[OOC] Black Lily [High Casual]

Announcements

_{**08/21/2018 - IC Thread Officially Begun**}

_{**08/15/2018 - Added Magic: Part 2 under the General Information section.**}

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Current Plot

<sub>**Black Lily, an infamous guild composed of criminals and the worst kinds of people, has risen again from dormancy. In the last three months, its new members have made sure all in The Disk knows of their existence by committing all manner of crime. Their saving grace has been that they have also cleared out every notice board in the city and brought a staggering amount of new revenue to the high council, the government body that controls The Disk. Due to having been non-operational for so long however, the high council has been taking a much larger share of the profits from completed contracts leaving the guild itself with just the bare minimum to live on.

In the wake of this predicament and with no high-paying contracts available, Black Lily considers how to bring in more coin. And of course, the answer is by doing what they do best...**</sub>

[Concept]

B l a c k L i l y

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_{An Original Dark Fantasy Roleplay}

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_Premise

You are the absolute worst kind of person.

The depths to which you'll sink are unfathomable and your reputation certainly proceeds you. Maybe you're a murderer, a thief, or just a person who is generally not to be fucked with, but none of that matters. A criminal is a criminal, plain and simple. There's nothing more to it. Your evil is known and your infamy may even be widespread, but regardless it all comes down to the fact that in the eyes of the common man and woman, you're nothing more than a monster. A beast which needs to be kept on a leash and isolated from the rest of society for fear of your feral, unpredictable ways. This is a truth you cannot escape and a label that will remain with you and your being until the day you're finally taken from this world. Until that day comes however...

Black Lily extends an invitation to you. We are an organization that existed long ago, but one that must once again come together to face the evils of the world. Our philosophy, however, is different than those of some hero guild. We firmly believe that one must employ evil to properly fight evil and if our members wish to indulge in their own machinations on the side, that's none of our business. We are a guild of criminals and monsters who have come to an agreement under the unifying banner of the almighty coin. For the proper price, we will cull this world of the threats the exist in the shadows--creatures and entities not of this world that need to be sent back to the nightmarish hell they came from, men and women who have become the kinds of monsters that did not have the luck to join our ranks before a bounty was placed on their heads. We exist to bring death and chaos onto those who have become nothing more than a high price. That is our one and only goal.

You are the absolute worst kind of person. And that's exactly the type of mercenary we need on our side.

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_Welcome

Welcome to my OOC! As I said in the title, this is my attempt at a bonafide dark fantasy roleplay, but more than that it combines my love of the supernatural with my other love of plots starring criminal protagonists. Black Lily is a roleplay following a small band of criminal mercenaries belonging to the a mythical guild of the titular name. They are routinely hired to slaughter all manner of supernatural creature and equally heinous humans. These creatures should be familiar to all because they come from all corners of fiction: Vampires, Werewolves, Demons, Angels, Dragons, Chimera, Ghosts, Wraiths, more horror-inclined versions of animals, etc. If it's a creature that shouldn't be of this world--and sometimes even those that are--and the price is right, Black Lily will eagerly dispose of it. The story follows the missions, life, and times of the guild's members so while there will be plenty of fantasy action to partake of, there will also be more slice-of-life moments as the characters go about their daily lives and do whatever it is the player decides they like to do.

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_{The Rules}

• Communication is most important.
• Common sense is also important. Don’t godmod, take control of other people's characters, and other crap like that in IC.
• A weekly posting pace is all I ask. Don’t worry so much about post length--quality over quantity. At the same time, let’s not post something so short that no one can respond to it.
• Be nice to people. Everybody likes nice people.

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_{General Information}

**I will add more info as necessary**

Pratus - The World of Black Lily

The world of Black Lily is one of a medieval time, but also one sorely lacking in traditional structure. Collectively, it is referred to as Pratus and while there are some places where kings and queens exist, most cities and towns are completely self-sufficient and the ones that aren’t rely on their local guilds to bring in money for the local economy. Not every guild is combat-oriented and some--most notably the merchant’s guild--bring in large amounts of revenue regularly.

