[center] Shalodud - City of Turmoil Rated Mature for blood, violence, use of drugs and alcohol, excessive use of swords, swearing, and any other kerfuffle we feel like getting into. Within limits. This is in the fantasy setting in a made up world.[/center] [center] [img]http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100622173717/princeofpersia/en/images/7/7f/Palace_of_babylon.jpg[/img] [/center] [center] Welcome, all, to Shalodud [/center] [HIDER=Backstory] What was once a grand city, thriving with business and architecture, is now a rubble-ridden wasteland. Shopkeepers scrape by from the few citizens still left in the city, often living in their own businesses. The crime rate has skyrocketed, not all of which is committed by average citizens. The new ruler of the lands, Namil Thargal - Otherwise known as Namil the Merciless- makes sure everyone is in place. Especially mages. There isn't anything on this planet that he hates more than magic users, which is exactly what has caused this country to perish. The continent was made up of major cities, that took care of the surrounding village land. The elves of Han-la controlled most of the north, above the River of peace (Which is ironic, seeing as now the river has been splashed with the sticky blood of hatred). The good and noble leader of the elves, Losdel Rosma, was a major contributor to the economy of Shalodud with their trading. Shalodud had many farms and therefore always had food, and Han-la had bewildering magics, from simple bottles of concentrated mana to objects that have been given the breath of life. At this time, the city was ruled by Lord Ethel, cousin of Namil, whose mother had him with an elf (who has not been named) and was the only son of King Alexander II, even though he was not his biological son. The next in line was Namil, who was overcame by jealousy and hatred. His parents and family all shunned Ethel from his birth, as he was not pure in blood, the only thing worse than not being a human was being partly human. This was possibly only the start of his hate for magic users, many believed he was bullied by tiny mages in school. During the war against barbarians, they stole the fame from him (or so he thought) and rogue magics destroyed his comrades. And thus, the Lord Ethel was slain by his own cousin, to never be seen again. Namil probably could have stayed quiet enough and taken throne, but he was wrapped him self, but in madness. He collected elixirs of poison, scrolls of curses, and his last act was a fireball directed to one of the city's largely populated areas. He gathered people in the town and spoke out against the king, saying Ethel told him that he was going to leave them to perish, and that this was a direct message from the heavens that magics are evil. He said that Ethel asked for this, and probably caused it to happen, which enraged the commoners. Attached to this message was a call for the end of these evils, a gathering of magic users to strip them of their powers. If they denied they would be asked to move to the elven kingdom that had the ability to control the magics. What the people didn't know was this was not his plan at all. The elves were quick to withdraw their people out of the territory south of the river, as a few casualties were a few too many for them. [B][color=red](At least read the below)[/color][/B] This brings us to the present, magic was evil and if one were to report a person for using magic, they found them self with a hefty reward. The accused, however, was to be taken in the middle of the night, or perhaps the middle of the day, in handcuffs to be relocated north, or imprisoned, nobody was quite sure at this point. If the magic used seemed to be a danger, the person was instead slain in public for an example and Namil's way of showing the townspeople he was protecting them. The city is in ruins, the economy is down and the people live in fear. Those who were rich ruled with their money and bullied others with it, becoming richer, as they controlled the lands, and it made for a more feudal system. Dictator of these lands for the past fifteen years was Namil Thargal - the man who hated magics. In this land there was hierarchy of races, humans at the top, followed by elves then dwarves, and at the bottom animalistic beings. Shalodud was almost exclusively humans, as others were used, abused, and taken away. [/HIDER] [HIDER=Summary of Geography] The city is in the south of the continent on a very watery planet, most of the land isn't connected. To the east there are plains and then wetlands, leading to the ocean. To the west there is thick forests that lead to a desert before the mountain range that lines the west coast. To the north there is a river before the elves land, which is known to be similar in that it has mountains to the west and plains to the east, but they are located more centrally in the forests. There's other rivers, running east to west, and a "train" track ran by magic from north to south. The magic train is traded for a train ran by man power once you enter Shalodud territory.[/HIDER] [HIDER=Quest/Plot]Honestly everyone has their own, seeing as we cover the spectrum. The plot, though, is now that another mage has been slaughtered, and with newcomers around, what will they do?[/HIDER] [HIDER=Races] [color=lightpink]Human[/color] From castles to cattle grounds, they span the system all over. Most of the residents of Shalodud are human and fill any and every role. From a noble collecting patronages, to a shopkeeper struggling to keep his bar open, to a villager working diligently and never coming ahead. If you are a human magic-user, you either do so in extreme privacy or have shunned yourself from the practice to save your own life or family. Most humans can't host magic in themselves and will need alchemy, elixiers, wands, magically blessed items, years of training and the like. [color=forestgreen]Elf[/color] On the outer portions of the lands, one can find most elves. They life simply and in hiding in the thick forests. Every now and then they will don a gown and try to appear a bit shorter to go into town and sell their trades. Their healing magics are extremely coveted, as the city is ridden with diseases and many are simply mugged and stabbed. One has to be careful because elves are often reported, and if that wasn't enough, there are private groups that