The Shimmertown arc was the first Arc in the RP. Taking place in the city of Shimmertown. This are takes place during the dates of Auddium 72, 4256 - Olfaccium 5, 4256.
The plot of this arc covers the meeting of the Pactmakers and the Being of Many Names as the city of Shimmertown becomes covered by a new Distortion, and cumulates to the Battle of Shimmertown and the death of a Seed of Insight.
The arc widely sets up the Cult of Insight as a threat to the world at large and sets the stage for events moving forward. In addition it lays the grounds of current international conflicts, particularly between the Nation of Sight and the Empire of Touch.
The prologue starts by introducing the cult who gained influence with the King of the Nation of Sight. With this influence they were able to spread their influence to three cities. One of those cities being Shimmertown.
---- The Being's Appearance and the Day of Madness
The Shimmertown arc beings inside the walls of Shimmertown shortly after the Cult's arrival. The town has been on edge since then, not just because of the Cult's unwanted presence, but also due to the Army of Touch being not far from the town's walls. Despite this, Shimmertown's Lord has been inattentive to the people's complaints.
The soon to be Pactmakers, meeting at an inn before the Being appears and warns them of the cult, the insight, and the Seed of Insight which will create a distortion. The being tells the pactmakers that they can use Crystal Jade to avoid being touched by insight as they sleep, and gives them tips on how to kill the Seed of Insight. After the Being's disappearance, the pactmakers go to sleep only to awake to a town in chaos.
That night, a Distortion falls on the town. Everyone sleeping in darkness that night become touched by Insight. The morning after, becomes known as the Day of Madness. When the pactmakers wake, they find a city in chaos with people on the streets kill each other in a blind rage. Worse still, people from the cult, led by Sightless Syella have found the pactmakers and attempt to capture them.
After the Inn goes up in flames, the Pactmakers escape to the roof top in an attempt to escape. They are found and cut off by Syella and her followers however, and a fight ensures. During the fight, the Pactmakers learn that by shattering Crystal Jade, you can create a 'flash bang' and disrupt a Sightless' connection to the Insight.
The Pactmakers barely escape and hideout in an abandoned building.
---- The Kharu-Natjier and the Battle at the Clock Tower
The day after, the pactmakers decide they need help. They split up into two groups in order to accomplish this. One group follows Karina (Borg's character) to the city's clock tower. Using Týfurkh's (Fetzen's character) abilities, they decided that they could use the clock tower's height to send a message to the General Frost, Karina's father. The other group follow's Chres (Pezz's character) to find a mysterious figure they learn of. Supposedly, this figure might be able to assist their plight.
The group following Chres, end up meeting a character going by the title of the Kharu-Natjier. They find the man taking residence in an ancient system of tunnels under the city. The man appears to be from a foreign nation but has a grudge against the cult. At his side were two allies that he plotted with. Svephraey and Malkev.
The Kharu-Natjier identifies the Pactmakers for what they are and agree to assist them while also offering them safety in the tunnels. Shortly after their meeting, Chres and the rest leave to find the others.
Karina's group make it to the Clock Tower and successfully relay their message. However, unknown to them, Cult members managed to track them down and surround them in the tower. The Cult followers are led by a girl Named Tayla (Pezz's character), a girl who Karina fought the day prior. While having tracked the pactmakers down while following orders of Syella (The cult apparently has need a pactmaker), Tayla had an ulterior motive. She wanted another chance to kill Karina.
Ultimately, Tayla and Karina's fight is inconclusive, and the fighting draws the attention of Sightless Nieffar, the sightless given charge of the Shimmertown mission. Chres' group manages to meet up with the other, however, and assist in escape with the help of Svephraey and Malkev.
---- Preparation for the Battle of Shimmertown
The Pactmakers spent the next few days resting and preparing for the upcoming battle. Karina, looking to prove herself to the army of touch, sets to work on a few diplomacy matters. Specifically, she attempts to get Malkev to support the Empire of Touch. While he eventually agrees to support her so long as his family remain protected, he never actually agrees to being a 'pawn' to the Empire.
The pactmakers also manage to find salt (salt being necessary to kill the Seed) and learn more about the Kharu-Natjier and his strange people, the Nhatkelese. During one of their preparations, the pactmakers are approached by messengers from the Army of Touch. The army received Karina's message. They inform Karina that her father, Viktor Frost, has given her a new mission. To open the eastern gate to the Shimmertown Wall, on the 5th day of Olfaccium. That will be the day that the army will assault Shimmertown.
While Malkev works to rally the people up in anger, the pactmakers formulate a plan involving distractions and an assault on the wall (The wall guard has turned to the cult). With a pouch of salt and a crystal jade candle each, The pactmakers set out to open the gate.
---- Assault on the Wall
The Battle of Shimmertown begins early on the 5th day of Olfaccium. While Malkev riles the city folk into a riot, the pactmakers head to the northeastern wall to begin their assault.
Three distractions take place during this time to help the Pactmakers sneak into the wall. Malkev's riot attacks the Eastern Gate from with. The Army of Touch feint an attack on the southern wall. And the pactmaker's three Familiars use the underground tunnels to sneak into the wall on the southeastern side of the wall with crystal Jade candles, hoping to draw the Sightless' attention further south instead of north.
The distractions successfully pull most of the wall guard south side, making it easy for the pactmakers to enter northeastern section of the wall. However, they encounter resistance has they make a mad dash south, to the Eastern gate. After much fighting, the tired pactmakers enter the eastern gatehouse and open it to rioting citizens. The citizens storm the gate in a disordered fashion and attack the wall guard while the Pactmakers attempt to open the gate.
While trying to open the gate, the Tayla splits Karina up from the rest of the Pactmakers for a final confrontation. This battle results in a loss for Tayla and the death of Smit the closest person she had to a friend. Tayla is spared, however, and is taken prisoner. The rest of the pactmakers, aside from Jen (Fist Guy's character) encounter resistance from Sightless De'laire. After killing her, they successfully manage to open the gates to the Army of Touch.
While all this occurs, Jen finds himself in a fight with Sightless Syella who nearly deals a lethal blow on Jen. However, Jen is saved by a seemingly random explosion that bathes him the flickering light of a fire. Blind to the Insight, Syella leaves, but not before making a deal with Jen. A deal that will involve him betraying Chres to the cult.
---- Assault on the Wall - Aftermath
The army enters the city and gains control of the east and south side of the city. During this time, it is revealed that the Kharu-Natjier and most of his people, save at least two, abandoned the city. Apparently they had no intention of actually assisting in the fighting.
Meanwhile High General Viktor Frost meets with Malkev and the Pactmakers. Viktor tries to encourage Malkev to be the new lord of Shimmertown, but under the Empire's command. While Malkev considers, the talks break down when Viktor informs Malkev that he intends to take Malkev's nephew, now without father, as a ward to a lord in the Empire of Touch. Seeing this for what it was, a hostage situation, talks break down. Malkev is sent to a 'room' to rest and think things over.
Before Viktor leaves, he notes that the pactmakers' job is not done yet, as the Distortion is still over Shimmertown. The pactmakers depart, prepare for one last fight. A fight to kill the Seed of Insight.
---- The Seed of Insight
Back in the underground tunnels, the remaining two of the Kharu-Natjier's people guide the pactmakers to an exit close to the building that the Cult set up as their church (near the center of the city). Suspecting to find the Seed within, the pactmakers, accompanied by Touch Soldiers under Karina's to command, manage to assault the Cult's church and take control of the building. While the pactmakers don't find the seed in the building's basement, they do find a relatively new tunnel smelling of rot and decay.
After traversing through the tunnel, the pactmakers find themselves in a ruined cellar beneath Lord O'Kal's mannor. At the center of the cellar is a giant Seed and a pile of corpses upon which it fed. Sightless Nieffar appeared behind the seed and revealed that a Seed of Insight is an extension of the Sightless transformation, and that this Seed of Insight had used to be the Lord of Shimmertown. Lord O'Kal.
Nieffar then gives into the Insight hoping to use it's deepest powers to turn the tides of war. Instead, Nieffar ends up losing himself to the Insight. Transforming into a Seed himself and merges with the existing seed. A chaotic battle ensues, with many of the pactmakers ending up wounded. During the battle, the Being appeared to taunt the pactmakers each time one of the Seed's hearts were ripped out.
Eventually the Pactmakers manage to rip out four hearts, with the last two belonging to Nieffar. In a final desperate attack, the Seed tries to crush the Pactmakers, however, the seed that used to be Nieffar begins to rot and breaks away from the other Seed. With Nieffar now dead and the other seed without hearts, the seed is cut off at its base and salted.
The seed dies and turns into shadow metal. The Being appears shortly after.
---- The Truth of the Unspoken Pact
The Being congratulates the pactmakers while taunting them simultaneously. The Being reveals that he was broken long ago and is trapped on this word because of it. He implies that defeating the cult will help free him and that all he wants is leave this world to see what lies beyond.
The Being admits to being tired and suffering from a madness which he blames his off-putting attitude on. The pactmakers, however, are still displeased with the Being. Seeing him as unhelpful and secretive.
Eventually, Chres pins the Being and tries to get answers about the Unspoken Pact. The pact the pactmakers made with the Being unwittingly. The Being relents and tells the pactmakers the truth. The Pact helps the Being exist as he survives off the legacies of others. Whenever, a pactmaker dies, the Being takes the pactmakers legacy and name. Wiping the pactmaker from the remembrance of others, except other pactmakers.
The Pactmakers are outraged at this revelation, but the Being states that if he dies, then his power will likely pass onto Vi'daerus. The Discarded of Sight. Upon hearing his name, Vi'daerus breaks into the bubble of existence created by the Being. Appearing as a white, unseeing eye peering in through a crack in reality, Vi'daerus launches oily tendrils towards The Being.
With a snap of his finger, the Being disappears. Vi'daerus disappearing with him.
