I feel obligated to join this, it looks so far up my alley that it came out the other side. Going to represent that Yang Wenli/John Locke/Fred Hayek flavor of hot democratic fire, ideally.
Love it. Just looking for a bit more interest before I put up the OOC. I'd like a larger group with varying minds.
Conqueror of the known world. Self-proclaimed leader of all humanity.
He began his campaign two decades ago, and only recently has he been able to achieve the glory of his empire in its entirety. All of his adversaries have fallen before him, and what was left of their rule has been integrated into his great nation. He has not had time to observe culture, religion, ideology or the likes; only the ostentatious display and overbearing concern of his military power has brought him success. He had been far too preoccupied to deal with petty politics and the issues of his subjects; rather, a mixture of tolerance and ignorance was practiced while he went on to secure himself a place in history.
But, a great empire does not stand alone on the pillar of power built by any despot.
It is here, in this forum, sitting at the seat of power of all of Magog, that Gog has held this gathering. 10,000 subjects from all the land, representing all ranks, of all cultures, of all ideologies, from any and every walk of life mankind has to offer, sit here as equals, all taking on the role of advisor over the course of this meeting. Fringe groups to dominant ideologies; mystery cults to major religions; every school of thought in all academic fields are in attendance. Royalty, clergymen, and military commanders to laborers, craftsmen, and even the lowliest beggar all sit as equals in this building. Each individual present has been brought for a variety of reasons, whether it be through invite or allotted imposition, and have been deemed accurately representative or intellectually valuable.
All don the same white robes, wearing the same blank masks, sitting in a dimly-lit circular marble chamber. The emperor stands in the center in the same outfit in a display of solidarity.
The question that stands to be resolved is not a matter of those in leadership, but the practice of leadership itself.
Setting
The universe is majoratively fictional, but will more than likely make references to our world, especially in terms of philosophical, political, and economic concepts and everything in between. I don't mind this, and in fact encourage it, seeing as there is no real way around it.
A huge feature of this RP is the vagueness I wish to keep in terms of specific schools of thought, historical figures, and especially time. It doesn't mean you are restricted from referencing any of these, but please keep the references themselves vague. Rather than saying "Plato once stated...", it would be preferable to use something along the lines of There is held the belief that... The universe in which we exist has an alternate timeline, if not an entirely disjoint one. Specific technologies is also a "no-no", but technological concepts, such as artificial intelligence and engineering advancements, in general are OK.
Magog is a fictional empire that has successfully conquered the known world. Since the only resonant quality of Magog is its military capability, participants have essentially full liberty in placing themselves in whatever and whichever part of the world they come from, possessing any mindset they wish. You can be a king, general, high priest, artisan, farmer, businessman, beggar, or whatever. Ultimately, it will not matter. The only real significant feature of your character is whatever title they choose to associate themselves with in relation to whatever beliefs they hold.
Style
Since the RP is discussion-oriented, there will be a posting order. The posting order, however, will be fairly relaxed so those on more frequently, with more enthusiastic characters, will be able to post and discuss as they please.
The "Ideology" section is for personal use and change. This RP is meant to make the participants think. The character should be a reflection of the user, or whatever mindset the use wishes to throw themselves in to. The discussion should be fairly honest, and impassioned discussion of otherwise taboo subjects (religion, politics, etc) is encouraged.
I, Emperor Gog, will ultimately be the mediator of this discussion, and more often than not an instigative participant. I am highly opinionated, yet incredibly impressionable. I know nothing of your customs, as I have only been concerned with creating my legacy. Now, in an effort to stabilize my rule, I have brought you all here to better understand what I'm dealing with, and how I should be dealing with it. I can fight your advice with my own beliefs, or force you to re-evaluate your own, but I will never end a discussion with a bout of willful ignorance or the petty statement of that's just how it is. I will attempt to reason, or include others in testimony, until it is resolved or able to be revisited.
The discussion has potential to change constantly, and since every issue has grounds in multiple academic fields (socio-economic, socio-political, geo-political, etc.), bringing up any concept gives allowance for critique through any means necessary, and any consequence brought up to any solution given must be evaluated.
