[Other FULL] Sealed Deal [OOC]

Ech · Feb 27, 2018

A Magical Girl Roleplay

Beyond the mortal realm lies the Astral World—home to the ethereal entities known as Angels, the selfless or self-righteous sentinels that watch over all of mankind. Life in the Astral World is dependent on Ether, a supernatural form of energy drawn from the hopes and dreams of people. To harvest ether, each Sanctuary assigns their Guardians with the task of exploring the dreams of humans to vanquish their Inner Demons.

Introduction

You assume the role of an inhabitant at Sanctuary #7. This particular Sanctuary is infamous for having the most inept, discordant and unproductive community. In fact, the standards are so low that a few demons take up residence at the Sanctuary—something that is both unprecedented and disgraceful among Angel society.

Due to the shortage of active Guardian, Sanctuary #7 could barely collect enough ether for life to flourish. In response to this ongoing drought, the Seraph overhauled the Sanctuary and its Divine Commandments. Every citizen was automatically promoted to Guardian, regardless of species and aptitude.

To deal with tepid attitudes, Guardians would be rewarded with Holy Tokens. This currency could be used to purchase special goods or get any hapless Guardian out of a bind. The value of these Tokens proved to be tremendous, and Guardians who save up their earnings could even obtain the title of Seraph for themselves!

The Goal

Your Objective is to complete any and all Expeditions—this Roleplay's variant on missions—that are planned out by the hierarchy and posted on the Quest Board, while your Superobjective is to earn as many Holy Tokens as you possibly can by successfully completing expedition runs before the end. The Guardian with the most Holy Tokens will be rewarded with the elusive gift of omnipotence—whatever that means.

Expeditions strictly take place inside the dreams of humans, and the environments of these worlds reflect the psyche of the patient—humans with troubled or unstable minds present more dangerous terrains that require a Guardian to take more precautions.

Expeditions are typically separated into two phases: Investigation and Exorcism. During the Investigation phase, Guardians are tasked with exploration and reconnaissance, and Exorcism focuses on subjugating targeted hostiles. The production of ether and the amount of Holy Tokens distributed will be based on how well the Guardians performed as a whole. It is also possible to fail an entire expedition.

Sanctuary #7 will only have a maximum of 8 Expeditions before the Roleplay ends.

Favors and Curses

By purchasing goods like enchanted armaments or delicious meals, Guardians can obtain special bonuses known as Favors. Beyond in-game benefits like augmenting your character's abilities, favors can also provide extensions on Deadlines. Favors are exclusive for expeditions and you are able to conserve them for later use. There is no limit to how many favors you can use at once—save them all up for the tougher obstacles! Favors can only be obtained with Holy Tokens or by helping NPCs.

On the other end, Curses are placed on a character who breaks any in-game rule, fails an event or if they have really bad luck. Curses will be disadvantageous and many require you to write in unconventional manners—failure to comply to the conditions of a curse will result in penalties such as losing favors or even a permanent ban! Curses only affect a character that is out on expeditions and they can thankfully be removed through some good ol' benediction.

If these mechanics are too complicated or you simply dislike these elements, there is an option to participate without them.

Deadlines and Duties

The main gimmick for this Roleplay, and it even correlates with the plot—how conveniently contrived! Whenever you decide to participate in an expedition, you have a set amount of time to respond to the last viable post or your character slot becomes forfeit. Under normal circumstances, you cannot reclaim your spot after failing to meet a Deadline.

Oh, what's this? Actual responsibilities? All these obligations are intimidating! Don't worry—so as long as you remain in Sanctuary, you will never be removed from play. While as a Guardian you are bound to your duties, there is technically nothing stopping you from skipping out on expeditions and other events that impose these Deadlines. Of course, there isn't a lot you can do in Sanctuary that will help progress the plot and your character will probably be belittled by literally everyone for how useless and irrelevant they are—but, hey, at least you'll exist!

Different species abide on different Deadlines, and certain missions or conditions may alter your set Deadline.

Your Commandments

Thou shalt respect the GM's requests.

