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l i t a n y :: an anthem of worlds. [PG-16, OOC / Sign-Up Thread]

Cirrus

dreaming a transient dream.
1,577
Posts
14
Years

Preamble

(a.n.: Keep this in mind - if you feel confused at any part of the post, feel free to skip down to the Q & A part first to see if that helps. You really don't need to know all of the setting material - just get to know the parts that your character would be familiar with.)

When one of my friends suggested to me that I should write a roleplay, I was astounded by the idea. "I'm really busy!" I said, and thought about declining, but then I considered the idea for a little while and decided to go for it anyway. The result of my haphazard decision resulted in the first version of Litany, which you can find somewhere in the archives here; there were a number of fundamental flaws with the design of that roleplay, and that combined with real-life circumstances were the joint causes of its demise.

However, I have attempted to repair those previous flaws with this update, and without further ado, I would like to present to you: (with all-new graphics?!)

vft3e.png



Preface

In an age before the memories of the modern races, before any of the present countries were established, there existed a girl who made her home in the lofty Aeminian Mountains. Her appearances were manifold and varied, but her existence was timeless; in solitude she lived, in solitude she died, and in solitude she was born anew. One day, a timid and idealistic young man came to train himself at the peak of the highest of the mountains, wishing to cease the wars on the continent below. The girl had never seen anyone from the outside world before, and so out of curiosity asked him to take her along on his journey. The young man, astounded by the girl's very existence itself, readily agreed. The two travelled across the continent together, gathering companions and followers under the banner of the young man's dreams of a peaceful world. A decade and a half later, after the dust from the long years of warfare had settled, the man had transformed from an incompetent adolescent into a warrior of legendary skill. His name was Helvenn, first Emperor of Helvenand. Thus the Empire was founded; the capital, Arianne, shares its name with the first empress.
- Tales of the Empire, page 3​

Introduction

All journeys begin with only a single step.​
The plane of Khellius is but one of many in the infinite multiverse; upon first glance, it does not seem like anything other than yet another temperate, undeveloped world – magic vastly outpaces true technology, monsters still roam the countryside, and myriad horrors are hidden within the depths of the earth. The priorities of civilization, however, are slowly shifting. Legend and legacy are being forgotten in favor of advancement and progress. The ancient empire of Helvenand, encompassing the northeastern half of the landmass of Merindor, has grown to become the greatest superpower on the continent. To its southwest is the mercantile oligarchy of Perinth; its northwest, the republic of Suimeng; to the south, the tropical monarchy of Zalantira; and beyond that, to the southeast, is the theocracy of Teucrion.

More than a thousand years have passed since the age of the heroes, and their exploits have since passed into legend. Most famed among the band that travelled forth with Helvenn is, of course, Helvenn himself, a man whose courage has been admired even moreso at times than his prowess with a blade. At his side stands Arianne, a refined musician with great artistic ability and a harmonious, calming presence. Four of their companions gained great renown also: the grand gramarist Kyre, possessing intellect beyond compare and an unmatched mastery of gramarie that has since been lost to time; the silent protector, Marcell, acting in defense of his companions with unwavering steadfastness and loyalty; the unseen enforcer, Ciefe, criticized for his vigilantism but nevertheless meting out his own style of justice; and the eloquent diplomat, Weizi, whose rhetoric and seasoned discourse were unsurpassed.

The year is 1530. The continent, although it has had its share of conflicts, has been relatively peaceful, and both commerce and the study of magic have flourished. This long-standing peace, however, is broken very unexpectedly: during the festival of Caspenalia, foreign insurgents began a riot in the capital, and the city was set aflame; hundreds of civilians lost their lives in the aftermath of the fiery destruction that followed. The empire was understandably outraged, and with the preliminary discovery that the perpetrators were of Zalantiran and Perinthian origin, the peace between the nations has grown dangerously thin.

This particular story begins in Sylvaeris, 1531, a few months after the catastrophe, and accompanies a group of adventurers led by a young Helvan officer, the current objective of which is simply to adventure. As the story unfolds, however, one might find that perhaps the current political climate is not as simple as it seems…

The winds of change are upon the world. Only time will tell what the future holds.


World


Every horizon hides a new possibility.

