ravenDivinity

Stars over the Asphalt

Out of curiosity are we given a good amount of freedom with what magic we practice(within reason of course)

@yeti100

Ah, yes, thanks for asking!

I haven't fully enumerated the way magic works in the universe, but the best answer I can give you is that, yes, you will have a pretty fair amount of freedom with magic. I can also say that your ability to use magic has much to do with training and practice. You won't be instantaneously good at certain crafts, and some crafts will be such an enigma to you that you'll never master them. The idea is that you must learn and hone magical skills before you reach your full potential. I want to make magic balanced and fair to all magical users in the roleplay, and the simplest way of doing so is limiting magic's capabilities and making learning and understanding intrinsic to magic. The other way I'll be accomplishing that is by making roughly all magic counterable in some way—it would make no sense if an incredibly stupid and undisciplined character could split continents like they were nothing or defeat his foes by way of sheer power alone. Plus, what fun would it be if someone was simply born with great power, no training necessary?

Like I said, I'd limit the capabilities of magic in the roleplay. If it's ridiculously overpowered or if it can be easily abused, it's not allowed. Magic can be used to augment things people are already capable of. For example, if a talented singer was magically enabled, then they could empower their music with magical abilities, i.e. singing to put the audience to literal sleep, singing to freeze the water that feels the vibrations of the sound. Magic can also provide abilities unlike any human skill and grant powers like control over water, control over temperature, communing with life, creating portals, etc. I wouldn't take them too far though. For example, if someone wanted to make a portal to a different location, they have to be very familiar with the other location in order to make a portal to the place they want to go. Otherwise, it will lead them to a location vaguely near the intended destination, or the portal just won't open at all. Understanding is key to successful magic.

I'll work out more details about magic in the IC and flesh out the system more clearly for everyone, but that's the gist of it. You have creative liberty to use magic as you please, and the only limits that exist are the ones that keep players from doing anything unfair or godmoding. Between now and then, I'll also try to modify magic to make it both fair and fun.

Stars over the Asphalt

Thought I'd go ahead and make it clear that I'm open to suggestions and questions, and I don't mind answering them. If we exceed 5 people, I think it'd be best to have us roleplay in separate locations (Dallas, London, Tokyo, Berlin, etc.). I think I'm willing to increase the max number of players to 10.

Stars over the Asphalt

Welcome aboard, Tancuras.

Stars over the Asphalt

Stars over the Asphalt

Synopsis

Magic users used to feature prominently in ancient human history until the greatest magicians summoned hordes of armies to do battle with their enemies. The bloody conflicts that arose nearly eliminated mankind, and as punishment, the gods erased magic from history, reduced the number of magic users, and limited the power of the magicians. The magicians continued their trade in secret throughout the ages, held together by insecure peace and a pact of secrecy. The day came in the 1900s when the gentle balance was threatened by instability in the world during the First and Second World Wars. The devastating events of the 1900s and beyond and the subsequent problems that arose led to wars breaking among the magicians who practiced in secret. Your characters are among the new people who are soon to be pulled into the fray.

History

Before glass obelisks pierced the skies, there were many gods who dwelled in the mortal world among mankind. That Cradle was blessed, where the four rivers diverged at Eden and where creation leapt from every crack in the desert to populate the barren Earth. Families became clans, clans became tribes, and tribes became nations until every peak of that corner was settled.
In those days, the gods bestowed upon mankind the gifts of their holy countenances: great fertility, long life, enduring peace, and enchanting miracles. The gods in such times saw fit to award humanity new dominion over the earth as reward for the devotion and righteousness of the men who smote the wicked under the blessing of the gods. And by the word, it was done. Men glowed with the new dominion over creation that they then had, and they used such powers to bring happiness and goodness to their lands. However, without discipline new powers beget corruption. Men coveted power for themselves and lorded armies to fight their enemies and conquer the Earth. Their unbridled depravity earned punishment from the gods, and the gods took magic away from most of mankind. Mankind would thenceforth have no memory of magic and see such activities as evil rituals, and the last of the conquerors empowered by magic had their abilities reduced, and they were cast into exile.
As time passed, the remnants of the lowest wars in human history disappeared until they were long forgotten. The old gods returned to the heavenly realms, but generation after generation fate found new disciples for the great conquerors. Squabbles were fought in secret, and no one kept record save the spirits and the gods themselves. So it goes. Times came when the disciples were seen as miracle workers, others came when the disciples were pilloried as heretics and apostates. They became heralded leaders and secluded wisemen. Each generation saw something new, and each generation continued the old work. Youth would be drafted into the task of learning the art and teaching it to the next generation. And the gods saw it was good in their eyes that the secret societies blessed by the Essence of Magic remained secret and that regardless of morality, they acknowledged the responsibilities of the powers.
But nothing is forever, such is the flow of time. The same applied to the fragile peace that the magic users had. The great sufferings felt in the time before and during the dawn of the millennium caused disillusionment, and new rivalries and factions came from the fire. Revolutions and bombs, gas chambers and revelations, revivals and rebirths all shaping a new era in history. Magic users once again embroiled themselves in a great conflict that raged in secret, but this time, the veil of secrecy may fall, threatening the delicate balance of all men know.

