It is said that in ancient times, the people's prayers were heard by the gods. That The Five would actually use their power to help us mortals, that they would deliver unto us our mind's wishes, our heart's desires. It is also said, that they were once responsible for a great darkness over our world. Medeis, shrouded in clouds, only flashing lightning as a light in our sky, as the sun was a foreign concept, after hundreds of years under the raging storm.
Our nations named after The Five; Terra, the nation of earth and wood. Ignis, the nation of fire and metal. Aqua, the nation of water and ice. Ventus, the nation of air and storm. Spiritus, the nation of life and death. All five nations live in harmony now, as we're told the gods once did, many millenia ago.
Their rules were simple; Do not interfere with mortal affairs. Do not war against one another. Two simple rules that if upheld would ensure the peace on Medeis, if broken would come with dire concequence.
However the concequence seemed too small for the god of winds and storm to hold himself back against his siblings. He was the first of The Five to reveal a shimmering stone to the people of his nation, and with a mighty breath, he created a storm like none other, coating all of Medeis in pitch-black thundering clouds. Ventus gave his people a piece of his power, which came in the form of a small, shimmering green stone which sparked when touched, afterward emitting a cool breeze that would surround the person holding it. He was quick to allow himself to be seen by the people of his lands, showing them how to use the stone, teaching them the ways of magick. Together with Ventus, his people would rule all of Medeis, and he would become the God of gods.
Ventus' eldest sister, Terra feared for the world when the storm began. Her crops wilted without light and drowned in the never ending rains. It was this that made her the first to speak up about their brother. She would not directly interfere with the mortal lives, but she would offer them an opportunity to live. Small outcroppings of shimmering deep, earthly brown crystals would be found by the people of her lands, yet without her guidance, there was little that could be done.
Her brothers Ignis and Spiritus, along with their sister Aqua followed suit in revealing their stones to the people of their nations; Ignis' a faintly glowing blood-orange stone, Spiritus' a deep royal purple, Aqua's a clear cerulean blue. There were years between the finding of these stones until the scholars of Spiritus were able to utilize the stones potential, though once they did, they were swift in delivering the information to their brother and sister nations. Once they did, the four remaining nations banded together, knowing how powerful those of Ventus had become, and thus started the first War of the Magi.
After three hundred years of darkness, and fifty more of magick warfare, the storm slowly died down, and the people of Medeis would begin their negotiations of peace with the Ventians. While Ventus himself answered to his brothers and sisters, he was cast out, his godly powers drained, and was left to live among his people on Medeis.
We've lived in an unending peace for generations upon generations now, thanks to the High Magi Council. Our knowledge of the stones bestowed upon us by the gods now known as the Lapis Potentia, is ever-growing. We've come to use them in our everyday lives, with no use for them in war. Though I can't help but fear history repeating itself... Surely with the power we possess now, any form of war would end tenfold worse than the last War of the Magi... Hopefully it won't come to that.
Important Info Dump
The Lapis Potentia are stones that were bestowed upon the people of Medeis by their gods to aide in the War of the Magi. Each stone holds different powers, depending on where it where it was found. Earth and Nature from Terra. Fire and Metal from Ignis. Water and Ice from Aqua. Air and Storm from Ventus. Life and Death from Spiritus.
While originally, during the War of the Magi, the Lapis Potentia were used in their raw crystal forms, which lead to much destruction both of the world and Medeis' people. Since then, the Scholars of Spiritus have worked to find a way that they might harness the power in a much less destructive way, yet were unsuccessful for quite some time. Roughly five hundred years after the War of the Magi, the first High Magi Council was formed, and it was they who found a way for the others of Medeis to harness this power: A ritual that could only be performed by them. As time went on, more people began to be able to perform the ritual, though it's known that someone who uses a Lapis Potentia can not perform it. They must be able to naturally use magic.
For those willing to accept the power, at the age of sixteen, the Lapis Potentia is placed onto the chest of who is to obtain it's power, just over the heart. The Magi in charge of the ritual recites an incantation in a tongue thought to be that of the gods themselves, which causes the stone to glow brighter until it flashes brightly in it's colour and vanishes from it's place on the subject's chest. Many believe that the Lapis shatters in the light, and becomes one with the bearer's aura, while others believe that it is absorbed as a whole into the body. And of course, there are skeptics who believe the ritual is completely unnecessary and dangerous, who prefer the destructive raw state of their Lapis Potentia.
