The crumbling castle, ancient though it was, still stood tall in the wild forest that surrounds it. Though its original occupants and splendour has long past, the newly crowned King has claimed it, the banner of gold spiked horseshoe over a field of red flying high on its ramparts. Though still not numerous enough to occupy the entire Castle, the combined tribes that live here make up enough that it became a town of its own. With villages reaching out and forming a tradeline to it, the Castle could be said to be a growing town.
With a town and population this big however, came danger. Barely anyone knows about the continent or area the Castle was located in, and with the Castles connecting to multiple villages with routes that needed protection, the people who were able to use Spikes, or the Spikers seemed a godsent. But for some, they were a harbinger of something much larger to come...
***
You are a Spiker, a person who wields one of the Spikes. The King Meltriz has already ordered the construction of a central pub for requests and jobs to be posted, the first of its kind in the Bronze Castle. Though royal decree only suggested the Spikers be registered and find work from those posted, the nature of the 'Kingdom' and its location meant you either worked or die starving. And Spiker postings already give so much more money than the usual postings.
**Rules** 1. All rules of the guild applies 2. Just don't be a dick 3. Final decisions by GMs are final, to prevent fruitless circular arguments about outcomes in rp.
Setting Information.
Current Known Locations
The remains of a massive citadel that now hosts the current occupants. Only a small part of it is actually occupied by the people that now live there, centered around a massive keep that the King resides in with her trusted guards and companions. The remains of the walls extend far beyond the current town, suggesting it was a massive metropolis at its peak. Now the walls become a landmark and safe houses for patrols.
The name was given due to the predominantly bronze armaments found when it was first discovered, and the castle itself sits on a still huge mother lode of copper, tin and aluminium, though the veins twisted very oddly, making the old mine shafts difficult to navigate. Oddly enough, the mineshaft seemed to be abandoned in a hurry from the remains left behind.
Currency
The coinages of the Bronze Castle from lowest to highest are the copper coins, to the brass coins, to the Dour Dwarf's gold coin. A single gold coin is worth 100 brass coins, one brass equals 100 coppers. Each coin has a hole in the middle, where a small string could be passed through to tie up larger amounts of coins. 3 coppers is enough for a pint of beer, and 5 usually buys a pint and some snacks with the beer. A new tunic costs 15 to 30 coppers, while a brand new common bronze sword costs an upwards of 3 brass. Gold coins are rare and usually only carried by those traders willing to make the dangerous trek to the Dour Dwarfs mountain to sell copper and alum.
Equipments
Armor and weapons made of metal are predominantly bronze, or sometimes brass on the cheaper end. Iron and consequently steel is harder to find, and reserved only for the best or those with a huge coffer. Higher end bronze equipment can be just as hard as steel once properly treated and beaten, but the cost also proportionally increases.
Magic
Magic in this world isn't the casual fireball throwing even novices can do, it involves a monolithic amount of will to bend the world to your whims, and even then it requires time, reagents, and catalysts to achieve world bending effects. Practical magics are more often than not things like rain dances, bone readings, and creation of potions. Most magic require a lot of time and effort to conjure up, like the fairies singing to a plant over the course of weeks to shape into a home, the dwarfs smithing of runes that require pure magic to be poured into it while hammering it continuously, etc.
Current Available Races.
The people that make up the Bronze Castle's population are varied, but are decidedly what most people in other more known continents would call monsters. There are 'civilized' races like the humans, elves and dwarves but they are decidedly the rarest. The most common tribe seen would be the goblins, making up the bulk of the population, followed by the kobolds at a close second. Variations or other monster types can also be applied as long as you pass it through me first.
