[i][center]"A cataclysm which occurred 2,000 years ago, trapping in our dimension many unnatural creatures, including ghouls, graveirs and vampires. These beasts have no ecological niches of their own and are merely relics of bygone times. According to elven lore, humans arrived during the Conjunction, their own world having been destroyed. These human ancestors learned how to harness the power of primordial Chaos, and thus the first human wizards were born. Looking for a place in the world, humans took up arms against the Elder Races, who were unable to withstand the barbarians and ultimately surrendered. This is how humans came to rule the world."[/center][/i] For centuries, human kingdoms fought long and bloody wars for power. And then, it all seemed to stop. The Great War brought peace, and prosperity to the Continent. A Renaissance started to form, with art, and technology, and more civilized kingdoms throughout the land. For a time, there was peace. Soldiers focused on hunting down monsters roaming the lands. Populations grew, and it occurred to the Grand King that there were only two true threats left in their land. The Kingdoms started a purge against the now scarce monster hunters, Witchers, and sorcerers, who once were personal strategists for their respected kings. People hunted them down, slaughtered them out of fear and anger, after all they have done for the Continent. One Hundred years later, only a few sorcerers and sorceresses survived, either hiding in plain sight, or in exile. Only a handful of Witchers are left as well, and although they are shunned, they still travel the land in search for monsters to kill for coin. The Kingdoms converged into one rule, with territories going to Lords. A Grand Kingdom emerged, and all seemed to be going well for humanity... Until the Second Conjunction of Spheres. It brought back creatures thought to be extinct. Devilish monsters fell from the skies, both familiar and not, reigning havoc across the Continent once again. They are stronger, and smarter than the ones of old, and they are ruled by a Dark Lord. The kingdoms fought, some fell, others stayed strong, but fear struck them all. In a desperate attempt to save the Continent from the new threat, The Grand King called upon one of the last Witchers, giving him a task. He must gather his own kind, recruit new ones, and find the Sorcerers to help fight against the new creatures of darkness, and their leader. It is not an easy task, but it is all the Witcher knows what to do; Fight. ------ ALTHOUGH THIS IS A WITCHER-BASED RP, YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING TO JOIN! I WILL DO MY BEST (AND OTHERS) TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE, AND BELOW IS A LIST OF QUESTIONS I FEEL WILL BE ASKED THE MOST! THIS IS ALL IN ALL A FANTASY RP [b]Lore:[/b] [hider=Witchers] [center][i]"Indeed, naught is more repulsive than these monsters that defy nature and are known by the name of witcher, as they are the offspring of foul sorcery and witchcraft. Unscrupulous scoundrels without conscience and virtue, they are veritable creatures from hell, capable only of taking lives..."[/i][/center] Witchers are genetically modified monster hunters for hire. They were created by sorcerers long, long ago. Taken as young children, they undergo extreme physical, mental, and magical training for years, before undergoing the Trails of Grasses, which mutates and modifies their bodies to be perfect killing machines. They no longer become human, but a whole new breed. Becoming a witcher has many traits, such as: -Sterility (which partially explains selection from the outsiders, as they cannot breed to pass on their traits). -Cat-like eyes that grant very acute nightvision - witchers can constrict their pupils to see in blinding light or open them to see in near pitch darkness. This nightvision can be further enhanced with the cat potion, but in general, it is good enough by itself to not require further enhancement. -Tremendous resistance to disease (which functions in most cases as complete immunity) and a boosted immune system, allowing them to consume large quantities of potions that could prove easily deadly if consumed even in small amounts by a normal man. -Exceptionally increased strength, speed, reflexes, and endurance, far beyond any normal or well-trained human, that allows them to swiftly end fights with minimal effort, and perform physical feats non-witchers couldn't hope to match. A witcher's physical skills alone are sufficient to defeat most monsters single-handedly if combined with extensive training and proper weaponry, whereas regular men could only hope to accomplish this in large groups. Witchers have also been shown to shrug off hits that would normally render normal men unconscious. Additionally, they have been known to survive the strikes of powerful monsters such as giants, or other beings possessing heruculean strength, that would otherwise kill others with a single blow -Having the ability to perform simple yet incredibly versatile combat magic in the form of signs. They also develop a sixth sense that allows them to "feel" things around them, be it items of importance or people's immediate intentions. This explains their uncanny ability to track and hunt people and monsters -Accelerated healing granting quick recovery from injuries -Incredibly long lifespan and prolonged youth. Though they cover proficiency in basically any weapon that comes to hand, a witcher's training focuses on two primary tools: a silver (for monsters) and steel (for humans) sword. They can perform simple, yet effective magic spells, create potions to help them fight off monsters, but although they are perfect killing machines, they can make mistakes, or be caught offguard, causing their deaths. Besides seeing their cat-like eyes, their withcer medallions also indicate that they are a witcher. It senses any magical disturbances, and is in the shape of the school they went to: The school of the Wolf, Cat, or Griffin, Bear, Viper, and Manticore.