MercuryHg34 — Roleplayer Guild

@Gisk I like your take on the necromancer, add him to the character tab if you don't have anything else to add!

Light, my co-gm, is going to be playing the role of the Oracle of the Third Keeper, and will be a member of the party. If you guys want to discuss the possible ways of meeting up or establish some prior history so that you are already a party at the start you can do that, but whoever starts in the company of the Oracle will likely be at the royal castle of the kingdom of Alexandria. This kingdom is one of the largest human civilizations, consisting of many states that spread from its capital in the center, also called Alexandria. Geographically it's located in the center of a large continent with several other smaller kingdoms nearby, but most of human life is contained within these kingdoms as the surrounding landscapes are teeming with monsters and other effects of the curse.

The Dark Star

Long ago, in eons past, there existed but a single being. This being had no name, and had just one purpose: to maintain the stability of the plane in which he resided by simply keeping track of time. After some immeasurable length of time, this being grew weary and began to lose concentration. Fearing there would be no-one to remember him when he was gone, the being gathered the last of its power and divided it into several pieces. Each piece was a new, independent being which we know as our Guardian Deities. He named them Ignis, Luna, Gaia, Aether, and Celestia. Before disappearing, he professed his final wishes upon them.

"My children... you have been created by my essence, and so I ask of you two tasks to perform. First, you shall together continue to keep time in my stead. The task shall be done in turns, so that the others may have opportunities to expand and create what they will. The First Keeper shall be the one whom I have given the name Celestia, the bearer of most of my essence. She may create one thing before I vanish. Second, all of you shall forever remember that I, your creator, have bestowed the gifts of your existence to you from my own self, and are therefore parts of a single One. Do this and you may do what you please in this plane."

"Your will shall be done" the Guardians responded, and with that the being ceased to exist. As this happened, Celestia filled the entire universe with all manner of stars, planets, galaxies and everything in between. Beginning her task as the First Keeper she proclaimed to the others, "Here is my legacy, which shall consume the entire universe so that my presence is all-encompassing of what you four shall create." Disappearing into the empty space between, Celestia began to keep time, and time continued to flow as it should. Impressed by this, the other Guardians worked together to create something that would rival the brilliance of Celestia's creation.

Ignis gazed among the stars Celestia had created, and using all of his strength, created a star for himself which he named "The Sun". Inhabiting the Sun, Ignis fueled the star with his very being, radiating a warm and comforting light unlike any other in the universe. Nearby planets, once cold and isolated, were drawn to the warmth and began to revolve around the Sun as if in celebration. Luna took notice of a particular planet near the Sun; lonely, dry and barren, she felt sorry for it. She then decided to use her power to fill it with rich blue water in the valleys and canyons, and gentle clouds in the air. "This planet, which I shall name Earth, will sparkle brilliantly in the warmth of the Sun" she said as she transformed into a smaller, pale and round rock near it, now called the "Moon". "I shall protect the Earth from all outside chaos that would do it harm as I guide the waters with my presence"

Seeing the awe-inspiring landscape now decorated by oceans and clouds, Gaia used her power to create all life on Earth. She took special care in creating the Humans, who would resemble her in appearence. Having created this life that would acknowledge the power the Guardians displayed, she retreated into a Great Tree in order to continuously breathe life into the Earth. Now teeming with life and adding a vibrant green hue to the planet, Earth seemed to be complete. Aether, however, decided to add one more element to the mixture. "It is not enough that the Humans live on this planet we made. I shall bestow upon them but a fraction of my own power, so that they too can create and innovate on their own." And so Aether diffused himself amongst the Humans, granting them intelligence, wisdom, and most importantly, the power of the ethereal essence of Mana.

Celestia, seeing all of this, became quite jealous of their accomplishment. Forced to keep time, she could do nothing to add to the planet Earth. Soon, Celestia had been forgotten and only the distant stars in the sky remained to tell her story.

Several thousand years later, the Earth experienced a prosperous Golden Age stronger than any before it. The seasons were gentle on crops, once warring nations now shook hands in the name of peace, and research into Mana has allowed impressive magic to develop. People work hard to provide for their families and to better their communities as well. Across the globe, thousands gather to pray in shrines dedicated to the four Guardians that created the Earth. All is well as the human race prepares for the largest event in history since their creation: The Dawn of The Second Keeper.

To decide which Guardian would take up the daunting task of keeping time for the next several millennium, an oracle chosen by the Guardians themselves performed a ritual designed to choose a Guardian arbitrarily and without bias. Once the ritual was complete, it was decided that Aether would become the second keeper of time. However, in the briefest of moments between Celestia's freedom and Aether's ascension, she exacted her revenge for being so easily forgotten.

