A Crown of Bones -Accepting-

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Atlas Child

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A Crown of Bones

In the beginning there was only The Father, the one god who existed before all else. The one god then looked into the empty void and saw it as hollow and incomplete. He decided all things should have purpose and sought to create one for himself and the void. The Father believed no one should exist without another and so divided himself into two. From his twin halves rose the gods Euros and Meros and their purpose was to give meaning to the void. Together the Brother Gods could see and appreciate things differently, yet neither could see things in their entirety as their father had; they had lost omnipotence. The Brothers agreed that to regain omnipotence they would have to see things through many eyes, and so they began the task of creating the universe and life.

Meros believed in order and tranquility. He thought the universe, and everything within, should be eternal and never changing. As everything would be created to be perfect so it would remain until the end of time. He claimed himself the god of reason and destiny and that through his him all things have purpose. He believed creation and ruin were the two primal forces of existence, good and evil. To represent this he created angels and demons, agents of creation and destruction respectably. Together their influence would preserve the void in a constant state of equilibrium, to neither grow nor decay.

Euros desired a physical world, a world of change and rebirth. Nothing would be constant but instead everything would perish to give way to something new. He created the world and the stars and believed nothing should be set in stone. He was the god of chaos, choice, and change. To embody his ideals he created humans, but unlike his brothers creations Euros gave his children the capacity to commit both great good and evil so that they would never be slaves to one or the other.

When Meros saw what his brother had created he feared human greed and lust for power could lead to the unraveling of everything he and his brother had made. He believed humans, despite their capacity for good, were the reapers of life and he believed his brother was blind to this fault. Meros struck out against humans and nearly consumed their world in a flood of ice and darkness. Angered by his brother's actions, and sympathetic for his creations, Euros sought to protect the lives he had designed. He sacrificed his divinity to build a barrier between realms and fell from his celestial seat as a mortal.

Meros watched his brother fall but was powerless to stop it. Driven by grief, guilt, and the inability to watch his one brother die, Meros sacrificed his divinity in repentance. He built a bridge that would connect the two realms, the realms of men and spirit, and gave every human a spiritual counterpart so that even their bodies failed and died they would live on in spirit. In this way every human gained a soul and Meros would never truly lose his brother.

___ The Inciting Incident ___

Twenty-four years ago Necromancy was born into the world as Malfear began his rise to power. He began as a mage of the Ivory Tower but was twisted and corrupted by his hunger for power. He believed mages, and those attuned to magic, were successors of Euros and meant to inherit the world as rulers, all other peoples were inferior. He also accused the Archmages, the leaders of the tower, of withholding knowledge of spell-craft to further cement their positions of power. When Malfear's discontent and dark magic was discovered, he and his acolytes fled from the tower into the untamed north. They evaded pursuit from the tower and soon the barbaric tribes of the wildlands came to learn of Malfear's knowledge of resurrection. He could defy death and give the dead life once more, and when the northern barbarians saw this they proclaimed Malfear a god among mortals and rallied behind his banner.

Once again Malfear led an assault upon the Ivory Tower but this time with an army of savages at his back. His army slaughtered the mages and reduced the tower to a fiery pile of rubble. Only a fistful of people who had survived the onslaught were able to flee safely into the borders of Valeal. Still Malfear gave chase, determined to annihilate anyone who had even been affiliated with the tower, and his barbarian army who had endured years of conquest and persecution from the kingdoms of the South were all too eager to march against civilization. The armies of Valeal resisted gallantly, but were no match for Malfear's forces as the dark tyrant gave life to the fallen by the thousands, and soldiers rose again in the name Malfear as quickly as they fell. It was only when Valeal enlisted the aid of the Gorgon was the undead army driven back. Together the two kingdoms conducted brutal war against the dark army and drove their foes into their rival nations border, the Kingdom of Ferros. Just when victory seemed a hammers blow away, the Gorgon host withdrew from the campaign.

The king of Gorgon, then Garren Blackwater, was forced to withdraw his forces when he heard word that treacherous nobles had usurped his throne during his absence and slain the royal family. With the advantage lost, the Valean armies stood guard on their borders as Malfear and his host ravaged the Ferronian lands which they had been driven into. When the Ferronian king marched his armies down from their mighty mountains, they stood alone against the undead armies. At great cost Ferros defeated Malfear and his great army, and as the final corpse fell Malfear was proclaimed dead. The war became known as The War of the Blight and in the aftermath of the war tension between the kingdoms and distrust of magic has never been higher.

Most believe Malfear is dead and only a few of his remaining disciples remain to be hunted. However, their are dark whispers of his return. The Kingdoms have never been more divided and if Malfear's rumored return would prove to be true all the world may fall to his feet.

While Casdora is a continent home to many tribes and clans, the western stretch of land belongs to a collection of nations known as the Five kingdoms. Unlike the majority of Casdora which in more barbaric mannerisms, the five nations are the seat of power and civilization in Casdora. The Five Kingdoms refer to the other tribes and clans spanning the continent as "The Tribes Beyond the Mountains," because the five kingdoms is effectively separated from the rest of the world by a collection of mountain ranges.

