Plot
In the beginning there was nothing but a man, a pristine little mountain valley and loads upon loads of really old money. But as it so happens this is all it takes to make history, at least if the man is none other than King Reginald the thirteenth of Riven, an avid social climber who had moved up from twentieth to first in the royal inheritance line under the course of three months, his predecessors disappearing in a series of freak accidents ranging from leaky boats to inconvenient lighting strikes, as is customary in Riven politics.
Knowing full well the hazards faced by monarchs reigning a kingdom which went through an average of thirteen kings a year - not to mention the usefulness of having a spellcaster or three on your payroll - King Reginald decided to set up a new power in the country to help stabilize his own position: the Enchanters' Guild, an organization for assembling the fragmented community of magically skilled in the country and uniting them to educate new ones. With royal funding and enforcement, the organization quickly grew in both size and power, and with his most trusted associates in charge, the ambitious new ruler believed his position - both on the throne and in the history books - to be firmly secured, although only the latter turned out to hold true as he soon perished in a tragic meteor strike, only one week after having granted an official position of power to the first head enchanter.
The organization that Reginald had set up far outlived its creator, however, and the Enchanters' Guild soon grew to be a new leading political power in the country, as it only took two abrupt changes of rule to prove that telling hundreds of trained magicians to kindly step back and give up on their privileges wasn't a very bright idea.
But of course, even an organization as strong as the Enchanters' Guild changed with time, just as the sovereign monarchy of Riven turned republic and dagger and poison were replaced by the not quite as satisfying but far less messy practice of smear campaigns. The Guild - or rather; the Riven Academy of Thaumaturgical Science, as it is now called - remains strong to this day, however, and what they have lost in political influence they have gained in profitability. Even with the rapidly growing popularity of technology and the trendy new phenomenon of electricity in particular, enchanters - or thaumaturges, as they prefer to be called - remain a valuable asset, and with the decline in public funding, the university has taken to hiring out thaumaturges in training as problem solvers for issues both unusual and mundane, paying the students a commission based on the difficulty of the task, an arrangement of mutual benefit. After all, who would say no to miracle-working power, prestige and money?
On the setting
Riven as a whole really has three things that separate it from the world as we know it:
First, technology isn't quite as advanced; electricity is considered cutting edge (and still isn't commercially available) so obviously the conveniences related to it are out of the question. They do have indoor plumbing, though, so don't worry about that. Real life countries don't exist here, but there are others besides Riven. For simplicity's sake, they aren't listed here, though; so suffice to say that everyone is a citizen of Riven. This does not, however, mean that your character can't have originated from another region.
Second, magic exists in the world, stemming from a peculiar location usually simply called 'the Rift'. For the purpose of this RP, the only relevant fact concerning the Rift is that the only allowed form of magic is enchantment, the art of re-arranging the environment or people's perception of it. Enchantment can't create or destroy matter, only reshape it, and the effects are always temporary. Enchantment magic calls for three things:
- Imagination, to picture the change you want to make vividly in your mind. This determines the complexity of the spells you can use.
- Willpower, and the ability to believe in the changes you make to force them into reality. Lack of will leads to spells failing or misfiring and lack of belief weakens the spell's effect.
- Concentration, to maintain the changes made. This determines the duration of the desired effects.
Many spellcasters have also been known to use complicated hand signs, incantations, and suchlike, but this is usually either for a placebo effect or to put on a show for those who don't know. Also, please note that junior apprentices don't start out with the knowledge of how to use magic; they'll get to learn that as the RP progresses.
Third, there are monsters. Rumor has it that they emerged from the use rift energy, but all official sources have strictly denied this. Regardless, the fact remains that the critters are all over the place. Monsters come in many shapes, typically twisted forms of regular animals or mythical creatures. Although they apparently come in all shapes and forms, monsters in general feed on magical energy, and are naturally attracted to those who wield it. They are, however, too timid to attack larger groups of humans, hence why there usually aren't any found in the academy or the cities.