---- Battle of Shimmertown - Aftermath
The cult's hold on Shimmertown is lost after the death of the Seed and the loss of the Distortion. With the army now in control of the city, things start to calm down in the city.
Sitting in his cell alone, Malkev receives and unexpected visit from Svephraey. While mostly there to taunt Malkev, Svephraey begins to talk about her interest in the Kharu-Natjier and the strange power that he hold that can't be block with magical deterrents.
Malkev, with no other choice but to listen, find himself in a deteriorating state and eventually coughs up blood. Mocking him further. Svephraey reveals that she poisoned Malkev of her own volition. Malkev dies alone in his cell. Svephraey uses his corpse to create a new Splinter. A puppet corpse that obeys her every whim.
During this time it is revealed that she was the one who created the explosion that saved Jen during his fight with Syella. During this fight she learned of the Power of Gods from Syella's conversation with Jen. As she walks away, she idly wonders how one could usurp such a power.
Elsewhere, Viktor Frost is greeted by Princess El'lysael (The princess having run away earlier in the arc). The princess informs him that she wants to help the army of touch overthrow her father, the King of the Nation of Sight.
As Viktor Frost contemplates this development, he notes to himself a secret that he knows. The princess's true father is the Emperor of Touch. Seeded when the emperor forced himself onto his own sister, El'lysael's mother and the now deceased Queen to the Nation of Sight.
---- Epilogue
Back in the Shining Palace, Sightless Vetius, accompanied by Prince Al'likar, probed the crystal jade exterior of the Shining Palace. Vetius noted that he was looking for a way to 'hack' into the magic behind the Crystal Jade, and corrupt it. However, he would need an artifact in order to do so.
Prince Al'likar, who has at this point decided to work with Vetius to fight against the Being, asks how they would find this artifact. Vetius reveals a name or title. The Hekkru-Natjier.
In another small city on the southwestern coast of the Nation of Sight, a different set of pactmakers with the assistance of a woman going by the title Breath, managed to kill a different seed that had planted itself in that city. This group of pactmakers fared far worse than our main characters with at least one of them having died. The Being appears before them, but is interrupted by Breath, who managed to somehow enter the Being's bubble of existence.
Surprised by this development, the Being calls Breath by her real title. the Nashep-Natjier. The Nashep-Natjier shatters the Being's bubble of existence, forcing the Being to disappear. Nashep-Natjier then tends to the injured pactmakers before apologizing to them.
One by one, the Nashep-Natjier kills the pactmakers she helped. With each death, she uses her powers to break their pact and to release their legacy back into the world. However, the Nashep-Natjier notes sadly that she failed the Pactmakers, as she was unable to break the pact without killing them.
She then mentions that she can't beat the Being this way, for with each broken pact, the Being will form another. Regardless, she notes that it is her duty to break the Being and others like him. Even if it means killing all the Pactmakers.
We have started the final day of Arc 1. This consists of the Battle for Shimmer Town and will culminate in the destruction of a Seed of Insight.
The Pitch
Saencila, The Land of Senses. A Land where the five senses are pure and holy. A Land rich in long lost history. A Land shrouded in myths and legends. Twice the land was struck by great Evil. Twice the land fended it off. Locked away, in the Isle of Mystiq, great evil lies in wait. Sealed away, in the vast Dead Sands, great evil lies in wait. Two evils long forgotten. Two evils once beaten. Two evils not truly defeated.
Saencila, The Land of Senses. A Land of five great nations. Two Nations wrapped war. To the West, The Nation of Sight. A nation of great arts. A nation of great treasures. A nation at the mercy to a neighbor far greater. At the center, The Nation of Touch. A nation of great craftsmen. A nation of great might. A nation ruled by a despicable new Emperor. Eager for war. Eager for power. Two nations lost in war. One nation cries for help. A forgotten evil answers. A new dark age will soon arise.
Saencila, The Land of Senses. A Land with an impending disaster yet to come. A land with a sole remaining active evil. An evil hidden in plain sight. An evil bidding it's time. An evil answering a cry. An evil about to strike. The Isle of Mystiq, before too long an evil will soon be unlocked. The Dead Sands, before too long an evil will soon be unsealed. Four mystical artifacts long lost. One mystical artifact long in use. Without them Saencila cannot know peace. Without them forgotten evils will rise again. Without them all hope is lost. Without them... Without them... Saencila, The Land of Senses. No more will it be. No more will it be.
Please note that this is a slow paced RP
Roleplaying is a hobby, not a job. You are allowed to have your own life ;)
Our usual pace is one or two people posting a week. Sometimes more. Sometimes less.
New people are always welcome. Fortunately I have a built in character that allows people to more easily integrate with the story.
We do have a discord. The address will be handed out on approval of your Character sheet.
The Basic Premise
Saencila is a fantasy world, in which the Five Senses are considered holy. It takes place thousands of years after two related apocalyptic events which threatened to destroy the world. The aftermath of these events left behind a broken world. Most of the evil responsible for these events have been sealed away and long forgotten. There is only faintest of references to the event in ancient myths throughout the world. The evil that remains in the world is now considered to be a mysterious phenomenon that naturally occurs for reasons unknown, in a region called The Broken Islands. The people of the world don't realize that this remaining phenomenon is actually an evil entity that has been simply bidding its time, waiting for the moment to strike and release it's brethren upon the world once again.
The story takes place during a war between two of the five great nations which make up the Land of Saencila. The nation that is losing the war, The Nation of Sight, currently has become desperate. In their desperation, they have reached out for help from The Cult of Insight, a fanatical group of religious followers who have fallen prey to the last remaining evil force active in Saencila. By turning to the cult for help, this nation has unwittingly opened a flood gate that will eventually lead to the start of another apocalypse.
So who are the main players here? Well you are. You are just an everyday normal or not normal person who has been suddenly swept up in the danger that one nation has unleashed upon the world. But before we begin that, there is a lot of information to unpack. You don't have to read all of it to play. Just be mindful of how magic works. You may also want to look through The Discarded Overview section (an overview of the enemy) as well as Vi’daerus the Omniscient (Discarded of Sight), the prologue too, a maybe even a glance through the five nations... which I suppose is just about everything I've typed up... Meh.
Link to see the current battlegrounds for the war. The land highlighted in red has been taken by the Nation of Touch. https://imgur.com/mctuec2
Year 4256. 58 day of the month Auddium. Nation of Sight City of Irissia. Capital of the Nation of Sight. Early Evening.
The sun is beginning to set. As is the future for the Nation of Sight. The war with the Nation of Touch has cost them greatly over the past few months. The once thriving city of Irissia is now quiet. Few ever come to visit anymore.
At the center of the city stands The Shining Palace. Envisioned by the Nation of Sight’s greatest artists and built by the Nation of Touch’s greatest craftsmen, The Shining Palace is the jewel of Irissia, even in these dark days. Its walls are made of solid Crystal Jade, a rare yet sturdy form of jade colored crystal which glows in the darkness and glitters in the light. Its walls are covered with intricate carvings of mythical heroes long forgotten. Its interior filled with tapestries and paintings encased in frames of gold. These were treasures from a time when the Nation of Sight flourished. No longer does it flourish. No longer.
Within the confines of The Shining Palace, the Crowned King Y’lleant Spaectrum walks the halls. Following closely behind him is his loyal advisor, Rictern, and a handful of guards. King Y’lleant stares ahead as he listens to the words of his advisor. They both had just been briefed on the latest status of the war. They've lost more ground and the Nation of Touch was just about on their doorstep.
“We cannot win this war, your Highness.” Rictern began. “Our troops are made up of painters, sculptors, dyers and potters. They are artists. Not soldiers.”
King Y’lleant nodded sullenly. He had this talk many times before.
“We must surrender my King. Your people are dying for you. They fight for a hopeless cause.”
“Our country is not a hopeless cause.” Y’lleant asserted sternly. “If we surrender. I am a dead man. My family will be slaughtered. And my wife… My precious Tallea, once again she will fall prey to her brother’s despicable… desires.” He said the last part quietly. There was no need for the guards to be spreading rumors about his wife. Even if they were true. Especially if they were true.
“You don’t know that for sure.” The king’s advisor responded. “This new Emperor of Touch, My Queen’s brother, his nation praises him as a man of the people. A great man. An honorable man who keeps his promises. You surrender with the proper terms he may let you live out your life as a city lord. Your children, his niece and nephew, left alive. Perhaps even he will leave The Queen alone. He has an Empress now. Surely that must sate his... his needs. We could end this peacefully.”
Y’lleant shook his head grimly. No matter how gracefully he surrendered. The Emperor of Touch would not allow him to live. Not this one. His father would, but not the son. Emperor Talissare was a man of the people, only from the outside. The man loved being adored. In truth, this was not the case. If a person slighted this man, even unintentionally, Talissare would find a way to utterly destroy that person.
King Y’lleant had learned about his cruelty the hard way as a youth. When Y’lleant visited the previous Emperor of Touch, with his father several years ago, Talissare had challenged him to a game of The Senses. Y’lleant’s future wife had been there then. Standing silently at his side, suffering her brother’s far too intimate touches and creepy lingering stares. The boy disgusted Y’lleant, but he said nothing.
That was the first time Y’lleant saw his future wife. Little did he know that his father and Talissare’s father were negotiating their marriage that very moment. She was a shy thing then, but once away from her brother’s grasp, she developed into a strong lady. His Queen. His entire world.
Y’lleant won that game, of The Senses, against Talissare as well as the next three that followed. Talissare didn’t take losing well. His sister made an off handed comment about how she never saw Talissare lose before. That earned her a backhand across the face from her brother. Talissare stared daggers at Y’lleant before composing himself. Later that night, he came to Y’lleant’s guest room, while Y’lleant slept, and beat Y’lleant till he blacked out. Talissare was punished severely for his actions, but Y’lleant had learned his lesson. Never cross the future Emperor of Talissare.
