Well call our home Athea; a massive stretch of land filled to the brim with all sorts of flora and fauna. There is nothing you cannot find within its depths, whether it be the sweetest fruit or the strongest wines. It is a beautiful nation, and our love for it runs as deep as the blood within our veins. We dragons have lived here for as long as anyone could remember, perhaps even since the creation of our deity, Ouroboros.
But our homeland does not come without its downfalls. The Three Houses of Athea have split the hearts and souls of dragons for thousands of years, forging allegiances against one another. We are lucky that there haven't been wars between the Nocturnes, the Dawnspears, and the Silvergales, at least, not within the last hundred years. While the Houses certainly cause many problems for us, we also are wary about the creatures that inhabit Athea with us; for chimeras, wyverns, basilisks, and other such dangerous beasts can easily strike down a dragon without a second thought. Thankfully, the Houses and vicious, vile creatures that reside within Athea are all that we have had to worry about. Until now.
From over the Clouded Sea, a fresh set of faces have appeared. We have never traveled across it, and so, we have always thought we were the only ones that inhabited this world. The visitors call themselves "humans". They look much like us when we aren't in our divine forms, and do not seem to have many unique qualities. They say they come in peace, as they are simply travelers. But I've seen the way that they look at us. Their glares prick at my skin and gnaw deep into my bones much like the first fierce winds of winter.
I know that our peace has come to an end.
Humans have encountered Athea, and have stumbled upon the world of dragons at the same time. Times have grown tense, and, as most humans are, they become intrigued with the thought of capturing dragons in order to bring them back to their homeland. Of course, since they just arrived, there is only tension between the two races. Who will strike first?
The players of this roleplay will have two races to choose from when they're thinking about who or what they want to play; dragons or humans. Will you be the first human who captures a dragon to do their bidding? Will you be a dragon who wants the humans gone? The possibilities are many.
Note that there will be two arcs in the roleplay, thus two plots that will not occur within the same time period. Plan accordingly.
The current arc focuses on the arrival of humans to Athea and the rising tension between the three houses.
Fearsome, terrible beasts that breathe fire. Scaly humanoids that lurk within the shadows of Athea. Or so, the humans tell each other.
Dragons are possibly the most unique beings that inhabit the variant land. They swap between two forms-- "calmed" and "divine" --willingly.
In dragons' calmed forms, they appear much like a human. They're slightly taller than a regular human being, and are said to be beautiful specimens. Their skin color varies from milky white to tan, depending where they live or travel most. The frames they bear are lean and graceful; one will never find an overly skinny or obese dragon, as their metabolism prevents excess or very little fat. Their hair can range from silvers to golds to blacks to whites. A dragons' eyes is the only thing that doesn't change when they swap between forms; the color of their eyes have a vast range, and their pupils resemble one of a snake's. Their canines are also slightly longer and sharper than a human's, but do not protrude from their lips.
Dragons prefer to do much of their daily activities in their calmed state, as being in their divine state draws much of their energy. Due to this, dragons usually make weapons and armor in order to defend themselves when they are not able to change forms. They also copulate and give birth to live young in their human forms, as well. Dragons usually birth two offspring at a time after a six month gestation period. When pregnant, females do not switch between forms in order to prevent damage to the developing child or children.
It is in their divine state that dragons switch to their bestial forms. Dragons take the shape of a basic "european" design. They bear four legs, two wings, and a tail, but other than that, their shape and color vary. They may or not have horns or ears, and some may have long, graceful manes. All of them, however, breathe fire and fly.
A common dragon is the size and length of a transit bus. Sometimes, they may be a little smaller or bigger, but not by much. Dragons have the choice of when to use their divine forms or not, but the cost of energy is great. Thankfully, they practice switching between forms when they're young; by the time they're older, they're able to be in their divine forms for a long amount of time. Breathing fire, however, taxes their energy even more. This is why dragons have forged weapons like swords, bows, etc -- so they can defend themselves when they are not able to swap forms.
The scales of a dragon in its divine state are very sturdy, serving as some sort of natural armor that protects them from most harm. A dragon's underbelly, on the other hand, is soft and tender, and extremely vulnerable. A dragon will go out of its way to protect it.
In their divine state, dragons communicate with one another telepathically. Other than that, they resort to growls and roars to show how they feel. In their calmed state, they speak a common language, and can communicate with humans perfectly fine.
Dragons can never reach a "mid-way" state between forms. That is, a dragon in its calmed state cannot breathe fire or grow wings to fly. In other words, there is no "50/50" or "25/75" state. A dragon must change completely or not change at all.
Despite common belief, dragons are not immortal. They live for hundreds of years, but their appearance stops changing when they look like they're in their 30s.
Surprisingly, dragons are extremely passionate people. Their love for their mates know no bounds, and it is because of this that they usually mate for life. Their fierce way of admiration can also cross over into things such as natural curiosity, the arts, and even war-- and in turn, their passionate behavior forges warmongers, explorers, and poets and bards.