Helvenand

=-=-=-=-=-=
Spoiler:

Perinth

=-=-=-=-=-=
Spoiler:

Suimeng

=-=-=-=-=-=
Spoiler:

Zalantira

=-=-=-=-=-=
Spoiler:

Teucrion

=-=-=-=-=-=
Spoiler:

The Church

Spoiler:


Races & Cosmology

AiafI.png

Left to right: nyre, maelrio, feiri, aelos, yul

If one were to think of each prime material plane in the multiverse as a star, the planes surrounding it would then be the star's planets. The plane of Khellius has nine such planes orbiting it: Hafryn, the elemental plane of fire; Neihl, the elemental plane of water; Zerulf, the elemental plane of air; Vignidin, the elemental plane of earth; Belemen, the plane of aether; Inthraute, the plane of shadow; Aendith, the plane of light; Wiann, the plane of darkness; and Celosia, the domain of the goddess St. Elendra.

Perhaps there were humans inhabiting the continent of Merindor, many thousands of years ago, but a world rich with magic inevitably causes evolution in its inhabitants, and what was one race is now five discrete races (or subraces, if you'd like to think of them that way): the enigmatic nyres, the tempestuous maelrion, the empathic yuli, the dignified feiri, and the resourceful aeloi. Aside from the nyres, who have been affected instead by the two planes of aether and shadow, each of the races has taken on traits of one of the elemental planes, and their interests and natures have diverged accordingly.

Nyre (pl. nyres, ps. nyrean):
Spoiler:


Feiri (pl. and ps. feiri):
Spoiler:


Maelrio (pl. maelrion, ps. maelrian):
Spoiler:


Aelos (pl. aeloi, ps. aelian):
Spoiler:


Yul (pl. yuli, ps. yulian):
Spoiler:


Magic


"What can't be done will be covered by others. That's what life is about."

You may remember the existence of three types of magic from the last edition of this ... well, that's gotten a significant revision. Frankly, in a world with both swords and magic, magic is usually overpowered, and glorious feats of physical achievement are not always as satisfying as they can be (also, who needs warriors when you can have entire battlemage battalions anyway? That didn't click too well with me...). There are still three 'types' of magic this time around, but two are drastically different.

Gramarie

"This is my world. It follows my rules."

Alternate Names: arcana
Expressions for Practitioners: gramarists, (colloquial) wizards, (colloquial) artificers

In a world as fabulous and frightening as we find ourselves, knowledge is a valuable commodity. Many marvels seem like magic to the uneducated, but the intellectual knows that all phenomena must follow certain rules and laws, even if we don't quite understand them, and even if they might potentially rip our faces off as they spawn tentacled horrors. Science is the great leveler, allowing for equalization between those people who can arbitrarily shoot laser beams out of their eyes and those who can't. The science of making use of magical principles inherent in the world is collectively known as gramarie, and thus one who learns the skills to do so is a gramarist. There are nine disciplines of gramarie, which neatly subdivide the art into specialized fields of magic.

Specifics:
Spoiler:


Theurgy

"May the light of Saint Elendra guide you."

Alternate Names: miracles, divine magic – see also: nature magic, druidism, dark magic, rituals
Expressions for Practitioners: petitioners, clerics, priests, bishops (etc.) – other flavors: druids, shamans, ritualists, cultists

Unlike gramarie, theurgy draws its power from a divine source, most commonly St. Elendra. Commonly available theurgy tends to focus on healing and protection, and its destructive usage, though potent in its own right, is much less flashy in its dispatch. A very different sort of magic, originally practiced in the northern Umbric Forest in Suimeng and based on the whispers of nature, exists, but its capabilities are not much different from standard theurgy. A third variety, rumoured to stem from the forces of evil – demons, malevolent spirits, forgotten entities of great evil, and other such beings – also exists, though its utilization is largely forbidden; extremely destructive in design, it feeds off the very life of its wielder, and the great power it seems to offer is never without a hefty price.

Specifics:
Spoiler:


Sublimity

"I am the sword, and the sword is me."

Alternate Names: martial arts, the sublime way
Expressions for Practitioners: martial adepts, followers of the sublime way

A good warrior knows how to swing a sword; a great warrior knows how to swing a sword in a way that reality doesn't quite expect, and thereby surpass – if only for a fleeting moment – some of the limitations the laws of physics impose upon them. Sublimity is the composite name for each and every fighting style that has managed to do so, and some of the founders of those styles have been legendary indeed. Rumoured to have first begun among feiri swordmasters in the northern reaches who were at the pinnacles of their art, sublimity has since spread to every corner of the continent. Rather than something that is learned, it can be said to be something that requires 'realization' – a type of understanding that is more than understanding, if that makes sense. Novice followers of the sublime way are not much different from mundane warriors, but masters of the art are able to spontaneously summon elemental energy, become invincible for a short duration, and even stop time itself.