Unfortunately for Y’lleant, he was never able to act on that lesson. His arranged marriage to Tallea had sealed his fate. That was the real reason for this war with the Nation of Touch. No matter what the Emperor said. Y'lleant knew Talissare wanted his favorite plaything back. Y’lleant’s wife. Talissare's own sister. He truly was a disgusting man.
Did Y’lleant’s people deserve to die in order for Y'lleant's family to live and for his wife to be safe? No they did not. Rictern was right. Y’lleant should surrender his throne. Even if it meant the death of his family. That would be the morally correct thing to do for the people. However, depending on how this next meeting went, perhaps surrendering wouldn’t be necessary.
Rictern eyed the king expectantly. He was waiting for a response from Y’lleant. Y’lleant sighed. Ahead was the Y’lleant’s destination. The Palace wine cellar. An oak door guarded by four guards.
“Perhaps you’re right Rictern.” Rictern nodded appreciatively at Y’lleant’s comment. “However, I'm not yet ready to surrender. I will come to a decision depending how this meeting goes I will come to a decision.” Y’lleant stopped expectantly at the oak door to the cellar. The guards nodded and opened the door revealing a stairwell covered in darkness.
Rictern cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrow questioningly. “Meeting?” he asked. “I wasn’t informed that we had an appointment left today.”
“Consider yourself informed.” Y’lleant responded while grabbing a nearby torch and proceeding down the stairs. Rictern frowned for a split second before smothering it and following the king’s lead.
“Why are we meeting someone in a dank place like this?” Rictern asked quietly.
“Our guest prefers the darkness.” Y’lleant responded.
“And who is this guest exactly?” Rictern asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
A dry voice answered behind Rictern. “Someone who is right in the eyes of the lords most ancient. Someone with the vision to grant you victory in your country’s plight.”
Rictern jumped at the voice and spun. Y’lleant turned as well to face the one who spoke. The torchlight shined on a being who appeared to be covered black treelike bark. Around the man, if he could be called a man, light seemed to dim as if it were being obscured through a veil of thin cloth. He had no eyes. The man had long since ripped them from his eye sockets. Yet despite his inability to see, he stared right into Rictern’s eyes. Head slightly cocked to the side. Smiling as if he knew a funny secret.
Rictern’s eyes went wide with fear and concern. “One of The Sightless.” He said barely above a whisper. He was clearly unnerved.
The Sightless’s smile deepen further as if satisfied with unnerving Y’lleant’s advisor. Rictern turned to face Y’lleant with the speed of a flying arrow. “You allowed The Cult into the palace?!” Rictern accused.
Y’lleant’s face grew stern. “These are desperate times Rictern. In desperate times, a ruler must consider all his or her options.”
“Not if it involves the Cult of Insight!” Rictern retorted with a sneer. It was an uncommon expression for the man. “They are heathens who spurn teachings from The-Lord-Who-Senses-All!”
“Please,” The Sightless began with his dry voice, “there is plenty of room in this world for more gods than your own. Especially when your said god has been absent for ages.”
Rictern spun, disgust in his eyes. “You don’t know-”.
The Sightless cut him off. “I know far more than you could ever know. More importantly I know you. Loyal like a dog, aren’t you? So long as the price is right.”
Rictern blanched and fell silent. Y’lleant raised an eyebrow questioningly, glancing in Rictern’s direction. What did he mean? The Sightless smirked and turned his eyeless gaze upon Y’lleant.
“Your… Majesty,” The Sightless began, bowing ever so slightly. “My fellows call me Vetius. The most ancient of all Sightless. Thank you for finally allowing The Clan of Insight an-”
“The Cult.” Rictern interjected finding his voice again. The color had returned to his face. “The Cult of Insight.”
“Enough Rictern. Let Vetius speak.” Y’lleant commanded. Rictern grudgingly obliged.
“Thank you, your Majesty.” Vetius said smiling before turning his gaze to Rictern. “We actually prefer the name The Clan of Insight, Sir Rictern, but I am appreciative for your input.” Rictern twitched his eye but said nothing. Vetius turned his attention back to Y’lleant and continued. “As I was saying, thank you for finally allowing The Clan of Insight an audience with you. We’ve been wanting to meet with you ever since you took the throne. You are of great interest to us.”
“As was my father, and his father, and every other landowner in Saencila.” Y’lleant stated. “It doesn’t take much to get The Cult- I’m sorry- The Clan’s interest. The world is well aware that you wish to spread The Distortion across the land.” The Distortion was a bizarre natural occurrence that affects the land around The Cult’s ground of worship. It makes the sky dark during the day, turns the sun green, and changes the land in other ways. The Distortion was harmless, as far as anyone could tell, but it made the world feel… wrong. Y’lleant had never experienced The Distortion himself, but he heard stories about it. From his understanding, The Cult worshiped it.
“That’s… not… exactly correct… We seek to spread the Seeds of Insight to all who lack the true vision. To do so we require permission from the true ruler of the land. We are not able to spread it without consent.” Vetius corrected.
“And you wish to spread this ‘true vision’ through our lands.” Y’lleant said bluntly.
“That is our only desire, your Majesty. We simply wish to not have our faith oppressed.”
“Lies.” Rictern said. He was eyeing Vetius like a disease. “All lies.”
“Our faith, Sir Rictern, is no less of a lie than your own.” Rictern narrowed his eyes at Vetius’s comment. There was no trust in that gaze.
Y’lleant was silent for a long moment before speaking. “My country is at war with the Nation of Touch and we are losing. If we lose I will be dethroned and this land will become ruled by Emperor’s Talissare. The Clan of Insight occupies my Nation’s lands. If Talissare takes control, he will make sure to root out you and the rest of The Clan’s followers.”
“Yes. This has been foreseen by The Clan. Emperor Talissare has never tolerated our people. Although he may find it more… difficult than he expects to root us out.” Vetius responded with a knowing smirk. Y’lleant eyed The Sightless for a second wondering what the man wasn’t saying. Vetius then continued. “In any case, it is in our best interest to assist in your war. This war is not a lost cause. We have seen it. I have seen it.”
Y’lleant narrowed his eyes. “You speak of seeing things. Things that haven’t happened.”
“I do.” Vetius replied in his dry voice. “I see many things. Including those yet to come.”
“Your Majesty! You can’t possibly believe-” Rictern began in an urgent voice. Y’lleant silenced him with a hand
“Rictern. My family’s lives are at stake. I will do what I must. I will listen to who I must. Do you understand?” Y’lleant gazed in Rictern’s direction, meeting his eyes. The man grit his teeth but nodded. “Thank you, Rictern. No more interruptions.” Once again Y’lleant turned his attention back to Vetius. “Tell me about this true vision of yours. What The Clan calls Insight.”
“I can’t tell you.” Vetius said simply. “But… I can show you.”
Y’lleant eyed the man for a long moment. Hesitant. “Show me then.” He said finally.
A wicked grin crossed Vetius’s face. “Very well.” He said raising his arms.
Suddenly Vetius’s arm lashed out at Y’lleant, like vines in rapid growth. They wrapped around Y’lleant’s head. Fingers digging into the depths of Y’lleant’s mind. Y’lleant grappled the vine like arms and screamed out in pain. Vetius was digging, digging deep into his soul. He could feel something’s presence. Something gripping him in its grasp. Not Vetius. Something… something else… And then… Visions flashed before Y’lleant’s eyes. Knowledge, so much knowledge. Secrets, dark secrets. So much to digest. Too much to digest. Too much! But… it felt good. So good! This knowledge. He needed this knowledge! It was the secret to winning this war! He must have more! He needed more!
And then, it stopped. The world went back to normal. The euphoria dissipating leaving an itch that only more Insight could scratch.
“My King.” Rictern’s voice. The man was kneeling beside Y’lleant who was… on the ground? When? Rictern was holding the torch Y’lleant had. Y’lleant must have dropped it. There was a pool of blood on the floor. Y’lleant rubbed his eyes. They were bleeding.
“You Monster!” Rictern’s voice again. “Guards! Seize him! He attacked the King!” A shuffling of feet and the flickering of torchlight came from the cellar’s entrance.
“Silence, Rictern! Everyone, stand down!” Y’lleant shouted. The guards stopped already at the bottom of the stairs. “I’m alright.” Y’lleant said as he pulled himself to his feet. “I know what we must do.” Y’lleant whipped out a dagger he kept hidden at his side for protection and slashed Rictern across the throat. The man’s eyes went wide. Surprised. He made a gurgling sound, trying to say something, but no longer able to speak properly. Then he collapsed to the ground. Dead.
“Rictern was a traitor.” Y’lleant exclaimed. He knew that now. He had seen it from the Insight and knew it to be true. “He’s been spying on us and reporting to the Nation of Touch. He’s the reason our armies have been flanked battle after battle.” The guards stared daggers at the dead man. Many of their friends had been killed because of Rictern’s actions. “Send for our generals and weapon craftsmen. We will meet in the War Room. The Nation of Touch is building a new weapon. A weapon that will shoot giant metal fireworks. They will devastate our armies with these contraptions. So far they only have it in the planning stages, but now I know the secret to building them. We will build them for our armies, and with them, we will be victorious."
The guards looked slightly confused. A few looked in Vetius’s direction questioningly. But they said nothing. “Now go! And send for someone to clean up this traitor’s mess.” The guards nodded and left.
Y’lleant walked towards the stairwell. Feeling an itch that needed to be scratched. “Come with me, Vetius. I’ll be needing more Insight.”
Vetius stayed put. “About allowing The Clan to spread our Seeds of Insight...”
“I’ll give you three towns.” Y’lleant responded. “Two small. One big. Depending on how well the cult serves, I’ll allow for more.”
Vetius grinned and began following Y'lleant up the cellar's stairs. After years of trying, The Clan finally got a win. “My fellow clansmen will be happy to hear this. The Clan is yours, as is access to our Insight. You will need some time to recover from the last batch I showed you. A freshly exposed mind can only take so much.”
“Very well.” Y’lleant said grudgingly. “For now though, we will begin preparations to win this war. I’ll need you by my side so that you can help… explain to my Generals what you have shown me.”