Gorgon


The nation of Gorgon is a seafaring one. Characterized by swamps and forest the terrain is plague ridden and hostile to outsiders, but Gorgonites themselves have built a hardy immunity to the dangers of the swamplands over the years. Thus, Gorgonites are less afflicted by diseases or sickness which would claim the lives of others. Because there is so little viable farmland throughout Gorgon most Gorgonites take to the seas to become fishermen and because of this naval expertise is not only common but a point of honor. In Goron society, it isn't uncommon to see naval commanders awarded fiefs for their contributions.

With the swamplands acting as a natural deterrent against invasion by land the majority of Gorgons military might lies in their navy, whose size rivals that of Kain and Valeal but whose experience is matched by none.
Gorgon wildlands, more so then perhaps any other of the nations, are notoriously dangerous to travelers. Abound with poisonous plant life, venomous wildlife, and a plethora of predators which stalk the swamps it takes a certain type of individual to brave these lands. While Gorgonites who live closer to the coastal lands are more prone to take up the art of seafaringthose living more inland are faced with the adversities of the swampland on a daily basis, and because of this there are few better suited to thrive in a hostile environment then a ranger born from the Gorgon marshlands.

Currently King Arminius of House Briar sits on the Gorgon throne, seated in the capital city of Zola. King Arminius only recently rose to power after his betrayal of Garren Blackwater. During the War of The Blight against the necromancer Malfear, the majority of Gorgonite forces were deployed in the conflict. With the king absent from the throne and the majority of the vassals loyal to him engaged in the war against Malfear, House Briar and their conspirators staged a coup in Zola which resulted in Lord Arminius claiming the throne, citing ancient heritage as his claim to the royal throne.

Upon news of the coup, and the slaughtering of his family, King Garren withdrew his soldiers from the war against Malfear and marched against the newly crowned King Arminius. The armies of the two kings met in a narrow patch of dry-land just east of Castle Highwater. King Arminius came out victorious with the head of King Garren impaled on his great lance. In the years that followed the dynasty of House Blackwater was ruthlessly pursued until their name was survived by only a small number of members from a cadet branch, with the main branch of the family having been entirely exterminated. Today, House Blackwater is only a shell of the former glory it used to be with only a handful of members unfortunate enough to still be alive.

While House Blackwater rests on the verge of extermination the thirst for revenge has never been stronger. Rumors are fluttering that the remaining Blackwaters are preparing to reclaim the throne. Loyalty runs deep among the Blackwaters and their former vassels, and provided the opportunity the Blackwaters could once again pose a dangerous threat, provided they can stay alive long enough to do so.

Valeal

Where the swamplands of Gorgon end the land begins to giveaway to temperate forests and rolling hills. Vast open fields have not only allowed the population of Valeal to grow to tremendous numbers but have made them masters of the horse. While swamplands in the north and dense forests in the south render the Valean Calvary relatively inert, Valean armies are unmatched in their own lands or in open fields.

Following the War of the Blight and Malfears defeat, the once subjugated citizens of Southern Valeal have proclaimed independence and have risen armies numbering in the thousands. Furthermore, magic has been looked at in a very negative light in recent years and the issue is growing progressively worse. Recently an order known as Paladins of the Three Graces have gained prominence, and whose sole task is to seek out mages throughout the five kingdoms and kill any who practice outside the branch of Restos. With the King of Valeal preoccupied by the Valarian civil war their power may yet go unchecked. A cold war has begun between the Order and the remnants of the Ivory Tower, with the Order killing mages daily the mages of the tower are in a mad race to find young mages and bring them under their protection before the Order claims them first.

While Oslo serves as the seat of power for the Ivory Tower during the actual tower's reconstruction, an alarming number of knights pledged to the Order of the Three Graces have begun flocking to the capital in alarming numbers. Unlike the Tower and their mages, the Order is openly willing to pledge their service to a king should they feel it could further their goals. While some mages feel the King of Valeal may soon favor the Order and expel the Towerand their mages, others believe the Order is acting against the wishes of the king since the king himself has begun to call his personnel levies to the capital. There is even fear that the Order has been employed to stage a coup. The only thing that is certain is future peace in the capital is dubious as Knights of the Order grow more brazen by the day.

Valaria


The terrain of Valaria is similar to that of Valeal, with the exception of Valaria being far more heavily forested in its eastern reaches. Valaria was an independent kingdom until seventy years ago, when Valean forces invaded and brought the kingdom to its knees. Although Valean rule has continued for some generations, Valarian desire for independence has grown violent. During the War of the Blight, Valaria acted as the battleground for the majority of the war which left the infrastructure of the nation in ruins. Corrupt nobles, poor governance and sky high poverty have pushed the Valarians over the edge, and so finally the great Houses of old Valarian nobility declared a war for independence.

Currently the Valarians are losing the war thanks to their own in-fighting. There are three factions among the rebels. The first two factions are hosted by Valarian nobility, with each faction claiming their own right to the throne. The third faction is hosted by a mere knight who leads what he calls "The People's Army" which consists mostly of the common men. Ultimately each faction is serving their own interests, and thus far none of three have proved a threat to the Valean armies which march upon them.

The rebellion has left the land lawless. Mages seeking to escape the Order of the Three Graces in Valeal are flocking to Valaria in droves, and the leaders of the three factions are eager to snatch up able bodied mages who might aid them. Not all of these migrating mages however are quiet so innocent. As the Wild Woods in Northern Valaria have grown twisted and foul dark magic is suspected.

