The interest check thread is here.
In a corner of the universe, far away from most other forms of intelligent life, was a blue planet that its inhabitants called Earth. In the wake of battles between eldritch beings of unspeakable power long since gone, billions of years ago, the first lifeforms arose from the turbulent magical energies raging across planet's surface. From magic they were born, and so they could command such energies of the world, through naught but the raw instincts of their nascent minds. Over the eons the planet's environments stabilized, and its inhabitants grew ever more complex, until there emerged the first species possessing true sapience - humanity.
Humans' intelligence came at the cost of raw physical power, compared to the ferocious predators roaming the wilderness. To ensure the survival of their species, the strongest of human mages tore rifts into the Sea of Chaos, a universe parallel to their own and the source of all magical energies, and created a vast structure that would eventually come to be called the Dweomerheart. The structure became the cornerstone of human societies of yore, for it channeled the Sea of Chaos's energies and systematically distributed them among human settlements, saturating the environment, such that virtually every human was born with or developed powers of magic. With such powers, the humans became the planet's dominant species, constructing expansive cities and spreading to every nook and cranny of Earth. But also with such powers, the humans often waged war among one another, for individuality inevitably led to conflict.
All changed when there came a powerful sorcerer-king who sought to unify the world. Whether he was sick of humans' constant warfare and suffering, or simply driven by pride and greed, no one knew. But everyone knew that he was mad, mad enough to use a forbidden ritual to become one with the Dweomerheart itself. With the incalculable powers he gained from the nexus of magic, the sorcerer-king brutally crushed any who stood in his way, and enslaved the planet to rule it with an adamantine fist, bringing with him unprecedented peace but oppression for centuries. Unwilling to live under the sorcerer-king's reign of terror, groups eventually rose to challenge him, many of them united against their common enemy. After nigh-unimaginable amounts of bloodshed and death, the sorcerer-king was slain, in a battle that devastated the entire planet. In the battle died all magic users of notable power, and with the sorcerer-king died the Dweomerheart. Humanity survived the cataclysm, but magic was lost.
Humans slowly began to rebuild their societies from the smouldering ruins. Without magic, they came to rely on technology, creating tools that could be used by anyone of sufficient skill. Over the next centuries, magic was forgotten altogether as technology developed, until the world resembled modern Earth in our real life.
But humans did not remember their lesson from the sorcerer-king. They once again waged war with one another. Weapons capable of ending all life were unleashed, reducing the planet to a wasteland a second time. Technologies, however, were not lost this time. The most elite of humanity poured all of their remaining resources to construct massive spaceships and leave Earth, while the other survivors were left to die.
And that was the branching point of the sides of Tech and Magi. Through some miracle of improbable chance, the ancient power of magic stirred to life again just as all hope seemed to be lost for those who remained on Earth, allowing them to rebuild a second time. The humans that escaped the planet ruthlessly perfected their technologies, aided by alien substances they found during their interstellar travels, developing cybernetics, mutations, and psionics that could rival true magic. The two sides would have forever gone their separate ways, until two centuries after the initial split, out of nostalgia the Tech side decided to reclaim the planet that they abandoned so long ago and thought to be barren still.
Suffice to say, neither of the two sides expected, or were pleased by, the other side's existence. And neither were willing to relinquish the planet that they felt was rightfully theirs.
That is the current state of the world. Though not at outright war yet, the sides of Tech and Magi have reached an impasse with their negotiations, several months after their initial meeting. A multitude of factions exist within each side, all of them having conflicting motives and goals. Skirmishes between various groups are fought almost daily. The world is in a state of cold war, and the future is more uncertain than ever before.
You live in this uncertain world. But you have the potential to shape the future, for you are powerful, more powerful than many of those around you. But with this power, what future will you bring?
This game is intended to be a mostly freeform RP, where the plot is determined by the players’ collaborative effort. As the GM, I will play the game using my own characters, but I will not be directly responsible for the main storyline. Both the Tech and Magi sides have multiple smaller factions within them, as previously mentioned, and it will be up to the players to create these factions and construct a plot from their interactions and conflicts. For this reason, each player is allowed to create as many characters and factions as he wants, within reason, though each still must be approved by me. Since this is a serious, “advanced” RP, please don’t create more characters or factions than you can handle.
During the game, a player is allowed to introduce minor characters without writing up character sheets for them. But if a minor character starts to have a major role in the plot, I'll ask the corresponding player to write up a character sheet for said formerly minor character.
The special features of the Magi and Tech sides are listed below.
For all characters, Magi and Tech, a character’s raw power level is independent of the versatility of his abilities. Raw power is slowly increased through training and experience, while versatility depends on the character’s skill. There exists training that can increase both raw power and skill, but that doesn’t mean the two are directly correlated.
