Volcano backstory: An ambiguous being that does (this time) have a sense of self preservation and will not alter the genre of the RP or completely destroy the world (directly). It also will not destroy all the magic or grant everyone magic. It won’t genocide anything directly.

Religions:

Ilinucism

Ilunucism Creed: From the mightiest emperor to the humble worm we are all children of Aketa, the world-mother. In giving us life she shared with us a fragment of her own divinity. It is from this divinity within us all that makes magic possible, but it is also because we have so little divinity of our own that we are inherently flawed. We must obey Aketa who speaks through Magalis, the great Volcano.

Lesson #1 -- That of Noblesse Oblige --

The children of Aketa includes all life, but not all of her children were created equally. The humble worm has less divinity than a bird, which has less divinity than a wolf. Of Aketa’s children humanity stands at the top, possessing more divinity than any of her other children. But even humanity was not created equally. Some of us were granted more divinity than others. These individuals were granted more power and influence, but with this power comes responsibility. It is the duty of those with who are privileged to act generously and nobly towards those less privileged.

Lesson #2 -- That of Knowledge --

The world-mother, along with her lovers Fengri the lunar god and Kafto the solar god, created the universe and all that dwelled in it. It is thus a certainty that the universe is not a thing of chaos, but one of laws and structure. We must forever strive to better understand the universe, for to do so would be to touch the mind of the gods. Knowledge is the domain of man and gods; it separates us from the savage and beast just as we are linked by our shared divinity. Thus it is our curious and ever acting minds that bring us closer to the gods.

Lesson #3 -- That of Waste --

The farmer who refuses to cultivate all of his lands. The lord that allows his food to rot because he has eaten enough. The lady who hides her beauty. The man who turns his brilliant mind to lesser pursuits. The magician that turns away from magic. They have all sinned, for they have wasted what is theirs. Neither the individual nor the world benefits when there is waste for waste is the representation of what should have been. It is thus the duty of all of Aketa’s children to use their gifts to their fullest extent. Waste not a drop of water nor an ounce of effort.

Lesson #4 -- That of Right --

As keepers of the gift of the gods it is our right to achieve its total potential. As owners of this power it is our right to enlighten those mundane. We must do all in our power to exceed in our magic and promote as a civilization. It is our divine right to utilize everything rightfully given to us and to build upon. We are to grow, we are to learn, we are to overcome, that is our right, for all was gifted to us through Aketa, and through her blessings of magic.

Lesson #5 -- That of Life --

Death is to be neither sought nor fled, for it is a figment of our imaginations. We need not fear a sudden end to our existence, for we know that we are forever linked to the world-mother, sharing in her divinity. When the flame that is our life is snuffed out we shall return to the world-mother’s warm embrace and in due time shall be brought back to the world. Not all are reincarnated with the same amount of divinity; those who have ignored the will of the world-mother, done evil, and paused undue suffering, shall be returned with less divinity than before, becoming a lesser creature. Those that heeded the world-mother’s will, done good, and sought to prevent undue suffering shall return with more divinity than they previously had. It is thus that we should not turn our thoughts to the illusion of death, but instead focus on life.

Church Structure

The priesthood of the Ilinucist church is made up of non-noble magic users and individuals who are well versed in the teachings of Ilinucism. Many of these magic users are recruited from a young age and treated in a fashion similar to lower nobility. At the bottom of the church are the priests and priestesses who are in charge of villages and small portions of towns and cities. These individuals are mostly mundane individuals who can read and write and are well versed in the teachings of Ilinucism. Few mundane people rise above this position.

High priests and priestesses are normally in charge of towns or city districts, but may be placed in charge of an entire city. In most cases they are a magic user, but in some rare cases are mundane individuals.

Patriarchs and matriarchs oversee entire cities and the lands that surround them. They set religious doctrine and policy for the lands they oversee. Some of them even oversee whole countries. It is not uncommon for these individuals to act as advisors for kings and queens, even acting as regent in some cases.

