[b][color=662d91]Legacy of the Dark Earls: Introduction to the [i]Lore[/i] & [u]Rules[/u][/color][/b] [b][color=662d91]Tools:[/color][/b] [hider=Links] For random char names: http://fantasynamegenerators.com/#fantasyNames Character Outline (Pick 3): http://www.random.org/ [i]<> Redemption(1)Vanity(2) Isolation(3)Protection(4) Ambition(5)Revenge(6) Youth(7)Nobility(8) Temptation(9)Adventure(10) Escape(11)Lust(12) Innocence(13)Mystery(14) Betrayal(15)Fortune(16) Power(17)Horror(18) Comedy(19)Luck(20) Injustice(21)Justice(22) Survival(23)Madness(24) Action(25)Sacrifice(26) Envy(27)Loyalty(28) Semantics(29)Deceit(30) Friendship(31)Order(32) Ignorance(33)Wisdom(34) Tradition(35)Chaos(36) Humility(37)Mundanity(38) Persecution(39)Love(40) Violence(41)Hubris(42) Greed(43)[/i] [/hider] [b][color=662d91]Background Lore:[/color][/b] [hider=Ages Past] In its simplest form--which is usually how history is recorded by the general populace anyway--earth's great powers and civilizations fell, leading to three distinct periods: [i]1. The Dark Times: During this period in history--which lasted for a time unrecorded--earth went into a spiral of chaos. Civilizations at first trembled, and then fell entirely; their ancestors instead reorganized into collective colonies in the hopes of riding out the great disaster. The first signs of the infamous "Grave-Rot", "Mad-Plague" and "Sentient Nightmares" all trace back to this time period; respectively, you--the player, not the character--may recognize these as the dawn of the Zombies, Mad-Men--born of a brain-altering chemical used in mass warfare--and Robots/Genetically Mutated/Created Creatures. Almost needless to say, Zombies pass along Grave-Rot to those they--note it well--scratch/bite, one does not become a zombie simply by dying. Robots are INCREDIBLY difficult to combat, and the Monsters are your average fantasy nightmares/peaceful mobs. The world was in chaos during this time-period, so not much is known about it, or even remains of it (save the odd ruined city, still filled with rusted cars and leaf-covered sky-scrapers...not all of which are safe to traverse or even be around). The "Dark Earls" themselves represent the humans that originally plunged the world into such a turbulent state, and it is merely ignorance--the harbinger of much that changes--which gifted these people such titles. 2. The Great Renewal: Humanity saw several repeats of history during this period in time. New civilizations--now hardened and adapted to their new environment--used a wide variety of methods to combat the great beasts that threatened their very existence. Some chose to build enormous cities of brick, metal, and wood; others managed to find ways to manipulate their torments, calling themselves gods among men; still more devoted their time to the research and manipulation/creation of ancient artifacts, harnessing the power of the old world to advance their technological prowess. The City-States and the rediscovery of Kingdoms--and for a few times, even Empires--can be traced back to this era. 3. The Era of the Warring States: This is the current era, kingdoms, city-states, and empires have come and go in the centuries prior to this time. Entire civilizations have been built and eradicated. The world is once more, 'partly dominated by man' -- though innumerable beasts and relics of the ancient world still do enough to put Humanity in its place. They are not the victors, but they are at least contestants in this struggle for survival.[/i] [/hider] [b][color=662d91]Present Setting:[/color][/b] [hider=Here & Now] A number of City-States and Kingdoms currently grapple for power and resources within this world -- too many to list in detail, sadly. However, it is safe enough to say that there are a few things you can safely fall back upon in the hectic state of this "World-Reborn". 1. The setting is definitely one of Medieval Fantasy; 'Majick' consists of tricks and the utilization of artifacts originally designed in the before-times; Monsters and Abominations walk freely amongst the Animals and Men, spreading destruction and death amongst most everything they touch--though some Witches and Warlocks have found ways to manipulate (and at times even control) these beasts. Avoiding such people would be best, however, as they are said to do unspeakable things -- and not just 'to' others or 'with' themselves. The reemergence of Metal-Crafting has gifted the world with Armor and Weapons capable of smiting the deadly "Rrreshkohfmehmtahv" ("Carious" -- Zombies) in single strokes, and the Noble/Tradesman/Warrior/Peasant classes have once more replaced the Hunter-Gatherer lifestyle of old. 2. The civilizations that currently exist built their success off of the success of past generations, so any given city-state will be using everything from Necromancy, Majick, and