“As you wish, your Majesty. I am your humble servant” Vetius said. Y’lleant wondered how much he could trust The Sightless. He would play along for now, but as soon as they became too dangerous he would rid himself of them. After so much struggling, he could finally see a future for his country. It was time to win this war.
The Rulezz
0 - The GM has the final say if an argument occurs. It's okay to argue if you think something is wrong, but if the GM says an argument is over then it’s over.
1 - Please use Common Sense.
2 - Your character sheet should contain all info on your character’s abilities. If you want something to be a secret from other players, PM them to me. We can sit down, have a cup of virtual coffee, and talk about it. Basically, no pulling abilities out of thin air.
3 - You are allowed to have multiple characters if you want to, but don’t go overboard with them.
4 - Certain abilities I may feel to be too powerful to have. Teleportation, Immortality, Invisibility, Mind Control, Telepathy, Telekinisis are a few. If you really want a power that might be considered powerful if unrestricted. PM me we'll talk and see if there's a way to nerf it.
5 - All magic abilities, however should somehow relate to one of the five senses. Whether this is done by using one of the senses to activate the magic or as a fuel source, it doesn't matter. You want to shoot fire? Cool! you tie that ability to one of the senses and you're good to good. What's that? you want to turn your hands into bear claws. That's fine. Maybe you can fuel it with one of your senses. Consider it a magic writing exercise. I will work on one generic magic system for each sense. You can either use it for a character or just use it for an example to work off of.
6 - Like all of us adults, I live a busy life, please be aware of this. I'll put in as much time as I can to be there and respond to your questions. Please be patient if you don't get a response immediately.
7 - Have fun.
About the land of Saencila
Like any good fantasy world. The Land of Saencila is rife with magic users. All magic in this land is related in some way to one of the five sense. What exactly your magic does, that's up to you. So long as you well define it and find some way to tie it back to one of the five senses, you are good to go. There are two types of magic users in this land. Regulated Magic Wielders and Unregulated Magic Wielders.
Regulated magic users are people who are able to wield magic without a fuel source. The draw back? Most of these users go insane by the time they past their mid-20's. Arguably one could say their fuel source is their sanity. The populace is unsure why this is the case, as the reasons for the insanity are long forgotten. Truth is these magic users get their magic straight from the ancient evil which once plagued the land. It is common place law that all such magic wielders are to be identified at an early age and are to be monitored. Those who go insane are known as The Crazed. Once they go insane, these magic users are often hunted down and killed. Some get away however. They lie in hiding. Waiting for their masters, the evils most ancient, to return in order to perform the evils' bidding.
Unregulated Magic users are people who have the ability to perform magic, but their magic runs on a fuel source. What this fuel source is varies depending from the form of magic the person uses. Important thing to note hear is these magic wielders do not go insane. At least they don't because of their magic.
Example Magic Systems: Below I have listed a some example magic systems which you are welcome to use/modify or view as an example. I have one for each sense. If you like the mechanics behind the magic system but don't like the abilities, by all means feel free to change it. We can have different categories for each system.
The art of Corpus Tempraision Touch based magic system Uses Body Heat as fuel Unregulated
Those who channel their body heat into forms of magic are known as Tempraisionists. Masters of the art of Corpus Tempraision. An end-neutral magic system. Tempraisionists use their body heat to create Heat constructs to wield as weapons or a means of defense. There three methods for creating heat constructs: Shaping, Weaving, and Compression. Each method has it's own pros and cons. Being a touch based magic system. Heat constructs will unravel when exposed to Numbing Ivy oil. See Magic Deterrents for more details.
Shaping
Shaping is the least taxing form of Corpus Tempraision. It is the ability to shape one's body heat into a physical form. A form is weightless to the wielder but hits like steel on the receiving end. Typically used for offensive purposes, Shaped body heat can take any form the wielder desires so long as he/she possess enough heat to create the desired shape. The one downside to this form of Tempraision is that the user must remain contact with the constructed object at all times. losing contact will immediately cause the used body heat to recede back into it's source.
The biggest rule of Shaping is to maintain Heat Constructs for as little time as possible. A Heat Construct's energy will dissipate into the air over time, so the longer it is maintained, the more body heat is lost to the user. The key here is to create one's Heat Construct at the last possible moment and maintain it's shape for as short as possible. For example, if you are going to Shape a sword, shape it the moment you need the sword to land and dismiss it the moment contact is no longer required.
A final rule for shaping: a Heat Construct cannot be reshaped once formed. If the user wishes to change the shape of a Heat Construct, it must be released and then recreated.
Weaving
Weaving is very similar to Shaping, it allows a Tempraisionist to create a Heat Construct which will dissipate into the air over time. The difference is that the user does not need to keep physical contact to maintain Heat Constructs. These Heat Constructs are sturdy and will maintain their form until their energy fully dissipates into the air. Weaving is primarily defensive and is useful for when a Heat Construct must be maintained for a prolonged period of time. For example, if the user needs to prevent debris from burying him/her. The down side to this form of Tempraision is that the body heat used for the Heat Construct cannot be recovered for later use, thus making Weaving sightly less practical than Shaping.
There are a few things to note in regards to Weaving:
1) A Weaved Heat Construct is forever immobile and will go away after it dissipates.
2) A Weaved Heat Construct can be unwoven by only the user. Doing so releases the energy into the air.
3) Heat Constructs cannot be woven into sharp objects. In other words, no impaling Charging foes with a woven Heat Construct.
One useful technique Weaving can be used for is to create platforms to walk on. Since Weaved Heat Constructs are static, they are perfectly capable of holding a person's weight. These platforms can be Woven from the soles of a Tempraisionist's feet.
Compression
Compression is the final and most taxing form of Tempraision. The idea is to compress enough body heat into one Heat Construct so that it will explode with a burst of force when hit with a strong enough impact. Great for setting traps like land mines or for rigging a door that you don't want someone to open. Compressed Heat Constructs can also be used as projectiles against distant foes. Unlike with Weaving and Shaping, Compressed Heat Constructs do not dissipate over time. The only way to disarm a Compressed Heat Construct is to set it off, use Numbing Ivy oil or have another Tempraisionist dissipate the Heat Construct.
As one might imagine, a Tempraisionist's worst enemy is the cold. Using one's body heat as a form a magic constantly puts a person at risk of hypothermia. As such prolonged use of the magic can be extremely dangerous. Fortunately, there are tricks to get around the limit of one's own body temperature.
1) The most obvious trick to using Tempraision is to use the magic in a warm climate. So long as there is a source of heat, such as a nearby fire place. The loss of one's body heat becomes much less of a concern.
2) Body heat can be stored away for later use in bits of clothing. The fabric must maintain contact with the skin in order to store heat in it.
1 hour's worth of stored heat is equivalent to 5 mins worth of nonstop shaping for a normal sized sword, 10 minute long Weave (depending on the size of the Heat Construct), and 1 use of compression.
The amount of heat an item of clothing can hold is as follows. Coats are not counted right now and may not be counted.
The standard: a Shirt can hold 3 hours worth of stored heat
A Shirt = a pair of pants = 3 hours A dress = 2 shirts = 6 hours A hat = Underwear of both types = a scarf = 1/6 of a shirt = 10 minutes A sock = a glove = 1/12 of a shirt = 5 minutes
The Art of Gustum Hydraision
A taste based magic system Uses hydration as fuel and taste as an activator. Unregulated
Gustum Hydraision is the ability to modify an objects attributes temporary. It utillizes the five different tastes as a trigger and consumed water as a fuel. These are the two key factors to Hydraision. People who use Hydraision are called Hydraisionists.
Taste is the trigger to activating this magic system. The human tongue can taste five different attributes: Bitterness, Saltiness, Sourness, Sweetness and Savoriness. Each taste has it's own ability. Once an ability is triggered, the user must touch an object to apply it. Only one attribute can be modified on an object at a time. Using this magic will slowly dehydrate a person. The more a person modifies an object, the more water is used.
o Bitterness – Temporarily Modifies and object’s friction. Objects modified this way can become impossible to grab for everyone but the wielder or friction can be increased to make it harder to push an object.
o Saltiness – Temporarily modifies an object’s hardness. Make an object as soft as graphite or as strong as a diamond.
o Sourness – Temporarily adds linear momentum to an object. A user can send an object flying this way. The heavier the object, the more fuel is required to move it.
o Sweetness – Temporarily modifies an object’s weight. Great for heavy lifting!
o Savoriness - Warps an object’s shape. This ability is the most fuel intensive ability and only works so long as you maintain contact with the object.
Staying hydrated is very important for a Hydraisionist. As a guide line 2 liters of water is recommended per day. Once a person has loss 10% of their hydration, dehydration begins to occur along with a dulling of taste. The rate of water used for the magic will then increase. 15% - 20% loss of hydration causes death.
Due to the requirement of taste to activate Hydraision, Hydraisionists have developed special cotton swabs which soak up any taste the swab is rubbed against. These cotton swabs are revolutionary. Before the swabs existed, Hydraisionists would need to lick random objects to trigger the magic.
The Art of Sibilo Audaision
A Hearing based magic system Requires whistling as an activator. No fuel source Regulated
Sibilo Audaision is the ability to turn transform the sound of your whistle into a physical tendrils which can be tied to objects, used as weapons or used to grapple objects. Audaision does not require a fuel source and using it will slowly chip away a person's sanity. As such Audaision is a regulated magic. People who use Audaision are called Audaisionists. The tendrils they create from their whistling are dull blue in color and make a soft rhythmic reverberating vibration sound.
An Audaisionist can create different types of tendrils depending of the pitch of the Audaisionist's whistle. They can create a high pitched Tendril, a medium pitch tendril, and a low pitched tendril. The longer an Audaisionist whistles, the longer the tendrils produced will last.
