[OOC] Dragons Beneath the Firmament (A Wuxia/Xianxia RP)

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

Within the Yunzhou mountain range of the Sleeping Maw continent, where the land towers above all who dare approach, there lies a small monastery—nay, a temple, whose existence remains unknown to the world. While cultivators-to-be travel far and wide, seeking fortune and glory at famous clan sects, this hidden corner of the world has caught almost no attention. Though those cultivating here may wish for strength or power, their residence here shows that their desire for strength only goes so far. After all, how could they compare to things like the Raging Phoenix sect, whose blows part the skies in a flurry of fiery rage whenever they meet another in combat? Or what of the Shining Fangs clan, whose influence reaches across the vastest oceans and the deepest reaches of the Stormrock continent? No, rather, within the wisps of fog and cloud that seems to remain around these lands and hides them from any who would attempt to invade, the cultivators here bide their time and train. Thus, this clan—the Eightfold Lotus—seeks to raise their strength out of sight. While others may seek strength in numbers, what does that matter before the strength of the few, the hidden, and the dominant?

But not all roads to strength are clear-cut, and not all paths tread are the same. The daily lives of those who reside here, at this hidden alcove in the world, may not remain as stagnant as it has always been.

The strength of their souls ever growing, their desire for strength ever rising—will they reach their peak among the immortals whose names are etched within history, or shall they fall nameless, as cultivators shall time and time again?

---

Heyo, people who are looking at this right now because reasons! As the title suggests, this is a wuxia RP (with a few xianxia elements here and there), so I'm gonna be borrowing elements from a lot of other works of the genre. For the most part, the RP will be high fantasy with VERY heavy Asian influences (mainly Chinese), so plan accordingly.

I'm kinda borrowing the cultivation system from I Shall Seal the Heavens, so if you know what that is, great! If you don't, well... No need to worry, because a general idea of the system I plan on using in the RP is coming... Now!

Cultivation

Body Reinforcing: Stage 1; training the body, starting from the skin and working your way inside. This is nothing too notable in the grander scheme of things, all things considered. It's the starter stage, after all. Effects include a tougher body... And that's about where it stops.
Qi Condensation: Stage 2; gathering qi within the body, though still not able to meaningfully manipulate it. It's still kinda limited around here, but it creates a basis from which the later stages build off of... For the most part.
Foundation Establishment: Stage 3; things start to kick off around here, as it's around now where hovering becomes a possibility. Manipulation of qi is more liberal now, and energy reserves go up tenfold because the body's able to abuse that qi to rejuvenate the self if need be. Oh, and this also means messing with qi to pull off some more magical fighting techniques (though nothing too outlandish, of course).
Core Formation: Stage 4; tl;dr flight and aura shenanigans. Also stronger qi techniques. Woo.
Nascent Soul: Stage 5; At this point, we start reaching into some DBZ-level shenanigans. Like... Clearing giant stretches of land in a single attack. Of course, raw power doesn't mean anything without the control to use it, but still!
Immortal Ascension: Stage 6; I mean... At this point, you can probably punch out gods without breaking a sweat. I don't really need to say more than "near-omnipotent".

Now for some of the more... Generic stuff to note.

• Medicines and pills will be important, as is expected. Of course, things targeted towards cultivation aren't the same as regular medicines, so not everyone can make these.
• Magical creatures exist within the world. These can take many forms, mythical or chimeric or what have you, but they're all relatively dangerous. Of course, normal ones exist too, but that's another matter. These creatures will tend to have traits or what have you imbued within their qi, and yes, that can be absorbed by the players.
  ...
  Provided it's handled correctly.
• Dark qi also exists. It has a variety of effects, but it's not always bad. Just very, very prone to going haywire if not controlled. It can also end up like the good ol' soul-scarring wave of death and destruction if allowed to go crazy, so... Careful around the stuff.
• Wuxia leaning xianxia means we can go pretty fantastical with abilities, but not too high fantasy in style with it. Keep things from getting to crazy from right off the bat. I expect most RPers to start at around stage 3-4 and not go anywhere near 5 for a while, though, so.

So, without further ado, heeere's a form!

