Black Sun
A Dark Star
“That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die.””
Theme - "Mother Dear"
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| OVERVIEW |
Black Sun takes place on Ethica, a high fantasy world where technology is transitioning from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age with elements of 11th-century technology. The famed Mother Night known Izalith, a god-like being of immeasurable power, is close to completing her over a 100-year long campaign to conquer Nachesh and impose order, having already overtaken much of the land through force or intimidation. Beneath Izalith is the Archons, men and women imbued with strange and unique magical powers, made seemingly immortal by Izalith’s favor. Archons rule over regions, districts, armies, or individual groups on Izaliths’ behalf. Beneath Archons are the Exarchs, those beings capable of extraordinary feats, but lack the favor and longevity of a true Archon.
Archons, and to a slightly lesser extent Exarchs, are women and men who possess incredible powers. They are more than just skilled fighters or mages. Each Archon has unique abilities that set them above the rest of humanity. No one knows how the Archons obtain their powers, but they ultimately bow to Izaliths’ will.
The battle for supremacy of the continent takes place largely in western Nachesh. The lands of Nachesh having long since been split between the wasted ruined western lands. Birthplace of the Disjunction and the last bastion of utopia left to the mortals races along the western coasts. In these lands, often referred to colloquially as the Green Marches, is covered in great plains, rich meadows, vast steppes, thick oft huge forests, lush jungles, imposing mountains and fertile flatlands - as diverse in a landscape as it is in people. It has been a long-standing goal of Mother Night to impose her rule over all that remains of civilization. Citing a desire to unite all people under one banner and one rule so as to avoid the mistakes of ages past.
Each player's Exarch will be a count or vassal of a major province within the greater realm and jockey for position within the hierarchy, each swearing loyalty to an Archon. The spiritual and official ruler of the realm is Izalith, who stands as official Empress of Illyrica-- but leaves much of the administration and governing to the highest ranked of Exarch called Archons. Each Archon will have the choice of a given territory, which pretty much amounts to the rank of a king/queen. I plan to allow/have only three Archons at max. From there on players can choose to have small city-states within that Archons province. Archons can call other players(Exarchs) in their province to war and answering will be up to the players, or they could fight each other in smaller civil wars for territory.
Beyond that, at the start of the RP, the next Pontiff will soon be chosen from among the Exarchs, who is expected to lead the realm in Mother Night's stead once the Long Night comes. It is known those who become Pontiff's more often than not become Archons in their own right once the Long Night ends. Once more an Exarch chosen will obtain an incredible amount of political power within the capital for their Archon. It should be noted it is the Archons are the ones who choose who can be a candidate from their home province. Thus giving players an incentive to not only remain loyal but go out of their way to impress their own Archon. Meanwhile, an Archon will have to be incredibly careful who they nominate for the position.
Note: All current Archon positions are full, following players can take the position of an Exarch and decide which of the three Archons (Blood, Change, and War.) to serve directly under.
Archons, and to a slightly lesser extent Exarchs, are women and men who possess incredible powers. They are more than just skilled fighters or mages. Each Archon has unique abilities that set them above the rest of humanity. No one knows how the Archons obtain their powers, but they ultimately bow to Izaliths’ will.
The battle for supremacy of the continent takes place largely in western Nachesh. The lands of Nachesh having long since been split between the wasted ruined western lands. Birthplace of the Disjunction and the last bastion of utopia left to the mortals races along the western coasts. In these lands, often referred to colloquially as the Green Marches, is covered in great plains, rich meadows, vast steppes, thick oft huge forests, lush jungles, imposing mountains and fertile flatlands - as diverse in a landscape as it is in people. It has been a long-standing goal of Mother Night to impose her rule over all that remains of civilization. Citing a desire to unite all people under one banner and one rule so as to avoid the mistakes of ages past.
Each player's Exarch will be a count or vassal of a major province within the greater realm and jockey for position within the hierarchy, each swearing loyalty to an Archon. The spiritual and official ruler of the realm is Izalith, who stands as official Empress of Illyrica-- but leaves much of the administration and governing to the highest ranked of Exarch called Archons. Each Archon will have the choice of a given territory, which pretty much amounts to the rank of a king/queen. I plan to allow/have only three Archons at max. From there on players can choose to have small city-states within that Archons province. Archons can call other players(Exarchs) in their province to war and answering will be up to the players, or they could fight each other in smaller civil wars for territory.
Beyond that, at the start of the RP, the next Pontiff will soon be chosen from among the Exarchs, who is expected to lead the realm in Mother Night's stead once the Long Night comes. It is known those who become Pontiff's more often than not become Archons in their own right once the Long Night ends. Once more an Exarch chosen will obtain an incredible amount of political power within the capital for their Archon. It should be noted it is the Archons are the ones who choose who can be a candidate from their home province. Thus giving players an incentive to not only remain loyal but go out of their way to impress their own Archon. Meanwhile, an Archon will have to be incredibly careful who they nominate for the position.
