Dungeon Keepers [Be an evil overlord, attempt world domination]

[BBeast]

Dungeon Keepers

Banner by 0011001
GMs: BBeast, Cyclone
Thanks to everyone else for their help

If you're interested, let us know your ideas for your Keeper.

This is a new attempt at the Dungeon Keepers series, this time with a much smaller world to encourage player interaction.

Long ago, in a distant world, the godly being the Devourer created us, the Keepers. We built incredible fortresses called Dungeons to harbour our magical might, and from them we sent out great armies which slaughtered the humans of the land and razed their cities. The reign of our evil soaked the land, until we finally unleashed the Apocalypse and destroyed that world. But we did not die with that realm.

We have moved on to a whole new world. This land we have entered is called Cyprus, and despite being small it is rich with humans. But these humans are not peaceful. Four tribes, wielding rich and diverse magic, surround a grand kingdom and are often at war with each other. These humans will not be easy to conquer and enslave, for they are adept at the art of war and are as cunning and treacherous as we, the Keepers, are. But we shall seize their villages, conquer their cities and slaughter their armies. The denizens of this world will bend to our might or be crushed by it. There is power to be had, and there is nobody who shall stand in our way.

Basis:

As one may have guessed, this roleplay is not focusing on being the 'good guys'. Rather, you are the evil overlord you have always been trying to beat (in more archetypal stories). You must build your army and Dungeon and set out to conquer this land. The humans of this world are not to be scoffed at, for they are experienced in warfare, especially against magical foes, and they have a firm hold of their territory. They won't be defeated too easily.

Humans aside, the greatest threat is your fellow Keepers. We are not a very organised or friendly group, and have always been known to fight each other. And in this small land with finite territory and manpower, conflict is inevitable.

OP Sample

Ground Rules:

The standard no godmodding/metagaming/etc. applies. This means waltzing in, ignoring all resistance, and simply killing another player or a major NPC in one hit is out of the question, and so is being aware of a stealth attack on your Dungeon when you have no legitimate means of detecting it, or simply knowing the location of your enemy without having scouted or searched beforehand.

To join, there is no character sheet. Instead, write a paragraph or two briefly describing your Keeper, including their appearance, abilities, personality, perhaps a bit of their history, etc. and post it to the OOC. This will go in the Compendium. When we approve it, you may post your entry into the world in the IC.

With NPCs, feel free to control minor NPCs (eg. a village which you are raiding, random individuals, etc.). For larger NPCs (eg. a city, an entire army), you should probably consult us.

There are probably a lot of empty spaces in the description of the world. You are free to fill in those spaces (with-in reason, of course. Any major development, such as an entire hidden nation or artefact of great power, would need to run through us first).

The GMs reserve the right to throw a metaphorical monkey wrench into your operations, to keep things from getting complacent. You can't expect to attempt world domination with nothing ever going wrong, now can you?

We will be keeping a Compendium, a list of your creatures, Dungeon, Avatar, etc. for quick reference, so we (and you) do not have to sift through pages of text to find information about you or anyone else later. It will be greatly appreciated if, whenever you create a new creature or Construct or change your Avatar or Dungeon, you write about a paragraph to go into that Compendium.

Read on to find out how to be a Keeper.

Getting Started:

You are a Keeper. Keepers are like demigods, with nigh immortal souls and the ability to create life. Your soul will have just entered this world from the Void into some random place in the world, but now you need an Avatar, a physical form to incarnate as. This body is vulnerable to destruction and manipulation by physical and magical means, but it may also be whatever form you choose, provided you have the power to do so. In creating your form you can forfeit certain things for others - you could forgo magic in order to have great physical strength, or lose all considerable physical prowess to become ultra-magical, or somewhere in between.

But you have just entered this world, and your power is no greater than that of a sorcerer. You don't yet have the power to create an Avatar capable of flight, telepathy, vast destruction and near indestructibility all at once. You must earn and develop such powers, and try to be original too.

Once materialised, your first step to world domination is to create your Dungeon Heart - your inner sanctum, the core of your Dungeon, nexus of your power, centre of your operations. Either you gather slaves to construct it, enchant some artefact, or at worst build it yourself. In the Heart you can do many things. You can modify your Avatar, command your forces directly, expand your consciousness across your entire Dungeon and, most importantly, create new Creatures and Constructs.

