes[/url] on the [url=http://essence-of-the-world.weebly.com/]site[/url]. [b]Humans:[/b] Just the same as usual with the rare exception that’s a mage. Humans can also be possessed/absorb the essence of angels or demons turning into surface demons (vampires, werewolves), grey agels and chimeras. [b]Demons:[/b] Divided generally in two – surface demons and Hellions. The former could be considered infants in comparison to the latter. Hellions are an incredible array of shapes, forms and abilities. They sustain themselves on others’ essence and can command magic at will. [b]Chimeras:[/b] Any combination of the above with the most uncommon being an angel/demon chimera. [b]The world(s):[/b] it consists of 2 sub-worlds - the Surface and Hell. Hell is where an array of demons live, almost all unique. The Surface is populated by angels, humans and surface demons. Since the fall of Hell’s Gate a lot of Hellions have settled on the Surface again. [b]Heaven:[/b] used to exist but is now in ruins after the so-called Great War. That’s when one demon called The Fleshshaper found a way to make chimeras and breached Heaven’s Gate. Eventually the demons won the war. Due to some more complicated reasons (you can inquire), the angels settled on the Surface and pushed the Hellions back in hell, thus establishing the Council and the old order (pre-2014). [b]The setting:[/b] The city of Loom, a vast concrete jungle, full of tower-blocks and dark alleys. It’s the capital of a fictional country somewhere in western Europe. An ocean spans on the east border of the city and vast plains and the town of Thrope lay on the south. Loom is no stranger of violence, having been nearly demolished during the awakening of the Essence and then once more during the fall of Hell’s Gate. While it hosts Master Melody’s academy, it also has a very deep and intricate system of illegal trading network. [b]The Gates and Gatekeepers:[/b] The Gates were originally two, controlled by two Gatekeepers. They were created by Aaurus himself and served to keep the three races and three worlds apart. They did that by fuelling the essence of Heaven. Surface and Hell, defining who the angels, demons and humans are and what sets them apart. Heaven’s gate took on the appearance of a Violin and its player was Chime. She was the first to fall, killed by the Fleshshaper and causing the merging of Heaven and Surface. The second Gate was a Harp, played by Melody. Both were destroyed in 2014 by a madman called Judas, causing a huge amount of magic and Hellions to flood the Surface. The remains of both the Gates and Gatekeepers now live on in Hazumi and the Wielders’ Instruments. [b]Tech:[/b] slightly above our current level with no jets or laser-guns. [b]The Essence of the World:[/b] The name, given to the chimera that was created with the remains of all the dead Gates and Gatekeepers, as well as countless humans, demons and angels. She’s currently the only creature that can freely manipulate the essence around her with no boundaries, even to the point of bending one’s will. She also goes by the name of Hazumi. [b]The Academy:[/b] an establishment that teaches humans how to control shards of the Essence of the World in order to keep the balance between powers on the Surface. Most of the time those shards take on the visage and functions of musical instruments that can soothe the soul, but they’re also deadly weapons with a conscious of their own. [b]The Council:[/b] the seven archangels that survived the Great War and some seraphs that served them. A formal military and bureaucratic institution consisting entirely of angels. It was crushed in 2014. [b]The Peacekeepers:[/b] a democratically elected committee of 3 representatives of each race. They negotiate the laws when it comes to cross-racial interactions and deal with punishments for those who have overstepped their rights.[/hider] [center][h3]Major points[/h3][/center] Magic doesn’t alter space and time, can’t create matter and can’t change someone’s personality, unless its root is an Instrument and the wielder – a Musician. Essence is in everything alive – consider it something like a spirit, an aura and a life force. Demons can utilize that essence (by taking/eating it from other creatures, mostly) where angels only utilize their own for their work. Humans, as always, are in-between. Chimeras are an option of combining elements of all 3. In physical form essence presents itself in flesh, bone, blood, tears and so on. [center][h3]The Roles[/h3][/center] Angels and demons, while still mostly hostile to each other, have learned to coexist in most major cities. The Peacekeepers have assured that they have struck a balance in power. Chimeras are naturally considered highly unpredictable and regarded with varying degrees of suspicion by the fullblooded. The ones who disregard the laws and still cause trouble are called Renegades and are usually hunted down by any of the four races. [b]Humans[/b]: As mentioned, the Essence of the World was shattered into a million tiny pieces, all holding immense power and that power was given to the humans studying at Master Melody’s