SCORCHED EARTH
Belisio.
Once a nation of progress and prosperity,
A beacon of hope in a world ruled by fear,
Now besieged.
For centuries, we have fought to free ourselves from the tyranny of magic.
Now at the turn of the 1st millennium, the Vaimese Empire seeks to undo all that we have achieved,
To scorch the earth and drag us all back into the darkness.
A return to magocracy.
Whether we are ready or not,
Whether we are willing or not,
War is upon us and we must fight to survive.
For Belisio!
Setting
This will be a humans only roleplay set in a world called Ith with a blend of medieval fantasy and sci-fi elements. The technologically advanced nation of Belisio is currently at war with the mage ruled Empire of Vaim and your character(s) will be fighting on the side of Belisio.
The year is 990 U.E. (United Era) and by the time the roleplay begins, the Vaimese Empire will have already conquered most of the world. Against an ancient and powerful foe, Belisio now stands as the final bastion of resistance and you will be part of the defence sent to meet the Empire in battle upon the borderlands.
To be clear, the Vaimese are not primitive by any means. In fact their technology level is on par with Belisio. The main difference however is that the Vaimese forces will be numerically superior and their leadership is entirely composed of mages while all non-mages serve as slave soldiers, whereas Belisio is famed for its Knights. The most capable warriors in the world who epitomize what ordinary men and women can achieve. Expect to face human wave tactics and heavy spell bombardment in the battle to come.
There will be two distinct types of magic, ki and mana. Ki is the power of the individual soul inherent within all living beings and through rigorous training, it can be used to transcend one's physical limitations and harness all human potential. Enhanced speed, strength, reflexes, impenetrable skin and advanced regeneration, all of these feats are available to masters of ki as well as imbuing weapons and armour to increase their durability, or charging the very air itself to deliver attacks from afar.
All Knights of Belisio are certified masters of ki who are able to fight with blade and bullet in equal measure, and they are equipped with the best equipment their nation can provide. Of particular note are the ancestral armaments that some houses possess which after passing through the hands of many generations of ki users, they have inherited the power of their former wielders and can cut as effectively as any energy weapon or guard as well as any suit of power armour. It is therefore not unusual to see the Knights of Belisio sporting medieval equipment dating back to the Age of Ancients alongside state-of-the-art technology such as personal shield generators, cloaking devices and integrated jet boosters.
In Belisian society, Knights are heroic figures whose stories have inspired the people throughout the ages. Noble houses have been producing some of the nation's finest warriors for generations and commoners may be elevated to peerage should they prove worthy of the honour of knighthood. In the Empire of Vaim, ki users are fit only for the purposes of labour, cannon fodder or entertainment within their gladiatorial arenas back home, while mages hold all the real power and their mastery of mana determines their position within society.
Mana is the power of the elements which were once thought to consist of earth, water, wind and fire, but in our current modern understanding, it is more akin to solids, fluids, gases and plasma. Regardless, only those born as mages (whose souls are different from regular people's) are able to wield the power of mana and when speaking of magic, it almost exclusively refers to the mana arts. Whether it's forming a ball of fire or raising a wall of earth and ice, there is virtually nothing a mage can't achieve if they simply put their minds to it. The only thing they can't do is controlling organic matter or empowering their own bodies like ki users can.
There are 2 methods of using mana, manipulation and casting. Manipulation is directly controlling the elements in one's surrounding environment. This is limited by line of sight and the availability of whatever the mage can skilfully control, but is quicker and generally less taxing to use. Casting on the other hand involves the conversion of raw magical energy into matter to conjure something from nothing. Useful for when resources are limited or unavailable, but the feedback is more burdensome on the mage as manipulation is still required after casting, essentially doubling the cost of power involved.
For the nation of Belisio, mages serve more of a support role and aren't immediately elevated to the status of nobility like they would be in Vaim, but are still considered to be valuable assets throughout all levels of society. Though few in number, those specialized for warfare are known as Battlemages who fight alongside Knights and use their talents to bolster their allies. There is a longstanding rivalry between Knights and Battlemages, but at the end of the day, they both form the nation's fighting elite and are both leagues above the common soldiery.
With genetic and cybernetic enhancements, it becomes possible to rival the power of ki users and mages without being able to use either forms of magic, though such technology is highly experimental and dangerous, and its effects on the human soul is known to be detrimental.
By entering the Belisian super soldier program known simply as Spectre, one who survives the plethora of implants and injections gain enhanced physical attributes and extraordinary psionic abilities, granting them the power of telekinesis and telepathy. In exchange however, their lifespans are drastically shortened and they forego ever being able to tap into their own ki. Their powers are based on science, not magic and is therefore unique to Spectres. This program is available to non-mage volunteer soldiers only and the Vaimese themselves view it as barbaric, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
So to sum up, there are 3 types of powers: ki, mana and psionic; there are 3 different roles to choose from: Knight, Battlemage and Spectre; and you'll be fighting for the nation of Belisio against the invading forces of the Vaimese Empire. By the time the roleplay begins, you'll be heading towards the frontlines on board an airship much like the helicarrier from Avengers. If you are interested in joining the roleplay and making a character, just shoot me a pm and we'll work out the details. Everyone can have up to 2 characters and are free to format their cs however they like, just gotta include the basic info provided below.
Link to the roleplay here:
roleplayerguild.com/topics/187028-sco…
roleplayerguild.com/topics/187028-sco…
