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The Return By Death group, in a single instant, have all been transported to a brand new world, with no apparent reason or circumstance as to why or how. The only thing that stood out about the transportation were two words, "I'm sorry", ingrained deep in their heads, as though it had been whispered to them at they shifted from Earth to whatever place they have now ended up in.

Unlike every other member of the group, Ada Taliar felt a strange presence, as though she were being watched and looked over by somebody standing directing behind and over her, though no person or entity exists nearby to create such an effect.
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Note to fans of Re:Zero: Although taking place in the same world, and making use of many of the same lore and world building aspects as the original work, this Roleplay is by and large an Alternative Universe game. Outside of the world and concepts within it, there will be very little in the plot connecting back to the canon story of Re:Zero. I hope this doesn't cause you to reconsider your potential interest.

Note to Anime Only viewers: for the reasons stated above, there should be practically no fear of being spoiled about future events via the plot of this Roleplay. Though I cannot speak to conversations held by players, rest assured knowing that the story this Roleplay follows is significantly different to the events of the canon work.






For the majority, the Roleplay will follow the setup of the original story: individuals are summoned from Earth to the world of Re:Zero, for seemingly no purpose, with nothing but what they had with them at the time of summoning, and no unique abilities except the power to return to a point in time before their inevitable and untimely death. The story will follow the struggle, pains, and triumphs, of those unfortunate individuals, as they attempt to make a place for themselves in the world, against odds that invariably wish to seek their destruction.

As stated, though the concepts and world building elements of Re:Zero remain in tact for this story, the plot, and means by which that plot unfolds, is and will be drastically different to the story you are familiar with. Very few important characters from the canon work remain, and very little of the past remains. Perhaps the only true returning plot points are the Royal Selection, and the legend of Satella, the Great Calamity, and her eventual sealing at the hands of the Sage, Reid, and Volcanica.

~

~

The world of Re:Zero is a fantastical one, filled with magic, abstract races, and many other aspects of typical fantasy worls that one would come to expect.

Our story takes place in the Dragon Kingdom of Lugnica, named for the Covenant formed with the Divine Dragon Volcanica, and begins at roughly the same time as the canon story would have started - 400 years after the Great Calamity. Geographically, Lugnica is the second largest country on the continent, and its territories span through a number of cities, towns, and territories, giving it one of the largest population densities in the world. Of the cities that make it up, there are five "regional capitals", including the de facto capital city, of the name Lugnica. In terms of climate and landscape, it is generally a warmer, more Mediterranean nation capable of supporting exotic agricultural products like lemons and sugar cane. Lugnica is bordered by the Vollachian Empire to the South, the Kararagi City States to the West, and the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko to the North.

The capital city will be everyone's starting location, but for everyone's general viewing, here is a large world map, containing details of both Lugnica, and its neighbouring nations as well. This should hopefully give you all an easy time visualising some of the various location descriptions down the line, and help with understanding travel distances for planning out timeskips.



The magic of Re:Zero is broken up into six main elements, known as "Fire", "Water", "Earth", "Wind", "Yin", and "Yang". The first four of these are the most common affinities for a person to have, while the latter are considered somewhat rare among mages. In terms of application, fire magic governs temperature, water magic governs life, earth magic governs physicality, wind magic governs the immaterial, and Yin and Yang govern debuffs and buffs respectively. In general, one person will have a single affinity, though it is possible to attain or simply possess multiple elements, allowing for the usage of multiple types of magic. It is also possible for a person to lack any affinity, and therefore be unable to cast magic.

