Roleplay Thread

Yes it's here again. Fourth time attempting this concept after 2 success and a recent failure. Really wanting to get this going here on NeoGuildus :p

So what I'm thinking here is the usual; a big bad, a group of people attempting to stop said big bad. However, I'd like to tackle things in a more mature fashion. Themes of death, love, sex, poverty, racism and others will be included. It may seem like standard fantasy fair but I'm aiming for the same tone as the Witcher setting. Anyone interested?

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The limited formatting features, meaning a lack of things like coloring, font, size etc make all this info harder to lay out and organise. I'll do my best for now but once the forum is fully functional again I'll be sprucing up this post and any further information.
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Much appreciation to Titania for the map!




Pantheon Of Nine

Farriga

Farriga is regarded as the All-mother of Enduwin. While each deity was made equal, Farriga assumed a motherly and caring position for them all. She made the first ultimate sacrifice and committed herself to protecting Enduwin. She now resides as much in the oceans as she does in Neyav, beyond the thought of most who now roam Enduwin. She is the embodiment of nurturing and healing, and is treasured amongst clerics and field doctors specifically.

Naduir

The Goddess of Enduwin’s life and nature, Naduir is the progenitor of all life on Enduwin. It is her gift which allows a little bit of divine essence to linger in what are the remains of her brother. Life wasn't her idea, but it was her doing. She is the Nine which has the deepest connection to life and is the one whom observes it with the most tentative gaze.

Lasair

God of Fire and rejuvenation, Lasair is the most powerful of the Gods, from a raw power point. Responsible for gifting Awth-gnúth and War to life he is revered by travelling merchants and soldiers especially. Lasair believed conflict was a natural part of evolution and progress. The God of flames was the only one brave enough to forge land in the encircling ocean. While the others spread the coasts of Enduwin, Lasair travelled far out across his All Mother, and with some of Trayig's remains forge a new land in fire. Much smaller than Enduwin, Bolecawn, provided a place of solitude for the god to think his own thoughts when needed. The island of fire, is still there today. A towering rock of volcanic activity. Lasair left much of his essence to life.

Gweeha

Gweeha is the meditator among the other deities. When arguments arise, her subtle airs and graces calm the situation. Capable of the softest of breezes and the strongest of storms. Along with Lasair, Gweeha left much of her essence with the life of Enduwin and its magic users. The goddess of wind still carved large tracts of land. Immensely flat land, where the whispers of her winds are still heard.

Solas

Solas is considered by most to be the All Father of Enduwin. While initially no different to any of the others. Solas established himself as a firm leader and knowledgeable consult. His saving of Farriga cemented his position as head of the group. Like The All-Mother, the All Father committed himself more to the void than to Enduwin itself. Enough of him resides in Neyav for him to function but most of him hangs in the void about Enduwin, casting brilliant light upon his beloved land for as long as possible. Every day however, Solas needs to rest and as he does plunges the land below into darkness until he rises again. Of all the deities, he is the one most guilt ridden by what happened with Dúv.

Dúv

The betrayed and the betrayer. Known by many names, Dúv is most likely the most known of all deities, because he is the most feared. Children are told cautionary tales of being locked in Dúv's Tower at the heart of Ifreann if they don't do what their told. Realistically, most people believe that if they lead a bad life, the Ifreann is where they will end up. Dúv himself is immobile locked at the pinnacle of the tower. His mind races, delirious from aeons of isolation and self-torture. Loathing and spite fume from the locked God. At the base of the tower many of the denizens of Ifreann have constructed a town and a port. Many attempt to sail across the Sea of Death, thinking it is the Encircling Ocean and will carry them back to Enduwin. Many others worship the God that they now conclusively know exists, and are locked away with.

Tintrayach

Tintrayach is one of the lesser known Gods. This is rather ironic, considering he is one of the most active in Enduwin. Only a small portion of Tintrayach passed to Neyav, most remained in the skies of Enduwin, controlling and manipulating the climate to keep things stable. For this, his siblings passed some of their essence onto him. One of his most known activities in stirring up storms in the Encircling Ocean to deter any pirate ships travelling too close to Enduwin, and preventing mistaken travelers from venturing too far out to open sea.