Due to how Pratus evolved after The Catastrophe, law enforcement is not backed by any official body and the lands are very dangerous because of it. Civilized towns and cities employ their own guard whether it be knights who no longer serve a lord or hired mercenaries or even volunteers, but outside the walls of civilization, no rules apply. It’s common practice for travelers to hire bodyguards and envoys to keep them safe as they traverse the dangerous roads between societies and it’s just as common for unsavory types to take advantage of any and everyone when they seen an opportunity. On top of that, roving beasts of all kinds usually take offense to seeing other living creatures and have a tendency to attack on sight.

Unfortunately, poorer villages are often the subject of much higher crime rates simply because they lack the funds to employ a proper guard and too many people live their lives doing whatever they please. In short, Pratus is dangerous, depraved, and not generally a great place to exist unless you live in the safety of more wealthy cities. Below is a list of a few notable locales that I’ll add to as the rp goes on and as other people add their creations to the world. Right now there is only one major locale because that's where beginning of the RP takes place for the most part.

The Disk
The Disk is the name commonly given to one of the largest cities in all of Pratus and it is dubbed as such because of its giant, circular wall. The Disk is home to the original branch of the merchant’s guild and as such it is a hub for commerce and a popular destination for travelers from all over. It was one of the first cities to become self-sufficient after The Catastrophe which effectively ended monarchies worldwide.

The Disk employs its own guard and it is mostly made up of the knights who once served the lord that previously ruled the area. Due to its standing, it is one of the safer cities one can live in, but in order for one to reside there permanently, dues are required on a monthly basis. Those in charge deem that any who would use the city to shelter themselves from the evils of the outer world need to pay for the privilege.

The Disk is also home to the mythical Black Lily guild, but thus far no one who is not a member has ever found the guild’s meeting place. The Disk also used to be a particularly lucrative place for Black Lily due to the unusually high rate of supernatural attacks, but lately these reports and sightings seem to have been slowing down.

The Wildlands
The Wildlands are the areas between cities, towns, and villages. Civilized areas are usually more free of supernatural entities and beasts because guilds keep them out and away, but the world has grown so dangerous that humanity is content to let these creatures roam free anywhere that's not near a civilized area. The danger levels vary in different parts of The Wildlands, but most people are in agreement that if you intend to travel between societies, you should hire some kind of escort or bodyguard.

Technology

The technology level of Pratus fits with the medieval time period. Horse and carriage are the main forms of transportation and melee weapons are the main form of weaponry along with bow and arrows for projectiles. Paved roads have not come to be, but some of the wealthier cities have cobblestone at the very least. There's no electricity so it's fire for light and warmth and traditional methods of storing food using salt and other things to preserve items.

All that said, there has been a rumor for years that some members of Black Lily carry around a strange weapon that seems to fire projectiles that aren't arrows and it fits easily into one hand. People have taken to calling them "hand-cannons" though there isn't really anyone who can vouch for having seen one in person.

Guilds

Guilds are the backbone of any area's economy. They're collectives of like-minded people who come to together to make money based on whatever they're like-minded about. Guilds are also a good way to avoid paying city dues to live within the safety of a wall and a city guard because since part of a guild's revenue goes straight to the city government, guild members usually don't have to pay dues. There are many different kinds of guilds and a lot of them aren't combat-based with some notable ones being the Merchant's Order and the Bard's guild.

Combat-based guilds are especially important to a flourishing city however because they promote a strong circle-of-life initiative. Citizens take jobs to make money to keep up with their city dues and make a decent living for themselves, but most importantly they need money in order to hire a guild to help keep them safe. While the city guard will do their best to keep citizens safe from threats of crime, supernatural threats are another league and a guild is usually involved with that kind of work. With the world being as dangerous as it is, it's massively important to keep combat-based organizations operating so everyone can keep being eaten as the last on their minds, among other painful deaths.