At the top sits the arch patriarchs and matriarchs. These are individuals who oversee large or several countries. It is the responsibility of these individuals to ensure that the world-mother’s voice is heard and heeded by all. At one time they met regularly in the holy city of Satrea to discuss doctrine, but these meetings have become rare after the apparent fall of the Ethean Empire and the loss of the holy city. The arch patriarchs and matriarchs now meet on rare occasions in various cities around the world, unwilling to define a new religious capital.

Schools of thought/ Denominations:

Orthodox: Exactly what the lessons and Creed says, no more or less.

Aggressive Totalist (Theou Ilinucism): Certain interpretations of Ilinucism’s creed and teachings may lead some to believe that it is their destiny to conquer the world, spreading Ilinucism throughout the land and making servants of “lesser” people. From the lesson of Noblesse Oblige they discern that there are naturally those who serve and those who rule. And it is only natural that those who posses magic are the ones that rule. They know that so long as it is not wasteful, they can kill another without remorse. In fact they are obligated to kill another man if not doing so would result in a wasted opportunity.

Passive “as is” (Adelfikos Ilincuism): Certain interpretations of the Ilincuist creed and lessons inevitably leads to the conclusion that brotherly love and the pursuit of knowledge is the the only way to truly please the world-mother. All humans are brothers and sisters and to knowingly do harm to one’s sibling is an affront to one’s own mother, the world-mother. Ilinucism teaches that waste is a sin: the logical conclusion of this is that hoarding wealth is a sin. The only way to truly please the world-mother is to give to others one’s excess wealth, retaining just enough to live comfortably and humbly. But that is not enough, for the world-mother has created a vibrant world that is to be explored and understood. And this knowledge must be passed on to others. Magic is to be used for the benefit of all, not destroyed or regulated.

Player made: Players have the option to create their own unique denomination so long as they remain true to the creed, and the basics of the lessons, although personal interpretation from those vague lessons is encouraged for the fun of it. Take heart and keep in mind what would be a natural Denomination to arise in your unique culture, and please keep the creed and lessons in mind. All player made denominations should be passed into Goldeagle for checking over first.



Views: Pro magic, Pro Volcano
Ultimate goal: Freedom of magic, protect artifacts, place humanity under the stewardship of the Volcano

Eleutherianism

Eleutherian Creed: We of Eleutherianism believe collectively in the distorting evil that is magic. That magic is a temptation from the Volcano, the extreme seducer and not to be done. We believe that salvation can only be found through hard work and the will of self bettering, not through the tricks of magic, which serve only to tie us down to the great seducer. We believe in freedom of thought and choice, away from the fear of magic, away from the exclusivity it provides and damnable powers it gives. We believe in freedom from the volcano, harbinger of chains, snatcher of will and liberties of true life. We believe life was given from the idle God, and only by his lessons of Purity will we ever find true freedom, freedom from struggles, freedom from pain.

Eleutherian Lessons of Purity:

Lesson #1 -- That of humility --

From nothing we were conceived by the God who watches silently, and because of this we were born unspecial. We are from nothing, and we are comprised of nothing, therefore we are meaningless. The sitting God saw this ufit, and in us he sparked a fire, a restless fire which burns in our very essence. We were given a spirit, and with our spirit we were told to create ourselves, to create ourselves into something, not to rival the idle God, but to learn his bliss, to learn his lesson of true existence. We were told not to forget, not to forget we were once nothing, and were warned against temptation of pride, boastfulness, extravagance, and the desire to rival our God such as with magic. Only through humility and remembrance were we to bow our heads in happiness, and as we dip our heads we hear the lessons of Purity.