Oiyaer

Oiyaer, is probably one of the most respected deities in everyday life. High in the northern reaches of Enduwin, boreal forest gives way to sweeping tundra and at the end of these white vistas is a solid wall of ice. Oiyaer is the Goddess of ice and snow and the Gatekeeper. Beyond the wall, the impassable barrier made of her essence lies the way to Neyav. Only ice separates the two planes of existence but the wall is a kilometre in height, scraping the sky. This unbreakable curtain, The Gate, has attracted more settlement than one would think a barren tundra would beckon.

Trayig

Trayig, is much like Farriga, in that no clear indication remains of what he may have looked like. The god of the Desert, Trayig is the spring of all life, the well form which nature sprung. Life was his idea. Without his entire commitment to Enduwin, life would not have been created the way it was nor diversified into the multitude of species seen today. His essence lives on in every life that exists in Enduwin. Only a small portion of the great god remains in Neyav. A desert is all the remains of the initial sand which Trayig committed to life.

Geography


The Plains of Origin: White

Considered some of the most holy ground in Enduwin, to the faithful, The Plains of Origin are the original mass of Enduwin. There is little undulation in these grasslands and other than the desert they are the flattest part of Enduwin. The Plains have often served as a battle ground where tribes and nations from across Enduwin would meet in conflict. Despite the history of bloodshed, the Plains of Origin are still revered by many and are a symbol of the Pantheon to the legions of adherents.

Foraiysh Woods: Light Green

These woods are most of what Naduir left to Enduwin. The thick tree brush makes up much of central and mid-east Enduwin. Within these forests lies a bountiful variety of life. The woods are becoming a source of fuel and material as great nations rise up in Enduwin. Although certainly not in danger of disappearing, the woods are slowly shrinking.

DuFair: Dark Green

Although technically a part of the woods. DuFair is a distinct region in itself. As part of Naduir's essence it is rich in vegetation. The land gets its distinction as being the only region of land that was committed to by Farriga before the Encircling Ocean. Lasair also had a hand in this region's creation. This mix of Deities causes the thickest vegetation growth in all of Enduwin. Intense heat coupled with torrential downpours promotes growth of towering trees and ensnaring vines. Only the most adaptable live is to be found in the depths of DuFair.

Encircling Ocean: Dark Blue

The great protector, the never ending mistress of water. The Encircling Ocean is Farriga made corporal. Waters lap gently on the shores of Enduwin but further out to sea, the waters are ferocious. Great waves and relentless swell represent Farriga's endless battle with the void. Tintrayach causes minor storms closer to land to deter any would be explorers getting caught up in this monumental struggle.

Fuaere: Light Blue

Fuaere marks the boundary of greenery and ice. The southern parts have more foliage than snow whereas further north, the trees are scattered. Fuaere is said to be where Solas rests at night. During the long hours of darkness, a multicoloured luminescence appears in the skies above Fuaere. This phenomenon is said to be Solas recovering and gathering strength to bring the coming day. Fuaere features a larger variety of life than one would expect in a boreal climate.

Uacteir Balla: Blue


Home of Oiyaer and the Gate, the frozen wasteland of Uacteir Balla is the least densely populated area of Enduwin. The area however, is the modern site of most pilgrimage. The Gate is the divide between Enduwin and Neyav, between mortal and God. Uacteir Balla is home to only a few scattered towns and cities which are built vertically up upon breaks in the ice.

Zephyr Plains: Orange

Vast tracts of land carved out by Gweeha. These blank lands had sand and grass carried from the south and north, respectively by their creator. A mix of tall grasses and sandy soil, these plains take their name from the breeze of Gweeha which still blows there today, continually. While climatically nearly as hot DuFair and The Soul, Zephyr is much cooler thanks to this breeze. Wildlife here is ruthless, an exhibition of eat or be eaten.

Trayig's Soul: Brown

The Soul was a once flat uniform layer of pure sand. Over millennia and use it has worn down, not least by the creation of life. Often referred to as the Cradle, even those non-believers agree that this is where life began. Stretching from the equator to the souther coast, Trayig's Soul is still a large part of Enduwin's landscape. It is lower set than much of Enduwin and the surrounding savannahs and forests feature steep inclines into the desert. Large outcrops of rock are now exposed, due to the erosion and use of soul sand.

