[b][i]Iliad City: A Magical RP in an Original World[/i][/b]

[b]I. Intro[/b]

In another universe, seperated from ours' by impassable barriers, lies the planet of Historia, inhabited by Humans much like us, but blessed with impossible powers that we think of as 'Magic'. 

Magic is a daily part of life, existing alongside technology just as advanced as ours', although some integrate magic with science to create advanced inventions. But it is a widely held belief among the people that the highest form of Magic is Storytelling, and that The One Deity, the Creator of the Multiverse, gave Humanity the power to warp reality through the telling of stories.

Three thousand years before the present day, when the greatest storyteller of that time, the Illuminated Poet, sang of the grief and joy of Humanity, appealing to The One Deity to provide a way through their sufferings. In response, The One himself came down and sang his own song, the Epics of Making and Unmaking, by which Humanity and whatever sapient beings lived beyond Historia was granted freedom from the will of the divine. From the Epic of Making were instructions for the casting of Magic, allowing Humanity to better their lives and that of others' at will, while the Epic of Unmaking allows one to reset the Universe itself back to the beginning, with the person or people who use it given power co-equal to The One Deity himself, but without infinite intelligence or wisdom.

And so the Illuminated Poet taught pieces of the Epic of Making to those who followed him, turning them into the first Magi. The Epic of Unmaking, however, was transmitted directly into the [i]souls[/i] of his own children, the Twenty Sons and Thirty Daughters, who each inherited a fragment of the Epic. He then prophesied that the more descendants they have, the more the Epic of Unmaking will be shattered and its pieces spread out among each scion and that the Epic will only be completed once more when the descendants of the Illuminated Poet are reduced to one person, who will then have the decision to reset the universe.

The intention, of course, was to make sure that the universe will be reset only if Humanity becomes irredeemably corrupt and/or the amount of suffering in existence multiplies to an unbearable level. Despite the risks involved with the existence of such a power, a 'contingency plan' for Humanity was still regarded as necessary by all parties, including The One. 

Fast-forward to the present, and the majority of the descendants of the Illuminated Poet have suffered purges, slaughters, genocides and massacres from the various nations of the world due to ignorance and misunderstanding, or even outright lies spread by their enemies. Their one safe refuge is Illiad City, an independent city-nation founded by the freethinkers and outcasts of the world, people dedicated to artistic and philosophical pursuits, as well as worshippers of The One Deity. Despite the hostility of other nations towards it, its access to a greater portion of the Epic of Making makes it equivalent to the great empires of the world in Magical might.

But now, a feud is brewing in the two prime Magical Academies of the city, a feud brewing from how to deal with the world's hostility towards them. Ironically, this feud might be the one thing that brings down the metropolis...

[b]II. The Factions of Iliad City[/b]

[b][color=gold]Marduk Academy for The Mystic Arts[/color][/b] Holds power over the pieces of the Epic of Making that govern 'Heroic' Magic - The Magic of Light, the Elements (Fire, Water, Air and Earth), and the power to heal the wounded and the sick with mystic energy alone. Their students are the champions of the defenseless, the honorable knights-errant and the wise wizards. But confronted with the hatred of other nations towards them, they seek a 'muscular' foreign policy, asking that Iliad City use its magical might to conquer the neighboring empires and repressive states that wish to destroy Illiad before they grow too strong. However, whispers are being heard that push for more than that - That Marduk Academy should attempt to rule [i]the world[/i] so that no nation would exterminate the descendants of the Illuminated Poet once again. 

And [i]Professor Gilgamesha[/i], its Principal, is beginning to listen...

[b][color=lightblue]Ishtar School for Creative Minds[/color][/b], on the other hand, holds power over the pieces of the Epic of Making that govern 'Black' Magic - The Magic of Darkness, Entropy, Blood and Death, as well as the power to inflict agony and weaken their enemies. Their students are the spies and assassins, the dark knights whom monsters and criminals fear. Despite this, they used to work alongside Marduk Academy, until [I]Professor Nergal[/i], it's principal, began urging for the casting of the Spell of Otherworldly Travel, which will transport Iliad City onto another dimension where its people can live in peace. Problem is that 1.) This requires the pieces of the Epic of Making that Marduk Academy does have, and 2.) Marduk Academy considers Ishtar's solution cowardly. And so the feud begins to simmer...

[b][color=orange]The Cassandra Club[/color][/b] is the newest faction in the block, a small band of students from both Academies and a larger group from other schools who believe that the brewing feud between Marduk Academy and Ishtar School is being engineered by a 'sinister force' outside the city as part of a grand plan to conquer Iliad City and acquire the Epics of Making and Unmaking. Not merely that, but they believe in asking the question: [i]Why[/i] do other nations hate us? What are the lies they've been fed in order to kill off the descendants of the Illuminated Poet? Do they even [i]know[/i] that they are completing the Epic of Unmaking? And if so, [i]who[/i] is trying to do so and is he someone who can take advantage of the power to rewrite the universe?

