[h2][i]"Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered if every star was the hungry eye of some malevolent being? And if this is truly the case, what could we ever do to oppose that legion?"[/i][/h2]

The world was not always in harmony. Our gods used to quarrel, and we, their worshipers, used to war on their behalf. 

The world was not always in chaos. Through the bravery of a small band of heroes, the anger of the gods was quelled and great shrines erected to all six gods so that we may forever recognize their greatness and that they will never want for worshipers. We knew peace for 500 years. The races mingled and traded, and shared in adventure and exploration. Together, we raised the great twin cities, The Bay of Prosperity and The City of Light, so that all our great civilizations would be connected.

Perhaps we will know peace again. Then the Behemoth came, a malevolent star, screaming and burning as it fell into the ocean. The ensuing floods were devastating, but we had dealt with floods before. We were not prepared for what came after. The Behemoth housed monstrous insects, machine men, and specters, yet these, these could be fought with a degree of success. What could not be challenged, however, was the madness. It seized us, struck us down with terror, and turned us. Those who turned called themselves the Pathfinders. As we retreated to strategize a counter attack, the Pathfinders infiltrated. Beyond that...chaos. Reports differ from city to city how they fell. Communication between the great civilizations has been lost, as wave after wave of refugees pour into the City of Light. For twenty years, we have huddled together in fear. Reduced to a slum under siege, it is anyone's guess how much longer our glorious city can hold out...

[hr]
Welcome to Mind, Magic, and Monstrosities, an RP in which a fantasy world is being invaded by eldritch horrors. Your story begins in the City of Light, the last bastion of hope. As the eldritch horrors laid waste to your homes, you were touched by the darkness, but by the mercy of fate, you were overlooked, and you were not turned, and you eventually made your way to The City of Light with one of the numerous trains of refugees. In their attempts to root out all forms of alien corruption, the Light's Watch, the city watch of the City of Light, eventually detected you and threw you into the dungeons for observation, expecting full well for the madness to consume you. But the madness never came. And now, in a desperate bid, the Council of Light has called upon you and your Cursed fellows to engage in what will most likely be a suicide mission.

[hider=Information on the world]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/qj6p05w.png[/img]

For a zoomable version, visit [url=https://imgur.com/a/2iXW5hL]this link[/url].

The world has six, sentient races, each with their own nation, and elemental god:

Humans founded The Free Guilds, and worship Omega Mammon, scarab god of gold and commerce.
Dwarves founded The Dwarven Republic and worship Thrombur, turtle god of earth and industry.
Merfolk, a race of amphibious lizard people, founded Lacerta, and worship Hosumar, whale god of water and sailing.
Harpies, a race of flying bird people, founded Es Harpina, and worship Lathesa, eagle god of air and music.
Orcs founded Orcland and worship Sarm, dragon god of fire and combat.
Elves founded The United Elven Tribes and worship Flandasyr, elk god of wood and agriculture.

In each of the national capitols: Omega, Thromburg, Hosumaria, Lathesa's Roost, Sarm's Tears, and Flandasyria, the Great Temple to the corresponding god can be found. Through these temples, the gods spoke directly to their worshipers. In The City of Light, a new Grand Temple of Light has been constructed in order to attempt communication with the gods in these trying times.
[/hider]
[hider=What is known of the 'Gods of Darkness']
Often referred to as the 'Gods of Darkness', The Deep Space Dwellers are eldritch beings of immense power and even greater malice.  Together they number twelve and conspire to eliminate or subjugate all life in the world.  Very little is known about them, though some information has been collected from the mad ramblings of a captured Pathfinder.

Shpenthis, The Amalgam
Lavtannoth, The Prison
The Shreel, The Primordial Ones
Brangog, The Twisted

Granzazel, The Behemoth
Simyanaymis, The Self and The Other
Kraxiel, The Vice
Raumphenth, The Devourer

Annuiyntar, The Untouchable, Lord of the Annu
Gammaton, The Judgment, Lord of the Automatons
Skrarlaphim, The Swarm, Lord of the Skrarl
Halgdurion, The Seeker, Lord of the Pathfinders

Each of you has been cursed by one of the Deep Space Dwellers, granting you a unique skill that comes with a cost.
[/hider]
[hider=Character Mechanics]
We will be using a 'loose' stat system. You have four traits:
[list][*]Race
[*]Job
[*]Magic
[*]Curse[/list]
You will pick your race, your job, and your magic, and you will be given 5 points to distribute among your job, magic, and curse. Traits max out at level 5.

The base character skeleton has 3 Health Points and 3 Sanity Points, and each trait starts at level 1.

