The Tenth Realm: A Post-Apocalyptic Mythpunk Sandbox Roleplay

[Bixir]

Ragnarok is nearly at its end. The world is awash in a sea of ashes and bones and blood.

Valhalla is shattered, its calamity pouring into the world anew. Nothing will be as it once was. The old orders and kingdoms of the world are no more. The few gods that still draw breath congregate in huddled refuge, fearing for the end of their age. Only fleeting remnants of the powers that once were remain, continuing to toil in this new oppressive realm. This realm outside the Nine, thought to be a pale joke of what followed the end. The Tenth Realm.

This world, while encompassing those before it, is a new reality altogether, grim and desolate. Many of those that have survived armageddon have taken up new oaths, forsaking what they once knew for forces more ready to answer their faith. This is the world you reawaken in. It is the world you must survive in.

In this roleplay, your character awakens in the Tenth Realm, an amalgamated world that is the surviving reality of Ragnarok, an apocalyptic event spanning the traditional mythologies of the deities, heroes, and monsters with which we think ourselves familiar: Abrahamic, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, Incan, Japanese, Mayan, Norse, and the many traditions beyond them. Your character may hail from one of these backgrounds, be independent (or even opposed) to the gods, or some other path. Regardless of their origins, your character must find a cause in the new world and lead themselves towards it in the face of dire circumstances.


Now, here are some basic ground rules:​

• This is just an Interest Check for now, for two reasons. First, I've noticed a couple other roleplays on Iwaku that are also post-apocalyptic adventures, and so I'd like to make sure that my contribution will stand out to draw players in. Second, this is my first pitch on Iwaku, and I'd like to go through each step rather than rush to the end. However, depending on how many people show interest in this, I may move up my timetables.​
• Only original characters are allowed in this project. This is to mean that you cannot play canon characters, and especially not portrayals of mythological figures from media, such as Disney's varied interpretations of Hercules or Thor as the Marvel superhero. If you are interested in playing a mythological figure as opposed to an original character, please run it by me first. There is a decent chance that they were killed in Ragnarok, or may play a significant role in the Tenth Realm itself as an NPC. You are more than welcome to associate with these figures in your character's background, however. This project emphasizes setting goals for your character, especially in relation to the old myths.​
• This project heavily encourages players to make an impact on the world, either by contributing to one of the many ongoing developments or creating one yourself. In order to succeed in the Tenth Realm, being goal-oriented with your character is critical.​
• For some examples of what to expect from the tone and aesthetic of The Tenth Realm, here is a list of some IPs and literary works that have inspired this project:​

Don Quixote
God of War (2018)
Hollow Knight
Hyper Light Drifter
The Mists of Avalon
Ōkami
Princess Mononoke
Samurai Jack
Shadow of the Colossus​

• Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you have about this. I will do my best to answer them, but keep in mind that some details are left vague for the mystery of the roleplay itself. I can't give too much away before the game has even started!​
• Have fun! That's it.​

 

[kookyboy9]

I could be interested. A few questions, though:

1) What type of character faceclaims? Realistic? Drawn? Anime?

2) What power level should we be targeting when making characters?

3) Are any mythical sets false in this setting?

4) Writing level?

 

[Bixir]

I could be interested. A few questions, though:

1) What type of character faceclaims? Realistic? Drawn? Anime?

2) What power level should we be targeting when making characters?

3) Are any mythical sets false in this setting?

4) Writing level?

Sure thing!

1) Any type of character faceclaim is permitted. I usually don't have a preference for faceclaim style, and that's also the case here.

2) I'm unfamiliar with formal power level systems, but I would rank The Tenth Realm as a medium- to high-power setting. While characters shouldn't be starting out as god-killers, they have the potential to reach that threshold. PCs are comparable to mythological heroes and champions, or have the makings of them at the very least. Combat with similar creatures and enemies is to be expected, though the extent of the combat, as well as what that combat (and other encounters) may look like will be dependent on the PC themselves. While the beginning of play is somewhat randomized for each player/player group, I try to place your character in an environment that plays to their interests.