hunt elves and sell their organs for "magical" properties, or enslave them for the same purposes. Rogue elves will find human passersby and slay them, either for their supplies, revenge, or simply protecting their family and friends. [color=gold]Dwarf[/color] Small in size but large in strength, dwarves are rare to find. Because they usually live in large towns together in hiding, some few that are found alone are either used for labor at the threat of their homeland being invaded. There are other reasons why a dwarf might be in the city, to sell trades or get extra money from labors, or perhaps looking to buy medicines for his loved ones. Dwarves are seen lowly, but as they are not known for magic, they are unlikely to be arrested on the spot, though it is more likely they will be taken for work or questioning, either because nobody knows where the dwarf village is (and would like to take advantage of it), or because somehow they seem to have contact with the north elves, and everybody apparently. If you want to be a dwarf and part of the nearby village, pm me and I'll tell you a few things about it. [color=brown]Anamalistic[/color] What once shared the forests alone, these are yet another rare race. Their coats are coveted for, and they are often chained and used for trading, labor, ownership, or general working. This, along with the ability to use magics, has driven these kind off to an island to the east, the refugees creating their own army to protect their families. Their height depends on the animal they originate from, beavers being smaller and tigers a little taller than the average human. Generally, they aren't seen as having a special talent like dwarves, elves, or humans, they are given little respect or rights. If there is an unlisted race that you want to use, let me know! We will see what we can do. [/HIDER] [HIDER=Rules] [CENTER]Rules[/CENTER] 1. I'm expecting that all will write at least a paragraph, and will try to be descriptive, clear, and specific as they can. 2. Third person past tense is preferred, it keeps everything flowing well. Eg: Sally went to the store. Not: I go to the store. 3. Be realistic. No God-Mods, if you have a question about a post just ask. If you want to see what would usually happen to your character in that situation, ask me and you can pencil it in. If you want me to play the part of a stock character with you, just ask. 4. Speaking of stock characters, they're mine. If it's assumable that a character would be in a certain venue (Eg: Shopkeeper in a shop) You may interact with them, but message me first about what they would do or say. 5. This RP is rated M. Violence, and foul language is freely allowed, minor sexual situations can happen at will (Groping, kissing, etc) but anything beyond will fade out. 6. Player knowledge is not character knowledge. Just because you know something (be it through OOC or another person's post) does not mean that your character knows, this should be a given. 7. I am the GM. Repeat after me, [b]"I will do what the GM says. I will be respectful to the GM and all other players here. The GM made this world and is, therefore, in control of it. The GM makes the rules. The GM will be fair and reasonable, and so will I. The GM is a pretty cool gal, and is super nice." [/b]Did I go too far? Nahhhh... 8. Any individual that I acknowledge as Co-GM, Standing GM, or any other position of authority, will be essentially an extension of myself. As such, the word of Co-GMs is also law. 9. /HIDER option can be used to organize anything you feel like, but if there is a real spoiler, be sure to tag it as spoiler 10. Last, but certainly not least, have fun :) [/HIDER] [HIDER=Character sheets] [CENTER] Character Sheet [/CENTER] [b][color=23CCBB]Appearance:[/color][/b] A short description and/or an image, digital art as opposed to IRL images, please. [b][color=23CCBB]Name:[/color][/b] Your character's name and or any aliases [b][color=23CCBB]Age:[/color][/b] Your character's age. Elves age half as quickly as humans, animalistics age twice as quickly as humans. Dwarves age somewhere between humans and elves. Simply, human appearance at 20 = elf at age 40, animalist at age 10, and dwarves always [U]look[/U] like 60, but would be 30-ish [b][color=23CCBB]Race:[/color][/b] Your character's race. If an animalistic, include a short description as well [b][color=89CC23]Personality:[/color][/b] Arguably the most important portion of the CS, I want to meet your character, make them come to life. Some things to consider including along with general: Loves, hates, likes, life goals, favorite activities, weaknesses, personal quest(s) [b][color=89CC23]Background:[/color][/b] Quite important, but not as important as your character's personality, give me a small summary of your character's history and bio. [b][color=CC2335]Skills:[/color][/b] What can your character do? Magics, talents, abilities. As stated above, magic will be highly dependent on race. [b][color=CC2335]Gear:[/color][/b] What do you have? Weapons, clothing/armor, magical tools, maps, even keys and rope can go here. I will be checking everything to make sure you're not overpowering your character, so beware. If you have a special weapon, you can provide a picture of it here, just use the /hider so everything stays neat and organized. I love neat and organized. [/HIDER] [HIDER=Currency] [CENTER] Currency (And putting it in perspective) [/CENTER] [b][color=gray]Dink[/color][/b] - About two centimeters across, thin with a dull silver color, pressed with circles within circles - You can get a needle and spool of thread thread for a Dink [b][color=B06612]Copper[/color][/b] - 10 Dinks - Base unit - Two centimeters across, quite thick, copper colored, image of a face on one side and a watch on the other - At a normal restaurant, you can get a chicken leg, mashed potatoes, cup of soup and ale for a copper [b][color=lightgray]Silver[/color][/b] -10 Coppers - Four centimeters across, thick with a shiny silver color, pressed with images of vines and words - The price of an okay, two-person bed with pillows and two sheets [b][color=gold]Gold[/color][/b] - 10 Silvers - About four centimeters across, thick with a lovely gold color, nicely adorned with a dragon - A month's rent for the average shop [/HIDER] [CENTER] So, do you have what it takes? I certainly hope so. I'll see you in the CS's.[/CENTER]