High Pitch Tendrils last the shortest amount of time out of all the tendrils. The will form as soon as their wielder whistles and disperse almost as soon as the whistling stops. These tendrils will shoot out from the Audraisionist's palms when formed. They have stretchy properties and are capable of sticking to a desired object if the wielder wills it. These tendrils can be used as bungee cords when jumping from great heights and can be used to easily retrieve an object recently thrown.
Medium Pitch Tendrils are the most versatile tendrils which will last twice as long at the wielder's whistle. They remain attached to the wielder's wrist and act as and extension of the wielder's body reacting to the wielder's mental commands.
Low Pitch Tendrils take the form of ropes which are shoot out from the wielder's palms and will automatically bind up to the next person they touch. The last three times as long as the wielder's whistle and are great for leaving the victim in a bind. They can also just be used a regular rope should the situation require it. The most useful thing about these tendrils is that they can maintain their form even without retaining connection to the wielder.
The Art of Lumen Vocaision
A Sight based magic system Requires light as a fuel source and see-through glass as a storage device. Unregulated
Lumen Vocaision is the art of conjuring illusions into being. People who are capable of performing Lumen Vocaision are called Vocaisionists. The illusions summon are called Light Constructs.
Performing an act of Vocaision requires three things: glass, light, and a little imagination. Once a person has the prerequisites, there are three steps which must be performed:
1) Images must be seen through a glass pane, and stored into said glass pane for later use.
2) The Vocaisionist must then customize the captured the image. By touching a glass pane, the user can modify stored images seen through the panes of glass. Tossing away bits of images that are unneeded, and add bits of images to other images stored away. Once customized to a wielder's liking, actions and commands can be embedded into the image. With this, the light construct is ready for summoning.
3) The Vocaisionist can summon their creation. By placing one of their glass panes into a light source, the light constructs can be summoned to perform their master's bidding. They will eat away the nearby light, casting an orb of shade around the glass. The orb of shade will gradually become darker until there is no light left touching the glass pane. Once that happens, (about 2 - 5 mins in broad daylight and depending on the quality of the glass's opaqueness) the light construct will disappear and the orb of darkness will vanish. If the glass is shattered, the light construct will also vanish. Used stored images must be re-customized with actions and commands to be used again.
There are three types of light constructs: Summons, Traps and Familiars.
Summons are customized images that can move, perform acts for their masters, and even fight.
Traps are customized images that create invisible lasers that when past will cause the trap to be activated. The lasers Traps emit can only been seen when tossing dust, flour or other powder substances in the air (mist works too). An example trap may be spikes extending from a pane of glass or arrows shooting from the glass. A Trap light construct lasts significantly shorter than other construct. 3 seconds at the most. 1.5 seconds for poor quality glass.
Familiars are advanced light constructs that have been given a mind and personality of their own. They can only be produced with a special kind of near unbreakable rare and expensive glass called Metal Glass. Metal Glass has a silvery glittery look which is clear as day. It's metal properties for some reason make it a poor substance for Traps and Summons. However it is perfect for familiars. Familiars are almost always tiny and most useless for performing acts of work/fighting. They have, however, found their way into the market as pets.
Creating a Familiar requires a Vocaisionist to spend half a day focusing a light source into a piece of Metal Glass. Doing so allows familiars to stick around for an entire day only vanishing when there is no nearby light. Familiars are generally given two forms which they will switch back and forth from depending on their mood. They don't fully understand the world like humans do.
Familiar's have two states: owned and unowned. To own a familiar, a person must place a drop of their blood into the Metal Glass. After doing so, the familiar links to your mind and can speak to you that way. Only on familiar can be owned at a time, and an owner can disown a familiar at any point the own desires. Any one can own a Familiar.
The Art of Odos Augaision
A Smell based magic system Uses smell as an activator. Regulated
Odos Augaision is the ability to enhance bodily abilities. It utilizes the five different types of fragrances to as a trigger and requires the user to hold their breath during use. People who use Augaision are called Augaisionists. Augaision does not require a fuel source and using it will slowly chip away a person's sanity.
The human body can sense 10 different fragrances. Of these fragrances only 5 trigger magic abilities. Each ability triggers a different ability. Augaisionists will often carry small containers holding items with the scents they require to perform their magic.
o Minty – Described as cool, fresh, exhilarating, the minty/peppermint smell has perhaps no rivals in the scent world. Spicy is included in this category.
A breath of Minty Air will sightly enhance a person's speed.
o Fragrant – Fragrant smells are perfumery, floral, cologne, and rosy smells. Fragrant scents are the ones that seem light and natural, what is typically described by perfume and cologne manufacturers as “grassy” or “herbal.”
When taking in a breath of Fragrant air, the mind will think faster allowing a person to think through difficult problems at a much faster pace. It doesn't make you smarter, however.
o Sharp/Pungent – These smells include sour milk, fecal matter (e.g. manure), sweat, and the natural smell of things that have turned putrid or foul. These scents make you reel the instant you detect them. Oniony and garlicky smells also fall into this category.
Bodily reflexes will increase when taking in a breath of pungent air. The mind won't always keep up with what it's doing while it's doing it. Due to the magic deterring effects of skunk spray, taking in a whiff of skunk spray will not trigger this magic. See Magic Deterrents for more details.
o Non-Citrus Fruity – Fresh scents associated with strawberries, banana, and certain perfumes that draw upon these natural aromas. Non-citrus fruit smells may feel more “smooth” or “silky” to the nose.
A breath of Fruity air will increase bodily strength momentarily.
o Sickening - Sickening and decaying smells are a step beyond sharp/pungent smells. It’s sewage, burnt rubber, sulfuric acid, and household gas. Sickening smells are those that cause you to dry heave when the nose detects them in heavy enough concentrations. They aren’t merely “unpleasant;” they’re usually insufferable.
When taking in a breath of Sickening air, the body will heal faster from wounds. It will not heal sickness, however.
Enchanted equipment, or Magical equipement, is equipment that has been embedded with another magic user's magic. Metal Glass pendants, which summons Familiars (see the Lumin Vocaision magic system), would be an example of Magical equipment. Keep in mind that not all magic systems can create equipment such as this.
Have you ever come across a magic system where you were like, "You know it would be great if I had a way to nullify this ability". Well good news! Saencila has just the thing for you. Introducing Magic Deterrents.
All magic systems in Saencila is related in some shape or form to one of the senses. A character's magic system should be clearly identified by what sense it is based around. There is one deterrent for each form of magic system with an exception for some sight based magics. There will be other unknown deterrents as well, but those are unimportant right now.
Most magic deterrents work by blocking/dulling/hindering the sense that the magic is reliant upon. By loosing access to X sense, a magic user can be effectively cut off from using their magic system.
Hearing magic deterrent
Untuning Forks - Made out of a special metal found in The Wailing Peaks, the wailing sound this tuning fork makes is completely useless for tuning instruments, giving it the name of an Untuning Fork. The Fork makes two different wailing sounds when rung. One high pitched the other low pitched. Both pitches tend to dip up and down creating and irritating wavy sound effect that can disrupt the listener's ability to hear other things. The sound will linger in the air and create a ringing in one's ear temporarily. Prolonged use can cause the ears to bleed as well as permanent hearing loss. The user of this deterrent is not immune to the sound's effect. For this reason, people using this deterrent have to use it sparingly least they suffer from hearing loss due to over use.
Taste Magic deterrent
Liquid Ageusia - A liquid found in the peaks of Sensory Range. On contact with the skin, the liquid will seep into the blood stream and cause a temporary dryness in one's mouth and dull that person's sense of taste. When salt is added to the liquid, it turns into a gaseous vapor. It's not as effective in it's gas form and can only work if inhaled in such a state.
Touch Magic deterrent
Numbing Ivy - A common vine in Saencila that causes numbness. People extract it's oils to use to numb painful wounds or to use as painkillers. Also apparently it's useful for blocking a certain kind of magic. Now how about that?
Smell Magic deterrent
Wheezing Lotus Pollen - The puff lotus, also known as the wheezing lotus, produces a nasty pollen that clogs the nose and in large enough doses, can make it difficult to breathe. It serves as a deterrent to smell based magic.
Sight magic deterrent
Of all the magic deterrents Sight magic appears to be the odd ball of the group. The main deterrent is Dust Sand. It works just like any other magic deterrent by dulling the senses to stop a magic user from using magic. However, there appears to be another material that disrupts light based sight magic. This material is known as Shadow Metal.
Main Deterrent: Dust Sand - A dust like sand found deep within The Dead Sands. It's individual sand particles are small and light enough to linger in the air, much in the same way that dust would linger in the air after being disturbed. Contact with the eyes will cause the eyes to tear up and one's vision will become dulled and blurry temporary. When breathed in, the sand has a faint odor of rot.
Secondary Deterrent: Shadow Metal - A jet black metal that appears to suck in the light that touches it. It's soft as gold but far lighter. Not useful for making armor out of. Shadow Metal is the black sheep of magic deterrents. It doesn't function in the same way as other deterrents by hindering one's ability to see. Sure if you have enough of it in a room, then it will suck in all the light thus making it impossible to make sight based magic. However using shadow metal in such a way is very situational. Instead, Shadow Metal's properties makes it an excellent material to disturb light based magics. Any magic that is made of light can be disrupted by Shadow Metal.
Shadow Metal's origins is a mystery. The surviving few ancient of texts, held in the libraries of Melidare, state that for each type of magic, there was only one substance which could effectively disrupt magic users' abilities, and never in these texts is there any mention of Shadow Metal. Only in more recent texts can one find mention of the material. The common consensus between scholars is that the material was only discovered within the last three thousand years or so. Others criticize this theory since the metal is found abundantly around many major cities in both the Nation of Touch and Sight. The critics argue that there was no way people couldn't have known about the metal because of this.
People who were born with a keen sense of sight, hearing, touch, smell or taste. Half of all people born in Saencila are born as an adept in one of the five senses. As an adept one of their senses is heighten beyond what normal people are born with. Usually this heightening comes with an additional kink which varies from person to person. For example, an adept in sight may be able to see heat, while another sight adept may have the ability to see colors unseen to the normal eye.