It is possible to obtain more than one Lapis Potentia, however with each one, the risk becomes greater. People can get more than one of the same type of Lapis Potentia to increase the potency of their magick, or, they can mix-and-match different types though this is much harder to do, and creates greater risk. Most people, if they have more than one at all, will often stick just to that of their home nation.
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There are five different types of Lapis Potentia;
Terran are Earth based Lapis Potentia. Used by the people of Terra, primarily for the use of agriculture. The people of Terra have been known to move entire outcroppings of Lapis Potentia crystals around the nation to help wildlife flourish. For combat purposes, the earthen crystals were used by the protectors in the War of the Magi. They could create barriers in an instant from the earth for their allies. They used roots and vines to trap their enemies, and tremors to knock them off balance. Ignician are Fire based Lapis Potentia. Used by the people of Ignis, primarily for use in their forges. The people of Ignis are known for their perfectly tempered metals which once were forged in the dangers of volcanoes, however now they use the Lapis Potentia. In the War of the Magi, these crystals of fire were used primarily as an offensive. While they could use them for a mild heat to soothe wounds, more often than not, the Ignician crystals were used to shoot flames forth. Aquian are Water based Lapis Potentia. Used by the people of Aqua, primarily for the use of water purification, though they also do use it to create currents to bring the fish closer to land in order to obtain them more easily. Durring the War of the Magi, the Aquian Lapis Potentia was used mostly as a means of healing and soothing. The cool water it created was so pure it alone could be used to disinfect wounds without pain, and often times sped up healing processes naturally. Ventian are Wind based Lapis Potentia. Used by the people of Ventus, primarily for the use of spinning their wind turbines. They also use these crystals for their storm aspects as well, however, as a means of electricity. During the War of the Magi, these Lapis Potentia were used to maintain the storm created by Ventus himself, as well as draw upon the powers of lightning as attacks. They could use gusts of wind to blow back or draw in their opponents, and use lightning to shock their enemies, always aiming to kill. Spiritan are Soul based Lapis Potentia. Used by the people of Spiritus, they focus on the mind. The nation is filled with great scholars who once sought out how to use the Lapis Potentia, and now use theirs to further their knowledge. The War of the Magi brought about the use of this Lapis Potentia to deal with mental effects the war had on the people of Medeis. They used it to calm nerves, erase thoughts of the willing temporarily, or on the other hand; destroy the minds of their opponents.
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This information barely scratches the surface of what a Lapis Potentia user is actually capable of, and is just to give an idea of what types of power each one holds.
The High Magi Council was originally created five hundred years after the War of the Magi. The people chosen to be part of the High Magi Council are natural magick weilders, who are said to have been blessed by the gods themselves. They do not need Lapis Potentia to use their elemental abilities, often times showing their abilities from a very young age. Once they are found, they are taken to Anima to be trained by the previous High Magi so their powers do not become destructive to themselves or those around them.
They often live in Anima their entire lives, truly knowing only the previous High Magi, their fellow High Magi, and their successors. Of course their families are welcome to visit them on Anima, but their duty bind them to the heart of Medeis a majority of their lives. They meet with the leaders of each nation, and are partly responsible for upholding the peace across all lands. They are well respected by all, and are taught of how important their role is from childhood.
They are well known as the ambassadors of the gods, while some think that they are the gods themselves manifest in a mortal body. The current members of the High Magi Council are as follows;
Grand Magus/High Magi of Spiritus: Tynan Hawthorne High Magi of Terra: Zachary Alvaro High Magi of Ignis: Shelawnda Wilhelm High Magi of Aqua: Aleena Aquios High Magi of Ventus: Genesis Zephyr
Little is known about these people, to the public, save their names and appearances. Though as with all things, rumours spread. These rumours are, however, simple things about who they actually are; while some think the High Magi to be raised in a way that makes them almost like a hive mind, others think quite the opposite; such as those who spread an early rumour about Zachary falling in love with the Queen of Terra, or of Aleena's lineage that she is from a family that was once royalty of Aqua. About Shelawnda's hatred for nicknames but having one person in particular who she doesn't mind calling her 'Shelly', or of Genesis' mysterious nature. The one person that rumours seem to be mixed about, however, is the Grand Magus, Tynan. Rumours about him seem to span from being a gracious host to guests, to having a menagerie of magick creatures both dead and alive. From being benevolent and merciful, to being the world's worst horror. However, like all the High Magi, he is secretive and scarce among the people of Medeis.
