[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Fap0Yxw.png[/img][/center]
[color=gray][right][i]ships gone down with the lanterns lit
[sup]-Sharon Olds[/sup][/i][/right]

We're [i]all[/i] monsters, y'know. Maybe some more than most.[/color]

[h3]concept[/h3][hr]This is an ocean journey through a world that in daylight is full of whimsical beauty, color and imagination -- but at night, the mysterious and enormous Anima rule the land and sea. One young pirate would steal a ship of his own and sail for the rumored island of the Anima's origin, gathering a crew along the way. Some say there are untold riches hidden within the old tombs and cities there; others claim there is a well of power, or a fountain of youth -- but the gleam in the pirate's sharp smile promises a fortune far greater.

[i]inspirations taken from One Piece, Mushi-Shi, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, among others![/i]
[h3]world[/h3][hr]In daylight, the world is a strange and whimsical place full of thick bright forests and hidden doors. The deserts teem with fairies, and selkies sing across the ocean. Animals here may be of a different size and serve a different purpose to civilization: roosters saddled like horses, rabbits kept to guard the grain against mice. Curiouser still are the cities and settlements that dot the countless islands of this world.

At night the color vanishes, the laughter goes still, and the Anima rise. These are ordinary animals -- deer, fish, dogs, owls -- whose colossal size can sometimes dwarf even the highest clock-tower. Their eyes glow murkily, as if out of a tremendous depth, haunting in the dark. They are rarely hostile, but are known to be quiet, wise, and indifferent to the common problems so small below them.

Different cultures have different interpretations of the Anima, but one story remains the same: when a particularly strong-willed person dies, their spirit is simply too powerful to disappear. It takes a different form instead -- one that matches the strength of the spirit.

[hider=some pictures for flavor][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/1nIBYLM.jpg[/img]
by [url=https://mikaelmellbris.artstation.com/]Mikael Mellbris[/url]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/ynZr55Q.jpg[/img]
by [url=https://twitter.com/taegaconcept]Taega[/url]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/dwgHbRu.jpg[/img]
by [url=https://minipeople.tumblr.com/]Dawid Planeta[/url][/center][/hider]
[h3]gameplay[/h3][hr]The game begins with Sorn, a shark-toothed pirate about to steal a ship for himself and anyone who'll come with him to the island without a name. I'd like to run a single short adventure to introduce each individual PC, based on that PC's character sheet and/or the player's ideas for an adventure to properly introduce their character. This means that most players won't get to post for a long while, but the proper integration of each character into the story I think will be worth it.

The core of the story is therefore in the character-centric mini-adventures, and not in the main plot. We may never make it to the island-with-no-name, but there'll be plenty of mysteries along the way.
[h3]characters[/h3][hr]Characters may be human or of any race the player can imagine, as long as they are original. Please be mindful that any NPCs, locations, factions, world histories, kingdoms -- anything outside the character itself -- is automatically forfeit to the GM to use and manipulate as needed by the story. You control your character and your character alone, but bring on your ideas and story prompts!

[hider=the character sheet]NAME:
HAIR COLOR:
EYE COLOR:
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES:
SCARS AND BIRTHMARKS:

DESCRIBE A STRANGER'S FIRST IMPRESSION UPON MEETING THEM.

WHO ARE THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY? WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE DO THEY SURROUND THEMSELVES WITH?

WHERE WERE THEY BORN? WHERE HAVE THEY LIVED SINCE THEN? WHERE IS HOME?

WHERE DO THEY GO WHEN THEY'RE ANGRY?

WHAT IS THEIR BIGGEST FEAR? WHO HAVE THEY TOLD ABOUT IT? WHO WOULD THEY NEVER TELL?

DO THEY HAVE A SECRET?

WHAT MAKES THEM LAUGH OUT LOUD?

HAVE THEY EVER BEEN IN LOVE?

DESCRIBE THE THINGS THAT WOULD BE HARD FOR THEM TO PART WITH.

LOOK DOWN AT THEIR FEET. DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE.

WHEN THEY THINK OF THEIR CHILDHOOD KITCHEN, WHAT SMELL DO THEY ASSOCIATE WITH IT? WHY DOES IT RESONATE?

DESCRIBE ONE STRONG MEMORY THAT HAS STUCK WITH THEM FROM CHILDHOOD.

WHAT DO THEY WANT MOST OF ALL?

