Hello all!

A whale here to talk about an idea I have for a story. The premise is we would be from the Saldonian nation and would have been apart of a long, grueling conflict with the Empire of Aurr. I plan to flesh out the details here soon but the general gist of the state of the war is that it is at a stalemate. The Empire, while much more technologically advanced, has had trouble pushing across the natural barriers (the land of whispers) and through the tall, thick walls that block the way through a canyon that cuts through a dangerous and vicious mountain range. The Empire of Aurr would have some fun tech that would make most encounters dangerous. The weapons I plan to reveal upfront (repeater bows and their full plate armored soldiers, among others) will be what the war has seen thus far. These would come with some details but would still be an unknown as to how they work. I will slowly sprinkle in new and more dangerous elements. They as a race would be considered an invading force with their home being across the sea and unknown at this point. They would be likely a fantasy human race.

The setting would be a fantasy setting. It will have elements of steam punk splashed around for our enemy later on with some higher tech weapons for the medieval setting. I will have this more fleshed out in the OOC

Our enemy will range from common foot soldiers to elite members that will have strengths and weaknesses. The common foot soldiers will be clad in some form of plate armor. The armor will range in looks but it would be crude, heavy, and would exhaust their soldiers quickly. They would be identical and mass produced. They would be armed with swords, spears, and repeater bows. Their skills would be numbers and their bows.

The more elite soldiers would wear better quality armor, with colorful frills and would be more like the stereotypical medieval knight. They would have a lot better training and more variety in their weapons.

This section will be expanded upon in the ooc and as the story progresses.

Magic works on a similar system to that of strength in this RP in the sense that the more training one has the more powerful they can become; and on the same note, there are rare prodigies that are naturally good. The magical talent would reveal itself to the mage at a young age in a way that is reminiscent of their magic. A fire mage would create sparks or accidentally burn something while a force mage would levitate or move something. Early on the power of the mage would be highly unstable so seeking out proper training is a must for any would-be mage.

Magic use drains stamina. Prolonged use of magic in a short period of time will tire out the mage much like a warrior in battle. Furthermore, over-casting is a real problem that mages are taught to avoid. A mage can break through exhaustion and keep using the magic but it comes with the aforementioned risk of over-casting. Over-casting is a fatal condition where the magic of the user consumes them, often detonating in a grim explosion in relation to their power (a fire mage would be consumed by flames, a force mage would be crushed into the ground, and so on and so forth).

The Saldonians as a whole are naturally adept at wielding magic while the Empire of Aurr has reportedly never seen a mage born to their race.

Fire magic is, in essence, as the title suggests. A mage would draw from their latent magical abilities, focus it, and unleash a variety of different firey spells. A young mage may only be able to send sputtering sparks, a more advanced could summon a torrent of flames, while a master would be able to direct it in a focused and tight beam. The result, however, would be fire all the same.

The fire could only be controlled as it exits the arm. Its destructive powers know no equal in the magic of Saldonian people. The fire magic can burn through structures, melt armor, and ravage whole sections of an enemy's formation. Yet those who want to master the inferno need to seek control of themselves. A fire mage who lacks it can cause significant harm to both themselves and everyone around them.

With a lack of control, comes a lack of restraint. A fire mage who burns too bright runs the risk of their magic, consuming them. When a mage sends forth their magic, their hand cracks and gives way to lines that glow vibrant colors of red and yellow. As their magic use prolongs, the cracks spiral and spread, heading up their arm. As it reaches their elbows, their magic begins to take a toll on their health. Every burst darkens the skin around the cracks and saps the strength of the mage. In turn, the flames dull with each cast, and soon enough, the mage will be on the verge of losing control. Their arms looking more akin to charcoal at this point, the fire magic will burst forth from the mage, consuming both the caster and all near.

The fire that burns the brightest burns the shortest. A fire mage is taught this from their earliest lessons. Therefore, if a fire mage wants to survive the horrors of war, they must learn to control the inferno, and act strategically, to starve out the fire.

An adept fire mage will be a gentle but powerful force. They will strike when the moment is right and save their magic strength when it matters the most.

There will be two nations that will be the focus of our story; The Empire of Aurr and the Saldonian Nation

The Empire sailed to the shores of this continent some hundred years ago and since then has waged a constant, bloody war as they conquered nation after nation. Through their conquest, they have forced much smaller Saldonian away from their homelands and develop and build cities and towns in their own fashion. At first, they arrived with just swords and shields and standard weapons. As the years have progressed, and losses began to mount, they brought in some more advanced weaponry to help turn the tides. The most notable weapon being the repeater bow that can fire without reloading until it empties its bolts downrange. Much is still unknown about how this weapon operates. As the last decade of war drew to a stalemate, rumors began to swirl about a new weapon that would turn the tide.

Our characters will be the first to witness these weapons in the week leading up to the start of this RP. They will have seen beasts with skin of metal raking the walls of their fortress and sending their friends and comrades flying. They will have heard the roar of the beasts in the sky that dropped fire on their walls.

In comparison, the Saldonian Nation will be composed of the native race and will be primarily located across a vast desert known as the Land of Whispers and behind the Fangs of God mountain range. The only way to move soldiers in force will be through a canyon that is fortified by massive walls and battalions of trained mages. They would be close to a fantasy elf but there will be a lot of differences in looks based on where they originated.

I plan to add more information OOC.

1.) No controlling another players character in any shape or form. Pretty standard but it has to be said.

2.) Combat is usually free form, meaning that you can write your character killing most enemies. Sometimes I will throw out specific or special enemies that you cannot kill so simply. We can either write a collab post or possibly roll a dice to determine the success of the fight and/or action.

3.) Stupid decisions can lead to bad results. Don't charge at the enemy alone. Your character can die if there are repeated offenses! Per rule 2, combat is free form but that does not mean charge at 10 enemy soldiers and expect a good time.

4.) Our enemies called you stupid, are you gonna take that? Write me your response when you post your CS so I know you have read these

5.) No arguing in the OOC, take it to a PM or to discord.

6.) Have fun!