In Ominar, a coastal European city, taken over by the prae--one of two species hailing from another realm—trouble brews. In the few months the public has shown a measure of public outrage to the rule of the prae, which while legal, was established through dubious means. Additionally, with the prae's mistreatment of the licentia--the other of the two otherworldly races--humanity and those licentia willing to stand up against the prae fought back. In an effort to liberate all those who had been wrongfully incarcerated by the prae, the Resistance was formed by a group of likeminded folk and proceeded to unveil themselves to the world in spectacular fashion. Managing to infiltrate one of Ominar's three prisons, the Resistance was able to successfully free the wrongfully imprisoned therein and hide them from the prae--at least to the best of their ability. Still, for now the Resistance is but a small organization fighting against the powers that be.
Meanwhile, the local leader of the prae, an Exeo by the name of Aismael Vea Vartari plots to demonize those who would Resist them, and to use their actions as further reason that licentia everywhere should be driven out, imprisoned, or otherwise oppressed. On the other side of things, the Resistance is soon to come out of hiding once more and resume their actions against the ruling prae in hopes of ousting their control of the city. As these plans play out, the world watches, paying close attention to the trade hub that Ominar has been for a long time now, waiting to see if they ought to intervene or not.
Hopefully they decide to do so...before things spiral out of control.
⊰ Starting Off
You are a resident of Ominar, or someone who has come from abroad recently, your interest may vary greatly. Some of you will come to join the Resistance and fight against the prae who--though misled--are not any more depraved than your every day human. You may be of the licentia, a highly individualistic species with vastly differing natures--be they magical, physical, or mental; or perhaps you are of the prae, having recently come to Medius--the home realm of man--to see what it has to offer, to learn or to fight for the sake of your species betterment; or you may be human, attempting to survive, and to thrive even alongside beings who from birth might be called your betters--ever struggling to rise above your fellows and those who might stand in the way of your ambitions or your happiness. Regardless, there is a place for you here and we are both willing and able to make you as comfortable as we can. We are here to help.
Note: We—that being the GMs [Celaira and myself(yoshua171)] are currently working on reorganizing the lore located in the first three posts of the OOC thread, as well as adding additional entries. A large body of this lore is not strictly necessary for play, but is merely information that may be useful to some players or is there so as to be more accessible. If you would like to contribute lore feel free to do so—provided you are willing to work with us to make sure it fits into the world more seamlessly and so that it may be approved and then added to its proper place in one of the lore posts.
⊰ Ⱦerminology
Priscus: Described as a paradise by those humans who have seen it, Priscus is the Prae's realm of origin as well as the place in which the vast majority of their kind reside.
Medius: The realm of man, reminiscent of our own, though its cultures and societies differ. While the Prae and Licentia have appeared prior, their most prominent entrance into human history occurred in 1563. From then onwards the realm of Medius found itself populated by increasing numbers of all three races.
Torqueo: The realm from which the Licentia originate, Torqueo is, in its own way, bountiful--though perhaps not in the same way as its counterpart, Priscus. Instead, Torqueo is a resource-rich location full of exotic, and often dangerous, flora, fauna, and materials.
Pylae: Colloquially known as 'the Rift', Pylae is a pseudo-realm possessing inconsistent space-time, which due to the difficulty of properly exploring it, so far lacks definition . Pylae is located in all space wherein Medius, Priscus and Torqueo are not.
Anima: The common term among the three races for the soul or internal life force. The term is also often used to refer to the pool of internal power utilized for magic.
Vis: A term used to describe both energy in general, as well as to refer to a being's external energy, sometimes called the aura by humans.
Ostium: While few but the most knowledgeable of magical researchers understand it, Ostium is the term used to describe that which connects a being's Vis and Anima. To utilize magic at all, one must learn to control the Ostium, so that the power of their Anima may be released.