To prevent any ability from being overpowered, all abilities are subject to limitations described in section 2.2 of the document describing magic.
No character can start with both Magi and Tech abilities. Theoretically, there’s nothing preventing a character from having abilities from both sides, but the two sides simply haven’t been in contact with each other for long enough for anyone to have gained any meaningful abilities from the other side. During the game, a character may obtain abilities from the other side; it’s just that no character can start with abilities from both sides.
You may have noticed that I have not included any actual locations, structures, or cultures of any of the races or other groups in the setting. This is intentional. The players are expected to contribute to the setting and flesh it out with detail, through the creation of factions. I am not doing this out of laziness; I simply want this game to be a more collaborative experience, and not force the players to read up on too much backstory.
To avoid possible disputes, there are a few rules in this game that must be obeyed at all times. Breaking one of the rules for the first two times will only result in a warning, but breaking a rule a third time will result in you being banned from this game.
-2. All forum rules apply. Obviously.
-1. Do not respond to anyone who is attempting to derail this thread, or the main game thread. Report the person and move on.
0. I am always right. I am allowed to break any of the rules after this one because I am the GM. Don't even try to argue with me or twist the rules and use them against me, because I am always right. You can ask me to re-evaluate a decision, but ultimately I always get the final say. If I say a discussion is finished, it is finished; attempting to argue further is breaking this rule and you know what that means.
1. Don’t be a jerk. Try not to do anything that may possibly cause anyone to spit profanity at you. That includes but is not limited to killing, controlling, maiming, depowering, or doing anything unpleasant to another player's characters without the player’s permission, or derailing the characters' subplots. If a dispute occurs, try to resolve it via PM. If that doesn’t work, PM me.
2. All posts can be edited. If a conflict occurs, one or both sides will have to edit their posts. If I tell you to edit one of your posts, you have to. If you refuse to do so, your post will be declared invalid, non-canonical, and will be ignored by everyone else; responding to such invalidated posts also counts as breaking this rule.
3. Don’t be overpowered. If I spot your characters doing something they should not be capable of doing, you must edit your post. Otherwise your post will be considered invalid; retcons will be used if necessary. There is a link above describing the limitations of superhuman abilities in this setting, in the Game Overview section.
In this game, each player can create an unlimited number of characters and factions. The character and faction signup sheets will be included below.
Please post your character and faction sheets in the OOC tab first, then move them to the Characters tab after they've been accepted.
Introduction
In a corner of the universe, far away from most other forms of intelligent life, was a blue planet that its inhabitants called Earth. In the wake of battles between eldritch beings of unspeakable power long since gone, billions of years ago, the first lifeforms arose from the turbulent magical energies raging across planet's surface. From magic they were born, and so they could command such energies of the world, through naught but the raw instincts of their nascent minds. Over the eons the planet's environments stabilized, and its inhabitants grew ever more complex, until there emerged the first species possessing true sapience - humanity.
Humans' intelligence came at the cost of raw physical power, compared to the ferocious predators roaming the wilderness. To ensure the survival of their species, the strongest of human mages tore rifts into the Sea of Chaos, a universe parallel to their own and the source of all magical energies, and created a vast structure that would eventually come to be called the Dweomerheart. The structure became the cornerstone of human societies of yore, for it channeled the Sea of Chaos's energies and systematically distributed them among human settlements, saturating the environment, such that virtually every human was born with or developed powers of magic. With such powers, the humans became the planet's dominant species, constructing expansive cities and spreading to every nook and cranny of Earth. But also with such powers, the humans often waged war among one another, for individuality inevitably led to conflict.
All changed when there came a powerful sorcerer-king who sought to unify the world. Whether he was sick of humans' constant warfare and suffering, or simply driven by pride and greed, no one knew. But everyone knew that he was mad, mad enough to use a forbidden ritual to become one with the Dweomerheart itself. With the incalculable powers he gained from the nexus of magic, the sorcerer-king brutally crushed any who stood in his way, and enslaved the planet to rule it with an adamantine fist, bringing with him unprecedented peace but oppression for centuries. Unwilling to live under the sorcerer-king's reign of terror, groups eventually rose to challenge him, many of them united against their common enemy. After nigh-unimaginable amounts of bloodshed and death, the sorcerer-king was slain, in a battle that devastated the entire planet. In the battle died all magic users of notable power, and with the sorcerer-king died the Dweomerheart. Humanity survived the cataclysm, but magic was lost.
Humans slowly began to rebuild their societies from the smouldering ruins. Without magic, they came to rely on technology, creating tools that could be used by anyone of sufficient skill. Over the next centuries, magic was forgotten altogether as technology developed, until the world resembled modern Earth in our real life.