Form

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance:
Personality:
Stage:
Abilities:
Items:
History:
Other:

Questions can be thrown at me in the OoC here, so yeah. I'd like to think I'm fairly reasonable when it comes to discussing issues that may pop up, so feel free to ask if you've got anything TO ask.

[Grey Star]

• Name: Fa Chunhua
• Age: 20
• Gender: Male
• Appearance:
  Hider

  
• Personality: Fa Chunhua is a happy go lucky person that is vested in the freedom to do as he likes and also strives to bring happiness to others with his antics. A true blue believer of enjoying the best things in life, he tends to go crazy with interest at shiny new things- especially food and wild animals that could feasibly be tameable. That said, he also knows the world is a merciless place and that one's own fist has to be strong in order to have a voice in the world so he trains as hard as he plays.
• Stage: Foundation Establishment
• Abilities:
• Nested
  
  • Purple-Gold Fire Cloud: Fa Chunhua's cultivation technique that combines the principles of both yin and yang. The yin is Gold Cloud which creates an aura that makes that body as light as a cloud or as heavy as gold while the yang is Purple Fire which makes sudden acceleration as swift as a blaze sparking into life and blows as ferocious as nine tigers. A praciticioner of Purple Gold Fire Cloud can dash through the air on specks of dust themselves before finally being able to fly through the air as easily as drifting clouds or root themselves to the ground like a steady mountain to borrow the power of the earth. Users of sufficient skill can use it to easily create after images, change direction in midair, and even use less effort to gain more speed in one direction as by lessening air drag. While not the fastest or most powerful of techniques, it is quite fuel efficient. Plus it creates a purple gold aura that looks like either a cloud or fire for the discerning eye that can mess with opponent's body by generate 'true fire' to help with smelting or alchemy or just plain burn things really good and a cloudy veil that can heal and purify injuries.
  • Pure Jade Immortal Hands- A palm/fist/finger technique that causes the hands to become extremely tough and tensile but at the same time being able to remain slender and dainty appearances that normally would be counterproductive to the handling of weapons or barehanded attacks. The unique circulation of ki through the aperctures emanates a purifying glow that can also stop disperse poisons of equal or lesser to the grade than the martial practicioner's stage as well as the ability to gently create or destroy blockages in meridians and energy channels with soft but abrasive force.
  • Chaos Stirring Spear- A spear technique that does as its name suggests, specializing in having no set form and integrating other style's compatible techniques within its own growth to personally fit the user's attributes. In Fa Chunhua's case, his spearwork incorporates the ability to defend and attack at the same time, blending truths and falsehoods into his eccentric movements so as to confuse people on where he would strike. One could even see what was straight suddenly bend and twist like a poisonous snake or have the blade slice in the complete opposite direction where one would think it could come from. With Chunhua's current cultivation, he can thrust ten times a second at full power, turn boulders into gravels and dust, and slice apart common metals with ease.
• Items:
  
  • Immortal Flower Pin- A flower pin that is actually a treasured herb that sustains itself with the energy of heaven and earth. Wearing it and breathing in the herbal scent helps to clear the mind of tiredness and inner demons as well as purifies the surrounding air of toxins. A user can become exhausted even with the Immortal Flower Pin's effect but they'll be able to fight for longer than people without it.
  • Qilin Shows The Way- Chunhua's treasured magical spear that was crafted from the shed horn and scales of a juvenile Qilin as well as the shaft being formed from Immortal Bamboo. It holds powerful purifying abilities- especially towards creatures of great Yin such as wraiths and specters. It can continuously evolve provided it bathes in places of especially powerful and pure ki. Sharp, sturdy, and flexible all in one weapon, it is a versatile weapon.
  • Dancing Fairy Silks- Silks made from the Gossamer Fairy Silkworm, incredibly sturdy and easy to clean while at the same time light as a feather. Chunhua actually keeps one around in his Bag of Holding to generate silk for clothing repair.
• History: Fa Chunhua was a regular kitchen worker in a rural village that had wanted to learn martial arts. One day while he was out collecting firewood, he accidentally stumbled onto a strange purple gold flower and due to starving at the time due to horrible employment treatment that most serfs got, he ate said flower. Of course, this heavenly treasure was what changed his bones and reforged his previously weak body into something suitable for martial arts, complementing his inborn physique as well. Now able to survive in the wilds without needing to seek refuge among mortals, the boy took off as fast as possible to attempt to become greater than previously was and succeeded.
• Others: Has on hand a regular bag of holding, a scroll that shows him how to tame beasts, and a unique physique called the True Yin Yang Bone Root which makes the internal balance exactly fifty fifty. All that yin is why he looks so androgynous despite being a man too. As an additional result, this makes it hard for him to receive yin/yang poisoning in general due to the fact his body will vent any excess to retain equilibrium though this also means his martial arts can't fully utilize any true yang or true yin methods without its effects being greatly lowered. He also tends to cook using Purple Flame which drives alchemists and blacksmiths crazy with grief and envy.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