Ferros


The sons of Ferros claim their land atop the mountains in the South. Rain coming in from the ocean is trapped by the mountainside which results in a lush temperate rainforest, and an area characterized by an abnormal amount of rain. These wet and fertile lands are claimed by Ferros and referred to as the Lowlands by the Ferronians. Settlements in the Lowlands are scarce and far divided with most settlements existing as farming communities, but still the Lowlands are the powerhouse of Ferronian food supply.

Beyond the wild forrests of ferros are the might mountains which the nation is most affiliated with. This first mountain range is named the Stoneguard Mountains, rightly so as throughout many generations armies have marched upon Ferros only to be broken at the feet of the Stoneguard Mountains. The valley formed by the two mountain ranges is dubbed The Violet Valley because the staple food crop of Ferros is grown on terrace farms along the slopes of the mountains, and the crop's purple tinted leaves color the entire valley in a magnificent violet.

Two bridges run over the valley, the first and larger bridge known as The Heavens Pass connects the two mountain ranges at nearly peak altitude, with the second bridge connecting the ranges at only a few kilometers above the base of the valley. Upon crossing the bridges you'll find yourself on the second Mountain Range named The Peaks. The road leading from Heaven's Pass will bring you to a dip in the mountain range where the land sinks down, forming a bowl enclosed by snowy peaks. This bowl is known as The Cradle and is the location of Ferros' capital city of Tailengram.

In Ferros, instead of a male dominated hierarchy with nobility claiming holding majority power, the Ferronian warrior caste holds the most power within the kingdom. Ferronian nobility elect a new King or Queen from among the Royal Family, or themselves in the event of a proclamation: Royal rule in Ferros can be challenged by another clan leader. A challenger may call for a Kingsmoot, in which event the challenger presents himself before all of the high houses of Ferros along with three others whom vouche for his leadership. The monarch of Ferros must also call three people to honor them. If the challenger's issue is received favorably by the Kingsmoot then the two claimants, the ruler of Ferros and the challenger, will fight one another for the crown. After the Kingsmoot the loser and thier vouchers are entitled to a funeral.

As the same with other Kingdoms, Ferros openly practices slavery, and defeated enemies are often made into slaves. Soldiers taken as slaves are often branded and kept at the bottom of the social hierarchy, whose treatment equals that of livestock. This is justified by the strict Ferronian belief that a defeated warrior is the ultimate disgrace upon himself and country. Meanwhile for other captive slaves it is possible to be socially accepted by Ferronian born citizens, though as inferiors.

At the current time the Lords and Ladies of Ferros are fairly united in their hatred against Valeal and Gorgon, and have been not so secretly funding Valaria throughout the rebellion. Yet even with the Valarian Rebellion raging on Ferros is still recovering from the War of the Blight and reluctant to send military support until one of the three factions vying for control of Valaria become the obvious candidate for support.

Kain


The last mountain range of Ferros, The Peaks, descend to a rocky basin and give way to the savannah called The Great Expanse, and here the borders of Kain begin. In the Expanse exotic wildlife roams across seas of dry, golden grass and nomadic tribes of the indigenous people migrate with the wet seasons. Pushing further into the Expanse, the golden grass is slowly replaced by the sands of the Adahmah Desert, where water and wildlife both grow rare. The desert continues for some distance before it is finally fractured by a plethora of rivers which stem from a single great river, all of which flood annually and leave the surrounding lands a lush paradise amidst a scorching land.

While the majority of farmland can be found hugging the fertile lands adjacent to the aforementioned rivers, most Kainite cities find themselves on the coast, where similarly to Gorgon, seafarring is the most common occupation. Merchants from across the world over bring rare dyes, jewelry and silks to Kain for trade, while pirates under Kaininite employment bring their own stolen r smuggled goods for sale. Within the cities themselves citizens from all reaches of the globe line the streets, not only men from the Five Kingdoms but men from lands far beyond the great oceans. In the streets of the capital city of Able, slavers exhibit their merchandise under the shadows of colossal monuments matching any marvels found elsewhere in the world.

Whereas knights from other kingdoms favor the horse and plate armor, the Kaininites forgo plate for leather or cloth and employ the camel in place of the horse thanks to the scarcity of water. Because Kain is separated from the other kingdoms by endless miles of savannah and desert Kain has evolved its own distinct culture. Unlike the other kingdoms, with the exception being Ferros, women in Kain are treated as social equals and are allowed to inherit on the same grounds as men. Polygamy in Kain was also common practice until recently, but thanks to cultural pressures from the remaining kingdoms it's now rather rare to see members of the noble class take multiple wives or husbands. Furthermore Kain does not practice the faith of the Two Gods as a national religion, but instead the main religion in practice depends upon which part of Kain you are in. These paired with other cultural differences result in rather strenuous relations between the remaining kingdoms.

Although the Ivory Tower was first created some thousand years ago by a Valean king and his council of mages, it has never since nor ever shall owe fealty to any king. However, now that the Ivory Tower lay in ruin by the hands of Malfear in The War of the Blight the mages of the tower have been given refuge in Oslo, the Valean capital.

Because magic is such a volatile force, in the days before the Ivory Tower mages were feared and hunted, and as often as mages brought harm unto others either by accident or ill intent, they also destroyed themselves with the magic they did not understand how to harness. The Ivory Tower was built in response to this, to make the lands safer by teaching young mages how to wield their magic and hunting feral mages whom brought harm unto the innocent.