In general, each element uses its own specific, general incantation for a number of its effects, though this is not always the case. Additionally, the strength of a spell begins from its original incantation, and increases through the addition of "El", "Ul", or "Al". Some of these incantations are:

Fire - "Goa"
Water - "Huma"
Earth - "Dona"
Wind - "Fura"
Yin - "Shamak"
Yang - "Jiwald"


Typically, magic users are divided depending on the method by which they cast their spells, where "Magic user" and a "Spirit user" are different classifications. A Magic User casts spells through their Gate - an invisible, portal-esque concept within the soul of a being, which draws in mana and stores it within itself. A Magic User takes this mana, "charges" it with their specific elemental affinity, and releases it from their Gate, taking the shape of their intended spell. This type of magic requires training, as reckless or overuse can result in a person damaging, and eventually ruining their Gate, preventing them from expelling mana, which can prove fatal.

The second type of caster is a Spirit User, who draws upon the power of Spirits with whom they have formed Contracts with. This requires an innate talent to properly achieve, since not every person is capable of creating a Contract with a Spirit, but those that can are able to use these Spirits as pseudo-Gates, drawing from the mana naturally existing in the atmosphere, rather than the individuals own Gate. Spirits exist in three categories - Lesser Spirits, Quasi Spirits, and Spirits. These Spirits generally have their own specific elemental affinities, which allow particularly proficient Spirit Users to access spells outside their natural ability through the creation of Contracts. A Contract, both between Spirit User and Spirit, and between people as well, are considered to be incredibly important, and in the case of a Magical Contract, breaking one end of the deal typically results in penalty for the offender.

In this Roleplay, for the sake of making things somewhat clear, we'll be using a letter graded, three category system to determine your character's magical abilities. These categories are: Capacity, which determines the size of your Od, or life force, as well as how much mana you can store at any one time; Flow, which expresses the rate at which you can recharge spent mana; and Flux, which determines the amount of mana you can expel in a single spell without causing damage to your Gate. Each category is ranked from F to S, with S being the highest rank achievable by a human or Demi-Human exceptionally loved by the world, and the lowest representing either abject ineptitude, or an inability to cast magic at all. A character with high Capacity will be able to cast more low cost spells, and has more of their own life force to pull from if things get dicey, while a character with high Flux will be able to pull of much more powerful spells. Be aware, that the stronger your character is innately, the less they will grow in certain areas compared to others, in the name of keeping the playing field as level as possible; some power up periods may include bonuses or buffs to each of your magical statistics, so naturally, those born with weaker capabilities have a greater breadth into which they can grow.

Attempting to do more than your specific capabilities allow can and will result in you damaging your Gate, which leads to negative multipliers on every rank per the amount of damage you've accrued. If that becomes the case, you'll need to seek treatment, but if you keep attempting to overachieve, you'll rupture your Gate entirely. Not only is that dangerous, you will lose any and all ability to cast magic without the help of a Spirit. I'll be making sure that you know when you're reaching, or pushing, your limits. It's up to you if you want to challenge them.

~

~

Divine Protections are blessing given to individuals from birth by Od Laguna, which is believed to be the world itself. The general rule is that, regardless of if it is useful, it could very likely be a Divine Protection. A person with a Divine Protection knows instinctively what it is, and how it is used; this is knowledge that can never be lost, no matter the circumstance or effect. A Divine Protection without much use can be seen as fairly common, but those that are unique, or with a lot of use, are incredibly rare, and a person possessing two or more is even rarer.

Since Divine Protections are gifts from Od Laguna, the Return By Death crew won't have access to them from the beginning of the story. There may be ways, or at least chances, for you to obtain some later down the line, though, so if there's something in particular you have in mind for your character, let me know. The only other immutable rule to know regarding Divine Protections, is that they are naturally incompatible with Witch Factors.

~

~

The abilities of the Witches of Sin, which manifest within individuals who have taken in Witch Factors. These Factors seek out compatible candidates, latching onto and assimilating themselves with the body of the nearest suitable individual upon the death of their previous holder. In general, Authorities are the most powerful abilities in the world of Re:Zero, which are shaped in response to the desires and beliefs of their holder. Though, a holder does not have the ability to decide what Authority they will manifest.