Black Lily is, by far, the most infamous and renown guild in the business of slaughtering the supernatural. However, their infamy also comes from the fact that half the crime committed in The Disk is usually perpetrated by their members. It's a give and take sort of relationship.

Magic

Magic was introduced to the world through The Catastrophe and its presence only grew even years after things had settled down. As far as the scholars have concluded, magic is an all-powerful force that has near limitless capabilities. However, using magic has its drawbacks. Firstly, the energy itself is toxic to individuals. While animals were affected with mutations and twisted transformations, the human body cannot handle the strain of such an unpredictable force. People who try to use magic through their bodies introduce a disease that slowly shuts down organs until there are no more left to shut down. As such, those interested in harnessing magical energies have taken to using mediums to achieve their spells.

Secondly, the use of magic attracts supernatural entities. Those who use magic in moderation while keeping the spells relatively small fare fine for a while within city walls, but those who use powerful, outlandish spells can bring the wrath of any number of different otherworldly creature down upon them. Supernatural entities seem to have some intrinsic ties to magical energies and are able to locate heavy magic users with pinpoint accuracy. Those who use magic in the outside world away from civilized areas can find themselves set upon even quicker due to the fact that these kinds of beasts call the wildlands their home.

Though magic itself can be very useful, most combat guilds only employ one or two magic users for fear of attracting more than they can handle or even causing a citywide emergency.

Magic: Part 2

In the first section I explained how magic came to exist and the basics upon which it works, but it's become increasingly clear that I left out a large chunk of the lore regarding how magic specifically works with mediums. My apologies! In this section, I will explain just that.

Due to the threat of poisoning and disease, magic came to be harnessed through the use of mediums--or objects--by humanity. With a medium, anyone could conjure up a spell or two without having to worry about having their organs shut down one by one until death. The power of a spell (and magic in general) is dependent on the strength of the medium being used. For example, if one were to use their own sword to create flames to coat the blade in, that would work perfectly fine. However, if one intended to use a simple sword to summon a raining firestorm down upon the earth, that spell would undoubtedly fail and the blade would be destroyed because it couldn't handle the amount of energy need to conjure up such a spell.

In effect, the more powerful and outlandish the spell, the stronger the medium needs to be in order to handle it and cast the full spell rather than a partial or even complete failure.

The second part to these facts lie in constant contact with magically-energized items. Enchanted gear and mediums that remain passively activated present another threat to their users as constant contact with a magically inclined item exposes the user to magical energies and can still allow the disease to develop over a longer period of time. Those who use enchanted gear would usually only activate the actual spell in times of need as spells are specifically created to be one time use in order to keep the caster alive.

In summation, while magic offers boundless possibilities for the curious mind, the hard truth is that a lot of the denizens of Pratus do not bother to even learn to use magic because it's simply too much trouble. Others shirk the temptation due to fear of not being able to control the spell they conjure properly. Regardless though, magic still remains a wonder for all and those who do pursue it do so with the knowledge that they'll either die by poisoning and the disease or a certain spell will attract too many supernatural beasts that will also spell the end of their being.

_{The Character Sheet}

The Character Sheet

This template below will be what you use to submit your characters. Now, considering there is lots of interest here, I'm going to ask that you submit your character to me via PM. This will also allow everyone to create a concept they really enjoy rather than seeing everyone else's and basing it off of some other reason. There are no needed roles so go ahead and feel free to create what you desire. I left the template un-formatted because I always like to see how potential players individually format their sheets so as long as you include the necessary categories, you can format the actual sheet however you wish. You'll also notice the brevity of the sheet. That's completely intentional because I feel like it's better to reveal information organically within the IC thread.

