Avatar of Balthazar007

Status

Recent Statuses

3 yrs ago
Current New beginnings mean an end to old starts, and that is never a bad thing.
5 yrs ago
Finger Nails or Toe Nails???
6 yrs ago
RISING UP TO THE CHALLENGE OF OUR RIVALS!
3 likes

Bio

This is my second profile on here, and I have been Play-By-Post RPing for about nine years now. I do my best to see every RP to the end or at least let my character come to his/her own dramatic conclusion when I feel like signing off. Just like novel writing in real life, I tend to find myself on long hiatuses. Since writing is a great way to work out your brain, I try stay engaged as much as possible.

My favorite genres include futuristic worlds, mysteries, and super powers. Any mixture of these three elements will peek my interest.

Most Recent Posts

Character Creation

Step 1: Post in the OOC section to make sure we are still accepting new players.

Step 2: Create a character sheet with the following information, and post it into the OOC section to await approval:


Step 3: Modify your character sheet as instructed. You'll at least need to update your "coins" in your inventory. Then post your character sheet here in the "Characters" tab.

Crystal Bearers

Orange Crystal (Unclaimed) - IC Location: Unknown
Yellow Crystal (Unclaimed) - IC Location: Leemo City (F5)
Green Crystal (Unclaimed) - IC Location: With the Soaring Wing Tribe
Blue Crystal (Unclaimed) - IC Location: Unknown
Violet Crystal (Unclaimed) - IC Location: With the Riotifu Nation
Red Crystal (Unclaimed) - IC Location: With the Burning Heart Tribe
NPCs











... to Bellum, a planet that is as magical as it is technologically advanced. There are many civilizations on this planet, and many different races that call this rock their own. The three main races you will find here are the humans, the beast-folk, and the elves. However, within each race, there are countless factions and sub-races. The possibilities are quite endless...



Time...

Time passes on Bellum, at a parallel pace to that of our planet Earth. For instance, the Northern and Southern hemispheres experience the same four seasons, and there are exactly 24 time zones. The map above has 15 columns (i.e. time zones), but there are actually 9 more not shown. These hidden columns contain a vast ocean and a few scattered islands, much like the Pacific Ocean.

So how does this all relate to the RP? Well, don't worry. We won't ask you to keep track of the exact day and time within your posts. Instead, we'll only mark the time of year and time of day, at the start of important IC posts.
Story Arcs...

As a new player/writer in this world, you will have one of two options. You can either create your own story arc, or join an ongoing adventure...

A story arc is but one of many stories being told in the world of Bellum. Each story arc is lead by a different player/writer, while I (as GM) work to fill the world with NPCs and backstory.

A story arc is made up of three elements. First, at the heart of any story, you have the characters. A new arc generally has only one main character and side characters controlled by myself and the player who started the story arc. Second, we have the plot. Of course, plot twists and improvisation can happen at any time, but it helps to lay out the plot of your story from the beginning, at least vague goals and milestones. Third, we have the setting(s). Like on a ship about to set sail, most passengers (in this case, writers) want to know where the story will take them. What locations on the map might they see if they join? But of course, just like the plot, there can be twists and turns along the way.

At the top of the first IC post, you will find a list of "ongoing story arcs". Below that, you will find "finished story arcs". If you wish to join an "ongoing story arc" contact the story arc's leader. If you wish to start a new story arc, post your ideas here in the OOC section.

Backstory...

Bellum is alive and thriving, even when you're away from your computer. We welcomed you with a teaser of what's in store, but now that you've come this far, let's unravel the tale.

There are three "main" civilizations on Bellum, depending on who you ask. These would be the Sutisu nation, the Riotifu nation, and the Mutrenu. Each nation controls most of the area on their respective continents.

However, the Sutisu and Riotifu continents are joined by a stretch of forested valley, known simply as The Bloody Divide. It is called this, because it is the main battle grounds for a generations long war known as the Great War. These two great nations hate each other's way of life, and they both want control of the river that runs through the Bloody Divide.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the Mutrenu nation sits peacefully, far away from The Great War's reach. Even still, they are far from blameless. You see, it is a poorly kept secret that not only do they trade with both warring nations, they also deal in weapons and military grade technology. Basically, the Mutrenu nation will do whatever it takes to make money.

As we mentioned in the beginning, there are three major races on Bellum: humans, beastfolk, and elves. Then, each race can be further divided into factions and sub-races. Let’s dive into this a little further…



The Crystals…

… are ancient artifacts that have been passed from hand to hand for as long as history serves. Very rarely does one person ever get the chance to hold more than one, but when that does happen they tend to go insane with power or worse, explode. For this reason, it is forbidden for one person to ever control more than one crystal at a time.

Each crystal has its own identifying color: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Violet. They all have the capacity to power a small city on their own or increase the powers of a warrior by ten fold and give them limitless stamina. They are alike in that way. However, they are different in a more subtle way.



Becoming a Crystal Bearer: If you want to be one of the six crystal bearers, and the crystal you want currently has no owner, all you have to do is ask. Being a crystal bearer, amplifies your character's abilities by a factor of 10.

Whispers and Secrets

I will occasionally send you a PM and I will title it “IC: …..”. These secret posts will give one of your characters secret information. Crystal bearers may get these in the form of their crystal talking to them, but anyone can receive a secret PM at any time. If you receive one of these messages, please don’t share it with anyone else, at least not through an OOC exchange. However, if two characters are interacting, you can PM the other person and fill them in.

