[center][h1][b]The Long Night[/b][/h1]
[i]A monster-slaying, intrigue-filled adventure in which the nights last for decades and ancient heroes rise from their graves.[/i]

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[img]http://i.imgur.com/WYxq4ff.jpg[/img]

[hr][h3]Background[/h3]
Terras is a land unlike our own. The cycle of night and day, rather than being a daily occurrence, is a process whose length is counted in decades. In the bountiful years of daylight kingdoms rise and names are made, and when darkness falls the kingdoms collapse and the names are erased from history. Farmers toil over their fields for years-long growing seasons, and squirrel away their excess to weather the twilight in which few crops can be grown. Lords and petty kings squabble in their hubris under the noon sun, and come nightfall their depleted armies are torn asunder by beasts borne from the darkness. When light appears once more in the east, a new generation arises from the ruins of the last to begin the cycle once more.

All is not hopeless, however, when the sun reaches the horizon. In each cycle certain heroes are chosen, seemingly at random -- men and women who are gifted with extraordinary abilities and the customary task of preserving their civilization through the long night. These powers have varied wildly throughout the years, their sole similarity being how different each is from the last. Those who are able to harness their newfound skills effectively are able to guide their people unharmed to the dawn, while those who fail to take on the responsibility -- or pursue their own aims -- often fall prey to the darkness.

Recently, however, something has begun to change. Of those chronicled, each night has been longer than the last, and the foul beasts that emerge from the moonlight have been more and more terrible to behold. Now dusk is beginning to fall once more, and it seems that the next dawn may alight on a desolate world.

Unbeknownst to all, however, whatever powers there may be have not sat idly by. As the sun begins to disappear beyond the horizon, heroes of days long past have begun to rise once more from their graves, tasked with the goal of preserving humanity through the long night one final time.

[hr][h3]Rules[/h3][/center]
[list]
[*] Don't be rude to other players. If you have a serious issue with someone, bring it up with me or find a way to say it that isn't just an insult.
[*] No metagaming, godmodding, powergaming, etc. This [i]is[/i] an advanced RP.
[*] When you're designing your character, please make sure to keep them relatively in-line with everyone else. I'm all for uniqueness, but your character shouldn't be overpowered and they shouldn't be completely tangential to the actual premise of the RP.
[*] Try to post regularly. You don't necessarily need to wait for everyone else to post before you make another one, but avoid double-posting as well. If you're in a lengthy conversation with another character, feel free to hash it out in a PM with them and then consolidate the whole thing into one post.
[*] If you have a problem with something, or a suggestion for world-building or how the story should progress, please say so.
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[center][hr][h3]Character Application[/h3]
[hider=The Application][b]Name / Sex / Age[/b]
[i]Fairly self-explanatory. If they're coming back from the dead, express age in both (Earth) years old at the time of their heroic exploits and a rough count of how long ago they died.[/i]

[b]Appearance[/b]
[i]A few sentences describing what your character looks like. It doesn't have to be a novel, as long as it gets the point across. You can add a (realistic) picture if you want, but you still need the written portion.[/i]

[b]Personality[/b]
[i]What makes your character act the way that they do? A couple of paragraphs describing their attitudes, beliefs, opinions, personal values, etc.[/i]

[b]Background[/b]
[i]The most important part. Describe, in at least a few paragraphs, any notable events of their lives. Outside of the general map and broad world-building strokes I've left things pretty vague, so you have creative freedom, but please run any particularly outlandish ideas by me first.[/i] Note: your character doesn't need to be one of the legendary heroes, but I encourage them to be. If you don't go for that route your character should at least be in a position of some amount of political or military power, so they have an excuse to take part in the RP.

[b]Abilities[/b]
[i]If you choose to play one of the heroes of the past, this is where you should describe what special things they can do. You should have one well-defined ability, and it shouldn't be overpowered. If I think yours goes too far or doesn't play well with the RP I'll deny it and suggest a fix.[/i]

[b]Equipment / Other[/b]
[i]If your character has any particularly special equipment, or you have anything else to add, put it here.[/i][/hider]

[hr][h3]Lore[/h3]
[hider=The Map][img]http://i.imgur.com/7osOG3M.png[/img][/hider]
[hider=The Places][i]At the time that the RP is set, these are the major locations of the world. Far in the past, some were most likely different (aside from geographically, of course).[/i]

[b]The Verdant Kingdoms[/b]
Perhaps the most 'civilized' realm on Terras, the Verdant Kingdoms are a loose alliance of feudal lords in control of the most populated and wealthy portion of the continent. The Verdant Kingdoms are full of rolling plains and flat farmlands, occasionally broken up by huge granaries or timber-and-stone keeps. Lately, the Kingdoms have been ravaged by pirates who dwell on islands off its coast, but this is hardly an existential threat.

