- Invitation Status
- Posting Speed
- One post per day
- 1-3 posts per week
- One post per week
- Writing Levels
- Adept
- Advanced
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Male
- Primarily Prefer Male
- Genres
- Fantasy, GrimDark, ModFan, Horror, Historical, D&D, Lovecraft
'You are blood and to blood you shall return.'
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W E L ᛡ C O M E
Welcome to the world of Donegal! Donegal is an island of rich history, complicated magic, demons, angels, and complex politics. In Donegal, your character will have the opportunity to change their fate, by gathering allies, helping others, and getting revenge. Survival will be your character's first priority, but tests of morality, quick thinking, and political savviness will no doubt come into play.[tab=xxx]W I T C H ᛡ H U N T
You begin with absolutely nothing, being led in cold-iron chains to their final destination; the Fortress of Lacus Arce in the center of Lodain. There, you will be tried by a panel of All-Speakers - religious leaders - and no doubt found guilty of heresy. You must escape - whether you were falsely accused, or you are actually as wicked as your accusers made you out to be.. And when you do, all of Donegal is open to you. However, as a fugitive from the Faith - you will be hunted. Be careful! Donegal is a dangerous place, and you will face brigands and outlaws, cultists and mages, and crazed witch hunters alike. WITCH HUNT is a game of high stakes, dark themes, and grey morality.
'I shall behold Heaven, but Heaven is not near. '
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T H E ᛡ C O N F L I C T
The central conflict of Witch Hunt is the relationship between the New Faith - the Church of All - and the Old Faiths - Druids, and Namers. the Although the situation has been tense since the Church of All's founding, it was only after the Lodainic Imperatrix Regina Deorum converted to the Church of All that the cofnlict started in earnest. Regina Deorum issued a demand that the people of Lodain - and indeed, all of Donegal - find guidance in the one true religion: The Worship of the Gods that are Many. Since her conversion, many have adopted the Church of All - including the current Imperatrix, Laurentia II. However, there is still opposition to the Church of All within Donegal. The mages in particular have taken a stance against the Church, as much of the Church's tenets demonize all forms of magic, from the widely accepted Pact Magic to the more infamous Spirit and Blood Magic. The Church of All's conflict with the traditional religions is not simply religious, but also political, regional, and cultural, and many have been caught in its wake...[tab=xxx] A L L ᛡ F A I T H
'Ní mar a shíltear a bhítear.'
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T H E ᛡ R I T U A L
Little is known about the Change that is used largely by the Church of All. it is an alchemical ritual with no true magic behind it, and it both psychological and physical in what is done to the subject. No matter the type, all Changed People, when they enter the Duinnoban to dream, can see the region with perfect clarity, and see Spirits for what they really are. Thus, they are ignored by Spirits utterly and are not subject to their influence. For this reason, none of them can perform any kind of magic. Both rituals were performed unofficially prior to the institution of the Church of All, without the religious overtones. These men and women are referred to as "Recreants", and All-Swords hunt them above all else, although there is great desire to bring them into the fold of the Church. There are two types of Change; The Change of Preservation, and The Change of Domination. The Change of Preservation is performed on Seekers of Ecclesiastes and The Change of Domination is the ritual preformed on all All-Swords.[tab=xxx]A L L ᛡ S E E K E R S
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A L L ᛡ S W O R D S
All-Swords exist in order to enforce the will of the Church, through force. They are usually orphans who were given to the church. and they have all undergone the Change, a mystery to even those within the church. The Change universally turned their eyes orange, and gave them skills necessary for hunting heretics and demons alike. There are currently five of them, one of each of the regions completely converted to the Church of All (Tir-Caredyr, Eboryr, Brigant, Eir-Vaygyr, and Lodain.) All of them are gifted at languages, and represent their nation with exceptional patriotism. They only answer to the All-Voice himself, and do not have to follow the usual rules and stipulations of the church.
