Gunpowder
OOC | IC | GM | Wanted List | Etherpad | Theme
Welcome to Jeimas, a large and influential country famous for the skill and power of the sorcerers it produces. The north of Jeimas, where the capital of Orhurst is located, is a land of plenty where the government's influence keeps everyone happy, healthy and safe. The climate here ranges mostly from cool to warm (bar the mountains of the far north) and the land always gets the right amount of rain, never too much and never too little. The north of Jeimas is like heaven on Earth.
That's the north, the further south you go in Jeimas the worse that things get. Especially once you reach the Barren Lands and the Great Chasm. The Barren Lands are an enormous desert that fills the entirety of lowest reaches of Jeimas until you reach the sea – well they assume that's how it works, nobody has ever made if far enough through the Barren Lands to find out. In the Barren Lands the ground is almost entirely covered in coarse, orange sand and there are few rivers or lakes. During the day those who live there experience scorching heat, during the night they experience bone-chilling cold. Food is scarce in the Barren Lands, communities rely upon cattle ranches for their supplies of meat and milk and many poor families frequently are forced to go without meat if they can't catch or keep their own – which is not always an easy feet. Perhaps the worst aspect of living in the South however is the crime. The reach of the government is weak in the Barren Lands, which has allowed numerous outlaws to emerge and thrive without the law to oppose them. Overstretched, outmatched and outnumbered law enforcement in the Barren Lands are often forced to rely upon bounty hunters to handle criminals, and even then there's always another outlaw to take a captured ones place… assuming they don't get there first and take control of the territory themselves in the first place.
The worst cases of this affliction can be found in the Great Chasm, an enormous crater within the Barren Lands filled with small communities. The Great Chasm is extremely isolated from the outside world, but is also dependent upon trade with the outside to survive. This is why work is being done in an attempt to expand the small railway line inside the Chasm to link it with the major north-south line. Until then though, horses and carts are used to transport goods to cities outside the Chasm, which is very slow and inefficient and a large part of why those within the Chasm are poverty stricken. If the north of Jeimas is heaven on Earth, the south is hell.
You are either a rookie bounty hunter, working out of Janet's Bounty Hunting Agency in Spider's Hollow, or a fledgling outlaw. You are also however, a sorcerer. For as I said earlier, Jeimas is a country of magic and even in the Barren Lands spellcasters can be found using their abilities to commit crimes or to capture those who do. Many bounty hunters and outlaws alike have some degree of magical ability.
Bounty Hunters – As a bounty hunter, you will begin your story working under a crotchety, old ex-bounty hunter named Janet. She was once a formidable force in the Barren Lands until she was injured attempting to capture one of the "Big Bads". As a bounty hunter it is your job to make money by catching criminals and collecting their bounties. The more experience you get as a bounty hunter, the more powerful you will become and your rank as a sorcerer will grow to match. The ultimate goal of a bounty hunter is to not only break off from their agency and to free-lance successfully (so they can keep the entirety of the money they earn) but to eventually build up enough finances and reputation to open an agency of their own. One should not be fooled into thinking that bounty hunters are all allies though, it's a hard life and competing bounty hunters will often go to extreme lengths to capture their mark, even at the expense of their fellows.
Outlaws – As an outlaw you will begin either working under a more notorious criminal, or committing small robberies and raids of your own. As an outlaw your goal is to steal and extort to make money and to take out anyone who stands in your way. The more your own bounty increases and the more powerful and notorious you get, the higher your rank as a sorcerer will grow and the closer you'll get to the end goal. The end goal of most outlaws is to become notorious and powerful enough to be categorised as one of the near-legendary "Big Bads" who dwell within the Barren Lands – the ten worst criminals alive who even most bounty hunters try to avoid. The life of an outlaw is not an easy one either, you will not only have to successfully steal, extort and kill to earn your money – escaping the clutches of the law and bounty hunters both in the process – but you will also often be forced into turf disputes and conflicts with other criminals seeking the same things you are.
Gunpowder is predominantly a sandbox roleplay in which you may go about fulfilling the roles of your character in any ways you see fit, thus resulting in the development of plots. Events I throw in along the way, such as the eventual appearances of some of the "Big Bads", will also serve to develop plots within the roleplay. The roleplay does have an ending planned, but that's for me to reveal later.
In this roleplay there a certain mechanics to consider, mostly surrounding magic. There are three categories of spells, these are
In addition to these three categories, most spells are of an elemental nature being affiliated with fire, water, earth, wind or electricity. At first sorcerers only have access to one element, however as they become more powerful they gain access to more elements. It should also be noted however, that some spells are non-elemental and can be used regardless of a sorcerer's affinities.
