~Trials of Themis~
~Setting~
~Setting~
Themis. It's said the city has been around since the world was created. At least, its history goes back so far that no one even remembers how or when it was founded, and the histories do not go back that far. Not that it matters. Historians have never been a really big thing, in Themis. Most are content not wondering about the past, and instead look towards the future and study magic for the betterment of the people living in Themis. Well, the people who aren't slaves, at least.
Perhaps it's for the best, after all. The catacombs that snake beneath the city are filled with dangerous things deep down, and perhaps something there sleeps that should be left sleeping. The city is peaceful, after all, being the only City that the people living there even know of, there is no war or external politics affecting the city.
It is far from peaceful internally, however. The Queen and King are far from a position of absolute power. Nobles are always plotting to usurp the Presage Throne from the Queen, as do some mages who wish to Elevate those who practice Arcane arts to the pinnacle of society and make everyone else second rate citizens. Not to mention, the King who also wishes to grant more rights to the working class and effectively abolish the nobility and slavery in the long run. For more than a few months, internal politics and decision making have stalled completely, no progress at all being made by the council and the Queen or King.
Of course, this was only known internally, and for most of the public, everything seemed to be more or less the same.
Until someone told the Council something.
A rumor of some great artifact of magic existing far outside the walls of Themis. No one is quite sure how the rumor started. Some say a traveler from some distant land who died brought the rumor with him. Some say it was simply started by a troublemaker who wanted to watch the nobility and mages argue more while throwing more of a rift between the two Monarchs. Either way, this information caused a momentary truce between all factions internally.
They all want the same thing, after all. That artifact, and well, without the official endorsement of the crown, there was no way the nobility was going to be getting enough supplies for such a journey. The mages were kept out of the loop to start with, but eventually the secret was out as secrets always do. Threatening to reveal the information to the public and send a reward for the retrieval of the artifact, they demanded to be part of the expedition. Not wishing to make this a bigger thing than it already was, the Nobility and Crowns agreed.
After about half a year of preparation, checking, double checking, and triple checking supplies and various other important things, the expedition was ready. By some scholars estimate, the groups destination was somewhere far, far, to the south east, away from the sea and inland past a huge forest that no one had ever dared venture past. No one could, after all, even if they wanted too. The trees grew so thick together that it made passing almost impossible.
This, is where you come in. You're a Noble, Mage, Royal guard, or a Scholar from the Academy venturing out of Themis for whatever reason. Perhaps you're a greedy noble, seeking to claim the artifact for your house and eventually claim the throne. Maybe your a mage, seeking to leverage the artifact for more funds and more power from the crown. Perhaps a guard or other Royal Delegate from the King or Queen to make sure the artifact goes to it's rightful owner. Or maybe your none of those things. Maybe you're just a scholar determined to see the outside world, or a slave or a familiar who was forced to come at the behest of your master.
Whatever your reasons, though...there is a good chance this little venture...could very well be your last.
Hi!~ Welcome, welcome. If you've read all of that then I assume you have some interest in this RP. Thanks! Above is the general setting/plot, anything else important I'll put below. TL;DR version, is that we're going to be explorers/adventurers out looking for some rare magical artifact some incredibly far distance away from Themis at the behest of whatever powers that be that made you come, be they loyalty to the crown, your own greed, or any other reason at all.
There's going to be a lot of exploration stuff in the RP! Also maybe occasionally punching a dragon in the face or some other large, hostile, beastie.
I expect it to take us quite a bit to finish up the first journey and reach the final destination where the artifact is, so this is probably going to be a fairly long-term RP I hope.
~Themis~
The city itself is quite large, being the only known city to humans and the beast-folk which are used as slaves, servants, and familiars. Magic runs deep in it's history, and most use it on a daily basis in some small forms. Most of the Royal Guard use it to compliment some skill with a weapon. The mages of the Academy are the most proficient users of it, and Nobles are expected to learn at least the theory behind magic in the course of their education.
Slaves are a thing, consisting mostly of Beast-folk, which in recent years have become a bit of an over-population problem due to long use of magic turning them into familiars. They are used for typical house work, heavy labor when mages can't be bothered to do it, or otherwise menial tasks.
