Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Wind Wild
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Hello guys.

Essence is a long-running theme on this forum and so I apologise beforehand about the large amount of lore and terms that will be involved in playing this. We've had more than one season already and because it's all largely sandbox, I like to allow people maximum creativity and the ability to settle into the world and forge their own story there. Of course, we'll have an overarching plot but this RP relies on multiple story-lines and not on reaction-posts. We've already got roughly 7 people in this and we're looking for up to 3 new players. Without further ado, here's the basic raw premise of this new season, the idea of which is @Synthorian's. For the OOC and IC, look here.

Dictionary

(so you know what I’m on about in the summary)


Essence: Essence is the name we use for that which is in all things living: a soul, a life-force, blood, life and spirit. It’s everything but very few can manipulate it. Pre-2014 it was only the Gates and Gatekeepers. Afterwards a few more people developed the possibility to see it and very rarely- to use it too.

The races:
Angels: Human bodies + wings and special abilities. Refer to the types or angels and their classes on the site.

Humans: Just the same as usual with the rare exception that’s a mage. Humans can also be possessed/absorb the essence of angels or demons turning into surface demons (vampires, werewolves), grey agels and chimeras.

Demons: Divided generally in two – surface demons and Hellions. The former could be considered infants in comparison to the latter. Hellions are an incredible array of shapes, forms and abilities. They sustain themselves on others’ essence and can command magic at will.

Chimeras: Any combination of the above with the most uncommon being an angel/demon chimera.

The world(s): it consists of 2 sub-worlds - the Surface and Hell. Hell is where an array of demons live, almost all unique. The Surface is populated by angels, humans and surface demons. Since the fall of Hell’s Gate a lot of Hellions have settled on the Surface again.

Heaven: used to exist but is now in ruins after the so-called Great War. That’s when one demon called The Fleshshaper found a way to make chimeras and breached Heaven’s Gate. Eventually the demons won the war. Due to some more complicated reasons (you can inquire), the angels settled on the Surface and pushed the Hellions back in hell, thus establishing the Council and the old order (pre-2014).

The setting: The city of Loom, a vast concrete jungle, full of tower-blocks and dark alleys. It’s the capital of a fictional country somewhere in western Europe. An ocean spans on the east border of the city and vast plains and the town of Thrope lay on the south. Loom is no stranger of violence, having been nearly demolished during the awakening of the Essence and then once more during the fall of Hell’s Gate. While it hosts Master Melody’s academy, it also has a very deep and intricate system of illegal trading network.

The Gates and Gatekeepers: The Gates were originally two, controlled by two Gatekeepers. They were created by Aaurus himself and served to keep the three races and three worlds apart. They did that by fuelling the essence of Heaven. Surface and Hell, defining who the angels, demons and humans are and what sets them apart. Heaven’s gate took on the appearance of a Violin and its player was Chime. She was the first to fall, killed by the Fleshshaper and causing the merging of Heaven and Surface. The second Gate was a Harp, played by Melody. Both were destroyed in 2014 by a madman called Judas, causing a huge amount of magic and Hellions to flood the Surface. The remains of both the Gates and Gatekeepers now live on in Hazumi and the Wielders’ Instruments.

Tech: slightly above our current level with no jets or laser-guns.

The Essence of the World: The name, given to the chimera that was created with the remains of all the dead Gates and Gatekeepers, as well as countless humans, demons and angels. She’s currently the only creature that can freely manipulate the essence around her with no boundaries, even to the point of bending one’s will. She also goes by the name of Hazumi.

The Academy: an establishment that teaches humans how to control shards of the Essence of the Wrold in order to keep the balance between powers on the Surface. Most of the time those shards take on the visage and functions of musical instruments that can soothe the soul, but they’re also deadly weapons with a conscious of their own.

The Council: the seven archangels that survived the Great War and some seraphs that served them. A formal military and bureaucratic institution consisting entirely of angels. It was crushed in 2014.

The Peacekeepers: a democratically elected committee of 3 representatives of each race. They negotiate the laws when it comes to cross-racial interactions and deal with punishments for those who have overstepped their rights.