River Metaphor-- If the Anima is the river source and the Vis is where river meets ocean, then the Ostium is a dam which can be opened and closed to regulate the flow of the river and the connection of the user's control to the user's external energy.
Manifest: An ability unique to the Prae, the Manifest, or Manifested State, is the term used to refer to a Prae's ability to manifest their Anima through their unique set of markings. Every Manifest is different, having a wholly unique appearance, though they are most often wing-like in appearance. The Manifest is an enhanced state for Prae, making their imbuing more powerful and allowing them full access to their capabilities--provided they have trained sufficiently. While all Prae--with extremely rare exceptions existing--possess a Manifest, they are not born with the innate ability to properly control it. So it is that they must train to use it properly.
Prisms: Crystals harvested from Priscus by the Prae for use by 'Mirage-type,' Prae. Prisms, as far as the world is aware, cannot be used by other races. These items are used by Mirage-type Prae to capture and store beings or objects of import for ease of storage or safety.
Licenti: The term used to refer to an individual Licentia, rather than their kind as a whole.
Growth Stage: Licentia in a state of physical and magical flux, their primary abilities being those of shapeshifting. Licentia in this stage have one surefire weakness: A solid Anima that resides somewhere within their body.
Trial Stage: Licentia who have, often temporarily, exited the Growth stage, entering a period of more stable existence wherein their form typically remains the same and their magical abilities expand to compensate.
Eximius: The third stage of development for Licentia in which they cease to cycle between the Growth and Trial stages and gain a stable form with stable magical abilities--these are often enhanced in comparison to other Licentia. Most Licentia deify them and so it is that they act as the leaders for their kind, when such are needed.
God-Queen: The name used to refer to the Grand/High Queen of the Prae, who is central to their social structure and continued prosperity. A God-Queen is chosen and created by no less than eight hundred Prae choosing a single individual as a host before sacrificing themselves to imbue the host with tremendous power.
Exeo: Essentially lesser God-Queens, the Exeo, or Queen-sisters/daughters, are Prae who have been given a portion of the God-Queen's Anima so as to empower them. The Exeo act as the voice and hands of the God-Queen in realms abroad.
Mirage: A classification made by humans after continued observation of Prae. Mirage Prae are individuals who use their innate magic to manipulate/spawn elemental effects, or whom specialize in telepathic abilities and healing. While all Prae can train to become a Mirage, sometimes individuals are born with talent in the three aforementioned areas. Some rare Prae of this type are born in a more etheric or elemental state, which they cannot exit. Such individuals lack a Manifest and cannot survive without their element for long. The reason these individuals are born at all is unknown to even the Prae. It should be known that Prae do not use this term to describe themselves.
Gypsy: A classification made by humans, Gypsy-type Prae are individuals with specializations that give them enhanced psychic capabilities. More often than not, Gypsy-type Prae can both be born, but they can be trained as well. These Prae are capable of advanced telepathy and allegedly clairvoyance--which is exceedingly rare among Prae. Some Prae with such abilities are born with more intricate markings and crystals, with their Manifested state being far more unique in comparison to their peers. Occasionally, a born Gypsy is capable of using their voice alone to ensnare/hypnotize both humans and licentia. It should be known that Prae do not use this term to describe their own kind.
Paladin: A term of human make used to refer to Prae who have trained themselves to both bond with the Anima and participate in combat. Prae with specializations which fit into the Paladin category are the rarest of the three more common specialties--Paladin, Guardian, and Warrior respectively. The abilities of a Paladin typically involve healing, of both self and others, as well as damage absorption/redirection, advanced enchantment/imbuing, and touch initiated telekinesis. Many Prae with these skills are chosen to serve the God-Queen and occasionally her Exeo. It should be known that Prae do not use this term to describe their own.
