Proverb of the The Shadowed Horizon , a book written, and lost, long ago.
There exists a land of peaceful unrest. The kind of unrest that comes from a struggle of survival, but only after it has been quiet for too long. The kingdoms of man were spread out across the land. Stretching from one shore, to the opposite, and controlling all that in between. It wasn't that man was necessarily greedy, although most would fool you on that point, but more of the fact of ambition to survive. To carry on after those weaker races, still stuck in the old ways. It was that man was bringing forth a new age, an age of technology. Magic would fail, but a wagon powered by forged iron, and chemical reactions would always run. So it was that man was in need to control its insatiable thirst for knowledge. And where knowledge spread, so did the advances, but with each advancement more was needed. More material, and so mankind did what was necessary.
Those of older lore, coming before man and his machines, were not run off so easily. And it was through agreement and barter, through blood and battle, that each of the older races claimed their borders and maintained the well being of their own race, very few who ventured outside the safety of like minded beings to associate with those viewed brutish and obscene in their ways. In fact, each of the dominant races seemed just fine with secluding themselves inside their own territory, and thus an easy peace fell over the land. The Elves practiced their old magic, hidden in the forests, and performed their ancestral rituals for Gaea, Mother of Nature and creator of the Elves. The Dwarves practiced their ceremonies underneath their mountains, for the All Father, their deity and creator. The Fae Folk took to the islands, as they are creatures of many needs and wants, where they danced and sung the songs of the sisters Andraste and Aine, Goddesses of the Dawn and Moon respectively.
But it was man who cast away their gods, delving into a new age with such abandon that their god remained all but forgotten. And his power waned as they forgot his name, as the praise and worship stopped. For Animus, the god of spirit and will, was the fifth on a great seal. A collaboration of all five of the deities, for with great creation comes destruction. And as they formed their creatures, their followers, so did they give life unknowingly, creating what we would later call demons. For creation also breeds waste, and that discarded miasma of waste formed together into a demon who would later call himself Osiris, as he rose to power in a land born opposite of world of man and fae. As the gods create, their power backlashes and comes together in tainted, evil ways. The world of oblivion is a reflection of the world of man and fae, born and fed by the evil in the hearts of every creature.
With the fifth part of the pentacle seal failing, it was all the four more powerful deities could do to hold back the tide of shadows, the hordes of demons. Eventually the demons would slip through, little by little, squeezing through a hole until it became large enough, until the plane of oblivion spilled out into the world. The distant races too far gone in their own seclusion, the technology of man nearly useless against a horde of monsters seen only in nightmares. The first recorded sighting of the demons was in 2915, of the Second Cycle. The war only raged on for two years, and everyday was a struggle to survive. After the first few months, the blight struck farms, wilting crops and sickening animals. Then the darkness, a sickness that infected the races, ever so distant from from each other. Symptoms included fever, insomnia, black spotting on the skin, blindness, uncontrollable rage, and ultimately: Death. In the end, everyone has their own valiant tale of how the war ended, but in truth, it was a combination of knowledge and collaboration between what little of the world's races survived. Advanced Dwarven Metallurgy, Elvish Magic, and The last Mankind's Technology combined together to create The Angel's Fist, a weapon of immense power. In fact, it was a big, magical cannon, the force of which tore a massive trench up the middle of the continent, the blue white beam of light smashing into the gateway the demon hordes used to crossover. The force of just emitting the beam sent the cannon tearing through the city behind it, and into the ocean where it is assumed it broke apart. Even though the war had technically ended, the next few years would remain just as difficult with plague, disease, and the loss of great libraries of knowledge, and the few remaining bands of demons, all of which lead into a worldwide dark age.
Year 3415, of the third cycle: The war comes again. Approximately five hundred years from the last Repelling, the title associated with the war itself, because evil can never truly be killed. The races of the world have learned their lesson, and now mingle within each others society. Having nearly been brought to extinction by their seclusion, a world council has formed, and every three years a delegate is elected to head the council. Brought back from the edge of extinction, man now leads a simpler life alongside the other races. Having lost all their advances, their texts on science, their schematics, are nothing but relics of an older, advanced world. Where man once held a barrel that fired shaped metal darts, the same hands now wielded swords and shields, and magic. Just as the other races. Though that was not to say there were not those who wished to relearned the secrets of the ancients, to uncover the lost technology before the Repelling.