The Tower operates on its own agenda, separate of the five kingdoms. However, the Tower is guided by the Circle of Magi, or powerful mages who are in charge of the future of the Tower and all of its mages. It is tradition for each nation to select their most knowledgeable mage and send him to the Tower to become an Archmage of the circle, and at any time the Circle of Magi has a single Archmage from each nation. Upon entering the tower mages abandon all previous loyalties during their time in the service of the tower. Mages under service of the Tower but acting in the interest of any nation is an act punishable by death.

It is also important to note that during their time in the Tower mages abandon their surnames and the names of their Houses should they come from one. Even the Archmages of the Circle of Magi are not exempt from this rule, as they too have abandoned their surnames. Instead they are known simple as Archmages of the Circle.

However, in light of the Valerian rebellion Ferros has ceased sending potential candidates to the tower, believing that the Circle of Magi favors their Valean hosts and unwilling to send their own people into potentially hostile lands. The Ferronian Archmage's withdrawal has sent shock waves throughout Ferronian - Vallean diplomacy, with Ferronian leadership citing young mages graduating from the Tower have been pledging loyalty to Valean efforts at a staggering rate, leading Ferros to believe the Tower has begun to pick sides.

Warden of the Magi (Guardians):

Once within the Tower young mages are taught not only how to harness their magic, but also trained to use the sword. Mages who show exceptional skill at swordplay are given the opportunity to join the Wardens of Magi, or Guardians as their mage counterparts call them. If a mage skilled with a sword elects to become a Guardian, he undergoes arduous training for the next five years of his life. During their time in training, the mage may opt out during the first four years, and it isn't uncommon to see mages who opt out of the training during this period go on to become royal guards in service of a king, but during the fifth year the mage has agreed to bind his life to the service of the Magi. On the first day of the fifth year, the mage undergoes a sacred ritual in which thier ability to harness magic is taken from them. The bridge in their souls, the same bridge they use to draw magical energies from the nether is reversed. As a result, the mage loses his ability to wield magic but as a result becomes highly resistant to it.

The fifth year is when the majority of candidate deaths occur as once they undergo the ritual they are to accompany Veteran mages and guardians in a hunt for a feral mage. Sometimes the candidate gets lucky and the feral mage they hunt is little more than a rogue pyromancer burning fields for joy, yet other times the candidates arn't so lucky and their first time in the field they are pitted against far more dangerous mages which utterly overpower them. One thing is certain though, by the end of their fifth year their training is complete and they stand as Guardians. The new Guardians are then taught the Ritual of Sealing, a ritual which renders a target mage inert. The ritual literally leaves the target unable to harness magic and sometimes whether by inexperience or intent the ritual also renders the target mage mindless.

Guardians then must swear fealty to the Tower or to a noble family of their home nation. Guardians of the tower are then assigned to a veteran mage or sometimes two, whose duty it is to protect and accompany in the hunt of feral mages, or mages whom use their magic to harm innocents.

What are Feral Mages? By the Circle's definition, feral mages are mages who use their magic with malicious intent towards any non-combatant. It's a rather slippery slope of a definition, since mages under the command of a king ordered to kill civilians are by definition feral mages, yet often times the circle will refuse to pursue mages such as this since their own label as non-combatants is kept in a delicate balance amongst the kings. Basically, most of the time there is no difference between a feral mage and a mage in the service of a king, except the Circle hunts feral mages, whereas they have to let the latter type of mage walk free.

Mages of the tower

Mages are taught how to harness their magic in a way which will not destroy them, and the tower teaches young mages in the arts of Restos and Destros. Similar to the Guardians, mages undergo five years of training within the tower, and are allowed after only the first two years, although most mages decide to stay for the remainder of their education. On thier fourth year, the mages may choose to sweat fealty to the Tower, and mages that choose to do so are then taught in the school of Mystos during their final year. Although many outside the circle frown upon the teaching of the branch of Mystos, the Mages of the Tower argue their particular field of work requires them to be knowledgeable in all fields of magic.

Also unlike the Guardians, mages who complete their training and do not swear fealty to the tower are allowed to freely leave. Many of which do, and put their magic to work as sailors, healers or in the service of whatever lord they chose to pledge fealty to

When Meros sacrificed his divinity and gave every human a soul, he created a bridge of sorts between our human bodies here in the physical world and our spiritual counterparts in the nether, or the place between heaven and hell. He can use this bridge to draw energy from the nether, and those who know how to wield this energy can turn it into powerful spells and incantations.

Magic requires a great deal of concentration to cast, and the weaving of magical energies into a useful spell is not only a learned skill but a dangerous one as well, since losing concentration could result in a spell backfiring on the caster. Casdora recognizes three branches of magic, each with their own schools of discipline.

Magic requires a great deal of concentration to cast, and the weaving of magical energies into a useful spell is not only a learned skill but a dangerous one as well, since losing concentration could result in a spell backfiring on the caster. Casdora recognizes three branches of magic, each with their own schools of discipline.

Destros

The following schools fall under the branch of Destros:

Areos: is the school of control over wind magic.

Pyros: is the school of control over fire magic.

Hyrdas: is the school of control over water magic.

Geose: is the school of control over earth magic.