Many of the secrets regarding Witch Factors and Authorities are heavily obscured, to the degree that a huge majority of the world are unaware of their existences. Those that are aware of Authorities, though, claim they are used by the leaders of the infamous Witch Cult, the Sin Archbishops. These individuals are said to have been driven mad through the use of their absolute power, though it is debated whether their madness stems from the Authorities themselves, or their general affiliation with the Jealous Witch and Witches of Sin.

Much like Divine Protections, it may be possible for you to obtain an Authority over the course of the Roleplay, though these will be greatly more limited and selective compared to the former. You will have very little input on what kind of Authority you gain - it will be decided when I choose the people who are compatible with any given Witch Factor, based on their personality, background, and how high their various magic rankings are. Time will tell who is compatible, and what trials will have to be undergone to obtain such power.



Much like Subaru himself, the characters of this Roleplay possess a single unique ability - Return By Death. Although, it features a few changes.

Dying for your characters is not permanent. In fact, death as a fact of life no longer applies. Of course, if you are stabbed in the heart, or burnt alive, or drowned, or suffer any of the innumerable methods by which death can occur, you will still experience it as "death"; the pain, the fear, the chill, the darkness. But in the moment of your "death", when consciousness has faded completely, and the only thing remaining is the void, you will live again, unharmed, and possibly, in a better position than you were before.

Unlike the Return By Death of Re:Zero proper, the moment a character dies, they will instead be returned to the exact moment before their death, abruptly unharmed by whatever attack or effect snuffed from them their light. Other people with Return By Death will see you die, and suddenly return to life again as though the sword swung to decapitate you missed by mere inches. And the ones without, who witness the death and immediate revival, remain none the wiser, assuming in almost every case that somehow, you avoided the reaper's call.

Should a certain number of the Return By Death group be killed within a single checkpoint, time will loop. Every member of the RBD group, no matter if they died during the previous loop or not, will be returned to the moment the last checkpoint was saved, and time will play out exactly as it had without their interference. From a GMs perspective, I feel this fits a Re:Zero Roleplay better than a black and white death to reset system, since that can leave certain players left out of certain events, and therefore potentially the Roleplay proper. It also gives you the players a great deal more time and chances to actually figure out what is going on in any individual moment, providing potentially more information and helping along with some of the more difficult mysteries, so that the Roleplay doesn't begin to stagnate on reset after reset. It is also worth knowing that it does not have to be individual deaths that reset the arc. A single person could be responsible for every death on that counter, and cause a reset completely on their own.

If a member of the Return By Death group attempts to speak to somebody from the new world about their ability, the fact that they can loop time, or the fact that they have been summoned from a different world, they will be exposed to some fairly unpleasant feelings and penalties. They are free to discuss amongst themselves anything related to this, provided there's nobody unqualified within earshot, but everyone else is a no-go. The penalties will be shown upon a person crossing that bridge, but one consistent factor is that the quantity of Witch's Miasma, or Witch's Scent, will increase on their body. Some people can sense this, and may associate you with the Witch Cult, but it will also attract Demon Beasts, so beware.



In the style of Re:Zero, the Roleplay will be broken down into Arcs, which each Arc covering a significant event or portion of the story at large. Within these Arcs there will be checkpoints, places to which the characters will return to upon a loop reset. These isn't necessarily a single reset point per Arc, and it is not always set at the very beginning of each either.

During each Arc, you should expect there to be at least one loop. While it is technically possible to pass any given Arc in a single attempt with enough planning and dumb luck, it is very likely that that won't be the case. Understand that I will be as fair as possible in the massacre of your characters, and will not kill them unfairly, or without good reason. It's very likely that, for example, the first time a character encounters a certain attack, it will do significant damage, because they are unaware of how to properly avoid or counter it. In subsequent loops, or even the same one, characters will be quicker on the uptick, and will be able to better avoid death as a result of experience. This will likely take time, and as such heavily benefits from the multiple death reset system.

