[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/FSQi3QJ.jpg[/img]
[h1]F A T A L    S O U L S[/h1][/center]
	[color=ffa64d][sub]O V E R V I E W[/sub][/color][hr][indent][color=7e6e75][i]“In truth, it was all but a matter of time. Even the most cynical of ours surely did not expect what was to come upon us all as our realm fell into disarray and madness whilst greed, ambition, hunger, and pride would lead us all into the darkest hell.”[/i]

[quote]"Advanced roleplaying should focus on developing interesting and complex characters that become part of plot-lines which catch the imagination and inspire the writer behind them to exercise creativity. It is mature, humorous, imaginative, tragic, terrifying, passionate, and rife with descriptive language and characters with real personality and relatable cares. Quality posting is far better than needless novels, yet one should never neglect detail when one feels the need. However, while word and paragraph requirements ought to be unnecessary, single paragraphs cannot contain enough detail to suffice."​[/quote]
I suppose as a disclaimer the best thing to mention is that this a game of collaboration and prose where the goal isn’t to be competitive “nation-style game” but rather a “concurrent sandbox-style game” which means there are few linear strangleholds and the narrative is open to the writer’s whims as long as they do not contradict others.

Fatal Souls is a sort of medieval-fantasy sandbox role-playing universe that has some subtle elements of fantasy. The idea came from me being way too self-conscious to write Game of Thrones continuity role-plays so… I spent more time it would’ve taken me to catch up on that lore and made this. I want players to have a lot of freedom with what they do and create stories from multiple perspectives; not just kingly ones. I will be playing it up on multiple perspectives myself as well as orchestrating events as time goes on, but what I really want is to see events from other sandbox stories sort of somehow effect the world as a whole to the point another player somewhere else hears about it.

Commonly, the idea is that players will pick a great or minor house from the continent of Orlandis to role-play as a member or member(s) of that house. There are a plethora of characters from the three core continents to play from including hedge knights, priests, pirates, mercenaries, herbalists, and so forth—really whatever your imagination favors. What stories are there to tell? For the short answer: many; there’s political ones they could want to craft but there could be also stories reflecting a kidnapped princess, a disgraced knight living out his days as a sellsword, an ambitious adventurer getting a taste of free life on a “totally-not-a-pirate” ship heading for an unknown island, and so forth. What you write may affect others and what I write likely will as well. This isn’t an authoritarian show, everybody can create a possible outcome that affects things around them.

This is not to say player-on-player interaction is discouraged or to not be accounted for—some people work better in groups and it’s always cool to see interaction as it was in the other sandbox role-plays I’ve been a part of. Some guidelines include: Don’t call shots on ‘important’ NPCs or other player characters, collaborate if you wish to, respect the GM decisions and so forth, don’t jump into a scene for the sake of it— make sure your perspective character has a reason to be there (for example, why is the crowned prince of Fedos Plur suddenly in Terijas helping a soldier in a war? Explain through narrative or to the GM if you need some air of intrigue).

What should you [i]play[/i]?

Well, I have a bit of the ethnicity/regional information below so take a looksee and see what preset lore is done and go from there. Also, I recommend people playing a point of view character from the Kingdoms within Orlandis, since the RP has events as well as cohesive information designed for that continent. PM me if you want to be something foreign to Orlandis and maybe I can work with you to make it work. But we do [b]need[/b] all of the Orlandis' Great House perspectives filled.[/color][/indent]
	[color=ffa64d][sub]R E G I O N S[/sub][/color][hr][indent][color=7e6e75]Orlandis is a large continent, and the Imperial Monarchy intends to keep it contained and content. What serves today as imperial provinces were once largely independent petty kingdoms and a handful of the original monarchies still continue on to this day as servants of the High King (or in rare cases, High Queen). Each realm holds unique resources, talents, affinities, or heritage and trade amongst each province is seen as beneficial. The following is a short description of each region as it stands;

The Crag –

The Expanse –

The Hinterlands –

The Lowlands –

The Northlands –

The Stormbroken Isles –

The Verge –

The Wetlands –[/color][/indent]
	[color=ffa64d][sub]P E O P L E[/sub][/color][hr][indent][color=7e6e75]The people of Orlandis are diverse, and hold different values depending on their locations and virtues. 

