the PastAegea is in a dire state. The precarious peace established will not last. I feel this in my bones. We are waiting for a power to spearhead society into war, though none of us have the strength to be this power. The Elves in the east are licking their wounds, biding their time. To the west, we humans assert ourselves rapidly, however, no leader of ours can compete in terms of charisma and power with those of the other races. Furthermore, we ourselves are fractured as a race, caught up in small struggles for power. In the south, the desert is as menacing as ever. When the beast is quiet, it is only because it is thinking of a new, more terrible way to devour you.
To comprehend why we are on the brink of war, we must look at the past. What I am about to recount is in part myth, in part history. In most cases, it is hard to draw a sure line between the two.
Millennia ago, Aegea was ruled by elves, the only truly intelligent species. Under them, the arts flourished: music was elevated to the theoretical, schools and movements rose; architecture became ornate and garishly colorful; the written tongue was also brought to be considered an art, and those who wrote for a living emerged, tales of love and great deeds were spun; the land was blessed with peace.
Peace, however, could not last. At the height of elvish development, there was an elf now known only with the name of Pharaoh. His beauty and strength were unrivalled, as was his magical prowess. It was so great, in fact, that wherever he walked, flowers bloomed more brightly and the vegetation lived more vivid. Pharaoh understood the nature of magic in a way nobody had before, and to share this, he founded an Academy devoted to these studies. It too flourished.
And then, Pharaoh and his students attempted the ultimate task: to bring back the dead. Illness had already been conquered, and old age did not touch the elves. This would have been the greatest triumph of magic. The technique seemed perfect, and on paper, it was brilliant. When applied, things went wrong. Horribly so. What Pharaoh accidentally called from the Black Gates was no human soul, it was something far, far darker, darker and more savage. It was a demon.
And so the world was plunged into the Age of War. The demon, calling himself ‘Satan’ (a name which meant ‘Divine Justice’), summoned his brethren, and the statues of the elves crumbled in fire. The elves were pushed back, incapable of contending with such a foe, and their extinction seemed nigh, until, from above, salvation descended. It had wings, and called itself Gabriel. Gabriel was an extraplanar being known as an angel. It summoned others, and they fought the demons.
From these Angels men originate. It is said that one angel, known as Eve, gave up on its wings to seal her formidable opponent, the demon Snake. This new being, an angel without wings, now possessing gender, lived among the elves, and had children, and her children had children, somewhere in-between angels and elves. They were eventually known as humans. It is this way that we bear the appearance of our ancient saviors.
The demons, too, attempted evolutions to combat the angels. Some fused their souls with fierce animals, and they were known as Aberrations, which still plague us to this day. Others developed a taste for blood, and grew sharp fangs to draw it out more easily. They were called, and still are, Vampires. Some demons, instead, gave up on the war entirely, and settled down in this new realm they had discovered. They had children with elves, or sometimes humans, which were known as Halflings. They were shadily regarded at the time, and alas, the hatred for them has not diminished throughout the ages.
The demons were defeated, but the cost was great. The elves had lost much of their power, and now there were other races to share the world with. The magical forces released in the great battles spawned new life, shaping even some landscapes. Thus, the elves retreated to their forests, while the humans claimed whatever land was inhabitable. Now, there are no demons, they are but night-time stories to frighten children. There are no angels either, though their legacy lives on. Whenever we look ourselves in the mirror, we must remember to thank and praise their sacrifice.
Alas it is a sacrifice, I fear, that will go in vain. A new age of war is upon us. Maybe in ten years, maybe tomorrow, something great and terrible will once again happen, and for some, it will be the end.
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the Present, and a glimpse into the FutureGrim as such talk may be, I am old, very old, and it is expected of me. You, however, are young, and the future is still bright and full of promise. Talk of war does not concern you. And it pleases me to say, not only are you young, but you are also all promising youth, in one way or another. I have high hopes for all of you, that you may change the world as it is, and make it a better place to live in. Ah, I’m rambling. Perhaps my age does show... I will let Rex speak now. I’ve never been one for exposition.
