OOCThere are tales of a time when the gods were benevolent and just, when they nurtured and protected mortals in exchange for small showings of tribute and reverence. Nobody remembers those times any more. For as long as anyone can remember, the gods have plagued the world with ferocious beasts and cruel demons. The mortals fought back with their skill, their wit, and their magic, only to be crushed by these merciless forces for whom surrender was not an option.
Some fled the fighting, some were run out of their homes, some simply wandered off where the wind would take them. However, they all ended up here in Kado village, a small recluse deep in the heart of a vast forest. Nobody knew who built or founded the village, but for a time things were peaceful. The forest was bountiful with game and vegetation, and it seemed to be neglected by the wrathful gods. In time, an entire generation was raised that never saw true turmoil. However, things were about to change…
* * *So, welcome one and all! This is a reboot of something I never managed to get off the ground, but I think the idea has potential so I’m going to try it again. For this RP, I want to give players lots of freedom while still keeping everybody in one place to optimize interactions. Also, as it says in the title, I am heavily inspired by anime, so expect gratuitous amounts of awesome. This will not be an adventure, per se, since it will be taking place within Kado village and its outskirts, but there is plenty of opportunity for action, rivalries, romance, whatever. I am going to be fairly liberal in terms of playable races as well as magical powers, so long as they are kept in moderation. I also want to really flesh out this village so that while it is only one place it seems like a real community. So, I’ll be having players submit a point of interest as a part of their CS, this way we’ll all have a piece of the village.
More details will follow once I manage to snag some interest.
Rules1.) The chain of command is as follows: GM --> Co-GM --> Storyteller --> Player. Be respectful to everybody, but follow the instructions of those higher than you in the chain of command.
2.) Posts should be 1 – 3 paragraphs (more is ok, but not expected), with respectable spelling and grammar. If you are prone to mistakes, write up your post in Word and proofread it before submitting it.
3.) Posts should be in third person past tense. OOC should stay in the OOC thread, but in the event that there needs to be OOC in a post, put it in double parentheses. Bolding dialogue is optional.
4.) Be active. Try to post at the very least once every other day. More would be preferable. I will of course grant leaves of absence if you expect (or don’t expect) to be away for a while, but I want this to move at a decent pace.
5.) The following powers are forbidden: teleportation, regeneration/a physiology that trivializes injuries, mind reading/control, predicting the future, polyelementalism (the ability to control more than one element), controlling/artificially influencing other characters, and any attack so powerful that it is liable to leave a crater (or a shield/barrier that could block such an attack). I have forbidden all of these to promote creativity and an actual sense of vulnerability for the characters.
6.) Any questions or concerns should be directed to the GM or Co-GM. There should be no arguing in the OOC.
About Kado Village
History: The current inhabitants of Kado village settled there roughly 100 years ago. The village was found already built and in surprisingly good condition for being in the middle of the woods, yet it was completely abandoned. Various groups of people stumbled across the village in waves, each for various reasons, and once the population became stable they began to send out envoys to search for more people seeking a peaceful retreat. The village now boasts a population of approximately 500 people. To this day, nobody knows who built the village or why. In the center of Kado village is an extensive library with books written in a long-forgotten language. A small group of scholars has been working to translate these books in the hopes of discovering the origins of the village, but there are many books and only a few scholars, so the work has proceeded very slowly.
Government: Kado village is essentially a democratic republic with no formal leader. All decisions regarding laws or crises are put up to a vote via a town hall meeting. Every working citizen is allowed to participate, everybody who wishes to speak on an issue is given one chance to speak, and the order of the speakers is decided by drawing lots. Kado village has gotten away with this relatively loose form of government since there have never been any terribly urgent issues for it to address, but will this system continue to work, or will somebody need to take charge?
The Guardians: Kado village also has a small police force that fluctuates between 5-10% of the population. These “guardians” are volunteers that vow to keep the peace in addition to performing their other work. To become a guardian, one must demonstrate aptitude in combat, particularly non-lethal techniques, express complete knowledge of the village laws, and must have five witnesses, who are not related by blood to the candidate, testify to their moral virtues. Guardians are encouraged to primarily keep the peace and have the authority to mediate issues on the spot, but will bring a suspect in for trial on the rare instances of heinous crimes. The vast majority of guardians never have to take their job this far. Kado village does not execute criminals; the most serious punishment is exile. If the village falls under attack, it would be up to the guardians to defend it, but how effective can such a small, untried force be at protecting the people?