• Name
• Age (Minimum age 18)
• Gender
• Appearance (We're going against the norm here; no images. A fully written description should be applied here. Of course, no one is stopping you from using an image to write your description though...)
• Personality (I'm not a fan of this, but it's necessary so I can ensure characters don't overlap one another. Considering character development, this section serves as more of how your character is in the beginning of the roleplay)
• Weapon(s) (What kind of weapon or weapons does the character use? Every character gets one standard issue hand-cannon)
• Magic User (Just a yes or no. If you want to go into more detail, add it to the History section)
• History (Every character joined Black Lily through an anonymous letter sent to them and has only been with the guild for three months. This section should tell me a little about the character's life and what they were doing leading up to that. Keep in mind that Black Lily only employs the worst kinds of people so don't be afraid to delve into the darkness. Feel free to create locations and other add-ons to the world.)

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[Skwint]

I has question.

Enchanted/Magical weapons, armor, or gear. What's the policy on that?

[Concept]

@Skwint

That's actually a really good question and I need to post this damn write-up I have of how magic specifically interacts with mediums. Here's how it works though. And I left a TL;DR at the bottom just in case people want to skip straight to the summary lol.

Magic channeled through a human body is 100% guaranteed to cause the disease which will mean organ shutdown until death. As such, humanity learned to harness magical energy through mediums, or objects as it were. With a medium, one is able to gather magical energies without actually channeling said energy through their body, thus avoiding the disease. Unfortunately, it's not that cut and dry though. The power of magic is generally governed by the strength of the medium one is using. I gave someone else the example of having a character using a key to maybe magically unlock doors and using it as a medium for a weapon construct--all that would be perfectly within reason considering the source is a key. However, if one attempted to conjure up a lighting storm with a simple key as a medium, the spell would fail and the key would be destroyed because it wasn't a strong enough medium to handle the necessary energies. This is basically the logic of magic in the world of Pratus.

To answer your question specifically, one could indeed enchant armor sets or weapons and gear. The gear or armor itself could serve as the medium and that would be perfectly fine. Where it gets murky is constant activation. If the spells one wishes to use on the gear are in constant, passive use then the wearer of said gear will likely develop the disease after some time due to being in constant contact with the medium and having the energy seep into their body. Spells are meant to be a one time use and then one must conjure again, but enchanted items carry the greater threat of poisoning their users or wearers and attracting the supernatural due their passive, consistent use.

TL;DR
Yes, enchanted weapons, armor, and gear are certainly a thing in this world. However, they carry the threat of slow poisoning if the spells they conjure are in constant, passive use. The wearer or user would slowly develop the disease and then suffer the same fate as one who tried to channel the energy through their body.

EDIT - Added the write-up under the general information section called "Magic: Part 2". Hope this answers your question though.

[Lord Wyron]

Potentially interested! Subscribed and brainstorming in the background here! May throw something in!

[savannahssu]

@Concept

So I have a couple questions about the mediums and magic concept.
1) What objects are determined as "mediums?" Are they only things that belong to the character him/herself or could I just pick up a stick in the forest and use that as a medium?
2) When you use a medium to cast a spell, does the medium then break? Or does it slowly wear down after being used for a long period of time? Can you recharge mediums or do they just last forever once you find one?
3) Is there a point system for magic and spells? Like a firestorm for example could cost/be worth 1000 points whereas just a single fireball could cost/be worth say 200?
4) Can you level up mediums be be able to handle stronger spells?
5) What happens to my character if I lose my medium and try to cast a spell anyway? Is it instantly going to kill me or does it just weaken me?

I know it's a lot of questions but I need to know so I don't make myself look stupid with my character posts later and so I can build my CS properly. Thank you!

[Concept]

@savannahssu

Well... That is a lot of questions lol. I'll do my best to answer without prattling on though. Here we go.

1. It's actually the latter. A medium can be any inanimate object, but of course if one just picks up a stick, don't think of trying to cast any amazingly powerful spells with it. It's just a stick, after all.

2. Spells are one time use, but it's the gathering of energies that wears down a medium. The user is gathering magical energy proportionate to the type and scale of spell and channeling it into the medium itself. As I said before, a stick wouldn't be able to create some kind of meteor shower because it would break and the spell would fail. However, a medium can break even if a spell is successful due to the strain a large mass of magical energy comes with. There's nothing to recharge. Magical energy exists in the atmosphere of the world, one just has to learn to gather it into a medium and then learn spells to cast.

