[centre][b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/160073-across-the-great-sea-a-witcher-rp-mature-horror-fantasy-high-casual/ooc#]GET OVER HERE![/url][/b]

[url=http://jbrown67.deviantart.com/art/Fantasy-Castle-461617056][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/eb0e045c-fc9a-464a-b8aa-47a429d14d24.png[/img][/url]

[sup][color=f7976a][i]Wolves asleep amidst the trees, Bats all a-swaying in the breeze,
But one soul lies anxious wide awake, Fearing all manner of ghouls, hags and wraiths.

Birds are silent for the night, Cows turned in as daylight dies, But one soul lies anxious wide awake. 
For the witcher, brave and bold, Paid in coin of gold, He’ll chop and slice you, Cut and dice you.
 Eat. You. Up. Whole. Eat. You. Whole.[/i][/color]

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFUsPfuwjpw]-THEME-[/url][/sup]
[color=gray][h3]Fan-Fiction | Fantasy | Monsters[/h3][/color][/centre]
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[color=f7976a][h3][b][u]The Setting (Messy WIP):[/u][/b][/h3][/color]
[indent]Set roughly fifty years before the events of the Witcher Game Series, and across the Great Sea on the non-canonical continent of Aridia. This RP sees players dropped into the Free City of Telchar, a large medieval metropolis ruled by an authoritarian religion and which is infested with all manner of monsters. One in particular has left a string of bodies in its wake and is causing the public to panic. 

Will your character be one of the few Witchers on the Continent hunting monsters? A Warrior of the Church hellbent on chasing another players Witch? An assassin of Lords? Or maybe just a simple guard trying to fight battles way out their league? 

This RP will be a mature one, containing strong themes like violence, sex and drugs. It also has a horror element to it. Please be warned. 
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[color=f7976a][h3][b][u]Rules/Things to consider:[/u][/b][/h3][/color]
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[*]I want this to be as lore-friendly as possible. However I do acknowledge that this is fan-fiction and is set entirely in a non-canonical place. Still, no flame breathing flying Ogres or Lu Bu clones. 

[*]This RP won’t see players forcefully huddled together as part of a single team. Instead players will be given free-reign over what their character does, where they go, and who they do and do not speak to. Your player can form their own group and sit in the corner of the world in a cave for all I care. This not only encourages creativity but means that if someone drops out it can be more easily explained. Also means people can join at will. I would prefer people to stay relatively close to the City for the time being though, purely for the sake of keeping everyone in the same time (if someone makes their character cross the sea and back in one post, they’re not going to be in the same point in time as other players).

[*]In addition to the above, whilst I will technically have my own character and will be writing for a couple of notable NPCs here and there, I will not be actively be engaging in the RP in the same way as everyone else. This is because: a) I sometimes think when GMs have characters it can become a game of "follow the leader"; and b) because I want you all to be able to make the RP flourish without me holding your hands - I'm just here to moderate more than anything. 

[*]Players should strive for balance and feasibleness. Even if you decide to go Witcher, you’re not Geralt or Ciri. You’re not a witch that can topple the entire city in the blink of an eye.  

[*]I would like your characters to progress, both personally and in regards to skills and weapons. Therefore start with crap armour and stuff please. Depending on what characters people make, there is going to be some imbalance though – I just hope you’re all mature enough to work towards a good story rather than simply trying to make the strongest character.  

[*]You can have followers and create/kill NPCs at your will. 

[*]You can be any of the major races (e.g. Human, Elf, Dwarf). I will allow some monster players, depending on how good/balanced their Character Sheets are.  

[*]There will be multiple plot-lines which I’ll weave in with various methods. One for example will be me posting rumours which you can then have your character hear IC. You can however make your own ones up! You can even be a dick and interfere in other players made-up plots!

[*]You can fight and kill each other! I encourage your CHARACTERS to be dicks to each other, but not if that means you PLAYERS being dicks to each other. Agreeing to collabing an epic battle OOC = awesome. Not talking OOC and then suddenly shooting another character in the eye = bit of a dick move. And try not to swear or use bad language too much, dicks.
 