But humans did not remember their lesson from the sorcerer-king. They once again waged war with one another. Weapons capable of ending all life were unleashed, reducing the planet to a wasteland a second time. Technologies, however, were not lost this time. The most elite of humanity poured all of their remaining resources to construct massive spaceships and leave Earth, while the other survivors were left to die.
And that was the branching point of the sides of Tech and Magi. Through some miracle of improbable chance, the ancient power of magic stirred to life again just as all hope seemed to be lost for those who remained on Earth, allowing them to rebuild a second time. The humans that escaped the planet ruthlessly perfected their technologies, aided by alien substances they found during their interstellar travels, developing cybernetics, mutations, and psionics that could rival true magic. The two sides would have forever gone their separate ways, until two centuries after the initial split, out of nostalgia the Tech side decided to reclaim the planet that they abandoned so long ago and thought to be barren still.
Suffice to say, neither of the two sides expected, or were pleased by, the other side's existence. And neither were willing to relinquish the planet that they felt was rightfully theirs.
That is the current state of the world. Though not at outright war yet, the sides of Tech and Magi have reached an impasse with their negotiations, several months after their initial meeting. A multitude of factions exist within each side, all of them having conflicting motives and goals. Skirmishes between various groups are fought almost daily. The world is in a state of cold war, and the future is more uncertain than ever before.
You live in this uncertain world. But you have the potential to shape the future, for you are powerful, more powerful than many of those around you. But with this power, what future will you bring?
Game Overview
This game is intended to be a mostly freeform RP, where the plot is determined by the players’ collaborative effort. As the GM, I will play the game using my own characters, but I will not be directly responsible for the main storyline. Both the Tech and Magi sides have multiple smaller factions within them, as previously mentioned, and it will be up to the players to create these factions and construct a plot from their interactions and conflicts. For this reason, each player is allowed to create as many characters and factions as he wants, within reason, though each still must be approved by me. Since this is a serious, “advanced” RP, please don’t create more characters or factions than you can handle.
During the game, a player is allowed to introduce minor characters without writing up character sheets for them. But if a minor character starts to have a major role in the plot, I'll ask the corresponding player to write up a character sheet for said formerly minor character.
The special features of the Magi and Tech sides are listed below.
For all characters, Magi and Tech, a character’s raw power level is independent of the versatility of his abilities. Raw power is slowly increased through training and experience, while versatility depends on the character’s skill. There exists training that can increase both raw power and skill, but that doesn’t mean the two are directly correlated.
To prevent any ability from being overpowered, all abilities are subject to limitations described in section 2.2 of the document describing magic.
No character can start with both Magi and Tech abilities. Theoretically, there’s nothing preventing a character from having abilities from both sides, but the two sides simply haven’t been in contact with each other for long enough for anyone to have gained any meaningful abilities from the other side. During the game, a character may obtain abilities from the other side; it’s just that no character can start with abilities from both sides.
You may have noticed that I have not included any actual locations, structures, or cultures of any of the races or other groups in the setting. This is intentional. The players are expected to contribute to the setting and flesh it out with detail, through the creation of factions. I am not doing this out of laziness; I simply want this game to be a more collaborative experience, and not force the players to read up on too much backstory.
Rules
To avoid possible disputes, there are a few rules in this game that must be obeyed at all times. Breaking one of the rules for the first two times will only result in a warning, but breaking a rule a third time will result in you being banned from this game.
-2. All forum rules apply. Obviously.
-1. Do not respond to anyone who is attempting to derail this thread, or the main game thread. Report the person and move on.
0. I am always right. I am allowed to break any of the rules after this one because I am the GM. Don't even try to argue with me or twist the rules and use them against me, because I am always right. You can ask me to re-evaluate a decision, but ultimately I always get the final say. If I say a discussion is finished, it is finished; attempting to argue further is breaking this rule and you know what that means.
1. Don’t be a jerk. Try not to do anything that may possibly cause anyone to spit profanity at you. That includes but is not limited to killing, controlling, maiming, depowering, or doing anything unpleasant to another player's characters without the player’s permission, or derailing the characters' subplots. If a dispute occurs, try to resolve it via PM. If that doesn’t work, PM me.
2. All posts can be edited. If a conflict occurs, one or both sides will have to edit their posts. If I tell you to edit one of your posts, you have to. If you refuse to do so, your post will be declared invalid, non-canonical, and will be ignored by everyone else; responding to such invalidated posts also counts as breaking this rule.
3. Don’t be overpowered. If I spot your characters doing something they should not be capable of doing, you must edit your post. Otherwise your post will be considered invalid; retcons will be used if necessary. There is a link above describing the limitations of superhuman abilities in this setting, in the Game Overview section.
Signup Sheets
In this game, each player can create an unlimited number of characters and factions. The character and faction signup sheets will be included below.
Please post your character and faction sheets in the OOC tab first, then move them to the Characters tab after they've been accepted.