3) Could you elaborate on what you mean by mythical sets?

4) My bad, I totally spaced on this! Intermediate or above would be preferred. The entry level for this project is relatively low, but I will be GMing this roleplay in a manner similar to a statless play-by-post D&D campaign.

 

[kookyboy9]

I could be interested. A few questions, though:

1) What type of character faceclaims? Realistic? Drawn? Anime?

2) What power level should we be targeting when making characters?

3) Are any mythical sets false in this setting?

4) Writing level?

Sure thing!

1) Any type of character faceclaim is permitted. I usually don't have a preference for faceclaim style, and that's also the case here.

2) I'm unfamiliar with formal power level systems, but I would rank The Tenth Realm as a medium- to high-power setting. While characters shouldn't be starting out as god-killers, they have the potential to reach that threshold. PCs are comparable to mythological heroes and champions, or have the makings of them at the very least. Combat with similar creatures and enemies is to be expected, though the extent of the combat, as well as what that combat (and other encounters) may look like will be dependent on the PC themselves. While the beginning of play is somewhat randomized for each player/player group, I try to place your character in an environment that plays to their interests.

3) Could you elaborate on what you mean by mythical sets?

4) My bad, I totally spaced on this! Intermediate or above would be preferred. The entry level for this project is relatively low, but I will be GMing this roleplay in a manner similar to a statless play-by-post D&D campaign.

A "mythical set" kind of nebulous, honestly. I was mostly trying to figure out if there're subsets of myths that aren't real in the universe. Norse Mythology as a whole would be considered a mythical set, but so would the contents of the Iliad or Odyssey.

I suppose the more reasonable question would be "What about modern myths". Stuff like the Jubokko or the Moth Man. Or to a lesser extent, more modern takes on Daoist/Taoist Alchemy?

 

[Bixir]

A "mythical set" kind of nebulous, honestly. I was mostly trying to figure out if there're subsets of myths that aren't real in the universe. Norse Mythology as a whole would be considered a mythical set, but so would the contents of the Iliad or Odyssey.

I suppose the more reasonable question would be "What about modern myths". Stuff like the Jubokko or the Moth Man. Or to a lesser extent, more modern takes on Daoist/Taoist Alchemy?

Ah! In that case, No mythical set/mythology is off the table. However, the status of those characters within the setting of The Tenth Realm is circumspect, as they may have been destroyed in the universal Ragnarok, and if they did survive, they may be different (by a little, or a lot) from their traditional portrayals in their original stories. Hopefully that answers your question.

As for "modern myths", like cryptids and yokai, they are totally fair game (within reason). I'm not sure I can speak on Taoist Alchemy, however, as I'm unfamiliar with that tradition, including modern interpretations. You would need to provide me with sources and / or give me a rundown so that we're on the same page before I approve a character involved with that.

 

[kookyboy9]

A "mythical set" kind of nebulous, honestly. I was mostly trying to figure out if there're subsets of myths that aren't real in the universe. Norse Mythology as a whole would be considered a mythical set, but so would the contents of the Iliad or Odyssey.

I suppose the more reasonable question would be "What about modern myths". Stuff like the Jubokko or the Moth Man. Or to a lesser extent, more modern takes on Daoist/Taoist Alchemy?

Ah! In that case, No mythical set/mythology is off the table. However, the status of those characters within the setting of The Tenth Realm is circumspect, as they may have been destroyed in the universal Ragnarok, and if they did survive, they may be different (by a little, or a lot) from their traditional portrayals in their original stories. Hopefully that answers your question.

As for "modern myths", like cryptids and yokai, they are totally fair game (within reason). I'm not sure I can speak on Taoist Alchemy, however, as I'm unfamiliar with that tradition, including modern interpretations. You would need to provide me with sources and / or give me a rundown so that we're on the same page before I approve a character involved with that.

Taoist Alchemy is kind of a long topic of it's own. The condensed version is "Chinese Martial Arts Movies on Steroids" for the more modern takes. The original concept basically said that you could improve your body to live longer and work better through spiritual inner alchemical processes. I think the idea got mixed in with martial arts teachings a qi/chi/ki at some point, and spawned off a more martial arts mix that has pervaded into chinese culture to create their martial arts movies and some types of martial arts that people actually teach.

