Hey all! this is where the out of character chat will be conducted. Alternatively, join this discord server: https://discord.gg/pgXTkGY
Anyway, if you're new here and/or are confused as to what this rp is about/are looking for the overview of the roleplay, check the next out of character post.
For information on making a character, check the character sign-up thread- everything you need should be there. Though, feel free to PM me with any questions.
Sidenote- this is a very barebones and out-of-character view of all of the information the players should know during the rp; I may indeed go back through and re-write this to be from a narrator’s perspective, but for now, this should do.
Tl;dr/Synopsis:
Essentially, you play as a developing mage given their powers by a mysterious deity-like figure that has their own agenda; the task you are given is to end the Shijuhan Dynasty, a tyrannical empire that is a threat to all existing nations. However, it quickly becomes obvious that the new magey powers you’ve been given are destroying your body from the inside. During the rp, your character will grow alongside their powers, eventually becoming strong mages that can challenge even the heart of the tyrannical nation- but at what cost? The rp will be inherently edgy at times, purposefully comedical at others, but most importantly it will be a daring, high-tension adventure between a group of characters that will hopefully grow tighter as the story goes on. If you didn’t see the interest check, it’s in the hider below, and basically states what I’ve just said, only in-character, with terms from the rp.
Osen, the energy of the Ose, and the lifeblood of civilization, is the basis upon which this world stands. Without it, everything would fall apart. It is the force that keeps order, and the force that drives humanity forwards. This profound strength is found in enormous, glowing crystals throughout the world; they are relics of the past, and harbingers of a foreboding future. This is because the crystals grant the the supreme and unequaled power of the Ose- this power exceeds belief and reason, and overshadows even the toughest of nature’s storms. With these crystals, humanity, once weak and mewling, transformed itself into the fiercest race that walks this world.
Humanity has scarcely discovered why, but the Ose choose a portion of humanity to act as their voices, their hands, and their wills. Perhaps the Ose feel sympathy, or enjoy toying with humans as though life is all some sick game. Truly, no one really knows-
--except for those who were given this grand mantle, whom would change the world forever. They are called the Osem, and are hands and feet of the Ose. The first Osem were the first of humanity to use Osen, and the first to taste its incomprehensible power. Bound to accomplish the goals of the Ose, they destroyed nations, waged wars, raised mountains, and created the vast oceans.They are the embodiment of change. For better, or for worse.
But it is not so glorious as you would think. Osem are no longer human. They are chosen by the Ose as an answer, and are only borrowing the power of the Ose to solve a problem. If they fail, they will become a wretched beast that hungers eternally; and if they succeed, they will become the crystals that are the blood of the world.
No one thirsts to be an Osem, to have the fate of the world hang on their weak, mortal shoulders, like the heavy shackles of a prisoner, but that is now your fate.
Your task, given to you by the Ose, is to bring an end to the almighty Shijuhan Dynasty- the tyrannical militaristic state at war with every country in the world.
Your task is gargantuan, the odds of your success non-existent, and the adversity you face is overwhelming. In the end, will you collapse and die with a whimper?
Or will you steel yourself and run headfirst into your destiny?
The Ose
The Ose are, essentially, deity-like figures; they hold an immense amount of power due to their full control over Osen. However, they are all still living “people,” that walk the world. Because of this, they have their own goals, motivations, and dreams, and use Osem to realize these for them. A full list of The Ose can be found in the character sign-up thread. Side note, when an Ose chooses a person to become an Osem, the person will black out completely and meet the Ose while in a dream-like state.
Osen- what is that?
Osen is the word for ”magic” in this universe, but also doubles as the word for ”mana.” It’s a very, very useful catch-all word when talking about things relating to Osem, The Ose, or ose (the energy). Very briefly: ose is the energy stored in the soul for practicing osen, it is the same word as The Ose because it is believed to be “their blood,” as they use that same energy to perform their osen. Osen can take many forms, it simply depends on whom is using it, and what facet of Osen they study. Basically, a facet of Osen is a way of using Ose to accomplish whatever sort of strange things you want. Each facet is distinct in both what it does and how it uses Ose. As always, let me know if you have any questions!
Gao believes that the purest form of strength comes from improving oneself. His facet only channels this belief, giving the Osem that can wield his power true power over themselves. Using this art, it is possible for an Osem to change the parts of their body into whatever they wish; and it is just as possible for the Osem to change the makeup and properties of their bodies, as well. That being said, Osem should take due caution- if they lack the amount of osen they need to turn back, they will simply be unable to.