Specifics:
Spoiler:

Technology


"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

The continent of Merindor is not very technologically advanced in a purist sense. While ingenious mechanical devices powered by wind and water exist, many of the innovations in Merindor is powered by magic, from glass 'firearms' charged with elemental energy to advanced automatons, capable of comprehension of complex commands given by their creators. The following is a list of commonly found substances and inventions. Feel free to make up whatever you want (and then tell me about it so I can add it to this list ...) but please make sure it's reasonable.

Prevalent Substances

Spoiler:


Prevalent Innovations

Spoiler:


Standards / Enlistment


There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.​
There is always this inevitable section; better that it comes before the sign-up sheet than after, lest no one read it. The rules, then, are as follows:

Spoiler:

Nota bene: Acceptance does not hinge on reservation or priority of signing up, but rather on strength of the application.

Sign-Up Sheet:

Name:
Race: See above; aelos, feiri, maelrio, nyre, or yul.
Age:
Gender:
Personality: About 1 - 2 paragraphs as a minimum.

Appearance: About 2 - 3 paragraphs as a minimum.

Background: About 2 - 3 paragraphs as a minimum.

Talents: What things can your character do? A line or two (or maybe three if you're particularly verbose) should suffice, just to summarize what you mentioned in the background. I'd even be okay with point-form. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and "don't godmode" applies here.

Legend: One of five available choices; see below.
Spoiler:

Roleplay Sample: Please give me a general idea of the style in which you write and the quality of your writing.



F.a.q.


"Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement."​
Q1: What do I do? There's too much text.
A1: Yes, there is. If you've read the preface and introduction already, go to the World section, click on the big link to the map (Merindor, 1531 AF), then pick somewhere you think you'd like your character to be from. Not all of the World section is /mandatory/ reading, per se - just familiarize yourself with where you're from and you should be okay. Something else to help you along: the "Prevalent Substances" part is not mandatory reading either, but do read the "Prevalent Innovations" as that's much shorter.

Q2: What do these weird month names mean anyway?
A2: Um ... I really have no idea. I made them up though, so here's a handy cartouche on dates. (I have no misc section, so I'm dumping it here...)

Calendar
Spoiler:

Q3: What's a plane? Is it plane as in airplane?
A3: While the thought would be amusing (nine airplanes flying around Merindor?), we already have ornithopters and- uh, anyway. When I wrote "plane" in the Races and Cosmology section, I meant plane as in plane of existence - basically like an alternate dimension that overlaps Khellius, but doesn't really affect it. This explanation might have confused you even more, so I will link you also to the Wikipedia article.

Q4: What are the races for? What if I want to play a rash aelos? What if my maelrio's hair is actually blue?
A4: To add color to the world. Mm ... it's really okay if something like that happens. The traits I listed are simply general trends, and after all the five races are all (secretly) human subraces; in fact, it is quite natural for, say, an aelos to marry a yul, and the children will have an equal chance of being either race. So you can basically do whatever, because being restrictive is kind of mean considering that I removed the basic human as being a race. Anything strange is probably genetic. (Aelos still have to have wings though, and maelrio still resist fire regardless ... you get the point. Yes, it's sometimes hard to identify the race of children, but that's a separate matter and it usually becomes quickly apparent with time - I mean, a child just casually playing with fire or changing the color of his / her hair is pretty alarming.)

Q5: How do I culture?
A5: How do you culture really? But in this case, Helvenand, Perinth, and Zalantira are somewhat Graeco-Roman (in this case Zalantira is more like the eastern empire), Suimeng is ancient China but with a sort-of-republican power structure instead of imperial rule, and Teucrion is a bit more like the standard Western fantasy kingdom (but it's a theocracy). Feel free to derive from those what you will. The answer to question 8 may also help you with this.

Q6: What is the point of this roleplay?
A6: It's a roleplay. The primary objective of this roleplay is to, ahem, one moment: experiment with transparent world-building, that the players can interact with, and creating a world in which they can take actions that have foreseeable repercussions. Yes, there is a primary plot. However, I am just as interested in helping your character(s) meet their goals as I am finishing the story. It's a bit like sandbox, I guess, except there's a beginning and an ending so it's not really sandbox.

Q7: You mention monsters a bunch of times in your descriptions. Where do these monsters come from anyway?
A7: (Long answer, hence spoiler)
Spoiler:

Q8: There are so many things I want to know about! Can you tell me more?
A8: Instead of having me do that, you can make up more yourself! Hooray! Since I don't want to curb the players' freedom to create, you have the option of simply improvising for smaller details: things like organizations, small towns, substances, and so on. (If you have anything big, such as a secret group of big-time assassins or anything like that, please ask me - I'm usually easy to talk to so I'll say yes if it's reasonable, and if you get accepted, I'll add it to my opening post.) I'll read about it in your applications, and if there's anything out of line, you'll hear from me then. But if you really want to know more, you can ask me about specific details of a specific thing.