However, the fact that they are led by Professor Gilgamesha's younger son, [i]William Ascot[/i], means that their warnings and questions are ignored as childish rebellion (Marduk) or a power play by Gilgamesha (Ishtar). 

[b]III. Interesting Places in Iliad City[/b]

WIP, to be added in the game.

[b]IV. How Magic Works[/b]

All Magic comes from instructions given in the Epic of Making, which in turn is a long poem or song that details the transference of a part of The One Deity's power to mortal Humanity, and the basic mental exercises used to 'pull' magical power from the depths of one's own soul to make what you imagine real.

The various 'types' of Magic come from concepts common to humanity, concepts that you either come up with or you are taught. If you can imagine a 'type' of magic, you can use it as long as you can come up with enough energy to do so. However, you [i]cannot[/i] take magical energy from the surrounding environment, because of the fact that [i]only[/i] Humans (or fully sapient aliens, if they exist) have magical energy.

Anyone can learn Magic, but few have the combination of strength of heart and imagination to be truly good at it. Therefore, Magical Academies are important so that what existing Magi already imagined before can be taught to other people. Basically, magical systems exist, but they are merely shortcuts for the human mind - You can totally make up your own magic system if you have energy and imagination.

But for those who cannot make up their own system or 'type' of Magic, here are the common systems that the Magical Academies teach:

[b][color=gold]Marduk Academy:[/color][/b]

[i]Elemental and Light Magic[/i] - Elemental Magic can directly control Fire, Water, Wind, Air, and Light, or create them out of nothing. This type can make fireballs, divert streams, lift the earth, cause gusts of wind, or smite people with blasts of pure energy. However, it cannot heal, enhance people, or predict the future unless mixed with another type of magic.

[i]Healing Magic[/i] - Healing Magic can close wounds and replenish blood, cure diseases and heal cancer. However, only a few take it without mixing it with Elemental and Light Magic so that they can defend themselves or attack in turn.

[i]Enchantment/Enhancement Magic[/i] - This covers Magic that strengthens the user, making them stronger, faster, and tougher, as well as Magic that can make mystic items and artifacts. By combining this school with the above two types of Magic, one can create swords that light up with fire, shields that are as light as cloth, and potions that when drunk, close wounds...

[b][color=lightblue]Ishtar School[/color][/b]

[i]The Combat Arts[/i] - Ishtar School thinks differently than Marduk Academy and does not divide Magic according to what it creates/controls, but rather according to the [i]intent[/i] they are used for. In short, it doesn't matter that Magic used for fighting uses the elements, darkness, or even candy canes (although that last part is not encouraged), what matters is that the magic is used to fight.

[i]The Kind Arts[/i] - This covers any use of magic meant to heal, protect, enhance and generally do positive things. As Ishtar School is still dedicated to what they think is Good, the Kind Arts are not discouraged, but those who learn them are encouraged to use Darkness, Ectoplasm, or just 'invisible waves of energy' to heal and never be too [u]blatant[/u] about it.

[i]The Dark Arts[/i] - Causing Agony. Disturbing the Dead from their rest. Draining magical energy from other human beings. All of those are regarded as necessary evils in Ishtar School, and they are taught to those students whom the faculty thinks can be trusted with their secrets. Darkness or 'invisible waves of energy' are mostly used as a 'conduit' for such powers, but some few use the Elements or even Light to give shape and range to their dark purposes. Beware of those.

[b]Unnamed Schools, Mentors, Secret Societies, Etc.[/b]

[i]Ex. Miscellenia[/i] - Anything you can think of as long as it's not too powerful or too gross. Candy Magic, Magical Girl Transformations, Exorcisms, go wild!

[b]V. Rules[/b]

1.) Do not be an asshole.
2.) Take NSFW to PMs.
3.) No Godmoding or Powergaming, aka no controlling other players' actions, no defeating your enemy in one shot, and no shrugging of all hits without a magical shield.
4.) This game is friendly to m/m and f/f romance.

[b]VI. Character Sheet[/b]

[code]
[b]Name:[/b] 
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b] 
[b]Bio:[/b] 
[b]Mundane Skills:[/b]
[b]Magic:[/b] 
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Faction (Marduk, Ishtar, or Cassandra):[/b]
[b]Are you a Descendant of the Illuminated Poet?:[/b] Simple yes or no question. 
[/code]