[/hider] [hider=Witcher Schools] Each Witcher is trained a certain style, and philosophy of fighting. The three main schools are the Wolf, Cat, and Griffin, but recent witchers rebuilt the Bear, Viper, and Manticore schools before the Purge. Although there are slight differences in the schools, the main difference is the location of where they were "chosen" -[b]School of the Wolf:[/b] A balance of sword fighting, signs, and defense. Their base is in the isolated mountains, not easy to get to, at a fort called Kaer Morhen. -[b]School of the Cat:[/b] Speed, agility, and percision. Probably the most hated school of the witchers, because of their tendencies of taking on human contract kills, which is against Witcher code. Long ago, it is said that they betrayed the Wolf School, and destroyed their home at Kaer Morhen. Legends also tell of the Cat School forming because of the more violent nature of their mutations. The Wolf schools exiled them, creating a rivalry. -[b]School of the Griffin[/b]: The school is specialized in magic usage, and group attacks, instead of fighting only one enemy at a time. -[b]School of the Bear[/b]: The heavy, defensive witchers that favored strength over anything else. They and the Cat School are the only two that incorporated crossbow combat into their fighting style. -[b]School of the Viper[/b]: Located in the heart of Nilfgaard, The school focused on shortswords, and poison. They also kept a lot of books and knowledgable scrolls in their fort, but they, and their knowledge, vanished mysteriously. -[b]School of the Manticore[/b]: Located in the far east, little is known about this school, except that they might have been more spiritual than most, and used chain attacks in their combat. [/hider] [hider=Mages] [i]"Only rare individuals have the potential to become mages and many of those with this potential are doomed to madness. Unless the individual in question - known as a source - learns to control their power quickly, he or she may end up a half-insane, slobbering oracle. That is why schools of sorcery were created, where talented children study for many years, acquiring knowledge and mastering magical skills. Because of their powers, mages age more slowly than ordinary people. They can extract magical energy from the four elements, transport themselves long distances and heal, as well as kill, in the blink of an eye. They have extensive scientific and political knowledge; in the latter respect, many mages are the equals of rulers. The early days of the war with Nilfgaard saw the end of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, an organization which grouped mages and closely controlled the practice of magic. During the Brotherhood's last assembly, a rebellion broke out on Thanedd Island; some of the mages were accused of high treason, that is, working for Nilfgaard, and were either arrested or killed. The remaining sorcerers won independence and set up smaller associations. In the wake of the rebellion, the mages retained their influence. Many of them remained royal advisors, sometimes even ruling countries from behind the scenes. Philippa Eilhart strengthened her position as eminence grise of Redania, whereas the elf Francesca Findabair, the queen of Dol Blathanna, took greater interest in the affairs of humans and became ruler of elven lands in general. Simple folk fail to differentiate between witches, sorcerers and witchers. Anyone who wields magic is regarded as suspicious and godless. But the better educated, and those who dwell in large cities, know to treat mages with due respect."[/i] ---Courtesy of the Witcher Games' Glossary[/hider] [hider=Races] The races are like any other fantasy world. The most abundant races are humans, elves, dwarves, and halflings. Dwarves were the first inhabitants of the Continent, while the Evles were the second, and started to rule over the land. During the Conjunction of the Spheres, humans and halflings appeared with the monsters such as trolls, goblins, and vampires. Humans quickly took control and started to make kingdoms, while exiling elves into the mountains. There is a very deep hatred for humans by the elves.