[h3]Lore[/h3]

This isn't Lore-based. I don't expect you or your characters to be able to wax lyrical about the metaphysics of this universe (or though, of course, you may!). I simply want to set context so that you know what you are working with. The Lore will come in the form of Excerpts from the Book of Trouble, which may or may not itself actually feature in the IC. If you have any questions, because you're keen to know more or legit don't understand this pseudo-philosophical twaddle I'm generating, by all means ask: although, of course, if you punch a hole in the logic, I'm not gonna re-write the whole thing, but just suggest your puny mortal brain couldn't possibly ever understand the revelations in the Book of Trouble, but it was really cute of you to try.

[hider=Deconstructing the Divine][i]When mortals discuss God, they just don't get it. God is not an individual, but an idea. God is the embodiment of those forces which underpin existence and subsequently writes the rulebook for reality. Reality must exist, and 'God' is subservient to that truth - and not vice versa. Should God be deposed, the vacuum would therefore simply form a new God, typically within and from whoever had the power to overthrow their predecessor. Since my own creation, I have witnessed this cycle enough times to know, and watched physics itself be reshaped based on little more than caprice.

Of course, this misconception about God is perfectly understandable; mortals cannot perceive that which exists at a higher plane of existence than themselves. Even God is internally constrained by the duality of existing as an individual and as the highest power that there is, simultaneously finite and infinite in a world of his own design and yet whose metaphysics remain beyond him.

With great power comes great responsibility, but also, typically, great arrogance.[/i]

[sub][right]Excerpt From The Book of Trouble: Deconstructing the Divine[/right][/sub][/hider]

[hider=Essential Truths and Atrophy][i]Everything is comprised of both Matter and Essence, which we can think of as ‘body’ and ‘soul’; Matter pertains to physical presence, while Essence pertains to conceptual existence. Matter requires less explanation; even mortals have grasped the basics of physics. Essence, meanwhile, can be harder to outline.

In short, Essence is generated by thought and emotion, which, in metaphysics, are barely distinct. Even an object as obtuse as a stone becomes charged with Essence simply by bearing that stone in mind. Thinking about it intensely or emotionally changes the amplitude and character of that Essence. Meanwhile, even a living being, if neglected, begins to lose its Essence. To be forgotten entirely is to cease to exist altogether; to be sufficiently is to be made real from nothing. Perhaps counter-intuitively, Matter accommodates Essence and is defined by it, and not vice versa.

This is, in a nutshell, the power of God, whom we may describe as the fountain of Essence. All Essence trickles down from God - which is not to say that God controls Essence absolutely. The Essence emanated from God gives way sooner or later to life, which itself emits its own Essence, by, for example, thinking about a stone. Should that stone be ascribed enough Essence, it would take on a life of its own, beyond the reaches of God’s design. Essence begets Essence. This growth is exponential, and must, by definition, eventually equal and then surpass God as Essence cannot be destroyed; it merely flows into the nearest receptacle. Reality, even when divinely governed, is inherently unsustainable.[/i]

[right][sub]Excerpt from the Book of Trouble: Essential Truths and Atrophy[/sub][/right][/hider]

[hider=Presence][i]Essence of a significant enough amplitude gives way to animation, individual instances of which are called Presences, among which we have, primarily, the singularity of God, the aggregate Hosts of Essence, and mortal life. Insofar as God can be outlined, I have outlined God elsewhere. Mortal life, meanwhile, is easy to describe, in that it is constrained by biology, a subject of Matter. Typically exhibiting the seven signifiers of life, such as respiration and nutrition, mortal life ceases to be animated upon cessation of those processes, and so ceases to be considered a Presence when dead. This is not the same as not existing, of course, as even dead mortals/former Presences typically retain much of their Essence. Note that mortals cannot truly perceive Essence, although they may recognise those phenomena that comprise it, such as love or hate.

Perhaps considered in between God and mortals, we find Hosts of Essence, usually referred to simply as Hosts. They are, as their name may indicate, Presences which contain, and emanate, Essence far in excess of mortal life, to the point where they have the power to perceive and shape it. This power is nothing compared to that of God, but still distinguishes them utterly from mortals; not least because simply willing their own existence is more than enough to maintain their own animation, rendering life processes superfluous.

Both the highest instances of mortal life (humans) and all Hosts are made in God’s own image, if not by direct creation, by the natural flow of Essence. Therefore, a human can without difficulty perceive the material form of both Hosts and God and recognise them as human, with perhaps only the slightest, subconscious inkling of the essential powers behind them. Even Hosts’ perception of God is constrained to their individual limits of perception of Essence.