[hider=Endosi (The Verge)]This is a southeastern cultural group in game (Voltaani). As a real world example naming conventions are generally Spanish, Portuguese, and Basque. Example of character names include— Amaya Antar, Amando Artez, Anxo Iniigo, Dario Valari, and Cornelio Txausi.[/hider]
[hider=Stormtir (Hinterlands, Stormbroken Isles, Crag)]As a real world example naming conventions are Pictish, Irish, Welsh, and so forth; basically the celtic cultural group. Example of character names include— Cathaoir Marlowe, Cadeyrn Crowe, Anwen Kathaim, Cadfael Duearth, and Eirian Glyndwr.[/hider]
[hider=Orlandic (Lowlands, Wetlands, Heartlands, Expanse)]This is the general cultural group in game. As a real world example naming conventions are generally early English, Anglo-Saxon, and German. Example of character names include— Emilia Valian, Dierk Thralon, Leonard Edrid, Julia Vayle, Godfrey Kentham, and William Barton.[/hider]
[hider=Vyntic (Northlands)]This is the far northern cultural group in game. As a real world point naming conventions are Norse, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish; though this is only in for first names. Examples of character names include— Jorvik Volkar, Davok Ulaar, Otho Skagelv, and Igor Hafrek.[/hider][/color][/indent]
	[color=ffa64d][sub]R E L I G I O N[/sub][/color][hr][indent][color=7e6e75]For hundreds of years, faith has been a strong word for the people of Orlandis and many changes have occurred over the last several centuries. 

[hider=The Word of Aaavar]The Word of Aavaar is a monotheistic religion based on the historical text written supposedly by Aaroun ‘the Prophet’ as recorded in The Silver Parchment. The faith is obscure outside of the continent of Orlandis as in contrast to world religions that date back hundreds of centuries, Aavaar has only been practiced for around eight centuries thus making it a relatively “new” organized religion. Most orthodox believers accept that the text presented in the scriptures are objective and literal rather than metaphorical and allegorical. The head of the organized religion is The Oracle, who is elected and serves his sentence at The Silver Temple in the Imperial Heartlands.

The defining doctrines of the religion are ones to lead man through moralistic virtue and away from hedonistic sin. It is described that “salvation lies from within” and perhaps it is with this celestial concept of an afterlife that people feel compelled to follow or perhaps it is alternatively the fear of judgement for ill deeds. Such virtues include peace, humility, kindness, diligence, charity, temperance, and chastity; whereas the sins of man include wrath, pride, envy, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. For those who commit sin they must confess to god in the sanctity of a temple.

General worship is focused on temple proceedings, academic lectures, and devout symbolism. Said symbolism can be reflected with the symbol of the faith, a silver cross. A necklace bearing a silver cross shows desire to be devoted to god, and perhaps in some minds a reminder to steer them away from vile temptations. In temples as well as lordship chapels there exist small fountains of water blessed by priests of the faith to allow individuals to, when confessing, “wash” their sins away as they have their private moment with god—sometimes silver coins anointed with prayers are tossed within these same fountains. Worship extends to hymns, traditional ballads, and readings of the scripture.[/hider]
[list][*] The central religion and official imperial religion followed in Orlandis.[/list]
[hider=Diosaea]Diosaea is a non-theistic religion based on the teachings taught by the ancient philosopher known as Saint Jovita del Voltaani which were written and recorded in the Santo'libro. The faith is one with great historical and cultural significance to the people who fled the crumbling empire to Orlandis as well as the merchant republics in their homeland that survived the fallout of such an exodus. The head of the organized religion are separated into two people to serve two continents (Orlandis and Atularis) is Paragon of the West and the East, who is elected and serves his or her sentence at the grand cathedral known as Templo del Refugio in The Verge.

Originally coined as “The Path of Enlightenment” by Jovita’s smitten royal supporters in the imperial congress, Diosaea was not intended to be a ‘religion’ but a scholarly approach to morality to make humanity understand to appreciate their brothers and sisters. As a philosophy-oriented belief system there are no gods or deities, though this did not stop people from worshiping Saint Jovita as if she was one as history faded and the truth became clouded. The rules of Diosaea are based around universal humanism and about doing good by your fellow man not because there is an afterlife or damnation but because there isn’t one and that in the end all man are bound by their species so they should not seek destruction of them. In a way it is comparable to the Way of Aavaar in that it promotes virtue above all, but that is where the comparison ends.

The symbol that represents Diosaea is that of a circular infiniteness (infinity symbol) to represent the cycle of man. This goes into a completely different belief that Saint Jovita had during her journeys throughout the empire she was born into—of how life is so full of karmic coincidence and re-occurrence that life is most certainly a cycle. As such she believed souls (or people, it’s hard to say as the bit written is inconsistent) lived on after physical death thus entering new mortal coils and continuing.