Do let me know what your opinion is on the submission. I have always been interested in learning more about the wuxia and xianxia styles of fantasy.

Character Sheet

Name:
Hu
Now only known by his current name of Hu, he knows not his true name. When he was younger he and his village had fallen terribly ill and as one of the few youths still able to seek help, he was sent down a road said to house a temple. While he searched and searched, he slipped further away from his health and soon became too weak to press on, no matter how he struggled. When he awoke again, a master of the Divine Tiger Fist had cured him of his bodily illness, but some of that which affected his spirit could not be recovered. Knowing his name no longer, or even his mission, he sought understanding and recall from his mentor and savior. She restored it to him when she passed on her qi when her time was up, having hidden the sad truth that he had failed from him until he could better understand it.

Age:
24

Gender:
Male

Appearance:
Hu has an appearance of a man who keeps himself immaculately clean, both clean shaven and fond of the color white, which has much symbolic reflection and impact upon him. He accents himself in the colors only of black and red, such as his black sash, cuffs and shoes, of which white is worn under. Hu is well muscled and defined, having ascended from the path of a regular man to a fighting spirit as much as he is a healer who draws upon the injuries of his foes to restore others. Physically, outside of this, he bears the scarring of his days stricken by illness, many of which are jagged and worked by the wanderings he had in the wilderness, looking for aid. He is neither an unwelcome sight to look upon or all too strange for a military aged man.

Personality:
Despite his failure in a "past life", Hu is optimistic that his master saw something within him that even he did not know. He is resolved in that sense to do well by what he learned, removing illness or sickness from those that cannot help themselves - most often the lesser peoples - while fighting in the face of those that would spread sadness, fear and pestilence. Hu is vocal, to the point of even being foolhardy about voicing his opinion and courage, but he's also wise enough to know when its best to keep things to himself when outsiders are about. Hu lives as who he has become, warrior and healer, rather than who he was as a lost soul.

Stage:
Foundation Establishment (Core Foundation)
While Hu has only modest aptitude, much more of that of Foundation Establishment, the qi bestowed upon him by the act of transference has opened up elements of mastery just beyond his reach - Core Foundation. It is like an ocean that comes and goes, where at his best he might find a way to manipulate the energy within, but at his worst he is still but an adept in comparison to a master. Until he learns to harness both his masteries in and out, he cannot truly act on what gifts are within.

Abilities:
Divine Tiger Fist
The external application of qi was not wholly unknown to Hu, but when it became his practice, he realized that it was as much an internal art as well, but only time would prove him just how right he was. To cultivate himself, he needed to act on both. Before he could do so, he was graced with a gift that allowed him to see both paths as a single one; the Divine Tiger Fist. The school focuses upon mighty precision and the exploitation of one's qi to affect another's, striking from outside to affect the inside and upsetting the balances of others through careful power with blows that are like the metal element. The low stances, acrobatic kicks and heavy use of clawed palm strikes mimics the tiger, channeling elements of its immortal ideals into the mortal body by clawing, tearing, ripping and grasping. Masters of the art in time become like tigers themselves, able to see and perceive a person's qi, shrug off injury, walk unseen and unheard, react without thought and manifest deceptive strength many times their seeming ability.