Goblins
Small, cunning, and fearless. Until the tides turn that is. With their distinct greenish skin of various hues, and large proboscis, they are very visually distinct among the races. A brighter green skin, with a fleshy well rounded nose are signs of a healthy goblin, and thus a mark of beauty in the goblin community. Their main strengths are their cunning and their capacity for teamwork. Under the King's rule, they have coagulated enough tribes to be the bulk of the Bronze Castle's citizens. Though thought to be barbaric by the more civilized races, under the King's rule, they have proven to be just as able farmers, shopkeepers, smiths etc. The women, usually hidden away and protected, are slowly integrating into the community and taking more active roles now that they're not in danger of being killed at a moment's notice. Even washed and dressed however, they still have their animalistic edge.
Usually being a tribe of close knit members usually treated like trash by an overlord or a stronger monster, they do not have any sense of personal space, embarrassment and/or privacy, happily doing things like bathing and going to the toilet together.
Kobolds
Slightly larger than the common goblin, walking wolves that share many common traits with the goblins but are often less resourceful or cunning, though they aren't to be underestimated. Rather than anthropomorphic dogs, they are more akin to bipedal dogs. Savage, stronger and faster than any goblin, they are very social when not in battle, prone to shows of affections, especially to people they love. Like the goblins, the women are slowly integrating into society with more active roles. They're usually a patient bunch, but with their savage streak they're prone to outbursts that are common within the kobold tribes when asserting dominance. Usually this only occurs within their own ranks, but hapless adventurers might be pulled into one at a moment's notice. As such they're not usually found in shops or the likes, but they make for surprisingly good farmers.
With even less sense of privacy than goblins, the kobolds are usually regarded as annoying for their immense curiosity, though when properly washed and dressed they're usually forgiven with just a scolding.
Minotaurs
Huge hulking humanoid beasts, with thick fur and rippling muscles. With their ox head, one might think they're vegetarians, but they consume meat just as readily as they'd eat vegetables. Long lived and with a low birth rate, they make up a lesser part of the population but are no less noticeable. With their weight and strength, their charge isn't something many can stop, and with their sheer bulk and fur, they can take far more damage than one might think. Contrary to their brutish appearance however, the minotaurs value life, and will not throw away their life meaninglessly. While they aren't particular about the jobs they take and indeed do many jobs as well as any other, the most prominent families have taken to divvying up the extensive mineshafts among them, and taken up metal working.
They are a very private race, with a complex culture within each specific tribe. Each tribe has their own markings to identify them, like a small bell on the right horn, or a bright blue cloth emblazoned with a hoof mark tied around the tail.
Lamias
The body of a snake, with the upper half of a woman, many would think the Lamias was a race where the women did most of the fighting while the men stayed at home. The simple truth was, the lamias had no actual concept of female or male in their own language, as they are all hermaphrodites. Usually a prideful race that just exudes pride from every pore, the subjugation of the first Queen by the current King, and her subsequent voluntary enslavement to the King had all but scattered that pride. Oddly enough, after that they weren't treated as a second class citizen, but treated the same as the others. In a way that also bruised their pride, as they considered the goblins and other races far beneath them.
Their snake half has strong scales that has the ability to turn weapons away, with the additional danger that they might just twist around any attackers that come close and just crush them. They usually favour longer or long ranged weapons whenever in battle, such as a spear or a bow, stemming from the fact that a comfortable 'standing' position for their upper half usually puts them a bit further away from the ground. Though warm-blooded, they're still affected much more by changes in temperature than other races, preferring warm to hot weather, often sunning themselves in droves. Favours glittery jewelries that adorn and complement their form, so much that receiving a piece of jewelry the lamia was wearing is akin to a declaration of love.
Harpy
Flighty, airheaded and spooked easily. Harpies are again almost as small as goblins, but far lighter, looking like a human with bird legs, tail feathers and wings for arms. Differing from the Lamias, they are exclusively an all female race, often attaching themselves to other monster tribes to attract suitors, as all offsprings are almost all exclusively pure harpy, with the rare males being the race of the male parent. Being closely associated with the wind, they are unable to use magic normally, though because of that they fly easier in the air than any bird. Because of their flighty and airy nature however, they aren't particularly cunning, intelligent or resourceful, though a flock of them in the wilds still isn't something to be underestimated. Their wicked sharp claws can still tear apart flesh. Harpies are loud creatures, and tend to take jobs delivering messages, long range patrols, as well as hunting and helping out with the farms.