Academy for Fine Arts. The pieces are called Instruments and shapeshift between musical instruments or weapons, or hybrids of the two, and their abilities range widely, the most powerful of it being the altering of matter and IPC (involuntary personality change) which occurs when the instruments are played masterfully. However, power comes at a price and for the adolescents who want to master the Instruments, the price could be sanity. As the Instruments themselves hold the remains of countless angel, human and demon souls, they cannot be mastered without leaving an imprint on the bearer’s soul. The teachings are carefully monitored in Master Melody’s but accidents can’t be avoided completely. Many of the students go insane and all of them are never the same as before. Upon their graduation the Masters/Wielders are tasked with the protection of peace and order – to hunt down the Renegade and surrender them to the Peacekeepers or to prevent them from reincarnating ever again by reaping their soul and absorbing it forever in their Instruments. As of recent, they are trying to deal with the apparitions flooding the world. If you want to play as one of the Academy, you can expect to have some missions given to you by random people (not necessarily the GM) and you should be generally trustworthy enough to be admitted. (That doesn’t mean you couldn’t have sneaked in and still be a psycho bastard, obviously). Also, feel free to explore the topic of inner voices and insanity with that role, or even things with a slice of life or school life tinge. Other roles for a human are either a powerless individual, one that specializes in weaponry or magicians among others. [center][h3]Playing style[/h3][/center] As a player you’re facing the choice of not only a race, but also a social standing. You can be either freelance good, freelance bad (Renegade) or belong to one of the many organisations/sects dedicated to whatever purpose. Either way, you’ll have the opportunity to fit into one or multiple storylines or create your own. Generally, this is a sandbox type of RP. The creation of many things, such as aforementioned cults, will be up to willing players to create in response to the necessity of a certain plotline. [center][h3]Timeline[/h3][/center] 7000 BC - Heaven and Hell are created, along with (original) angels and demons. 6000 BC - Surface/Progaia is created, along with the humans. (Aaurus shares his power with Lucy.) 986 BC - Great War. (the first chimera is created, Chime dies, the Violin is destroyed, Heaven collapss). Angels settle on the Surface.) ~885 BC - The Council is established (to protectt humans from the demons). 0 - Judas and Jesu end up in a war and are both killed and sent to Heaven and Hell respectively. 0-2013 - World (almost) as we know it. Meanwhile the Essence is being completed and deployed (as an angel). 2013 - Fleshshaper returns; Lucien is awoken; Azel breaks free; Mary loses her parents. 2014 - Judas returns, Essence awakenes and becomes his sword, Melody dies, Hell's Gate collapses. 2014-2034 - Judas' war. Angel holocost; some resettle Heaven. Magic becomes avaliable to humans; chimeras start appearing. 2034 - Azel, Luciana and co. create Nephilim; Judas is killed; the Essence is retrieved. Lily Quarin reopens Master Melody's and accepts Hazumi as a patron. 2035 - Peacekeepers are elected, the new order is put in place. 2246 - Hazumi meets Lazarus; Ian meets Iris (and other events from New Age). 2254 - Cadence [hr] [img]http://essence-of-the-world.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/8/0/19808675/4230967_orig.jpg[/img] [center][h3]Summaries[/h3][/center] [hider=The Races] [center][h3]The Races[/h3][/center] Demons: With their robust monopoly on magical arts, innumerable demonic kinds, and a perpetual hunger for essence to fuel their ritualistic evolution, the demons of Hell bring a frightening amount of dread to the table. What they lack in high quality essence, they make up for in their finesse in magic (essence based). Their evolution ritual is always a gamble, though: if they have not consumed enough essence, they risk dying and returning to the Void to await another chance to respawn on the Surface. That being said, demons should never be underestimated as they almost always have a way out of trouble. There are two types of demons – Hellions and Surface demons. As the name implies, the first reside in the underworld, while the latter – on the human plane, simply called “Surface”. However, this is not the only difference between them – there is a stark contrast between their abilities too. With very few exceptions the Hellions are a lot more diverse and stronger while the Surface demons are basically possessed humans. Surface demons can evolve like their hellion brothers, however typically they are weak werewolves and vampires. Angels: In contrast to demons, angels have the purest, highest quality of essence. Their auras are so forceful and overwhelming that it is a sight to behold; only fools disregard an angel's presence. Fewer in number, the angels possess extraordinary biological abilities, which to some might seem