Utilizing the power of the void, Celestia laid a foul curse on all that the other guardians had created. First she cast a deep darkness on the Sun, dimming its light until there was barely enough to illuminate the sky. Next, the clouds began to rain ceaselessly over the land, and the oceans became tainted with the curse of the void. Finally, the once peaceful creatures of the land assumed hideous forms and inherited a lust for blood as the Great Tree slowly withered away until it could barely stay alive. Ignis, Luna and Gaia all fought with their combined might just to manage this uneven balance, saving the Earth from total destruction.

Aether, seeing the catastrophe unfold before him, had little choice but to fight Celestia himself. As time began to slowly slip away, he desperately used all but a tiny fraction of his power to seal Celestia away with his mana. The prison she inhabited came to be known as the Dark Star, an ominous black sphere sharing the sky with the Sun and Moon. Because he had been so weakened, he had no more mana left to spare for humanity as he assumed his position as the Second Keeper. Without the help of the guardians, the humans were left only with the mana already bequeathed to them before Aether's departure. For generations they carefully held onto this precious gift while biding the time until Celestia's seal would come undone. 

Now, in the present, the signs of Celestia's return are stronger than ever. The only hope of survival left comes in the form of a small miracle, one that occurs only once every several thousand years... the appearence of another oracle. Able to speak to the guardians themselves, this person has learned the one way that humanity can be saved...

And it's up to you to make sure they don't die trying.

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Character Sheet
Name:
Age:
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Bio: (Be as creative as possible. I'm pretty flexible with back story stuff, so write as much as you want. At least one paragraph.)
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Some info about the setting mentioned by me, may answer any questions you have:
"Human is the only playable race, and spell casting is allowed. In the IC I was going to elaborate that mana granted to humans is a permanent thing; you either have mana to cast magic with or you don't, and how strong a caster you are depends on how much of it you can precisely control. For example, a weak magician might consistently access 50% of their mana and only be able to fine-tune a portion of that, whereas an adept magician can access over 75% and use almost all of it precisely. Mana would also have been in your family tree, so your ancestors or any children you have might have mana too. The "conservation of mana" aspect is mostly people trying to make the most use of the mana-wielders left since they are dying off little by little."

"Mana is expended when spells are cast, similarly to using your stamina or endurance to sprint. If you run too much or really fast, you're going to tire out quickly. Think of magic as the same. You'll become tired from abusive spellcasting in much the same way as fighting or doing other physically extreme activities, and you'll feel fine after resting just like anyone else. People with more mana will obviously be able to handle more use of magic.
This won't be a quantifiable mechanic in the roleplay, but really acting the condition of your character is encouraged.
Because of the wild and powerful nature of mana, spellcasting would be on average more strenuous than traditional martial fighting, but in exchange, magic is as versatile as your imagination."

"As with any magic, as long as you don't Mary-Sue or extend past obvious limits you can cast magic however it fits your character. If you ever have any doubts you can just ask me in the OOC before posting in the IC."

"A necromancer uses their Mana in an unusual way.  Instead of directing it out into the physical realm, they use it to create paths between Life and Death.  Through these paths, they can communicate with spirits, or even draw them into Life.  This Mana pathway allows the dead spirit passage, and becomes a direct link between the soul of the living necromancer and the dead spirit.  It allows communication or, if need be, for the necromancer to bind the spirit to their will and control them.  Connecting to Death has an effect on the bodies of the practitioner.  It takes away the color of their hair, and makes them sallow and pale.  Physically, they are usually of normal health, but they appear to be weakened by it.  It is only an appearance, however.  Death leaches the color from their bodies, but nothing more.  

This same connection can be forged with a being already on this side of the Divide.  Since the dark curse enacted by Celestia, many beings return from death to roam the earth, and a necromancer can create a mana bridge to their spirit as well.  For a Black Necromancer seeking a servant, this is done easier than pulling the spirit from Death.  Meanwhile, a White Necromancer would seek to force this being back into Death.  

This connection can also be made with living things, but living vitality in and of itself creates a very strong defense against it.  Only the very strong, and quite insidious would even attempt to subvert the will of a living thing.  The closer one is to death, though, the less vitality they have and the easier prey they are for a Black Necromancer.  

As Mana users, most Necromancers have other tricks up their sleeves, though the practice of necromancer is very time and energy consuming and they would usually learn bare minimums.  In addition to this, the sort of magic they seek to learn is often colored by their predilection for the morbid."

"Alexandria - This kingdom is one of the largest human civilizations, consisting of many states that spread from its capital in the center, also called Alexandria. Geographically it's located in the center of a large continent with several other smaller kingdoms nearby, but most of human life is contained within these kingdoms as the surrounding landscapes are teeming with monsters and other effects of the curse."

MercuryHg34 Member

Likes long walks on the beach

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