[center][b][u]To Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons[/u][/b][/center] [i]"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup." -Old Saying[/i] [i]"The dragon meddled in my affairs first, let's see how he tastes with ketchup. -Herbert T. Leintke, monster hunter and survivor of Krossavik.[/i] [i]About twenty years ago, an ancient dragon by the name of Htraknu awoke from hibernation and destroyed the village of Krossavik, devouring all but six of the inhabitants and leaving nothing but ruin in his wake. It was considered to be a great tragedy, but as the great beast did not travel beyond the mountain ranges guarding his home again, most assumed that he had returned to his slumber. If only that were the case. For the last two decades, he has been planning, preparing and gathering his forces for a war unlike any other. Not a simple war of conquest, but a war to alter the very fabric of reality. Unbeknownst to most folk, the dragon has far greater ambitions than more subjects, more territory, or even world domination. Instead, Htraknu wishes for nothing less than godhood. He will stop at nothing to slay every last deity and take their power to become the One God. No price is too great, no obstacle too daunting for the elder wyrm. Already, his cultists seek out artifacts of near-forgotten power to do battle with the gods while his warriors encroach on the borders of Illyrica, Asmeinland and Rosiland. Gods of Light and Shaituns alike, both are targets for his ambitions. Not even Lilith, the Outsider Goddess, is safe. Htraknu will be the most powerful being there ever was or he will not be at all. It is up to the heroes of this age to ensure that he becomes the latter. No matter where these heroes come from, whether they were a carpenter's apprentice or a monster hunter before, they will have to work together. Criminals and crusaders will have to co-exist for a while if they want to keep existing at all. The journey for this band of champions will be fraught with peril and success is not guaranteed. This band alone will not be enough either. Soldiers and armies will be needed to hold back the dragon's hordes and distract him from the brave few coming for his head.[/i] [hider=Religions] [hider=The Solanian Faith] These deities are the most commonly worshipped and are all part of the same pantheon. [u][b]The Benevolent Deities[/b][/u][list] [*]Solanius - God of Light, Time, Space, Justice, and Holiness/Righteousness [list] [*]King of the Divine [*]God of the Sun, in some cultures. [/list] [*]Calidorus - God of Fire, Honor, Law, and War. [list] [*]Patron God of Humankind [/list] [*]Celestis - God of the Sky, Stars, Seas, Fishermen, and Sailors [*]Acanthio - God of Wisdom, Logic, Knowledge, Magic, et seq. [list] [*]Patron God of Elvenkind[/list] [*]Aurelio - God of Labour, Commerce, and Merchants [*]Lydius - God of the Seasons, Agriculture, the Harvest, and Farmers [*]Asriel - God of the Cycle of Life and Death, Dreams, and the Afterlife [*]Veturia - Goddess of Air, Healing and Nature [*]Althaea - Goddess of Art, Music, Drama, Creativity, Passion, et seq. [*]Lysandra - Goddess of Beauty, Love, Marriage, Fertility, Children, and the Family [/list] [u][b]The Shaituns (Malevolent Deities)[/b][/u][list] [*]Molarten - God of Domination and Enslavement[list] [*]Patron Shaitun of the Orcs [*]Brother of Lotec and Odys[/list] [*]Lotec - God of Destruction, Murder, Ritual Sacrifice, Bloodlust, and War Crimes. [list] [*]Brother of Molarten and Odys[/list] [*]Odys - God of Hatred, Fear, and Rage[list] [*]Brother or Molarten and Lotec [*]Occasionally blesses/curses folks with berserk fury.[/list] [*]Rastuna - Goddess of Greed, Gluttony, and Lust[list] [*]Queen of Debauchery [*]"Wife" of Hargash [*]Patron Shaituness of Goblins[/list] [*]Dolekar - God of Spite, Vengeance and Grudges[list] [*]Patron Shaitun of the Shadow Elves[/list] [*]Latemis - Goddess of Thievery, Trickery, Deceit, Schemes, and Shadows [*]Kazerad - God of Misery, Tragedy, Failure, and Suffering [*]Neddagok - God of Chaos, Madness, and Entropy [*]Glariss - Goddess of Envy, Pride, and Narcissism (Glarissism) [*]Hargash - God of Decay, Disease, and Undeath[list] [*]"Lord of the Lost," Patron Shaitun of all that is repulsive. [*]"Husband" of Rastuna.[/list][/list] [/hider] [hider=The Cult of the Dark Lady] This deity has scattered cells of worshippers throughout the world who are hunted by all other faiths due to their malevolent nature. [u][b]Lilith, the Outsider Goddess[/b][/u][list] [*]Goddess of evil, chaos, discord, darkness, death, blood, vampires, power, pleasure, seduction, lust, greed, temptation, vanity, pride, destruction, subjugation, domination, ritualistic sacrifice, murder, magic, the occult and the supernatural (non-exhaustive list) [*]Patron deity of vampires and witches [*]Also known as: The Outsider, the Temptress, the Witch Queen, the Maiden of Death (among others)[/list] [/hider] [hider=The Path of the Sacred Flame] The most prominent religion east of Samothrace, the Path of the Sacred Flame is known for its fairly radical system of beliefs. The followers of fire reject the common gods, citing their sinful ambitions and desires as proof that they are false divines. Instead, these men of the east worship fire itself. [u][b]There are two driving forces in this new religion:[/b][/u][list] [*]The