[b]The Story So Far...[/b] [i]The Great War [img]https://www.wallpaperflare.com/static/188/664/3/dragon-fantasy-art-war-battle-wallpaper.jpg[/img] Nobody believed in the “Void” at first. Since the dawn of history, the beings from “the other side” were just a myth, a rumor that was used to scare little kids at night. Yet for all the monsters that existed in the current world from the great dragons in the skies or the fierce leviathans in the seas, nothing could compare to the demonic beings that spilled forth. The monsters that arrived were so cruel that even the most notable of vampire covens or fearsome of orc warbands that plagued numerous country sides were incomparable to the evil that killed indiscriminately. Initially the sightings were just isolated incidents, and the world idly ignored the growing problem for some time. It did not matter if a village here or some town there was ravaged… the great kingdoms of the world had little care for the problems in other countries until the Void appeared on their shores. As the world became fully consumed in war it became known that many countries were supportive of this new demonic regime that had emerged. Whether they collaborated to bring the Void into the world or simply submitted to them in the hopes of avoiding their wrath is simply unclear. The remaining kingdoms who opposed the Void and its allies rallied under a “Coalition of Order”. The Coalition which consisted of various great kingdoms and other free cities threw aside past rivalries and banded together to combat the enemy. The war took countless lives, but the Coalition emerged victorious after defeating “The Chosen” the appointed war lord of the Void as well as finding a way to destroy and seal the portal gates that allowed the Void to enter the current realm. The peace that followed however was fragile. While some kingdoms recovered and even surpassed their previous strength, other kingdoms remained entirely devastated. Countless refugees spilled into foreign lands and many desperate survivors undertook all sorts of crimes to ensure their survival leaving the future unstable and uncertain. Perhaps the most dominant of the factions that emerged from the war was the Mages Guild. Initially the Mages Guild was a private order devoted to all things science and magic who only invited the best and brightest to join their ranks. Yet with the war over the Mages Guild changed its policies and began to provide services to the remaining survivors of the world such as… 1. Providing loans to countries in need of money 2. Hire talented merchants, craftsman, farmers, sellswords and anyone of value and “rented” them out to countries in need to help rebuild. 3. Allow Mages to reverse the terraforming the Void inflicted on ravaged countries (an expensive and lengthy process) 4. Build and develop their private island into a massive seaport that served as a global hub so countries from every corner can trade goods in a singular area. 5. Perfected the use of magic conjurations to open portals at sea to increase the speed of travel. While portals existed in smaller fashion, only the Mages Guild developed portals large enough to transport trading vessels. Initially many countries benefitted from a more powerful and collaborative Mages guild. The new global trade hub ensured countries began to connect more and profits soared. However, it wasn’t long till jealously and doubt began to fill the minds of the various rulers that once made up the Coalition. Some began to believe the Mages Guild was responsible for the Void invasion, believing that they tempered with ancient artifacts that ripped a hole in the dimension that allowed the enemy to spill forth. Others believe the Mages Guild foresaw the Void invasion and purposely hid their power, allowing the world to rip itself apart just so they can take advantage of the ashes. Regardless of blame, countries who could not recover from the war became so dependent that they were more or less owned by the Mages guild. Since the war against the Void has ended, the Mages Guild has fully opened its once secluded island to the world. What once consisted only of a giant spire of knowledge in the middle of the sea has emerged into a grand seaport with taverns, brothels and trading centers that are unmatched throughout the world. The Mages even built a great “Arena” to entertain the various guests that arrived to provide legalized gladiatorial combat. If money was to be made the Mages Guild had part of it.[/i] [u][b]Current Story Arc:[/b][/u] [u][b]Chapter 1: The Mages Guild of Pandarosa[/b][/u] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/593297315825975306/595501962301014017/latest.png[/img] It has been a full 100 years since the end of the Great War. Despite the era being considered a time of peace and rebuilding, several kingdoms had engaged in smaller conflicts thus further shifting the hierarchy of power in the world and the old alliance that was known as the Coalition becomes increasingly a relic of the past. In response, the Mages Guild led by its council the “Enlightened Ones” has sent personal invitations to the great rulers of every country along with invitations to reputable mercenaries, scholars and any being of notability or status in the hopes of a grand gathering of great minds. While the timing seemed suspicious, its widely believed the Mages Guild wants to accelerate its growing business by showing off new secrets and technologies it had to offer the world in a grand celebration as well as attempt to keep the fragile global peace. Regardless of affiliation or reason, it seemed appropriate for people to attend, after all surely there was something of value to gain in the most diverse island in the world. The Mages Guild remain quite protective of its island. Well trained and armed mercenaries act as the island’s personal army while a small but powerful fleet of warships secure the waters around the island. The Mages Guild also decreed numerous laws, examples including 1. Beasts of war and engines of war are prohibited. No exceptions 2. Limits to the size of ships which basically prohibited any sizable warships. Upon arrival security is allowed to check any and all cargo being brought aboard as well as investigate any personal onboard. 3. There was no fighting allowed on the streets regardless of fault. Any personal vendettas were to be settled in the Arena at a time deemed appropriate. 4. The Mages Guild were free to adjust and deviate from the law if necessary. Their island, their rules. While there were some countries that have the militaries to challenge the Mages Guild and its allies, no kingdom dared to make any sort of aggressive action towards the world’s leader in science, magic and trade in the belief that attacking the Mages Guild, meant an attack on the world itself. With the celebration beginning, individuals and their retinues from all over the world of various backgrounds for whatever reason arrive each day. From the top of the Iron Spire located in the center of Pandarosa, the eyes of the Enlightened Ones watch with keen interest... ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [u][b]RP Guidelines [/b][/u] 1. The usual no God-Modding, taking control of other people’s character without permission etc… 2. Ironically due to the nature of the RP, there WILL be top of the line, extremely powerful characters, entities, factions and thus I will try and establish characters of such significance to set the “bar” to not go over. Also, such characters/entities/factions will be limited and thus not everyone will be able to start off at such an extreme level. I will only grant such levels to people I feel are trustworthy and understand what is attempting to be established. 3. While I intend to be flexible, please try to make characters that fit the setting. A wandering sellsword? An exiled price seeking redemption? A Void sympathizer/agent? Go for it! An alien from outer space attempting to fit in? Nope. 4. The established story provided is meant to establish an outline for what has happened in the past and where things may be trending for the future. Other details are purposely kept vague/flexible to help accommodate others. 5. The use of multiple player-controlled characters and NPCs to supplement stories is encouraged. 6. The setting is set around High Fantasy. Cannons, blunderbusses, Airships(like those in WoW), Beasts of War such as Dragons, Leviathans, Hydras are all permitted (within reason). Having said that no lasers, automatic bullet weapons, nukes etc. Any questions on feel free to ask 7. While this is a casual RP, I am expecting a good amount of detail though I am not asking for a novel. Simply put, post with purpose. 8. Rules are subject to change if necessary. Character Sheets [hider=Individual characters] Name: Age Race: (If something vague, feel free to add additional info) Appearance: (Picture or description works) Personality: History: Skills/Abilities: Weaknesses/Flaws: Additional Info you want to share: [/hider] [hider=Kingdom/Group Sheet] Kingdom/Group Sheet Name: Leader/Governing Body: History: (Details on the past, significant moments in their history etc) Current Status: (How are they doing today, their current reputation) Additional Information to share: (Anything from group makeup, banners or pictures you wish to share etc) [/hider]