[url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3014755]VitaVitaAR's Urban Fantasy Universe Bible[/url] [hr] The sun sets on another school day. Students filter out of their classrooms, some remaining behind to clean up, many going to various clubs after their classes. All in all, it is a normal day in a normal world. The concerns that fill the minds of these students involve getting homework done, getting home on time, going out on or getting dates, fulfilling their club duties, managing to make friends... any number of concerns hang over the head of a high school student. Their parents, too, have their own myriad worries. Their children's wellbeing, money, all sorts of things. Naturally, each person child or adult, has a variety of concerns about their lives. But to spend all their time on worries would be foolish. Many of these people make time to enjoy themselves, time to have fun with their friends, time to play games, enjoy club activies, time for any number of the good things about school life, adult life, whatever. It's only natural that they would wish to do these things and enjoy their time in this world as much as possible. For them, the world can be complicated, but not without its simplicity as well. For them, every day can be filled with any number of curses or any number of miracles. And so, the students filter out of the school grounds, or into the various club rooms, in order to carry out the rest of their day however they must, or desire to. What more to daily life could there be? [hr] The sun sets on another long day. The anticipation felt for the night, surely it's almost palpable. Anxiousness, fear, worry, excitement, a mix of emotions surely dwells in the hearts for those who have arrived for such a purpose. It has been ten years. An unprecedentedly short period of time since the last ritual. The progress that had been made that night belonged to the Matsuoka Family, but soon... soon that could finally change. The constraints of the ritual naturally meant it was impossible for more than one person to participate in it, and the last time the Matsuoka Family had dominated the battle leading up to the ritual and claimed that position. But this time... this time things could be different. There was no kind way to explain what would be conducted over the next few weeks. It was a battle to the death. A battle to claim the the sole position for the one who would complete the White Night of Klarsberg. There was no restraining the desire in magi to be able to complete it, to earn all progress that had been made before them in order to drive their family closer to attaining that which was the goal of so many mage families since the practice of magic began. The ritual had begun hundreds and hundreds of years ago, but every single performance drove it closer and closer... It was increasingly likely that this time would be the final time. That it would finally be completed tonight. Who would obtain the Origin of All Magic? [hr] Rokuro City has always been a fairly quiet town. Certainly it's not without crime, but the small size means that even in its most urban areas things have been relatively slow. It's no small, rural town, of course. But it's a rather small city nonetheless. Its history is not particularly noteworthy, but that is not to say it is dull, either. No, perhaps average would be the best way to describe Rokuro City. It is average in every way, though a small number of wealthy families, including the Matsuoka family, make their home there. Certainly, nothing strange could ever happen in such a city... The White Night of Klarsberg. The Origin-Reaching Ritual. A specially designed process created hundreds of years ago in order to pierce the veil and reach the Origin of All Magic. However, a single performance of the ritual was not enough. Limitations plagued it, revealing that due to the requirements only one person could see it to the end, and it could only be performed in a certain location when the ambient mana in that area had replenished. However, with each performance, the time between them shrank, and more and more progress was made towards reaching the origin. Most recently, the ritual has begun only ten years after the last. This could very well be the final time, the last time for a mage to reach the Origin of All Magic. Rokuro City stands on the only grounds that can house the White Night of Klarsberg. The ritual, and the battle to claim the spot that will allow one to reach the Origin of All Magic, has been conducted in secret. Only those who know of the supernatural may be aware of such an event, and even then it is intended to be a battle between magi, and magi alone. Magi from all of the Twenty-One Circles of the Major Arcana have arrived to wage this secret war. Many magi from outside these circles, too, have appeared. Proxies hired by magi who wish to distract or remain hidden, too, have arrived in Rokuro. But what would happen if someone uninvolved, someone totally unaware of the supernatural world, stumbled across such a battle...? [hr] So this is a urban fantasy RP! The idea is to set this up something like a visual novel, or at least give it that sort of feel. A number of