While they can dive strongly onto an opponent, their bodies aren't that durable due to their lightweight build required for flight. A happy group of harpies can be very loud, which considering harpies don't usually have very extensive desires, meant most times most of them are very cacophonous.
Fairies
Small creatures about a human palm and a half tall, flying on crystalline magical wings. They are stronger than they look, able to carry things several times larger than themselves. Free spirited spirits of nature, they are closely related to the world and have the ability to sing to plants to influence them. This is usually limited to making flowers shape itself to something more comfortable to sit on, though some have been seen making equipment out of them. They are fast flitting creatures, and somewhat reluctant to go to battle, and even less when its battle in close quarters. Considering a single fast hand can catch and crush them, and armor are usually loathed by fairies as being too restrictive, there would be scarce any fairy brave enough to go near a fight. With the fairies liking the beer brewed in Bronze Castle, a group of fairies exiting a pub in a hurry is a sure sight of a bar brawl going on.
Thats not to say the fairies are an idle bunch that only does pranks however, for they can work in a multitude of jobs from being a seamstress, to even helping the local blacksmith. But they do make a lot of harmless pranks, usually on the people they like. Especially on people they like.
Humans
Adaptable, resilient and persistent. Human and human culture can vary with the location they inhabit and travel to, as well as prolific in many areas they can reach. However, in this unknown location, humans are rarer than unicorns. There is only one known human here, and he claims to have come here by boat, though the sea was fathoms away from the Bronze Castle. Apped Humans will never be native to the Bronze Castle, having been spirited here by some means or another.
Elves
Tall, long lived, and graceful. Like humans, elves vary a lot by location, and usually make a part of a civilized city population. The only ones that are native to the Bronze Castle's location however, are the Light Elves, so called because of their bright armor and the Dark elves, those who like subterfuge and misdirection more with their skin distinct dark colorations. Both are very murderous, and are currently hostile to the Bronze Castle. Players who app these will either need to have a reason to defect from both groups, or be one of people spirited here by some means, as per the humans.
Dwarfs
The dwarfs are raucous, loud, brash and loyal. At least, those from other civilized lands are. Not so with the native Doeur Dwarfs, or usually just Dour Dwarfs. They are more reticent, lacking such honors as other dwarfs usually have, but still retain the pride usually associated with them. They will not back down once their word is given, and as such can be a powerful ally, or a frightening enemy.
Short and stocky, their close association with the earth lends to their body being very compact, with strength even the strongest humans would be envious of, and with the endurance to bear. Because of their close association with the earth however, they are unable to use magic normally. Both normal dwarfs and Dour Dwarfs won't be common, and thus need an actual reason to be in the Bronze Castle and helping.
Demons
Demons are extradimensional creatures, brought on usually from what people call Hell or the equivalent of. They are unusually strong, and tough, as their body is made of condensed magic, a violation of any rule of the world. Because their body is condensed magic, they can easily conjure up spells that any normal wizard would require catalysts and reagents for, by simply utilizing their own body as fuel. As such, it is relatively easy to tell the strength of a demon; through both their body size and horn size and/or numbers. Normal heights for demons would be around 170 to 180cm not accounting for outliers, with deviation in horn size and number to tell their strengths apart, but any demon past 190cm is both almost nonexistent and almost always a demon capable of upturning an entire civilized world on their own.
Alice Demons
A sub species of demons. Rather than being taller, they are very short, commonly ranging from 138 to 150cm. Rather than just the loose compression of magic the demons have, Alice Demons compresses their body so much it becomes more a solid wall of magic. Being more resistant to attacks while being able to tear apart things with their bare hands, they however, are unable to cast any sort of magic. Any attempts to cast magic would just result in an overblown version of whatever their casting, and deplete their magic so quickly they're at a danger of just dematerializing back into their world. A quick analogy would be a pressurized keg of beer that instantly explodes the moment a small hole is introduced to it.