Economy: Kado village operates primarily on a barter system. It is a clumsy system, but with no immediate source of precious metals and no central government to back a currency, it is the best that the village can do. Still, the village is small enough that the people rely on one another to maintain a decent standard of living, so they are usually able to work out fair trades. It has become customary for people who offer services to give “service slips” as a way of paying for goods now and promising future services. However, these slips are only accepted from citizens with a good reputation; if the citizen fails to deliver a requested service in a timely fashion, they can be blacklisted and nobody will accept their slips any more. Likewise, metals like iron are very scarce, and are usually only brought in by newcomers. Swords and the like are considered highly valuable heirlooms and are not to be used or traded lightly.
Education: There is a single schoolhouse in Kado village where all children are given a primary education. They are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as a system of morals. There are no formal grades and the children proceed through the education at their own pace. After this primary education, the students generally learn a trade from their family, or seek out a kind benefactor if the family business is disagreeable to them. Since the class sizes are often very large, the students are usually broken up into groups upon entry and one teacher is assigned per group. Since the students have the same teacher throughout the course of their education, they usually end up forming strong relationships with their students.
Recreation: Alcohol is a scarce luxury in Kado village since most people simply don’t have the time, resources, or knowledge to make any drinks. As such, athletic people take to sports, and the less physically adept stick to storytelling or board games. The most popular sport is a ball game similar to rugby. Guardians, and some more aggressive folk, also arrange sparring tournaments for either wooden weapons or unarmed combat.
Magic: There is no formal study of magic in Kado village. Most magic takes the form of unique abilities that have been passed down through family lineages. Some scholars claim that the mysterious library holds the secret to understanding magic at a fundamental level and devote their lives to discerning the cryptic runes found in several of the books. Others have taken a more practical approach and developed a technique for preserving and repairing metal objects. Since metal weaponry is so scarce, magic tends to be a primary means of offense for guardians and the like.
Points of Interest
The Guardian HQ lies in the northern part of the village. It is a single-floor, wooden building, like most of those in Kado Village, but it is about as large as five houses put together. It has a set of double-doors with images of large shields engraved into them, and a carving of a tower shield sitting as a centerpiece on the roof. Upon entering, there is a small waiting room with a receptionist who will hear any grievances or disturbances that the citizens may report. At the end of that room is a hallway that leads into the other rooms of the building. There are a few holding cells, which are very rarely used, a small armory that boasts a couple dozen short swords, and about half as many shields. It is the largest armory in Kado Village, but still not enough to fully equip the Guardians. Finally there is a meeting room with a large table and enough comfy chairs for the whole force. When there is no formal business taking place there, which is quite often, the Guardians use this as a social spot.
The library is an ancient building made of stone that was found by the first settlers of Kado Village. The outside is a pale white stone completely covered with engravings of animals, plant life, and various other scenes in nature. There is a wide arch across the opening with something written in the ancient language of the books within carved into the stone. The scholars have deciphered it as best as they could: “Open thy hand, open thy book, open thy mind.” The library is two stories tall, and both floors are comprised entirely of long aisles filled to the brim with cryptic books. Scholars have added a few tables and research nooks for anybody who wants to try to decipher what is written (some of the books contain maps and pictures, so at least there is that), and while anybody may look at the books, the scholars regulate the process carefully and it is forbidden to remove any book from the library’s walls. Lining the walls on the inside of the library are masterfully crafted statues of two animals: an owl and a squid. Scholars are uncertain why these two creatures are so juxtaposed, or why only these two animals are featured, but they assume that it has something to do with the old gods.
Just outside the southern edge of Kado Village is a small, but reliable, stream that pools into a moderate sized lake. The stream is the primary source of water for the village, and the lake is a seasonal breeding ground for several species of migratory fish. The lake resides in a large clearing in the woods, and was so named for the pale blue hue of the pebbles that dot the shore. Though the river flows out of the lake, the current is slow and calm, and it makes a cool and refreshing place to go for a swim. The shore is also dotted with a variety of colorful flowers, and the open land makes a great spot for friendly competitions, be they sports or sparring. Whenever there is time for recreation on a nice day, most people of Kado Village gravitate towards Bluestone Creek.
Character SkeletonName: Include any nicknames or aliases and who would use them.
Age: For this RP, assume that all races age as a normal human does.
Gender: If not male or female, explain how this is possible in this setting.
Race: Should be human-ish, but I'm going to be pretty liberal with this. Kado village is a place for mortals. If you're not sure if your race is mortal, ask me.
Appearance: Pic or description is fine.
Occupation: What is your character's role in Kado village? Keep in mind that guardians all have an occupation in addition to their peacekeeping duties.
Skills: What is your character particularly good at?
Powers: What magical abilities does your character possess?
Inventory: What uncommon items does your character possess?
History: How did your character, or character's ancestors, arrive in Kado village? What has your character done? What are your character's aspirations?
Point of Interest: Create a location in or around Kado village. This can be a notable shop, a recreational location, a natural landmark… be creative. I encourage you to relate the location to your character somehow, but it is not necessary. Use the points of interest already posted as a model for this section.
