[center] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/159289-heirs-of-the-dark-lord/ooc][b]OOC is up![/b][/url]


yet from those flames
No light, but rather darkness visible
- Milton, Paradise Lost

[img]http://epod.typepad.com/.a/6a0105371bb32c970b0120a5604483970c-750wi[/img][/center]

Centuries have passed since the Shadow was defeated, and little is it mentioned anymore, and then only in whispers. The Clerisy, those dutiful and punctilious protectors of piety and order, have ensured that only the most sanitized and pious accounts of the Great Battle circulate, in which Justinian, their incarnate god, met the Dark Lord Daigon on the ashen plains of Nagath and in single combat vanquished him. In the deserts far to the south, the arrogant wizard-lords of the Dratha scoff at such stories, and debate theories of their own about the fall of Daigon and the Empire of Nagath. Some question whether there ever was a Dark Lord, speculating that the Temple created an antagonist to justify its own pretenses to sanctity.

Whatever the truth, it is clear that Nagath was once the seat of a great dominion. The ruined fortresses of steel and black stone, the great earthworks channeling rivers of molten rock, the half-ruined machines still capable of great destruction, the shrines haunted still by demons and gods, these and more remain testimony to some former glory...or horror.

But now it is a wasteland, infested with warring tribes of beastkin and orcs and barbarous men, the haunt of trolls and ghouls and outcasts from every corner of the civilized world, acknowledged by the Imperium only when they send in expeditions to massacre its remaining inhabitants in an effort to prevent them from ever becoming too numerous.

It is here, in this gods-forsaken land of ash and fire, of ruins and warring tribes, it is here that you will forge a kingdom.

- 

Ok welcome! The idea for this RP will be that players will design and play as a faction within the vast wasteland of Nagath, a Mordor-like analogue in the fantasy world of Geryon. There will be NPC nations around Nagath taking an interest in what goes on within it, most notably the theocratic Justinian Imperium. The Imperium and its vassals will not tolerate a threat rising in the seat of the ancient Dark Lord Daigon. Nagath is a big place, with lots of geographical diversity, so we will design a map around what players want for their factions. Factions can range from a warband of mutants to a power-crazy sorcerer and his band of acolytes seeking hidden secrets to the self-proclaimed heir of Lord Daigon, but we're definitely on the 'bad guy' spectrum here.

I dont have too much fleshed out right now, but just wanted gauge interest and include possible RPers in the design process of the RP. 

[hider=About Magic, Religion, Tech and Writing Standards]

The setting is what I call "High Fantasy OOC/Low Fantasy IC", meaning that the world would have as many fantastic elements as we like, but there would be limited magic "on camera" in the IC, as both an aesthetic choice to keep magic... magical and mysterious, as well as to put a limit on IC power levels while allowing for maximum creativity and freedom OOCly. There will be no magic system and no 'canon' cosmology for this RP, so competing and mutually incompatible understandings of the world, gods, and magic are fine.

-It is (grim)dark fantasy RP set in a harsh and unforgiving fantasy world. 
-I'd like this to be an exercise in collaborative world building. That means that we want [b]characters that feel like they inhabit a shared world[/b]. Players should collaborate heavily on designing their characters and the setting.
-[b]It is low-medium fantasy: magic exists. It is powerful, dangerous, and rare. Rare.[/b]
[hider=More on Magic, Races and Cosmology]
A note on Magic: I am not a big fan on fixed magic rules or magic systems. I do want to stress that this is low(ish) fantasy. That means no armies of reanimated dead or golems, no legions of fireball casters, balrogs, etc. We're going to err on the side of how the LotR handled magic rather than say, D&D. Meaning, it is present and powerful, but mysterious and often indirect. 

This is what I call the Tolkien/GRR Martin approach to magic and religion. Magic is real, mysterious, and powerful, but for the most part takes place 'off-screen', and is for aesthetic purposes somewhat subdued or indirect. Likewise, the RP will take the GRR Martin approach to religion: there are as many religions as we can come up with here, but [i]we will leave it an open question as to whether any of them are true[/i]. [b]Conflicting mythos and cosmologies and visions of god(s) are encouraged.[/b]
[/hider]
-It is vaguely 1600 AD tech. Gunpowder, muskets, cannon, etc all exist.
-original fantasy races are enouraged
-Inspired by Tolkien, Warhammer fantasy and 40K, Lovecraft, Morrowind...looking forward to seeing what others bring to the table.
- [u][b]Advanced[/b][/u] writing standards.
[/hider]