Keleik believes that all things should be connected; when he made his facet, Keliek made sure that this would be the case. Osem using his power can conjoin and connect pockets of Ose, allowing for teleportation. This manifests in many ways: static portals in the forest that send the not-so-wary traveller plummeting off of a mountainside, or small, temporary pockets that allow an Osem to throw a punch at a far-away foe, or even permanent portals that allow transportation of materials to go by extremely quickly.
Ciem, the first female Ose, was a shrewd trickster and tinkerer known for her antics. That being said, she designed her facet to be able to allow osen to think on its own. An Osem given her power has the ability to set up logic systems that give simple or complex commands to osen, allowing the power to move and act as if on its own based on pre-arranged instructions. Also, this power gives the Osem with it the ability to see others’ osen use, and where nearby osen is concentrated.
Xne is a simple Ose, and created the simplest facet. His power is to transform osen into an object of will, be it a sword made of fire or a fire made of swords. The more complicated these conjurations, the more osen becomes required. However, using his discipline requires the osen being used to have an easy, direct path to wherever the conjuration is taking place. Because of this, many of the Osem that use his power have pockmarks all over their skin. These pockmarks appear where these Osem have let their own blood to let the osen out from their bloodstream.
Elos, the second female Ose, believes that everyone holds only one power: the power to change. Her facet allows the Osem using it to change the world around them in fantastical ways. The Osem using this power are able to transmute any matter they come across into any other by rearranging the osen within and around it- as long as the end result is made up entirely of what was used. For example, an Osem using the power of Elos may be able to walk up to a sandstone wall and reduce it immediately into a large pile of sand, or perhaps even turn entire trees into fresh stacks of paper.
Povur, a relatively young Ose, was an ever-curious commander of beasts and nature. He always questioned the meaning behind all things, from words to symbols, to people and relationships. Through his facet, Osem are able to use osen to summon creatures of their choosing to aid them with whatever they may need. When summoned, the creatures seem to simply step into existence nearby their summoner. However, Povur’s power extends further- Osem channeling his facet can turn their thoughts into osen and send that osen as a message to other creatures.
Mej is a strong-headed Ose, and always uses brute force and strength to meet her ends. Her facet is a sort of primal strength, and allows Osem to control the flow of osen in their environment to move and manipulate the objects around them. Also, Osem with this power can take the osen within their physical environment and compel it to move. With this, Osem can compel flames to dance as they please, or compel the trees in their path to split open and move aside for them, as well as an infinite number of other possibilities.
Jinai is a thief, and as an Ose, is also an inspiration to many-an-upcoming cutpurse. Jinai’s facet is focused around trickery and deception, and allows the Osem using his power to manipulate both light and sound freely. Osem with Jinai’s “blessing” are able to create any sound they wish, as well as choose how loud the sound is and where it will be created. Also, they are able to manipulate currently propagating sounds to fit their desires. As for light, Osem following Jinai are able to bend it and otherwise manipulate its rays in any way they seem fit.
Vordunn, even among Ose, is an eccentric- his facet only seems to exaggerate this. The power of his facet allows Osem to change whether or not an object is on the same plane as the soul, allowing Osem to phase objects- and sometimes even themselves- in and out of existence as they please. On top of this, Vordunn’s facet gives his Osem the peculiar ability to manipulate charged particles- the same kind as seen in lightning bolts, or in the strange factories of the northern lands.
Osem- who are those?
The Osem are the cursed people chosen by The Ose to carry out one of their tasks. In exchange for power over Ose/osen, Osem suffer as the toxic and tumultuous Ose courses through their veins, causing them to slowly wither away even as they live. If you are part of the main story, as you may well be, your goal given to you by the Ose will be to bring about the end of the Shijuhan dynasty. No one knows what happens to Osem that succeed, but everyone knows the horrible rumors of what happens to those that fail: their bodies succumb to the Ose and they become wretched, vile creatures to roam the land in eternal suffering.
That’s about it- I might go through and re-write all this information from an in-character/narrator perspective, but for now, that’s the bare-bones information about the rp! Enjoy!
That's fine! I'm willing to wait a while for the cs's, as it gives me time to think about how to fit together the characters and their individual personalities/powers as they roll in.
Hi there! I'm interested and will also be writing up a CS within the next day or so.