QB: How much free time do you have anyway? What the heck is this gigantic post, Cirrus?
AB: Clearly too much. Re: gigantic post, I don't know either.

Credits


"Giving credit where credit is due is a very rewarding habit to form. Its rewards are inestimable."

A few acknowledgements:

- A friend of mine who isn't registered with PokeCommunity, for giving me the idea for the myth.
- ProFantasy, for making the excellent Campaign Cartographer 3 that was used to make the map
- Various pixiv artists, whose work I acquired off of safebooru (...)
- Kellus, for his amazing homebrew of the gramarie magic system (for D&D 3.5), which you can find here. I basically lifted it over because I didn't want to increase the burden of knowledge on people with the mechanics... but it's really impressive.
- ErrantX, for all of the styles for Sublimity. I was going to grab the Tome of Battle's, but why WotC when you can ErrantX?
- Wizards of the Coast, for heavily inspiring theurgy and sublimity.
- Typechart.com, without which I would never have been able to get the fonts right
- And finally, me, for being the madman who dedicated many, many entire days' worth of free time to filling out all the associated content for this roleplay.

Enjoy the game.

Accepted Players

I. Helvenn's successor,
II. Arianne's successor,
III. Kyre's successor,
IV. Marcell's successor,
V. Weizi's successor,
VI. Ciefe's successor,


 
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Karma

♚ Here's looking at you, kid.
119
Posts
11
Years
This sounds... absolutely amazing. I can't resist! I simply cannot turn away now, and darn it I will make time out of thin air if I have to for this.

Consider this a place holder for my coming sign-up sheet. :)

ionresized_zpsbea96f4d.png

"Music expresses that which cannot be said, and on which it is impossible to be silent."
Name: Circel Vi Aldernam
(Pronunciation: ser-sel)

Race:
Nyre
Age: Nineteen, 19
Gender: Male

Personality: About 1 - 2 paragraphs as a minimum.

Appearance: About 2 - 3 paragraphs as a minimum.

Background: Circel was born during the month of Meselo, in the beautiful city of Tyrovion. He was the illegitimate child of Ghandor, a well renowned Duke, and Elia, a servant who worked for the noble family. Though adultery committed by someone of Ghandor's stature would mostly be overlooked, they feared it could potentially cause distrust in his allies, so thus they kept the boy's birth a secret. Elia was paid handsomely for her silence and was sent away from the city, refrained from seeing her child again. Circel lived in the servants' quarters until he was the age of seven, posing as a kitchen boy when guests would visit, and for the most part was treated like one by all members of the noble family save for his father.

Circel was the only male heir to the Duke's estate, as his wife only bore three daughters. Halyn, the Duchess, was threatened by his existence as the heir. She despised him and wanted her eldest daughter to take the estate. Yet the only way their laws would allow such an absurdity would call for the death of the male heir. For the child's safety from the threats within the household, Ghandor sent him to live in Placentia with his brother Aldred, to learn and develop skills in Magic since Circel showed talents in theurgy.

Because of these events, Circel knew very little of his father and none of his biological mother. The only times during the seven years he lived there that he shared with the Duke were brief, but they were some of the fondest memories he shared. One memory in particular was Ghandor showing him how to wield a weapon (for his young inexperienced hands, an elegant stick posed as a staff.) Often, he would find himself wondering about his mother, and the question of why she gave up her rights for his custody without question plagued his mind.

Nonetheless, he spent most of his lifetime in Placentia. Aldred, his uncle, became like a second father to him. He would take time out of his duties as an arcanodynamicist to walk with Circel through the town, show him gramarie magic, or teach him diplomacy for his future as a Duke. Circel grew fonder of Aldred than he ever had his own father.

He had a more luxurious lifestyle here than in the Duke's estate, and lived in a grand mansion home where he was given the East Wing to reside in. Yet it was due to the harsh treatments of the servants' quarters that Circel never took his fortunes for granted. For the most part, he was always quick to thank people for their generosity and give back in return. The servants of the mansion home were treated kindly by the young boy, as he once shared their position, and was cared for dearly by them all.

Though Placentia was mainly a place of gramarie magic, a retired theurgy master was appointed to his tutoring. Her name was Yvanne. She was moved into the mansion home and also had the duty of watching over him as a caretaker when Aldred was away. Circel had asked once her story, and why a woman of her middle age was retired. She gave him this simple reason: "There are some forms of magic one should not touch." To this day he still ponders the meaning of her words. She first taught him caution. It was his understanding that magic was like a pond. A small drop would create ripples that would smooth themselves out. A large rock would create waves, sent crashing against the shore. Her ominous history and push towards hesitance when wielding magic made him weary of it as well, and never pushed the boundaries.