Ju'ra: Purple

Said to mean 'tear' in an ancient dialect, Ju'ra is the name given to the collection of islands off the West coast of Enduwin. Formed from the weeping of Tintrayach as Dúv was locked away. The storm god was upset at what things had come to pass and how one their own had acted so foul. The islands are inhabited today, and feature some of the rarest resources in Enduwin.

Bolecawn: Red

Known to many simply as the island of fire, Bolecawn is dotted with several active volcanoes. The climate itself isn't overtly hot but the presence of the volcanoes, secondary vents and geysers certainly make the island feel like a furnace. Treacherous to say the least, only the most hardened explorers venture to Lasair's haven. Often, though, those that do take the risk, are rewarded with the rich mineral deposits that the island has to offer.

Olc Cairn - The Black Mountains: Black

A mark of pure rage left on the land. The Olc Cairn, the black mountains, are the only thing which Dúv left behind. As the betrayer was banished to Ifreann he rent the land around him and heaved it up at his siblings. Scarring the land, Dúv's work remained as the other deities left. These mountains are the most inhospitable part of Enduwin, a physical representation of hate. Devoid of soil and with almost no flat land, Olc Cairn is a permanent mark on the face Enduwin. Still, that hasn't stopped some settling there.

On The Topic Of Magic

Arcania For The Mundane by Gregarious Fogs said
When quizzed on the matter of magic, most people will respond with some wish-wash such as 'Lucas down the square can make vegetables grow bigger'. When pressed further they will usually, most of them, not the dim ones mind, get to crux of the matter, the actual question. And they'll answer, they'll act as if I'm an idiot for asking such a seemingly obvious question. The sand of course I'm told! Yet when I ask how, what, when all I'm told is to quiet myself. It's the sand of Trayig.

However, in the past two decades of my life I have devoted countless hours, all of them in fact, to getting a deeper understanding of magic, not least of which my own. Indeed, as the common folk proclaim, it is the sand of Trayig. Or rather it was. The magical ability displayed by living beings is as a result of the original beings having been made out the very essence of the god. They were imbued with great power, sharing the power of Trayig. However, that power hasn't grown in the untold years since. Nor has it itself waned. Yet, with each successive generation, with more members of a race, the amount of magic in a single member of the race is diluted. The same power that the first men had still exists today but is spread across all men. Importantly too, the spread is not even. Best described like the waves of the ocean lapping on the shores of the Soul itself, the pattern of the distribution of magic seems to have crests and troughs, but mostly a calm steadiness.

In my own studies I have accounted for a thousand people. Nine hundred and seventy two of these displayed what I am terming 'mundane' ability. Simple things often mistakable for parlor tricks seem to be in the repertoire of most people even if they don't know or need to use them.

Of the remaining twenty eight that I have examined, twenty three exhibited well above average ability. Basic pyromancy, cloaking, water walking and enchantment were all easily accessible by these individuals. Interestingly, all of these individuals had also at some stage connected with another deity other than Trayig. They certainly were not the servants of the gods or even know to them that much. They had just reached out or been reached by a deity, by one of a vast variety of methods it seems. It usually an accidental connection due to the sand acting as a conduit. Whether they would have been as powerful without this or the new connection simply enhanced the power they had from Trayig remains unclear. I have as of yet found no correlation between heritage and magic and it would seem the continued distribution is random, or else the pattern is too large for me to understand with only a thousand subjects from a single time.

The five left unaccounted for provided some very troubling information. It would seem that these five, from the thousand, were completely devoid of any magical ability, innate, latent or otherwise. These people exhibited severe learning issues and primal behavior. Two of them, after the study, became completely unhinged.

The conclusion I have drawn from this is very very worrying. Life is magic. We only have life because of magic and when we are born we inherit a piece of that magic. It would seem that the continued dilution of sand has lead to individuals being born without any magic at all and thus almost no connection to life. The worrying part is that populations are constantly increasing and the dilution is continuing. It may be hundreds if not thousands of years, but it seems it is only a matter of time before magic starts to die and along with it, life.