Restos

Juvos: is the school of restoring the body from wounds, grievous or otherwise.

Fortus: is the school of protective and augmentative magic, ranging from magical barriers, anti-magic shells, or blessings such as night-vision or water-breathing.

Puras: is the school of expulsion, teaching mages how to expel unwanted magics and even substances from the body, ranging from poison to demon possession. Masters in the art of Purification can even 'seal the bridge' of an unfortunate target, effectively rendering them unable to use magic. The duration of this seal depends on the skill of the user, and can range from a few seconds to the targets entire life. Puras also enables the caster to deal holy damage with thier magic.


Mystos

The following schools fall under the branch of Mystos, alternatively called the Branch of Darkness.

Illius: allows the caster to alter a targets perception of reality and powerful mages can even trap a target within a false fantasy, much like a dream, and much to the Mages of the Tower's chagrin sometimes a target is so entranced by this fantasy they refuse to leave. The charmed victim eventually die from starvation or dehydration if not looked after for the remainder of their life. Effectively Illusion gives the caster control over a targets mind.

Necros: The manipulation of souls. Includes necromancy, spirit walking, summoning, and demonology.

Hexus: Allows the caster to perform voodoo or lay curses upon objects or people.

Alchas: allows the caster to alter the physical properties of an object, such as turning iron to gold, or even altering their own forms such as turning themselves into animals or the exact image of another person, shape shifting as it's called.

When a Necromancer passes the Scorpion gate, a soul is expelled from hell to attune the necromancer to the realm of death. These souls are then cast into the realm of the living where they wander for a time before they can materialize into ghastly spirits. These spirits are unaffected by objects from the material world, meaning swords and arrows have no affect on them, neither does most magic save for Puras, which can dematerialize them for a time.

Shades can then posses the corpses of the dead, or even animals and suits of armor, but a shade cannot posses a living person. When the vessel of a shade is slain the shade is dematerialized for a time but always returns. The longer a shade remains in the physical world, the stronger they become at jumping from vessel to vessel. Even to the point where a shade can effectively jump from vessel to vessel without dematerializing at all, making shades a truly dangerous opponent as long as there is a nearby vessel to posses.

Shades may or may not retain the memories of their previous lives. Because shades are able to posses corpses, they are often confused with necromancers, and even though shades are born from necromancy they aren't related to it any further than that. Shades can only be killed by an exorcism, which is a specialty of the branch of Puras.

Some important notes:

Shades are an enigma throughout the Five Kingdoms. Few people have even heard of a shade, and far less have actually seen one.

Shades are the byproduct of Necromancy, but are not bound to necromancers and are not undead. They are their own beasts entirely.

Shades have free will.


Malfear was the first Necromancer the world had ever seen and during his time in Casdora passed his knowledge to many of his acolytes, some of whom survived the War of the Blight and continue to spread their corrupt knowledge throughout the land. Necromancy slowly consumes the casters mind and in times leaves them mindless and destructive shells of humanity, it should be noted however that some necromancers are unaffected by this decadence. The process by which one becomes a necromancer was chronicled by one such necromancer who retained her mind.

We saw his power, great and unrelenting. Entire armies laid to waste only to be risen by the Master. His acolytes came to us, his captives of war, with an ultimatum. Join him or serve him. The ones who refused him were killed and their bodies raised again as the mindless servants we've seen a thousand times over. I was the first to submit.The undead surrounded me, but then I saw one different than the others. This one wreaked of death like his kin, but he wore a mask of gold and silver on his face. I remember he struck a dagger into my chest.

When I awoke, I found myself in a river with water so black I thought a great void laid beneath me. I looked up and I saw a ceiling of white, bright and nearly blinding, yet the light didn't fall on the river around me nor did it illuminate my surroundings. Behind me was a single pale orb and I felt drawn to it like a moth to light. I wanted to touch it, but as I moved closer to it I felt an overwhelming urge to draw no closer.

'Follow', I heard a voice in my head speak to me. 'Follow' it again repeated. Uncertain, I began to follow the current of the river. After some time, the length of which I do not know, the water was flowing past the back of my knees. It was then that I saw a giant gate, half silver and half gold with the head of a lion carved into the surface. I put my hand on the gate, and despite its massive size, pushed it open with ease.

I continued with the river. When the river flowed to by waist I realized the ceiling of light had grown closer. Millions of orbs of light gently flowed forward just above my head. In front of me I saw two rivers now, one black and growing cold at my feet, and the other brilliant and warm flowing gently just overhead. Then I came to a gate of pure black with a scorpion engraved on the front. By this point the water was chest deep and every step was a battle against the current. I placed my hand on the gate and struggled to push it open.

One the other side of the Scorpion gate the two rivers merged and became a lake of dull grey light. The brilliant orbs of light where swirling in its midst and I suddenly felt compelled to grab one. When I did, I felt something odd. Something I can't remember, I only recall that I had never felt such a thing before. I was caught by a sudden whirlpool and nearly dragged to its depths. And the mouth of it all there was another gate. A gate with bars of iron red with heat. The water danced around the gate and seeped between the bars under a blanket of steam. I swam away. Desperately I swam against the current. I swam for my life and narrowly escaped whatever trap the whirlpool had tried to feed me into. When I emerged, I found myself once more standing before the pale orb from the start, with the Lion's Head gate at my back. I entered the orb and was reborn into life with the soul I had carried from the whirlpool; I had become a Necromancer having claimed my first soul.