Guardian: A term used by humans to describe Prae who specialize in a form of imbuing which allows them to bond with the Anima of another being. This ability allows them telepathy and/or empathy with the bonded individual and they may take on pain or various levels of damage, as well as intuitively knowing where their ward is. Guardians also typically specialize in healing, allowing them to mend the wounds of both themselves and their ward, if necessary. Once bonded, a Guardian is bonded forever, even if their ward dies as their link to the Anima as it passes on remains. Unless a Prae Guardian is already close to their ward, the bond they form with them starts shallow and gradually deepens, eventually intrinsically linking the two in most ways. The Prae do use members of their kind with this skillset to watch over and protect individuals they deem important--though some bond of their own volition. Becoming bonded requires that the Prae physically split their crystal, imbuing half of it into their chosen ward--this process requires both a rather involved ritual and is typically very painful for the Prae. It should be known that Prae do not use this term to describe their own.
Warrior: A term used by humans, and some Licentia, to refer to Prae whose trained specialty allows them to better engage in combat. Warrior Prae have trained themselves to be adept at using their imbuing to enchant armor and weaponry so as to amplify their movement speed and combat efficacy. Prae do not use this human terminology to describe themselves.
Bridges: The colloquial term used to refer to the points where the three realms connect. Bridges do not form from Priscus to Torqueo and all Bridges tend to be well guarded on both ends--though those to Torqueo are less guarded on the Torqueo end. These 'Bridges,' will, typically switch locations randomly every decade or three, though the shortest period of time in recorded history was two years.
Rift Storms: Bridges can spawn anomalous time-space storms that spontaneously cause vis eruptions, and distortion of space. Typically, Rift Storms do not last more than two hours, though there are rare exceptions.
Focus: An object used, typically by human magic users, to better focus and channel one's vis. A focus is typically made from crystal, metal, or biological material such as bone, or liquids.
⊰ What to Expect
Interactions with at least semi-realistic cause and effect. If you kill someone, expect there to be an investigation or at least it be on the news.
Medium scale in terms of character power, unless you've got good reasons/you prove you can be trusted with more.
Posts of a paragraph or more; quality over quantity. If you're drawing a blank, don't worry so much.
Posting expectations of once, at the very least, every two weeks barring extenuating circumstances.
A GM who is willing to work with you, hear you out, but not break his back to suit your every need.
Good communication be it player to player, GM to GM, or GM to player.
Some measure of political intrigue.
Multiple plotlines if possible.
Group world building!
Collaboration posts.
Some Taboo Subjects.
Some slice of life.
Some dark themes.
Some combat.
⊰ Character Sheet
The way the title section appears below, the existence of hiders for organization, and the sections therein are necessary. Aside from that code your CS how you want, if you want it pretty, but aren't amazing with BBcode, feel free to come to Celaira or myself, we're code wizards I tell ya, wizards! Skill may vary~
For clarity's sake, Celaira is likely to do her code offsite, because she's a Journeyman wizard. She doesn't mind doing the same for others, in fact I'm sure she'd be thrilled if you asked her to do so. I on the other hand strictly use Guild BBcode, but I'm damned good at it--so there's that.
[center][color=COLOR][h2]【[u][b]Name[/b][/u]】[/h2][/color] [img]picture[/img] 【[url=link]Theme I[/url][b]/|\[/b][url=link]Theme II[/url]】 [h3][color=COLOR][i]~[/i][b]"A quote from your character."[/b][i]~[/i][/color][/h3][/center] [hider=Necessary sections]Name Nicknames Gender Sexuality Alias Age Apparent Age Race Sub-Race/Lineage or Nationality/Specialty: Sub-race if Licentia; Lineage/Nationality if human; Specialty if Prae and if applicable.
Appearance: Description and/or additional pictures are welcome. Please give height and weight.
You'll have to be patient with me lol. I'm doing some study of the Terminology as well as reading through the archives. If I still mess up some things when I get a CS going, feel free to let me know what needs to be tweaked. My goal is to not make any major mistakes with it.
^Above is depicted the city of Ominar^