Before you can expand your Dungeon and construct whatever rooms you need or desire, you require a workforce. In Ages past, we would summon Imps from the Void, but alas we can no longer do that in this world, so we will have to enslave the limited human populace, or get them to work for us by other means. In order to do that, you need an army. And for that you need creatures.

To create your first creature, you simply enter your Heart and begin the creative process. You can invent just about anything, although its power is limited by that of yourself and your Dungeon, so your first creature will be fairly weak, hardly more powerful than a human if at all. While creating the blueprint for this new creature, however, you are completely incapacitated and quite vulnerable. Any significant disturbance could be catastrophic. The time it takes to create your first blueprint is 3 posts made by other people (not your own posts).

Once you've created your blueprint or original, you can easily create many more of that creature. A summoning chamber, a hatchery, transmutation of other creatures, or something along those lines will allow more of that creature to be made. Just make sure not to lose every copy of that creature, or else you will have to create it again from scratch.

So, with your meagre army you can head out, raze a village and capture some humans as slaves. Now what? You can get them to work on your Dungeon, that's what. If word gets out that you razed a village an angry army might come knocking on your doorstep, so you'd better build some defences. You'll also want a solid means of summoning more of your creatures. Additionally, you've got to house, feed and equip your army and slaves, so you'll probably need barracks, shelters, farms, mines, blacksmiths, and workshops. Facilities for training is a good idea, as are storage rooms, prisons for rowdy slaves, and whatever specialty rooms and buildings you might need. Get creative.

The greater your Dungeon, the greater your power. And the further your conquest, the greater your power. So get out there, enslave humanity, extend your Dungeon and be a blight on the world.

(I think that's enough for an Interest Check.)

About the world

The World:



This time we have emerged in a land called Cyprus. Cyprus is a small, coastal region, an oasis of lush green surrounded by inhospitable desert and vast ocean. It is very roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) across and 70 kilometers (45 miles) long, which puts it at 2-3 day's march across, assuming human speeds, need for rest, and no resistance. For an Earthly comparison, it is about the size of a small European nation. The climate is temperate, bordering on tropical.

The land of Cyprus is bordered on the North and West by a mountain range. At the North-Eastern corner there is heavy vulcanism, with numerous active volcanos constantly spewing out ash, forming the wastes known as the Ashlands. In the middle of the Northern border is a frozen wasteland, making that stretch of the mountain range even more treacherous. Beyond the mountains is desert, which stretches many, many days into the distance and is home to little more than the wildlife and a few nomadic barbarian tribes. The South and East of Cyprus is coastline, and while that is quite hospitable there is little of interest within reach beyond that horizon. Around the South of Cyprus sprawls a thick jungle, the fauna of which makes it quite a perilous location for the unwary. Within those borders lies lush green plains, interspersed with woodlands and lined with a few pristine rivers and a small lake.

Within those borders live the inhabitants of Cyprus, which are mainly human, some of which have magical capabilities, and number approximately 120,000 in total, including those of the major kingdom as well as the lesser races. They have made their mark on this land. In the territory of the major kingdom, half the arable land has been converted to farmland, and hundreds of little villages dot the countryside, spaced only a few kilometers apart on the myriad roads. While these villages are undefended and plentiful, they are also small, averaging a population of around 200 people each. A much more tempting target would be the towns, or even the cities, each with populations numbering in the thousands or more, but those are far fewer and also much better defended. There are also a few castles, fortresses intended for border defense, which may make useful footholds within their territory. The races living in the borders are generally populated much more sparsely when compared to the central kingdom, although this varies.

NPCs:

In Cyprus, there are five nations and races of especial interest, The largest of them is the kingdom of the Cypriots, with the capital city of Amplus in the centre of Cyprus. The Cypriots, named so because they lay claim to ownership of this whole land, are mostly ordinary humans (by the standards of Cyprus, anyway), ruled by a monarchy. Their kingdom covers most land which is not held fiercely by the other races, and has been maintained by a combination of technological superiority, a greater population, and a mysterious absence of any political unrest. Quite likely your first forays as a Keeper will be into the villages of the Cypriots, and while it will be a challenge to penetrate deeper into their territory, if you can successfully conquer their kingdom you will definitely be the strongest Keeper in the land.