like magic. But angels cannot wield magic, at least not in the flexible way that humans and demon do. Regardless, with their powerfully trained angelic classes, especially Weather Angels, the winged forces of Heaven are not easily defeated. Angels are identical to humans in physical appearance save for the wings that hold their angelic essence and the memories of their past lives. Should those wings be detached from their bodies the angels revert back to being human and are called “fallen angels”. Humans: Let's be blunt here, humans come in all colour and flavours. While historically weak, they are now a force to be reckoned with. Their essence is far richer than demons’, yet not too rigid for them to use magic (unlike angels). They are the most numerous and can also have offspring, unlike their supernatural "cousins." They have the most potential to become highly effective, but it is a long journey with no promises of reward at the end. Such is our struggle, but therein lies our greatest strength: determination.[/hider] [hider=Tech and Magic][center]Technology and Magic Summary[/center] 1. Technology is for the most part modern day with a hint of some futuristic gadgets and such. Certain individuals and secret organizations are on the rise to using advance technology to combat the supernatural. 2. Magic is based around essence. What is essence? Essence is the mysterious entity that is the source of everything keeping this world together. It can't be created or destroyed, just manipulated and used for a variety of things (magic, supporting life, crafting artefacts). Essence is everywhere, it's within all living beings and is in all inanimate objects (but much harder to harvest). Each of the three main races (angel, human, demon) utilize essence in different ways simply due to their biology. Humanity, for the most part, have not been able to use magic for most of their history. However, with the fall of the final gate (Hell's Gate) 200 years ago, the balance of essence has gone out of whack and has been slowly shifting. This has resulted in mankind having greater access to essence for magical purposes, albeit it's still difficult. Humans, have a strong essence within themselves like angels, but instead, humans use it to mix with the essence of the outside world. Think of it like a form of alchemy or chemistry: mixing one's own essence with some other kind of essence to basically form a magical cocktail of sorts.[/hider] [hr] [hider=The Academy] [center]The Academy[/center] Master Melody’s Academy for Fine Arts is one of the playable options, organisation-wise. It’s the only playable option if you expect some structure like missions and involuntarily formed teams and such. Also, if you want a somewhat more lighthearted school-like setting (with the bonus of murders! xD). The missions/events will be up to everyone to offer – it gives you the opportunity to be in the lead like being a teacher and giving the students your own tasks or challenges to complete your course. You could do that either by entering a teacher NPC or PC or just by being a narrator (say, kids are out on a field trip and you enter a bad-guy that attacks them; or one of the students has recurring dreams which turn out to be a demon possession; or someone gets murdered etc.). Just post in the OOC or PM me that you have an idea. Anyway, what is the Academy? As I’ve mentioned, it’s a place where kids learn to master a piece of the (near-)almighty Essence of the World. Learn, because the Essence is the combined soul and life-fragments of millions of angels, demons and humans, all their combined knowledge, experience and… feelings. To put it mildly, it’s an assault to the senses. So, because no one can really prepare the kids for that, yet their power is needed, the teachers at the Academy are a variety of creatures from all over the place. The apprentices, however, are exclusively human. That’s because while humans are most susceptible to essence influence, they also have the potential to be the most resilient. Master Melody’s lied in the west end, close to the heart of Loom, in the middle of a huge crater of questionable origin. The closest buildings are still a respectful distance away, leaving the several multi-level neoclassical buildings as the solitary occupants of the unnaturally wide green space. The main building hosts the classrooms and most of the dorms, as well as some training rooms in the basement, on the roof and in the surrounding park. Surrounding the main building are an array of newer ones, among which a pool, a greenhouse and a physical training ground. The Academy was established long before the war against Judas and was originally the best school for fine arts in the country, brought to fame thanks to the woman who devoted her life to making it blossom - the infamous succubus Lily Quarin. After suffering the war against Judas and the liberation of the Essence, the two women worked together towards establishing an institution that will not only give a future to human children, but keep the peace as well. Lily Quarin remained the school’s principal and Hazumi became the patron