It is barely a week from elections when the first fiend is sighted. It's leathery red hide, covered sparsely in pointed quills scampering off with a small child, stolen from a cattle farmer. All over the continent small sightings were surfacing, though only as rumors. As man has still forgotten their god, Animus, and the seal once again weakens, the fiends of oblivion once again look for their passage into the world of man and fae, to feast once more. Five hundred years passes quickly, and lessons are easily forgotten and replaced by peace, however uneasy.
In fact, to the east lies the great deserts of the human nomads, a band of people who left during the first Repelling, seeking refuge in the hostile ocean of sand and rock. Though unbeknownst to most of the world , the nomads were settling down and founding settlements, creating a system to govern their people. And becoming unhappy with their endless sea of sand, their barren plains of dead trees. Jealous of those on the other side of the World's Edge, a chain of mountain effectively separating the deserts and the lush greener lands adjacent. In the last couple hundred years the nomads numbers have grown, and with the other races on the same par as themselves with magic and sword, perhaps the time has come to reap some of the better lands for themselves. The men of the desert prepare for war, the kingdom of man, closest to the nomads, remains uneasy, quietly preparing their negotiations to avoid conflict.
Peace, is never really peaceful, is it?
World Outline:
Mankind resides on the eastern side of the "green" lands, also having claim to maintaining the largest borders for their ever increasing population.
The Elvish have spent many days with their magic to thicken the forests of the west, many of which were barren after the Repelling. Hidden and hard to find unless they deem it appropriate.
The Dwarves have burrowed up north, underneath a great mountain they call Forge, location in the middle of a collection of other mountains. Their passes and travel routes remain a mystery and dangerous to most.
The Fae are about the rarest of races, in all of their brands, they have claim to a small chain of islands south of the shores of man and elf. Most of their larger islands having sunk into the ocean when the Repelling came about.
So.. Magic obviously. The technology for the most basic of guns and cannons have been lost. It's back to the day of the sword and spell. You pretty much have free roam in my world, I want this to a world we build together, the only things I want left in my control are those mentioned here, The Repelling, The War, and The Election. Though that's not to say you can't have altercations with the nomads or demons. I pretty much just have basic expectations. You must have seen the [Advanced] tag, so, that's what it is. Though I'm not hardcore advanced. So here's what I expect.
-Average more than two paragraphs. Occasionally it can be difficult to get a lengthy post up, given circumstance or perhaps personal health. (example: A fight scene) Just give me substance, and less fill.
-Grammar is not a huge issue, but that doesn't mean it can be disregarded so easily. I misspell things here and there: Occasionally i'll forgot an "s" on the end of a word, or put teh instead of the. It happens. Re-reading and Google are my best friends.
- Romance, I actually do enjoy a bit of romance but this is no smut. If it actually comes to that we'll have to provide a fade-to-black or something. This is not going to be romance focused, but it can happen.
-Frequency, I can usually get on every night, and can be a little impatient. But that's not to say I'm unreasonable.
-Ability to play multiple characters. This is a must, as the setting I'll outline below will give you an idea why.
The Setting: The nomads have their spies, and right now that's a big deal to the Council, even if they are keeping it pretty hush-hush. Our characters have been accused of treason, though what exactly we've not been told. Some how we're both going to end up in a jail cell together, with a third character (that I will play) and go from there. Basically afterwards we're going to be outcasts, our skin too light to pass as a nomad, and wanted by the Council for treason. Eventually we're going to become a rebellion, and that's all I'll tell you for now :)
I will accept character sheets, but there is no need for them. I feel that being in advanced every here should know the limitations of being Over Powered, and should have the ability to adequately describe their character(s) within a few posts.
You can communicate with me on Steam ^ ^ - AlchemisticVeil
The very first post
I originally intended this to be a 1x1, but I was thinking it could be equally, if not more, fun in a small group. I'm thinking 3-4 players at most.