One year in Saencila is 365 days like on Earth. Isn't that convenient? Yeah... well... yes. Yes it is convenient. And easy to remember which is why I made it that way.
The year is split into five evenly split months composed of 73 days.
The months are as follows:
Ocullium Tactyllium Auddium Olfaccium Gusttium
Seasons are generally 91 days apart with 92 in winter.
1st of Ocullium - 19th of Tactyllium = winter
20th of Tactyllium - 37th of Auddium = spring
38th of Auddium - 55th of Olfaccium = summer
56th of Olfaccium - 73rd of Gusttium = Fall
The Nation of Smell farms spices, and produces the world's greatest soaps and perfumes. They are very big on gardening and having vegetation growing throughout their cities. The plants are bred to create a pleasant fragrance which they use to enhance the smell of their cities and towns. They are also a very clean people. Their nation is big on trade, and has trade deal with the nation of Taste in spices. In return they receive exotic foods and meats.
The Nation of Taste is located in the most fertile location on Saencila. Its a perfect location for farming and as such the majority of their nation is covered in farms. They produce an overabundance of food which is traded in other countries. Their food products are top quality which the locals attribute to magic produced by their land. One might think their country is prone to attacks due to their good fortune. Well they would be if it were not for the mountain range which protects their country from others. The Nation is most known for their talent in producing savory dishes and delectable desserts.
The Nation of Hearing is a pacifist nation, full of the land's greatest scholars, schools, and of course musicians. Politicking is big here. The more educated a person is here, the more respected they are in the eyes of their peers. The cutting edge of science occurs here. They have produced fireworks, spyglasses, spectacles, and are on the verge of creating printing devices. Musicians and playwrights are also well respected here. Particularly the more talented ones.
The Nation of Touch is known for their craftsmanship. Their architecture is a work of art, their weapons are the best in the land, and they create the best clothing, tools and furniture. Their land is abundant with metals and as such there are many mines through out their lands. Their nation currently has the strongest army and is at war with the Nation of Sight.
The Nation of Sight is where the story will begin. This nation is currently losing a war with the Nation of Touch. They are known for their artists, their paints, their dyes, their fashion, and quality pens. Unfortunately, being a Nation of Art makes for a poor nation, although their food dyes are valued by the Nation of Taste. The Nation of Touch was once a valuable trade partner with the Nation of Sight as craftsmen valued their dyes and paints. Relations, however, have obviously faded and since then the nation has been struggling economically. In the far reaches of this Nation lies the Cult of Insight. The cult has been isolated to a few towns for as long as anyone can remember.
27 years ago, The Nation of Smell was thrown into turmoil. An uprising had begun by those who by magic users who had been long been deemed dangerous. Regulated magic users, doomed to the insanity of the Crazed.
In some nations, like the Nation of Sight, these magic users were locked up the moment they showed signs of insanity. In other places, like the Nation of Touch, those who became the Crazed, were rounded up and executed. In the Nation of Smell, however, a nation where cleanliness and trade governed all, Regulated magic users were deemed unclean and unworthy of living out a normal life.
One of three fates befell upon those born to such magic, in the Nation of Smell. Death was the most common fate among the wealthy. Regulated magic users, belonging to wealthy families, were killed on the spot after showing signs of having such magic. Unfit to bear the family's name. Among the poor, regulated magic user were enslaved. Sold for a pretty penny, to the country's slave traders. For those who had decided to hide their abilities, only to be discovered later in life, these people were exiled to The Dead Sands, a place where death was certain and none could survive. Except.... one did survive.
Hleigar, son of the Nation of Smell's Mistress of Merchants, could not bring herself to kill her son. Instead she kept his power a secret. Covering up the murders he committed. Sending away or buying the silence of those who were close to and/or discovered the truth. To her own grief and sorrow, this secret lead to the death of her only daughter by Hleigar's hands. It was a tragedy to the family, most great, for only a female could be heir to the title of Mistress of Merchants. The secret could be secret no longer. 17 years of age, Hleigar was exiled. Sentenced to die amongst The Dead Sands.
Left to his own, he had hatched a plan to seek revenge upon the mother who had left him to die and the people who had sentenced his kind to live their life in fear. Hleigar had learned to survive the horrors of The Dead Sands. With that knowledge he sought out other recently exiled, taught them what they needed to know and became their King. Hleigar, King of the Crazed.
Ten years passed without a word from Hleigar, and things continued as they often did. Until one day Hleigar returned, with an army of Crazed behind him. Caught unprepared, the lands of the Nation of Smell crumbled before his army. He conquered each town, one by one. Freeing his people of their slavery, while enslaving those who he no longer considered his people. With no choice but to follow his rule, the people, Hleigar's word became law in the Nation of Smell.
As the Nation fell, Hleigar set his sights on the Nation of Taste and Hearing. And so began The War of the Crazed. A War that lasted for five long years. In the end, Hleigar was vanquished. His army scattered across the lands. Hiding and waiting for the right time to strike. Fearful of the hunters who seek their heads.
The Nation of Smell's recovery was slow. Where once there was only one Mistress of Merchants, now there are several. Each seek control over the Nation's trade network.
The Cult of Insight inhabits The Broken Islands, which is a part of the Nation of Sight.
Both The Dead Sands, and Mystiq Isle are considered locations which nobody returns from.
The Dead Sands actually inhabits an entire big chunk of land off the side of the map. Everything beyond it's starting location is a part of The Dead Sands. In that region inhabit murderous monstrosities which are amalgamations of various creatures. There is living plant life in the sands, but it is carnivorous and appears as if it is dead and rotting. People don't return from this place simply because it is dangerous.
Mystiq Isle is home to a huge forested area. Nobody knows what lays hidden inside the wooded region because nobody has returned from there alive.
Dark forces, once great and honorable people, sacrificed to prevent an ancient evil from destroying the world. They were broken, corrupted, and twisted until they surrendered to the Evil’s will. Discarding their very essence and being, they have now been transformed into great and horrible forces of power whose very presence distorts and corrupts the physical world as well as the mental state of all people within their presence. They seek only to corrupt and destroy in accordance to the Evil’s bidding.
Each of The Discarded embodies and corrupts one of the five holy senses belonging to mankind. Sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing. The corruption of the five senses is done normally in the form of torture. People who stay in the presence of The Discarded will frequently break down. It is in these moments of brokenness that peoples' minds become vulnerable to The Discarded. Whispered promises to end the suffering. These broken people will discard their afflicted sense and give it to The Discarded. The price for the end to their suffering? The loss of their mind, will, and humanity. Forever to be slaves to The Discarded.
Title: The Root of Insight
Arguably one of the most dangerous of The Discarded, Vi’daerus is the only active Discarded in Saencila at this time. His presence causes many strange world altering effects. The sky becomes as dark as night during the day and turns shades of purple at night. The sun will begin to rise from the North, shining an eerie green, and will alternate from setting in the East to the West. Fire will emit black flames while strangely still giving off the same orange glow. Shadows, of the living, will lean towards sources of light, reaching yet never touching the source. The ripples in a pool of water will move towards the source of disturbance on the water's surface. Everyday objects, such as barrels, pots or forks, will change shades of color and slightly shift positions when nobody is looking. And some people will even foresee their deaths minutes before the event actually occurs.
Vi’daerus's effects on the surrounding world differs from other Discarded. Where the other Discarded's world altering presence is used as a way to torture people to the point of breaking and submission, Vi'daerus's world altering presence may be unsettling, but is actually quite livable. What makes Vi'daerus dangerous is not how he alters the world around him, but rather the hordes of faithful followers his presence creates, even among those who haven't submitted to Vi'daerus's will. Where other Discarded torture their victims, Vi'daerus will instead seduce them into submission with his "gift" of Insight.
Insight is a side effect of Vi'daerus's "omniscience". Vi'daerus sees all things covered in shadow. He sees what has been, what is and even glimpses of what has yet to come. His sight is flawed, however. Things touched by light are hidden to Vi'daerus. Vi'daerus cannot read messages written by hand. His foresight is also not always correct and he is unable to see into the distant future. Vi'daerus's sight on the world around him bleeds from his being and onto those in his presence. It is these glimpses of knowledge that his followers have termed as Insight.
Under normal circumstances, Insight will first come as dreams to people, touched by Vi'daerus's essence, so long as they are sleeping in shadow. The visions these dreams grant are intoxicating and often in some way personal. It will show people visions of friends who have betrayed them as well as horrible dark secrets about the people a person trusts and loves. When a person wakes from their slumber, they are left with the strange yet undeniable feeling that what they saw in their dreams was true, and it did happen. Many people feel compelled to act on their dreams. Others are a touch more hesitant. All people, however, feel a loss of euphoria upon waking and are left with a silent itch for additional glimpses of Insight.
As a person is granted more glimpses of Insight they become addicted. They become more aware of Vi'daerus's presence gripping their soul. Initially unnerving, yet euphoric at the same time. The visions begin to occur while the person is awake, showing not only the past and present, but even glimpses of the future. These future glimpses show people a path toward obtaining their desires. Often these future glimpses show people dark methods to obtain their goals, such harming others mentally and/or physically. At this point in the process, a person's mind has been corrupted by the Insight. Hurting others to obtain one's goals starts to seem logical and makes sense to the person affected. It doesn't take long from here for people to begin acting on the visions and in doing so corrupting the person's mind further.
Before long a person's personal goals will begin to shift towards coinciding with Vi'daerus's goals. The spread of his essence and influence. They begin to worship Vi'daerus as their god. They do his bidding even if it puts their lives at risk. These people make up Vi'daerus's followers, The Cult of Insight. The Cult of Insight is a name commonly used by most people living in Saencila to refer to the cult. The cult members, however, prefer the name The Clan of Insight. There are two levels of hierarchy in the cult. The bottom level is composed of the common followers, people whose goals have begun to shift towards conforming to Vi'daerus's goals. Then there is the top level. The Sightless. People who have clawed out their eyes, discarding their sense of sight according to Vi'daerus's will.