Gregarious Fogs was murdered shortly after writing this, the introduction to his life's work, for being a nosey busy body who asked too many questions.

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Character Sheet

Essential Information
Name/Aliases:
Sex:
Race:
Age:
Appearance:
Personality:
History:

Optional Information
Equipment:
Faction (If any):
Marital Status:
Magic (Mundane or Arcane):
Skills:

Faction/Organization Sheet

Essential Information
Name:
Location:
Purpose:
History:

Optional Information
Key Members:
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Ranks:
Rules/Laws:

These are just the sheets I came up with. If there's other things you want to include or a different format you wish to use then feel free.

Accepted Players

I have an interest in this. =]

I would like to point out "Aeon" is a type of deity in gnostic religion. I think you mean "eons" old in the first part of the story thingy.

I'm interested btw

I have an interest in this.

I'm intrigued.

Interested.

Callthecops said
Interested.

COPS
OMG HI COPS
DO YOU REMEMBER ME
FROM FOREVER AGO
CHELUBAI?
IN TYTYs RP WITH THE LADY AND THE SPIRIT AND THE DANCING?

Well hello everybody. Great to see interest indeed!

Do you guys have ideas of what kinds of characters you want to play? Or ideas for world building. I tend to run this as a mix of both.

@Frozen. Thanks for the heads up but I checked and Aeon is the word I'm looking for. Aeon/eon are interchangeable for that definition.

http://i.word.com/idictionary/aeon

Also everyone gets a free bag of magic for joining!

Darkmatter said
Do you guys have ideas of what kinds of characters you want to play?

Just wondering about spirits and such, nymph-like creatures, etc? I have a character idea that hinges on a rather magical and spiritual creature to sorta bond with the character. If I was given liberty to do that, I have an interesting character you might like ^^

If not, I have a back-up.

Is there a particular direction in which the story is meant to take? Most of the information so far has been about the gods and the origin of the world, although there is little of the mortal inhabitants' lives and happenings, and no secular/political theme either.

@Aristo Ok so the reason for not having a huge amount of concrete world building being there is because I want players to be free to create anything they want to add to the world; characters, races, towns, factions etc. of course I myself will be adding to the world too. Everytime I run this RP it's different as players always add differently.
There is a definite story direction which I'll delve into more as the world starts taking shape.

@Frozen
So the way magic works is like this; as explained it comes from the fact life is made from Trayig's body. Essentially life=magic. However, once life began reproducing itself, that sand was split. Basically, there is still only the same amount of magic in the world but there are far more living things and as such the magic is spread far more thinly. Within any given species, the magic is distilled with every generation. Therefore, longer lived, less populous creatures are going to much more potent. I.e. Short lived, overpopulated species like humans are less likely to have wizards born to them than say a species that lives centuries and breeds rarely, dragons for example. Yet, like I said, there is some tiny magic in everything and true power does and can spring up in any creature.
Think LOTR. Magic is there, it is known but not everyone is going to be able to use or have it.

I understood that... Hehe
But even in LoTR there are some spirits and things that go down.

So... Could there maybe be a few ancient, spirit-like beings? I'm not trying to be some Mage god or anything, the sorta magic I'm looking for isn't even very active in a sorts, nothing dep, no cracks of lightning, and I can't exactly give away my secret as this character, which I have took to other RPs before, gets his mystery from only the GM knowing about his true nature, which isn't even story changing, it just provides some interesting side story.

Well, I should get this off my chest fast, is there going to be gunpowder?

Yo!! Of course I remember, it's good to see you again!

As for a character, I'm thinking of making an enchanter, but before I decide on exactly how I'm planning to make him work, I'm wondering how powerful our characters are going to be? I was hoping to make a tribe oriented Elf-like race (if not just straight up Elves) and have my character be at least 100 years old. There are ways that I could cripple him though, depending on how strong our characters are going to be.

Darkmatter said
@Aristo Ok so the reason for not having a huge amount of concrete world building being there is because I want players to be free to create anything they want to add to the world; characters, races, towns, factions etc. of course I myself will be adding to the world too. Everytime I run this RP it's different as players always add differently. There is a definite story direction which I'll delve into more as the world starts taking shape.

Gotcha; I'll stick around for some world-building, in that case!