The events of the RP will take place on the academy campus and surrounding area. The campus itself is located in a verdant mountain valley in the northern part of Riven and features two three-storey dormitory buildings (one for males, one for females), and the main building where classes are held. In lieu with old practice, both dormitories have their own dining hall at the bottom floor as well as separate floors for junior and senior apprentice, while all other indoor facilities are housed in the main building - a sizable tower with various extension buildings of equally varying ages built around it. The campus also features a recreation field - for physical exercise - and a lake, constantly filled by a small mountain stream. A - largely overgrown - forest also stretches out at the eastern edge of the campus, and the surrounding mountains house a complex network of natural tunnels. Both of these areas contain monster populations, however, and as such the forest is off limits for junior apprentices without teacher escort and the tunnels are barred from everyone except faculty.
Where you come in
You - as an RPer - will be either a new student (Apprentice) at the academy or an experienced student who has recently been elevated to the Senior class. This division will be made based on an assessment of your RPing skills, so please don't try to apply for one or the other. A very select few will also RP teachers. Again, this is a choice that is made through assessment of skills, so teachers: don't call us; we'll call you.
Now, on to the reason we have such divisions: this is a school RP in more than one sense. Not only will the RP characters be trained, but you - the RPer - will also receive comments and criticism on your writing from the teacher RPers, so please be prepared for it and act on it. If you think your writing skills are beyond all criticism then go away; shoo. This RP is solely for those who want to improve their RPing, regardless of how experienced they currently are.
The Rules
1. Attitude decides. As long as you genuinely want to improve, all that is expected is legible writing in a four-line quantity to start up. However, if you continuously disregard the teachers' advice or take offense at corrections then you may well be booted out of the RP. Remember: our teachers are not paid, they are people who are taking the free time out of their lives to help you, so please respect that by making good use of what they give you. Teachers: this doesn't mean that you can flame and bash to your hearts' content; make it constructive and say it as nicely as you can. Let's see mutual manners and good atmosphere, shall we? :3
2. Follow all RP section rules. If you are new to RPing or feel unsure about the rules, please go check them right now.
3. No character control. This is very simple: no-one makes anybody else's character do anything unless the character's creator has said it's OK. NPCs (Non-Player Characters) are free game unless otherwise noted.
4. When in doubt; ask. This RP was made to help people with their RPing, so don't be shy about it. The teachers will be giving as much advice as they can, but if something is unclear or you feel that you haven't been given enough to work with then ask for help either in the OOC discussion or by PM. Also, the teachers might not always have time so you may also wish to ask the non-teacher RPers that have been deemed experienced (I.e. the ones playing the senior apprentices); just remember that they're not bound by contract to help or anything, so please make your requests politely. ^^
5. You may join once the RP has already started, but in that case please post your sign-up in the OOC discussion to avoid clutter.
Sign-up Sheet
Full Given Name:
Nicknames (Optional): (Just in case your character likes to be called something besides their real name)
Gender:
Age: (Teenage and up, please)
Appearance: (The more details, the better. Pictures are only allowed if they are your original art and even then they need to be supported by written description. Also, do remember to include the clothes as well, otherwise your character might feel a bit...awkward. The academy has no uniform, so don't hold back. At least one paragraph, please.)
Personality: (Try to include likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, quirks, habits, fears, hopes, and ambitions. If you've got all that covered then you should have enough in this field already. Remember, flawed characters are loved characters. Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus will be taken outside and shot. :3)
History: (Just a general idea of your characters' life before the academy and maybe a word or two on why they chose the profession. Also, for certainly practical reasons I won't go into, the magically talented need to have lived in Riven at some point of time. It's an ethnic mish-mash, though, so origins may differ.)
Other (Optional): (Just in case there's something about your character that you didn't get to express above.)
RP Sample: (Pick a situation; any situation. Also, note that this field might just make the difference between Junior and Senior apprentice, so give it your best shot and write for all you're worth.)