Strength - Improves damage with Melee weaponry.

Endurance - Improves the amount of damage you can take.

Defense - Improves skill with shields, parrying, and armor.

Agility - Improves chance to dodge and dictates how nimbly you can move.

Stealth - Determines how easily you can accomplish stealth actions, including pickpocketing and lock picking.

Precision - Improves damage with ranged weaponry and allows for more precise striking with melee.

Power - Improves the strength of your spells.

Knowledge - Increases the ease of spell casting, allowing for more spells to be cast before tiring.

Attunement - Improves Magic Resistance as well as your ability to detect magic and sense otherworldly things around you.

Name:

Gender:

Age:

Nationality: (Pick one of the Five Kingdoms)

Class: (Mage, Guardian, Shade, or other. Other can be anything from a civilian, to a member of a noble family, to a random soldier in the army)

Schools of Magic known: (Mages can pick a Primary and a Secondary. Shades only get a Primary (cannot choose Necros). Guardians get none)

Appearance:

Biography:

Traits: (Pick three traits from the spoiler above. You may upgrade one.)

Unique Abilities: (As it implies, write two abilities unique to your character)

Achievements: (Will be awarded throughout the RP)

Equipment: (Whatever gear you bring with you)

Motivation: (What are your characters current goals?)


None.

Rules

1. I expect you to post at least as often as I do, which will likely be once every two weeks.

2. You may have one character.

3. Don't get mad if your character is killed off.

4. No auto-hitting. In other words, if you fire an arrow at someone don't write that the arrow hits and they fall dead. This is to preserve certain plot elements and prevent powerplaying. If you have a really cool death sequence in mind you can simply PM me to get an outcome for your attack so you can write the gruesome death yourself.

5. One paragraph post length minimum.

Q and A

Will be expanded upon.​

Changed Ferros to:

In Ferros, instead of a male dominated hierarchy with nobility claiming holding majority power, the Ferronian warrior caste holds the most power within the kingdom. Ferronian nobility elect a new King or Queen from among the Royal Family, or themselves in the event of a proclamation: Royal rule in Ferros can be challenged by another clan leader. A challenger may call for a Kingsmoot, in which event the challenger presents himself before all of the high houses of Ferros along with three others whom vouche for his leadership. The monarch of Ferros must also call three people to honor them. If the challenger's issue is received favorably by the Kingsmoot then the two claimants, the ruler of Ferros and the challenger, will fight one another for the crown. After the Kingsmoot the loser and thier vouchers are entitled to a funeral.

As the same with other Kingdoms, Ferros openly practices slavery, and defeated enemies are often made into slaves. Soldiers taken as slaves are often branded and kept at the bottom of the social hierarchy, whose treatment equals that of livestock. This is justified by the strict Ferronian belief that a defeated warrior is the ultimate disgrace upon himself and country. Meanwhile for other captive slaves it is possible to be socially accepted by Ferronian born citizens, though as inferiors.

Attunement now provides magic defense.

Changed the rules from two characters to one.

Added a small new addition to posting expectations: Realistic Physics.​

Added an accepted character section (The Living) and a dead character section (The Deceased
 
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I love the idea of multiple perspectives. This is very well thought out and it would be an honor if you allow me to join it (once I come up with an acceptable character :P)



Name:
"Corpse Strider" - has no known real name

Gender:
Female. Original gender unknown.

Age:
Has been around in this life for the last 24 years, though existed for hundreds of years in the realm of the dead beforehand.

Nationality: First appeared in Valaria and spent most of her current life in there.

Class: Shade

Schools of Magic known: Illius

Appearance:
art-a430dp-anime-rwby-ruby.jpg


Biography:
The fog hung low, clutching at the tombstones and the dying grass, and showing no signs of giving into the morning sunlight any time soon. Despite the lack of roof or wall to reflect off, the girl's footsteps echoed. They were slow and regular, and each seemed to come from a different direction. It was as if she were walking in time to some silent requiem. In the center of the graveyard, a man stood. He was clad in gleaming silver armour, and held his head nobly. In his left hand he clutched a large mace, and in his other, a golden crucifix. A Puras mage, and a mercenary exorcist. He held the crucifix to his chest, chanting in some ancient language unknown to his hunter. It was a simple spell, she realised, one aiming simply to dispel the greyness that denied him vision. His experience was low, though, and he had failed to realise the nature of this mist - the spell simply passed through it without affecting it at all.

She reached a hand under her cloak and touched one of her rosaries. Another simple spell was stored in this one, but it had exactly the effect she desired - fear. This was how she hunted. She knew full well that her body's physical attributes were below par, and she knew also that Illius granted her no damaging abilities. The man had begun to chant a second spell. When she felt he was a good way into it, she activated the rosary she clasped between her fingers. For this man, the sun was no more. He cried out in shock as he watched the golden glow slowly fade, before failing to penetrate the mist at all. Success - it had interrupted his spell, and now he sank to the floor, clutching his chest, his mace on the ground beside him.

He lifted his head just in time to see a small figure wearing a red cloak appear before him. She touched her second rosary with her right hand and held her left out beside her. A scythe, taller than herself, flickered into existence in her outstretched palm, and as it did so, she lifted her arm a little more to rest it on her shoulder, before speaking to the man. He was weak, she could tell. She had been so careless and yet he still hadn't figured out she was an illusionist.