What goes on inside your character's head is irrelevant here. In fact, if it's not speech, it should probably be omitted. The only thing your character will be able to do is stand and gesture, and maybe move around in place if you wish to describe those details. It will be up to me to set scenes, but that will be for mere tone-setting.
This RP will never be closed, but all I ask is for users coming in the middle of it to at least get the general gist of everything preceding their entrance, as it is supposed to be in the form of a forum discussion. I also reserve the right to change the posting order at my own discretion, which will probably revolve around general user activity and the discussions at hand.
Also, please set dialogue color accordingly as seen below.
Name: (King Felix, Phillip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great, Aristotle, etc.)
Color ID: The color for your dialogue will make it much more identifiable throughout posting. Please set it to something fairly distinct from what's already been put down.
Ideology: Please don't just describe your character as "logical" or "rational" like they are representative of their views. If it is true, then it will show up in the text. If your character is an empiricist, then briefly describe how they accept that conclusion. If they believe in a capitalist society, then tell a bit about what makes it so appealing to them. If they are a religious figure, briefly describe the religion and your character's willingness to embrace it. You can specify real-world concepts, religions, historical figures, etc. here to better describe your character's views. Just do not let it spill over into the IC.
Your character does not have to have a set opinion on every field. If they're a businessman, then a defined economic philosophy alone is OK. If they're at the bottom of society, then their views on specific social problems alone is OK, as well. Just because your character is naturally ignorant or not strongly aligned on certain issues does not mean they won't have their voice heard on it.
This section will probably be continually edited by the user throughout the course of the RP. Opinions are expected to develop and change, based on how convincing the arguments IC seem to be to the individual. It's meant to be dynamic, so don't worry if it starts out fairly lacking. No one person can expect to be an expert in every field. A lifetime of work is still a finite amount of time to process a theoretically infinite amount of information.
Ekusha departed for the human territories in an effort to begin her mission. She didn't see the need to explore the entirety of the nation if the goal was to clear out this particular outpost. Better to localize. So, she explored several villages, probing the minds of its inhabitants, looking for any outstanding attitudes or any piece of information that would be revealing of the dwarves.
Humans have always been one of the more xenophobic species, exemplified when it came towards their own kind. Ethnic cleansing, racial stereotyping, and fear mongering were concepts they whole-heartedly embraced, but it allowed them to survive through their clannishness. However, when it came to the other inhabitants that threatened their survival, humans banded together, whether it be temporary or permanent integration, to fight off their common foe in the name of humanity. In the countryside nearing the dwarven outpost, dwarves were thought of as almost plebian in comparison to them, suspected to be dust-covered cave-dwellers who collected stones and what few metals the mountains provided for an unmoving economy merely composed of shiny objects to stare at.
One perpetrator of this mindset was Tushratta, born to a farming family although he found himself employed as a furniture craftsman. When Ekusha found him, he was chatting with a bartender outside the local tavern, one he apparently frequented throughout his adult life. Tushratta was in his 30's, fairly charismatic and liked by his people. He indulged moderately, and often expressed himself overbearingly. He gained somewhat of a following with his words, stirring up the minds of humble drunks and working men. A politician in his own right, Tushratta was indeed a hometown hero in the making.
Rhetoric in the town was fairly anti-dwarven, belittling them to the point of mere animals. Views placed upon them were lowly, and Tushratta must have had the most openly intolerant view of all, constantly refering to them as cave weasels and insinuating they fed on the rocks they tore. Anyone around seemed to eat up his words, in a way covering their insecurities of this alien society that lay so proximal to their village. His words comforted them, and fed their egos. They did not have to feel threatened, rather they should feel powerful: they could easily crush any opposition to their livelihood, especially one coming from a bunch of filth-covered cave-dwellers.
Ekusha saw it: Tushratta had the hicks of this countryside in the palms of his hands. He inspired them, gave them hope, a feel-good conversation they could look forward to at the end of their miserable days of essential serfdom. He was a working man, but more-so a farmer-turned-artisan. He knew their labors, and he had already legitimized himself before these simple-minded country folk who knew little outside of their own village.