If there are any concerns or issues regarding anything, please contact me via Private Message or Discord.

Thou shalt respect the Rating.

The Rating is T. Please refrain from any explicit scenes of violence and profanity, and do keep the romance mild.

Thou shalt not usurp thy God.

Absolutely no Godmodding or Bunnying is allowed. If you miss a Deadline, your spot will automatically be freed up. However, do not mistake me as ruthless—if you are dealing with any real life hardships that are actively preventing you from writing, simply remember to inform me prior to your Deadline and not after. I will make sure to inform you of your Deadlines.

Honor thy fellow Guardians.

I'll leave this OOC thread open to both participants and readers, so please remember to be courteous.

Ech · Feb 28, 2018

ESSENTIALS

ooc ~ ic ~ [alink id="magic"]magic[/alink id] ~ [alink id="pc"]playable characters[/alink id] ~ [alink id="npc"]non-playable characters[/alink id] ~ [alink id="faq"]faq[/alink id] ~ [alink id="app"]applications[/alink id]

Species

[a id]pc[/a id]

Angels

The main inhabitants of the Astral World. As an immortal species, these celestial creatures can live forever but they can succumb to unnatural maladies or fatal wounds. Though their appearance varies, the angels of Sanctuary #7 resemble female humans with feather wings. Their wingspan is dependent on the amount of ether they possess—wings are typically absent on a weakened or dormant angel. However, the maximum length as well as the shape and design can vary between individuals.

As humans serve as the primary source of ether, angels are obligated to serve humanity as their vigilant sentinels and defend them from their own inner demons. Despite this symbiotic relationship, most angels have a poor understanding of human culture and misconstrue many of their conventions.

Angels have only a total of Six Days to post during their expeditions. As mentioned before, failure to meet a Deadline will immediately result in a player's removal. Favors can extend this strict Deadline but beware of curses that can drop the Deadline to just a single day!

Demons

These wicked monsters are perversions of lost souls, their forms reflecting the sins of man. Every demon begins their life cycle as an Acedian—voracious fiends that endlessly feed off of ether. Guardians frequently hunt down acedians for their influence can leave a human in a listless state, preventing them from producing any more ether. Though the acedian is an infant stage, what makes them dangerous is their unpredictable and ruthless nature.

When an acedian manages to survive long enough, they eventually mature into a sentient being and attain the ability to wield magic as effectively as angels. Though every demon is born as a mindless beast, not all of them become inherently malicious. But as all demons produce an odor odious to other species, they are normally ostracized by Angel society—the only exception to this are Succubi.

Demons are completely immune to the effects of curses. Having been spawned from the depths of man's dreams, their set Deadline on expeditions will always be two weeks. But due to their heritage, they cannot earn any favors and some if not all services will be unavailable to them.

Ether

[a id]magic[/a id]

Every being from the Astral World is completely comprised out of ether, and as a result, they all share an aptitude for Magic. Though it is vast, ether is not infinite and it is possible for beings to perish if they do not actively replenish their reserves of energy. While it is possible for one to adsorb surrounding ether, this is a gradual process and most inhabitants prefer to consume it orally for taste.

A Guardian can channel their ether to perform special abilities known as Spells. Though there are training courses that teach the fundamental basics, most seasoned Guardians are encouraged to rely on their own ingenuity and devise their own techniques. While all magical beings can naturally perform spells on their own, the caster must sacrifice a portion of their own life force to execute any spell—the stronger the spell, the more energy is required. As excessive usage will result in death, it is imperative for all mages to maintain a healthy diet and ensure they're always in tip-top shape.

In its purest form, ether can be detected as orbs of light. Ether comes in five elemental variants that yield different properties when consumed, and which type can be identified by color. Though some mages prefer specializing in a single element for optimization, it is not impossible to utilize all five variants for one's repertoire. Two of these five variants can be mixed to create more advanced spells.

Note: the use of magic is only authorized on expeditions. The influence of a Seraph's overwhelming power prevents Guardians from using any of their spells inside a Sanctuary.