RIGHT NOW, IN THE FIRST MOMENT OF OUR STORY, WHAT IS THEIR BIGGEST PROBLEM?[/hider]
[h3]a pirate captain[/h3][hr]
[hider=Sorn]NAME: Benjamin Sorn
HAIR COLOR: Gray
EYE COLOR: Green
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Sharp sharklike teeth, a dangerous grin
SCARS AND BIRTHMARKS: A riddle of small old scars from being slashed, stabbed and shot in minor scuffles and celebrations

DESCRIBE A STRANGER'S FIRST IMPRESSION UPON MEETING THEM.
Scruffy, unwashed, a little too sure of himself. An uncertain age, but certainly too young for his iron-gray hair. An unsettling smile. Probably a thief. Knows something but isn't telling.

WHO ARE THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY? WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE DO THEY SURROUND THEMSELVES WITH?
Family? His mother was a strict businesswoman, his father tended the bar, his siblings drooled a lot. They might as well be dead now, if they aren't dead already -- the Waste took them even before the fire. Friends? You mean those traitors who tied him to the dock and sailed off without him? [i]Those[/i] friends? He surrounds himself with people who have a drive, who believe in something, who want something. They're far more amusing to watch.

WHERE WERE THEY BORN? WHERE HAVE THEY LIVED SINCE THEN? WHERE IS HOME?
He was born in Stonehollow and grew up in the pub his parents owned. After the island fell to the Waste and Stonehollow burned to the ground, Sorn spent a year living in the wilderness surrounding the ruins. He was caught robbing food from a pirate ship that had anchored in the bay, but instead of killing him the pirates took him aboard. He was amusing, they said. He's lived with them ever since -- until now.

WHERE DO THEY GO WHEN THEY'RE ANGRY?
Given that he's usually on a ship, there aren't many places to go -- besides the cargo hold, where he'll happily wreak as much destruction as he can. Destruction always makes him feel better.

WHAT IS THEIR BIGGEST FEAR? WHO HAVE THEY TOLD ABOUT IT? WHO WOULD THEY NEVER TELL?
Sorn is afraid of dying worthless and nameless. He hasn't put it into words, even to himself -- but it shows in his reckless confidence and his need to do things that will get him seen and known. He would never admit weakness to anyone -- at least not anyone he's met so far.

DO THEY HAVE A SECRET?
His sharp teeth are only an effect of a terrible decision he made as a youth -- a regret that haunts him still.

WHAT MAKES THEM LAUGH OUT LOUD?
Other people's failure.

HAVE THEY EVER BEEN IN LOVE?
Once, maybe.

DESCRIBE THE THINGS THAT WOULD BE HARD FOR THEM TO PART WITH.
The crew had only let him keep his clothes after a bloody fight. If he had any important possessions, they don't matter now.

LOOK DOWN AT THEIR FEET. DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE.
Bare feet, rough and calloused and stained dark by years of ships and weather and sicknesses.

WHEN THEY THINK OF THEIR CHILDHOOD KITCHEN, WHAT SMELL DO THEY ASSOCIATE WITH IT? WHY DOES IT RESONATE?
Beer, bile and body odor. The pub was far from nostalgic. He still can't stand the smell of cheap ale.

DESCRIBE ONE STRONG MEMORY THAT HAS STUCK WITH THEM FROM CHILDHOOD.
He'd often steal from the pub's patrons, sometimes at the encouragement of his less-than-stellar parents -- but one night he stole a horse, and he rode through the night and morning to the opposite end of the island, where he looked out toward another island he would later build a boat to explore. It was the first taste of independence and power he can remember.

WHAT DO THEY WANT MOST OF ALL?
Sorn wants to be known and respected for the way he is, without having to dress properly -- and without having to leave a trail of bodies. He's not quite sure yet what reputation he'd want -- he just wants one.

RIGHT NOW, IN THE FIRST MOMENT OF OUR STORY, WHAT IS THEIR BIGGEST PROBLEM?
He's tied to a dock piling, the sun's coming up and the local guards will find him any minute. Unless he escapes first, which he fully intends to do.[/hider]

[h3]rules[/h3][hr]There's one golden rule: Don't Surprise the GM. My PM box is open: we can work together to arrange for character secrets and hidden things, big reveals and plot twists, but I absolutely must know everything you know about your character. I promise I will never be happy with a surprise reveal -- but I can help build up to it, if I know it's coming. ;)