[b]The Free Castles[/b]
A region of rocky bluffs and high cliffs, the lands which currently make up the Free Castles are covered with centuries-old fortresses that would have been considered decrepit several sunsets ago. Many of these keeps are held tenuously by feuding barons and upstart mercenary bands, who feud amongst themselves (much to the chagrin of the area's commoners, who are often forced into one army or another). As the sun declined, a steady trickle of emigrants has flowed from the Free Castles to the Verdant Kingdoms.

[b]The Ruins of Varras[/b]
Varras was, until the most recent nightfall, demonstrably one of the most expansive and powerful empires to stand proudly on the face of Terras. The high walls of their cities had weathered a good half-dozen nights without issue, and the continent's heroes had almost unanimously flocked to Varras upon discovering their abilities. It had seemed almost as if Varras would be the civilization to defy historical convention and stand as permanent as the mountains on its northern border . . . until the most recent nightfall, nearly a century ago. Varras was set upon by beasts of the dark more horrific than any before chronicled, and by the time that the sun rose once more it shone light on a ruined realm. The once-mighty cities of Varras are crumbled, home to vagrants and bandits, the realm's eastern border slowly absorbed by the Verdant Kingdoms and its southern vassal of Miremarch newly independent.

[b]Miremarch[/b]
Miremarch, widely regarded as backwards culturally and technologically, is an independent realm situated in the southwestern marshes. In past days it was a loyal vassal of the Empire of Varras, but the doom that came for Varras left Miremarch largely unaffected, and so now the people of the March rule themselves. Though seen with disdain by the more 'advanced' Verdant Kingdoms and the proud Northerlands, the people of Miremarch are generally quite satisfied with their way of being (and the defensibility of their homelands).

[b]The Iron Keep[/b]
The tituar Iron Keep and its small vassal realm is an oddity. Doubtlessly one of the most impressive feats of engineering on the continent, the Keep is (with the fall of Varras) the oldest-standing continuously-inhabited structure on the continent. Within its closely-guarded walls, it is said, are the histories of civilizations long eradicated from the world. Rumors claim that within the Keep foul rituals are practiced to bring terrible horrors upon the realm's enemies, but in truth the Iron Keep's scholarly ruling council maintain a polite (if isolationist) diplomatic rapport with the neighboring Verdant Kingdoms.

[b]The Northerlands[/b]
Harsh and unforgiving, the Northerlands are (as one might guess by their name) are cold of climate and cold of disposition. The myriad jarls that rule its snow-covered cliffs and warmer forested valleys are in constant feud with one another, and the realm's greatest export is its famed mercenary bands (many of whom have settled in the Free Castles), followed closely by its meads. Though they have almost always entered into each night woefully underprepared, there always seems to be some remnant of their ways and their people to take up the northern mantle come daybreak.

[b]The Far Swamps[/b]
Uninhabited but for foul bog-beasts and particularly foolish corsairs, the Far Swamps are a frigid marshy flatland that nobody would ever [i]want[/i] to live in. While in the daylight the only things to emerge from the Swamps are foul skin-sloughing diseases and parasitic pests, the few lucky idiots to have ventured into the Swamps at night and returned to tell the tale speak of horrors beyond sane imagination.

[b]The Viper Isles[/b]
The Viper Isles are full of wildife, but not particularly full of men. The only settlements on the Isles are pirate havens that prey on Miremarch and the few remaining towns on the coast of Varras. Few would want to live permanently on the Isles, in fact, as the salty and humid disposition of the islands is very non-conducive to the growing of any domestic food crops.

[b]The Mountains[/b]
They're mountains. I'm sure you can picture what mountains look like.[/hider]
[i]Will be added to and reorganized as time goes on. As a stopgap in the meantime, I encourage you to look over the [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/157725-the-long-night-monsters-mystery-magical-abilities-unreasonably-slow/ooc#post-4087051]Interest Check[/url], where some questions have already been answered.[/i]

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Alrighty, that's the OOC! Feel free to ask questions below, and when you have your character written up just toss it at me in a reply or PM (I have no preference). If it's approved, you can then put it into the character section.[/center]