In the Northeast of Medeis' map, the nation of Terra is run by a monarchy, currently head by their Queen Mishka Brencis, and her husband the Prince Farren, who, when her mother and father were still in rule, was the young Princess Mishka's personal guard. Next in line for the throne is their son, Leonel. They are gracious rulers, who believe in equality above all else, even among nobles and common folk. For this, the nation of Terra has little to no power struggles, because all voices are heard and answered by the Queen.
Their main trade export is medicinal herbs and agricultural goods.
Most of Terra is coated in a thick forest known as the Lignum Woods. In the woods there are clearings of small settlements, though close to the capital city of Silva, the trees are protected and not to be touched, due to the nature of the royal family being Dryads, many of the trees outside the castle-city's walls but close to, are past relatives who've lost the ability to take on their fae-folk appearances.
The Southeastern border of Terra connects via a pass in the mountain range to her brother nation of Ignis. It is run by a democracy, currently lead by a Lamia named Semira Amar. She is a headstrong but dependable woman who cares more for the people of Ignis than she lets on, though that doesn't stop her from living like the Queen she appears to think she is at times.
Their main trade export is metals. Tools, weapons and armour.
Unlike Terra's lush green landscapes, Ignis is mostly uninhabitable desert, though there are towns close to, on or in the mountains. Most of the towns are mining towns, and have small forges, while the cities are the same but on a much grander scale. Metallum, the capital city of Ignis is built just under an active volcano, one that once was used as a forge for making their metals, though now they rely more on their Lapis Potentia to forge the perfect metal. Between towns is an intricate cave system beneath the earth with railways to take people from town to town, known as the Pyroim Caverns. While it is easier to travel this way, due to it being not only faster thanks to the rails, but cooler thanks to being under ground rather than atop the dunes of scorching hot sand, it is arguably much more risky to travel this way, thanks to the potential of cave ins, though those who frequent the cave system rarely think of such things, just going about their daily lives.
Across the ocean from Terra and Ignis, lays the nation of Aqua. Another democratic nation that once was a monarchy, hundreds of years ago. Now lead by a man named Arkadiy Hawthorne, who was forced to start his leadership under rumours of being related to the Grand Magus. He has since put the rumours to rest with confirmation that as children they would've been considered brothers, however now, his only brother is his twin, Azure Hawthorne. That aside, he runs Aqua with passion and aims to make it the greatest nation in all Medeis(without overtaking other nations, of course).
Their main trade export is purified water and fish.
Most of Aqua is overrun by the Gelum Tundra. Snowing most of the year on the small icy island, their towns and cities are mostly around the shores where the temperatures are milder and the resources are abundant. The Northern coast has a long strip city known as Glacies, which serves as it's capital. While they do run expeditions into the Gelum Tundra, most people stick to the cities, traveling around the shores of the island nation rather than through it's center, since the Tundra gets so cold at certain times of the year that any mortal would freeze in just a few hours of being there.
South of Aqua is Ventus, a large nation run by a handful of leading officials, though one dominates as their official 'leader' she was chosen by the leading officials. Aeryn Crossman is a lead inventor in Ventus, and is responsible for many of the great things that the nation recently obtained, as well as improving on previous designs from past inventors of their lands.
Their main trade export is technology.
Their lands are green and open, with very few mountains, which makes it wonderful to set up their settlements literally anywhere on the lands. Most of Ventus is plains which have constant high winds, making it excellent to run wind turbines which allow them to have electricity. Especially in the capital city of Tempestas, which is located at the center of the Zephyrus Plains. To the north of the plains is Fulmen, where many hard workers live risky lives among the remnants of Ventus' grand storm. They've set up lightning rod towers where they gather the lightning and use it as another source of power alongside the wind. Of course, their Lapis Potentia can help in these fields as well, though they rely heavily on the natural energy sources more than anything. Though neither Tempestas or Fulmen are the most popular city to visit; that would be Nimbus, a city in the sky, held up with the power of Lapis Potentia placed into the base of the man-made floating island.