Lesson #2 -- That of creation --

With our spirits we were given the humble gift of creation, the ability to foresee and make what was once not. We were made in the image of a craftsman, and with our hands we were told to begin. Through task we were told there is solace. A filled mind is a happy mind as a filled hand is a happy hand. Nothing to be done in excess, but to be done in medium. We were told to pace ourselves as the sitting God had done, and to create only what is needed, and with only our physical means. Only through routine, and perseverance were we to create happiness. To carry on from strife is virtue.

Lesson #3 -- That of Temptation --

With our perseverance we find struggle, struggle necessary for promotion. Only by the lowest point do we recognize how high we are, only through serving do we recognize mastery. Beware the demon of the Volcano, and beware the magic of the demon. A magical word is cast in laziness, and the temptation of sloth is riddled with hooks to drag the trespasser of perseverance into impurity, and into unhappiness. Through temptation you find a dishonest happiness that is truly deceit and death in a mask, beware magic and the volcano it dwells. Only through the will to resist do you please the sitting God, and only through disowning magic do you follow the lessons of purity.

Lesson #4 -- That of Goals --

Not only are we called to better ourselves through willpower, perseverance, and humility, but we are also called to carry out tasks as the spawn of the idle God. As creations living in the creation of God, we are called to protect all the other creations of God’s from destruction and to care for God’s garden as God would want it. We are to spread the lessons of purity so others may find sanctuary in the truth, and finally we are called to unite together as a community to carry out all other wills of the lessons.

Lesson #5 -- That of Death --

A true student of God, and listener of these lessons should not fear death for upon your death you will be examined to see if you are truly worthy to sit beside the sitting God. You’re amplitude for the lessons will be judged and you will be designed either something or remain as nothing from what you were created from. As something you will find home with the sitting God and all others who reached the level of something. As nothing you will be forced down back into the world as a new life, until something is achieved. Those who refuse even this, or actively sabotage the lessons shall join the army of the volcano, and as the volcano's spawn you will tempt the good people of the idle God, and be punished, and trapped within it’s walls, until penalty is paid.

Schools of thought/ Denominations:
(Eleutherianism has no formal church structure, but instead is combined by the creed, lessons, and private preachers, local churches and community leaders.)

Orthodox: Exactly what the lessons and Creed says, no more or less.

Aggressive Totalist (Fotian Eleutherianism): Those who interpreted the lessons of Goals a certain way might feel it is their DUTY to conquer the entirety of the world, force people to convert to Eleutherianism, destroy anything with a modicum of magic, living and nonliving, and finally, destroy and shut down the volcano forever. Along with this, they might have even looked at the Lessons of Humility and saw that of course there are servants as there are masters, which is why a ruling elite is justified to keep peasants in line.

Passive “as is” (Iremian Eleutherianism): Those who read the lessons in a certain way might see the light of the teaching, and how a pacifists touch is required to slowly spread the wisdom if the idle God. A rough hand is not needed where a kiss of understanding is able to be planted. To not bend a flowers pedal, to only flow where the rocks have been broken, and to live a long life of perseverance over conflict. However you take to heart the meaning of hard work and the servant-master to master-servant relation and might find large gaps between the common people and the rich or ruling as deplorable or down right wrong, as everyone and everything was born equally. Magic is an issue, but one that will be solved with regulation and willpower rather than strength and aggression. To regulate artifacts and to teach magic users to avoid the temptation of their curse is necessary.

Player made: Players have the option to create their own unique denomination so long as they remain true to the creed, and the basics of the lessons, although personal interpretation from those vague lessons is encouraged for the fun of it. Take heart and keep in mind what would be a natural Denomination to arise in your unique culture, and please keep the creed and lessons in mind. All player made denominations should be passed into Goldeagle for checking over first.

Views: Anti Magic, Anti Volcano
Ultimate goal: To destroy/regulate the artifacts, regulate or destroy magic, shut down/regulate the volcano.