To the West, nestled in the mountains on the border of Cyprus, is the grand city of Monolith. In the centre of Monolith stands an artefact of great power, Providence, which powers the many untiring golem Workers which are the city's inhabitants. The Workers used to be people, drawn by the prospect of immortality and transformed into these beings, at the cost of never being able to leave the city and having to toil continuously. Watching over the city, and capable of travelling elsewhere, are the Travellers, who are more powerful. Monolith is a centre of manufacturing, and is a source of many of the weapons and tools of the Cypriots. While the Workers can not simply be captured as slaves to take back to your Dungeon, to capture Monolith would be to hold the greatest hub of manufacturing on Cyprus, and to cut critical supplies from the Cypriots.

To the South in the jungle are the Dragon Riders, a nomadic race of people who live in a symbiotic relationship with giant, poison breathing, flightless lizards, often referred to as Dragons. Little is known about them, for they do not have settlements or language. Instead, they are spread across the jungle, adding to the dangers already lurking there. The intelligence and trap-making skills of the Riders, combined with the sheer strength and power of the Dragons, makes them dangerous opponents to face on their home turf. While they are dangerous, they are in no way organised or united. To conquer the jungle would be to control the greatest source of lumber in Cyprus, as well as the greatest concentration of biodiversity. Who knows, you might even be able to find a use for the Dragon Riders.

To the North in the mountains is Kythnos, a frigid icy wasteland of unnatural cold locked in eternal snowfall. It is inhabited by the ice witches, who are actually ice demons in a thin disguise, and who have gathered a significant cult following. A jagged, crystalline city of ice twists through the mountains, but the majority of the city lies underground in ice caves. Save for the storms and the magic of the ice demons, the mountains are also defended by sheer cliff faces and pits leading to crystalline spikes. While this land is unpleasant, the ice demons may be useful allies in your quest for conquest. And if not, they have been storing up power for quite some time, which lies locked within the ice.

Just East of Kythnos is its polar opposite, the Ashmarch, a land of volcanos and poisoned by ash. Few dare enter, for any water is toxic and the ground itself is treacherous. However, deep inside the Ashmarch are the towers of the Warlocks, humans who have been shunned by the rest of humanity for their practice of necromancy and other dark magics. They are highly aggressive, sending out soldiers to raze settlements and capture slaves from the borders of the Ashmarch. Above ground, their settlements are quite dreary, save for their magnificent towers. However, they have made extensive use of subterranean caves and caverns to house slaves, fungal farms and so on. While the land is dangerous to enter, it is for this reason that the towns of the Ashlanders are quite poorly defended, so if you can brave the Ashmarch with a proper army you should find easy pickings of slaves. Alternatively, you could make allies with the Warlocks, perhaps taking advantage of the unrest rising among their ranks.

There can be other lesser races inhabiting Cyrpus as well, in the corners of the land where the other races won't have wiped them out or assimilated them. However, they obviously wouldn't have the same level of influence as the aforementioned five.

[The 42nd Gecko]

I am ze down. Would you like my faction post here?

[BBeast]

Sure, you can show us your Keeper's post

[nichinichisou]

yes

I was JUST thinking about a Dungeon Keeper RP too.

also GEMSSSSSS

[Cyclone]

Of course I'm in as well

[The 42nd Gecko]

Glorious Cyprus, the only real country. Monolith, a city state, and everywhere else was a hellish landscape with inhabitants too stubborn to move. Amplus, the shining light of Cyprus, barely has an underclass, the king making sure to employ almost the entire population and prevent slums.

Barely.

It was 17 years ago today, my people, my culture fell. I say "my" but I hardly know it. A mountainous tribe with quaint ways carried from over the desert and preserved in isolation. Almost all I know of my culture was passed down from my mother. My father drunk himself to sleep and never woke up, a coward too afraid to fight to defend our village and too afraid to face the reality of his choice. I bear his sword at my side, for her sake, she tells me the sword is the pride of our ancestors. Truly, it's a blade unlike those of Cyprus, a graceful curved thing, graying out with slow rust and age. It'll last long enough to assuage my mother, but not pass to my children, I think.

I stubbornly peddle the art of my culture. It keeps us alive, and it warms my mother's heart to see me carry on the family legacy. But I cannot help but wonder, is this what was meant for our culture? To be sold quietly and then die to those who destroyed it? I hardly know the truth of what we once were, I wish I did.

I have so many dreams of what it might have been, that I hardly wish to wake. But the weight of the sword reminds me that I have to care for what little family I have left, my sister and mother. I will rise, and whittle and paint, and peddle away a heritage I do not know.