and sentinel of the Musicians. As for the weapons themselves, it’s again up to you players to decide what you want your shards of the Essence to be like. They can have a developed personality, or many, or just offer occasional flashbacks, or cause mood-swings or leave you drained and impassioned about anything. Go all out – you have full control over the shape, size and personality of your Instruments. The only thing you have to consult me about is the powers, obviously. The school has a [url=http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/281/5/7/ook__south_nero__s_uniform_by_ivyliau-d3094d8.jpg]formal uniform[/url] to be work on official occasions but allows the students to wear regular clothes for most of the classes. [/hider] [hider=The Academy Tragedy][center][h2]The Academy Tragedy[/h2][/center] The school bell rang and the high-ceiling halls of Master Melody’s Academy were flooded with students coming out from all directions. The colourful sea of heads then dispersed, parts of it splitting off to disappear into different rooms while others continued moving down the halls and towards the gardens. Noise followed the students wherever they went – grumbles, complaints, laughter and jokes buzzed off the walls like a hive of invisible bees. “SHHH!” A girl scolded through gritted teeth as a group of 2 boys and 3 girls entered the library laughing. The girls immediately covered their mouths but their giggles still kept escaping their sealed lips for a few moments after. “Oh, come on, Ki, everyone needs to loosen up a bit around here. We can’t be serious all the time.” One of the teenage boys teased. “Don’t you patronize me, Steve, we all know that’s all you do anyway. Your grades make that pretty obvious.” The girls giggled again and for a second Steve looked almost offended. Then the arm of the other boy landed on his shoulders and his friend stepped in to defend hm. “Don’t worry, Steve, we all appreciate your talent for slacking. And it’s exactly because we appreciate it that we’re ready to give you something back in return. We’ll teach you how to read!” The group exploded in laughter again and earned themselves a few outraged looks by the students who were actually studying. “Right then!” A blonde girl clapped her hands and pointed to a table near a window. “Let’s do this, the quicker we get it over with, the better.” Ki ignored the look the girl and Steve exchanged and held her comment to herself. She rolled her eyes at her childhood friend and went to get the books they needed. She was happy to see that when she came back all the messing around had ceased and the rest had their serious expressions back on. “I’m going to own this ‘Sound Psychology’ thing!” He declared and flipped his notebook open. The rest did the same and they began to silently teach their friend. But the peace of the library didn’t last long, as the sound of smashing glass, the smell of burnt flesh and paper filled the air. The blonde girl, Miru, covered her friends with her blood... tiny burnt pieces of her body littering them, the table they sat at, and her chair, disturbing the serene silence of the library. It took the teenagers a few seconds to realise what was going on. A few seconds too long. As the screams reached their throats all hell broke loose. The older students were first to react and it was only the quick reaction of a few of them that managed to pull the shocked teens away from the window. However, that window was no longer the source of the threat, as the other surrounding windows were smashed by the bodies of mysterious men in black ballistic armor and masks. The men entered the library with timed, military precision, landing on the ground and crouching into a low firing position, a dozen of them. They immediately opened fire with their weapons, focusing on the students with their Instruments drawn. Bullets were faster than music. In less than an instant a quarter of all life in the room was extinguished. The Musicians still left standing froze with their hands in the air, Instruments held tight but seemingly useless. A few attempted to move and were shot on the spot. Master Melody’s organised frequent ambushes for their students but nothing like this. Now they weren’t even given the chance. The students that had been here long enough to expect such a shocking occurrence, exchanged careful glances. They raised their hands higher in the air and dropped their Instruments to the ground. “We surrender.” A voice raised among the starting sobs from the last rows. It was Steve. His voice fell on deaf ears as the mysterious men mercilessly opened fire again, gunning down anything living they saw. Screams rose and broke as the plead for mercy went unnoticed and the fire started again. Sobs, yells, commands... everything lasted for mere moments as death caught up and drowned them. Chaos and despair naturally followed as the students still alive attempted to flee. Some of the youngest dove for the windows on the other side of the library while some of the older ones still attempted to fight the imposters. Steven cursed under his breath and blinked the tears