So down for this. Count me as good as in.
I have a couple of ideas, nothing too fancy; but i do have a couple of questions that would greatly aid my thought processes:
Are the Gods regarded as 'fact' in the world, or are there varying degrees of atheism / agnosticism to go alongside the theistic populace?

When you say we're free to add world building of our own into our characters in order to richen the world, does that mean there is no set lifestyle or culture within each specific area that we have to abide by, and we are free to mild such things in order to help create more interesting characters?

If magic is life, and the two are somehow intricately and fundamentally connected, is it possible to enchant items with arcane power of sorts? Nothing too fancy, I was thinking of building a character who is not magically sensitive in any way (though not numb enough to be among the magical pariahs who go nuts), just sort of your average human, but who is in possession of a slightly cooler than average weapon that is influenced and enhanced a little through Trayig's Sand?

Also sorry if i ask too many questions. I'm a bit weird. :)

Hm, NewSun's got me thinking with the enchanted line of thought. Would it be possible for "fake life" to be created, making a golem of sorts or to install your own life in favor of casting mortal flesh aside? Just throwing ideas around.

Could any materials in this world be affected by magic? Like perhaps, a material which is liquid until "magic" is run through it thereby creating a solid.

*Commence impatience*

I guess I should write up a character sheet, attempt to not get attached to it, get attached to it and cry when it's rejected for going against the lore. I'm so ready.

Hahaha, good luck Sun!

FrozenEcstasy said
I understood that... HeheBut even in LoTR there are some spirits and things that go down.So... Could there maybe be a few ancient, spirit-like beings? I'm not trying to be some Mage god or anything, the sorta magic I'm looking for isn't even very active in a sorts, nothing dep, no cracks of lightning, and I can't exactly give away my secret as this character, which I have took to other RPs before, gets his mystery from only the GM knowing about his true nature, which isn't even story changing, it just provides some interesting side story.

Yeah that's cool man. Basically, this goes for everyone, I am down for almost anything as long as it isn't too overpowered or lore-shattering. PM the idea if you want and I'll get right back to you. :)

Peik said
Well, I should get this off my chest fast, is there going to be gunpowder?

Hmmmmmmm. Hadn't considered it. My immediate answer is no. But maybe yes if it's new, not freely available and a bit temperamental?

Callthecops said
Yo!! Of course I remember, it's good to see you again!As for a character, I'm thinking of making an enchanter, but before I decide on exactly how I'm planning to make him work, I'm wondering how powerful our characters are going to be? I was hoping to make a tribe oriented Elf-like race (if not just straight up Elves) and have my character be at least 100 years old. There are ways that I could cripple him though, depending on how strong our characters are going to be.

Think very average as far as power goes. You're all going to, in some way, contribute to the party more than any average joe would but we can't be having six Gandalfs or four Hercules' running about the place

Aristo said
Gotcha; I'll stick around for some world-building, in that case!

Coolio

NewSun said
So down for this. Count me as good as in. I have a couple of ideas, nothing too fancy; but i do have a couple of questions that would greatly aid my thought processes: Are the Gods regarded as 'fact' in the world, or are there varying degrees of atheism / agnosticism to go alongside the theistic populace? When you say we're free to add world building of our own into our characters in order to richen the world, does that mean there is no set lifestyle or culture within each specific area that we have to abide by, and we are free to mild such things in order to help create more interesting characters? If magic is life, and the two are somehow intricately and fundamentally connected, is it possible to enchant items with arcane power of sorts? Nothing too fancy, I was thinking of building a character who is not magically sensitive in any way (though not numb enough to be among the magical pariahs who go nuts), just sort of your average human, but who is in possession of a slightly cooler than average weapon that is influenced and enhanced a little through Trayig's Sand? Also sorry if i ask too many questions. I'm a bit weird. :)

Yes of course it's open. Feel free to add entire races and cultures. As long as it fits I'll be cool with it, don't hesitate to run anything by me. As for the golem idea, I'm going to say yes it would be possible for a particularly strong mage to imbue some of its power/life into an inanimate object.

I think I covered all the questions there? If I didn't then sorry, and feel free to hit me up again

Good to see this much interest early on