Take them.
Tushratta smiled as he looked around the tavern, already feeling a bit of buzz from the alcohol. "I say we pay a visit to that little dwarf colony." Others in the room were a bit puzzled. It's always been all-talk with them, mere venting. Talk of action was rare, but it seemed welcome to the frustrated. "They're up in those mountains, probably looking down on us, and for what? We let them set up shop for a while, but they've been spoiled. We've left them alone while they bleed those caves dry."
If I explore a village proximal to the dwarven outpost, am I allotted a bit of creative freedom in describing it? I just wanna talk about a bit of the attitudes there toward the dwarves and pick out some people.
I'm kind of afraid of a fight IC spilling over to OOC because our characters are all sorta kinda massive DICKS. That's why I don't usually collab, but it's fun, too, I guess.
Well, that's why it's called being in-character. If a character isn't acting proportionally and all the hate is expanding beyond the story, someone is probably doing something wrong.
Ekusha found Twitch's plan reasonable, but felt a bit offended with the way he had given them orders in such commanding rhetoric. A list? Nonetheless, she would indeed have rather been out probing the humans than the dwarves. She possessed no magics, no powers to bear any impact on a physical level, no projection of her self except through communication, and even her image was nothing more than an image, but all that information seemed negligible: the humans have always had much more potential than any other race in her opinion. She had no objections to this reassignment.
"Very well, I shall set out for the humans at once, however I'll be unable to bring back any objects. I lack the power of teleportation in a corporeal form, and my non-corporeal form cannot physically interact with my surroundings." She turned to That Which Consumes Peace, now her cooperator in this mission. Although she did not approve of his being, she felt whatever he did out there, with the two of them being the only ones among the humans, would only be beneficial for her. "I think we should split up on this one and bring back two different reports. We can compare notes and re-visit any discrepancies. The synthesis of our two views would shed better light on what we're dealing with in the range of our perspectives."
Twitch's words were fair: maybe it was too early to have approached him with the idea of a makeshift alliance within their group, but Ekusha was happy enough she had brought up the idea. She was sure it would grow more appealing over time, especially if and when the conquest grew to larger, harder to manage proportions. As for his issue with That Which Consumes Peace, she agreed that he would potentially be a thorn in their side, given his violent nature.
She departed his workspace and began wandering the halls, and with the help of some imps, slowly learned how to navigate their base of operations. Soon enough one had approached her with news of another mission. The group had a very odd composition, at least at face-value, but the potential between all of them made more and more sense as she made her way to join them.
At their meeting point, she saw Twitch and Clotho were already gathered. They were to capture a dwarven mine embedded in the mountains and rid it of its inhabitants. They would be in close quarters, which should be fairly easy for this group: a closed tunnel system would mean paths would be limited, and the outpost would be littered with choke-points.
"This mission sounds easy enough: painting mines with the blood of dwarves and capture a few strays, if I'm not mistaken. I may be over-simplifying this, but entrapment and execution seems like a quick job between all of us."
She turned to Clotho, essentially a military commander of insects with a grotesque appearance: "It would seem that if you begin flooding the entrances, all the rest of us need to do is begin inciting the chaos. I can seek out the larger areas of congregation with their caverns, like resting and dining areas, and throw some suggestions into the minds of their heads of security. From there, That will bring chaos to these large groups."
Ekusha then faced Twitch, who has already validated himself before the rest of the group with the last raid: "You should direct the advance. Other than their intelligence and utility, I know nothing of dwarven culture or structure. Your own eyes on the ground will likely be able to spot more detail than any of us."
@knighthawk Ekusha doesn't really have a soul. She's just a spirit in the sense of existing almost purely as a personality, whose physical form is about as real as any other image the mind processes.