Fire; the light, the warmth, the purity of flame [*]The Abyss; the void, the nothingness, the blackness of sin[/list] The followers of fire believe in the purity of fire so feverantly that they have been known to burn nonbelievers alive, allowing the condemned heretics to be purified of their sins in the blaze of holy flame. [/hider] [hider=The Solymic Faith and the Trickster] Vakarlon is the god of chance in the Pantheon faith and the god of fate in the Solymic faith. These wildly different interpretations are somewhat reconciled by the argument that Chance is merely Fate in disguise. It should be noted, however, that the followers of the Pantheon rarely approve of the worship of a deity they perceive as a trouble-maker and have sometimes persecuted followers of the Solymic faith, despite the Solymics not recognizing the mischief and trickery aspects of Vakarlon. As the Path of the Sacred Flame has advanced in the near and middle eastern lands, the Solymics have more commonly come into conflict with the followers of the Path in recent times. [u][b]Vakarlon the Trickster/Vakarlon the Lord of Fate[/b][/u][list] [*]God of Trickery, Chance and Mischief/God of Fate, Justice and Cunning [*]Patron deity of underdogs and pranksters/Patron deity of Solymics. [*]Dislikes arrogance and occasionally plays tricks on those he sees as especially arrogant. [*]Playing upon his role as Lord of Fate, he occasionally gives folks a nudge towards significant events, whether they be of global significance or significant only to the person nudged. [*]Also known as: He of the Shadowed Mind, Balancer of the Scales, Serandor's Bane[/list] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Magic in the RP] Magic is a thing. [list] [*]To use it, you need to meet one of the following criteria and know how to use the arcane arts:[list] [*]You are a magical creature or are part-magical creature. In this RP, magical creatures that know a spell to take human form may do so to have children with a human. This applies similarly with elves. Beings that are part-magical creature and part-something humanoid instinctively know how to change from one form to another and back. [*]You have reached an agreement with a powerful magical creature and it has granted you magic. [*]You have obtained the blood of a magical creature and know how to use it to power your spells and the like. [/list] [*]Drawbacks include:[list] [*]If you have natural magic, overuse is very unhealthy. Furthermore, you might be murdered or kidnapped so that your blood can be used to power someone else's magic. [*]Magical creatures who grant magic through agreements are usually unpleasant entities and tend to charge a harsh price and find a way to twist the deal to the detriment of whoever deals with them. [*]Spells powered by taken blood are only as powerful as the blood used (that is, how powerful the magical creature giving the blood is/was) and once blood is used for a spell, it is no longer of use.[/list][/list] [/hider] [hider=Races][list] [*]Humans[list] [*]Humans come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes depending on the region they hail from. The most common are from Aesernia, the North Kingdoms, and the territories of the de jure Savarid Caliphate. [/list] [*]Elves[list] [*]Sun Elves - Golden hair, golden skin, sapphire colored eyes. Snobby, high maintenance, but ultimately aligned with righteousness.[list] [*]Aquilania, Tarraconia[/list] [*]Wood Elves - Human Caucasian in complexion and color palette. Free-spirited, nature loving. Generally lean neutral, most are lawful people. [list] [*]Cairnleath, Asmeinland, Narbos[/list] [*]Shadow Elves - Coal black skin, blood red eyes, snow white hair. As elitist as Sun Elves, but tend towards evil, practice slavery of "lesser" races, etc.[list] [*]Rosiland, Illyrica, Foveros.[/list][/list] [*]Orcs[list] [*]Plains Orcs[list] [*]Tall, broad-shouldered, olive-green skinned humanoids. Black hair, black eyes, white irises. Generally ill-tempered, nomadic people. Some settle into civilized locations, and the vast majority travel in mobile warcamps.[list] [*]Rosiland, Illyrica, Foveros, Samothrace[/list][/list][/list] [list][*]Sand Orcs[list] [*]Physically imposing, sand-tan skinned humanoids, similar to Plains Orcs. Black hair, white eyes, black irises. Equally ill-tempered as their northern cousins. Many assimilate into Savarid, Solymic, and Dravirian human populations, while a sizable amount travel in nomadic desert bands.[list] [*]Marrakech, Cathion, Sepsouten, Savaria, Iurusolym, Sindhus, Sansriyar, Draviria[/list][/list][/list] [*]Samothaur[list] [*]A strong, hardy race of humanoid bovines. Variety of fur colors, eye color usually brown or blue. A generally peaceful, tribal-settled people. Due to their durability and strength, they along with some humans, are commonly captured by shadow elven and orcish slavers for trade along the Great Sea. As such, they greatly mistrust outsiders and can be truly frightening when provoked.[list] [*]Samothrace, Foveros, Ciprius, Illyrica.[/list][/list] [*]Goblins[list] [*]Small, thin, forest-green skinned humanoids. Hair is primarily dark and eye colors tend towards black, brown and red. They are generally a wretched people with cowardice and cruelty both being common traits. Due to their cowardly nature, slavers seeking obedient slaves often prey upon them. Goblins primarily try to stay in large groups and avoid areas with a significant non-goblin military presence as they are not well-regarded and are often attacked by other races wishing to drive them out.