All sorcerers possess the innate ability to use magic, but in order to actually use this ability they require a spellbook, something not easy to come by. The further away a spellbook is from its owner, the harder it is to use magic and should a spellbook be destroyed the owner will not be able to use their spells unless they can somehow claim a new one. For this reason criminals who are captured always have their books burned and often do the same to their enemies.
As characters either capture more criminals or commit more crimes, their rank as a sorcerer will gradually increase to match their reputation, their power growing along with their rank. A character's rank, determines the kinds of spells they are able to use, expanding the number of spells they can use and the power of their magic. The ranks are as follows
As can be seen in the points above, at first you will be able to only use weak spells of one element. Three of these will be generic "stock spells" listed below, whilst two will be custom spells of your own creation. In addition to magic, your character will also be able to use weaponry similar to that of the weaponry available in the Old West (ie. Revolvers, knives, shotguns and hunting rifles, and nothing automatic). In Jeimas, electricity has been discovered, however in the South fires and gas lamps are generally still the majority, flames are used for cooking and most travel is done on foot or on horseback as the steam engine trains are used only for transporting goods or on occasion miners who are returning home from the site.
Spider's Hollow
Spider's Hollow is a small but rather central town located in the Great Chasm. It is notable only for it's popular tavern and for the bounty-hunting agency located there. Most of the breadwinners from Spider's Hollow earn their income trading with the many travellers who pass through or by working in other nearby towns such as the nearby mining town Gilded Brook.
Gilded Brook
A town slightly larger than the nearby Spider's Hollow that is populated primarily by miners and their families. The town got its name when prospectors discovered gold by panning the nearby river, something that lead to the discovery of rich gold deposits nearby. Gilded Brook is frequently targeted by bandits raiding the stores of gold.
The Great Chasm
The Great Chasm is an enormous crater located deep into the Barren Lands. Nobody is sure exactly how such a large crater came to be but since its discovery several small settlements have sprung into life within the Chasm due to it's rich mineral deposits and easily defensible location. Most towns inside the Chasm are only hours away by horseback.
The Barren Lands
The Barren Lands are a large desert region located in the south of the continent of Jeimas. Towns in the Barren Lands are primarily known for mining and livestock as well as for having higher crime rates and harsher climates than locations in the north.
Ironhaven
Ironhaven is one of very few large cities in The Barren Lands and is located several days travel away from the entrance to The Great Chasm – Sinking Road. Merchants and traders from the nearby small towns flock to this city to sell their goods and it is one of the few places with a decent government presence. Ironhaven is well known for being the best place to learn sorcery in the south of Jeimas and is characterised by its enormous stone walls.
Larkin
The largest town in the Great Chasm, Larkin is located right near the edge of the Chasm close to the entrance. Residents from Larkin earn their income as farmers on the outskirts of the town, as workers maintaining Sinking Road, as tradesman, working on excavating a railroad tunnel or as miners at the nearby town of Wrench.
Wrench
Wrench was the smallest town in the Chasm and, like Gilded Brook, was a mining town. The entire community of this town was dedicated to mining the various ores and minerals found underground and within the sides of the Great Chasm.
After the events surrounding Cosma and Veralice, the town of Wrench was destroyed. All that remains of the town now are a few barely standing, deserted, buildings and piles of wood, metal and other debris that used to be the rest of the town. Some have begun trying to rebuild but progress is slow and costly without support from the Northern companies that run most of the mines.
Silverston
Silverston is a mining community located not far from The Great Chasm. It is a town far larger than most in the Chasm, bar maybe Larkin, and is tough competition for the mining towns there as it is responsible for not only the largest silver mine in the world, but also for smaller platinum and iron ore mines.
Fairbell
Fairbell is a town not much larger than Wrench. It is located only a few hours from Spider's Hollow and is notable only for its small but beautiful church. There are no religious buildings in Spiders Hollow or Gilded Brook, so religious individuals from those towns often visit here.
Orhurst
Situated far to the north of the Great Chasm, well outside of the Barren Lands, is the city of Orhurst – the capital of Jeimas. This city is enormous with many well-maintained cobble streets and is the home of many government buildings, businesses and houses – although only the richest live in the large inner city houses. Most residents live on the outskirts of the city with farms and plantations being the furthest out properties. Orhurst is home to the greatest educational facilities in the world including Skyrith Academy, a school and university dedicated to not only educating people, but also producing great sorcerers.
I will be accepting players until I feel it is becoming too many to handle.