Magic:

Limited to enchanting, alchemy, and ritual/spellcraft
numbers subject to change before start of RP
1 in 250 can enchant and perform alchemy
1 in 20,000 can perform ritual spellcraft

Alchemy: Alchemists can bring out the magic in plants and minerals for use in minor potions and balms. Only through the magical touch of a trained alchemist are these potions created, for without the magic, the ingredients would not be unlocked, and therefore mundane and useless.

Enchanting: Enchanters can imbue unliving physical objects with magical energy, enhancing their characteristics and adding new traits. Unfortunately, enchanting not only doesn’t work on living materials, but cannot affect dead materials except for a bleached bone, or dead plant material.

Ritual Spellcraft: Through careful preparation and ingredients, magic users can cast powerful spells through rituals and altars and such. This is the rarest form of magic and the hardest to harness correctly. Yes you can make a fireball, although it would look a little silly hovering over your hard worked ritual in that flammable cottage of yours. True masters of the art can speak with others over great distances, create new bodies, raise the dead, conjure a looking glass and pretty much any classic spell from a folk tale you can think of, including the transfiguration and the love spell. (Can't undo Volcano magic)

Nation Name:
National Flag:
What do you call the denizens(ex. Americans come from America, Israelites comes from Israel):
Government type:
Leader/Leaders:
Ruling factions/dynasty if applicable:
Other Important political figures:
Currency:
State Religion(If applicable):


World map location:

Interior map:

Major cities
Major military installments:
Important locations and buildings:
Capital:

Population:
Race and Ethnic demographic:

Economy(how well is it?):
Wealth balance(is it concentrated solely on the aristocracy, such as in feudalism, balanced, high level of poor, optional):
Major exports:
Major Imports:
Staple agricultural crops:
Trade partners:



Religion:
Denomination:
Religious heads:

Popular opinion on the volcano:
Popular opinion on wars:
Popular opinion on magic:
Popular opinion on religion: (pious?)
Popular opinion on the Aristocracy:
Pauper opinion on the Government:
Popular opinion on foreigners:
Popular opinion on other cultures:

Cultural name for the Volcano: (what do your people call it)

A look into the unique culture: (tell us what makes your average citizen unique, take us through their values and life style, throw in any sub cultures such as the culture of the formal classes as well)

Cultural history:

Notable figures:


Type of Military: Volunteer, conscripted, standing, semi professional, culture affects, levies etc. Go into detail.
Total Military fighting units:

Unit demographics: (heavy infantry, marksman, etc and their equipment/training)

Notable figures:

Past wars and notable events:

Past conflicts with other nations:

Current conflicts and wars:



Artifacts and famous enchantments under control of the nation:

Anything else we should all know:

Combat will be handled a few different ways:

For player combat, I leave it up to you to be fair and not god mod or be super epic 360 kickass never get hurt #rekt.

Small story driven combat, I expect the same, as well with isolated incidents.

Major battles between players and nations can be handled one of two ways:

One: I can trust you both to figure it out story wise and write it like any other post with the utmost realism in the matter as you two collaborate to write the battle out (I will step in if needed)

-Gloves of Thunder’s Clap (Gauntlets that emit powerful blasts of thunder, useful for forcing the tide of a battle)

-Strange book “The D’sastr” (A book as large as a small child and three times as heavy, who knows what will happen when you peek inside its ancient rune covered pages. We know whosoever touches this book will remain immune to all magic, boons, curses, and such just as its pages are so long as you hold it)

-The Volcano’s ear (strange stone porous sea shell, said to hold the Volcano’s voice (get a true favor roll)
Mr. Stabby (Formally Sir Steele, a talkative blade of yore, ripe with information and terrible jokes)

-Horn of the Bannik (Blow this and your battle is as good as won)[Dissolves after use]

-The Enlightened Tablets (Three wax tablets written in a dead language, it is said to read one reverses a boon or curse[includes conditions] of choice that the Volcano had performed, three in total)

-The Volcano’s eye (a small swirling orb of scarlet laced on a necklace string, it is said beneath its glossy surface holds the truth)[Receive unique dream, requesting for wearer to become the Volcano’s champion/immunity to Volcano], (receive all Aura’s while wearing it, true favor roll)