[/hider] **If you guys have any more questions, let me know!!! [b]Character Sheet [/b]: Name: Age: Appearance: Race: Witcher, elf, human, dwarf, etc. Also if you're a mage, say it here! School: Witchers only Bio: Optional Personality: optional Weapons: optional Family/relationships?: friends, family, ex-lovers, etc. Other: --------------------------------- Name: Rilden of Redania, Slayer of the Thousand Army, "Gweintalan" in Elder Speech Age: Roughly 150 years old, but looks like he's in his 30's Appearance: Rilden stands at 6'2", and has a rugged, and angry look to him, like most Witchers. Besides his golden cat-like eyes, he has short dark brown hair, with a matching trimmed beard, a scar going across his eye, with many, many more all over his body. His skin is pasty white, also like normal Witchers, and his mouth is always curled in what people would mistake as a frown. He wears his wolf medallion over dark leather armor, with chain-mail embedded into the leather on his shoulders, and forearms. His two swords are placed parallel to his spine for easy access. Race: Witcher School: Wolf Bio: [hider=my long story]I never knew my parents. There wasn't a time I can remember that I wasn't at Kaer Morhen, home of the Witchers. I arrived with a couple dozen other children, and we were put to work very fast. years of pain, and beatings, and fighting, and memorizing every single creature and potion and fighting style. It was hell, and half of us didn't make it through the training. After me and the 12 others proved ourselves capable, we underwent the Trials... the Less said about that the better. When I woke a few days later, I could tell the effects have taken over. I was a Witcher, and only four other colleagues made it. Before we left our home, we were told to create "normal" names so that people would feel more comfortable with us. I chose Rilden of Redania, and with my swords, I left to the Continent. After being alone with your kind for so long, going into the normal way of life was a shock. No one treated you like an equal, you were spat at, glared at, people would talk to you as little as possible, and your only task was to kill monsters. For fifty years I did that. I learned that people tried so hard to not be compared to monsters that they turned out to be one in their own rights. I drank, fucked, ate, slept, all around the Continent. It is said that Witchers lose all emotion when they go through the trials... I think they say that only to help us deal with the fact of who we are. Not everyone hated Witchers that much. I had acquaintances. mages, townspeople, bartenders, a couple people who knew me. I was efficient, fast, and reliable. Lords would call unto me for assistance, and there were few bards that would sing about my travels. When the purge started, my first instinct was to go back to Kaer Morhen. It took longer than expected, I didn't know how many survived, who was after us, or why. When I arrived, the fort was under attack, by the Redanians. I assisted in the battle against the army, but we were pushed back into the main hall. In an attempt to protect the younger children, I tried to find the hidden exit into the mountains, but when i opened it, the elite killing force erupted, knocking me unconscious. They were known was the Thousand Army, because their skill was equal to that. When I awoke, the Thousand Army slaughtered the last of the children. I was relentless. I killed them all in a fit of rage, and then left, going into hiding. One hundred years passed, hiding, keeping my head down, and doing what I had to to survive. I hid in Dryads' forests, took refuge with the friendly forest spirits, I told them my story, and said I was different from normal Witchers, and they named me "Gweintalan"; "Burden of Youth." As the decades passed, I didn't age, but people soon forgot about the mages, and the Witchers. I would ask around, and the answer was always the same: The Witchers were nearly extinct. I continued my profession, I was not hunted, but I was not welcomed even more than I was a hundred years ago. But it didn't matter. Sometimes I heard stories of a Sorceress rebelling against a Lord, or that another witcher came through and killed their beast problem. But it didn't matter. Many would think that the Second Conjunction would have made me happy to be in work again, but it didn't. It left me more cautious, weary, and longing for a companion to assist me in my travels. It left the world in fear, even more than before. One night, I was abducted in my sleep, and taken to the Grand King, Ezli. He showed me with a surprising amount of respect while I was chained and poked at. It was not a man I wanted to talk to, but I had no choice. He gave me my "destiny." He gave me the choice of "redemption" for what I've done to humans. He told me to gather up the rest of my kind, the rest of the sorcerers, and recruit as many as I can for the cause. The cause to kill monsters, and the Dark Lord. I started my journey almost a year ago, looking for anyone and anything that would help in the quest. I'm not doing it for the Grand King. I'm not trying to find redemption. I'm doing it to prove something to myself I suppose. That not all of us need to be monsters.[/hider] Personality: Like most Witchers, Rilden seems cold, expressionless, and menacing. He has a biased hatred for soldiers, but does his best to stay neutral, because of the Witcher Code. He does have sympathy, and small senses of dry humor, and does his best to conceal any other emotion, because of what he was taught. Weapon(s): Small blades, a "Witcher's Kit" filled with potion ingredients and medicine, but mainly used the Witcher crafted steel and silver swords. Family/Relationships: Anyone interested let me know! Other: Although he'll deny it, he's a sucker for a really well written poem.