Hey everybody!

So, a bit about me: I'm making the move from RoleplayGateway to here. I was a frequent user there about.. . three years ago? (I forgot my account information and figured it'd be easier to just make a new one). It was fantastic, and the site was a sort of catalyst that propelled my creative writing to new heights. Unfortunately life got busy and I had to quit. Well, after a bit of stumbling and maturing here I am two years later figuring I'd get back into it again. I'm an easy-going person so don't expect any pretentious attitude from me because forum RP will always just be for fun. However, I do have a two expectations from you if we're going to go on through with this:

Collaboration - This'll be a you and I project. Looking back I found that my biggest mistake on this website was placing my attention in to too many places at once. 4 RPs at one point to be exact. Some people can manage that -- I can't. The vision I see for this is to find a person I see chemistry with and fully focus all I have on that. I'd much rather have a story I can see through to the end than several ones that eventually dissolve into the black hole of inactivity. Also, be prepared to have some input into the story. If I wanted to RP with a brick wall well.. . I'd RP with a brick wall. I know you have some amazing ideas and it would be great if you would let me flesh them out with you. In fact, if you had experience in being a GM that would be even better. See, I can drive a story forward, but I get my momentum by feeding off other people. Essentially I am a cannibal.

No but seriously, if you want to GM please do. Next point.

Commitment - I'd briefly touched on this above but I reaaaally want to emphasize the point and I'm not going to lie to you: I have yet to be in a collaboration I was able to see through to the end. The sad thing was that all these previous ideas we had hashed out and planned out for were so interesting and new but unfortunately life just got in the way and people could not stay committed. I'm guilty of that too, but my schedule now is much more forgiving now than it was in the past. We'll say minimum a post every two weeks?

Those are really the two only points I want to emphasize. Other general rules apply such as literacy, post-length, etc but I have no doubt you already know the general consensus on those. BUT, enough of the boring stuff. What should we do?

WELL I'M GLAD YOU ASKED.

I have two ideas in mind:

Medieval Fantasy Kingdoms. You're nobility of one kingdom, I'm nobility of another. Politics, deceit, romance, anguish, war and other label words. We don't even have to be nobility. We can make out completely different roles. Medieval Fantasy has always appealed to me because it's such a general term that any creative mind can inject their own flavor into it. I have been leaning more towards the epic side however, as in big-scale conflict with the fate of whole kingdoms balanced on the decisions of a few.

OR A SPACE OPERA. I've seriously wanted to do one of these for the longest time and I've never gotten around to it. In fact this would be my preferred selection because I would really be putting myself in uncharted territory as far as writing goes. We could be satellite nations under a authoritative regime seeking to regain our independence. Throw in all those label words stated above and we have a story!

Anyway, thanks for reading my post. My main hope is to find a person I can develop a writers chemistry with, who can stay consistent and see this through to the end. This'll be a one on one thing too, I feel with just two people allows for more intimacy and complex movement with regards to character development and driving the story forward. I hope I didn't come off as an up-tight, I'm really not. I'm just excited to start writing with somebody again.

If you're interested just reply here with a little bit about yourself and your favorite color. I look forward to hearing from ya.

Sounds like we'd get along well together. I primarily GM for RPs (and generally prefer it), so I have a good bit of experience with that.

I have a few plots in mind.


Interested in either of my plot ideas?

Even though I said I'd be interested in a space type setting I can't help but be intrigued with the plot of Condemned. Maybe it's because it's common ground to me and I've yet to get back into writers form. But it sounds like you have a good idea of where you want to go with it. I'd love to take part. :)

@BellBottomBlues Sweet! And yes, I do have a fairly good idea of where we're going with it. There are several plot options designed in, including Arena battles, military campaigning, political intrigue, and even slice of life. I'd originally designed the Imperium so nobody would feel as bad about supporting a character who wanted to massacre the entire population, so we can definitely go that route too.

Before we start, there are a few things we should hammer out. Firstly, the map. The Imperial continent is generally circular. The nation was previously landlocked, but that changed after the expansion. Four fortress complexes, called "Havens," were constructed at each compass extremity of the empire - Northaven, Southaven, Easthaven, and Westhaven. Cities formed around them. Each one was built on the coast, so the Imperium has some naval capabilities as well. The capital city is Midhaven. There are other cities though; one of the less-violent places to live is Diamont, a prosperous trading city with several suburbs. It lies a little to the southeast of Midhaven.

