Asuras

Magic in the Park

@Asuras With regards to Houses getting peeps to marry into them, is it usually a House-to-House kind of thing, or is it more common for them to snag significantly capable independents into their House?

@ERode

Both, but they tend to favor inter-House marriages. Deals meant to secure alliance or subsume, or otherwise to open up the potential to sharing certain discoveries. A marriage with an independent tends towards the latter, or simply due to love alone (not common).

Magic in the Park

Alright, iz time to cook.

@Asuras First off, gonna put forward an idea for worldbuilding, where the independent mages of the City, once they become capable enough not to be a complete liability to those around them, are invited to join a loose collective or union. Basically, my thought is that it'd serve as a body for the Houses to request third-party fixers to handle problems or issues that'd require plausible deniability, and it also serves as a way for independent mages not to get completely bullied into bad deals by Houses, in a kinda 'if you fuck with one of us, the rest of us will maybe possibly take action'.

Also should confirm: is this in the US????

@ERode

I think we'd need to come at this idea from a certain perspective:

For someone born to or married in a House, the underlying social binding there is blood. Being in a House means that your survival and success is, to some extent or another, beneficial to the others in your group -their legacy, and the strength of the group relies on at least some members being alive. For any one mage in a House, their cousin surviving means:

1) Your name persists that much more
2) Your blood can continue in some capacity
3) Maintenance of the group can lead to reciprocation

For an independent mage, #1 and #2 are non-starters. That sort of social structure doesn't exist in an independent group. Which leaves us with #3. Being in an independent union of mages is, at its core, about creating a protective sphere. But to maintain that protective sphere, everyone collectively has to agree on ensuring it. And there can be (I think) two reasons why one would feel compelled to maintain it, as opposed to simply leeching off of it:

1) An honor code is compelling enough to the mage
2) Money is involved

This leads me to believe that the most likely scenario is that there are TWO independent unions of mages, both working in very different ways. One invites mages with notably community-oriented dispositions, and is far more exclusive. Likely a smaller union made up of mages who are open to forging friendships with one another (but also no less willing to do dark deeds on a payer's behalf). Another union is for those who are desperate, and need the money. The threat of being kicked out by enforcers who notice your lack of reciprocation (and thus losing a cash flow) is enough of a reason to maintain the group protection personally.

And yes, we're in the US.

Also Asuras. There's a Dark City for every metropolitan area out there, yeah? Are there Houses that have like, national or global levels of influence? Or are all Houses, no matter how powerful, still mostly contained within their individual City?

If the former, may be useful to distinguish between levels of influence that player-made Houses have, and perhaps also have a list of, idk, the top 5 most infamous Houses nationally and internationally.

@ERode

There are Houses with global reach, yes, and would certainly be classified as the "largest". As might be expected, due to their longer histories, they do tend to favor their originating locations much more, and thus make their name (and population) biggest in countries/cities of origin. Not every Dark City necessarily has a House nearby, however. Some cities simply end up, by pure happenstance, without much of a Dark Sphere with it. They nevertheless experience arcane phenomena, and as such tend to have more of an air of "mystery" to them by the mundane population, as things like Manifestation incursions go unfixed for longer periods of time, for example.

I can throw up a top 5 list, certainly.

Magic in the Park

@Sky Blue I can't accept this character. There's a number of issues, but most notable is that I get the impression that you either didn't really read through the setting or otherwise opted to use a character you had in your back pocket regardless of whatever you did read. But besides that, there's contradictions here, and even presumptuousness. What makes you think gods outside the Norse pantheon won't be as important? Where in the setting did it say that there exist different 'species' to play as, or for that matter, a shapeshifter specifically?

It's these sorts of things that gives me the impression that you took a character meant for elsewhere and dropped them in here, heedless of setting. How can he be both a prodigy but also showing merely 'signs' of skill and also lacking experience and control? These are polar opposites. But also, presuming a shapeshifter, that wouldn't even be a Craft, but a latent ability.

Ultimately I can't do much with this character for the plotline, never mind that they are not adapted well for the setting itself.

@ERode Looks good. There is a gap between the "itch" she developed as a mundane, and having entered the Dark Sphere. Should I presume that her Crest was a development of this itch (an infection/lingering of some arcane nature), or her eventually finding her way into the Dark Sphere purposefully? If the latter, was it the itch that guided her in, or more happenstance that exposed her? Alternatively, you can leave it to me, as I'd be happy to add in elements to this gap.

Accepted.

@Estylwen Checks out. Reina does read as a mage of a bit higher caliber than what I intend to allow at the start of the plotline, though there is some freedom here. Nevertheless I will note immediately that her strength will have some complications developing early on, but I will discuss this with you.

Her Riding the Dimensional Drift craft, however I will need to note is beyond the abilities of a character I wish to allow for the moment, specifically for setting reasons: even as a weaker representation of the Labyrinth, the Dark City is highly resistant to navigation. Spells that move you between locations within the Dark City are exceptionally rare and difficult to perform. This, tied with the Dark City still being an "overlay" upon the city means that the kind of teleportation you describe in this spell is not something Reina can achieve [at her expected skill level].

@OwO Accepted. No notes, looks good.

@Kronshi Also good. No notes. I will be sure to make him suffer.

@Remram Trace... On. Looks good. I genuinely did not expect someone would go for this sort of idea; military "dark forces" that is.

@ERode@Estylwen@OwO@Kronshi@Remram Please place your sheets in the character tab. With that, we have filled 5 slots and I am closing applications.

Next steps are that I will begin to formulate the plotlines. During this period I will be checking in with players here and there to ask questions and discuss background things. If I don't contact you don't worry; it doesn't mean I've got nothing for your character. Additionally, during this time, you're welcome to forge pre-existing relationships with one another. This is not required, however, and don't feel obligated to do so. You'll all get roped in together one way or another with time regardless.

I will hopefully begin IC within a few days.

Magic in the Park

Going to be reading sheets today. Note that not all slots will necessarily be filled. If all slots are not filled, then they'll remain open to application indefinitely.

Magic in the Park

Meant more like what it's name is.

@Kero

Your Mom Bluegate

Magic in the Park

@Asuras Since it's not first come first serve, do you have a date we'd need to have character sheets in by? Also, are there laws in the Dark City? I was thinking about making a character whose magic revolves around magically enforcing existing laws, contracts, and promises.

@Framing A Moose

I'll be checking on Wednesday, I've decided. As for laws, no. The Dark City is devoid of any form of government or enforcement.

Magic in the Park

Hello there! I am dropping my interest for Obscurity! As a villain!

In Regards to gender, may I be non-binary?!

@CavnderOHeart

Can be whatever you like.

Right, was wondering.

If you have your Crest on your hand, and then you lose that hand, what happens? Is there any consequence for your Craft? Does that Crest reappear elsewhere?

@ERode

Hm... good question. It does not reappear, but there are no consequences. Some of the more adept may be able to detect that the crest remains -unseen- in a phantom space where you hand once lay.

Magic in the Park

Okay well you know what I mean at least. (:3

Magic in the Park

<Snipped quote by Asuras>

comedically, gotham is usually new jersey

which is apropos for a hidden, esoteric world of beasts, malevolence, and abominations

@OwO

Metropolis then… (dont tell me it also has a definite state)

Magic in the Park

hey, does it matter what type of character image I provide
could it be from a video game, or does it have to be art?

@hanzo

Can be whatever you like though I suggest at the very least it be anime adjacent to keep with the themes here.