Yvanne was not only a mentor, but the older sister he wished he had. Someone who watched over him and made sure he was safe. In Placentia, Circel actually felt that he had a family. A true family. He loved his life here and lived mostly with a happy smile upon his face.

At the age of twelve he discovered the beauty of music. Yvanne was singing a hymn of Saint Elendra in the study as he passed, readying to leave for the town. He was entranced by the melody and harmonious sound. From that moment he devoted his life half to theurgy, and the other half into the study of music. He learned to play many exotic instruments, and was often called on to play for the town of Placentia's entertainment. He became a refined musician, but still had much to learn of its ways.

There were times when Circel would go with Aldred or Yvanne to other cities and towns within Merindor, but never traveled too far from Placentia. On the journeys he accompanied his uncle, his task was to test his abilities in diplomacy or watch and listen as Aldred went about his own duties with councils and leaders. He saw how many cultures worked and strive, as well as the poorer lands that required the aid he was determined to give when in power as Duke. Yet it was Yvanne's trips he enjoyed the most. She would take him to less known places of interesting lore, and churches of St. Elendra to develop his theurgy further.

At the age of fifteen, he was given his first true weapon. A staff, an artifact Yvanne collected in her early years from her own mentor, was given to him to help concentrate his magic. When wielding it, it reminded him of his years training with his father using a stick. He grew incredibly fond of the staff and named it Orlais, after a legend he heard as a child. It never left his side if he could help it.

On the dawn of his nineteenth birthday, Yvanne took him up the Florentian Mountains to help find his connection to the divine source, outside the reaches of normal human contact. While traveling, they were ambushed by a group of thieves and Circel was forced into his first combat situation. He had never used his theurgy on anyone other than his mentor, and thus he was hesitant with its use against the enemies. Due to this, he was overpowered by a brute man who battered Orlais from his hands and cornered Circel. While fighting her own opponent, Yvanne saw his struggle and used her magic to shield the boy and send the attacker into a nearby tree. Fearing for his safety, Yvanne instructed him to run to safety in a nearby outpost. Though reluctantly, he did as his mentor bid and fled.

Upon reaching the outpost, Circel informed the two men on duty what had occurred and—after sending word to his uncle—returned to help. Unfortunately, he was too late. Yvanne was killed by the brute man's sword. Though Circel was taught to forgive and find peace in tragedies, this event broke his heart. He couldn't forget the damage that was done. He kept the image of a serpent tattoo on the man's arm in his mind and thought of it every night before he slept. Circel vowed that should he face the man again, revenge would be imminent.

From there, he decided to leave Placentia and continue his teachings in theurgy, while readying to inherit the title of peerage.

Talents: What things can your character do? A line or two (or maybe three if you're particularly verbose) should suffice, just to summarize what you mentioned in the background. I'd even be okay with point-form. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and "don't godmode" applies here.

Legend: Arianne, Exalted Muse

Roleplay Sample: From Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers Monster Art Online as the character Mickie.

Spoiler:


~ ~

 
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Cirrus

dreaming a transient dream.
1,577
Posts
14
Years
@heretostay123: There's no need to place a reservation; simply post your sign-up and it will be up for consideration =)

Nota bene: Acceptance does not hinge on reservation or priority of signing up, but rather on strength of the application.

Oh whoops I forgot I'm playing Helvenn's successor I'll note that now brb
 

Cirrus

dreaming a transient dream.
1,577
Posts
14
Years
The appeal to play the main character is great, I know ... but I have to be able to guide the plot a little somehow right =( Sorry, guy.
 

<Challenger>

Goodbye PC...for now.
2,479
Posts
11
Years
Alpha Sign-Up Sheet:


Name: Danyu An
Race: Maelerio
Age: 17
Gender: Male

Personality: Danyu has a very fiery soul. He never, ever backs down from a fight, despite his race's tendency to be kind spirits....which he is. It's just not as visible as other Maelerians.

Appearance: About 2 - 3 paragraphs as a minimum.

Background: About 2 - 3 paragraphs as a minimum.

Talents: Danny is a warrior by heart. He is an skilled swords men, having ten years of training. He is also good at archery as well. He is in fact skilled with many forms of weapons, be it daggers or pole-axes. No matter what weapon he uses, he is good with it. However, he is not good at much else.

Legend: Marcell, Stalwart Guardian

Roleplay Sample: Please give me a general idea of the style in which you write and the quality of your writing.
 