OOC | IC | GM | Wanted List | Etherpad | Theme
Introduction
Welcome to Jeimas, a large and influential country famous for the skill and power of the sorcerers it produces. The north of Jeimas, where the capital of Orhurst is located, is a land of plenty where the government's influence keeps everyone happy, healthy and safe. The climate here ranges mostly from cool to warm (bar the mountains of the far north) and the land always gets the right amount of rain, never too much and never too little. The north of Jeimas is like heaven on Earth.
That's the north, the further south you go in Jeimas the worse that things get. Especially once you reach the Barren Lands and the Great Chasm. The Barren Lands are an enormous desert that fills the entirety of lowest reaches of Jeimas until you reach the sea – well they assume that's how it works, nobody has ever made if far enough through the Barren Lands to find out. In the Barren Lands the ground is almost entirely covered in coarse, orange sand and there are few rivers or lakes. During the day those who live there experience scorching heat, during the night they experience bone-chilling cold. Food is scarce in the Barren Lands, communities rely upon cattle ranches for their supplies of meat and milk and many poor families frequently are forced to go without meat if they can't catch or keep their own – which is not always an easy feet. Perhaps the worst aspect of living in the South however is the crime. The reach of the government is weak in the Barren Lands, which has allowed numerous outlaws to emerge and thrive without the law to oppose them. Overstretched, outmatched and outnumbered law enforcement in the Barren Lands are often forced to rely upon bounty hunters to handle criminals, and even then there's always another outlaw to take a captured ones place… assuming they don't get there first and take control of the territory themselves in the first place.
The worst cases of this affliction can be found in the Great Chasm, an enormous crater within the Barren Lands filled with small communities. The Great Chasm is extremely isolated from the outside world, but is also dependent upon trade with the outside to survive. This is why work is being done in an attempt to expand the small railway line inside the Chasm to link it with the major north-south line. Until then though, horses and carts are used to transport goods to cities outside the Chasm, which is very slow and inefficient and a large part of why those within the Chasm are poverty stricken. If the north of Jeimas is heaven on Earth, the south is hell.
You
You are either a rookie bounty hunter, working out of Janet's Bounty Hunting Agency in Spider's Hollow, or a fledgling outlaw. You are also however, a sorcerer. For as I said earlier, Jeimas is a country of magic and even in the Barren Lands spellcasters can be found using their abilities to commit crimes or to capture those who do. Many bounty hunters and outlaws alike have some degree of magical ability.
Bounty Hunters – As a bounty hunter, you will begin your story working under a crotchety, old ex-bounty hunter named Janet. She was once a formidable force in the Barren Lands until she was injured attempting to capture one of the "Big Bads". As a bounty hunter it is your job to make money by catching criminals and collecting their bounties. The more experience you get as a bounty hunter, the more powerful you will become and your rank as a sorcerer will grow to match. The ultimate goal of a bounty hunter is to not only break off from their agency and to free-lance successfully (so they can keep the entirety of the money they earn) but to eventually build up enough finances and reputation to open an agency of their own. One should not be fooled into thinking that bounty hunters are all allies though, it's a hard life and competing bounty hunters will often go to extreme lengths to capture their mark, even at the expense of their fellows.
Outlaws – As an outlaw you will begin either working under a more notorious criminal, or committing small robberies and raids of your own. As an outlaw your goal is to steal and extort to make money and to take out anyone who stands in your way. The more your own bounty increases and the more powerful and notorious you get, the higher your rank as a sorcerer will grow and the closer you'll get to the end goal. The end goal of most outlaws is to become notorious and powerful enough to be categorised as one of the near-legendary "Big Bads" who dwell within the Barren Lands – the ten worst criminals alive who even most bounty hunters try to avoid. The life of an outlaw is not an easy one either, you will not only have to successfully steal, extort and kill to earn your money – escaping the clutches of the law and bounty hunters both in the process – but you will also often be forced into turf disputes and conflicts with other criminals seeking the same things you are.
Gameplay
Gunpowder is predominantly a sandbox roleplay in which you may go about fulfilling the roles of your character in any ways you see fit, thus resulting in the development of plots. Events I throw in along the way, such as the eventual appearances of some of the "Big Bads", will also serve to develop plots within the roleplay. The roleplay does have an ending planned, but that's for me to reveal later.
In this roleplay there a certain mechanics to consider, mostly surrounding magic. There are three categories of spells, these are
- Black Magic – Offensive spells, or spells that negatively affect a target
- White Magic – Defensive spells, or spells that positively affect a target
- Grey Magic – Spells that are neither offensive nor defensive by nature but that could be used for either purpose depending on the thinking of the user.
