- Invitation Status
- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per week
- One post per week
- Slow As Molasses
- Writing Levels
- Intermediate
- Adept
- Advanced
- Prestige
- Douche
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Male
- Female
- Primarily Prefer Female
- Genres
- Fantasy, Magical, Romance, Dystopian, Religious, Post-Apocalyptic, Zombies (but the plot has to consist of more than just mindlessly murdering the undead), Steampunk
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The History of Paragon
[BCOLOR=transparent]The history of Paragon starts innocently enough, man created fire, and the wheel. From there the possibilities were seemingly limitless. Man advanced further and further into the world of technology and power and left any thought for the planet behind.
It wasn't long before the wars man fought became world-shattering. The invention of black powder and guns changed the face of warfare. Mass-killings were now possible; leaving room for more as the conscience wasn't forced to face the results of man's actions.
The whole of Paragon was at war with itself before long, and bombs rained down from the sky. The war to end all, it would later be referred to as Paragon's Strife. Cities were destroyed daily. Families eradicated at the blink of an eye. And then the nuclear weapons were brought in. It was a sad day to be alive.
Over seventy-five percent of the population was destroyed in those initial bombings. And mass-genocide seemed to be the plan for all military tacticians involved. It would have ended in the complete and utter destruction of every living thing on Paragon; and perhaps the planet itself.
One by one the established governments destroyed each other leaving naught in their wake but more fighting. More destruction. A drive for power amongst those who had none pushed the already failing societies further down the proverbial spiral. Society began to crumble, laws no longer held any sway in society.
The end was nigh.
That is until the city in the sky appeared. Legends abound as to its origins, but one thing everybody can agree on is that it single handedly ended the wars. This savior city in the sky unleashed what they later called "The Breath of Odic", neutralizing all nuclear weapons and large scale bombs with a single wave of power. Odic, as the city was revealed to be named, declared themselves as gods, remaining in the skies beyond the end of the fighting. Silently watching. (For more information see, '[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Disciples of Odic')
The first few years there were some desperate skirmishes for power resulting in some loosely held monarchies throughout the world. Borders were redefined based on the sheer numbers of foot soldiers one ruler had. Eventually, a fractured peace descended upon Paragon.
Several years of this peace prevailed before the ground began to shake and tremble in response to the beating it had endured during the wars. The water rose up and swallowed the land. It was as though the planet itself were acting out a brutal retribution for the years of torment that man had heaped upon it. New lands rose from the depths of the seas, new mountains formed, new streams and rivers. The surviving twenty percent of the populace moved on, settling in new places, as well as the few already established cities that remained above sea level.[/BCOLOR]
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A description of the religions of Paragon, both past and present.
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Religion of Ages [BCOLOR=transparent]The Ages is the monotheistic religion of the Strifes. They worshipped and prayed to one All-Powerful albeit passive God. Their wars were waged in His name, and they strove towards death and the paradise they were offered afterwards.
There is in the Ages the antithesis of God. A destroyer of sorts, the one who comes to corrupt the souls of unsuspecting men before they can reach the point of redemption to be allowed into the paradise.
The majority of worshippers abandoned this faith during or shortly after the [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Strife of Paragon[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. Most followers went through an existential crisis, thinking "What type of all-powerful being would just watch while those who worship it suffer and die in such gruesome and horrific ways." Following logic these doubters quickly accepted the newly proclaimed gods of Odic.[/BCOLOR]
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Religions of the Past [BCOLOR=transparent]There were plenty of other religions in the times before and during the wars, though none were as prevalent as the Ages. Several polytheistic religions scattered the globe, but none had the same following as the Ages.
The Ages also experienced several different sects of beliefs, though most of the more finite details have been forgotten to the past, as it is the core beliefs that made the biggest impact on society and, as a result, history.[/BCOLOR]
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Disciples of Odic Disciples of Odic [BCOLOR=transparent]"Listen and obey, as we of Odic are the only true gods. Technology is plague upon this land, and upon mankind, you do naught but murder each other, and there will be no more."[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]The Disciples of Odic, a named first penned in the first years after the Strife of Pandora, is the devout following of the self-proclaimed gods of the floating city, Odic.
As far as the people of Paragon know, six ancient and wizened gods live in the city above them. They have not been seen or heard from since their historic Breath wiped out all large scale weapons on the planet, finally giving peace to the war plagued inhabitants of Paragon.
Followers of the faith have very little doctrine to go off of, as the gods have yet to grace mankind with their writings and laws. Still, several students of theology have developed a basic guideline for any true believer to follow. These guidelines are loosely based on the doctrine of the Ages combined with the only words the Gods of Odic have ever spoke.
The doctrine is simple in that man shouldn't murder and that more advanced technology than what the people of Paragon were left with is strictly prohibited.
Gathering places are marked in every settlement for people to say their silent prayers of appreciation and gratitude for the Gods of Odic. These places take donations throughout the year, taking turns running fresh supplies up to the gates of the city in the sky. The supplies are never taken into the city, but still the offerings are made ritually.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Few members of the more extreme sects have taken to carrying idols (carved statues in the remembered likeness of the gods) around on their person as a way to have the saviors of mankind closer to them.[/BCOLOR]
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New Ageists [BCOLOR=transparent]A growing trend in Paragon. The Ages has once again started to grow a following. The deity more believable, as a being who is, by nature hands off. More and more people are abandoning the idea that the residents of Odic are gods thinking that gods who demand worship they should probably make themselves more readily available to the public. For these people, it is easier to follow a God that has never made His presence known, than several who have and then went into hiding.[/BCOLOR]
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Locations of importance and notability around Pandora
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The Planet Paragon
[BCOLOR=transparent]The world of Paragon is massive, and mostly covered in water. Though, it was not always so. It had its fair share of water, but the area of land was far greater.