Note: All current Archon positions are full, following players can take the position of an Exarch and decide which of the three Archons (Blood, Change, and War.) to serve directly under.
| INFORMATION |
Imperial Law concerns itself mostly with revenues, security from foreign and internal threats, the regulation of sorcery, and the rooting out of Azueral cults. The iron fist of Mother Night is imposed through the ‘Rite of Law’ that every man and woman in Illyrica must abide is well known and strictly enforced. Imperial courts exist in all the major cities of the Illyrica Empire, usually the capitals of the Grand Provinces of each Archon, with judges appointed by Mother Night to the office of the Imperial authority that resides over the case, leading to extended wrangling while the defendant or parties to a civil case swing in the wind.
| MAPS & PLAYERS |
| LORE |
Background
In the beginning, in the age of creation before time itself. There was only the Void, and within it the Architect, maker of all things, resided. As time passed the Architect began to long for another being of intelligence to commune with. Creatures of sentience and imaginative wonder. So he weaved from the essence of his power and fashioned the Ancient Ones. Beings of raw elemental energy, the mightiest of their kind born from cosmic force itself. The same power they fed on and were thus sustained. He created the First, the being who would watch over his brothers, for he was the mightiest and greatest of them.
As time went and passed, however, the Ancient ones grew more and more greedy, ever seeking and lusting for more power. They raged a war amongst each other. They would wage a war so fierce the very foundation of the cosmic space known as the void shook. They wrestled and fought each other for countless decades before they finally attempted the unthinkable. Seeking to steal for themselves the power of the Architect, many plotted to band together to overthrow the great being. The Architect saw through their trickery easily, and grieved by his own creations, left the Void and trapped the Ancient ones within it.
Beyond the reach of the ancient ones, Architect set to work once more. This time he would learn from his past mistakes in the creation of a new realm, the Prime Material Plane.
The Creation of Ethica
In the then empty void that would one day become the Material Plane, the Architect began his next great work. In the nothingness, he forged the realms, split into the outer plane and inner plane. The realm of gods and mortals respectively. In the inner plane was forged the world that would be known as Ethica. Upon its surface, he molded the continents, and from the world's depths came forth seas. The world was dark then and to remedy this the Architect saw fit to create the first and mightiest beings he would call The Keepers. Angelic beings tasked with the upholding the balance of the prime material world.
Archon Origins
No one knows how Archons or Exarchs gain their strength. Some Archons were born to power and privilege. Others were beggars in the street before their powers manifested. The only common thread among Archons is that they serve Izalith save the rogue ones of other lands. Few Archons have appeared in the latter decades of Mother Nights rule. If one believes the legends of the time before Izalith, new Archons and Exarch's arose every few decades. These new exarchs or Archons would challenge the current Archon of their powers for dominance.
While all Archons possess magical powers, there is no other common thread between these women and men. An Archon might be made of fire, capable of conjuring storms, or able to heal with a touch - the only defining trait of an Archon is that this magic power originates from within. It is unclear how Archons come into their powers, but it is generally understood that most grow into or develop magical power throughout their lives as they cultivate fame, with only a few notable exceptions having shown powers seemingly from birth. Another known fact is no matter the number of children, an Exarch or Archon has yet to be heard of born from another Archon. Even when two archons conceive a child.
One thing that is clear for Archon's and magic that one should beware of is that belief is a strong driving force of magic in the world of Ethica, particularly that of the most powerful kind. Archons are the result of widespread fame and belief in their power and ability. In essence, they are great by nurture, rather than nature.
While every guild or school of magic will ascribe different a name to the theory, all mages inevitably stumble upon an inescapable fact - only the Archons can summon magic into being, everyone else can only cast magic by invoking the sigil of an Archon that has come before. As for whatever reason only Archons 'know' or learn new words of creation as they come to power. None know how the Archons come to this knowledge or do their magic (it seems to be different with each Archon) but theory suggests that once an Archon starts to invoke their powers, anyone else who comes after that Archon could (with the proper knowledge) tap into that power with the proper sigil and know-how. Much in the same way one might invoke the power of a deity. This is one reason many Archons have large groups of followers seeking to learn and benefit from their power. In this way, Archons are almost like minor gods. Fame fuels their rise to power as well as belief, thus it is not strange for an Archon to be (or wish to be) worshiped by more common mortals. Mother Night herself is subject to a large cult following that has no official say in politics but does command some power.
| RULES & GUIDELINES |
"Advanced roleplaying should focus on developing interesting and complex characters that become part of plot-lines which catch the imagination and inspire the writer behind them to exercise creativity. It is mature, humorous, imaginative, tragic, terrifying, passionate, and rife with descriptive language and characters with real personality and relatable cares. Quality posting is far better than needless novels, yet one should never neglect detail when one feels the need. However, while word and paragraph requirements ought to be unnecessary, single paragraphs cannot contain enough detail to suffice."
