---

At the waning of the Sixth Age, on the far continent of Menevress, an Empire was born. Conceived by one man, sowed in deceit, founded on the backs of eight of the Great Desert's nomadic tribes, born in the ruins of the Old World and baptized in conquest, it would grow to encompass the continent - and then it would rest for the better part of a decade, savoring the sweet fruits of a new Golden Age...

But as with all things built by mortal hands, it would not - could not - be enough. Their leader, the conqueror, Chosen of the Old Gods, had his gaze set upon the western continent and the Black City of Catun, his home by blood and birth, the last bastion of Ancient Man. As he anticipated, they had laid their contemptful gaze on what he had built, his home away from home, the people he had revived. When whispers from Beyond informed his Sheikha of the first war parties crossing the Old Sea, he took his chance. The great forges of Sakasha Susa once again roared to life, foul rituals shackled spirits and daemons, and sorcerous miracles of Old were recited anew.

The Sixth Age would end as it had begun - in war.

---

Hey there! So this is largely going to be an experimental sort of roleplay compared to the sort of things I’m used to. I have a basic foundation for the world and its lore set up, with some specifics being tweaked here and there, but what I’m looking for most of all is a partner to DM for me to actually work out the finer details of the world’s lore, functions and characters. It’s an exercise in joint world-building, with a central story to guide things along.

As mentioned in the title, the primary focuses (at least for the first arc(s) of things) will be around character development, fleshing out the continent of Menevress, its peoples, cultures and religions - and on one man’s rise to power and the empire he eventually builds. This will be a dark or high-fantasy roleplay, which means there’s going to be beasts, monstrosities, demons, gods, sorcery, wizardry, miracles, all that stuff. The roleplay can be more or less dark, depending on partner-preference, since I’m not more partial to one way over the other.

This is primarily a brief interest check for the time being, rather than a full rundown (since there’s a lot that needs to be established still) - I’m mostly looking for a single person, but could also do something of the same vein with somebody else if by chance more than one person is interested. This will very much be a long-term project, but the pace of it can be as relaxed as desired, and the post sizes as fluid as they need to be at any given time; but this is, still, an advanced-category roleplay.

If interested, drop a post here, or PM me. I’m willing and able to answer any questions that may be had.

Could you clarify what you’re looking for, exactly? You say you’re in need of a GM but seem to already have the foundation of a setting and narrative premise laid out. Traditionally, that’d make you the GM - are you looking for a co-GM to share the workload?

One thing to keep in mind is not to get stuck in the ‘worldbuiling phase.’ RPs die before they start because people stress minutiae and background details and keep adding more and more superficial elements without actually getting the RP started.

The most important thing in a RP should be the characters, as it is in traditional novels and literature. And players are responsible for those characters.

"Could you clarify what you’re looking for, exactly? You say you’re in need of a GM but seem to already have the foundation of a setting and narrative premise laid out. Traditionally, that’d make you the GM - are you looking for a co-GM to share the workload?"

I don't know that there's a real term for it, so I'm having difficulty putting the words down, and that's why the post is phrased the way it is. I could be wrong though, so if you have a term for what I'm trying to get it, do let me know: what I'm looking for isn't a traditional GM/player relationship/narrative, but a collaborative worldbuilding & exploration effort that is done primarily through roleplay.

I guess more specifically, it would be a co-GM relationship with each of us playing a cast of characters, but centered primarily around the main character (or the villain in this case, if he qualifies) and a recurring cast for certain story arcs - but moreover, I'm also looking for character development and the exploration of certain moral quandaries (ie "do the ends justify the means") through the main character's growth as the roleplay progresses.

That's maybe the best way I can explain it - I had a better way to go about it in my head, but lost my train of thought somewhere along the lines. I have trouble putting my thoughts to words, sometimes - I might clarify a little more later if I find a more fitting way of describing it.

"One thing to keep in mind is not to get stuck in the ‘worldbuiling phase.’ RPs die before they start because people stress minutiae and background details and keep adding more and more superficial elements without actually getting the RP started."

That's just it, is the thing. The entire process IS a worldbuilding phase, but it's also meant to be a story. Rather than flesh out all of the super fine details outside the roleplay in OOC, I prefer to flesh them out through dialogues, descriptions and events within the roleplay itself just as the story progresses. It's not the most structured way to do things, but it leaves a lot of room to be able to adapt and build on ideas without it turning into a matter of "well before we start things we need to lay out all of the painstaking details about overseas trade routes and how this city acquires and distributes its food, and manages its economy, and-" I'm sure you get what I mean.

Rather than focusing on all the little things all at once, it'll be a slow-burn introduction to them as/if they become relevant, and whatever isn't deemed important enough for either party to bring up at all can just be left vague. It's worth noting that the main character in the case of this roleplay is a foreigner to where the majority of all this is taking place; so he's learning as he goes, and has an impetus to ask questions and figure things out as they become appropriate or important.

"The most important thing in a RP should be the characters, as it is in traditional novels and literature. And players are responsible for those characters."

Completely agreed. I guess it would be less accurate to say I need a DM and more accurate to say "I need a partner who wants to help me flesh out a world through roleplay, and is willing & able to play more than one character on a consistent basis, and probably a fair few of them". I don't know; I'm fine enough at the roleplay thing and a lot less great at the "explaining my thoughts OOC" thing.

I'd call what you're looking for something like a large-scale 1x1, personally. More like co-authoring a story than purely an rp, if you catch my drift.

@Vogue, I am interested. Shoot me a PM if you like and we can discuss. Include your discord handle if you have one and we can chat a little more real time.