Keeping this in mind, understand that I won't be holding your hand through the Arcs. It is up to you and your characters to figure things out, and while I may give hints both OOC and IC if progress begins to dry up, I have no intention of solving any given problem for you. This also means that, if you so chose, you could allow any character you wanted to die. If an Arc was completed perfectly except for a single NPC being wounded or killed, it is entirely your prerogative to choose to continue, and leave that NPC unsaved, regardless of how important or beneficial they could be to the party. Just keep that in mind.

When an Arc is finished, or between certain blocks of Arcs when a major overarching series of events has been concluded, there will be moments of time when the characters are free to interact and do as they please, with both each other, and the NPCs around them. These blocks of time, to the player's discretion, can involve training, which will increase their likelihood of receiving a better power increase at scheduled strengthening points. This can include Divine Protections, Authorities, unique or additional spells, and simply improved skill at a specific task. It's up to you who and how you choose to learn, and in general, up to you how well you character does.



Q: Can I make somebody native to the world?

A: On a fairly fundamental level, I'm very likely to reject any native characters. This is a choice simply out of my own convenience, because if a person is going to play a native, then I will be compelled to have them be involved in past events, so as to give them a reason for actually being involved. If you are undeterred and wish to create one regardless, PM me about it with whatever ideas you have regarding their history, so I can make the call as to whether fitting them in can be done without causing issues elsewhere. 99% of applied natives will be denied, but try not to think of that fact as me finding fault with your character or application.

Q: Could I join this with no prior knowledge of Re:Zero?

A: Sure you can. All of the information you need to know before joining will more or less be spelled out in the OOC, and anything else can be asked and answered by either me or the players. And, as stated, there will be no major story spoilers within the plot itself, so you're more than free to join, and experience the canon story of Re:Zero alongside your participation in this Roleplay.

Q: How much of the story has actually been planned?

A: Currently, there is a plan for nine or ten Arcs depending on character decisions, including NPCs, the history of the world, and the chain of events and decisions that inevitably led to the appearance of the Return By Death group. That is, provided you don't gallivant off and leave all the important NPCs to be killed. In that scenario, there'll be like four Arcs at a maximum, so let's pray that doesn't happen.

Q: You didn't really talk about combat all that much. How will it work with Return By Death?

A: In general, I'll have the final say in what attacks and other actions succeed or fail during combat encounters. NPCs, both ally and enemy, will more or less be fixed in their chances at succeeding in any specific action. The RBD group, on the other hand, will perform better or worse depending on how many times they have experienced that specific action. If a spell is cast which could easily and quickly reduce a person to a bubbling grease, and the character it is being cast at has never seen or been on the receiving end of it, they are very unlikely to succeed at dodging it. On the other hand, a character who has been killed by, or witnessed, the spell, will be more likely to escape and survive. Think of it like advantage and modifiers in D&D, except there's no dice rolls because I'm just calling out random numbers.

When it comes to Return By Death, your character will die, and then be alive again. It'll be jarring - they will experience every scrap of pain up to the moment their vision goes dark, and in a split second, they will be stood again, alive and well, having, in the eyes of those around them, narrowly avoided something that should have stolen from them their life. Those people will be confused, especially the person or thing that killed you, as to how exactly you managed to survive. Some will believe you dodged, while others will believe it to have been something supernatural. The conflict between appearance and truth wont always be so easily parsed in the minds of onlookers, and some may attempt to pry into the uncanny knack for escaping the proverbial guillotine, but that's a bridge to be crossed after it's built.




- Meta-Gaming and Power-Gaming are very much prohibited. I will likely be keeping a record of the things that have been revealed, partially or completely, and which of the player characters are aware of those reveals during any given point. Try and at least keep in mind what your character knows, and if you have any doubts, err on the side of caution and ask me. I'd rather not have to have people edit their posts because they have intentionally or unintentionally included something they should not have.

- Character Sheets should either be posted in the OOC, or sent to me via PM, so that I can approve them. Only when I have in writing said that you are accepted may you move your sheet over to the Character Tab.

- I'm only going to be allowing one character per player for this roleplay, both to alleviate the strain on myself to run that many, and to keep the story a lot more focused and personal.