Today, Diosaea has become a religion centered on the “saintly” figure of Jovita, with her rules of living turning into scripture law.[/hider]
[list][*] Originating from the survivors of the fall of the Kingdom of Voltaan overseas, Diosaea is only centrally worshipped in Orlandis within the regions they called their new home in the region now known as The Verge.[/list]
[hider=Kaard]Kaard av Nyr (or Southern Kaardism, New Kaardism) refers to the religious traditions of the Vyntic people who sailed across the Sea of Echoes thousands of years ago as recorded in The Guolog. The head of the organized religion is known as The Prestrskati who is the head of the religious order known as the Brothers of Kaard.

As a religion based around strength and honor, Kaard av Nyr believes not in strength through conquest but strength through life. It is here that credence’s of honesty, diligence, patience, honor, and family are defined whilst the price of blood is demanded through any one who defiles Kaard’s law such as murder of a child or an attack that is seen dishonorable (such as striking a defenseless man or raping a man’s daughter or wife).[/hider]
[list][*] Originating from the nomads who crossed the Sea of Echoes to settle in the frozen north of Orlandis, the faithful of Kaard are scattered throughout The Northlands and scattered areas in the northern Hinterlands.[/list]
[hider=The Stormbroken Faith]The Stormbroken Faith (or Followers of the Storm) refers to the religious traditions of the Hinterlandic people who lived historically on the western coast of northern Orlandis. The head of the religion is a small council of druids called The Synod. There is no written text.

A religion based on elemental druidism, The Stormbroken Faith is one of archaic simplicities and is historically the cultural beliefs of all people who descend from the Hinterland. The religious hierarchy is separated into four domains: earth, wind, fire, and water. It is commonly believed by the people that every natural occurrence is an act of spiritual unrest or will—thus the eruption of the volcano called “Stormbreaker” was seen as a defining moment especially considering this was during the time when most of the people of the Hinterlands were being converted by missionaries who worshiped the god Aavaar. Considering this, appeasing the gods is done through sacrifice from appropriate materials to the price of blood.

Human sacrifices are a commonplace action by druids who follow the religion, believing that the highest form of honoring the gods is by appropriate ritual sacrifice of heretics and thralls. Depending on the season, ritual, and other mitigating factors the chosen element is decided in a sacrifice and the prisoners killed are done so by that elements domain—if it is earth they would be buried alive, if it is water they would be drowned, and so forth.[/hider]
[list][*] The old faith of The Hinterlands and The Stormbroken Isles; generally only worshiped in The Stormbroken Isles in current times.[/list][/color][/indent]
	[color=ffa64d][sub]M A P[/sub][/color][hr][indent][color=7e6e75][hider=Hider][img]http://i.imgur.com/6Dkbr92.jpg[/img][/hider][/color][/indent]
	[color=ffa64d][sub]R U L E S[/sub][/color][hr][indent][color=7e6e75][b]I. [/b]The most important thing is to respect and follow the rules of our host site, which is no question. The themes are undoubtedly mature but we need to understand what we can and cannot write blatantly. Prose has many techniques referential and subtle where we can show the idea without outright being overtly over the line. If there’s sexual content there is always “fade to black”, if it is a particularly dark and questionable scene it can be referenced or hinted at instead of shown.

[b]II.[/b] Respect fellow role-players. This is a collaborative project in nature so we shan’t dismiss or patronize those we should be working together with—lighthearted humor is fine but remember not to insult outright or start flame-wars; generally you know the drill so don’t be a dick and things should be kosher.   

[b]III.[/b] No meta-gaming—in Game of Thrones Robb Stark wasn’t prepared for the Red Wedding, so by good logic you shouldn’t be as well. The characters can’t know things outside of their timeframe, knowledge, and so on.

[b]IV.[/b] Characters can and will die in this role-play. This means if five armed swords surround an unarmed individual there will be certainly a terrible end. Although, this is not to say GM’s or other players can kill others outright and without consultation—the characters in your house sheet are your de facto legacy characters and you have a say in plot progression but do remember this is a game of collaboration.

[b]V. [/b]This is a role-play of interaction, character development, story progression—not one that fits the sub-forums of arena or nation RP. While yes, as rulers we have militaries and soldiers we should remember the sole purpose is not to do so. Interaction should be diverse and dick-measuring contest should be absent or at least kept to a minimum.

[b]VI.[/b] Post length should fit the scene progression; also defer to the quote at the top of the page regarding “advanced role-playing standards”.

[b]VII.[/b] You accept the responsibility that you can post every ten to fifteen days once. If you are taking a leave of absence you will be required to inform the GM’s.

[b]VIII. [/b]This last one is more of a suggestion—both GM’s have skype accounts, and as such it would be highly useful if you are available to join the Fatal Souls group on skype. Skype is more active and eye-grabbing than any chatzy or mibbit and are more immediate for concerns and world-building.[/color][/indent]