Question for you, are there kingdoms in this setting? I was pondering on my character being a royal type who had this task thrust upon her, but I'm not sure on the culture dynamic yet.
Name: Gado Age: 33 (Biologically 25) Appearance: Extremely irrelevant - with his mastery of the Gao facet, Gado can shift his form into anything he wishes given time. He only sticks to a form until he gets away from a dangerous situation, where he will change his appearance. His current form is that of a large Caucasian man, heavily layered with muscles that were almost exclusively provided by his Osem, and long black hair that is almost dreadlocks with how matted together they are. Osem: Yes Goal: Remove the Shiijuhan, by any means available. Ose Facet(s): Gao Soulprint: His blood reacts violently when in the presence of Ose. The blood will change color rapidly, form small pseudopods, and generally be a gross ball of slime until the Ose is removed from the environment. This effect is only noticeable when outside of Gado's body, but High levels of Ose might make the veins throb heavily. It would take absurd levels of Ose to cause his blood to have any harmful effects. Brief Personality: Gado can very easily be seen as stern, uncompromising, and cold to most other people - he does his best to keep a logical and level outlook on his life and his future. This caused intense friction with his old masters, but intense beatings did litle to curb this. In fact, it reinforced his belief that he was a "Person of order," and that he could easily overcome the chaos that his slavers made his life into. Gado is focused on being independent and self-reliant, refusing the help of others unless absolutely needed and to excel at everything he does, constantly seeking self-improvement at any cost. This reached obsessive levels around the time he became an Osem, with him priding himself on the fact that he could do nearly any job that his masters assigned him due to his very empty and spartan lifestyle. Gado has gone a long period of time without family or friends, mostly due to his self-imposed self reliance and his generally poor personality. This, however, made him much more valuable to the slavers who owned him, as he could be made an example of without worry of other slaves trying to protect him and fight back. Gado barely has a personal life at all, with every second not spent on accomplishing his goals or his Osem's goal being devoted to training or mindless activities. While he tries his best to appear emotionless, he can display a slight degree of narcissism at times, and will usually do his best to keep his allies in a good mood, usually with compliments, albeit strangely phrased ("Your limbs are very well trained - the musculature present is impressive, especially when not a follower of Gao"). To put things very bluntly, Gado is not well equipped with dealing with people. Personal Goal(s)/Motivation(s): Abolish slavery - or, at the very least, punish slavers. Brief History: Gado was raised in a broken home, his mother and father being poorer than most of the people in Shiijuhan, and the money they did get being spent on cheap drugs or booze. It was here where Gado's life became devoted to keeping the bare minimum, staying efficient - he needed to be, considering he'd be lucky to get a meal every day. When his parent overdosed when he was only 15. Resorting to crime in order to make enough to live, the malnourished Gado was obviously caught and thrown into prison. As with most prisoners, Gado was put on auction to be bought by the various people who comprised the richer demographics of the nation. Gado, while malnourished and weak, was young and still growing - he was bought by Douglas Mather, a foreign man who set up a plantation a few years previously in Shiijuhan. There, he performed intense labor for 17 more years, not forming a single friendship the entire time. Not from a lack of offers - forming friendships was not something that Gado was used to, and he felt more comfortable with the acceptance that was shared among all the slaves. While Gado was beaten more often than Douglas' other slaves, he was well treated by most standards - he was given medical attention to serious wounds or disease, and Douglas never sexually assaulted or killed any of his slaves on purpose. Still, 17 years is a long time, and while he never directly thought it, he subconsciously knew that he needed to leave, someway or another. One day, after falling into a pile of hay after a long day of work, he encountered a being - constantly shifting flesh, going from one person into an animal, into another person, moving so quickly as to render them hard to look at. An instant later, he awoke, in the dead of night, with an instinctual understanding of what had happened. Shifting into a bird and escaping in the night, Gado trained alone for a single year - enough time for him to feel confident in his abilities in relation to the monumental size of his mission. Now, he returns to the empire that he had lived in his entire life, prepared to do what he must in order to comply with the Ose's wishes. Other: Gado is a moniker - His slaver gave it to him, and he continues to use it because he has used the moniker longer and it feels more comfortable than his old name.
@Duoya Character looks great, I love how you developed the world of the rp as well as your character in your cs. I really, really like your cs- though, I am a little worried with how your character will be in a group enviornment such as this rp. That being said, you are accepted.