I. The most important thing is to respect and follow the rules of our host site, which is not in question. The themes of this RP are undoubtedly mature but we need to understand what we can and cannot write blatantly. Prose has many techniques referential and subtle where we can show the idea without outright being overtly over the line. If there’s sexual content there is always “fade to black”, if it is a particularly dark and questionable scene it can be referenced or hinted at instead of shown.
II. Respect fellow role-players. This is a collaborative project in nature so we shan’t dismiss or patronize those we should be working together with—lighthearted humor is fine but remembers not to insult outright or start flame-wars; generally you know the drill so don’t be a dick and things should be kosher.
III. No meta-gaming—in Game of Thrones Robb Stark wasn’t prepared for the Red Wedding, so by good logic, you shouldn’t be as well. The characters can’t know things outside of their timeframe, knowledge, and so on.
IV. A Black Sun is a Grimdark, High Fantasy World, and by extension of that, this includes tropes of the medium. This is not limited to but includes magic, fantasy monsters, heroic adventurers, ancient artifacts, and everything in-between. As a good base of reference, it is a hybrid of ideas presented in the work of Warhammer Fantasy, Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, and Steven Erikson. This is not an RP for those who want hyper-realism or fantasy-touched "hard" medieval settings, nor super fantastical no rules magic, but a grittier dark world of hardship where beings of power take what they will from those beneath them.
V. Characters can and will die in this role-play. This means if five armed swordsmen surround an unarmed hero there will be certainly a terrible end. Even Archons can and likely will find themselves in dangerous or compromised positions. Although, this is not to say GM’s or other players can kill others outright and without consultation—the characters in your faction are your de facto legacy characters and you have a say in plot progression but do remember this is a game of collaboration.
VI. Post length should fit the scene progression; also defer to the quote at the top of the page regarding “advanced role-playing standards”.
VII. Also a major rule...HAVE FUN!!! This rule will be enforced with crossbowmen.
VIII. In the case of players who drop, grow completely inactive, and other situations that hold up the RP the GM's will take exclusive control of these characters and factions so the RP can continue to progress. If for whatever reason you believe you cannot or will not be able to post please make the GM's aware.
IX. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or need to contact a GM for any reason, we ask that you add both to your pm or we will rewrite your pm to fit this format. To reiterate, all pm threads to the gms for gm reasons must include Goldeagle1221, and Grievous Khan in the thread. This will normally include late additions to the lore, or concerns involving other players.
X. Players will be allowed only one Archon/Exarch. Heroes are a different matter.
II. Respect fellow role-players. This is a collaborative project in nature so we shan’t dismiss or patronize those we should be working together with—lighthearted humor is fine but remembers not to insult outright or start flame-wars; generally you know the drill so don’t be a dick and things should be kosher.
III. No meta-gaming—in Game of Thrones Robb Stark wasn’t prepared for the Red Wedding, so by good logic, you shouldn’t be as well. The characters can’t know things outside of their timeframe, knowledge, and so on.
IV. A Black Sun is a Grimdark, High Fantasy World, and by extension of that, this includes tropes of the medium. This is not limited to but includes magic, fantasy monsters, heroic adventurers, ancient artifacts, and everything in-between. As a good base of reference, it is a hybrid of ideas presented in the work of Warhammer Fantasy, Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, and Steven Erikson. This is not an RP for those who want hyper-realism or fantasy-touched "hard" medieval settings, nor super fantastical no rules magic, but a grittier dark world of hardship where beings of power take what they will from those beneath them.
V. Characters can and will die in this role-play. This means if five armed swordsmen surround an unarmed hero there will be certainly a terrible end. Even Archons can and likely will find themselves in dangerous or compromised positions. Although, this is not to say GM’s or other players can kill others outright and without consultation—the characters in your faction are your de facto legacy characters and you have a say in plot progression but do remember this is a game of collaboration.
VI. Post length should fit the scene progression; also defer to the quote at the top of the page regarding “advanced role-playing standards”.
VII. Also a major rule...HAVE FUN!!! This rule will be enforced with crossbowmen.
VIII. In the case of players who drop, grow completely inactive, and other situations that hold up the RP the GM's will take exclusive control of these characters and factions so the RP can continue to progress. If for whatever reason you believe you cannot or will not be able to post please make the GM's aware.
IX. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or need to contact a GM for any reason, we ask that you add both to your pm or we will rewrite your pm to fit this format. To reiterate, all pm threads to the gms for gm reasons must include Goldeagle1221, and Grievous Khan in the thread. This will normally include late additions to the lore, or concerns involving other players.
X. Players will be allowed only one Archon/Exarch. Heroes are a different matter.