The Problem



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.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Wind Wild
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I'm unsubscribing from this topic so in the extremely unlikely case that anyone's still interested, find your way to the ooc or PM me~ :)
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Wind Wild
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Let's just kick this to the front page again, shall we?

We have big plans for this RP and need some fresh blood to motivate us into executing them.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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This RP is Casual now?
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Wind Wild
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Hey again.

It was always somewhere between casual and advanced depending on the preference of the player. Since we have multiple storylines you get to forge your own or team up with someone.

I suppose what made me post it in Advanced was the desire to really lure people into the world and make them think about more than just reacting to what the GM says. That, and a personal preference for good grammar. ;)

If you're conflicted you can just give it a go or check out some previous posts (keeping in mind the really long ones are usually collabs that took weeks to complete).
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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Hey again.

It was always somewhere between casual and advanced depending on the preference of the player. Since we have multiple storylines you get to forge your own or team up with someone.

I suppose what made me post it in Advanced was the desire to really lure people into the world and make them think about more than just reacting to what the GM says. That, and a personal preference for good grammar. ;)

If you're conflicted you can just give it a go or check out some previous posts (keeping in mind the really long ones are usually collabs that took weeks to complete).


I am conflicted, actually; what's the required post length?
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Wind Wild
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I dunno really, as much as you need to move things along? I'd say 100 words is a good minimum and if you want to go below that just do it as a collab (for examle if characters are having a conversation). I'd say more is better but honestly, I don't care for length as much as about content. I'd prefer you taking the liberty to introduce new elements to the scene than have an entirely reaction-based post (aka the ones where you just retell everything that's going on around your character).
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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I dunno really, as much as you need to move things along? I'd say 100 words is a good minimum and if you want to go below that just do it as a collab (for examle if characters are having a conversation). I'd say more is better but honestly, I don't care for length as much as about content. I'd prefer you taking the liberty to introduce new elements to the scene than have an entirely reaction-based post (aka the ones where you just retell everything that's going on around your character).


Ah, thank you, and I think I can do that.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Wind Wild
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Yeah, I think so too. ^ ^
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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Yeah, I think so too. ^ ^


Oh, right, you saw my work on Scattered Shades.
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by Fairess
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@Wind Wild

So... Hi!

I read the first post here and the first post in the OoC. Then I read through the characters and some of the IC posts, which I intend to catch up on soon. There's no denying that what I've come up with here is pretty raw, but feel free to take a look at it and see if it's going in a direction you like. I don't have a clue as to introducing this character unless someone's in need of a guardian to come crashing down from the sky.

Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Wind Wild
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Hey @Fairess, thanks for the interest! Your character looks very promising~. I don’t have too much time right now but yes, you are on the right track. I’ll just write a few quick comments for you to think about.

Bond of the word

She can’t literally manifest because we don’t have teleportation in Essence but she could get the call telepathically.

“Besides the ability to speak to Roanne, the ward also makes her aware of death that happens within a mile of the ward.”

Unlikely because angels don’t usually see or sense essence. We can stretch the limits if you insist but it’s been highly unusual for angels so far. Their own essence is naturally so strong and bright that it overshadows everything else around.

“So long as she has the blade in hand, it protects her from essence drainage by other creatures.”

Again something that doesn’t make much sense if the rules so far are considered, but you could say a human enchantment was placed on it?

Also I notice she’s quite versatile spanning in abilities from purely guardian ones to the resistance of a battle, the mind-reading of tamers (like reading violent thoughts) and miracle angel (the ability to use her essence offensively). I’d say that to be able to do those she should be able to remember a past life or two if you want those things to come natural to her.

Lastly I just wanted to point out she doesn’t need to be born in Heaven as that’s been decimated since the Great War and only a handful of angels repopulated it during Judas’ War. If she is though, it’s very likely she knows Toki.
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by Fairess
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Happy to to be here an' writin'! I had a feeling I was leaning in a few different directions, so I don't mind making corrections. A number of the PC's pack a serious punch, so I admittedly had difficulty balancing the abilities of a young-ish angel with a guardian that could actually hold her ground.