Expectations

• Current interest: 6 people.
• Target interest: 5 people.
• Players: 3 to 10 players.
• Medium to High Casual, Low Advanced.

Mahz's Dev Journal

Anybody else notice that quotes and hiders are eating tabs all of a sudden?

The Guardians of Stars

Do we have to work with the greek constellations, or can we use inuit/australian/west-eso?

@Jozarin

If I recall correctly, it can be any constellation you want, even a made-up constellation.

The Guardians of Stars

@Bamboozle: Thanks a ton!

I chose Orion instead of Cancer since Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations in the late-Winter night sky. I even have some ideas already gathered for Orion's history, based on what I've read from different depictions of the constellation across multiple cultures. For courtesy, under this hider:

Orion

Orion: the Noble Hunter of Winter

Mankind has recognized the constellation of Orion for over 30,000 years, and Orion's significance transcends each culture that attributed a story to him. The vast majority of cultures see Orion as a great and venerable hunter and warrior, proficiently wielding either a shield, a bow, or a sword in his steady, powerful arm. Because Orion appears most visibly in the night sky from January to March, he is often depicted as a woodsman of the winter, a hunter by the river Eridanus, a constellation representing the Po, the longest river in Italy.

The Babylonian star catalogs call Orion "The Heavenly Shepherd" or "The True Shepherd of Anu," Anu being the king of the Sumerian pantheon and sometimes that of the Assyro-Babylonian pantheon. The constellation was considered sacred to the messenger of the gods, Papshukal, whose other associated constellation, the Rooster, is depicted on the star map below and behind Orion. The Rooster constellation represented the bird form of Papshukal, and Orion represented the human form. Making him the messenger of the gods would stretch his roles a little bit, but I don't disagree with taking the name that the Babylonians gave Orion and making Orion an enlightened hunter who perhaps in his living days received some sort of godly vision or prophecy. It would make him fit in with the larger than life stories that other constellations have at the very least.

Another interpretation was that of the Armenians, who saw the constellation as their legendary patriarch, Hayk, who refused to submit to King Bel, who had threatened to impose his tyranny upon Hayk and Hayk's people. According to the legend, in a great battle Hayk slew King Bel with an impossible long bow shot.

I'll go out on a limb and assume that most are already familiar with his story in Greek mythology, how Gaia, enraged at Orion for threatening to kill every animal, released a scorpion to attack him, how Orion loved the Goddess Dawn, how Orion hunted alongside Artemis, or how Ophiuchus in one tale revived Orion from the attack of the scorpion. These stories don't add much more to the character as is except for an explanation of his, Ophiuchus', and the Scorpion's positions in the sky.

The final source of inspiration I received was from old Hungarian tradition, in which Orion is called a magic Archer or Reaper. From this interpretation, Orion's bow could have the ability to fire arrows empowered with magic. The alternative route for his power is for Orion's bow to fire arrows with extremely heightened accuracy.

For the character, I was thinking about combining aspects of all these cultural sources into a single Orion. I'd like to make him as interesting and fun as possible without giving him too much power. At the same time, I don't want to limit his power so much that he is no more than a slightly over-glorified hunter. I'd like some direction and guidance as I develop him more into the version I'll use in the roleplay, mainly in the form of a push in the right direction. What do you like about his influences, and what do you think makes him overpowered (if he is, that is)?

Also, do you have an ETA on the OOC?

The Guardians of Stars

@Bamboozle: No problem, the break gave me plenty of time to gather ideas.

There are but a few questions I have:

Do the constellations retain a connection to their past, or are all their memories lost and forgotten?
Second, what is the furthest extent of power the constellations will be capable of as we start, and if magic is possible in the universe of this roleplay, then how does it work?
Is there anything we need to know about the cosmology of the universe? (Things like people having souls, objects having souls, the existence of other realms (which may or may not be physically accessible, intentionally or not), the location of celestial bodies in relation to earth and each other, the overall timeline, etc.) Don't worry about answering this particular question except for things that are already planned and set in stone.

Thanks in advance! Later on, I'll develop my ideas for Orion a little more and lay them all out. Other than that, even the smallest answers would be appreciated. They'd be really helpful in creating a character that is interesting and unique without doing a disservice to the order of things.

...

I'm interested. Came here from the Advanced check.

The Guardians of Stars

I'm interested!

Maybe I could take Orion or Cancer...