Engineering/Strategy/Technology to carve out livable, workable lands for their populaces. Most civilians tend to live their entire lives within these settlements, however, as the dangers outside the walls are often far greater than most are willing to combat. The warrior class is almost co-existent with the tradesman class, as neither can properly thrive without the other; the one needing the tools to perfect their craft; the other needing the safety to produce and trade such tools. Caravans are often as protected as Imperial Escorts -- such is the level of danger outside the protection of settlement walls...though hearsay tells of certain people who have managed the hard life of living away from the strong arm of civilization, hunters of both man and beast. 3. The base, starting setting of the RP is currently near/within the lands of Yvindel, a relatively small city-state located somewhere in what was once European country-side. The city-state has three layers of walls: The inner--castle/nobility--walls, middle-walls--tradesmen/warriors--and the outer-walls, the latter consisting of the peasant-folk and the farming lands, though also the places in the most danger should a siege break upon the walls of the city. Forests, lakes, and hilly plains surround the close country-side, though mountains lie within sight to the far north. 4. Man is man -- this is a simple fact that will never change. Emotions and Personalities are still born from genetics and cultural identities, so feel free to experiment with those of your character. Good luck! [/hider] [b][color=662d91]Rules of Play:[/color][/b] [hider=Guidance] 1. Adhere to the site rulings on conduct. 2. Don't spam OOC; Not to imply absolute silence, just don't make 50+ OOC posts in an hour or so. OOC should *mostly* be used to make important inquiries related to the RP. 3. Don't betray your character's personality. If they change, it has to be through events in the RP, not your current mood. Try to live and think as your character would when RPing; and yes, I know this is easier said than done -- just try all the same. 4. The combat system here will be a bit more trust-based. You'll be making posts declaring what your character is doing, and then responding to each other based on how your characters would react to those actions -- depending on the contexts of the situation, aka: Where they are, their skill in combat, allegiances, possible disabilities (both mental and physical), personalities, etc. If anyone feels that another is being OP, they should reach out to me through an OOC [@Virgil] post. One thing I most DEFINITELY will not stand for are characters capable of achieving unbelievable actions and/or numbers of actions in a single post. If you're found to be blatantly god-modding, or just being blatantly OP in general, your ass is getting booted. 5. Once you have posted your character sheet in the OOC tab, I'll give it a look and approve/disapprove it. Approved applications will be transferred to the Characters tab. 6. If you have any questions or suggestions on/for ideas related to the overall setting/theme of the RP, don't hesitate to shoot me an OOC [@Virgil] post. Additionally, responding to another's post should be ended with the [@Member] function, for the purposes of clarity (especially if there are multiple members posting in rapid succession). [/hider] [b][color=662d91]Character Creation:[/color][/b] [hider=Layout & Choices] Follow this format when applying (and please, take a chance with me here -- try to go outside your comfort-zone, if possible ^_^) ): Name: Sex (Inter/Trans are permitted): Age: Backstory: If you need it, make use of the name generator in the Tools tab. In addition, you'll be using the random number generator (also in the Tools tab) combined with the themes to pick three--randomly generated--themes related to your backstory out of the forty-three available. Use the picked themes as a framework for your character's backstory. Description: This might be--in part--influenced by your character's backstory, so remember to take that into account. This category includes both appearance and personality, so the mental and the physical aspects of your character are to be addressed here in a minimum of a paragraph -- feel free to leave out what you feel most characters wouldn't notice upon first meeting your character, that can be developed within the RP. If you want to post any artwork related to your char-appearance, feel free to do so; we could always use more eye-sores/candy. Knowledge/Skills/Equipment: Anything you feel is important to be stated about your character's equipment/skills should be stated here; just remember that any unlisted skills that you might want to introduce later should be related to either your character's backstory, or the events of the RP. [/hider]