Off the west coast of the continent is the Coronal Islands, the only Imperial territory in the ocean. Its people have notably darker skin than the pale-faced Imperials, and are more civilized by a mile. Their soldiers wielded magic marrial arts (think Avatar Airbender), and their spearfighters were second to none.

Off the east coast lies the Barbary Isles, where the pirates make their home. Some of them hail from unknown nations on the other side of the planet.

The main continent itself is more varied. Since most of the rivers flow from the coast inward, the center of the continent is inhospitable desert, and gets greener as you move outward. Southaven sits in a jungle area, where violent creatures and deadly diseases roam. Westhaven and Easthaven sit in forested areas, and Northaven sits in unforgiving tundra. A mountain range provides a natural barrier between the icy north and the rest of the continent, so the Imperium prefers to leave them alone.

Secondly, military structure. The Imperium doesn't have much of a standing army to speak of. Its real power comes from the militia system, in which all citizens are expected to acquire competency in combat arms by the time they reach adulthood at age 20. They may be called upon at any moment to assist the Imperium and must be ready at all times. Competing in the Arena counts as training, and it is one way of moving up the ranks, so it's quite popular.

(More lore incoming, so stay tuned)

@Thinslayer Sounds fantastic! You may or may not be addressing these with whatever lore you're about to share, but I'll ask anyway just in case. I'm curious about a few points;

Government. How is it structured? Is there a leading head or monarch? A council type agreement? Is there a pyramid of classes differentiating say a noble family to a commoner one? What political climate is to be expected at the time of the RP?

What are the rules on magic? Is it a trait born for a gifted few or can it be learned?

How does religion (if there is any) affect the ideals of Imperium citizens?

And where is Aetherion relative to the Imperium? (E.g. West or East)

I ask these because I'll always strive to maintain consistency with your lore. I'll say now at any point should I overstep boundaries or post something that just doesn't sit right with the world PM me at any time and I can quickly remedy it. The setting strikes me as one where like I said before remains general enough for a person have free reign on working their ideas in the set world, but I'll always mention my willingness to work with the lore you have in place.

Blimey. I dunno why, but I keep popping back in here...

Then there's the legal system. It starts at the top with the King, despot of the realm. His word is law. Then there's the small standing army of commandos who act as police and investigators. Below them are the nobility, the landowners. In war, they become commanding officers. Below them are the militia, ordinary men and women drafted to fight. Below them are the slaves, who are sometimes corralled as cannon fodder to absorb enemy attacks.

Theft and rape of Imperial citizens is forbidden. Murder is only forbidden if witnessed by an Imperial officer; otherwise, they don't really care. The main exception is the murder of an Imperial officer. Then they'll launch an investigation and have the culprit flayed alive.

Economically speaking, the Imperium depends heavily on its slaves and indenturee servants. Imperial citizens who sell themselves into slavery are afforded all the rights of citizens, so they are treated better than captive or criminal slaves. Those who aren't slaves spend their time practicing their military arts, whether through daily exercises, duels, or arena competitions. When they're not engaged in military affairs, they're wallowing in the pleasures of life granted them by their slaves.

Not all the Imperium works like this, though. Some citizens, like those in Diamont, are a bit more honest (or poor) and do the work themselves. In addition, any conquered regions that haven't had their infrastructure totally destroyed are maintained by the subjugated people and citizens living there.

Religion is fairly simple business. The King is god. All prior kings are gods. All gods' mandates should be followed, with the most recent god's taking precedence in the event of conflict. Currently, it is held that the gods require human sacrifices as thanks for having aided them in battle. Any additional souls offered up are counted as merits to counteract any crimes committed. So if you do something illegal, make sure to have a slave or two handy to sacrifice on your behalf.

@Thinslayer Sounds fantastic! You may or may not be addressing these with whatever lore you're about to share, but I'll ask anyway just in case. I'm curious about a few points;

Government. How is it structured? Is there a leading head or monarch? A council type agreement? Is there a pyramid of classes differentiating say a noble family to a commoner one? What political climate is to be expected at the time of the RP?

