[b][h1][center]A Bleak Storm[/center][/h1][/b]
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/qXen1vT.jpg[/img][/center]

The world is a mysterious place. The world is not safe. The world is full of monsters.

It is the year 1726, 200 years after the discovery of the new world. European hegemony dominates the planet, and nearly all warfare encircles these nations. But at home, average people still live in fear. Fear for their safety, not from other people, but from the beasts lurking in the shadows. Fear of the supposedly friendly but unnatural creatures living in their own, independent nations.

Dragons scour the lands above Europe and China, goblins frequent raids down from the Urals across Eastern Europe, the Werewolf clans of the Appalachian mountains torment the British colonies. But these are national issues. Towns of every continent are plagued by other, small nightmares. Dreamsnatchers and witches, necromancers and poltergeists. How can you sleep at night if you fear monsters will smash down your door and take your children?

But there are a few who fight. Some are ex-soldiers, who have now trained to combat the darkness. Others are regular townsmen who have had more than their fair share of run-ins with demons and horrors. But by far the largest group is the Knighthood. A global "organization" of men (and a few women) trained to defend their towns and cities from the monstrosities of the night. While not a very well maintained organization, Knights take on apprentices, much like any other profession, and they are paid to solve problems. Often, they are nomadic,  and wander the countryside looking for work. Many are hailed as heroes, but they often bring a rumor of death and destruction with them, as it isn't easy or safe to slay a beast.
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Hello everyone and welcome to "A Bleak Storm." As noted above, this RP is aimed at being both fantastical and dark at the same time. So hold onto your sword hilts everybody, we're going for a ride.

[b][h1]Announcements[/h1][/b]
-Over the Next few days, I'm going to be working this page so all the necessary info can be found
-Applications are open, please post in the OOC before you post in the Character thread
-Please make sure you read everything on this page, I don't want sloppy writing

[b][h2]Rules and Expectations[/h2][/b]
-Follow all RP guild rules, a given
-This is a High Casual RP, which means I want writing to the standards of Advanced, though the length is less of an issue.
-No child or very old characters, ages between 16 and 60
-You are free to make up monsters, creatures, or local history, but do not alter the global timeline, or change already existing monsters (Subversions are fine) (The Global timeline is quite similar to the real one, in respect to major events)

[b][h2]Character Info[/h2][/b]
Info about the Knighthood before you write your CC:
	The Knighthood, while a global order, is not really hierarchical in the slightest. It's a profession just like being a butcher or a scientist or a soldier is. There are "ranks" but only in manner of "color" a very rough term that is only truly respected at the high court, which is the capital of the organization, functioning out of a castle in Northern Scotland. Almost all average Knights are of the "grey" color, and their superiors, the "Blue" are essentially bureaucrats who find them  work if they need it. Past that, it becomes wildly over complicated and generally ignored by all lesser members.
	Knights are most often nomadic fellows. They wander the countryside of the land they live in. There are three general types of Knight in terms of location. True Knights are those that wander freely, they hold no bounds of borders or loyalty to country, and serve only those in need (or those with coin), they are the most common by far. Born Knights are tied to the borders of their kingdom or country, and generally don't leave home; these are generally knights who switched from another profession, typically soldiering. Rooted Knights are those that are so needed they don't leave one small area. Often densely populated regions have a small forthouse, which is a headquarters for up to 4 Rooted Knights. Most cities host a forthouse. Aside from these restrictions, Knights operate anywhere and everywhere, though they're uncommon in large portions of the New World due to lack of settlements.
	Many Knights specialize in certain activites. This is a vast set of groups, but some of the most common are Straight (all purpose), Hallowed(Demon hunters), Hunting(Beast hunters), Herbal(Plant or other natural being hunters), and Grim(Hunters of the darkest and most vile creatures) Knights. When writing your character, feel free to use one of these, or make up your own. Knights generally avoid firearms, though they have no objection to crossbows and the like. Armor is up to the style of each Knight, and many are proficient in some form of magic.