Ekusha was baffled at the situation unraveling before her. It all seemed to happen so quickly. The events were incredibly revealing of character that she had even forgotten her own train of thought in the moment. What had occurred between Shukra and That Which Consumes Peace had been rather distasteful, but unsurprising for two naturally aggressive beings. The Keeper's handling of the situation did not help to garner cooperation, either. With that, Athinar's pride landed him a shot at leadership within the group. Ekusha began questioning the structure of this group, but only time could tell how this would all transpire.
Octavius, the human, seemed to be the simplest one present. Appearing both rational and humble, he didn't seem to seek much outward validation from this group, a trait she very much admired; rather, it looked like he wanted placement and purpose, something she could see him finding in himself through the Dungeron Keeper's movement. We'll definitely be working very closely, human.
As everything seemed to be settling down, Ekusha approached Twitch in his quarters. He had been left to his own devices with his new dummies, but what better time to converse than during this down-time?
"Kobold, I say you, I, and the Rakshasa work together on carving out an empire in this world. The Master will have the totality of this world, but we can become gods in our own right. We can jointly oversee a vast domain with each of us securing a disjoint realm: you intellectually, I metaphysically, and I believe Shukra has the means and the mind for kingship! This group has a lot of individual potential, but probability and security in success does not increase with such high numbers and overlapping desires."
"I have no doubts we will have our disagreements and inevitably butt-heads, but with the separation of our powers aligning with our goals and personas, we can achieve stability so long as we cooperate from our respective positions of influence. I do not believe in the rule of good or evil; all I believe in is the power of rule, and I feel you can empathize being the professor of science you are. All I ask is for your consideration on this matter. The new world order has already been set in motion: we just need to secure our own places in it."
When Ekusha arrived back at the cave, her pretentiousness had finally settled. She felt her powers were under-utilized during the raid, but she had a newfound appreciation for her colleagues. They were just as prideful as she was, but she could now empathize how they felt entitled to their attitudes. However, what had transpired this morning was essentially an extremely frustrating pissing contest, at least in her eyes.
Once the Master had taken his share of the loot, Ekusha politely refrained. Aside from not contributing as much as her peers, she had no desire for monetary gain and the emotionally and psychologically scarred humans would be of no use to her. The group wore a variety of expressions, but now they could finally hop on the same page. She took on her corporeal form to provide a face to her personality.
"I don't know about any of you, but I do not rest. I took notice of a few villages neighboring the one we've just raided. Since it's only mid-day, I think we should clean them out tonight, hopefully before any travelers or traders arrive to witness the ruin..."
"Now, I do not have the physical strength or magics to pursue combat like the rest of you, but without my body I am capable of much more..." Ekusha began roughly detailing her powers to any that would listen: how she could touch the minds of mortals, able to both read and communicate as either an internal organic thought or external voice. "Mortal minds are extremely impressionable and internally vocal, especially if they can convince themselves that the ideas flowing through their heads are their own. They have a vested interest in self-preservation, and every action they take is advantageous in their own eyes. I do not believe in conquer through chaos, rather one that still leaves the subject and all others around them believing they are succeeding through their own will. What makes it all even more available to me is because they constantly cycle through their thoughts, buffering pressing matters with trivial ones, and vice versa, depending on the situation most immediate to them."
"None of you have reason to trust me, but I plan to make a trip on at least one of these villages before dusk. If any of you wish to come with me, I would not be opposed. When I... or we... return, I suggest we organize ourselves for our next strike, whenever that may be. A series of contained destructions is not sustainable, not-so-subtle, and especially not preferable: suspicion leads to retaliation, and the element of surprise only diminishes with each iteration."
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[h3][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/166019-10-000-heroes-bar-lounge/ooc][i]Recollections[/i][/url][/h3]
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<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><div class="bb-center"><span class="bb-b"><span class="bb-i"><div class="bb-h3">I <font color="#000000">-</font> L I K E <font color="#000000">-</font> B A D <font color="#000000">-</font> M U S I C</div></span><br><br><hr class="bb-hr"><hr class="bb-hr"><br><br><div class="bb-h3"><a href="https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/166019-10-000-heroes-bar-lounge/ooc"><span class="bb-i">Recollections</span></a></div></span></div></div>