Beastmorphs
A one in a million sort of rare. It happens when an animal has both the extreme will required for this to happen, and an energy source large enough to sustain the transformation and the wish of the animal in question. Those who manage to somehow stumble into this turns into a humanoid version of themselves, bearing the animal traits of what they were before. Their strengths vary wildly with the species they are from. A dog may have a more enhanced strength and agility with their sense of smell being the strongest, while a tiger may overpower the dog in both strength and agility while lacking the strong sense of smell.
Spikes
Spikes are any object designed to pierce into the body to grant its ability. Spikes range from ear piercings, nose rings, a simple object that needs to be held in the mouth while using it, to actual spikes that pierces your head clean through. With longer use, one may even be able to use it better and discover new abilities. Some may only give these abilities in exchange for something else, like feeding on one's blood constantly, or sacrificing an eye. While Spikes sound very enticing, the truth was many who tried putting on a Spike will not be able to even activate it, or even notice its a magical device. The rarer cases can get more extreme, with some outright imploding the moment they try to put on a Spike.
Character Sheet
Remember to send your Spike themes, abilities and description in first for approval before making the entire sheet, just to avoid further inconveniences if your Spike isn't approved. Alternative, you can send in a CS for me to assign a random Spike.
Name: Race:More info in setting info above. Age: Both visual age and actual age if you want to. Sex: Appearance: Personality: Small blurb, don't need to be super indepth. History: Who they are, how they got here, and how they came across their Spike. Equipments: Armor, weapons, any special equipment goes here. Keep in mind whatever you start with, it will be made of bronze or brass. Steel isn't really common and thus reserved for the best only.
Spike Spike Name: If any. Spike Description: Physical description of the actual Spike, where they are located, any special design on the magic circle that pops up when in use, etc Spike Theme: The theme of the Spike from which all your abilities revolve around. Spike Abilities: The abilities it confer. For now, you get, at most, two(2) ability connected to the theme of your spike.
Personal Ability: This covers significant things your character can do. Stuff like cooking, riding a horse need not be put here, as long as youre not going overboard with it.
Description:A prismatic piercing that sticks out of the spine, the spikes are conduits for the elements.
Ability:The conduit (also known as user) allows the energies of the elemental plane to course through their body, essentially the user becomes partially composed of the elements and can channel the ability to control them or even mix them.
Fire Channelling: Ability to manipulate and create fire.
Air Channelling: Ability to summon strong winds.
Drawback:The conduits use the hosts blood to infuse elemental essence into the hosts very body causing immeasurable amounts of pain as the body composes the channelled elemental energy. The user must experience excruciating pain.
Description:A prismatic piercing that sticks out of the spine, the spikes are conduits for the elements.
Damn, I'm an idiot. I meant send in the entire Spike section first, so I can have a gander at your chosen abilities and spike themes. So far the spike itself looks alright though.
Spike Spike Name: Aspect Thief Spike Description: A jet black spike that looks to be made of chitin. Along its surface are red pulsing veins, almost as if the spike had been shattered and repaired at one point. The spike is located dead center of his chest and seems to be constantly active judging by the glowing. Spike Theme: Stealing beneficial aspects from dead enemies to make the wielder better. Which also grants limited forms of shapeshifting of the physical body. Spike Abilities:
Absorbing Theft: As the name suggests after killing something he absorbs something from them by consuming a portion of their body. This applies to physical attributes only and redundant aspects do not compile together. The stronger one is taken while the weaker is cast off. (He can't eat 50 ogres and have 50 ogres worth of strength, it's just the strength of one ogre.)
Transformation: With his spike functioning he can change his body to better suit certain situations. He can cover his body in chitin armor for example, or get monstrous claws, cudgel-like hands, etc etc. The more, and different, creatures he eats and steals from the more complex forms he can change himself into.