In addition to these three categories, most spells are of an elemental nature being affiliated with fire, water, earth, wind or electricity. At first sorcerers only have access to one element, however as they become more powerful they gain access to more elements. It should also be noted however, that some spells are non-elemental and can be used regardless of a sorcerer's affinities.
All sorcerers possess the innate ability to use magic, but in order to actually use this ability they require a spellbook, something not easy to come by. The further away a spellbook is from its owner, the harder it is to use magic and should a spellbook be destroyed the owner will not be able to use their spells unless they can somehow claim a new one. For this reason criminals who are captured always have their books burned and often do the same to their enemies.
As characters either capture more criminals or commit more crimes, their rank as a sorcerer will gradually increase to match their reputation, their power growing along with their rank. A character's rank, determines the kinds of spells they are able to use, expanding the number of spells they can use and the power of their magic. The ranks are as follows
- Rank One - Initiate: Weak spells, one element, two custom – Five spells
- Rank Two – Noviciate: Moderate spells, one element, three custom – Eight spells
- Rank Three – Moderate: Moderate spells, two elements, five custom – Twelve spells
- Rank Four – Accomplished: Moderate spells, three elements, six custom – Fifteen spells
- Rank Five – Veteran: High Spells, three elements, eight custom – Twenty spells
- Ranks Six – Superior: High Spells, four elements, ten custom – Twenty-two spells
- Rank Seven – Master: High spells, any elements, thirteen custom – Twenty-seven spells
As can be seen in the points above, at first you will be able to only use weak spells of one element. Three of these will be generic "stock spells" listed below, whilst two will be custom spells of your own creation. In addition to magic, your character will also be able to use weaponry similar to that of the weaponry available in the Old West (ie. Revolvers, knives, shotguns and hunting rifles, and nothing automatic). In Jeimas, electricity has been discovered, however in the South fires and gas lamps are generally still the majority, flames are used for cooking and most travel is done on foot or on horseback as the steam engine trains are used only for transporting goods or on occasion miners who are returning home from the site.
Stock Spells
Black Magic
Black Magic
- Elemental Burst – Fire: A fireball is launched at the target.
- Elemental Burst – Water: A pressurised globe of water is thrown at the target. It explodes with a violent spray on impact.
- Elemental Burst – Air: A concussive blast of air.
- Elemental Burst – Earth: A large rock is formed or levitated and launched at the target.
- Elemental Burst – Electricity: An electric shockwave is sent at the target. It has the capability to stun those it hits.
- Minor Jinx: Causes sudden, but rapidly disappearing, bad luck.
- Hex of Pain: If this spell hits it causes pain throughout the targets body.
White Magic
- Elemental Shield – Fire: Causes a ring or dome of flames to form around one's vicinity. This is effective at stopping physical or most average magical attacks but can't stop bullets.
- Elemental Shield – Water: Forms a bubble around the user. This is great for deflecting most physical or magical attacks but will pop if cut or hit with bullets.
- Elemental Shield – Earth: A stone structure – generally a wall – is produced. Excellent for blocking physical attacks or weapon attacks but ineffective against many magical attacks.
- Elemental Shield – Air: A short acting blast of air in all directions that nullifies any average attack for an extremely short period of time.
- Elemental Shield – Electricity: A matrix of electrical charges are formed around the user. This deflects all physical attacks and some magical attacks but leaves the user vulnerable to bullets and most magical attacks.
- Minor Healing: Heals small wounds with ease and with time and patience moderate wounds relatively well. More serious wounds are beyond this spell's capability.
- Minor Nullification: Nullify weak jinxes or hexes and slightly weakens more powerful ones.
Grey Magic
- Blink: Teleport to a nearby location instantly so long as it is visible and not magically protected.
- Minor Repulsion: Repel objects (inanimate or living) in the immediate vicinity. Potential for offensive or defensive use but ineffective on spells.
- Summon Weak Familiar: Summons a familiar, typically a spirit animal of small to moderate size and practically never a mythological creature bar the most minor of imps. With practice specific familiars may be called.
- Summon Small Object: Summon a small inanimate object. Along with the next, this spell is pretty much the reason criminals now have their spellbooks burned. It is far easier to summon an object you are familiar with.
- Short-Distance Portal: A portal that allows you to move from one side of a wall or locked door to the other. Criminals must always have their spellbooks burned.
Sign-Up Sheet
Name:
Age (16+):
Gender:
Status (Bounty Hunter or Outlaw?):
Personality:
Appearance (Image, written or both):
Element (Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Electricity):
Weaponry:
3 Stock Spells:
2 Custom Spells (and a description of each):
Roleplay Sample: Either write a day in the life of your character for this RP, or include a link to another RP.