Familiars, on the other hand, can be more or less any creature as long as either the mage is powerful enough to force it into submission, or the creature agrees. More on that below.
~Magic and Familiars~
Magic is more or less ever present in Themis. Some say it even tinges the air with it compared to other places, though it's an unverified claim. Most people in the city are born with the ability to use magic, being so heavily ingrained in most bloodlines and the culture. It'd be rarer to find someone without any ability to cast magic. It is assume by most, since they have nothing to compare it too that magic is a completely natural talent and that all humans can use it, and those that are born without the ability are anomalous and inherently have something preventing them from using it.
The use of magic in general is wide and varied as people. Ice slinging mages, to pyromancers, and those who summon creatures from other realms to briefly fight for them. However, even as advanced seeming as magic is, coming up with practical applications for it is still something that's new and being discovered and researched.
Familiars
Familiars are an integral part of Themis' Society. Most mages have one, either one of the beast folk as their personal familiar or they summon a creature from another realm to serve them. The former is more common, since the later can prove...dangerous, if you are unprepared for whatever it is you summon. In some instances, the mage ends up becoming the familiar of whatever creature they summoned.
A mage can approach a beast of any level (cat, dragon, ect.) and offer it servitude or beat it into submission. Upon gaining them and forming this relationship, the former beast gains additional sentience (Still maintain some of their animal attitudes, for example a dragon being proud) and a mortal form along with more quickly healing wounds (As a result of leftover magic the mage has acting on them constantly).
The mage does in fact, exert some control over their familiar unless the familiar is under extreme duress or a life threatening situation.
General rules of the Familiar Contract.
- 1. For the most part, the mage can control when the familiar changes between its human and beast forms. They truly can't force the creature if they are completely against it. That said, familiars are expected to obey and not cause trouble for their masters. Changing form without their permission is considered quite bad and will likely result in a reprimanding.
2. The Mage may summon their familiar to their side at any time, from almost any location except places specifically designed to ward against such magic.
3. The mage may put a 'lock' on a Familiars ability for whatever reason. To punish, control, or even prevent the familiar from doing accidental damage if they are just that powerful (A dragons lightning for example).
4. In most circumstances, the familiar is incapable of harming the master. In most circumstances. If a familiar's life is being threatened, is under extreme duress, they are capable of injuring the mage if they truly desire it. If the mage is already weakened from something, it also makes this easier. As long as the mage is stronger than the familiar, though, they shouldn't have much to worry about from a familiar lashing out at them.
5. If a mage desires, they can give the familiar a special abilities based on their own magic though it is easier to do things with familiars who have no inherent magic of their own.
6. It is expected among the community to treat Familiars well. They are not slaves after all, and those who treat their familiars as such may find themselves on the receiving end of a forced termination of the familiar contract.
7. If the wizard dies, and the familiar has no master, they revert to their original forms, and eventually return to being whatever they were before. Depending on how long they were a familiar, or just how much more powerful they became in the time with their mage, they could stave off returning to an animal completely indefinitely.
~Rules and stuff~
-No Mary Sues, Gary Stus or similars.
-No Metagaming
-No Godmodding
-Pointless swearing and dirty jokes are all right OOC, if everybody is all right with 'em.
-If you are going away for some time and can't post, then tell me. Your character will likely not be met with a terrible fate. Promise~ <3
-I usually give people the benefit of doubt, so if you can't post for a while, I'll wait for you at least five days. After that? Well, fed to the flying monkeys, your character will be.
-At least two good paragraphs per post. Come on, people, that's not hard~
-People can have up to two characters the moment they join the RP.
-No speed posting, please. Wait for a post or two after a response meant for you before posting again.
-Conversations or battles that you think will drag for a while IC, please make them a collaborative post. You can use titanpad.com for this if you like.
-We can reject any CS for any Reason. We will be reasonable about this, but we still have the right to do so.
-I shouldn't really need to say this, but please have acceptable spelling and grammar. Also, at least two paragraphs per post at a minimum.
-And lastly, have fun!
~The CS~
*psst*
Hey guys I finally did a thing.
@Ogobrogo@Savo@RabidAnubis@Pyromania99