Enough stalling, here's the format I'd like:
[hider=Character App]
Name(Put nickname in quotes, if needed):
Age:
General Location of Operation (include movement type (True, Born, Rooted)):
Preferred Dialogue Color(please put the color code):
Height:
Weight:
Appearance(Pictures not required, but appreciated):
General, non-combat, Apparel:
Armor and Weapons:
Affiliates(Apprentices, Partners, etc.):
Afflictions(If none, don't fill out):
Likes:
Dislikes:
Fears:
Specialization:
Magic (if any):
History(At least a paragraph, preferably more):
[/hider]

[b][h2]Bestiary[/h2][/b]
[i]The first step to defeating the beasts is knowing them -Purple Knight Harald Skane[/i]
[hider=Dragons]
-Massive beasts of legend, dragons roam and scorch two of the greatest regions of the earth. European dragons come in wide ranges of color, size, strength, and magical ability. The most fearsome dragons build hordes within mountains or old ruins of fortresses. But the true nightmares ravage cities for fun. Fire, ice, and lightning are all common bursts of energy these beasts exude from their mouths. There are two real strategies for fighting the European Dragon. Stab or Shoot the underbelly with something big, or run like hell. Chinese Dragons are significantly more friendly, and it is rare that it is needed to fight one. Often, they will share wisdom with travelers who are kind to them. This does not mean they are not powerful foes, and share many of the powers of European dragons. If the need arises, they have the same weaknesses as European dragons. Both varieties are capable of intelligent language and speech, and both live to greater than 1000 years, though only 3 have been documented
[/hider]

[hider=Were-Beasts]
Ancient races of unknown origin, the Were-clans are widespread and various. Different were-creatures exist in different places, for example Were-Boars exist only in the middle Americas, while the classic Werewolves descend from the European highlands. All Were-beasts are completely normal humans in their unaltered form, but contrary to popular belief, can change shape at any time. In this "feral" form, they still retain higher intelligence than an animal, and also much greater strength. Generally, silver-based weapons are required to kill them, though Were-Jaguars are susceptible to Aztec Gold, and Were-Lions and Tigers share an abject fear of copper. Contrary to popular belief, bites do not convert people to Were-beings, and only the Clans know the true way to convert a regular human.
[/hider]

[hider=Demons]
Demons are residents of the outer realm of Hell. While technically under the sway of their God-King, Lucifer, he has never entered the mortal world, and, in the words of great magician/explorer Paul Constanus [i]"He's got no bloody intent to either."[/i] Nearly all Demons are capable of feats of black magic, generally summoning things out of fire, causing torment, and generally poltergeist-y feats. Demons come in a hierarchy, not clearly understood by anyone but these vile creatures themselves, but the Knights have classified it as such:
[b]Imps:[/b] Minor Hellish annoyances, taking joy mostly in mild misery. Noticing all the water buckets in your village suddenly have holes? Missing half your socks? Chicken coop caught fire in the rain? Imps are often to blame (though these acts can also be committed by several other creatures as well, importantly Gnomes). Imps can be exorcised without the use of incantation or enchanted weapon.
[b]Fiends:[/b] Significantly more dangerous Demons, Fiends take delight in pain and suffering. They work to find and damage people, animals, and structures. The most common type of Demon that requires the service of a Knight, Fiends require either a spell of exorcism or a good old fashioned beheading to get the job done and send them back to Hell. They are capable of hurling fire, casting spells, and summoning weapons from Hell.
[b]Archdemons:[/b] Powerful, violent, angry. Archdemons are the top tier of the Common Demon breeds. They're incredibly vicious, and often slaughter whole groups of people. When cultists or others try to "Summon Satan" its often an Archdemon who responds to the call, only to wreak havok among a town. They possess similar powers to Fiends, albeit at a much higher power. Archdemons must be contained or fettered, and then cast out with an exorcism; or defeated with a Hallowed weapon, one blessed by a religious figure (any religion will do (except Satanism obviously))
[b]The Sins:[/b]The 7 Deadly Sins, while incredibly powerful, are not the same Demons as they were when the bible was written. They are regularly cycled out, though each Sin possesses the same power as its predecessor. Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth. These Demons are rare, but incredibly dangerous. They are killed in the same manner as Archdemons, though they are significantly more powerful, and can manipulate the functions of their respective sin within their targets. Their appearances correlate to their Sin.
[b]The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse:[/b] Will finish later.
[/hider]

More to come


[b][h2]Magic[/h2][/b]
	Magic is generally the ability to do something, normal humans cannot do. It was learned from the elves and centaurs in times of old, and has been passed down and explored for generations. It is now a legitimate field of study at most colleges. Magic varies from simple lighting spells to outright hurling of fireballs. Most Knights are not full trained Warlocks, and only know a few usefull spells. Nearly all knights know the spell, called Blacksense, which allows them to pick out the non-human, allowing them to sense the beings from anywhere within a radius (dependent on the power of the user), even through walls.
[i]-More to come later, just had to get the general gist out.[/i]