Gold Ether

In its raw state, this ether exudes a tremendous amount of heat. When utilized for spells, gold ether can produce sparks of kinetic energy—explosions. Though its effects are instantaneous, this variant excels in offense. Gold ether directly affects the user's physical strength.

Blue Ether

A gelatinous form of energy that acts as a balm and is capable of absorbing incoming attacks. Though this variant is difficult to control, it can expand itself over long stretches of land and temporarily become solid by freezing. Blue ether directly affects the user's perception.

Pink Ether

A strange type of ether that only affects acedians. This variant enables the user to capture and domesticate an acedian, confining a single creature to a spell. Acedians under the influence of pink ether gradually evolve into familiars. Pink ether directly affects the user's "charm".

White Ether

All angels and demons are composed of white ether. This variant can transform into a state of hard light. This unique feature allows users to construct sturdy weaponry. By binding arms to a spell, the user is able to summon it at will. White ether directly affects the user's vitality.

Green Ether

This variant exerts an aura that manipulates wind and electrical currents. The influence of this ether is strong enough to even distort the fabrics of space and allow the user to warp themselves or their target across certain distances. Green ether directly affects the user's agility.

Characters

[a id]npc[/a id]

The Seraph

Though Seraphs are typically staunch with their convictions for a totalitarian society, the Seraph of Sanctuary #7 enforces her liberal ideologies and expends all of her efforts to bring equality. However, her propensity to overlook travesties and refusal to denounce others was the reason demons were able to easily encroach on her domain. On top of that, she can seem somewhat frivolous due to how often she waives formalities to emphasize on crude humor.

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Her fixation on human culture led to her basing many of her commandments on their interpretations of angels. While she is normally attentive, appealing to her specific interests may still be salubrious in the long-run.

Your average Gamemaster.

The Dominion

Known for her tremendous strength and callous quips, the Dominion serves as the Guardians' hard-nosed overseer. Conscientious about her reputation as an authority figure, her attempts to soften her harsh parlance with euphemisms may appear passive-aggressive at best and blatantly smarmy at worst. She dislikes conversing with others on an intimate level.

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With the FORCE OF A COLLAPSING STAR, she can transport anyone back to Sanctuary during an expedition. This is useful for those who find themselves in a pinch or if they cannot meet a Deadline. Be warned that you will lose out on rewards, and if you're on bad terms with the Dominion, she might abruptly send you back.

Gosh, it must be pretty chilly underneath!

The Principality

Perhaps having spent centuries isolated inside the Grand Library led to this pint-sized oddball developing into such a maladjusted and conceited cynic. The Principality bites off more than she can chew and to compensate for her defeatist attitude, she is quick to blame others for her own shortcomings. Given her constant failures to produce when assigned with a task, one can only wonder why the Seraph decided to keep this capricious angel around.

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Those who try to support the Principality only wind up with a migraine. Instead, calling out on her hypocritical logic and lambasting her in front of other important figures will net you favors. But try not to be too hard on her or you might regret it.

The empty space above her makes her uneasy.

The Vesta

It's not every day one sees a demon in a clergy, and the sight of a vamp dressed like a nun sounds like a pervert's fetish. But in spite of her heritage as a Succubus, the Vesta of Sanctuary #7 abstains from any salacious behavior—not out of religious obligations but simply due to her own childish innocence. Even when her aphrodisiac pheromones inadvertently garners a sizable horde of admirers, she is completely oblivious towards love.

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As a certified priest, the Vesta can offer benediction and remove any and all curses placed on a Guardian. As for her fellow demons, she can provide some of her patented milk to boost magic. Her services seem helpful... too bad she's rarely around!

Asexual Succubus priest.

The Magpie

This androgynous, unkempt spook can seem rather off-putting due to how she can suddenly appear before others. Though she may exude a quiet air to her calm disposition, a facetious firebrand with an affinity for chaos lies beneath that exterior. Guardians should remain wary, for this enigmatic character can be insidious with her malicious intents.