characters(I'm considering four at the most) will be totally unaware of the supernatural when the RP begins. The rest will be deeply involved in it and somehow invested in the White Night of Klarsberg. Though of course, they may have a variety of reasons why they wish to win the upcoming battle. The four(most likely) characters who are unaware of the supernatural will become aware at some point down the line, relatively early on in the RP. From there they will be drawn into the battle for the ritual. [hr] [list][*][b]Magi[/b]: Capable of magic, invoked by spells and symbols, sometimes in conjunction with one another. Magical prowess is passed through bloodlines, some families having more or less mana(and higher or lower quality mana) then others. Magi will have an affinity, which can range from things like fire to gravity to numbers. Affinities(which are also passed through bloodlines) are not limited to the affinity itself, but also includes things that are conceptually linked to it. For example, a mage with an affinity for fire would also excel at spells involving "consumption", "ignition", and "destruction". Magi can preform spells outside their affinity, though it is more difficult to learn. Affinities cannot be for anything entirely man-made. [b]Should be the most numerous supernatural character group.[/b] [list][*][u]Note[/u]: The most powerful mage(in terms of raw power) in this setting has an affinity for mana. They will not be appearing in this RP, and mana as an affinity is strictly off-limits. Other affinities that are off limits include Death, a totally unique affinity also claimed in this setting and absolutely broken for the purposes of this RP.[/list] [*][b]Onmyouji[/b]: Magical practioners utilizing onmyodo as opposed to western methods of magic. They are similar(magic is passed through bloodlines, they have the same affinities), yet their methods are fundamentally different. Effectively they use the same magic, but with different methods. Onmyouji use ofuda to cast spells, which can be applied to objects or even bodies for a variety of effects. Onmyouji are also adept at preforming exorcisms. [list][*][u]Magic Traits[/u]: Some magi and onmyouji families possess a special "magic trait", an inherent magical ability connected to their affinity. These are quite uncommon, but they still exist. They require no spellcasting, and usually give some edge in ability. The magic trait "Illusion Break", for example, passively destroys illusions as the mage or onmyouji draws close to them. It also enables them to see through illusions.[/list] [*][b]Alchemist[/b]: A sub-branch of magi focused on the transformation and alteration of matter, often used to construct Alchemical Devices. The Philosopher's Stone, the Jaws of Envy, the Fires of Heaven, all of these are devices created by alchemists. Most alchemists have very little ability to cast spells of their own and instead rely on devices to aid them. Unlike magi who exclusively utilize theurgy, this is usually not viewed as "cutting corners because you're a slipshod mage" as the production of alchemical devices has proven valuable in the past. [*][b]Homunculi[/b]: Artificial humans created via a union of raw materials and a soul, homunculi are able to be created to a variety of specifications, from creating an ideal assassin to creating someone with the power to boost abilities. They have personalities and thoughts of their own, and an infinite lifespan. Most homunculi will hit a certain age and cease to age beyond that. Homunculi are NOT common, due to difficulties involved in creating them and the inability to simply create souls meaning some kind of sacrifice must be involved. [b]Homunculi are rare. I'm not placing a hard limit, but let's keep their numbers small.[/b] [*][b]Vampires[/b]: Rather straightforward, vampires are human in appearance, and must drink blood to survive. They are faster and stronger then humans, and capable of regenerating from any damage that does not destroy either the heart or the brain. The sun weakens them and causes them to fall unconscious, but they will recover when out of the sun. Vampires are frozen at the age they were turned, and cannot die of old age. [b]Two Vampires permitted. [u]NO MORE EDITS WILL BE MADE TO THIS NUMBER[/u].[/b][/list] [hr] [b]Basic Rules of Magic[/b]: Magic requires some form of spell to be invoked. The more powerful the spell, the longer the spell is. The length of spells can be countered with a few methods, including the use of runes, casting the spell mentally(though this method requires extensive practice and will result in a weaker spell) or storing the spell in an object capable of receiving it. Some spells may also be prepared ahead of time. Onmyouji are capable of circumventing casting time due to the use of ofuda, but their spells require application of the ofuda to a target or themselves directly. [hr] [u][b]Bios[/b][/u]: [list][*][b]Name[/b]: [*][b]Age[/b]: [*][b]Gender[/b]: [*][b]Appearance[/b]: [*][b]Personality[/b]: [*][b]Abilities[/b]: [*][b]Skills[/b]: [*][b]Equipment[/b]: [*][b]Brief Backstory[/b]:[/list] For unaware characters, since there will only be four, please ask before writing up a bio.