"Get up."

He did so, slowly rising to his feet. He once again began to cast a spell. She could feel the power in this one - he was likely going for an all out attack. She waited for him to charge it sufficiently, before raising her imaginary scythe and swinging it at impossible speeds towards him. His face morphed rapidly, through courage, to desperation and horror, and finally pain as a golden light of his own design struck him from the heavens. She walked over, and kicked the body, before arranging him in a peaceful fashion among the graves, his hands gripping his own crucifix to his chest as if casting one final, eternal spell.

Traits: Knowledge II, Power, Attunement

Unique Abilities:
- The Corpse Strider is called so because of her main ability, which I cannot yet think of a cool and dramatic name for. She can select a dead body and "mark" it. She can then teleport to the location of that corpse as long as she is within 500 meters, destroying the corpse in the process. She may mark up to 3 carcasses at a time. The teleport is silent and has no visual effect - simply - one moment she is there, the next she is not.

- This one is a passive ability, also unnamed. The Corpse Strider cannot speak. When she tries, her mouth will move but no sound will come out. However, she can use her mind manipulation to conjure an ethereal voice inside a single target's head. With those who are willing to listen, this costs no mana. With those who are weakminded, she can use a spell prior to speaking to convince their mind into being willing to listen. If she wants to speak to multiple people, she can, although even if every listener is willing to listen, it will still expend mana quickly.

Achievements:
Sleepwriter: Begin making an app when it's too late in the day to finish it

Equipment:
Cloak, clothes,
3x Rosary - a small charm she carries, which is reusable. Each rosary can be used to store a small-scale spell that she charged and paid for earlier, to be instantly cast. This is limited to very small spells, as simple as conjuring a dramatic fog or making her eyes look nightmarish. The use of these rosaries allows her to look like an incredibly unnatural creature that doesn't feel fatigue from spellcasting.

Motivation:
The Corpse Strider has no particular motivations or objectives. She exists simply to her own entertainment. For now, she is content fulfilling the role of "Neutral-allied spirit-like creature that appears and disappears completely at will, delivering cryptic messages that usually don't mean anything."​
 
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I love the idea of multiple perspectives. This is very well thought out and it would be an honor if you allow me to join it (once I come up with an acceptable character :P)
Sure, I look forward to it.
 
Name: Ezekiel

Gender: Male

Age: 27

Nationality: Valaria

Class: Guardian

Schools of Magic known: None

Appearance:
Cloakedswordsman.jpg


Biography:

Traits: Agility II, Strength, Endurance

Unique Abilities:

Achievements:

Equipment:

Motivation:

WIP​
 
Alright it's gonna take a while for me to come up with a decent sized backstory, so I'll leave it until tomorrow when I have 5 hours of coach travel to think on.
 
Coach travel? Like Horses???? sounds fun lol
 
As in Bus XD
 
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When I get about 5 accepted character sheets we can start the IC.

_______

@Karakui

As a WIP critique from the GM:

Schools of Magic known: Illium
It's Illius.
- This one is a passive ability, also unnamed. The Corpse Strider cannot speak. When she tries, her mouth will move but no sound will come out. However, her target will have an image formed in their head of what she is describing. This image is black and white, and generally has a chaotic and unnatural feel to it. In these images, she can highlight exactly one object with a colour other than gray, to draw attention to it. No one else will see this but the target, thus she can speak to only one person at a time.
Beware: That means in order to speak you would have to be casting Illius on their mind, and your character isn't strong enough to do that for as long as you might think. Additionally, I'm not sure how I feel about this one as a means of communication either. Mostly because using images instead of words, when Illius allows you to form a voice in their head as well, means that your character is forgoing a more effective means of communication. Plus I imagine dialogue between your character and others would be hectic.

Your character can still communicate via your original method intended, but as I stated at the beginning it would cost more mana than you might think. As long as other player characters are welcomed to you communicating in that method, you may do so free of mana. You may also do so to characters who otherwise don't want to hear you, but now it would cost mana.

Cloak, clothes,
3x Rosary - a small charm she carries, which is reusable. Each rosary can be used to store a small-scale spell that she charged and paid for earlier, to be instantly cast. This is limited to very small spells, as simple as conjuring a dramatic fog or making her eyes look nightmarish. The use of these rosaries allows her to look like an incredibly unnatural creature that doesn't feel fatigue from spellcasting.
As long as you use these charms for small, cosmetically changing effects they are fine. Just be aware that they won't have much an effect on enemies. If you ever plan to use them for more powerful spells, that do affect enemies, you would need more points in Power as well as help from a student of either Fortus or Alchas to upgrade the item.

@Everyone: This affects everyone actually. In order to have items that do powerful things you need to have strong Alchas or Fortus mages to assist you in the item's creation.
 
Yeah, I'm well aware the charms would function only for cosmetic changes, and most of her spells are simply cosmetics anyway.
As for the ability - I do want her to not be able to speak, so I'm going to keep that part. How would them welcoming her speech make it free of cost though? Is the mana used to break through their mental defenses or something?
 
Bump.

Also, I added a little Updates hider in the OP.
 
I'm gonna assume that Realistic Physics doesn't apply to illusions, since they're not even there beyond as images.
 