Bond of the Word

She can’t literally manifest because we don’t have teleportation in Essence but she could get the call telepathically.

That was poor wording on my part. She can't actually teleport to someone who bonds with her. It's best described as a brief mental link that makes Roanne able to hear thoughts directed at her. Ideally, it would also include some sort of honing sense so she can reach that person's location. It was also a large part of why speed in flight is so important to her. xD She'd be insanely frustrated in any circumstance where she can't fly to someone in need of help.

“Besides the ability to speak to Roanne, the ward also makes her aware of death that happens within a mile of the ward.”

Unlikely because angels don’t usually see or sense essence. We can stretch the limits if you insist but it’s been highly unusual for angels so far. Their own essence is naturally so strong and bright that it overshadows everything else around.

I'm fine eliminating that part of the ward power. Mostly I was trying to give it a useful feature outside of contacting an angel, such as warning of danger or the presence of demons (or death). If nothing like that is practical in angelic application, I'm fine with removing that part and may just rename the power to a more fitting "Beacon."

“So long as she has the blade in hand, it protects her from essence drainage by other creatures.”

Again something that doesn’t make much sense if the rules so far are considered, but you could say a human enchantment was placed on it?

This protection was meant to be a special part of her angelic essence. It's not her angelic nature or power that protects her so much as the unique bond it allows with her charge. Essentially, it's the hope, strength, and as corny as it sounds, love of those she protects that in turn shields her through the blade. If that's still impractical, I can give it a human enchantment or eliminate it for simplicity's sake.

Also I notice she’s quite versatile spanning in abilities from purely guardian ones to the resistance of a battle, the mind-reading of tamers (like reading violent thoughts) and miracle angel (the ability to use her essence offensively). I’d say that to be able to do those she should be able to remember a past life or two if you want those things to come natural to her.


I'm all for dealing with past lives and wouldn't mind complicating her history a bit with them. And I do admit, those abilities are fairly paladin inspired--I just shied away from using things like "holy" and "magic." Again, though, in theory, these abilities have less to do with being an angel and more to do with her bond. She isn't made aware of what violence others have committed, rather, it's a defensive mechanism to use mortal empathy against those who would harm her charge, a power unlocked through the will and needs of said charge (which is why a few of these powers actually require that a charge be present or otherwise consciously focused on her--she literally cannot use them when defending only herself, which is arguably what separates these powers from any other angel type).

Lastly I just wanted to point out she doesn’t need to be born in Heaven as that’s been decimated since the Great War and only a handful of angels repopulated it during Judas’ War. If she is though, it’s very likely she knows Toki.

I should have been more specific, but I wasn't sure of the exact date when the Great War started and ended. She isn't supposed to be born in Heaven (I just had no idea how old I could make her before she became born pre-war), but her parents would supposedly have been a part of The Council--not necessarily as arcangels so much as guardians and supporters of the angelic cause.

xD But now I'm torn! It would be nice to have some connection to another PC starting off.

Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Themerlinhawk
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@Fairess Hey. Wind said we had a new person. I wanted to come and see. I like her a lot!
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@Themerlinhawk
D'aww. I'll try not to disappoint!
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Wind Wild
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Hey @Fairess, so sorry I haven’t been able to respond earlier. Everything is great so far, thank you for being so cooperative. I’ll just give you a brief summary so you can continue with things; sorry I can’t help you as much as I’d like.

Point 2
If she’s able to spot ill intent (directed towards her charge mostly), that should be a good enough way around it, right?

Point 3, I still have to give some more thought about. Might be as late as mid-next week I’m afraid, I’m super busy right now.

Everything else is okay and as far as the Great War is considered, don’t worry, that was over 3000 years ago. I like the idea of her being an ex-Council member which would be another possible link with Toki because she’s been raised by the last surviving Archangel (among others). For that sake she doesn’t need to be raised in Heaven, they could have just met on occasion or even more recently when Toki came to earth. In fact, your character could have helped with that.