Spike Spike Name: Aspect Thief Spike Description: A jet black spike that looks to be made of chitin. Along its surface are red pulsing veins, almost as if the spike had been shattered and repaired at one point. The spike is located dead center of his chest and seems to be constantly active judging by the glowing. Spike Theme: Stealing beneficial aspects from dead enemies to make the wielder better. Which also grants limited forms of shapeshifting of the physical body. Spike Abilities:
Absorbing Theft: As the name suggests after killing something he absorbs something from them by consuming a portion of their body. This applies to physical attributes only and redundant aspects do not compile together. The stronger one is taken while the weaker is cast off. (He can't eat 50 ogres and have 50 ogres worth of strength, it's just the strength of one ogre.)
Transformation: With his spike functioning he can change his body to better suit certain situations. He can cover his body in chitin armor for example, or get monstrous claws, cudgel-like hands, etc etc. The more, and different, creatures he eats and steals from the more complex forms he can change himself into.
Is this what you meant?
Yes.
Id say limit the second ability more. As it is, its too exponential since he could eat everything that moves and instantly gain armor, armaments, flight, poison, underwater breathing, etc from eating different bugs, birds, frogs, crabs etc that is around the area and easily catchable and edible. Perhaps only one aspect of one animal at a time without being able to stack transformations together, and needing time to switch to another aspect/transformation, as well as needing to eat stronger creatures.
I didn't word it very well but yeah that was the plan. Only using one aspect at a time until later on when he's more experienced with his Spike. (His abilities are essentially a combination of Zerg and Alex Mercer from Prototype)
Slap on the part where he can only use one transformation ability at a time, with one aspect from one monster, needing time to switch, and only being able to take stuff from strong monsters instead of any tom dick and harry, and you're good to go on the rest of your cs.
Don't worry about making a strong character right from the get go btw. Everyone will get upgrades and be stronger over time, so being strong at the beginning won't really jive well with the flow lol.
Description:A prismatic piercing that sticks out of the spine, the spikes are conduits for the elements.
Ability:The conduit (also known as user) allows the energies of the elemental plane to course through their body, essentially the user becomes partially composed of the elements and can channel the ability to control them or even mix them.
Fire Channelling:
Water Channelling:
Air Channelling:
Earth Channelling:
Drawback:The conduits use the hosts blood to infuse elemental essence into the hosts very body causing immeasurable amounts of pain as the body composes the channelled elemental energy. The user must experience
From the looks of it, you have four different abilities all at once. I'm only allowing up to two at the beginning.
Spike Description: A silver ring inlaid with a shimmering moonstone gem. Within the inner portion of the ring, three long spikes emerge, each a reminder of the wearer's past mistakes, retracted until it is worn on one's ring finger. These spikes pierce the wearer's finger if they are compatible with its magics, becoming permanently affixed. The moonstone glows a pale blue whenever its active powers are utilized, and radiating pain surges through the wearer's arm once a power is activated.
Spike Theme: Rejection. To reject the status quo, and to reject outside influences from affecting one's self. The moon orbits away from the sun, and it shines only because it reflects the sun's rays away from itself.
Spike Abilities: At a baseline, Resilience Lunar possesses a passive and an active component. The passive ability allows the wielder to reject physical forces, boosting the wearer's resistance against effects that would knock them down or keep them pinned. The active ability allows the wielder to push other creatures and objects with directed telekinetic force, rejecting those from the wearer's space. While the telekinetic power is strong enough to sweep the average human-sized creature off their feet, it currently doesn't possess enough force to cause any damage on its own.
Aight character done. Will have art of him WHEN I CAN PAY FOR IT.
Name: Galain Jinn
Race: Bright Elf
Age: 147, physically appears like a human in their mid 20s
Sex: Male Again
Appearance: Galain sports shoulder-length white hair, straightened meticulously. His form is slender but athletic, sporting the slimmed musculature of the trained warriors of his people. Despite his age, his straight and narrow features make him appear wiser than he actually is. Galain's eyes are also normally closed, hiding his cyan eyes. How he does this while still fighting is one of the many mysteries of the Bronze Castle, but his ears appear to be his weak points.