In addition to these three primary Presences, there are also Abstractions and Eidolons. Abstractions, I shall deal with elsewhere. Eidolons, meanwhile, are mysteries even to me, and perhaps also to God.[/i]

[right][sub]Excerpt from the Book of Trouble: Presence[/sub][/right][/hider]

[h3]Setting:[/h3]

I'll work on this bit last, because it's actually kinda the least important bit from my perspective. Just to give you something to work with, imagine a modern metropolis full of burger joints and computer stores and stupid teenagers taking selfies. [b]If enough people indicate they want it[/b], I could actually set it within an equally decadent period, such as the '20s, but I'm assuming modern day is more like it.

[h3]Characters:[/h3]

So: here's the sheet. It's a bit unconventional and might ask a bit more from you than other sheets, particularly under relationships. Please take this thing seriously, and for the love of god please use the formatting I've laid out. It really really really does make it easier to compare sheets - which I'm expecting everybody to do. There's an explanation hider so you know what each heading means. You know, please read it. :P

[b]Qualities:[/b]

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Character:[/b]
[b]Flaws:[/b]
[list][*]
[*]
[*][/list]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Essence:[/b]
[b]Emblem:[/b]
[b]Relationships:[/b]
[indent][b]God:[/b]

[b]Literally every other goddamn character:[/b][/indent]

[b]Stats:[/b]

[b]Ambition:[/b]
[b]Combat:[/b]
[b]Essence:[/b]
[b]Cunning:[/b]
[b]Reputation:[/b]

[hider=With the Coding Done For You][noparse][b]Qualities:[/b]

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Character:[/b]
[b]Flaws:[/b]
[list][*]
[*]
[*][/list]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Essence:[/b]
[b]Emblem:[/b]
[b]Relationships:[/b]
[indent][b]God:[/b]

[b]Literally every other goddamn character:[/b][/indent]

[b]Stats:[/b]

[b]Ambition:[/b]
[b]Combat:[/b]
[b]Essence:[/b]
[b]Cunning:[/b]
[b]Reputation:[/b][/noparse][/hider]

[hider=Explanation of the Sheet][b]Qualities:[/b]

[b]Name:[/b] The name of your character: doesn’t have to be a ‘proper’ name
[b]Character:[/b] Read: personality. Broad brush-strokes are fine, because you’re not an intricate human but an abstract being built mostly of Essence
[b]Flaws:[/b]
[list][*] At least three things about your character that makes them ‘bad’
[*] Either unpleasant or weak or ideally both
[*] You don’t have to go into detail (because this is kinda restating the ‘character’ section anyway[/list]
[b]Objective:[/b] Everybody’s caught up in the power-struggle. Are you going to stick with God, try to supplant him, or help somebody else’s coup in the hope of higher standing with the new almighty?
[b]Appearance:[/b] What they look like. Outfits are kinda an element of the Host’s physical being, so they don’t change. [i]Description only, please[/i].
[b]Essence:[/b] When they’re warping reality, what it kinda looks like and the kinda things they can do - should be related to their character. Anything from miraculous parkour to crazy-lasers kinda lives here.
[b]Emblem:[/b] If they use a ‘weapon’ or anything to channel their Essence, what is it? It should be something not out-of-place in the city, so actual ‘weapons’ are most likely inappropriate.
[b]Relationships:[/b]
[indent][b]God:[/b] How’d you get on with the almighty?

[b]Literally every other goddamn character:[/b] Yep: I want you to talk to other players and update your sheets so we all know how everybody gets on. Even if you want to leave details to PMs or to see what unfolds, I’d at least like a rough idea.[/indent]

[b]Stats:[/b] These are just for reference, so we have a factual guide for what people are running. X/10 for each.

[b]Ambition:[/b] How ambitious you are
[b]Combat:[/b] How likely you are to win in a fight
[b]Essence:[/b] How powerfully you can control Essence (related to combat)
[b]Cunning:[/b] How likely you are to be able to outwit an opponent
[b]Reputation:[/b] How well you’re received by other Hosts[/hider]

[h3]Rules:[/h3]
[list][*] [b]Talk to each other[/b]. This game will be driven by your characters' plotting and scheming and betraying and such, and that'll work best with lots of inter-player communication and collaborative posts. If you're not up for that, this isn't the game for you.
[*] I shouldn't have to say this, but talk to each other [b]politely and with respect[/b].
[*] Advanced-standard posts. This is mostly a bit of fun, but [b]basic spelling and grammar[/b] are a key component of fun. I don't mind short posts that add content, but you ought to consider a collab for back-and-forth conversations or interactions.
[*] [b]GM is God[/b]. In this case, literally. :D
[*] Have fun - no, really. [b]Ham up[/b] and let your inner megalomaniac free![/list]