-The Volcano’s fist (a massive hammer that is incredulously light to its holder, but fatally heavy on its victim. Said to crush even the mightiest armors. Volcano’s Fist > Volcano’s body)

-The Volcano’s body (a suit of stone, articulate and as light as your own skin, yet few weapons can shake its defenses)

-The Volcano’s heart ( A pulsing fist sized stone fitted on a brass ring, its holder is immune to poisons and illness, and heals incredibly fast [even supposed unhealable wounds, such as missing limbs], but more interestingly... is its desire to unite with the other “parts” of the Volcano.
Volcano’s heart > Sinister sting, Grant Mortal Grace (the next thing that would kill you doesn't))

-The Sinister Sting (a thin dagger the length of a forearm, its puncture is rarely survivable, but cannot bypass armor)

-The Noble Knife (The sinister sting’s brother, a short sword fit for combat. It’s blade can saw through the mightiest armors, and its strike is deadly. However it cannot harm the unarmed or the unarmored. Noble Knife > Volcano’s body)

-The Anvil of Living Rock (with the right supplies, an army of Golems could be yours)

-The Golden Apple (Revives a dead Player character… or historical figure)

-Void colored dice (they click and clatter, and when they land still, a curse falls upon a chosen character)(one use)

-Brimstone! (a monsterous machine birthed in the fires of the volcano. It is the size of a battering ram, and belches sulfur and orbs of stone at whatever stands in its way)

-Shkkaak’s Razor (a sickly red blade, serrated and wicked. It’s crimson blade saps the life of its victims and releases the stolen power into the body of the wielder. Some even say the wielder receives some demonic help from extramundane servants)

-Marmon’s Copper (a coin with a secret name written along its edges. Those who keep the coin in their pocket have the ability to render themselves invisible by whispering the name.)

-Sun’s tear (a strange peach colored gem the size of a melon. Sure you could sell it for a hefty price, but the fact that it doubles the agriculture output of its home nation, and potentially increasing army and economy sizes by a leap makes it more valuable in your own hands)

-Draught of Derrix (A vial of strange liquid, captured in a crystal bottle. It is said that whomever drinks it shall be healed of whatever ails them)

-The Monkey’s Pants (A pair of stylish trousers, the character that wears them gets a random Aura. One random aura roll per character, Auras last only as long as the pants are worn.)

- Horn of Roland (A horn that shatters once blown, but its mighty call is said to double the size of your army
for the battle it roars over)

- Dream catcher (protects a character from Volcano dreams)

- The Defender’s Bulwark (An intimidating suit of full plate armor complete with a vented visor. Its wearer is immune to all physical attacks, and even disease. The wearer cannot attack while wearing this armor, and if he/she does, it will harden and transform into a statue, with the wearer frozen in the stone.)

- Hangman’s Conscience (Whosoever holds this rope shall be tempted to kill themselves, as if you had a choice)

- Spirit’s Window (A small mirror that allows the user to converse with the dead. The dead are not compelled to speak with the user or be truthful)

- The Covenant (A pair of rings intended to be worn by two different individuals, the Covenant forces those who wear it to follow any agreements that they have made with each other. Once the agreement is fulfilled, the two rings will appear together in a random place) (could have been worded better, but I suspect you get the point)

-Warmaiden’s Lust (A ring that once worn cannot be removed, besides severing the finger, It gender swap’s any male that wears it. The strength of the ring is dependent on how much blood, originating from a female, the wearer comes into contact with on a regular basis. At it’s strongest, bathing entirely in blood, the wearer gains the charisma and extrasensory auras. At its worst, basically zero contact, the wearer receives the hated and weak auras. The blood fed to the ring must be that of a female other than oneself, and replenished every two weeks… we were going to go with once a month, but… well you get the joke)