Also don’t be afraid to consider other link with other characters, we’re all very friendly and willing to help.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Themerlinhawk
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@FairessLike me. Im here. I will help XD i have more time on my hands than Wind does
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by Fairess
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@Wind Wild
No worries! Promise. Real life always takes precedence over RP, and as a working university student I understand completely when things get busy. I appreciate your time as it is, so no need for apologies.

You make a fair point with Point 2--I can edit that in easily enough. Her charges likely change on a daily basis (she's seriously your friendly neighborhood spidey-angel), so I'd interpret that as being an awareness of personal friends or more formal bonds so long as they're in range of a ward. It also gives some interesting potential for Roanne to know or have a bond towards someone without them being aware of her angelic nature.

On point 3, I'm totally fine waiting. It'll be a while before I can think up a way to introduce my character in the first place, so no sweating getting that taken care of.

Once you've got some time on your hands, I would love talkin' Toki and Roanne. Roanne's a pretty irreverent and bold personality, so whatever relationship they may end up having should be pretty fun out the gate.

EDIT (Ninja'd!)
@Themerlinhawk
Throw things at me! Seriously, I'm reading through the IC still, so I could use a basic summary of what's goin' on in the now and any ideas you have for what we should do with Roanne.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Themerlinhawk
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@Fairess Summary: Hazumi the Essence of the world is gone, the god of death is missing and the world is falling apart as a result.

Thats basically where we are at right now. As for Roanne, it really depends how you want her to be linked to everything. There are a few options, I'd stay away from Rtrons characters because they can leave you stranded while he works on other things. It really depends on what kind of character you want Roanne to be attached to.
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by Fairess
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I read the premise of the OoC a few times—mostly I meant a summary for all ten characters currently involved. XD I may very well have missed many a detail, but correct me if the gist of things below is wrong.

Relationship Tree

Toki
(tried to help Mary)
| Elenei
Mary Andri / (Helping Andri)
(student of magic) Ian (trying to kill Lucien) |
| (angel hunter) / | Tatiana
Fran Lucien (arms dealer for Lucien)
(saved Mary & Toki) (angel renegade) /

Donny
(no one knows)

Alma Grim
(no one knows)

Lazarus
(necromancer)
|
Shaylee
(Lazarus' Apprentice)

The main plot feels like it's Andri taking out Lucien (who took out two fellow students while in pursuit of Hazumi). There's a lot, and I mean a lot of other side stories going on, from Elenei's underground brothel/organization to Lazarus' angel hunting and Fran saving two other main characters. As much as I love collab posts, it is admittedly quite difficult to follow each character's separate story arc as it weaves in and out of other players' posts, especially as exits and entrances aren't clearly labeled and it's sometimes not even clear how some characters arrived at a specific destination in another person's post.

Case en point, the last post with Andri. The last thing I remember reading about him was his meeting with Elenei, and the most recent post begins with Andri bleeding on the concrete of some unknown location. I most definitely missed something, so if I managed to skip the entirety of what happened there, go ahead and point me to the post, since I'm super confused.

That being said, there's some pretty decent writing here, and I'm excited to jump in. Roanne, being a 'good of the people' sort of vigilante, probably won't mix too well in a brothel or anywhere remotely close to a rocket launcher wielding angel hunter, so the two best jumping points seem to be either running into Andri's slowly growing group of allies or party crashing the Toki trio.

There's still some work I need to be doing on Roanne's CS, though, so I'll post updates as I make corrections and such.

EDIT:
@Wind Wild
So I've added another picture to get an idea of what Roanne looks when she's not all armored up (which would be exceptionally rare, actually). I've also made adjustments to the following sections:

-The Bond: I've added more detail about the individual bonds to clarify the points we discussed and hopefully they're better suited to the RP.

-The Ward: I've added more detail and removed the part about her being able to sense death.

-The Sword: I've simply removed the extra features from her weapon. It's a regular ol' thing now.

-History: I took some creative liberties again, so feel free to tell me if it's not a good direction for implementing reincarnation and her wide array of angelic abilities. There's just a few notes on reincarnation and some clarification of her earth-born nature and work.

There's also the question of guardian angels being able to see auras. I wasn't sure what that meant, exactly, but I would like to implement it into her abilities.
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