Age (16+):
Gender:
Status (Bounty Hunter or Outlaw?):
Personality:
Appearance (Image, written or both):
Element (Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Electricity):
Weaponry:
3 Stock Spells:
2 Custom Spells (and a description of each):
Roleplay Sample: Either write a day in the life of your character for this RP, or include a link to another RP.
Rules
- GM word is law
- All RPC rules apply
- Do not god mod and do not bunny without permission – if you don't know what these terms mean refer to RPC rules.
- The GM will determine when your character's rank increases (although you're welcome to request this if you feel you have a good reason). When your rank is increased you will receive a PM with a list of the new spells available to you.
- Be respectful in the OOC at all times
- Try to get a post in at least every two weeks.
Locations
Spider's Hollow
Spider's Hollow is a small but rather central town located in the Great Chasm. It is notable only for it's popular tavern and for the bounty-hunting agency located there. Most of the breadwinners from Spider's Hollow earn their income trading with the many travellers who pass through or by working in other nearby towns such as the nearby mining town Gilded Brook.
Gilded Brook
A town slightly larger than the nearby Spider's Hollow that is populated primarily by miners and their families. The town got its name when prospectors discovered gold by panning the nearby river, something that lead to the discovery of rich gold deposits nearby. Gilded Brook is frequently targeted by bandits raiding the stores of gold.
The Great Chasm
The Great Chasm is an enormous crater located deep into the Barren Lands. Nobody is sure exactly how such a large crater came to be but since its discovery several small settlements have sprung into life within the Chasm due to it's rich mineral deposits and easily defensible location. Most towns inside the Chasm are only hours away by horseback.
The Barren Lands
The Barren Lands are a large desert region located in the south of the continent of Jeimas. Towns in the Barren Lands are primarily known for mining and livestock as well as for having higher crime rates and harsher climates than locations in the north.
Ironhaven
Ironhaven is one of very few large cities in The Barren Lands and is located several days travel away from the entrance to The Great Chasm – Sinking Road. Merchants and traders from the nearby small towns flock to this city to sell their goods and it is one of the few places with a decent government presence. Ironhaven is well known for being the best place to learn sorcery in the south of Jeimas and is characterised by its enormous stone walls.
Larkin
The largest town in the Great Chasm, Larkin is located right near the edge of the Chasm close to the entrance. Residents from Larkin earn their income as farmers on the outskirts of the town, as workers maintaining Sinking Road, as tradesman, working on excavating a railroad tunnel or as miners at the nearby town of Wrench.
Wrench
Wrench was the smallest town in the Chasm and, like Gilded Brook, was a mining town. The entire community of this town was dedicated to mining the various ores and minerals found underground and within the sides of the Great Chasm.
After the events surrounding Cosma and Veralice, the town of Wrench was destroyed. All that remains of the town now are a few barely standing, deserted, buildings and piles of wood, metal and other debris that used to be the rest of the town. Some have begun trying to rebuild but progress is slow and costly without support from the Northern companies that run most of the mines.
Silverston
Silverston is a mining community located not far from The Great Chasm. It is a town far larger than most in the Chasm, bar maybe Larkin, and is tough competition for the mining towns there as it is responsible for not only the largest silver mine in the world, but also for smaller platinum and iron ore mines.
Fairbell
Fairbell is a town not much larger than Wrench. It is located only a few hours from Spider's Hollow and is notable only for its small but beautiful church. There are no religious buildings in Spiders Hollow or Gilded Brook, so religious individuals from those towns often visit here.
Orhurst
Situated far to the north of the Great Chasm, well outside of the Barren Lands, is the city of Orhurst – the capital of Jeimas. This city is enormous with many well-maintained cobble streets and is the home of many government buildings, businesses and houses – although only the richest live in the large inner city houses. Most residents live on the outskirts of the city with farms and plantations being the furthest out properties. Orhurst is home to the greatest educational facilities in the world including Skyrith Academy, a school and university dedicated to not only educating people, but also producing great sorcerers.
Accepted Players
I will be accepting players until I feel it is becoming too many to handle.
- gimmepie as Alex Rose (Bounty Hunter) and Elias Stork (Bounty Hunter)
- aeternum as Jebediah Sanders (Bounty Hunter)
- Foxrally as Sophia Hartmann (Outlaw)
- Ice as Emmet Holliday (Outlaw)
- Shak as Achilles 'Black' Nimbus (Bounty Hunter)
- Sir General Admiral Fancy Swank as José "Anima" Dartmoor (Outlaw)
- Lord Sephear as Kelmorr Kuvag (Bounty Hunter)
- Oddball_ as Rory Ryder West (Outlaw)
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