[*]I am an awful GM. Just awful. I [b]will[/b] unexpectedly drop off the face of the Earth for months when adult life requires a degree of adulting. If you are happy to casually go on without me or usurp me then this RP should be fine. If however this is likely to cause problems in your mind, then I suggest you jump out of the nearest window. [b]Really need a good one or two GMs to account for me inevitably dropping off the face of the earth.[/b]
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[color=f7976a][h3][b][u]Background Lore[/u][/b][/h3][/color]
[indent]For this RP, you will definitely benefit from having read the books, played the games, or at least taking a look at [url=http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Witcher_Wiki]the wiki[/url]. Though I should note as someone who's not read the books, this RP is going to borrow much more from the game series. For those that aren’t too familiar with the series or those that are maybe just a bit rusty, here are some important bits of background lore of the Witcher World mixed with the new lore for this new location. 
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[b]Conjunction of the Spheres[/b]
[indent][i]"A cataclysm which occurred 1,500 years ago, trapping in our dimension many unnatural creatures, including ghouls, graveirs and vampires. These beasts have no ecological niches of their own and are merely relics of bygone times.

According to elven lore, humans arrived during the Conjunction, their own world having been destroyed. These human ancestors learned how to harness the power of primordial Chaos, and thus the first human wizards were born. Looking for a place in the world, humans took up arms against the Elder Races, who were unable to withstand the barbarians and ultimately surrendered. This is how humans came to rule the world."  

Unlike in the Northern Kingdoms, the Elder Races (Dwarves, Elves, etc.) are not prosecuted and live in relative harmony with humans. There are some exceptions to this of course, notably within the Mercean Empire, and there are always racists within every society.[/i][/indent]

[b]Witchers[/b]
[indent][i]" A witcher (or hexer) is someone who has undergone extensive training, ruthless mental and physical conditioning, and mysterious rituals (which take place at "witcher schools" such as Kaer Morhen) in preparation for becoming an itinerant monsterslayer for hire."

“People need witchers, but are simultaneously afraid of them. The itinerant warriors inspire fear because they are mutants and have superhuman powers. A witcher is rarely a welcome guest and contacts with members of this profession are almost always limited to business. Witchers are invariably attacked during pogroms and social upheavals directed against those who deal in magic. Mutagens and magic render witchers' bodies resistant to all kinds of disease, even to the point of outright immunity.”  

Witchers are a relatively new addition to the continent. Around two hundred years ago, Witchers from the Bear School went on an expedition across the sea in search of a King’s Son. They never found the son, and it was only by sheer luck that they ever managed to make the voyage to these new lands. The four witchers, dismayed at the prevalence of monsters in these lands, created a new School – The Lost Bear School, as an adaption of theirs. Although some natives have been happy to have these new individuals deal with their monster problems, many look at Witchers with fear and disdain. Their Headquarters is Mossdale Caverns, a caved keep which they share with a pre-existing clan of dwarves, in the Korathi Heartlands (the only state openly welcoming of Witchers).[/i][/indent]

[b]Mages[/b]
[indent][i]"Only rare individuals have the potential to become mages and many of those with this potential are doomed to madness. Unless the individual in question - known as a source - learns to control their power quickly, he or she may end up a half-insane, slobbering oracle. That is why schools of sorcery were created, where talented children study for many years, acquiring knowledge and mastering magical skills. Because of their powers, mages age more slowly than ordinary people. They can extract magical energy from the four elements, transport themselves long distances and heal, as well as kill, in the blink of an eye. They have extensive scientific and political knowledge; in the latter respect, many mages are the equals of rulers.” 

Witches and Mages are generally disliked for the same reasons as they are in the Northern Kingdoms and Nilfgaard – they can be very dangerous. Although there are various small secret societies, mages are for the most part isolated from their brethren and often find themselves alone in a world that hates them. Many as a result hide their abilities, or risk being hunted and burned at the stake.[/i][/indent]

[b]Monsters[/b]
[indent][i][url=http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Monsters]The world is full of monsters, of varying sizes, shapes and nature. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses, many of which have been cataloged over the years in various books. Some monsters are more sentient than others, and not all are evil. Most however are hated[/url]. I don’t mind if people want to create their own original monsters or variants of existing ones – within reason of course (again, no fire-breathing flying ogres). [/i][/indent]
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I did try to do this exact same RP before, but unfortunately with literally 0 interest. I'll be looking to get at least 5 interested individuals before making an OOC. Any questions, queries or concerns, don't hesitate to ask!