~~

My mother did not wake this morning. The sleeping sickness claimed another. It runs rampant through the districts ascribed to refugees. No help arrived to wake her, but the day had hardly reached noon before the guards and civil servants had arrived to claim me and my sister and clear away the things of our house to make way for a brighter family. I am old enough to serve as a civil-squire to the military, and she will be taken to a school. I have no doubt it's for the best of the city.

Damn the city. Damn the military, damn their school. I bound the scroll of ancestors about my hilt, and grabbed my sister. I told her, "We are going home, Xao." I'm a liar. I don't know the way home. I was too young when we were taken. But we are leaving, before they find us.

~~

I... I think I know what my father felt. Xao doesn't wake anymore, and I can tell my nights are growing longer and more desperate. My body is so stiff and cold when I wake, a strange sweat covering me. I didn't see this symptom in the others, but I suppose this is my body fighting it and staying alive longer. But do I still want to fight?

Everyone I cared about is gone. My fight meant nothing. Had I stayed, I would have had to face not seeing Xao again, to serving those I hated. But running was no better.

Perhaps... To end in the dreams I once cherished, would not be such a bad thing. To fall asleep aside Xao. Father, forgive my hatred. I didn't know what it was like to have to choose between surrender and a hopeless battle.

~~

~Awaken, great dreamer.~

Who's there?

~I am the dream of hope and the haunt of vengeance. The spirit of your ancestors, their anguish at the future and their memories of the past, called me to this place.~

Dream of hope? Haunt of vengeance? Are you evil, spirit or are you good?

~No being is of one without the other. The hope of justice is a steel forged in the fires of vengeance. But I understand the deeper question, I will show you the answer. You need not trust me. Trust what I pass onto you from your answers.~

I.... That is my father.. when he was young.. and his father... and before him... I... All these pasts, our culture.. My heritage..

~It is much to assimilate. It will take you years. But though you might have such time, Xao does not. AWAKEN.~

~~

I awoke, and my body was on fire. Energy coursed through me, and the scroll of my ancestors burned into my skin. Xao was beside me, still as death. I reached a hand to touch her cheek. Cold as the air around us. Too late.

~She is dead, yes. But her spirit yet lingers out of affection for you, despite the grievous assault Reginaldus forced upon it. Lay your palm over her heart.~

"That is..."

~No crude necromancy is this. It is spiritualism, another art of your forebears. You do not bind an unwilling spirit to you, but grant a willing soul a place to reside until a new body can be found.~

I closed my eyes, and laid my hand upon Xao. I felt the power surge ever greater, and heat blossomed through Xao, before I heard her voice.

~Thank you, brother... It is good to speak to you again..~

"Xao...."

~I'm going to rest for awhile, but I'll be back, wait for me..~

I would have waited until the mountains crumbled, till the thought struck me. The one this world hinged on. "Wait, you said Reginaldus."

~Assaulted her? Yes. And your mother and father as well. Your people did not assimilate well, and so he began their destruction. The sleeping sickness is no sickness. It is a spell. He watches dreams and steals lives.~

"He will pay." I spoke through clenched teeth. My fist tightened around the burning sword in my hand, and I rose, the heat growing ever brighter. I swung the sword of my ancestors, and the topsoil was cleaved, as though a thousand swords fell at once. Trees fell apart as though they were made of sticks and a light breeze had raised.

The burning subsided, I felt exhausted. I had just destroyed a circle of 30 feet of landscape, with a sword stroke.

~It will not be easy, it will require guile, and art, and patience. But you will have your vengeance. Walk with me. You shall be Taote, and I shall be Laozi.~

"I am ready."

~~

So easy it was, to inspire a little paladin to fight for a cause he believes is his own. Vengeance for his parents. Hope for his sister. The best lies are always the truth.

Compendium Entry:
"Laozi, Memory of the Departed"- Almost certainly not this keeper's real name, this keeper is manifesting as some sort of "spirit of the ancestors" to aid "Taote". Currently, Laozi is refraining from taking physical form, instead acting through Taote's sword. As such, his power is free to be focused entirely on magical applications. This is currently offset by the fact that his "heart" is a humble scabbard. Laozi seems to be able to awaken people from the stupor of one of the King of Cyprus' deathly dreams, as well as call upon spirits and memories. And, of course, no Keeper is complete without destructive sword beams.

