One hundred years ago the First Void appeared. A towering beast made of darkness itself, no one knows where it came from, but its goal quickly became apparent: The destruction of humankind.
From the First Void came Nox, the rawest form of what humans now call magic. Deadly in large quantities, Nox quickly spread and covered most of the planet, warping and twisting everything that it touched. Humanity was scattered, forced to retreat to higher elevations and behind hastily erected walls.
Until they learned to harness magic for themselves.
The Twelve Heroes were the first individuals born capable of harnessing raw magic. Together with the first magitech weapons they destroyed the First Void, ending the immediate threat to humanity.
In the aftermath of the Dark War the Novus Orbis Imperium was established by the first of the Six, an organization that would quickly take charge of the remains of civilization. They established, help fortify the Sancum Cities and became the unifying government.
However, though the First Void is gone the threats it left behind still remain. Where Nox gathers other, smaller Voids manifest. The Sanctum Cities are still threatened by periodic Void attacks, and not even the technomagic shields can always prevent the buildup of Nox.
That's where you come in. Ars Magi, transforming soldiers with the power to fight the Voids. Selected to be trained at Nova Lux Academy, you are the brightest hope for the future.
Known more commonly as the Imperium or the NOI, this organization serves as the new government in the wake of the Dark War.
The Imperator is the ultimate authority of the NOI, able to pass laws and allocate technological and military resources. They are assisted and balanced by the Duodecim, 12 noble families that oversee the Sancum Cities. The Duodecim have, in theory, the power to veto and pass laws if they are able to reach an agreement between them.
Formed in the wake of the Dark War, the Duodecim trace their ancestry to the twelve heroes of that conflict. All families oversee at least one Sanctum City, with the most powerful controlling multiple.
Each family governs itself in different ways and holds different values. One family may emphasize bloodline purity, while another is willing to adopt exceptional individuals into the house.
The Duodecim families are named after the twelve central Roman gods: Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Apollo, Diana, Minerva, Ceres, Vulcan, and Vesta.
‘Raw’ magic, called Nox, blankets the earth. Outside the Sanctum Cities it exists in large amounts that become visible to the naked eye as thick black clouds, but in smaller quantities it tends to be invisible and (supposedly) harmless. Inside the Sanctum Cities magic is regulated by shields to prevent excessive buildup.
Humans interact with magic mostly through technological interfaces. This like airships and rail systems are powered by magitech, as well as some military weapons. Those unfortunate enough to absorb too much raw magic are twisted and corrupted into Voids, hungry and violent monsters.
Notably Ars Magi can use elementary magic in their untransformed state, but they’ll find that they can only pull off maybe one notable feat before the ambient magic around them is depleted. Transformed, however, is a different story...
Ars Magi are magical girls created at Nova Lux Academy. Their creation entails a technomagical procedure where an Ars Armagus, a magic core, is implanted inside of them. This gives them the ability to transform into warriors capable of fighting Voids and resisting infection from Nox.
Ars Magi have enhanced strength, dexterity, and magical ability. They act as the speartip of the Imperium military, and often as bodyguards for the Duodecim and important leaders.
Candidates who show some magical ability are typically invited to Nova Lux at the age of 16, where where will begin their training.
A typical Ars Magi is made up of these elements:
Ars Armagus - The ‘core’ of the Ars Magi. Typically a gemstone inlaid in the stomach.
Gladius - The weapon manifested during transformation. Not always a literal sword.
Parma - The armor manifested during transformation.
Elementum - The magic element the user manipulates. For example: Ice, Fire, Metal, Darkness. Ars Magi can manipulate their Elementum to do things like shoot bolts of ice, cover a room in darkness, etc.