The Sightless are the most dangerous of Vi'daerus's followers. They have allowed Vi'daerus's root to seep into their soul, and by doing so are forever transformed. Shortly after, discarding their sense of sight, The Sightless begin to grow a black protective treelike bark across their bodies. Slowly it replaces their skin until it covers their entire body. The Sightless, do not see light. Instead they see darkness and the wisps of life. They emit a field of shade that obscures light like a thin veil. They are also capable of seeing glimpses of Insight whenever they want, and can gift the Insight to people so long as the person is willing. Their limbs are living plant mass that can grow at will and attack others from afar. Out of all their abilities, their most important use for Vi'daerus is their ability to spread his essence.
There are two reasons why Vi'daerus is arguably the most dangerous Discarded. The first reason is his cult of devoted followers. The second is his ability to spread his range of influence beyond his core. Vi'daerus's Sightless are capable of planting seeds which spreads Vi'daerus's essence beyond his current location. However, oddly, these seeds will not grow without permission from the designated "owner" for the land the seed is planted. If allow to grow, the seed will plant its roots into the land and spread Vi'daerus's world altering essence. When grown these seeds are often guarded. The seeds can be destroyed, but a fair bit of warning, they will fight back.
Title: Mother of Unbirth
When within Ta’Nigarie’s proximity, the natural properties of the world no longer act as they should. Brushing one’s hand through water feels like moving one’s hand through tiny oily metal beads instead of its natural wet liquid feeling. Wood becomes claylike. Soft and Malleable to the touch, conforming to the shape whatever is touching it, reform back to its original shape when left alone. Wind becomes hot and feels like the prickling of a thousand needle tips against one’s bare skin. The ground becomes springy. Mud like quicksand. Stone turns flaky and brittle. Metal acts like glass while glass acts like metal. Fire cold to the touch yet still able to burn that which it touches. And the weather goes back and forth between sweltering heat and freezing cold within minutes. One cannot be too careful within Ta’Nigarie’s presence, for her very being alters the world.
Ta’Nigarie’s presence does more than alter the world. Her presence also affects the mind and body. When under Ta’Nigarie’s influence, a person’s positive emotions are dampened while the negative emotions are amplified. Mother’s become inattentive, fathers turn abusive, and children act delinquent. In addition to the mind altering effects is the unfading pain. Ta’Nigarie’s presence amplifies any pain that a person feels. Additionally her presence induces pain on the joints and muscles of anybody who moves. All pain felt in Ta’Nigarie’s presence lingers even after the body fully heals. And due to the world altering properties of Ta’Nigarie’s presence, injury to even the most careful of people is not uncommon.
The dampening on a person’s mind increases if a person is trying to escape Ta’Nigarie’s influence. It dulls the mind causing people to forget they are trying escape. It further emphasizes the person’s pain in hopes of breaking the person to the point of collapse. Escape is possible but requires a struggle. Those who stay eventually break to the pain discarding their sense of touch and any ability to feel to their tormentor, Ta’Nigarie. In doing so, they give birth to one of Ta’Nigarie’s “children”, The Unbirth.
The moment a person submits to Ta’Nigarie, that person is compelled to seek out her core, a mass of blue pulsing flesh. Once at her core, Ta’Nigarie’s mass of flesh will devour the ones who submitted to her will, and spit out a child sized cocoon of ice cold blue flesh. It’s from these cocoons that The Unbirth emerge. Gender-less, child sized, monstrosities that sap the heat from everything around them.
The Unbirth share facial similarities with the people who gave birth to them. Their skin is blue and taunt with pulsing blood vessels extruding from the skin. Their hands and fingers are long and bony with and iron strong grip to boot. Their claws and teeth razor sharp and ideal for slicing through flesh. Their necks protrude below their shoulder and from their chest creating a V shaped indentation from shoulder to shoulder. Their heads are rotated upside-down. Hair dangling from their scalps. Faces gaunt. Eyes enlarged with oval shaped irises. Pupils the color of red.
The Unbirth perform their Mother’s bidding. Unfeeling and uncaring. The Unbirth are great at climbing and should always be avoided if possible. Killing one of them will cause them to release a blood chilling screech alerting their siblings to a person’s presence. They like to attack in hordes and will not stop attacking until the last of them are dead.
Title: Bringer of Pestilence
The most obvious indicator of being in Ol’Falkaer’s presence is the smell. His presence taints normally pleasant fragrances into smelling off while already horrible smells become more pungent and overwhelming. Flowers will smell slightly foul. Soaps and perfumes will smell nauseating. Fresh Fruits overripe, and cooked meats a touch rotten or sour. Although this may seem tolerable, truth the stink is constant and nausea inducing. It is not uncommon to lose one’s breakfast when encountering Ol’Falkaer’s stink for the first time. That said, the smell is the least of one’s worry when shrouded in Ol’Falkaer’s essence.
The smell is just the immediate effect caused by Ol’Falkaer’s presence. Shortly thereafter comes The Taint. The Taint effects all living and nonliving things ensnared in Ol’Falkaer’s grip, causing the spread of grime, rot and disease. The grime comes first, quickly covering everything. Bathing becomes pointless and cleaning an impossibility. The rot shortly follows, causing fresh foods to spoil and fabrics to fade and decay. Fresh food and non-ragged clothing becomes a rare community horded by the rich and inaccessible to the poor. Last comes the outbreak of disease weaken those inflicted.
All who stay too long in Ol’Falkaer’s presence eventually catch The Taint. Its symptoms are forever influx. An infected may suffer from fever one moment, to fits of coughing, to chills, to sore muscles and then back to a fever again all within 10 minutes. The Taint does not kill, at least not directly, for the dead are of no use to Ol’Falkaer. The dead cannot give themselves to him and discard their sense of smell. The purpose of The Taint is to break people down and make them too weak to escape Ol’Falkaer’s influence. Those who break before Ol’Falkaer’s will, discard their sense of smell and become one of The Tainted.
The Tainted are those who have completely succumbed to The Tainted. On first appearance, those who have succumbed to Ol’Falkaer’s will seem no different than the average person who has no choice but to live among the grime and filth brought by Ol’Falkaer’s presence. After a closer look, however, one might notice a few things off. For one, they no longer care about cleanliness. Caked in filth and grime, wearing only what can barely even be considered rags for clothes, The Tainted seem to relish in filth. Their teeth are rotten brown with gums that bleed a blackish red goop. Their hair is unkempt and oily. Their nails grown long and yellow, looking chipped at the ends. The real tell though is their smell. The smell of rot and death.
The Tainted are hot to the touch. Forever feverish, forever sickly. They are Ol’Falkaer’s tools. Contaminators who help spread The Taint. By succumbing to Ol’Falkaer’s will, they have been internally transformed forever. The Tainted are no longer bound by what one would consider normal joint movement. Their joints are flexible, reversible, and will rotate however The Tainted desires. When running, The Tainted will run on all fours conforming their joints to work similar to a canine’s. This allows them to run at greater speeds and jump greater distances.
Their irregular movements makes combat between them unpredictable and dangerous. When bleeding, the bleed a blackish red goop which is corrupted by The Taint. If the blood gets on the skin, it will seep into the bloodstream and act as a beacon. This allows the Tainted to track a person from miles away. They’ll track people relentlessly until The Taint is purged from a person’s system or until The Tainted succeed in hunting their prey down and killing them.
Title: Endower of The Famished
Gu’Sturrael's presence distorts the taste of all things within his vicinity. All foods and drinks become bland, extremely bitter, and near impossible to swallow without wanting to vomit. Nonfood items such as dirt, rotten meat, and human waste suddenly becomes, by comparison, more edible. As one might imagine, cities inflicted with Gu’Sturrael's presence quickly find their populations famished, dehydrated and malnourished, as many people find it very difficult to swallow or drink the necessary substance and fluid to maintain bodily functions.
Unlike most other Discarded, Gu’Sturrael does not put in much of an effort prevent people, who have been in his presence, from running away. Fact is he does not need to stop them. Simply being within his presence implants a seed of his essence into a person's mind. With the seed of his essence implanted, running away from Gu’Sturrael does not grant one immediate relief from his influence on taste. The effects will last for three days at least. More than long enough to break a person down, especially if they are already famished.
Those who begin to break from the hunger and thirst, open their minds to Gu’Sturrael's sweet whispers promising release. "Discard your taste," he whispers, "and it will all go away. Give your taste to me, and I'll serve you the entire world as your plate." Submitting to the whispers binds a person forever to Gu’Sturrael's essence and allows the seed he implanted to being its growth.
Submitting to Gu’Sturrael's will begins a gradual transformation into one of Gu’Sturrael's minions; monstrosities known as The Famished. Initially everything seems normal with two exceptions. The first of which, is the insatiable feeling of hunger. The second of course is the lack of taste. The hunger is manageable at first and can be satisfied with six meals a day. Gradually, as the hunger grows, The Famish find themselves needing to eat more and more often.
Before long, The Famished will start eating things that one would not normally eat. They will grab chunks of dirt off the ground and stuff it into their mouths. They will devour spoiled milk, rotten meat, cockroaches, and even living rats. The eat nonstop, tears pouring from their eyes, crying happily about how good what they are eating tastes despite their inability to even sense taste. Cries such as "Sooo good... sooo good..." will often be heard in-between mouthfuls of trash and the joyful sobs of The Famished.
Before too long, The Famished begin the next stage of their transformation. Their arms, jaws, hands and fingers begin to elongate. Their fingernails and teeth fall out and are replaced by claws and razor sharp teeth. Their backs become hunched, their saliva slightly acidic. Any remaining body fat remaining on The Famished is burned away to nothing, leaving only skin and bone. It is during this transformation The Famished become far more dangerous. They start biting chunks out of wood, stone, clay pots and, before long, people. People quickly become their favorite meal, particularly people who show little signs of succumbing to Gu’Sturrael's will.