away, diving for his Instrument. With the corner of his eye he could see his friend Mike copying him and pulling his own Instrument towards him as well. They had collected some of the essence and the Instruments of their fallen companions – at least they would try not to let them get into enemy hands. At this point, there were very few students left in this room. Now, this was simply a mop up. Cleaning out the stragglers before they moved on into the next part of the building. The soldiers seemed slightly more relaxed as they searched for hiding students, finding them, and finishing them off. Steven and Mike had somehow reunited with Ki and were crouched low to the ground behind a wall of near-shredded corpses. There was plenty of blood on all of them to lead anyone to believe they were just three more casualties. Ki was motionless, her eyes hollow, the harmonica she wielded resting useless in her hands. Steven was craning his neck to observe the two armored men at the door, waiting for them to move an inch further away from it. How could they even get to the Academy, dressed like that? Then he noticed what should have been obvious - the big white letters across their chests and backs. “Police”. He cursed in his mind and unconsciously rested his hand on what served as their barricade and only realised after a second that the moist feeling under his fingers was a classmates’ brain matter. Suppressing a shriek he quickly removed his hand from there and rubbed it in his trousers. The image of Miru flashed in front of his eyes, her smile suddenly just…gone, with pieces of it scattering over his face. He squeezed his eyes shut and reached out to grab Ki’s numb hand. As she looked at him he nodded towards the exit of the library which was now clear. Ironically the fact that most students were shot in a straight line before they could move now gave the trio a relative shelter and a chance to sneak to the door unseen. Ki nodded and they both started crawling towards salvation. As they moved and the terrorists started their cleaning up an eerie melody entered the room. It was back-up, coming a few minutes too late to try and pacify the terrorists. They were almost there when a blood-curdling cry made them freeze in their steps. It came from right behind them and as they turned they saw Mike. Frenzied with grief he got up and dove for one of the men who now held his girlfriend, up by the hair with a rifle at her forehead. Steven’s brain shut down as he squeezed Ki’s hand tighter and made a dash for the door, abandoning their friend. With a quick sweep and a roundup of the survivors, 15 of them, the cops were satisfied with the results. “This is Gamma Team, Library secure. Over.” [center]۞ ۞ ۞[/center] This was the start of what would later come to be known as “the Academy Tragedy”. On 04.10.2212 a secret society who had been monitoring the Academy for years, launched an attack that would become the biggest tragedy in the institution’s history. Using Hazumi’s absence from the building, they invaded the main corpus from multiple locations at once and opened fire before anyone had the chance to react. More than two hundred students died that day and many more were injured. The students and staff fought hard but their foes came well prepared, with armour specifically designed to protect the wearers of the Musicians’ attacks. The goal was to collect enough Instruments and a few live Musicians to conduct further testing into their abilities and the link between the weapons and their masters. By the end of an attack that lasted mere minutes, two hundred twenty-eight Instruments and nine Musicians had been secured. One of them was a girl named Samantha Rule. Better known as ‘Beat’, she was a rebellious soul whose Instrument had already cracked her soul unbeknownst to most and corroded much of it beyond repair. Although Sam herself knew, the diagnosis didn't stop her from living life on the wild side. It involved a wide array of daring and dangerous activities and blatant disrespect for authority. It was that attitude that caught the raid leader’s attention and made him pick her as a guinea pig for the upcoming experiments. The captives were taken to the USA where the society’s headquarter efficiently hid them even from Hazumi. What happened next was something nobody could have foreseen. Watching her companions getting chained to rudimental tables and realising what was to come, Sam fully merged with her Instrument, Sameda, completely sacrificing her mind and body to become the vessel of the Shard’s power. The slaughter that ensued was comparable to the one that had happened hours ago back in Europe. Sameda gauged itself on the essence of everyone it could reach and spread death and destruction in a ten kilometres radius. The organization was in ruins and most of their best men became food for their own prey. The US military responded swiftly but weapons didn’t seem enough to stop the creature. It took weeks for the newly awakened hybrid to calm down and cease its rampage. By the time Hazumi and a group of Musicians reached its location, what the press called the Beast of Arkansas