What are the rules on magic? Is it a trait born for a gifted few or can it be learned?

How does religion (if there is any) affect the ideals of Imperium citizens?

And where is Aetherion relative to the Imperium? (E.g. West or East)

I ask these because I'll always strive to maintain consistency with your lore. I'll say now at any point should I overstep boundaries or post something that just doesn't sit right with the world PM me at any time and I can quickly remedy it. The setting strikes me as one where like I said before remains general enough for a person have free reign on working their ideas in the set world, but I'll always mention my willingness to work with the lore you have in place.

Magic, at its core, is spiritual manipulation. Disembodied spirits can do pretty much do whatever they want, but human spirits are attached to their bodies, so they normally can't perform magic in their default state. However, with a little genetic luck and some focus, some people can withdraw the energy binding their souls to their bodies, called mana, and use it to relocate their spirit, thereby giving them the ability to manipulate their environment outside bodily limitations. The ability cannot be acquired except through birth, but it can be reliably passed down. It's a recessive trait in humans and dominant trait in elves.

Nobility is, in essence, owning land. During conquest, land is allocated among soldiers who do not own any, and if there is too little land to divide equitably, it is handed to the strongest soldiers. Another way to gain land ownership is to take it from someone else by murduring the landowner. However, there's a catch - the land legally passes down to the landowner's family when he dies, so if you want his land, you have to kill both him and all his descendants. Do it quickly, because if one of them escapes to notify Imperial officers, it's over for you.

Aetherion is located northeast of the Imperial border, a bit closer to Northaven than to Easthaven.

@Thinslayer Cool. Well, with all this information I'll know what to expect with Imperium culture and such, and should any other questions arise during I'll shoot you a PM and figure it out from there. I'm ready to start! Is there anything you'll want from me prior like a character sheet? I have a good idea of how I want to lay out my first post.

Cheers.

Welcome to RPG!
For reference we actually have a 1x1 RP interest check spot at this link ===> http://www.roleplayerguild.com/forums/16-1x1-interest-checks it'll probably attract the attention of more 1x1 RPers there :)

@Thinslayer Sorry, wrong tag (gotta love phones)
@BellBottomBlues The message above is for you :)

@BellBottomBlues
Actually, I'd like us to introduce our characters the way it would happen in a novel - suddenly. Character sheets spoil all the good stuff. What I *do* need to know beforehand, though, is what theme we're gunning for. Are we going to do slice of life, campaign, arena, or some combination of themes? It'll determine how my character is introduced.

@Thinslayer
For the sake of establishing a plot I think it would be good to start off with a campaign theme, mixing in other themes -- story permitting. Honestly, as long as there's an overall goal (which I assume from the synopsis is to bring peace to the Imperium) I'll be down for any theme. Maybe there'll be a section where our characters are thrust into an arena, or watch observantly in a political party of grandeur trying to locate a target. But just to keep a sense of direction yeah, let's go with a Campaign theme. Our characters are here to complete a set goal, which will be determined more eloquently in the story (as well as their motives). I like the idea of being able to fall back to slice of life every now and then, when the pacing slows and we can really develop our characters because of past tribulations.

Cool beans?

@Thinslayer
For the sake of establishing a plot I think it would be good to start off with a campaign theme, mixing in other themes -- story permitting. Honestly, as long as there's an overall goal (which I assume from the synopsis is to bring peace to the Imperium) I'll be down for any theme. Maybe there'll be a section where our characters are thrust into an arena, or watch observantly in a political party of grandeur trying to locate a target. But just to keep a sense of direction yeah, let's go with a Campaign theme. Our characters are here to complete a set goal, which will be determined more eloquently in the story (as well as their motives). I like the idea of being able to fall back to slice of life every now and then, when the pacing slows and we can really develop our characters because of past tribulations.

Cool beans?

Cool beans! Feel free to start up the thread and make the opening post. I'll start making a few NPCs to get things moving, and I'll run them by you before introducing them.

@BellBottomBlues Or I can start us off. I have some ideas about that.

@Thinslayer
Hi! That won't be necessary, I'll be posting later in the evening, I think what I have will be a good introduction. I'll PM you once it's posted.

@Thinslayer

Post is up!

http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/161513-condemned/ic#post-4244221