How can we not know about humans? We're humans ourselves. However, all the dragons know about humans is that they came across the Clouded Sea on boats.
Humans hail from a distant land called Ellicia. This country is ruled by a king, whom they call King Darrian. All humans follow the king's law, in fact, he was the one who ordered an exploration to see if they were alone in the world.
Ellicia is, sadly, not as diverse as Athea. Being a country to the far north, most of the small continent is covered in cold plains and tundra. Many cities, villages, and small camps dot its map.
The land that the dragons call their home, Athea is something that they are proud of. There are many creatures and plants that make their home there, as well.
All dragons worship a "good" god, Ouroboros, or the Eternal Serpent. Dragons believe that he created life as they know it, and even think that he forged Athea out of one of his scales.
Athea, as stated before, is separated into three factions: the Nocturnes, the Dawnspears, and the Silvergales.
The Nocturnes make their home in the north, where the alpines and snowy mountains begin to appear. Lord Rylon is the one who leads House Nocturne. It is said that dragons with true Nocturne blood (or Nocturnes produced from the loins of a previous Nocturne lord) have an affinity to the shadows and are skilled at staying hidden.
The Silvergales inhabit the eastern coasts, forests, and plains. Lord Kerith is the one who guides the Silvergales, especially when the humans are basically at their borders. Dragons with true Silvergale blood are extremely agile in their divine forms, both on land and in the air.
The Dawnspears are located to the furthest south of Athea. The weather there is hot and humid, and both temperate and tropical beaches and islands dot their territory. Lord Ashtin rules over the Dawnspears. It is said that dragons with true Dawnspear blood are extremely skilled swimmers and breathe the hottest flames known to dragonkind.
Not all dragons have to pledge allegiance to the House that they were born in. Some decide to "switch" sides later on in their lives, but they are looked upon as dishonest and untrustworthy-- a traitor, if you will.
Even though there are specific Houses that almost all dragons classify themselves under, all dragons under one House do not live together. Instead, they live in small groups, or even alone, scattered throughout the territory. Only nobles live together, sometimes bringing in their most trusted men or women to live in their group. However, such groups do not reach more than a population or five or six, unless families are large. Even then, there are usually squabbles over small patches of territory. Dragons only come together in larger groups when they have to work together for a cause.
The Ebonylands are the unexplored regions that creates up Athea's western territories. Many dragons do not venture far into those lands, as it is filled with very deadly creatures.
I'm not bothering explaining rules that should be common sense to people that have been part of RPG for the better part of the year. However, I have a few things to tell the current RPers and future RPers.
I am looking for... dedicated, active, and overall friendly players that will make more than one (or possibly two) characters (active, to me at least, means posting once every two to three days). Perhaps I will allow an increase in group size, depending on how many people I see are dedicated enough.
- People who are literate. I'm not talking about a group of six Shakespeares, as everyone makes mistakes, but please, don't come here if you can't even form an unintelligible set of paragraphs.
- People who will plot with players and with me.
- People who will not only be active in the IC, but active in the out of character thread.
- PEOPLE WHO WILL TAKE THE TIME TO MAKE HIGH-QUALITY CHARACTERS. NO CORNY/OVERUSED TROPES AND NOTHING TOO "DARK" PLEASE. DON'T RUSH MAKING CHARACTER SHEETS.
This is what I posted in the interest check, and it will always hold precedence in this roleplay.
If you need to leave, whether it be permanent or temporary, tell me.
If you need help coming up with something to write, tell me.
Overall, I may be a GM, but I don't bite. If you need to tell/ask me anything, you can ask me. You can ask others for their opinion if I'm not around.
You must make at least two characters, and please take your time creating the sheets. But don't take forever, either.
You can make humans, too!
Note that I will not be accepting nonbinary/trans/etc characters in this RP. I have been asked multiple times and the answer will always be no, at least in this roleplay. There are no such people in neither Athea nor Ellicia. You can make lesbians or gays, but please note that they will be extremely looked down upon and will most often be treated like garbage. This was the way how such people were treated in medieval times, sadly, and there's no change to that in this RP.
I ask that people who are filling out sheets to include images for your character's appearance, whether dragon or human. However, I will not accept face-claims as appearances, or something that looks overly realistic. You can pick images that are semi-realistic or anime, as long as they're high quality or aren't overly fantasy-like (huge eyes, pointed ears, etc). I would also like for the images to be high-quality, if possible.
You can format the sheet however you'd like, as it will be permalinked to the second post.
Have fun!
Username:
Name: (Note that dragons do not have surnames lest they are a noble; names like Loralis Dawnspear, etc are allowed if they're noble-blooded).
Age: (if a dragon, how old do they look like).
Gender:
Race:
Weapons:
Appearance: (use images, as stated in rules; you can also write a few notes as well).
Divine Appearance: (only for dragons).
Personality:
Short Biography:
Other:
