[OOC] Quest for Gaia's Heart (Greek Mythology RP)

[The Muse]

The Earth is dying.

It has seemed that way for decades, possibly even centuries, but it has always been so slow that most mortals have simply gone numb to the planets ever fading radiance. There are only few ancient enough remember a world vibrant with life. However, something has happened recently that no one can ignore or brush off.

Winter has long been over according to the calendar, but the returning vegetation hasn't lasted with the Spring season. The great kingdom of Eredel once had thick forest sprawled across their entire territory, yet most of the trees have begun dropping every last leaf as they move closer to Summer. The strong rivers of Haventis have grown weak and some have even dried up completely. Vespora grows hotter each day and what little farmland Adland has won't grow enough crops to feed everyone.

The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus have heard the prayers of millions calling for help and thus they must act, yet they are forbidden from taking physical form on Earth. Zeus has, however, permitted them to each pick a one being of their choice to grant special abilities to in order to find a solution to this ever growing problem. It all seems a game to Zeus, seeing as he knows the answer, but the Gods will play along. They are tasked with guiding these mortals through visions and whatever means they see fit.

Hermes, the messenger God, has been given the responsibility of roping each of these chosen individuals together to form a quest to save the Earth. Zeus permits Hermes to tell this group one helpful bit of information; The key is to find Gaia's Heart. An old forgot legend says that eons ago, when the Titan Cronus overthrew his father from the throne, he also locked away his mother Gaia far away and left her there to die. Finding her could save the planet.

This group of heroes will face things they have never seen or experienced before, realizing that the world has so many magical wonders that they had been previously sheltered from. Although they have the Gods helping them along the way, they must prove themselves worthy and overcome many obstacles - including getting along with their counterparts.

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Map

The Kingdoms

Eredel

The Eredel Kingdom is the most powerful and wealthy of any kingdom and has reined as "number one" for centuries. Their King is a strict and military minded man, as the royal family future Kings are raised to be. Few dare to speak against him and most respect him greatly for what he and his long line of great Kings has done for Eredel.

A large majority of people raised in Eredel are well off financially and live a lavish lifestyle, though there are a few rare outer slum areas of their territory. Most live well and have little concern over food, money, disease, or crime. Eredel has the strictest rules of any kingdom and any person found guilty of crime is likely to be met with a harsh judgement (i.e. losing a limb, life in prison, or even death). Some critique the royal family for their harsh judgement, especially for small petty crimes being met with high punishments, but they are not likely to change any time soon.

The main city spans widely across nearly half of their territory, but once you find your way out of the city you will find yourself surrounded by dense forest and valleys with a mountainous region on the very edge of the kingdoms reach. Mostly farmers live in this area and are under strict regulations and quotas to keep food incoming to the city.

Adlan

The small kingdom of Adlan has long been under the heel of Eredel. They are relatively new in comparison to the rest of the kingdoms and most definitely the poorest out of the main four, excluding Xivia. Adlan is at the will of Eredel and is allies with them simply out of pure necessity. They receive minimal help from Eredel even though they are expected to give a portion of their crops and taxes to the powerful kingdom.

The royal family is considered the most lenient and offers help to their people as often as they can. This creates a great sense of loyalty in most, but also creates animosity in some who believe their King to be a push over. Most who live in Adlan are poor farmers and are often at risk of being over come with disease, though their close-knit culture makes for a very low crime rate. Though they have many farms, most of their food ends up designated to Eredel and because of this, starvation is a prominent cause of death among families.

The surrounding area of Adland is mostly valleys, which are typically taken by farms, and the surrounding forest which becomes much thicker around the border line with Eredel.

Haventis

The Haventis kingdom is the 3rd most powerful in the world, begrudgingly. The royal family of Haventis and Eredel have never gotten along or considered themselves friends for as long as any one can remember. The King of Haventis has long been conspiring to overthrow Eredel, but it is no task easily done. Knowing this, Eredel will not help Haventis in any of their affairs, and outcasts the kingdom as much as possible.

Unfortunately, the Kings obsession with steeling themselves against Eredel has caused disarray among his people. There is an enourmous gap between his people financially. Typically, you are either extremely rich or extremely poor. There is great divide within the main city which leads to an exceptionally high crime rate as well. The Kings punishments are strict, but seemingly not strict enough.

The surrounding region of Haventis is mountainous with strong rivers flowing throughout almost the entire territory. Many of the people in Haventis are fisherman, which is where most of the kingdoms food comes from.

Vespora

Vespora is a very close ally to Eredel, thus making it the 2nd most powerful Kingdom. The royal family has always been friends with the Eredel royals, and have worked extremely hard to keep it that way. They have fought wars together and even married their children to each other to keep the bond strong. Though the royal family keeps this relationship stable in order to uphold the lavish lifestyle of their people, many are angry that their King seems to wait on hand and foot for anything Eredel may snap its fingers for. Eredel says jump, Vespora asks how high?

Nonetheless, being so close to Eredel certainly has it's benefits. Like the people of Eredel, the people of Vespora are usually well off financially and live like lords are ladies regardless of social status. The difference, however, is that there isn't much work for the kingdom of Haventis. The land is too arid for farming and the fishing isn't as plentiful as it is for Haventis. Because of this, many turn to to mercenary work and as such, Vespora has become known as the hub for shady individuals to lurk.

Xivia

Next to nothing is known about Xivia. The story goes that centuries ago the powerful kingdom of Eredel agreed to leave Xivia be as long as they did not interfere with anything, though the reason is unclear except that the king of Xivia wished to have noting to do with any of the kingdoms and was self sufficient enough to do so.

Many sailors who attempt the journey to the small island either have to turn back because of the turbulent water and weather, or die trying. It is said that the trek is close to impossible and only the most skilled should sailors even dare take their ship in that direction.

Disclaimer: Only one character is allowed to be from Xivia, which is currently taken.

The Gods

The Olympians

Aphrodite

Goddess of Love, Desire and Beauty

Chosen Human:

Jason Lucis

@Avanhelsing
First granted ability: One will become exceptionally alluring to the people around them, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. At first they will not be able to turn on and off this allure, receiving much unwanted attention in all directions.

Apollo

God of the Sun, Music, Poetry, Archery, and Healing

Chosen Human:

Luella Gugari

@SouffleGirl123
First granted ability: The person chosen will be drawn to archery and upon picking it up, whether for the first time or not, will always hit their mark. They must learn to make sure what they intend to hit is also what is in their hearts, as petty jealousy or other negative emotions may cause the death of an innocent.

Ares

God of War

Chosen Human:

Kalanie Xivia

@Kitty
First granted ability: The chosen person will become adept in hand to hand combat, beating out any opponent who challenges them. They must learn to control their newly gained strength.

Artemis

Goddess of the Hunt, the Moon, Archery, Chastity and the Wilderness

Chosen Human: Reserved for @Grey
First granted ability: They will suddenly have the ability to hear and communicate with animals. Turning it off in order to focus could prove to be tricky.

Athena

Goddess of Wisdom, Handicraft, and Warfare

Chosen Human:

Zywie "Z" Tabory

First granted ability: The individual will have a calming affect on those around them, gaining the ability to solve any dispute peacefully. They will know the right thing to say, though at first the calming affect can be so strong that it causes people to be too calm and in turn making them lazy and unmotivated. They must learn to control this, or no one will be getting anything done any time soon.

Demeter

Goddess of Agriculture, Harvest, and Fertility

Chosen Human: Open
First granted ability: They will have the ability to control plant life around them. Uncontrolled, plants within reach will often grow larger and more vibrant which makes them stand out considerably.

Dionysus

God of Wine, Fertility, Theater, Madness and Resurrection

Chosen Human:

Lorenzo “Enzo” Dyson

@Helo
First granted ability: They will be able to cause a selected person to have brief amnesia. Uncontrolled, this is obviously a problem when you are occasionally making your friends or family forget who they are.

Hades

God of the Underworld, Death, Darkness, Wealth, and Afterlife

Chosen Human:

Eroebus

@Gisk
First granted ability:The champion will be able to slip back and forth between the material plane and the underworld. As they become more powerful, they will be able to delve deeper, and stay there longer. However, upon this first happening, it can be quite terrifying.

Hephaestus

God of Fire, Forges, Blacksmiths, Sculptors, and Volcanoes

Chosen Human:

Callan "Cal" Arkwright

@Saarebas
First granted ability:They will have the ability to control fire, though it will take perseverance to gain full control over the wild element. Spontaneous combustion may happen in the immediate area of the user if their emotions are not under control.

Hera

Goddess of Marriage, Women, Childbirth, and Family

Chosen Human: Open
First granted ability:The chosen person will have luck manipulation. Those the person favors can be temporarily blessed/lucky. Unfortunately this is difficult to control at first and instead of being blessed, someone may become temporarily cursed/unlucky. The general aura of this individual will subtly affect those around them, causing people to either have good or bad luck depending on the users mood when the ability isn't under control.

Hermes

God of Messengers, Thieves, and Travelers

Chosen Human:

Damon Eredel

@The Muse
First granted ability: The individual will become extremely fast on their feet, becoming faster the more they learn to focus on their newly gained ability. Uncontrolled, a small jog could end them up in another city by accident.

Poseidon

God of the Sea, Earthquakes, Storms, and Horses

Chosen Human: Reserved for @Kaesus
First granted ability:One will gain control over the element of water. Uncontrolled, the user or the people around them can unintentionally end up soaking wet.

Other Gods

Persephone

Goddess of the Underworld, Springtime, Flowers and Vegetation

Chosen Human:

Ariella Lindholm

@The Muse
First granted ability: The chosen individual will begin to hear and see the spirits of the dead that still roam the earth. Turning off their calling can prove difficult and even drive one mad if they don't learn to control it.

Notes & Rules

• This is set in medieval times
• You may request another God/Goddess to be added to the list that may not be there already by PMing me or asking in the OOC
• The first ability should not be overly powerful. Eventually our heroes will learn 2nd, more powerful abilities as we get further into our adventure.
• You will not be controlling your God/Goddess much, unless instructed by myself or given approval. They will usually just be used to advance the story or character development.
• Romance is encouraged. Don't be afraid to have certain characters know each other in different ways, either! It'll make the journey interesting.
• No other characters may come from Xivia, I'd like to keep it's mysterious allure for now.
• The general population is currently ignorant to mythical creatures existing. Only when our adventure begins and the
  Gods "open the eyes" of our characters will they realize that these things do exist.

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• I get we all have lives, so I don't expect you to make multiple posts a day. Lets shoot for at least once a week, though. Please let me know if you'll be going on hiatus as well.
• Please no one-liners, especially ones that don't advance the story in any way. I expect at least 1-3 paragraphs per post, but it's definitely quality over quantity.
• No real pictures please.
• You can either PM me your character sheet application, or post it in the OOC for approval. Don't be afraid to ask questions either! :]

Character Sheet

C.S.

** When approved, please post your character within a hider on the Character page

Name:
Appearance: Please do not use real pictures. Feel free to write a description as well.
Age:
Kingdom:
God/Goddess:
Occupation:
Short Bio:

[Gisk]

Two questions.

Can I request a variation in the power for Hades’ champion. I don’t think of Hades as a particularly dark god, so much as maybe a little grim. I was thinking instead of shadow control, maybe the champion can slip back and forth between the material plane and the underworld. As they become more powerful, they could delve deeper, and stay there longer.

The second thing is: are we only using Greek gods? The time period and cultures won’t be inspired by Ancient Greece?

[The Muse]

Two questions.

Can I request a variation in the power for Hades’ champion. I don’t think of Hades as a particularly dark god, so much as maybe a little grim. I was thinking instead of shadow control, maybe the champion can slip back and forth between the material plane and the underworld. As they become more powerful, they could delve deeper, and stay there longer.

The second thing is: are we only using Greek gods? The time period and cultures won’t be inspired by Ancient Greece?

@Gisk

That sounds like a great ability! I'll put that up there instead. :]

I'd prefer using only Greek Gods, they are what inspired the RP for me and the ones I know the most about. Plus the story arch I have in mind is fully centered around them haha The world will be pretty loosely inspired by Ancient Greece. The culture of believing in the Gods, like priests/priestesses specifically designated for each God, rituals, and other similar things will be there but the rest of the world is pretty much just a free for all and completely imagined.

[Avanhelsing]

I AM HERE AND WORKING NOW!

[Kitty]

I'm going to write my character and see which god between poseidon and ares comes out as I write her.

[The Muse]

Woo hoo! I just put up my first characters bio, and I'll work on my second (Hermes' champion) in a bit :]

[Gisk]

Name: Eroebus

Appearance

Age: 24
Kingdom: Vespora
God/Goddess: Hades
Occupation: Street charlatan.
Short Bio: Starting from the ripe old age of thirteen, Eroebus found work among a mercenary company. They were quite wealthy, and he had some decent training after they saw that he had survived his first handful of skirmishes.
Eroebus worked with them for nearly a decade, picking up the usual habits of gambling and drinking in off times, and quite handily portraying the Vesporan sellsword stereotype. He was forced out of he company after an injury to his shoulder. Though he recovered, he was no longer able to lift his shield all the way and, unable to form a phalanx properly, he was considered a liability.

Now Eroebus is among Vespora’s unusually high population of crippled veterans. Without a family trade or business to fall back on, he found that he could carve a niche out for himself in big cities by passing off pizar, an exotic card game, as a form of fortune telling. He works the streets, giving fortunes for coin. His deft fingers allow him to doctor the results when he lays out his cards, showing what he wants people to see.

Eroebus currently works in the capital of far flung Adlan, though he finds it a little tougher of a crowd.

[The Muse]

@Gisk I love it! Go ahead and post it up in the Character tab :]

[Congee]

Hmm I'm interested in making a character chosen by Demeter. Already have a rough concept, just gotta polish him up as I write through his cs.

[SouffleGirl123]

@The Muse Yo, so are we working with pretty much the same prejudices and such of medieval times? In other words I want to do a POC, would it be normal for her to experience prejudice for her skin colour or is that not a part of this reality?

[The Muse]

@The Muse Yo, so are we working with pretty much the same prejudices and such of medieval times? In other words I want to do a POC, would it be normal for her to experience prejudice for her skin colour or is that not a part of this reality?

@SouffleGirl123

Yes, it'll be pretty much the same so she would definitely come across prejudice for her skin as well as her gender. Maybe not quite as extreme as the real thing but... for a good back story/character development why not haha

[Saarebas]

The Handyman

"Things come to those who get off their backsides and work for them!"

Name

Callan "Cal" Arkwright

Appearance

Cal is a strapping young man, standing at an imposing 6'6" and weighting around 270 pounds. He has a jarringly bulky and muscle bound body build paired with a rather wide frame, making him practically a walking mound of muscle. His skin is a roasted chestnut brown and is littered with dozens of small scars from the many nicks and scrapes Cal has acquired over time. He has short messy oak colored hair that connects to a beard that runs the length of his jawline. His eyes are a deep amber and holds a unmistakable gleam of joy in them.

Age

25

Kingdom

Haventis

God

Hephaestus

Occupation

Craftsman
Works odd jobs, everything from blacksmithing to carpentry

Short Bio

"Being born in Haventis is like flipping a coin, there's a fifty fifty shot of what life you'll get, you're either born with the world offered to you on a silver platter... or you're born fighting for whatever scraps fall off that platter. I was oh so lucky enough to be born in the second group."

"Yeah my family wasn't exactly perfect to say the least. My mum was uh... for the sake of those with more delicate ears lets just say she was a 'working lady', so you can imagine with that line of work that I wasn't exactly raised in the most upstanding of homes. As for my Pa I never met the man, but from what I'm told though he was a sell-sword from Vespora, though knowing my luck he was probably just one of the guardsmen in town that didn't have enough courage to claim me as his bastard. I also had a whole slew of younger siblings, there are about a dozen of us, one of the risks of ma's work I guess."

"Growing up in a brothel is interesting to say the least. You see a whole lot of brawls, very angry wives, and more drunkards being tossed out than you can count. You also get to see the men in town in uh... compromising positions, trust me it is hard to look the captain of the guard in the eye again after walking in on him in the middle of... you know what let's just move on."

"As for us bastards we were kind of raised free range, whatever girls weren't working at the time took charge of us and tried to keep us in check, well as much as they could. It doesn't take a genius to realize that kids being brought up in a brothel don't have all the options in the world when it comes to a future, they have even less when they are being raised in the slums of Haventis. Most of the boys either take to theft and pickpocketing while the girls usually end up following in their mothers' footsteps. Me on the other hand I couldn't stand the thought of just letting my life stay like that, stuck in the slums trying the cheat my way to the top, I wanted to make something more of myself."

"It started off with me doing small jobs around the city; sharpening the guards' blades, patching a few roofs, fixing a busted wagon wheel. It wasn't long until I caught the eye of the local blacksmith. The man was a drunkard but he knew his way around a forge so when he offered me an apprenticeship I couldn't refuse. My time was split between learning how to tend the forge and keeping the poor drunk from setting himself on fire. Despite his shortcomings he was a hell of a teacher and soon enough I was taking the brunt of the jobs that came in, though thinking about it that may of just been because the old codger wanted more time to drink. Regardless I ended up becoming the town's most sought after craftsman, I even had people coming from whole different cities to hire me."

"All and all I think I have made a pretty good life for myself; good job, good friends, not too horrid of a family. Here's hoping nothing crazy happens to change all that."

[The Muse]

@Saarebas Wonderful! Go ahead and put it up :]

[Saarebas]

@The Muse Woo Hoo, acceptance! Thanks boss =)

[Avanhelsing]

My sexy shepherd seductive specimen will be done soon!

[The Muse]

@Avanhelsing Lol Can't wait to see them!

[Kaesus]

May I take Poseidon?

[The Muse]

@Kaesus Sure, I'll put it on reserve for you.

[The Muse]

I just put up the Prince's Bio (2nd character - Hermes' disciple) if anyone is interested. :]

I should be able to start working on the intro post sometime tomorrow.

[SouffleGirl123]

@The Muse Here's my character

Luella Gugari

Name: Luella Gugari
Appearance:
Note: Of course, she'll be in period relevant clothing but after an hour it's proved impossible to find XD

Hider

Small rations and much hard work has left Luella rather slim yet ever-so-slightly muscular. She stands and 5'6" and has a rather good posture. Her hazelnut-shell brown littered with marks and scratches from whatever the past few days had surprised her. Her chocolate hair is (annoyingly) thick and curly brown hair messily falls to hair ribs when it's not pulled out of the way in some simple hairstyle (which it commonly is). She has a long scar from her elbow that travels a quarter way down her forearm.
Age: 23
Kingdom: Vespora
God/Goddess: Apollo
Occupation: Servant to a noble family
Short Bio:
"We could be so much worse off." The seven words Luella's mother repeated to her all the time, the words she still repeats now.

Luella's future was practically sealed for her at birth. Luella is her mother's only child, and a bastard child at that. Despite the scrutiny she received of falling pregnant out of wedlock Claire never considered giving her unplanned daughter up. It was this decision that practically sealed her future for her. Her mother was a servant to one of Vespora's wealthy family, a job that her ancestors had held for 3 generations. A tradition so old Luella really had no choice but to accept. Besides, if she didn't she'd likely wind up homeless. She spent her childhood following her mother and learning her duties until she was old enough to work on her own where she was sent to work for their master's oldest son.

The Jones family weren't the worst of people to work under. They fed their servants and barely beat them. In saying that, the aren't the best either. The only fed enough to keep them alive and healthy enough to work but not quite a decent amount, they forced them work long hours and they were vigorously underpaid, the family using the fact they're fed and given a home an excuse. It's dodgy living, true, but finding an alternate job would be harder, it was better then them living in the streets, joining the ventures of the shady characters (although it was common for Luella and her mother to be accused of conspiring or doing shady deeds simply due to their skin colour).

Christopher, the then-teenager Luella was assigned to, wasn't particularly 'bad' just distanced. He never raised a fist to her but he never uttered word of greeting to her. He ignored her more than anything, as I it was by magic his room was cleaned and his snacks were served. Sure, he called her some nasty names to his friends but never to her face, their relationship was very professional with little contact as possible, Luella had no problem with this unspoken arrangement.

Life as a servant is, honestly, so mundane for the woman. It tends to become the same after years. Mundane, hard and sometimes completely frustrating. Luella found an escape from the mundanity and frustration, music. As long as she was not required for duties and there was no company the allowed to use the otherwise usually abandoned piano in the parlour. She'd learnt to read basic sheet music by watching Christopher's mother play and from there taught herself. She's not a determined one. Music was, and still is, her solace through her hardships and trials.