Ars Magi - A Magical Girl. Created and trained at Nova Lux Academy. Dark War, The - The war against the First Void, approximately 100 years ago. Humanity won (yay!) at significant cost. Duodecim - 12 Noble families that control various Sanctum Cities. Nox - A large amount of raw magic. Appears as dark clouds. Currently blankets everything outside the Sanctum Cities. Sanctum City - A megacity protected by a magic stabilizing field. Humanity lives in the remaining 23 Sanctum Cities. Void - A violent, corrupted entity. Voids can come in many forms and possess various malevolent powers. Humans exposed to large amounts of Nox will become Voids.
The Mundane Name: What’s your character's name?
Age: Should be between 16-17.
Sanctum City: Where do you come from?
Description: What does your character look like?
If you have a picture, anime art is probably the most appropriate.
Personality: What's your deal?
Background: Who are you? What’s your life like, pre-Nova Lux?
The Magical Armgaus Name: The name of your Ars Armagus. Generally |Adjective| |Color| |Gemstone|. Burning Yellow Pearl, Vicious Black Emerald, etc.
Gladius: What weapon do you manifest?
Parma: What does your transformed self look like? Though hair/eye/etc color may chance, you’re still recognizable as yourself.
Elementum: What is the element you can control?
Elementum Abilities: What kind of things can you do with your element?
It is my pleasure, as well as the pleasure of the Novus Orbis Imperium, to welcome you to Nova Lux Academy.
As you know, you have been determined to possess magical aptitude. This rare gift will allow you to harness the power of an Ars Armagus, a weapon specially created to fight the monsters that have threatened our existence since the Dark War. Using it you will be able to transform into an Ars Magi, able to combat the threats we face daily.
It is our mission to help you harness this power, as well as support and prepare you to use this power in defense of the Imperium and the world.
In mankind’s darkest hour, we hold sacred flame.
- Imperator Julian Asturica.
- - -
What is this? This is a magical girl game! It's a bit of a genre mishmash, but at it's heart its a little bit magical girl, a little bit Evangelion, and a few other things thrown in for good measure.
How do I join? Post your interest here!
If there's enough of it I'll do a bigger lore write up and make a proper character sheet.
Game Information
Game is set in a post-post-apocalyptic world. The majority of the world is almost uninhabitable due to the Dark War, except for 23 Sanctum Cities.
Malevolent creatures created during the Dark War called Voids are a constant threat to humanity.
Magical Girls are humans capable of magic who are implanted with weapons made for combating Voids.
PCs play as magical girls attending Nova Lux, a high school / training ground for magical girls.
Magical Girl Conspiracy Thriller, drawing inspiration from Evangelion and Magical Girl action/deconstruction shows like Symphogear and Madoka.
On a scale of dark and grittiness, leans more toward a Madoka than a Sailor Moon. Expect bad stuff to happen sometimes.
Most of the world is covered in 'raw' magic. Spread by the original Void, magic in this unrefined form is a toxic substance in large quantities. Humans have build Sanctum Cities with special shields to protect themselves from it.
Technology is near-futuristic. Magic is a thing, but most people can’t do it.
Magitech is also a thing, and is the main way most people can interface with magic. It is tightly restricted by the Imperium.
The Novus Orbim Imperium is the ruling government and controls the 23 cities.
Government is run by an emperor who holds the title of Imperator. The Duodecim, 12 noble families, oversee the Sanctum Cities and act as a support/balance to the Imperator.
Culture is a melting pot of remaining civilizations with heavy Roman influences.
Magical girls sit somewhere between super soldiers and super heroes, working under the Imperium.
I'm a longtime roleplayer, working in various mediums (forum, messenger, etc). I stumbled on this site while browsing around the internet, and it looked like a good place to try and meet some new folks and get some writing exercise. I'm also a big tabletop enthusiast, so finding people to do dice-based RP with is a big plus.
When it comes to the sort of writing I like to do, I generally can work with any genre. My favorites lately tend to be urban fantasy, sci-fi, and modern, but I'm pretty flexible all around.
Plank Sinatra,
Izurich,
BrokenPromise,
Majoraa,
The World,
shadowsaint007,
Ammokkx,
HereComesTheSnow