Name: Alastair Vidofnir
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Nationality: Gorgon

Class: Mage
Schools of Magic Primary: Fortus
Secondary: Areos
Traits: Knowledge II, Power, Agility
Unique Abilities: (As it implies, write two abilities unique to your character)

1- Keyhole- By using an anti-magic shell on magic barriers/protections, Alastair can weaken, create gaps in it, or destroy magical barriers/protections depending on certain factors. These factors are strength of the barrier, intensity/power of the shell (absorb rate), and duration of the shell (absorb length). Intensity/power of the shell Vs. strength of the barrier determines if the barriers/protections are weakened, has gap(s), or destroyed. The duration of the shell determines how long gaps will stay open.

2- Shock Absorber - by holding a barrier at the point just before it become completely solid, the barrier becomes elastic. This allow the barrier to become a trampoline, a net, or a sling shot. these elastic barriers are weaker, especially to sharp objects, and cost more mana to maintain.

Biography:
Alastair of the Vidofnir family is the youngest of three children. While he learned the lessons of tactic and naval operation, Alastair long to be on the front lines in the action. Unlike his brother and sister who studied diligently to become great admirals like their ancestors, Alastair would often sneak off the Vidofnir family fief of land. On these outings, he would often wander into Gorgon poisonous swamps. Alastair was adventuring on one of the safer path through the swamps when a strange corpse like beast charge at him. As the beast began to strike, a wall of light protected Alastair. A swordsman quickly fell the strange creature. the Fortus mage and swordsman then escorted him back to his family's estate. Alastair idolized the dou, and aspired to become a mage. Years later, he found out his dreams could become a reality after being identified as having a natural affinity with magic. After learning this, Alastair join the tower to learn magic. After five grueling years of study, he is ready to return home but politic has made the treacherous. Never the less, Alastair sets off.

Motivation: (What are your characters current goals?)
1- His short term goal is to return home to his family in Gorgon while avoiding the Order of the Three Graces detection.
2- His long term goal is to join Gorgon Navy as naval mage. ( Does anyone have a better name for this?)
Equipment: a short sword, a silver ring, upper class clothes, adventuring clothes, 2 loafs of bread, a book entitled "Naval Tactics", and a messenger bag.
Appearance:

Achievements: (Will be awarded throughout the RP)

This is a work in progress but I have some questions...
First off, can you explain the positioning of Valeal and Valaria in respect to Gorgon please.
Secondly, "In order to have items that do powerful things you need to have strong Alchas or Fortus mages to assist you in the item's creation.", being a Fortus mage would I know the principle or is it a specialty.
Third, if your character dies can you make a new one?
Lasty, does my character look good so far?
 
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I'm gonna assume that Realistic Physics doesn't apply to illusions, since they're not even there beyond as images.

I meant it more as the opposite of Anime Physics. If your character gets in a tight spot, no super saiyan mode to get them out. They'll probably die unless you play smart.

This is a work in progress but I have some questions...
First off, can you explain the positioning of Valeal and Valaria in respect to Gorgon please.
Secondly, "In order to have items that do powerful things you need to have strong Alchas or Fortus mages to assist you in the item's creation.", being a Fortus mage would I know the principle or is it a specialty.
Third, if your character dies can you make a new one?
Lasty, does my character look good so far?

Valaria and Gorgon are neighbors, as are Valaria and Valeal. The exact geographic representation of the world is a WIP. As a fortus
Mage you would have familiarity with making relics (powerful items), but the strength of the item is dependent on character strength. In other words starting out you'll only be able to make smaller relics. That whole process will be determined in a 'by case' basis. Finally, yes. You will be able to make another character if yours dies.

The CS looks good so far, as with Kara you still need the bio. Honestly the Bio will be the make or break aspect of any CS as it'll give me insight into your writing ability and love for your character.
 
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Yeah mine's proving difficult to write since I don't know enough about the world or the land of the dead. Speaking of which, I get a feeling I recognise this whole gated river-based land of the dead. Did you get inspiration for that somewhere?
 
Yeah mine's proving difficult to write since I don't know enough about the world or the land of the dead. Speaking of which, I get a feeling I recognise this whole gated river-based land of the dead. Did you get inspiration for that somewhere?

Yes. The gated river is from the Abhorsen Trilogy.

You could go into further detail about what your character has been doing since she was reborn. Or if you still draw a blank on that, you could write a scene with your character as a bio. I care more about using the bio of your CS to showcase your writing then much else.
 
Thought so :D Those were my favourite books for ages. I still love them tbh. They're the only actual books I still read occasionally, after switching primarily to manga.
 
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Alright, i've done some kind of writing sample in the bio section. I wasn't really sure how spell casting functions though so I took some liberties with that and assumed that Puras etc tended to be linked to faith since it mentioned holy damage.
 
Alright, i've done some kind of writing sample in the bio section. I wasn't really sure how spell casting functions though so I took some liberties with that and assumed that Puras etc tended to be linked to faith since it mentioned holy damage.

Bio looked good. Welcome aboard. I was hoping to have more characters to review by now, but once we get about 5 people I can post the IC.
 
I noticed that mages skilled in Swordsmanship become Guardians. Do they use Anti-Magic or simply have resistance? Do all mages gifted with the sword become Guardians?
 
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