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Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
Posts
16
Years
The appeal to play the main character is great, I know ... but I have to be able to guide the plot a little somehow right =( Sorry, guy.
If you're referring to me, you may want to clarify that then for the future so others who attempt to sign-up don't make the same mistake.

Looks like you caught that error and are fixing it, so disregard this post.
 

Cirrus

dreaming a transient dream.
1,577
Posts
14
Years
Yeah, I sort of accidentally deleted that part when I copypasta'd some edited parts of the previous thread over ... apologies for the inconvenience.
 
3,411
Posts
15
Years
  • Age 28
  • Seen Mar 25, 2024
I'd love to be part of this RP again! I hope you will accept my old character, though a bit changed to fit the new details? Actually - I'd rather make a new one, and see how it goes.
 
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Karma

♚ Here's looking at you, kid.
119
Posts
11
Years
Just wanted to ask a few questions if you'd please. First, is it alright to have the incarnation of Arianne be a boy? Or do the gender of the first legends apply to those who we shall play as well? Second, what is the general age range you would like the character to stay within for these roles, if any?

This rp definitely needs more interest. SIGN-UP PEOPLE. It not only looks amazing, but sounds like it will be loads of fun too. -nudges onlookers- ;)
 

Xlugon Pyro

Dragon Tamer
308
Posts
16
Years
I gave it another thought over and I thought about something I can do here so I'll give a sign-up a shot. 'Tis a shame because I like playing the hero character but I think I found something that'll work.


Name: Xoxaa Pyroley
Race: Aelos
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Personality: Awesomeness...



About 1 - 2 paragraphs as a minimum.

Appearance: Sexy with wings!



About 2 - 3 paragraphs as a minimum.

Background: Born somewhere in Suimeng...



About 2 - 3 paragraphs as a minimum.

Talents: Hybrid fighter of sorts...
What things can your character do? A line or two (or maybe three if you're particularly verbose) should suffice, just to summarize what you mentioned in the background. I'd even be okay with point-form. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and "don't godmode" applies here.

Legend: Ciefe, Reticent Shadow

Roleplay Sample: Please give me a general idea of the style in which you write and the quality of your writing.​


Also, GM needs to show us his character. :P I wish I knew how to do that background thingy. It's cool. :(

I also looked into that link to the whole list of gramarie posts and it appears to be designed as a means to create rules for the use of magic in games like D&D. How close are we to follow those guidelines or are we only following what's written into this RP and the other info is more of a means to generate character ideas? It would suck to have to read through all of that to know what to do and not to do. :P
 
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Cirrus

dreaming a transient dream.
1,577
Posts
14
Years
There is, thankfully, no gender restriction on any of the roles. I guess I'm playing a female character

Re: Gramarie document: I only posted a link to that document to give credit to the creator of the system - not enforce that everyone read it (because you don't need to and probably shouldn't unless you're like super into D&D). I summarized for a reason, you know... =v We're only literally following what's been written in the intro post.

As for activity!

I'll write my SU sometime in the next few days. I'm honestly in no rush to start this, as I'd like to gather dedicated players, and even if the number that I do manage to gather isn't particularly large I can always write in another one or two characters, so. Quality over quantity!
 

Cirrus

dreaming a transient dream.
1,577
Posts
14
Years
Justice not-bump - actually I just wanted a post so I could work on this at school or wherever.

To anyone casually strolling by: we're still recruiting.


Nobilitas sola est atque unica virtus.

Sign-up under construction, et cetera.

Name: Elena Lumines Remiri
Race: Feiri.
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Personality: TBA.

Appearance: TBA.

Background: ... TBA.

Talents: Lead a party or something. I dunno.

Legend: Helvenn, Heroic Champion

Roleplay Sample: This entire thread should suffice.
 
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Garet

GhostFire
729
Posts
13
Years
...Okay, I'm sort of hooked now, after reading through that. Assuming that I don't take too long, I'll probably put up an SU for consideration.

A couple questions, though, just to make sure: Considering the Legends section of the SU, that means that there will be only one of each, right?

And...less seriously, where do you go for artwork?
 

Cirrus

dreaming a transient dream.
1,577
Posts
14
Years
Re: artwork:
- Various pixiv artists, whose work I acquired off of safebooru (...)

Yup. Go ahead; take however long you need to write your SU (though hopefully, not too long; I haven't given deadlines to the others who expressed interest either, so yeah they're still working on them, and so am I). I don't really mind. If you have any questions, ask.

Yes, there is only one representative of each legend - I might not have been entirely clear about that, but that's why I have six acceptance slot things at the very bottom in which to put character names.
 