- Keep your OOC drama to a happy minimum. If you've got issues, take them to PMs and sort them out somewhere other than the OOC. Nobody wants to see it when they're trying to have fun.

- At least a post every two weeks is expected, potentially more than depending on the pace we run at and how engaged your character is with any given event or encounter. If you cannot get a post up, let me know, so that I can make adjustments taking into account your situation. If you don't talk to me, and tell me what's going on, I can and will take control of your character to move the story along, and they may not be how you left them when you're able to return. Death may not be permanent, but losing limbs sure as hell can be if you aren't careful.

- Feel free to call me out if I fuck something up, but at the end of the day, I have final say on what happens and what doesn't. You can contest an action taken on various grounds, such as placement or extenuating circumstances that I might not have noticed, and therefore failed to include, but I have the final say. I will be as fair as possible, and if you feel like you have been slighted in any way let me know privately, but if I overrule you, don't make a big deal out of it.





Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by vancexentan
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Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Ithradine
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@Vocab

Would it be possible for my character to be an oni?
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@vancexentan If you didn't, be sure to look through the OP again, as it contains information for the magic system used in Re:Zero and this RP. You'll need to specify your character's magical affinity, or if they are lacking one.

@Ithradine Like I put in the Q&A, I'm fairly reluctant to allow Natives among the PC roster. That, as well as the circumstances surrounding the Oni Race, make that a bit of a no sell unless you can bring me a particularly convincing pitch.
Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by Ithradine
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What if his best friend was taking him to some kind of fantasy convention/festival and he was made to dress up as one when he got transported with a horn on his head?
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@VocabThat was my bad I made the edit to put red down for the color sections of the sheet but I forgot to put fire afterward.
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Also, his starting stats are going to be F, E, E @Vocab
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@Ithradine If that's the story behind their transportation, then I have no qualms with it, but it's not gonna change your race or anything like that. In general, people also aren't going to be fooled into thinking you're an Oni simply by super-gluing a horn to your forehead; all the RBD members are human through and through.

@vancexentan Yeah, I can't see anything wrong with your sheet, good effort. Feel free to move em over.
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Thought I would give it a shot before I put down anything for sure. It was a long shot to see if the mystical forces would make him an actual oni lol
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@Ithradine Afraid not, but an admirable attempt nonetheless. The circumstances behind the transportation may have a lot of resultant effects stemming from them, but the transportation itself happens as fast, and as simply, as blinking - nothing more or less complex than that. Who could say if there's even any magic or mysticism involved at all?
Hidden 4 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by Ithradine
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@Vocab
Here is my CS.
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@Ithradine That's an acceptance, feel free to move him over.
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Just realized I forgot to switch my bio and appearance around
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by vancexentan
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shit happens just fix it real quick. Looking forward to getting this started when people post their CS's.
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Already done. I'm excited to get started and see what happens to Ryom.
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I'm hoping to have something done at some point during this weekend.
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I realised that I didn't give a proper explanation as to what each of the six magical elements cover overall in their specialisation. It'd still be worth ya'll knowing what specifically the various magics govern, even though the nuance and spells therein will be elaborated upon further by whatever teacher you acquire. That's been added now, in the first paragraph of the Magic section.
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Would be possible to have magical affinities but not unlocked yet? As in they possess the affinity for that magic, but can't access it just yet.
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And here we have another wonderful character sheet for vocab to tear into
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@addamas You're solid, get em over.

@Ithradine Magical Affinities are determined essentially at birth. They are a fundamental aspect of the Soul, which the Gate is apart of, so it's not really possible to change an Affinity, nor is it possible for an Affinity to be "hidden" - a person with the ability to check your Affinity will see all the ones you possess, pretty much no matter what. In the same vein, you don't exactly "unlock" your Affinity, since it's with you from birth, you just learn how to use your Gate and cast magic. What you're born with is what you get, and there's no way to change that, outside of some exceptional methods that I won't mention yet.
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