3. Definitively no. This isn't anything close to a stat-based RP even where magic is concerned.

4. No. A stick will always just be a stick and it will never be able to handle large-scale spells--tis life. The thing about these spells are that not everyone just walks around being to summon a firestorm either. One has to learn how to conjure magical energies, focus it into a medium and separately learn each and every spell they want to cast. Considering the fatal cost of magic and people's general laziness, there aren't going to be many walking around with the knowledge to cast firestorms and cat-7 earthquakes and the like. However, I'll go into more detail on that when we have a defined cast.

5. If a human casts a spell without a medium (aka channeling the energy through their body) they develop the disease which shuts down vital organs one by one. It's not instant death, but it's much more than weakened. Imagine a lung just ceasing to function completely and then every few days something else follows. That character would have a very agonizing final living.

I hope this helps you and everyone else.

[Quaint Quasar]

This looks epic.

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"The blackness of my belt is like the inside of a coffin on a moonless night."

"That's pretty black man."
-Beverly Hills Ninja
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Very cool. I'm excited for this and then some.

[Lord Wyron]

Figured since it's been 12 hours since my somewhat-vague post I'll give a small update! I've already got a few character concepts in mind, would have done more but I had a shift at work. Tomorrow I have the day off so I can devote that to building, harassing friends for opinions, and pulling something together!

[Concept]

Hey everyone, added a new announcement up top. Character submissions will be officially closing at 11:59pm this Saturday, Eastern Standard Time. So any who have not submitted characters yet have the rest of today and all of tomorrow to get something in.

On Sunday, I'll do the review and approvals and the IC will start either Sunday evening or early next week. Thanks to all those who have submitted thus far and all who showed interest. I look forward to writing with those who define the cast!

[pugbutter]

Thanks for setting a deadline. Now I'll find the motivation to actually get off my ass and do it 👌 no sarcasm

I was about 30%-ish through my first app and I lost it, so I'm starting from scratch, but I'll get it in on time for sure

[Heat]

I'll try to get mine sent in tonight. Last few days I've been occupied with IRL stuff, but I will work on it after work tonight.

[Concept]

This is it! We've reached the final day of character submissions. This has been a pretty interesting experience thus far, but any who finds their curiosity even slightly piqued still has all of today to get something in. I have work, myself, today, but I'll still be able to answer questions and things of that nature as necessary. Looking forward to whatever comes my way today!

[Hero]

This is it! We've reached the final day of character submissions. This has been a pretty interesting experience thus far, but any who finds their curiosity even slightly piqued still has all of today to get something in. I have work, myself, today, but I'll still be able to answer questions and things of that nature as necessary. Looking forward to whatever comes my way today!

@Concept

tries not to panic

[Lord Wyron]

As sad as it is to say, I've made zero progress, and I have a work shift conveniently from 5-11...so I want to apologize if I don't turn anything in :(

[Concept]

@Ghost Shadow

No need to apologize, it's fine. We all do what we can. We will have to see how things shake out tonight, I suppose.

[Hero]

@Ghost Shadow

No need to apologize, it's fine. We all do what we can. We will have to see how things shake out tonight, I suppose.

@Concept

sweats even more as he types faster

I had to cover for a coworker today so that screwed me out of a lot of time, gonna try anyway lol

[Heat]

<Snipped quote by Concept>

sweats even more as he types faster

I had to cover for a coworker today so that screwed me out of a lot of time, gonna try anyway lol

@Hero

[pugbutter]

delet

[Concept]

Remember to PM me your submission, @pugbutter, don't post it in the thread. Also, looks like your formatting is broken.

[pugbutter]

oh, sorry my bad; i'll do that now

Also, looks like your formatting is broken.

ａｅｓｔｈｅｔｉｃ asymmetry