3,411
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15
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  • Age 28
  • Seen Mar 25, 2024
Name: Sakura Ieyasu
Race: Yul
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Personality:

As an adolescent, Sakura was a passionate and stubborn rogue with guts, lots of curiosity and an unusual respect for the shadows and dark. Twisted as it may have seemed to his peers, his family was happy for this aspect of his, along with his natural prowess at combat. The path he was required to follow put him through exercise, both of the mind and body, and immense training in the arts of espionage, sabotage and assassination. His once passionate nature has become a cold and restrained one, and through the image he projects through his profession of an assassin, people often misunderstand him as harsh, or even heartless and unemotional. Though not many people came to know him fully, those who did could tell that this notion was not valid. In truth, he is sensitive and strives for a better world for everyone, regardless of their race, profession or social status.Instead of doing it for riches, personal gain or glory among his peers, he maintains a higher purpose... one that is not clear by his looks, but by his actions towards the innocent, the helpless and the unarmed ones. Though, his approach at things render him ruthless and cunning, thus bringing a dark tone to his illustration.

Sakura believes that helping people by any means possible is an obligation of his, not only a choice, as he never truly chose to be an assassin - rather, he was forced into it by his family. The training he received did not only touch him externally, like it does to most of his fellows, who tend to believe that a life is a simple, odd happening which they can snap with the sharp edge of a blade, or fade it away into another plane of existence with a few drops of poison. Over the years, he has developed a philosophy of his own, one that is that every life form, as small as it can be, can affect history, even has the possibility of changing the whole world. That would seem complicated, but it is the reason he refrains from taking lives relentlessly, considering them important, beautiful yet fragile like a maiden in her youth. At times, he stops and thinks, considering his studies upon his target, and questions the possibility of sparing them. He does that with the promise of them vanishing from the world, and his unreadable silence about their fates.

Over the years of his commitment to the duties of an assassin, he gained the immense respect of his inner family circle, and along with his accomplishments came his reputation of a deadly assassin. All that was left from his once overly stubborn spirit was an unshakable determination, a dedication to his tasks that made him unrivaled. The people he contacted had now gotten used to his constant seriousness and immense understanding of a situation, which he acquired through studying it. Once he had set his eyes on a target, he would be entirely focused to just that, and he would often be too absorbed by his studies on them to keep some time for himself. As for the way he treated people, it got him known as a tremendously calm and cold blooded person. That was true, to some extent - being calm had proven a great asset to his job, as he was easily able to improvise, despite an operation being a single misstep away from falling apart.

Sakura is a silent type of person. He speaks quickly and only when required to, while he puts thought into his brief speech. He is rather intense and realistic, his words are often as sharp as his blades and their effects as intoxicating as the poisons they are coated with. When around those he considers friends, he prefers to keep a distance as he is often not quite fond of company - he is always quiet and acts collected around them, while on constant guard. He can be deemed reticent; this trait he had ever since he was a child, and he was always mistaken for a bashful person, though he is not. In large companies, he often keeps a shadowy, subtle vigil, until he speaks his mind and reminds everyone of his presence.As he is by nature introvert, he shows little to no emotions to those who manage to see whatever portion of his face they can under his hood. Serious as he always is, he rarely laughs or exclaims; his voice isn't low, but intense, yet discreet. He generally treats a person discreetly, thinking whatever they do, whatever their beliefs are, whatever power they have assumed, is a personal characteristic of theirs, in which he has no access or right to judge, and therefore he will keep his thoughts and opinion about it to himself. He holds warriors, sorcerers and believers in high regard, as honor is something he values; despite him absolutely disregarding it when it comes to his own job.


Appearance: Under a ray of light, you are likely to see the lower part of his face. It is pale, despite being a Yul, whose skins are usually darker colored. A smile is not likely to be seen there, only a firm line of lips that seem to blend in with his pale face. If he was to remove his hood, you would see a tough face with a perfect nose, meaningful deep blue eyes.The intense eyebrows that add might to his expressions are crowned by his dark brown hair, which is shiny, dense and rich. His movements greatly reflect his personality; calm, discreet, subtle and quiet. They are the types of movement caught by the eye, but not by the mind, as they do not arouse any kind of suspicion in their perfect balance and grace - perfect for blending in with the crowd, or hiding the intentions, usually lethal, he ought to keep hidden.

Those who do lay their eyes on the seemingly unimportant, hooded figure of Sakura, see a monk, or a traveler, standing at around 5'8" feet high from the ground. When traversing through the streets, he is wearing a worn out, cloak that is torn at some points, leather boots that reach up to his knee, black trousers and gloves as well as a grey silk shirt. He wears one belt in which he holds all of his knives and daggers, and a sheath for his short, sharp blade, Penumbra.