had grown bored of destruction and was waiting cross-legged on a roof, bodies rotting all around. The creature seemed largely incoherent and looking at its essence Hazumi determined that what little remained of Samantha Rule was ground to fine dust that was inseparable from that of her victims and Sameda itself. She concluded that the Instrument can no longer be used by Musicians as its core was too twisted and unpredictable to be trusted. However, as a Fragment of the Essence of the World it couldn't be destroyed either. The only option was for it to be put to use elsewhere. Sameda was transported to Hell's Gate where its fierce protectiveness and its ability to manifest in a human shape are used as part of the Black Guard’s arsenal. As a safety measure three Musicians were stationed there as well, responsible for the only leash that can control Sameda when it enters a frenzy - music. The man who was most important in Beat’s life has been forbidden from seeing her since her death, out of fear that the Instrument could accept him as a sole master and give him unimaginable power. Some speculate, however, that if anyone can reawaken Samantha’s lost sanity, it will probably be him.[/hider] [hider=Of Masks] …and other things. Another thing that was made possible thanks to Judas and a few brave (and ruthless) entrepreneurs is temporary willing possession (TWP for short). This phenomenon allows the individual to gain certain abilities for a certain amount of time through the help of another one’s essence. That can be achieved through a variety of items and substances, the most common, but also least powerful of which are enchanted armor, medallions, amulets, jewelry or clothes, infused with essence to give them certain properties. TWP gear and substances are most compatible with humans (least resistance of the influence) and have to be worn for a few days to take effect (imagine slowly infusing a sponge where the sponge is the human and the liquid comes from the equipment). Additionally the most complete way to gain certain abilities is through a Mask or injection. That way your human (and sometimes non-human) character can literally become something else for a given time. The duration and extent of the possession will mostly depend on your choice – if you play your cards right and don’t step on anyone’s toes by making it OP. Also, obviously, there are risks involved with inserting a demon into yourself, hence why masks would be generally more… legal. Or should I say, less illegal, than injections or pills. The enchanted items are made by craftsmen who don’t value health and safety rules as much as personal freedom and, well… services of various kinds. >) Master Melody’s stance on such methods is general disapprovement but no formal rules exist to dissuade the pupils from trying out said methods or using them on a regular basis. [/hider] [hr] [h3][center]The Rules[/center][/h3] WIP [hider=Character Sheet Template][center][h3]Character Sheet Template[/h3][/center] Name: (in case of amnesia or some other cliché, put "Currently Unknown") Alias/Nickname: (are they famous with anything?) Age: (apparent and actual; if you are older than 100 years old, you better have a good reason for it) Race: (Self explanatory) Appearance: (could be either a picture or a description, or both. If you are an angel, describe your wing color, size and type (optional). Size is important: a large winged angel might fly for long periods of time, but would have trouble moving in tight areas; vice versa for a small winged angel. By extension, it just makes it more interesting to research different types of bird-wings to fit your ideas best.) Social Status: (how high up the hierarchy they are; how do others deem your character; if you are in any organization of any sort, mention it here.) Relations: (do they have family, friends, admirers, servants etc.?) General Activity: (what they do with their days? Do they have a duty or job? Are they wanderers? This entry, by no means, limits your character, but it would be considered your character's MO; modus operandi; general way of doing things.) Abilities: (If you are an angel, put your Class here, and maybe additional info if your angel has a unique style. If you have more than one angelic class, ask permission. If you are a demon, human or chimera, this is your magic set. You don’t have to be super detailed about it and just give us the general idea) Equipment: (any unique equipment should go here; it does not matter if your character has it on their person or not; for example, having a house full of relics would go here. Also add any familiars, slaves etc.) (For the Masters and Academy kids only add three small sections here – “Instrument”, “Fragment abilities” and “Fragment personality” – what the prevailing attributes of your “toy” are and if it has a distinct character.) Personality: (1-2 paragraphs, or you may opt to put "Will show IC") Biography: (2 or more paragraphs. Please specify what part of it is well known and what isn't. I suggest you only tell us what is known to the vast public and reveal the rest / the truth in-story.)[/hider]