The earthquakes that shook Paragon changed the landscape dramatically. Where deserts once stretched on as far as the eye could see large lakes are now surrounded by burgeoning saplings and other lush and blooming flora. Entire forests are now deep under the salty waters of the now plentiful oceans.
Islands dot every horizon, as far as one can look. Small settlements littering the map, making do with only what's available in their very limited geographical locations. Since most ships were destroyed, in either the war or the subsequent quakes, very few people are able to actually travel from place to place.[/BCOLOR]
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The City in the Sky
[BCOLOR=transparent]Odic; the flying city, the city in the sky, the city of the gods that saved humanity. So much can be said for this place, and yet, so little is known.
One legend states that Odic and its inhabitants had been in a deep slumber deep beneath the crust of Paragon. It was only the bombs falling that brought the mystical city back into the sky. The gods were not pleased with the destruction of their resting place and stopped all weapons of mass destructions with a loud, unified scream to 'cease'.
Legends about how it stays afloat range from the magical to the practical, but again, this is something nobody can know for sure. The 'gods' aren't around to ask, as they haven't been seen since that fateful day when their Breath was released, and the Strife finally ended.
All that is known for sure, is that a large white wall surrounds the city, and nobody has ever managed to scale the towering structure. The offerings always rot outside the gate, giving no indication of anything actually living inside.[/BCOLOR]
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The City With Something to Hide
[BCOLOR=transparent]Terminus is a small settlement. Completely self-reliant, not much is known other than they are generally distrustful of outsiders. Terminus is located on the far, mostly uninhabited side of the mainland; the largest remaining landmasses on the planet, though they are relatively well inland, the next nearest settlement is 376.5 km away.
Nobody is ever seen leaving town, though strangely enough each there seems to be roughly half the citizens missing from town at any given time.
The streets are quiet, the children do not run and scream and play. The decay and death from previous generations are plain to see on the buildings. If one didn't know better they might think a ghost town and not even give it a passing glance.
The people that do know better don't seem to last long. Anybody who speaks of the strangeness that is Terminus just disappears. It's hard to say how the people survive as they do not participate in outside trade. They are surely keeping secrets.[/BCOLOR]
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Just Beneath the Surface
[BCOLOR=transparent]Termiground is a highly advanced city that originally resided in a natural cave system beneath Terminus, and is inhabited solely by rogue scientists that call themselves 'The Faction'. The faction works out of laboratories they've dubbed 'Devoir'. To keep up with spacial demands the caves have been dug out, tunnels connecting to most major cities on the mainland.
Unbeknownst to the powers that be, Termiground has been developing not only more advanced tech, but also weapons of mass destruction. Their guns are more powerful than anything Paragon has ever seen, even in the times of the Strife. The Faction has been underhandedly spreading their wares throughout the general population, arming the people against the governments, and the more threatening dominators, pirates.
Entry into Termiground is difficult, requiring knowledge of secret entrances. Though most places on the mainland have at least one entrance, Terminus has several. Beyond the secrecy of the locations, the entrances are guarded by a series of traps and alarms, preventing almost all intruders, or at least signaling their arrival.[/BCOLOR]
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A Flying Fortress
[BCOLOR=transparent]The SkyFleet; a pirate's home away from home. This is the Commander's home ship, and it very rarely makes land, being refueled through auxiliary fuel tanks, using fuel transported onto the ship by the different crews.
The SkyFleet acts as a safe-haven for any crew under the overall command of the Pirate Commander. It is where all the crews spend a vast majority of their downtime. Occasionally it is used as a meeting place for all of the crews under the Commander to gather and discuss whatever issues there may be.[/BCOLOR]
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The Seats of Power
[BCOLOR=transparent]o Jingo- Possessing the last standing army in Paragon, the government in Jingo runs a tight ship. Every able bodied citizen begins training as soon as they are old enough to safely wield a weapon. This city rests comfortably on their laurels, dealing in arms and training when the need arises to keep the income flowing through the city. Surrounded by tall, unyielding mountains and jagged cliffs, they are one of few, if not only secure areas left in the world.
o [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Mohla- Mohla is a trade city resting in the flat desert lands; it exports fuel and imports profits. There is a wide class gap in Mohla, though there are more rich than poor. There's always a party present in Mohla, one just has to know where to look, and who to ask. The government really is just for show, having several wealthy, and immoral mafia organisation struggling for the power.
o [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Firth- The city of Firth lays squat on the open waves with all the charm of a bullfrog and twice the tenacity. Its people are a practical one, never using two words when one will do with their machinery showing the same simple, single minded determination. Mostly self-sufficient, Firth supplements its fish and fresh water farming with the occasional mechanical export. Also known for its strong, if wary, ties to the city of Jingo which shares an appreciation for practicality, if not the elbow grease that often goes with it.
o [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Alcyon- Alcyon is an island community of Acolytes devoted to the worship of the Gods of Odic. Their monastery is not at all self-sufficient, but the other gathering halls across Paragon pay homage to them, allowing them to focus solely on their study of the gods. The other states are beginning to grow tired of Alcyon's leechlike existence, and with the growing number of Ageists the Acolytes may be looking at trouble in the future.[/BCOLOR]
o Coterie- Nestled precariously over a large waterfall, Coterie boasts a vast array of natural defenses along with some carefully laid traps; there are rarely any successful incursions because of this. Large families with infamous, and highly regarded bloodlines populate the city of Coterie and its holdings. It is much more clannish than anywhere else in Paragon, and not just anybody is welcome to live there. Coterie is famous for its architecture, and for the right price any of the other cities is more than welcome to hire their brightest new star.
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@Auri
@Cerulean
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