Spoiler:


The heirloom his family granted, their insignia, which is a dashing wolf, is sometimes tuckered on the middle of his belt, often causing suspicious questions about his creed or origins. Depending on the certain needs of a mission, he will often disguise himself in order to atone with it and become one with its details and environment so that he may accomplish his task. Under his every disguise, he has a body of strong yet agile build. He is particularly flexible and muscled, allowing him to run very fast and do what we call 'free running', be it trees or urban environment.


Background:

Sakura was born as Kutsune Watanobi in a family of Shingoku assassins, in Suimeng, Reixue. As one of the Shingoku, he was forced early into training to the art of assassination by his parents, so that he may one day join them and bring honor to their family. His parents, Ishikawa, a Yul, and Kunoichi, a Feiri, were like minded when it came to raising their only son - they intended to teach him things clearly and intensely, right from the start. A single purpose was on their mind: to make him the ultimate assassin that would eventually be in lead the Shingoku, just like his great grandfather Hatori. His father guided Sakura and directed him towards the mastery of the infamous style of Sublimity the Shingoku used - the Steel Serpent style, taught him how to read and write, as well as transferred some of his wisdom to him through life lessons. His mother tutored him on the ways of the Shingoku, the art of espionage, and disguise; additionally, she taught him how to hunt, skin and cook animals. Through all the animals Sakura had observed, dead or alive, he gained an interest in their anatomy and studied it further, comparing it to his own in the way. He learned of the vital points of each organism, such as pressure points, and practiced killing animals using only his fists and chops - and then, as the years passed, on his targets.

Sakura had proven to be a far more defiant child than his parants had expected - in his teenage years, he became a thief, a rogue, although his family had no need of anymore riches. When the Watanobi family found out it was him, he humbly apologized to all of them, claiming he studied his target first, in order to steal from the wicked ones, and give his earnings to the poor. His parents showed trust in him, even if they did not believe him, and Sakura acknowledged and valued that, along with the life lessons they taught him. Ishikawa taught him that all people in the people of the republic are equals, and when Sakura asked him who the Shingoku thought they were, claiming lives for gold, he responded, 'you are not equal to the dead before you.' Sakura didn't fully agree with his father's logic, but never sought to argue with him.

Eventually, he joined the Shingoku at the age of seventeen. He proved to be worthy, a clever and quick Shingoku that delivered swift death from the shadows. Despite his age, he gained respect among his close family members, that were also Shingoku, and as two years passed, all the Shingoku that operated in Reixue came to know him. All this, until his failure to assassinate a local warlord - which ended in his capture, because his escape route was somehow blocked. He still believes to this day that it was one of his own that betrayed him, but he had no proof. His parents postponed his public execution until he was able to squeeze through the enhanced tightened bars of his cell, although that is rumored to be nothing but a myth. After his escape, he was forced to flee from the hidden eyes of the Shingoku, eventually leaving the country. Having nowhere else to go, he decided to become a traveling mercenary, as that is how he believed he would help people the most - and that's the way he would vanish truly.

"I trust myself in shadow."

Talents:

Sakura is a capable free runner, being able to climb almost anything, including trees. Being a yul, he has the ability to establish a higher communication with animals, whom he loves and pets. As he lived next to the forest where he did his early training, his mother taught him how to hunt and skin animals, thus learning a bit of their anatomy and studying his own from them as well. His parents trained him in the specifics of the Steel Serpent style, in assassination techniques, espionage, sabotage and disguise.

Legend: Ciefe, the Reticent Shadow

RP Sample: I've shown you before, no?
 
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Karma

♚ Here's looking at you, kid.
119
Posts
11
Years
Alright, so I have his background all written out, and before I proceed I wanted to know if it is alright? If there are any mistakes or whatnot you would like me to fix then I will gladly edit it. If not, then I will carry on to Personality and Appearance and Talents, and then it will be done. :)
 
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Cirrus

dreaming a transient dream.
1,577
Posts
14
Years
Minor nitpicks:

1st paragraph:

servants - missing an apostrophe (possessive?)
from all members of the noble family - by?
3rd paragraph:
inexperience - inexperienced?
8th paragraph:
refine - refined?

Also a general nitpick (though much less important) - gramarie / gramarist and theurgy are not proper nouns. So there you go.

Anyway, those aside - the raid ... probably wouldn't actually happen. Gramarists are pretty important to society in general. Try monstrous encounter (maybe during a hike in the mountains or something) instead. Otherwise history seems fine. Some small problems with the flow but those are unavoidable sometimes so I am not going to raise any concerns - though do clarify; "preparing for his role as Duke" means he's inheriting the title of peerage, right?
 
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