"Taote, The Great Dreamer"- Something about this boy on the verge of manhood attracted Laozi. Perhaps he is a latent sorcerer, perhaps he was a convenient tragedy, or perhaps he was simply good at dreaming. He carries Laozi as the sword of his ancestors, believing Laozi to be aiding him in both revenge and the resurrection of his sister.

Currently No Dungeon or Minions (other than Taote). Located in the lands north of the trade route between Monolith and Amplus, 9 o'clock of the big lake.

[Lugubrious]

You have my support as always.

[nichinichisou]

I'm thiefing someone.

Probably someone that's steampunk-ISH and likes inventing and likes GEMSSSSSSSS

mmm delicoous gems

[BBeast]

Excellent. Welcome to the group, LowKey.

[DR_TRAPEZOID]

Obviously, I'm in.

[Ostarion]

Looks nice, interested.

[Ink-berry]

Okay, why haven't I found this earlier? :p I'm definitely in.

[Duthguy]

Camaduhm's soul had survived its trip through the Void unlike its Avatar. Rather than waste his power and make a new Avatar from scratch, he decided to use the natural material around him which since he apparently arrived in a jungle consisted of plants and remains of dead animals. Camaduhm's new physical form was a misshapen skeleton made from a random assortment of animal bones and plant-mass. To be more exact his head used to belong a baboon, his spine was an entire snake skeleton, and for his lower body he used the remains of a panther minus the head,as for his arms and chest he made those from branches and roots.

Since his new body lacked any muscles Camaduhm wasn't overly strong, but his physical strength also wasn't so low that he was forced to mainly rely on magic. In fact he preferred a combination of both, and would probably fight by changing the still living plants assimilated into his Avatar in to different simple weapons, which would become more complicated and stronger as his powers grow. As for his Dungeon Heart he enchanted the altar in the center of an abandoned and ruined temple, which he was planning to restore as soon as he got some slaves.

Compendium Entry:
Camaduhm - A Keeper that prefers to manipulate whatever recourses are available when it comes to creating monsters and/or Avatars rather than summon them or create them from nothing. Dungeons on the other hand should be made by slaves in his opinion since he finds that kind of work beneath him. He also believes that by specializing in either strength or magic, you limit yourself and that instead it's better to use both in unique ways.

[The 42nd Gecko]

Mwhahahaha... The first foolish keeper to enter my jungles... hehehee...

[0011001]

~Hello, Captain Vane.~
"Hello? ... Who are you? WHAT are you?"
~My name is Jocumors. I have escaped the Apocalypse, and I came here. Now I need an Avatar. I need you, Captain.~
The voice seemed to echo from all around me. I had many questions. What was the Apocalypse? What is an Avatar? Why does this Jokemore... thing... need one? I decided to start simple. "Where are you?"
~I have no physical form. That's why I need you. You have no regard for the wishes of others, you wish only to further your own goals. I admire that. I need that. I need you.~
"No." The words surprise even me. Who was I to resist this... god? Demigod? Entity of whatever sort? In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I...
~What do you mean, no? Who are you to resist me? I am JOCUMORS.~
Those words sent searing pain through my head. "Make it stop! Fine. I'll be your... Avatar, or whatever."
~Good. I'm glad we could come to an agreement.~
I felt a sharp stab between my shoulderblades, and then...

I opened my new eyes, flexed my new fingers. Perhaps this world will be better than the last. Either way, it'll be fun to play with. "Thank you, Captain," I whisper. Now to find out what the crew expects from their new captain. I stand up, quelling the nausea that comes with the new body. I test the capabilities of the captain, firing a round into the wood of the cabin and spinning the revolver before replacing it in its holster. Then... That's interesting. This body... I gesture, spitting a few words from before the end of the world. A bright burst of colour springs from my fingertips. Magic. This body will serve me well. "Thank you, Captain." I step onto the deck, looking out at my new ship, a Schooner. I cast my newfound magic around, looking for... anything. The range of my abilities here is limited, but I gain a few important bits of knowledge. The ship's name, Ilmyr, the names of the 18 crew members. They will do well to build my Heart. "Thank you, Captain." ... "Thank you, me." A twisted smile spreads across my new face.

[BBeast]

It's great to see all this interest. I had better get the actual thing up soon.

[BBeast]

Here it is!