Finally, if a secret is shared within the IC post, and your character wasn't a part of that conversation, please ignore the shared information. In the same vein, if you have multiple characters and I tell you a secret that applies to only one of them, please act as if your other characters do not know this secret (unless those characters could logically and easily share that information).

I won’t police how everyone handles world secrets, but it will make the RP more interesting for everyone if you play along.

Money

They say it makes the world go round. This is true for the real world, and it is true for this RP. Exactly how much it matters to your character, well that depends on the individual.

We won't actually be tracking every coin you spend. In other words, the "coins" section of your character sheet (found within your inventory), won't go up or down every time you buy something. Instead, we will be using that number to decide if your character could reasonabaly make larger purchases. For example, if you have "Coins: 1,000" and your character wants to buy a 10,000 coin motorcycle, I'd have to say no.

When thinking about the value of a Coin, it might be easier to compare it to the US dollar, in the real world. If you were to do that, you would get about 10 USD to 1 Coin. This means, most small items would only cost you a coin or two. Around ten coins could buy you a low end luxury item or a moderately expensive ticket of some kind. A hundred coins, now we're talking about custom items and lavish expenditures. And so on...

Now, Bellum, while not perfect by any stretch of the means, is still a future society, where robots (for the most part) do the manual labor. Due to this, not everyone is required to work. In fact, more than half the world's population are "unemployed". Their basic needs, as well as the basic needs of everyone else, are covered by social services. There is free "housing", free "food", free "clothing" and free "healthcare".

You can find these free services in any building marked with the "CSC" logo (Civil Services Center). These buildings are one stop shops for all your essential needs. They are found in every city and town in the world, and they are funded and supplied by the Mutrenu government.

However, just because they all receive the same base support from Mutrenu, they are still managed by their local city government. Some cities supplement their "CSC" buildings, making the services they offer even better than normal. Some cipher off funds and provide as little as needed, just enough not to get in trouble with the Mutrenu government.
Oh, now that I think about it, what's the lifespan of beastmen like? I'm thinking about what age my character should be and I'm wondering when a beastman reaches maturity.


I'm going to have the main RP thread posted in the next few hours. I'll be sure to include this information.
Does anyone have a good character sheet template I can use? I have little clue how bbcode works.


I will have a basic one up by the end of the day, but feel free to use a more stylized one.
@Balthazar007 Thanks for the clarifications!!


You're welcome. I enjoyed answering them. Now I have to go to work. Tomorrow is a day off, so I think I can get the actual RP live by the end of the day. If not, it will be Friday, as originally planned.
@Balthazar007 Good stuff. On a different note, what is the sentiment around beast-men among the human population? Do they view them as equals or is there discrimination? Outright slavery (captured in the war/conquest) is a thing?


In general, humans are cautious of beastfolk, because one on one, the average beast person can kill an average human in a heartbeat. Beastfolk have the magical ability to appear almost entirely human. They are weaker (on par with humans) while in this state.

Humans don't openly practices slavery, and what happens on the battlefield typically stays on the battlefield. In fact, not all beastfolk live within their tribe. Some love alone, and some actually live among the humans.

In Sutisu culture, they can be citizens, as long as they stay in their humanoid form while in public. In Riotifu culture, they can be openly in their main beastfolk form, in fact it is practically celebrated. In Mutrenu culture, it is simply considered good manners to be in humanoid form while indoors.

However, each culture also has it's own way to discriminate against them as well. In Sutisu, breaking a law, including being in beast form while in public can land you in prison, where you may be forced into labor. In Riotifu culture, there are underground circuits for fighting and even gangs that do practice slavery; beastfolk are commonly exploited in both of these situations. In Mutrenu culture, all beastfolk are required to get a job if they want to live in the human cities; the jobs aren't horrible at all, as they have robots for most things, but unlike their human counterparts, they don't have the option to not work.
@Balthazar007 Hmm, ok ok. And they are in open conflict with both countries?


They don't actually deal that much damage to either side, not that anyone can prove anyways. So neither side views them as any more than a nuisance. Also, they have been known to act as mercenaries for both sides, when the price is right.

Also, in the past, when their main stronghold was destroyed, a new one would just pop up a few weeks later, so it's kinda pointless to fight them.
@Balthazar007 Interesting. How much in contact with the advanced civilizations are they? Do they have modern conveniences/technology or are they literally a tribal society that are completely isolated?


The squares with swords on them are active war zones. The main stronghold for the tribe is located in the middle of it all, so most of their contact with humans and technology are front the soldiers and robots.

They have lots of war based technology, from ambushing humans and/or robots on both sides of the war. They don't really make anything Hi-Tech on their own, but they aren't dumb. They know how to modify the technology they find to fit their purposes.
@Balthazar007 Am I free to add/come up with lore for the lizard tribe or do you have a background/way of life already in place for them?


You can make up lore, but here's the preset lore. They aren't just lizard/snake people. Any reptile-person can be a part of the tribe. Their tribe usually stays in the swamps, but they also can be found in the mountains and forests (not the cold, white tree, forests however, at least not usually).

Their tribe values cunning above all else. The leader of the tribe is constantly changing, like a snake shedding it's skin. If two or more individuals desire to be the tribe leader, they are free to use any means necessary to eliminate the competition.
What are the crystals like physically? Do they have to be held? Can they be placed in a focus like a staff or stored in any way?


They are made of pure magic/energy. They are an endless source of power, simple as that. So yes, they can be used in any variety of ways, including those you listed.
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