~
SUDDEN CAPS WHAT’S THIS. Ha. You were skimming, admit it. Ahem. Greetings and welcome! My name is Rex, and you won’t be hearing much from me, I promise. This here though is some important information you’ll need on the roleplay, such as, what the hell am I supposed to do?! and other favorites.
As you might have noticed, this is a fantasy roleplay. In it, you will play youths who have recently completed the basic training required to be sent on field missions in an organization known as Angel. You have no actual experience, however, and thus you will be taking many different missions.
Now, this bit here is very important, which is why it’s getting its own paragraph. I encourage, nay, demand, collaboration with everyone else when creating your character. Depending on the number of players, teams will consist of three (or more, or less) player characters + one npc mentor (played by me). Therefore I’d like the teams to be as balanced as possible, not only in terms of characters with different skills but also (especially) personality-wise. Therefore, use this interest check to toss character ideas, and then you, other player, when you see something you think you’d have good synergy, or fun writing, with, SAY SO, and bam, dynamic character making! I will of course be present to help and offer suggestions.
Below, there will be setting information, and then, if this gets interest, when the ooc goes up, I will offer more details with which you can flesh out your characters and so forth. As for the plot, I do have a larger idea in mind, which I will elaborate on at later notice, but I also intend on creating something tailored to your characters. You'll see.
The country is called Aegea. To the north and north-east, forming a natural border, are the Icethrust Mountains (think the Himalayas).
Down the Icethrust, the Great Forest of Ill spreads, freezing and snowy in the winter months, lush and fertile in the summer. Ill is a country of elves, ruled by various city-states, the largest and most notable being Ill-Asshai, great center of knowledge and culture.
As you progress down further south, the territory changes somewhat. In the south-west, forest gives way to tundra, which then becomes an arid desert, the Urduk, feared for its sandstorms and the cruel Sand Tribes (Snake, Jackal, Wolf, and Vulture). Despite its barrenness, there nestles a single city, Maj-haeri, a prominent yet secretive city of magic. It’s said the Maj-haeri royal library is the greatest compendium of knowledge save the library of Ill.
The south-east, instead, is very fertile and green, due to the river Illessa, which cuts all the way to the ocean, and its many estuaries. After the Age of War, humans were nomads, seeking hospitable land, free from magical contamination. A thousand years later or so, the magical contamination grew nonexistent, and so humans settled down in this area, the greenest and most ideal. They formed many different kingdoms, based on family identity, some which still endure to this day. Collectively, the area mankind inhabits is known as Eve’s Republic, but this is more of a geographical convention -- in actuality, the single kingdoms are still rivals.
Your characters are part of an organization known as Angel. Angel is divided into the Wings, the Sword, and the Hand. It was founded back when humans were still nomads, and at the time they served as the military, specialized in protecting targets and ending battles quickly. When humans became sedentary, Angel kept on existing as rangers, border patrols, and mages, the only mages Eve’s Republic has, in fact. It exists throughout the Republic and is not tied to an individual feudal lord, though they do make part of their money from donations. While Angel can be called on for scouting and escort missions, they do not accept outright attacks on other lords. On the other hand, they are the most skilled when it comes to moving outside the territory of the Republic, and will often embark on such missions.
Angel operates in teams of three plus, if the members are unskilled, a mentor. The teams consist of a member of the Sword, of the Wings, and the Hand. The Sword are those trained in close combat, and are expected to protect the Hand if things go sour. The Hand are the mages, which in turn can specialize into healers, offensive type, and so forth. The Wings are the scouts. They are expected to be versatile and capable of adapting to any situation.
The organization is based outside the city walls, some distance from them, in point of fact. They tend to move around every few months or so, maybe every half a year in times of peace (such as now). Their ‘villages’ are easily found, if one pays attention to the flying flags of Eve. The members of Angel are volunteers. It is common, for example, for a noble to enlist his second-born son. Daughters who, for one reason or another, do not wish to get married and live a socialite life are also sent off. Street urchins can also enlist, and so forth. Barring exceptional cases, Angel recruits children at around ages eleven or twelve. Those with magical talent study magic, while those without (or with little) can choose the Wings or the Sword. After four or five years they are deemed ready to take on simple missions.