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With her bizarre sense of morality, the Magpie evidently views things a little differently—through a bit of persuasion and bribery, the Magpie can violate certain rules and grant any Guardian access to some crazy exploits. Alternatively, she can place curses on others but why anyone would want to do this is beyond her.

Insert text here.

The Heroine

It was said that only a handful of humans possess the ability to wield magic, and the Heroine happens to be one of these humans. After being rejected by countless academies due to her violent impulses and delusional sense of pride, this brash barbarian inadvertently created a powerful spell that opens up a portal leading into the Astral World. While this was a grand discovery, she also has no idea how to return to her own dimension.

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During expeditions, you will sometimes encounter this Heroine during one of her misadventures. While she may seem too ham-handed to pose any threat at first, it would still be wise to watch out for her Fire Magic—it's so nasty powerful, it can even turn blue!

SO BADASS, SHE CAN EVEN BLINK!

FAQ

[a id]faq[/a id]

Spoiler:

(Q) Can Angels be male?
Angels are an inherently genderless species and they're actually regarded as eldritch abominations. However, their malleable appearance allows for easy transformations. A few Sanctuaries follow a visual motif that its citizens abide by, and Sanctuary #7's theme happens to revolve around the Magical Girl genre—this is why almost everyone in the community is depicted and identified as a female. The in-universe justification for this aesthetic is that the Seraph wants her Guardians to appear less daunting to humans.

(Q) You mentioned Succubus—what other kinds of Demons are there?
Sentient demons are pretty much counterparts to angels, thus they too have the ability to transform and alter their appearances. Succubus are just the most well known sub-species thanks to their useful abilities in dreams.

(Q) Can I play as a male Demon?
You sure do want to play as a guy in my Magical Girl Roleplay.

(Q) So are Angels like humans?
As mentioned earlier, the angels of Sanctuary #7 share a resemblance to humans albeit loosely. In terms of how they act, angels are pretty much alien in nature and they poorly understand human culture.

(Q) Are there any information regarding the other Sanctuaries?
For the sake of leaving things open-ended, information regarding the other Sanctuaries is intentionally left ambiguous, and every Sanctuary can be drastically different from each other. The only universal law is that every Sanctuary runs on an oligarchical system, where society is governed by the hierarchy—this is true for Sanctuary #7 despite its apparent focus on egalitarianism. While the Roleplay strictly takes place in Sanctuary #7, it is possible to allude to other Sanctuaries throughout the story. Your character can also originate from these other Sanctuaries, and you can supplement to this Roleplay's lore through some world-building if you wish.

(Q) What does a Sanctuary, the location itself, look like?
The simplest picture is to envision Sanctuaries as floating islands above the clouds. As stated above, the actual infrastructure of Sanctuaries can vary—some may imitate human cities while others are completely alien in design. The layout of Sanctuary #7 is streamlined into a compact hub and it is most likely smaller compared to the other Sanctuaries; a basic map detailing every attraction will be provided for Sanctuary #7 later.

(Q) What's the tone for this Roleplay?
To avoid complete tonal dissonance, this Roleplay is very tongue in cheek. While the emphasis on exploring dreams opens up for some psychological themes that approach darker territory, the general tone is consistently light and comical with even some fourth wall jokes.

(Q) How many players will you be accepting?
For the initial start, I will be only be accepting a total of six players—this is simply to make management less stressful for myself so I don't end up like one of those GMs who immediately quits and so I can properly assess each applications prior to the IC thread. But given the Roleplay's set-up, it's very likely for me to extend the roster to an infinite amount if I feel like it.

(Q) Can I make my own NPCs?
Absolutely, and there's no real limit to how many you can write. Of course, I need to be given a brief summary of additional assets to see if they're applicable for the setting. And if you're willing to put in the extra effort or you simply have no life outside this sub-forum, you can even write out applications for other characters. Be aware that expeditions and other important events are exclusive for your first or main character.