Personality: The solitary type who avoids most comforts in favor of getting more work done. Patient and stoic, very aware of his kind's long life much to his detriment. At the same time, possesses a dry wit and a sarcastic nature. Unlike his kind, is quite understanding of the monstrous races, having grown accustomed to their culture and lifestyle, while also aware he will never truly be welcomed by them. Seems to be weighed down by a past trauma. Also a bit of a clean freak who will do housework without a second thought if asked.
History: A Bright Elf knight who had come to the Bronze Castle not too long ago, Galain served as a protector of a would-be interloper to the throne. Making it past the walls and beyond, the interloper in question might have been successful in ending the King's reign prematurely had it not been for a decisive blow. With his charge dead and the rest of his retinue defeated, Galain had surrendered. Rather than returning home with his honor tarnished, Galain had chosen to stay within the walls of the Bronze Castle in exile. However, the longer he had spent within the castle, the closer he became with the assortment of monstrous tribes that make up the kingdom. Believing that his people and the monsters could make peace, Galain had sworn himself to the Bronze King, hoping to restore his honor by serving as an emissary of his people. Little did he know the outrage that his defeat had caused in the lands of the Bright Elves...
Personal Ability: Above all else, Galain's abilities with the sword are top-notch, having been trained by a true master at the art, fighting with a mix of single and two-handed grips. However, instead of the flashy techniques used by other Bright Elves, Galain's swordsmanship is much more practical in nature, focused on defensive techniques such as parrying attacks and deflecting arrows mid-flight. Galain's hearing is also quite keen even for an elf, utilizing his sensitive ears to both aid himself in combat and to keep an ear out against ambushes and subterfuge. Other notable skills include negotiating, horseback riding, calligraphy, and acrobatics.
Equipment: Galain's signature weapon is sword, an elegantly forged thin curved blade forged from silverite mithril, a precious metal commonly used by the Bright Elves. While its curved edge is tapered to enhance cutting power, it still possesses the ability to stab like other swords. Galain's other possessions include quilted silver robes made to protect the wearer while maximizing protection, and a thin mithril circlet worn mostly to denote his former station. Among Galain's most treasured possessions is a silver ring given to him by the knight he once served. The ring seems... attached to him in some way.
Spike Name: Resilience Lunar
Spike Description: A silver ring inlaid with a shimmering moonstone gem. Within the inner portion of the ring, three long spikes emerge, each a reminder of the wearer's past mistakes, retracted until it is worn on one's ring finger. These spikes pierce the wearer's finger if they are compatible with its magics, becoming permanently affixed. The moonstone glows a pale blue whenever its active powers are utilized, and radiating pain surges through the wearer's arm once a power is activated.
Spike Theme: Rejection. To reject the status quo, and to reject outside influences from affecting one's self. The moon orbits away from the sun, and it shines only because it reflects the sun's rays away from itself.
Spike Abilities: At a baseline, Resilience Lunar possesses a passive and an active component. The passive ability allows the wielder to reject physical forces, boosting the wearer's resistance against effects that would knock them down or keep them pinned. The active ability allows the wielder to push other creatures and objects with directed telekinetic force, rejecting those from the wearer's space. While the telekinetic power is strong enough to sweep the average human-sized creature off their feet, it currently doesn't possess enough force to cause any damage on its own.
I'm interested and working a on CS but I'd like to receive a random spike. I'd like luck or something to decide anyways, plus seems like we can just obtain more spikes later.
@Cu ChulainnYee, that looks good. Ya can throw it in the Char tab.
@KazemitsuYeah you can. I ain't stopping people from apping them. A demon ain't usually the type to just use a spike though, so you'd be restricted to a shorter normal demon around 160cm or lower.
@seanmcchapmanThat is fine. You want a random spike now, or when you finish the CS? For the record, you unlock more abilities on your Spike, rather than get more spikes lol.