They are led by a Changed warrior named Salathiel, who reportedly is the only man in the world who has done battle with one of the Prime Evils. He is also called Salathiel the Wielder. Every Wielder had been named Salathiel; they gave up their name when the became the Wielder, taking the name of the first Wielder.. It was said that they had all wielded the sword of an angel; who had come down to the world of men to bestow this sword upon the first Wielder, Salathiel, in the Year 1.He deals with the day to day affairs of the All-Swords and provides guidance morally, spiritually, and often physically through their Change.
The Change of Domination is the ritual preformed on all All-Swords. The major components consist of bloodletting and indoctrination, as the memories of the All-Sword's life prior to their position within the church are wiped away, as well as memories of their family. Their faces are scarred by the Pain-Tasters. They are given some strange herbs and potions to eat and drink for the space of a year while subject to indoctrination and heavy religious education from the Church of All. It is known to be a very painful ritual..
The results are not uniform, but some characteristics that are always the same include the change in eyecolour - all All-Swords have orange eyes. Their eyes are also primed for night vision, as a thin, mirror-like structure at the back of their eye helps reflect light that was not already absorbed by the eye back into the eye a second time. When lights are shown on the All-Swords in dim light, their eyes will reflect the light so brightly that it looks like they are glowing. As well, their metabolism speeds up, and their sex-drive also increases. Perhaps as a result of their hyper-metabolism, those who undergo the Change of Domination have a greatly shortened life-span, only 40-50 years long. Although they do not show their age for most of their lives, the last five years of a Changed person's life involve their age rapidly catching up with them, leaving them decrepit and frail.Other possible effects are heightened senses, particularly the sense of smell, changes in hair color (usually a lightening), and resistance to the elements and harsh weather. Provided that they can keep up with the demands of their metabolisms, many Changed people find themselves no longer tiring, while still requiring sleep. Some side effects from a bad reaction to the Change are a permanent catabolic state, or the opposite, an anaerobic imbalance, with all of the side effects that entails.
All-Swords take a new Surname when they take their vows. It is dependent on their region. Tir-Caredyry All-Swords take the name Jacob, Eboryr take Isiah, Brigant take the name Sarah, Eir-Vaygyr take Rebecca, and Lodainic All-Swords take the name Ezekiel. All-Swords have some residual memories of their childhoods, but they are confused with the memories of the legendary character who they have taken their surnames from. Their personalities are intact as well, but they have been largely indoctrinated to be loyal to the Church -- no matter the cost of human life. They will do anything to protect hte church's interests, but that can manifest in very different ways. They're a bit like pointing a bomb at an archery target - they tend to inflict collateral damage. Also, every 7 years, they enact a grim policy called "The Cleansing". Nobody knows what this is for - but it leaves behind hollowed-out corpses and burning villages...There is only one All-Sword per region, and they often wear masks
All All-Swords were buried - if there were remains to bury - within the crypt in Tir Caredyr's grand temple - tombs that were specially carved and designed for each of them. Construction of the tomb began when they were appointed, and ended when they died. . No All-Sword had ever died of old age, not a single one. There were always boys and girls training to be All-Swords, boys and girls who would replace them when their time was finally up.
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T H E ᛡ P A I N
Most Pain Tasters simply sold their trade on the streets of Tir Caredyr - they had a talent for inflicting utter unbearable pain upon a person, but a pain that was not lethal, and holy above all things. It was the pain of the Gods Who Are Many that the Pain Tasters gave, and a pain that would render even the most twisted of individuals pure. Though most saw the Pain-Taster's as nothing but leeches trying to make a profit from the church - they were an integral part of the church's structure and always filled the coffers. More importantly; Pain-Tasters perform the Change on All-Swords and All-Seekers. It is unknown how most Recreants came into being, and most do not survive long enough to say; but some whisper that every single Pain-Tasters used to be heathens -- and some still are.
They wear a black ironwood mask , but painted with white ; making it resemble a skull.
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