(Q) How do Expeditions work?
Expeditions are really just missions with another name. While the objectives will always be the same, each "level" presents a specific gimmick your characters must work around. As for how to participate—at any time, your character can approach the Quest Board (which is conveniently also a portal) and select any of the available expeditions. Note that once a character joins an expedition run, they cannot normally return back to the Sanctuary and must adhere to their given Deadlines.

(Q) Can I join an Expedition that's currently ongoing?
Absolutely. Your character can only arrive in areas with at least one player character present. Who knows, you might end up as a Deus Ex Machina... or you might wind up drowning in a pit of leeches alongside your comrade.

(Q) If post Deadlines only apply for missions, what happens if everybody just stays at the Sanctuary?
Then the Roleplay dies. The End.

(Q) How do deadlines affect Joint Posts?
Joint Posts will not receive any extensions beyond the use of favors. Every player abides on their own individual Deadline and collaborating with another player with a longer Deadline will not extend your own. The penalty of missing a Deadline will be the same even for a Joint Post, and they will only apply to the person who is overdue.

(Q) I don't like you imposing all these Deadlines, could you remove them?
Your parents probably don't like you but they decided to keep you around.

(Q) YOU'RE A BIG MEANIE WHO HURT MY FEES FEES SO I'M NOT JOINING
That wasn't a question but okay.

(Q) Meep.
Well, clearly I lost all care on making this FAQ actually helpful.

(Q) Discord server?
Accepted players may join a Discord server I will create shortly after the IC goes up. I want to clarify that the purpose for this other server is to organize Joint Posts, sharing ideas between players and some random trivia—it is not meant to replace the RPT's own server nor it is a place for off-topic conversation. If you wish to shitpost, just do it in this OOC thread. C:

(Q) What even is a cool concept?
As I skipped out on making an Interest Check or a Workshop, I had to work on this Roleplay entirely on my own without being able to rely on any feedback. My foresight is far from perfect so if there's anything that seems puzzling or off, I implore you to ask about them and I will update this FAQ. Also, I can and will make appropriate adjustments to mechanics and details if necessary.

Please bear in mind that this is my first time acting as GM—many things here are experimental and serve as a means to practice my own management skills, but ultimately the purpose of my project is to have fun. If there any issues or concerns, you are free to contact me.

Application

[a id]app[/a id]

Name

Only a first name is required; surnames are very uncommon in the Astral World but they do exist. Titles and/or Aliases should be listed separately if present.

Species

Select only one from the list above. There are no half-breeds or humans, and remember that each species have their own inherent characteristics and disadvantages.

Appearance

Self-explanatory. Images are allowed though I still require a written portion in order to be a little uniform. Please be concise with appearance—I don't want a wall of text dedicated to your character's bracelet unless you're taking the satirical approach.

Spells

You have up to a maximum of four slots for customized spells. it is not recommended to fall on basic abilities (like shooting a Fire Ball) as each spell can only be used a total of three times (two for advanced spells) per expedition. The only exception to this limit are any spells that craft weapons (White Ether) and spells that can summon a familiar (Pink Ether)—the former can be used an infinite amount of times while the latter can only be cast once. The duration of spells can last up to a maximum of three posts that involve an action (i.e., not just dialogue exchanges).

Though spells will be used to deal with obstacles, be aware that combat isn't always preferable or even possible at times so sometimes it's better to rely on cunning over brute force. Please provide a thorough description for each spell you list, and explain how you'll use them in practice. I'm going to allow leeway for creativity here, but I am going to assess every spell to see if they're appropriate.

If you wish to be the most tragic Magical Girl ever, you can sign up without any spells. It is a legit option, but...

Background

At least a paragraph for your character's history. While I will allow for some vague details, try not to hide any "surprises" from me since I need to know if anything feels too incongruous to the setting.

Prompt

Write a non-canon piece in response to one of the following listed below. Note that while you may create extra characters for this exercise, the focus should be kept on introducing your character's individual voice. This should be at least three paragraphs.

Spoiler:

Ice1 · Mar 3, 2018

Echieboi, my sweetie, I'll have an SU up before the site dies.

[Other FULL] Sealed Deal [OOC]

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Ech

Ech

Ice1

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