Many inventors live in Ventus, and those who may be from other nations tend to move to Ventus to follow their dreams of creating things to help the world. Ventus' most famous invention is the airship. Also working along side the smiths of Ignis, they were able to create flintlock guns, though they are still in the process of working out how to make them safer.
South of Ignis, and to the East of Ventus, is the small nation of Spiritus. They do not have a 'leader', rather an entire settlement, known as Tenebrae that houses many scholars who make the decisions for their nation based on their findings. There is no 'head scholar', as all scholars in Tenebrae are equal. However, the capital city is not this settlement, rather the port city of Aether, which is home to the largest library in all of Medeis.
Their main trade export is knowledge.
The climate in Spiritus is temperate, the land is just as average due to it. Small wooded areas, plains and small mountains. Rumours spread in other nations by people who've never traveled there would say that the nation is very dark and gloomy, but quite the opposite; outside of Tenebrae, Spiritus is reminiscent of the land found on the shores of Terra, while perhaps a little less greenery found around, it is not barren by any means. The people are also gossiped about in similar fashion; that they are somber and always stuck in a book, the people here are quite joyous, and while many of them do end up as scholars of sorts, seeking to expand their knowledge, they lead relatively normal lives.
Anima is a small island in the center of all the other nations. On it, is a great tower that reaches into the clouds. This is where the High Magi are taken as children to be taught about their powers, about Medeis, her people and one another. Many of the goings ons of Anima are secret to those outside, and of the grand tower, a very select few floors are accessible and only by a very select few people outside of the High Magi Council and their successors.
Technology in this world is confusing at best. Each nation is at their own place in advancement, while they help each other out to evolve past primitive states, they also have their own beliefs and policies when it comes to using certain things.
Terra remains beautiful and bountiful thanks to it's lack of advanced technology, for example. Their houses made of wood and stone, Terra takes on a very medieval era look to it. They use torches and candles for light sources, and simply because of who the people are here, they don't care to move into a stage of electricity.
Ignis' technology is a mixture, while in most cases they will simply use torches around larger rooms or along cave walls, with the primary light sources being forges or lava flows, they are not against technological advancement like their sister nation. In the Caverns below, they do string along lights at the beginning of each tunnel and keep low watt lanterns with the carts through the Pyroim Caverns.
Aqua has engineered far enough for Aqueducts and filtration systems, though prefers fire over electric, simply because it's easier to maintain, and much cheaper to produce the heat needed in their colder climate than to run that much electricity to those of the nation. However, that's not to say they don't have lights or anything.
Ventus is the most technologically advanced nation; the only time you'll see a fire is likely in someone's back yard for a party; assuming they can get it lit in the winds and rains. Thanks to the lightning rods in Fulmen, and the wind turbines that are set up across the entire nation, everyone has stable electricity that provides to them light, heat and other necessary things for every day life. They are also the inventors of most technologically advanced things in the world; they are responsible for helping Aqua with their filtration systems, with Ignis' underground rail system, airships that travel between all five nations as well as Anima, and while Ignis does provide the metal, Ventus is also to thank for stable housing in less-than-suitable areas, reinforced sea faring and airships that are used in trade, as well as offering their power sources to all other nations. They are also the most advanced in weaponry, having made flintlock rifles for hunting.
Spiritus is an odd little nation that isn't exactly against development(quite the opposite in fact), while in the capital of Aether, one might see lights and hear the hum of electricity to help with every day life, the scholars of Tenebrae, on the other hand, will keep to their oil lamps, and walls lined with torches. Though not all Scholars are like this; some homes in Tenebrae even, may have electric lights. It's all up to the person's tastes, or their ability to pay for such things, really.
Anima is unknown to the outside world, of course. Though at the main doors to the tower, there is a torch on either side, so it can be assumed that they prefer fire over electricity(or they could just want to look as ominous as people feel they are... there's always that).
Character stuff
I want this roleplay to be a very accepting one that allows you to play what you like; as such the racial possibility is very diverse, though there are a few that I do need to note are specific to certain nations off the top of my head; Dryads and Satyrs are specifically from Terra. While fae folk can be from anywhere, if you want to play a Dryad or Satyr your character must originate from the nation of Terra. Cyclopes and Giants must be from Ignis. I will allow Orcs and the like to be from other areas though. A note on Giants; they are not overly massive people. They are likely around nine to ten feet tall, average. Merfolk of all types (mermaids, selkies, sirens, etc) are specifically from Aqua. However Naiads can be from anywhere but Ignis. Ventus and Spiritus are interesting places that doesn't really have any specifics. Though sightings of Harpeia, Nycters, Lhosks and the like are much more common in these lands than others. Spiritus seems to also be where people become other things; such as Beansidhes, Spectres, Liches, etc... though these characters can be from other places. Their souls are just drawn to Spiritus. Dragons do exist in this world, but are not playable; you may play a Dracotaur or something similar, but no full-bred dragons will be playable.
