The Plot
The strongest currency has always been life itself. For the past four centuries, the Peacekeepers were monitoring the entire populace for unauthorised murder and have ensured the culprit got what they deserved - be it punishment or mercy. The arrangement was creating a strong moral opposition from all races. The demons were by far the most dissatisfied with the arrangement as their personal ascendance to power required the essence of others. Naturally, the only way to prevent mass-murder was to ask the few angels that survived Judas’ insane prosecution to willingly donate their own essence for the sake of their brethren, leading to yet more conflict. In the midst of them all, as always, were the humans, the creatures whose very bodies and souls were changing as a response to the very air they breathed.
It was exactly those humans that would become the key to solving this new world’s problems. While many battled unwilling mutations, some brave individuals took on a self-sacrificial mission of keeping the peace in a world that has long forgotten what that meant. Those soldiers, initially called Musicians and later on – Wielders, were for a very long time the only thing that held the everything together. Each of them were bestowed with a shard of power directly from the Essence of the World and had learned the art of war and peace in what became the most influential establishment after the Angelic Council – Master Melody’s Academy for Fine Arts. At their graduation, those young warriors would go on to act as a task-force, hunting down and surrendering to the Peacekeepers anyone who stole a life for their own goals. Often times they managed to avoid disaster even before it happened.
But now a vital element of the equation is missing. The Essence of the World herself has disappeared without a trace. And with her – the Wielders’ ability to see all deaths at once. Luckily, while this is troubling news, the Instruments that she left her children are still functioning, allowing for a limited insight into the history of the crime scenes.
The biggest concern is that victims refuse to stay dead. Loom’s streets were being flooded with apparitions, indicating that something with the very process of dying itself has gone haywire. And while those ghosts pose only a minor threat, their mere presence interferes with the casting of most magic. And worst of all – they possess voices, a crescendo of which beats at Loom’s walls after dark. For most who remember, that is a very painful reminder of the first ghost in this world, the one responsible for the fall of Hell’s gate and the arrival of Hellions on earth.
So everyone has a good reason to worry. The wounds left by the death of loved ones are hard to heal if their restless spirits are still around to haunt your sleep. The everyday functions of the city are disturbed by the growing essence of death, which crawls at the very fabric of many creatures’ existence. And to make matters worse, with the Wielders’ lowered ability to control crime, murder is becoming fair game again.
You should be worried. Very, very worried.
The Basics/ Homework
By rough estimates the year this season takes place is 2254.
Pretty much everything but the Characters and Council parts are the same still. This is what you need to know to play with us. You don't have to read it all (you can use the summaries instead but they’re they are rather incomplete and might leave you puzzled as things get more complicated.
There’s no section for Chimeras as those are any given combibation of abilities and appearances of the existing races.
The Site
NB: The site is a bit outdated but still provides you with the basic knowledge of the world. Some of the characters are making a comeback but mostly you can ignore that section.
Major points
Magic doesn’t alter space and time, can’t create matter and can’t change someone’s personality, unless its root is an Instrument and the wielder – a Musician.
Essence is in everything alive – consider it something like a spirit, an aura and a life force. Demons can utilize that essence (by taking/eating it from other creatures, mostly) where angels only utilize their own for their work. Humans, as always, are in-between. Chimeras are an option of combining elements of all 3. In physical form essence presents itself in flesh, bone, blood, tears and so on.
The Roles
Angels and demons, while still mostly hostile to each other, have learned to coexist in most major cities. The Peacekeepers have assured that they have struck a balance in power. Chimeras are naturally considered highly unpredictable and regarded with varying degrees of suspicion by the fullblooded. The ones who disregard the laws and still cause trouble are called Renegades and are usually hunted down by any of the four races.
Humans:
As mentioned, the Essence of the World was shattered into a million tiny pieces, all holding immense power and that power was given to the humans studying at Master Melody’s Academy for Fine Arts. The pieces are called Instruments and shapeshift between musical instruments or weapons, or hybrids of the two, and their abilities range widely, the most powerful of it being the altering of matter and IPC (involuntary personality change) which occurs when the instruments are played masterfully. However, power comes at a price and for the adolescents who want to master the Instruments, the price could be sanity. As the Instruments themselves hold the remains of countless angel, human and demon souls, they cannot be mastered without leaving an imprint on the bearer’s soul. The teachings are carefully monitored in Master Melody’s but accidents can’t be avoided completely. Many of the students go insane and all of them are never the same as before. Upon their graduation the Masters/Wielders are tasked with the protection of peace and order – to hunt down the Renegade and surrender them to the Peacekeepers or to prevent them from reincarnating ever again by reaping their soul and absorbing it forever in their Instruments. As of recent, they are trying to deal with the apparitions flooding the world.
If you want to play as one of the Academy, you can expect to have some missions given to you by random people (not necessarily the GM) and you should be generally trustworthy enough to be admitted. (That doesn’t mean you couldn’t have sneaked in and still be a psycho bastard, obviously). Also, feel free to explore the topic of inner voices and insanity with that role, or even things with a slice of life or school life tinge.
Other roles for a human are either a powerless individual, one that specializes in weaponry or magicians among others.
Playing style
As a player you’re facing the choice of not only a race, but also a social standing. You can be either freelance good, freelance bad (Renegade) or belong to one of the many organisations/sects dedicated to whatever purpose. Either way, you’ll have the opportunity to fit into one or multiple storylines or create your own. Generally, this is a sandbox type of RP. The creation of many things, such as aforementioned cults, will be up to willing players to create in response to the necessity of a certain plotline.
Timeline
7000 BC - Heaven and Hell are created, along with (original) angels and demons.
6000 BC - Surface/Progaia is created, along with the humans. (Aaurus shares his power with Lucy.)
986 BC - Great War. (the first chimera is created, Chime dies, the Violin is destroyed, Heaven collapss). Angels settle on the Surface.)
~885 BC - The Council is established (to protectt humans from the demons).
0 - Judas and Jesu end up in a war and are both killed and sent to Heaven and Hell respectively.
0-2013 - World (almost) as we know it. Meanwhile the Essence is being completed and deployed (as an angel).
2013 - Fleshshaper returns; Lucien is awoken; Azel breaks free; Mary loses her parents.
2014 - Judas returns, Essence awakenes and becomes his sword, Melody dies, Hell's Gate collapses.
2014-2034 - Judas' war. Angel holocost; some resettle Heaven. Magic becomes avaliable to humans; chimeras start appearing.
2034 - Azel, Luciana and co. create Nephilim; Judas is killed; the Essence is retrieved. Lily Quarin reopens Master Melody's and accepts Hazumi as a patron.
2035 - Peacekeepers are elected, the new order is put in place.
2246 - Hazumi meets Lazarus; Ian meets Iris (and other events from New Age).
2254 - Cadence
Summaries
The Rules
WIP
