"This is not a story of heroes. This is not a tale of brave men risking life and limb, embarking on a quest to save the world from a coming evil, no. There are no heroes in Avalon anymore. This is a story of the forgotten, of women and men cast aside and left without hope. Wronged, cast out, beaten or belittled, perhaps even scarred or maimed ... this is a story of those the eye does not see, those chosen by powerful forces to do one thing:
"Nobody is a villain in their own story. We're all the heroes of our own stories."
-- George R.R. Martin
Sometimes it's boring being a hero. This is a story about those least likely to save the world. These people have secretly been chosen by the lingering souls of powerful mages to carry on a quest as old as Avalon itself. The Shadow Legion - twelve sorcerers imbued with the magic of the dark gods and a strength unmatched in all of Avalon - sought to unite the world by force, razing and levelling the great cities of the kingdoms they sought to destroy. The wizards and witches and warlocks of Avalon banded together to stop the Legion's onslaught, but to do so cost them the Nexus - the hub of the Aether: source of their own power and the greatest gift to Avalon. Five centuries have past and now the souls of the Legion's sorcerers have chosen their successors. With the power of the Aether stripped from Avalon, there is nothing to stand in their way. This world owes you nothing, and now you carry the power to redefine the world order. You are the Shadow Legion.
The Expectations:
The Characters:
The Plot:
The World:
The Main Thread:
TEAR THE WORLD DOWN
"Nobody is a villain in their own story. We're all the heroes of our own stories."
-- George R.R. Martin
Sometimes it's boring being a hero. This is a story about those least likely to save the world. These people have secretly been chosen by the lingering souls of powerful mages to carry on a quest as old as Avalon itself. The Shadow Legion - twelve sorcerers imbued with the magic of the dark gods and a strength unmatched in all of Avalon - sought to unite the world by force, razing and levelling the great cities of the kingdoms they sought to destroy. The wizards and witches and warlocks of Avalon banded together to stop the Legion's onslaught, but to do so cost them the Nexus - the hub of the Aether: source of their own power and the greatest gift to Avalon. Five centuries have past and now the souls of the Legion's sorcerers have chosen their successors. With the power of the Aether stripped from Avalon, there is nothing to stand in their way. This world owes you nothing, and now you carry the power to redefine the world order. You are the Shadow Legion.
The Roleplay
The Expectations:
- This is an advanced level RP due to the duality of the character you will play. You are essentially playing two characters in one, a task which not everyone will be up to. You are expected to be prepared for this coming in.
- This is a dark RP. Violence, blood, gore, death and destruction are all common themes. I am not here to encourage holding back. You are expected to be aware of this coming in.
- The standard rules of roleplay etiquette apply here. Godmodding, powerplaying, or metagaming will not be tolerated. Offenders will answer to the GM and offenses may result in ejection from the RP.
- A soft content minimum is in place. One/two line responses are disrespectful to the GM and to the other players who are writing vastly more. If such brevity is in fact appropriate, consider writing a collab post with the relevant individuals.
- Activity and communication are expected. I am rather lenient on delays if you communicate with me. Individuals who vanish with no communication are at risk for ejection from the roleplay following as little as one week.
- The GM reserves the right to make final decisions as needed. Decisions clearly indicated as final are not open for discussion, contestation, or argument.
The Characters:
The player characters are those chosen by the remnant souls of the Legionnaires of long ago. They carry with them a small trinket, likely of no real value, that secretly harbors one of these souls: their totem. The soul speaks to them - just in subconscious whispers at first but regaining a full persona over time - guiding them towards a new fate. Over time the player characters learn to interact with their mentor souls and harness their power: the power of the wraith. Should their host allow it, the spirits can temporarily inhabit the host's body, lending them all their knowledge and mystical power for a time. While debilitatingly exhausting to the untrained, practice can allow its near-indefinite use.
These souls are not always the most benevolent creatures. After all, these are the spirits of the so-called "greatest evil to walk this world." Characters may not always see eye to eye with their companion, or they may embrace their rage. No two chosen will walk the same path.
There are twelve Legionnaires, which means there are twelve chosen including the GM's character. There are thus eleven places for players. These places will be granted based on order of CS approval. The first character sheets approved get the first slots.
These souls are not always the most benevolent creatures. After all, these are the spirits of the so-called "greatest evil to walk this world." Characters may not always see eye to eye with their companion, or they may embrace their rage. No two chosen will walk the same path.
There are twelve Legionnaires, which means there are twelve chosen including the GM's character. There are thus eleven places for players. These places will be granted based on order of CS approval. The first character sheets approved get the first slots.
The Plot:
Far-flung and as-of-yet unaware of just what they are chosen to be, the player characters begin finding themselves subtly drawn to a location, compelled by a force they cannot yet understand. Their totems guide them to assemble the Legion Reincarnate. Thus begins the quest to fell the great kingdoms and raise the black flag over all Avalon. The more battles waged, the more practiced and capable the reincarnate Legion becomes, but the more aware their adversaries become of their existence. The party will have to choose between toppling their greatest threats quickly through stealth and deception, or properly mastering their newfound abilities to overpower even their strongest opponents.
In some degrees, the plot for this is on rails. There are various plot elements I have planned for already and there is an ultimate end. However the amount of time between the between the beginning and the end is indeterminate. The roleplay can run for as long as interest exists. I encourage players to develop plot arcs they wish to see played out and discuss these. I will happily weave these in, as my own planning is ultimately finite, hence I will source plot content from players fairly regularly.
In some degrees, the plot for this is on rails. There are various plot elements I have planned for already and there is an ultimate end. However the amount of time between the between the beginning and the end is indeterminate. The roleplay can run for as long as interest exists. I encourage players to develop plot arcs they wish to see played out and discuss these. I will happily weave these in, as my own planning is ultimately finite, hence I will source plot content from players fairly regularly.
The World:
The world of Avalon has been heavily built out at the macro level. Nearly a millennium of history has been developed for it. However, the world is an open playground for micro-level worldbuilding. I have developed the framework sufficiently for this to exist. Players are allowed and encouraged to develop the details of the world as the roleplay progresses. This is a living project to be developed in collaboration with all those who participate. A fairly large (but far from comprehensive) overview of relevant information is included below. Additional info will be appended as people ask questions about things not already covered.
The Main Thread:
This is not the main interest check thread. That is located in Advanced Checks where a character sheet template can be found, a large quantity of lore is available, and I am readily answering questions about the world, the plot, and helping with character-building. This duplicate check is for exposure purpose and serious interest should be directed towards the main thread.