If you have questions about the Lapis Potentia, what you can or can't do, please ask me directly about anything you have issues with or think might be out in left field somewhere; I'm incredibly willing to work with each and every one of you if need be, to get the characters to your liking, and so they still fit perfectly into the world (it's very hard to not fit into this world... just an fyi)!
Same goes for any other section of the profile writing process! Please let me know if you need help with anything at all! I'll do my best to help you out. :)
You may play as many characters as you see fit, though make sure you can keep up with all of them if they're central to current plot!
Name: Nicknames/Titles: Age: Race: Sex: Sexuality: Occupation: Place of Birth: Appearance: Personality: Likes: Dislikes: Strengths: Weaknesses: Weapons: Lapis Potentia: (if any, include type of Lapis Potentia, as well as powers they have at their disposal) Biography: Other:
Rules
Alright, so now that I've unloaded my brain into yours, it's time to get to the nasty ol' rule book. -pulls it off the shelf and blows away the dust-. AHEM!
First off; follow the general Terms of Service. ToS exist for a reason, so do the thing that makes you not get in trouble.
I expect everyone to be respectful to your fellow players; you don't have to like each other, and I can't guarantee that you will, but an effort should be made to at least be civil with one another so that we can move along without issue. If you really do have an issue with someone else though, bring it to my attention. I've spent years as host to roleplays, and as leader of guilds in MMOs, I know how to handle things so they don't explode causing catastrophes.
When writing out combat, please don't do the whole god modding thing. I mean, where is even the fun in that? No one gets fun from it, not your opponent, and I honestly don't see anyone having fun as they destroy their opponent with little to no effort. Take One Punch Man for example; Saitama got bored of beating up every bad guy with one hit and only found fun when there was a challenge involved when he finally faced off against Lord Boros!
Important tips for posting;
Quality over quantity. I don't mind if you have shorter posts sometimes, as long as what's in it is worth being there. I want posts that will actually move things along, have an impact on the reader or whatever; a million paragraphs of fluff is nothing to three paragraphs of well thought out story telling.
That said; you can be the best story teller in all the lands, but if I can't read it, that's an issue. Don't have to be perfect, but grammar and spelling do matter in a lot of cases, and I expect you to check over your stuff before posting it.
Posts should be written in third person in the style of a novel; no asterisks for actions, and please us quotations for spoken dialogue. I've seen various useful ways to differentiate between speaking and thinking as well; I personally tend to use '' instead of "" and italicize the thoughts, while speaking is bolded, but as long as we can tell what's what, then I'm fine with whatever.
I don't expect a post every hour or even every day. Life happens and I'd like everyone to be comfortable with their own posting speeds, however, with that in mind, you also need to take into consideration that if you post once every two weeks, that may(read; likely will) be holding other writers up, and that's no good.
If you do need to take a break from the RP, or need to drop from it completely for whatever reason, please let us know! Nothing worse than waiting for a post that never comes. I promise you that if you need to leave, or just simply want to, no one will take it personally(unless you make a big deal out of it and point out that someone should be taking it personally, I suppose). So letting us know is better than not!
Please PM me your profiles so I can look over them. When I give the good-to-go, then you can go ahead and make a post that you can use for all of your characters. I'd rather you keep your own character post up to date, though run your updates by me first, just to make sure it's good! <3 thanks so much.
Last but definitely not least; Have fun with this! While I do have an incredibly in-depth story planned for this role play, I'd love to get your input and I'm very willing to change some of the things around, or push back events, or move them up accordingly to accommodate any ideas you guys have! This is interactive and I want you all to feel like your ideas are heard and welcomed. I'll do my best to bring in anything that you feel is necessary for either the story as a whole, or even just your character! I'd love to be able to learn more about your characters, just as much as I'm sure everyone that joins wants to learn about this world and it's existing characters!