Racial bonuses are as follows:
[list][*]Humans: +1 to job class, +1 to curse
[*]Dwarves: +1HP, can burrow
[*]Merfolk: Amphibious, +1 to magic
[*]Harpies: can fly, -1 HP
[*]Orcs: superior combat, -1SP
[*]Elves: +1SP, fast and nimble[/list]
Your job determines what tasks you are proficient at. The more points in your job, the better you are at job-specific tasks.
[indent]As an example, I am a lvl 1 Barbarian, and I can take on two enemies simultaneously in a brawl. At barbarian lvl 5, I can take on ten enemies simultaneously in a brawl. Whether or not you are proficient at a task can be negotiated, but the job class is intended to be multi-faceted.[/indent]
Your magic determines which of the six elements you have an affinity for: Metal, Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Wood.
[indent]As an example, I am lvl 1 Fire affinity, I can enchant my weapons with my element and create enough fire to throw a baseball-sized fireball or light a campfire. At lvl 5, I can set large patches of ground on fire. In general, what you can do with magic is up to your imagination, and the level only determines intensity and power. As a general rule, the magic must flow from your body towards your target (like Avatar bending), so no giving someone a hemorrhage just because you can stop the blood flow in someone's brain.[/indent]
Your curse is determined by me and goes as follows:[list][*]craycray, your character carries the curse of Shpenthis.[indent]You can learn 'skills' from ingesting the flesh of other beings.[/indent]
[*]Fiya, your character carries the curse of Brangog.[indent]You can release a concussive shockwave from your body.[/indent]
[*]Geos, your character carries the curse of Kraxiel.[indent]You can perform telekinesis.[/indent]
[*]Tricheus, your character carries the curse of Annuiyntar.[indent]You can project a shield of invulnerability.[/indent]
[*]tekkaiwallace, your character carries the curse of Gammaton.[indent]You can make metal spines protrude from your body.[/indent]
[*]sanKaiser, your character carries the curse of Halgdurion.[indent]You can launch your body in any direction.[/indent][/list]

Like magic, the power of your abilities scales with level. For example, at lvl1, tekkaiwallace's character can produce inches-long spines, inches apart from each other, from their body. at lvl5, spines can be meters long and completely cover their body, and can also be manipulated to a certain degree.

When HP falls to 0, your character is incapacitated, and on death's door. When SP falls to 0, your character falls under the sway of the Deep Space Dweller whose curse they carry, resulting potentially in insanity or full-on mind control. It is possible to recover from 0 HP and from 0 SP, but SP recovery is significantly more difficult. Various horrific and psychic events may test your SP. using your curse also uses your SP according to the following mechanic.

When you use your curse ability, a coin is flipped. On success, you sustain no SP damage. On a failure, you lose 1 SP.

I will allow a mechanic known as a 'coping mechanism', which details how your character copes with the madness. This should give your character some sort of detriment, but allows them either a way to abuse their curse ability more frequently, or recover SP more easily. For example, someone could engage in self-harm, and will ritually cut themself and lose HP, but regain SP. Details will be negotiated as necessary.
[/hider]
[hider=Character Sheet Template]
[center][h1][color=a187be][b]Character Name[/b][/color][/h1]

[img]http://pronksiapartments.ee/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/placeholder-face-big.png[/img][/center]
[color=a187be][b]Name:[/b][/color][indent]Character name[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Age:[/b][/color][indent]Your Age[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Race:[/b][/color][indent]Your Race[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]HP:[/b][/color][indent]❇❇❇[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]SP:[/b][/color][indent]❇❇❇[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Job:[/b][/color][indent]Your Job and lvl#[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Magical Affinity:[/b][/color][indent]Element and lvl#[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Curse:[/b][/color][indent]Curse of (Deep Space Dweller Name) and lvl#[/indent]

[color=a187be][b]Appearance[/b][/color][indent]Description of your character's appearance (optional).[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Personality[/b][/color][indent]Description of your character's personality.[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Background[/b][/color][indent]Is your character old enough to remember a time before the coming of the Behemoth? What was their life like before?  How did you come to be in The City of Light? How long have you been in The City of Light? Were you lucky, and able to live in relatively decent conditions, or were you unlucky, sinking to the bottom with the rest of the forgotten, scraping by for survival?[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Coping Mechanism[/b][/color][indent](Optional) To be negotiated with GM.[/indent]
[/hider]
[hider=Character Sheet Code]
[code][center][h1][color=a187be][b]Character Name[/b][/color][/h1]

[img]image url[/img][/center]
[color=a187be][b]Name:[/b][/color][indent]Character name[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Age:[/b][/color][indent]Your Age[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Race:[/b][/color][indent]Your Race[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]HP:[/b][/color][indent]❇❇❇[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]SP:[/b][/color][indent]❇❇❇[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Job:[/b][/color][indent]Your Job and lvl#[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Magical Affinity:[/b][/color][indent]Element and lvl#[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Curse:[/b][/color][indent]Curse of (Deep Space Dweller Name) and lvl#[/indent]

[color=a187be][b]Appearance[/b][/color][indent]Description of your character's appearance (optional).[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Personality[/b][/color][indent]Description of your character's personality.[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Background[/b][/color][indent]Is your character old enough to remember a time before the coming of the Behemoth? What was their life like before?  How did you come to be in The City of Light? How long have you been in The City of Light? Were you lucky, and able to live in relatively decent conditions, or were you unlucky, sinking to the bottom with the rest of the forgotten, scraping by for survival?[/indent]
[color=a187be][b]Coping Mechanism[/b][/color][indent](Optional) To be negotiated with GM.[/indent]
[/code]
[/hider]

Spectators:
miizmei
krumbits
nisamai

The rolls for our campaign will be carried out [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/campaigns/472]here[/url].