Hands of Black and White
Like the master who imbued Hu with her qi, his hands are both killing and healing instruments. They act like tools of qi disruption, for both better and worse. A harmful blow made up of focused energy strikes with fierce velocity and force with a near roar, upsetting balance in body and spirit, whereas a careful, precise touch can restore this balance and mend deep injuries beyond just the flesh. However, all things in some semblance of his ability must be equalized. The wounds he inflicts upon others draws up the power to heal and cure, but without violence, there cannot be restoration; he can only take to in order to give to others or himself. No less, it is difficult to store without dedication to the art.

Spring and Autumn, Wood and Wind
As a disciple of Divine Tiger Fist, Hu has made himself like the tiger. His qi makes his body not only tough and resilient, but exceptionally swift. Like the reed or bamboo, he is well balanced, reflexive and reactive, turning with his injuries when they do land whilst moving himself between the others. When he rebounds, he lashes out more ferociously, returning the favor over by expelling the negative forces absorbed. Endurance is not his strength owing to this, so his style encompasses periods of weathering calm and unrelenting assault. As with the ideals of spring and autumn which his martial art draws on, his overwhelming energy makes him akin to the wind, moving hands and feet in a near blur of motion before rest must take place.

Teachings of the Fierce Master
That day that Hu was nursed back from near death by his master to come has stayed long in his mind. She has since became nothing more than qi herself, granting this gift to her student, but her presence was never truly gone. Through a period of intense calm and manipulation of aura and the vital essence by qi, Hu as his name implies, can become the tiger itself. Every motion and action blurs the lines between man and animal, with the rapidity to alter between them faster than the eye can perceive and become more the essence of existence rather than a defined thing. It is this talent that Hu himself has only begun to understand, to embody the actual tiger itself beyond concept. Because it requires such immense skill beyond his aptitude, it is not wholly realized more than in times of brief but absolute serenity in conflict.

Items:
Ten Thousand Breaths Vial
A bottle of potent winds distilled by time only, the vial is capable of awakening those who have descended into comas, petrification or paralysis, liberating the body to match the mind when inhaled. Its tremendous age and exceptional craftsmanship infer it has been used by many, many healers of old.

Humbled White Sash
The material of the unassuming white sash is marked only at its ends with inky black stripes. Its symbolic purity dampens the affects of the elements in relation to the bearer's own qi; the more tranquil and cultivated the wearer, the more potent its shroud. When worn, flames burn not as hot, frost stings not as sharp, storms seem to weaken against it, and the like. It was once worn by the Nameless Master.

History:
After surviving his ordeal of illness and weakness before being returned to health in body but not yet mind by his mentor, Hu practiced for years to recover entirely. He recalled in some time before he wished to understand good kung fu in the martials arts, but then he could not have understood. When the master's time came, she placed upon her student her qi to keep what she taught alive, more than he could learn or know at the time. Instructed to teach this school first by coming to know it himself, he has sought out a future showing others the way of the Divine Tiger Fist and its most mythic art, the Hands of Black and White.

Other:
Although Hu knows of his past life now, he too reconciles there is nothing to be done about what had already come to pass, not of course without having missed out on what awaited him now. He embraces, as a warrior-priest, that he must prevent such a fate from ever befalling others again; that their bodies and qi must not be tainted or made sickly by the evil forces at work. It is also worthy to note, Hu's master never revealed her name or identity, being known only to him as his mentor despite her seeming power and prestige she might have held in life.

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

Aaaah, sorry for poofing. Final papers and projects are starting to approach, and I'm in a fuss working on them all.

@Grey Star: Accepted.
@The Harbinger of Ferocity: Also accepted.

So yeah, uh... Waiting on more people.
Also a chance to finish my own after this stuff at least becomes manageable lol.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

Whenever you feel comfortable enough to begin, @PKMNB0Y. I have no intent on disappearing. No reason to, but I suggest you keep bumping an interest check to see if we can find more members if you are not already.

[Fabricant451]

Oh I didn't even see this OOC was up. My bad. I expressed interest earlier

[Tancuras]

Hey, sorry! Busy week. Will get my CS up this weekend.

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

Haha holy crap that was a suffocating workload. But I'm alive now! And have a form. Yes.