[list] [*]Worldwide[/list][/list] [*]Dragons[list] [*] Great, winged, fire-breathing lizards of various colors. Depending on how they interact with other races, they are either feared or respected but either way they are taken seriously. Those who prey upon other races become monsters of legend and those who take a more kindly approach have a great deal of wisdom to share. The more powerful of these beings tend towards cruelty as they generally view other races as nothing more than food, servants or entertainment and know that only the gods can reliably oppose them.[list] [*]Worldwide[/list][/list] [*]Undead[list] [*]Unnatural and most likely unholy, undead are a clear sign that something is not quite right. Though they come in many forms, undead are most commonly created by dark energies, either intentional necromancy or natural(ish) created by great tragedy or calamity. However, some legends tell of individuals with unfinished business and an unusually strong will who lingered on after death to complete the tasks they did not fulfill in life.[/list] [*]Assorted magical creatures[list] [*]The world is full of strange and exotic creatures. Throughout the wilds roam many beasts and beings possessing supernatural powers. Some of these creatures are friendly to the widespread humanoid races and may even have children with them if they can take the form of their beloved's race. Others are not so kindly and may even prey upon humanoids.[list] [*]Worldwide[/list][/list] [/list][/hider] [hider=Map of the RP region] The RP takes place in the area where Illyrica, Asmeinland and Rosiland meet. [img]http://i.imgur.com/SupGRdj.jpg[/img] [/hider] [hider=Map of the World] [img]https://i.imgur.com/1RqpWdM.jpg[/img] [/hider] [hider=Minions of Htraknu] [list] [*]Cultists who believe he is the God of Death and the Underworld due to the sheer destruction he unleashed thousands of years ago. A number of them have been granted necromantic powers by the elder dragon. Htraknu knows that he is not the God of Death and the Underworld... yet. [*]Lesser dragons who believe he merely wishes to install a new world order in which dragons rule over the other races. [*]Goblins serve him out of fear and because he offers them some degree of protection from the other humanoid races who aren't too fond of them. [*]Orcs promised plunder and slaves from the conquered lands.[/list] [/hider] In this RP, you will be taking control of one or more characters (please keep the number small as we already have a sizable amount of characters) who will join a group of adventurous folk after Htraknu's head. This is meant to be a tight-knit band of companions relying on each other so lone wolves will have to learn about the power of friendship and Chaotic Evil characters (which will not be accepted without an AMAZING application) will have to be well-behaved. [hider=Rules] 1. Play nice IC and OOC. Respect your fellow RPers and don't rob/kill/etc. their characters IC without their permission. Troublemakers will be dealt with swiftly and mercilessly. 2. The GM is Supreme Overlord. The word of the GM and any co-GMs appointed is law. 3. Remain relatively active. Posts are likely to be slow and somewhat uncommon due to time zones, length and their collaborative nature. As such, just let us know you're still around. If you leave us without warning and we don't hear from you for two weeks, it will be assumed that you have abandoned the RP and your character(s) will likely meet a bad end. Extenuating circumstances will result in being allowed back into the RP. 4. Those accepted will be sent a link to the writing pad where we will write posts. The pad is used to collaborate on posts involving multiple writers and so that others can provide feedback on writing so that we can grow as writers. 5. Keep your characters balanced. Those traveling with the party should be on a similar power-level to the other characters so that no one outshines everyone else. If you have powerful strengths, you should have significant weaknesses. 6. If you have a magical character, you will observe and obey the laws of magic. 7. Have fun. This is not optional. [/hider] [hider=Character Sheet] [code] [b]Name[/b]: [b]Sex[/b]: [b]Race[/b]: If it's weird (like say, a half-manticore), I expect a good explanation. [b]Age[/b]: [b]Religion[/b]: If any. If you choose the Solanian Faith, choose a patron deity or two. [b]Backstory[/b]: Where did you come from? Who is your character? [b]Motivation[/b]: Why do you want to kill Htraknu badly enough to risk your life? [b]Magic[/b]: If you have any, explain where you got it and where you learned to use it. Remember that only magical creatures, elves and Solymics can use magic naturally. [b]Skills/Strengths[/b]: What is your character good at? What abilities does your character have? [b]Weaknesses[/b]: What are your character's flaws or vulnerabilities? This could be a gap in your skills, a vulnerability like sunlight if you're a vampire or Shadow Elf or a character flaw like pride. [b]Gear[/b]: What is your character bringing along on this adventure? [b]Other[/b]: Anything else you feel like mentioning? [/code] [/hider]