A few people have asked me about religion in the setting. Originally I wanted to keep this as one of those 'play to find out' things, but I suppose it's a big enough topic that it deserves its own section!
I've added a religion section to the first post. I'm also pasting it below for ease of access.
Religion in Ulrania
There are several religions in the world of Ulrania. Most minor religions are heresies of one of a major one, but there are also various cults to be contended with as well.
It is noteworthy that not all people worship with the same fervor, nor do they always embody the virtues of their religion. Some, in fact, pay only lip service to their faith, believing that in the end prayer matters little. Perhaps it is true.
Below you will find the most common religions in Ulrania. However, there are certainly more than these.
In the old world, it was believed there was but one Divinity, and that it was with his Word that the world was born. This monotheistic religion treats First King Ulrain as a prophet of the Word, though scholars debate how holy a man King Ulrain was.
Whatever the case, it is a religion that values temperance above all other things. "Temperance in all things" is a common phrase, and it is believed that being able to balance all facets of one's personality - bravery with caution, pride with humility, wrath with mercy - is the greatest of virtues. After all, an unbalanced heart is an impure heart.
Those who adhere to this faith pray to Heaven, to Divinity, or to the ancestors, with Frst King Ulrain being chief among them. It is the chief faith of the Theocracy.
Long has it been held that miracles are granted by Heaven and by the First King to those who have true faith. Sometimes these miracles have been hard to prove, though legends of great miracles performed in their name exist. Such miracles seem to have come to life in recent years: when the Priest-King and his Bishops make divine proclamations, it seems their words eventually come true. Could Heaven be watching over the Theocracy? Is this the dawn of a new era?
Heresies of this belief often take umbrage with specific ancestors being included, or have differences of opinion on the nature of the Divine. Others still believe First King Ulrain to be no prophet at all, and others have extremist virtues and worldviews applied to the faith (such as self-flagellation or the prospect that only humans have souls). These cults are many and varied.
There are many druidic faiths spread around the world of Ulrania. They are nominally different, though there are similarities between each. They commonly revere nature, and they appeal to the spirits of the world around them. This is a worship often practiced by woodfolk, elves, and particularly rural people. Druidism is the most common religion in the Falkerns and among the elves.
There are plenty of stories of nature spirits both benign and malignant. Most do not come from the old world, but from Ulrania itself. It is quite plausible that there are spirits of nature, though they could also be the ever-clever Fey playing more games. After all, the Fey are protectors of nature... or at least of the Everbloom Forest.
Some druidic cults see civilization as a blight to be removed, but those are rare.
Wizards are incredibly powerful beings, and it is not unknown for someone to take up worship of them. Cults to the Necromancer, Beastshaper and Frost Queen are still around to this day, even after their disappearance from the world. It should not come as a surprise: if anyone could be compared to a deity walking upon Ulrania, it would be one of the Wizards.
Wizard cults of all kinds are almost universally illegal, but that does not stop them from forming. The Beastshaper's followers have proven to be a particularly resilient cult.
Gnolls in particular, not being part of normal society, revere the Beastshaper.
Some contend that there are no gods, a belief chief among the grayskins. Grayskins are a very practical people that see no use in worrying about the afterlife; they focus solely on what lies ahead of them.
Dwarves have a religion, but they are a secretive folk and to divulge their religion to an outsider without good reason would be a crime among their people. Even exiled dwarves keep quiet about what it is they believe exactly. (Only a dwarf player would be told what the dwarves believe.)
Are you still accepting? Might be interested in this.
It's getting pretty full, but the only accepted players thus far are in the first post of the characters tab.
I will say that if I feel like the roleplay gets too full I'll add a waiting list, so at the least you could be lined up to potentially jump in later if someone drops!
Either way, if you make a character I might have room. It depends on how things are looking by then.
@Reia This is just a suggestion so take it how you will, but instead of restricting everyone to PG13 all the time, what if you asked that every applicant post their rating preference alongside their submission? That way, whenever two or more players interact, you just choose what the lowest rating is between those (say PG13) and inform them all to keep a note of it during interactions. I think the RP could then better suit the taste of any potential player; if someone wanted to go in-depth with more serious, mature topics, they could - as long as they weren't collabing with someone who isn't comfortable with it.
Because I'm managing a lot of players and my memory is that of a dead goldfish, it's probably better if I just keep it at PG13.
Darker, more mature topics can be touched on. Violence can be touched on. However, it must all be done in a measured way respectful of the content in question.
(I'm serious about my memory, BTW. Half the design of this roleplay is me making sure I know what everyone wants and that I've organized things to maximize my memory!)
@Reia the rumors in the IC thread won't just be about PCs, right?
That is correct! Some PC actions won't even come up (if they're too minor).
You will see rumors about developments around the world based on the actions of NPCs and PCs alike, as well as natural disasters (or magical events confused to be natural disasters).
Highly interested seeing as i only really have one rp atm.
Literally cannot decide between being a psudo villain or a gentle giant.
Take your time and if I can squeeze you in I will! No guarantees - there's a lot of interest.
Just letting folks know that I'm about to head to bed (or try to, if my brain will let me sleep). Feel free to message me about the game and I'll respond in the morning!
Discord server is almost ready and should come up tomorrow morning as well.
@Reia - Definitely a good idea. You never know what people and/or characters this rp'll see.
By the way, I'm reasonably flexible in terms of how I'll conduct my posting so I was just curious if you'd rather hold the exchanges via PM back-n-forth or by Discord.
Either/or is fine. I'll leave that entirely in each individual player's ball court.
In fact, you can even switch it up based on your mood / schedule if you want!
Hey guys, I just noticed I didn't mention this in the opening post:
I'd generally like to keep content PG13. As we're going to have a lot of different people potentially interacting and I don't know everyone, it's best to keep it PG13 because you will be interacting with other players.
We can touch on serious topics and show violence, but let's make sure it's measured and doesn't turn into NSFW content or gorefests.
Below you will find a list of accepted players. I won't be revealing who their characters are, as that is something that should be discovered through roleplay.
As players finish their sheets and are accepted, I will add them here.
Tentatively interested - not entirely convinced about the ‘multiple 1x1s inside one setting’ format. I think there’s a lot of pressure on you as the GM to keep plots moving and to feed players quality NPCs to work with. Otherwise, characters are sort of running around like headless chickens.
Entirely understandable concern. Thankfully, my burden will be somewhat alleviated by the presence of other PCs as plot hooks in and of themselves.
I do have the time and energy to handle this for the foreseeable future, but trust me when I say that I don't blame you for your worry. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried myself!
EDIT: This is also why I'm making the 'once a week' minimum posting rate guideline. If needed, I can move it to 'once every two weeks.' This is to give myself some time to get to everyone involved.
Tlaloc
TokyoPewPew
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