There's also a fictional version that goes beyond that and essentially says that you can do internal alchemy to become an immortal god, but I don't think that's old enough or generally accepted enough to be entered as mythology.

 

[Bixir]

Taoist Alchemy is kind of a long topic of it's own. The condensed version is "Chinese Martial Arts Movies on Steroids" for the more modern takes. The original concept basically said that you could improve your body to live longer and work better through spiritual inner alchemical processes. I think the idea got mixed in with martial arts teachings a qi/chi/ki at some point, and spawned off a more martial arts mix that has pervaded into chinese culture to create their martial arts movies and some types of martial arts that people actually teach.

There's also a fictional version that goes beyond that and essentially says that you can do internal alchemy to become an immortal god, but I don't think that's old enough or generally accepted enough to be entered as mythology.

Oh, I'm familiar with that! I never realized that that was referred to as alchemy. So long as it doesn't reach the level of a Dragonball Z character, I'm not necessarily opposed to that for a character concept, especially if you can weave it into a character with ties to Chinese myth (though you can also just make him a disconnected OC if you desire). While The Tenth Realm is central to folklore and mythology in motifs, setting, and so on, your characters don't necessarily have to cut themselves from the same cloth, but they will need to abide by their rules when interacting with the world.

 

[Minerva]

What about like, Arthurian Legend or The Matter of France (Charlemagne and the Paladins), are those still valid mythologies to take from?

 

[Bixir]

What about like, Arthurian Legend or The Matter of France (Charlemagne and the Paladins), are those still valid mythologies to take from?

Yes! You are more than welcome to draw from them. Romanticizations of history are also applicable, from Don Quixote to Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

 

[Ori]

Can I play my goddess of death oc?

 

[Bixir]

Can I play my goddess of death oc?

Certainly! I was going to get into it with the official signups, but a big theme in The Tenth Realm is the cyclical nature of pantheons and how new gods will inevitably rise up to replace old idols. An up-and-coming Aspect of Death is right at home as a character concept for this RP.

 

[Ori]

Can I play my goddess of death oc?

Certainly! I was going to get into it with the official signups, but a big theme in The Tenth Realm is the cyclical nature of pantheons and how new gods will inevitably rise up to replace old idols. An up-and-coming Aspect of Death is right at home as a character concept for this RP.

Eeee Yay she's based on my real goddess u know

 

[Lyrikai]

This sounds interesting. Can I ask, if you're allowing OC gods, is there any kind of god you won't allow? Like ability/power wise, what they're a god of, etc?

 

[Bixir]

This sounds interesting. Can I ask, if you're allowing OC gods, is there any kind of god you won't allow? Like ability/power wise, what they're a god of, etc?

OC deities would err on the lower end of the divinity scale, so as to keep power scaling in check for the player end of things. With that said, I don't have a hard limit against any given aspect, though some domains would be checked more rigorously than others during sheet review, such as Time and Space.

 

[Lyrikai]

This sounds interesting. Can I ask, if you're allowing OC gods, is there any kind of god you won't allow? Like ability/power wise, what they're a god of, etc?

OC deities would err on the lower end of the divinity scale, so as to keep power scaling in check for the player end of things. With that said, I don't have a hard limit against any given aspect, though some domains would be checked more rigorously than others during sheet review, such as Time and Space.

Sounds fair! Definitely piques my interest then! The character of mine I had in mind would fall under the "Time" category, but I already impose a lot of limits on him to keep him from being too OP so that'd be great if he could work with this.
Or I have a few others I can choose lol
I just love the idea of it

 

[Ur Degaton]

I'm very interested. The world and setting you've established paves the way for much creativity and open interpretation.

 

[Bixir]

I'm very interested. The world and setting you've established paves the way for much creativity and open interpretation.

Thank you! I am currently recovering from an illness, but I am hoping to have the signups ready soon. Stay tuned, everyone!