Yang

Name: Chen Yang
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Appearance: "I shall not waver."
Personality: Yang is a rather stubborn person, in part due to the way he has cultivated himself over the last few decades. While he may not be apt to jump straight into the heat of battle, there is nothing saying that he will not enter the fray regardless. In terms of more mundane relations, though, Yang often acts the straight man rather than the fool. While he does like the idea of slacking off and joking around every once in a while, the nature of a cultivator means that sort of thing isn't always within the realm of possibility. Even so, he is willing to lend his strength to those who he has grown close to, but seldom any other without reasonable benefit to himself in turn.
Stage: Foundation Establishment
Abilities:

• Flowering Gale Style: The Flowering Gale Style is a unique way of handling the blade (swords in particular, though they do dabble in the usage of weapons such as daggers and the like) wherein qi is used to project and control other blades that derive their movement from the user's own independent of any physical contact. These new blades are themselves projections of the user's will and powered and maintained by their qi in turn, and their control is limited only by their finesse and precision. As he is right now, Yang is able to create a maximum of three qi blades that can be used to either deflect attacks at either him or his allies or attack in tandem with his own swings. The style itself functions off of a great deal of redirection and countering of enemy movements, as well as slipping in between holes in his opponent's defenses. It is, though, a style more suited towards combating multiple foes at once, and his dueling potential suffers as a result.
• Frozen Embers Technique: Yang's cultivation technique is one that harnesses the extremes of nature, and the potential that is possesses in turn. As another style centered around balance, the control required to maintain both the yin (cold) and yang (heat) has thus required Yang to consume no small amount of time tempering his mind and body. Luckily, the peaks of the mountains and the fires stoked by the masters therein were the perfect places to do so. The technique does not openly manifest upon his body, though, as it requires a far higher level of proficiency to make use of it than Yang is currently capable of to be invoked in that manner. As it stands, it allows Yang to resist extreme heat (or lack thereof) and manipulate small amounts of fire or ice to his benefit.

Items:

• Lotus Fang Sword: Yang's primary weapon, and also his blade of choice. Forged from the tooth of a great jade tiger, Yang's blade is uncannily sharp to the touch... Or, well, it would be if not for the essence infused within the weapon itself. As it stands, the blade is naturally dull, and can cut flesh less easily than a wooden sword might. However, if Yang feeds his qi into this sword, then its prior sharpness emerges once more (along with a small flurry of lotus flower petals). The weapon can hardly be damaged by ordinary means, but whether or not he wants to find out what those are is another story entirely.
• Thread of Eternity: A long string of red silk, usually wound around Yang's wrist as a bracelet of sorts. Its main function is one of fashion, but the thread itself is unnaturally resilient to the point of never breaking even when placed under extreme stress.

History: Yang's life was not one of any particular note; his parents were simply average people who happened to be living in the temple where he began to train. They were not cultivators themselves, and were strange in that they seemed to have no ambition for the lifestlye (which was strange in his eyes). There was never any need or want within the temple grounds, but there was a distinct lack of things to do when many tasks had already been handled by those aspiring to become cultivators themselves. Seeing as how that was better than doing much of nothing at all, Yang joined them in turn. His parents, while concerned about the entire ordeal, seemed to have nothing to say for or against the matter, which once again confused the young child, and it would only become clear to him as to why they acted as such as he grew older.
In time, the young Yang came to learn that his parents had not chosen their current lives, but instead had it forced onto them. An opponent of their had hired assassins to block their qi meridians with poison, and had come here to seek a cure (or, at the very least, ease the pain it induced upon them both). The news didn't deter him, but it gave him a new sense of understanding, and thus new resolve to continue down this path. It had not been laid out for him by his parents; no, he had chosen this for himself. But when faced with the possibility of what could have been, Yang cursed that sad fate that had befallen his predecessors.
It was not a story of vengeance by any means, but instead one of pure possibility.
Other: People annoy him on cold winter days or hot summer days just because of his cultivation, even is he has made clear multiple times that it doesn't necessarily do what they want it to do. Likes rice and fish, but fish is hard to come by in the mountains where he trains.

Anyways... Let's see what else I can't get in the next few days. I'll kick things off then.