Gu’Sturrael likes to keep his full-fledged Famished close at hand, hidden and away from the normal populace in order to keep the knowledge of what becomes of those who submit to a minimal. He will only let a few loose at a time, often at night, to do his bidding. The Famished who have yet to undergo their transformation he allows to wander the streets of whatever town or city he is currently inhabiting. They are used as his "town criers", so to speak, often putting on displays and shows of what submission to Gu’Sturrael's will has to offer.
Title: Reaper of Anguish
Out of all of The Discarded Au’Diurale is by far the cruelest. She revels in the torturing and suffering of the unfortunate people she ensnares in her essence. Her very presence creates a high pitched painful ringing in the ears, which will erratically change frequency making it impossible for people to get used to it and cast aside as white noise. The ringing cannot be ignored. Covering one's ears will only block out the ringing slightly but not enough to block out the pain. Earplugs made of wax have been shown to block out the majority of the pain, but they do not block out the sound.
Finding sleep in her area of affect is near impossible. Whenever someone is on the verge of drifting off, the ringing will bore into a person’s mind quickly waking him/her. People suffering from her presence for a few days or less, will quickly become irritable and violent. Staying for longer than a few days often causes people, who have yet to submit to her will, to inflict bodily harm in hopes that the new pain will overcome the pain caused by the constant ringing. Many will bang their head against nearby walls, claw at their ears, break their fingers, tear off their nails, or worse. Despite their efforts, inflicting bodily harm only makes the ringing worst.
People trapped in Au’Diurale's presence find leaving or even committing suicide to escape near impossible. As whenever someone tries to do one of the two in order to escape, the ringing becomes so unbearably painful that it will often cause loss of balance. Only those who have help, those who have only been in Au’Diurale's presence for a short time, those with wax earplugs or those with extremely strong will are capable of escape/suicide.
The constant ringing isn't the only effect of Au’Diurale's presence. Every sound heard within her field of affect becomes twisted and wrong. The singing of birds becomes an ear piercing screech. The rubbing of wood against wood sounds like nails on a chalk board. Music turns to noise and even the soft sound of footsteps becomes a reverberating thud. Oddly enough the sound of one's voice remains unchanged, with the exception of the erratically rhythmed reverse echoes of the speaker's voice, which begins a half second before the speaker begins to speak. All of it is very disorienting and gives an immense sense of wrongness. It's enough to give chills to even the bravest of people.
Those who break and discard their hearing before Au’Diurale's will, must do so by piercing their ear drums, one by one, with a metal nail. Doing so submits one to Au’Diurale and forever opens their mind to her essence. These people become a part of her army of servants known as the Silent Ones. The Silent Ones sole purpose is to obey her every command and unleash torture and anguish upon those who have yet to submit. Forever are they deaf to cries of mercy to those they bring harm. They are her voiceless soldiers, her silent assassins, her quiet executioners. They say there is a way to tell if someone has submitted to the will of Au’Diurale. Every sound that person makes can be seen with the naked eye, but never can those sounds be heard.
Welcome and hello 13org! Kingdom Hearts reference by chance?
That's a good question. Alright so tech-wise I haven't done a deep dive into what was available around when cannons were invented but we can start with cannons as our basis for technology (The Metal Fireworks weapon mentioned towards the end of the prologue are meant to be a description of a cannon).
Anyway, my brief google search tells me cannons were invented early 13th century, so early 13th century we can uses as our starting point. Gunpowder has recently been Invented by the Nation of Hearing so there aren't a lot of weapons that use it yet and we are some ways away from having guns. The tech level does not have to correspond exactly with Earth's tech level was during the early 13th century. Spectacles were created in the late 13th century which is within range. The one invention that I mentioned which is not in range however are spyglasses (17th century I think). I obviously didn't do my proper research there, oops. I figured if they have spectacles, then why not spyglasses? Oh well. Anyway that just means better quality glass-work can be a thing. If you are unsure about certain technology, just run it by me.
Really???? Lol. How is that even a thing? Does that just make me a super nerd or something? Meh... I can live with that. ;)
Aaaaaaaaaaalrighty then. Well that makes one person. It would be nice if we had two peoplez. What happened to all the enthusiasm the Interest Check was starting to get? I must have a scary face or something.
I was waiting on the magic examples so I could make an accurate cs lol
Ah yes. The mysteriously missing Magic System. I was so burnt out from writing yesterday that I decided to put the last two off. I felt like the Hearing magic system suffered from that. It felt like lousily writing and not as well thought out. I wanted to give my self time before coming back to them. I'll get to work on them now. The smell magic system is a vague idea right now. The sight one is a little better thought out and I think is far more interesting.
I’m working on writing up some stuff for a character. :P
Am I missing a character application skeleton somewhere, or has it not been put up yet?
The character sheet should be up as post number zero in the IC. That zero post thing is very confusing though I must admit. Me thinks I'll just chance it to post number 1 in the IC and just in case I'll list it here. Let me know if you can see it in the IC.
You're welcome to add things to it. If you want to add a race section, that fine. Just pass it by me.
Cool beans Mr. Chicken. I look forward to it! Do chickens like beans? Meh...
Anywho, an example Sight magic system is up! I really, really like this one and am glad I took a break. It came out really nicely. Also Familiars are now a thing because of Sight magic. Best part is, anyone can have one! They are expensive, however, but that's beside the point. Familiars are always fun to play with. Be sure to check them out!
Good to see you're still interested Wolf. I look forward to the CS.
On another note. Smell based example magic system is up. Probably my worst work yet, but oh well.
I'll start on two CS for myself tomorrow. One will be my primary character. The other will be a somewhat important side character of mysterious origins.
This important side character will pop in and out of the world and is capable of "cracking through the forth wall". He's going to be an experiment of mine. A fun way of bringing plot into the game without my main character necessarily being the plot. I also hope for this Cracking of the forth wall to bring in some additional comic relief. For the most part he will not directly help out our heroes. At least not in fighting or coming up with plans (depending on the situation perhaps once or twice he'll help with plans). He'll just show up and be like, hey this thing is going on. There will be story related reasons behind his existence but we won't be getting to that anytime soon. Maybe never at all depending on how long this RP lasts.
If at some point in the RP you want this character of mine to show up to make a specific type of story line kick off for your character, just let me know and we'll collaborate on something. I may just have him show up randomly from time to time, for no real reason, just to taunt and annoy one of your characters.
I've been lurking around this RP and watching it develop since the interest check, and I must say, I'm impressed with the prologue especially.
One question before I can really do anything about a CS; would alchemy be a thing at all for this RP? I was thinking of making an alchemist-type of character as a first thought, but I have other ideas in case that won't work.
Welcome and Salutations AdmriStalfos19! Thank you kindly for the compliment. To be honest I was actually surprise myself with the prologue I wrote. It came out better than I thought it would. Once I start writing, the ideas just start flowing. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it just okay, and quite often horrendous. hahaha.
Anyway, I believe there was a question somewhere in your post. I suppose to answer that question I'll need to know what exactly mean by alchemy. Do you mean like pseudo-chemist type character who doesn't necessarily fully understand what they are doing? Something more along the lines of Fullmetal Alchemist. Or something more in-between the two, like actually turning lead into gold. All three are okay, the third I would like a structure in place (I love structured magic systems), and preferably I would like the magical options to tie into the concept of a sense based magic system. I feel like touch would be a good one for that, perhaps you touch an object and feel its physical and chemical properties and then see which ones fit together like working out a puzzle. Like a hyper-enhanced sense of touch. I think something like that would be far better then the touch magic system I wrote. The one I wrote was me tying in a magic system I made long ago into this idea. Also heat sensing I think is technically another sense altogether, separate of the five, but that's okay.
Also I'm okay with magics that represents a combination of senses if that helps. Magic deterrents will still be a thing, but we can discuss how that will work.
Anyway, I believe there was a question somewhere in your post. I suppose to answer that question I'll need to know what exactly mean by alchemy. Do you mean like pseudo-chemist type character who doesn't necessarily fully understand what they are doing? Something more along the lines of Fullmetal Alchemist. Or something more in-between the two, like actually turning lead into gold.
I meant more in the generic sense of alchemy (which would probably be the third way you've stated), but now that you mention Full Metal Alchemist, I have an idea now for a character whose soul would've been transferred into what looks to be just a big suit of armor. Kind of like how Alphonse came to be. I'd still need to iron out the details on how exactly that could work in this type of setting (and that's assuming it's even possible), but that might be something we can discuss.
Lol. Depending on how it works, it seems like a sneaky way to escape the majority of the effects caused by The Discarded. I'm sure we can work that in somehow. I would like to tie it in with the theme of the RP if we can manage that.
The Discarded of Touch would give you a run for your money. Her effects distort metal into becoming glass-like and easy to shatter... but if you can turn lead to gold then perhaps you could turn metal to glass... That begs the question of what are the limits to your alchemy? Regardless, The Discarded of Touch is not set to appear for awhile, or never if the RP dies. Also Insight would only affect you if you let one of The Sightless into your mind. Unless your character has the ability to sleep or your character is already consumed by the Insight. If your character can still feel pain, then The Discarded of Hearing would also be a pain. If not then her effect would be just an annoyance. In any case very sneaky indeed. ;)
What are you thinking in regards to the cause for it? Is it a cost for using the magic system or more along the lines of enchanted equipment or a curse (we could collaborate on an in world system for such things). Is it more of a transfer of consciousness? Is your character still able to feel in such a condition? Which senses transferred with them? I would assume your character can see and hear. Would your character still have a sense of taste, smell or touch?
Going back to the question of limits for Alchemy, what are your thoughts on that? Any ideas for a system in regards to how it works?
@AdmrlStalfos19 could always go the “accidentally used some still-functioning old-world technology” route.
Perhaps some pre-apocalypse scientists in the area were working on that “download your consciousness” process, and the character activated a machine out of curiosity.
Then it would be a relatively simple matter to plug their “brain” into some sort of prototype armor or robotic exoskeleton (probably set up in the same facility).
