[color=ff9999][i]Rain drops pitter on crimson leaves. A gentle whisper of wind flows through the trees. Four slugcats have just awoken from their rest. Today, they will meet each other, whether on purpose or by fate. They will travel together on a journey to end the plague which has burdened their tribe. Do they have what it takes to end the creeping death? Or will the rain overtake them before they ever get the chance?[/i][/color]

[img]https://pm1.aminoapps.com/7727/4b0a4c5b7b47116597b9e81601829e0030aad916r1-713-439v2_uhq.jpg[/img]
(Image by SHADE on Amino)

[center][h1]Welcome to
Rainworld: Dying God, Four Drops of Poison[/h1][/center]
This is an RP based on the lore of the indie game Rain World. With themes of Found Family, Survivalism, Life/Death/Rebirth, Body Horror, Illness, this RP aims to bring characters together and test their will to keep going. Four slugcats make their way up towards a distant tower, intending to question their god about the plague wiping out the flora and fauna. This RP is using the lore of the game Rain World as a base. However, there is zero expectation for those participating to have played the game itself. This is, in large part, due to it not taking place in the part of the world presented within the videogame.

	You are a group of four slugcats in search of a way to save your clan from a mysterious illness killing all of the flora and fauna. Your plan is to travel to the superstructure that’s far off in the distance and confront what your clan believes is the god of rain. Your travels will be fraught with hunger, fights for survival, and most of all: The Rain.


[hider=The state of the world]
Thousands of cycles ago, a society of highly intelligent beings thrived. They were so powerful that they created massive supercomputer robots with sentient AI large enough to house hundreds of cities. These computers, sporting humanoid puppets so that they could talk to their creators, were made to solve the "Great Problem". When the hyper-intelligent societies died out, though, the robots were left to their own devices. They became the closest thing to what one could call a god. They crafted animals for their purposes, experimenting and genetically changing them like their original creators used to do. Animals became what is known as "Purposed Organisms", or creatures that had been genetically modified for the mechanical purposes. Some were capable of creating ingredients needed for reconstruction or for weapons. Others were made with the intent of cleaning or maintenance.

That was thousands of cycles ago. Since then, most of these robot gods have become eerily silent to the outside world. These gods are what cause the rain, though it is not because they want to. It is done as a process of cooling their massive bodies. Light rain would mean very little to the animals below but the robots, known as Iterators, release much of their water at the same time, creating violent storms that wipe out everything that is not in a rainproof shelter. Most creatures have learned to live with it. The ancient society left hundreds of shelters under each iterator for when they were traveling down on the surface. With the ancients now gone, the animals take those shelters for their own use. Other technology lays dormant all around too. Ancient buildings, machines, and temples dot the landscape. Metal scaffoldings live as the remains of homes. Many creatures have even taken on a mechanical quality.

Over time, a new intelligent species formed. Slugcats were former purposed organisms that ran loose and evolved. Originally, they had been made to clean out pipes and reach small areas. Their opposable thumbs and intelligence gave them the chance to improve. To become fully sentient. They are in a sort of stone age, able to craft using the materials of the lost civilization around them. Many use spears to hunt meat. Other gather berries and other fruits. All across the planet, slugcats created tribes. Most live far out from the dangers of being directly under an iterator but none can fully escape the sight of those hallow behemoths. To the slugcats, the iterators are silent gods. They bring the rain, and thus bring life.
[img]https://preview.redd.it/whos-your-favorite-iterator-i-will-start-v0-kw463sbvc3ea1.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=ec84f5ae66c029c9c48d90f28d5c81b860c50b3b[/img]
(Official Rain World Art)
The Red Clover tribe rests deep within the Red Canopy, at the far edge of the land affected by the iterator 4 Drops of Sun. They have few enemies save for the wild animals around them. Most of these creatures are ones that they hunt. The Red Canopy itself used to be full of life. Its wet, jungle biome was home to hundreds of thousands of different species. The flora, which takes on a crimson hue across its leaves and flowers, produced plenty of fruits and seeds for the creatures to eat. Bugs and other small creatures made for good eating. Then an illness struck.

It started after a particularly brutal rain. Creatures of all kinds became exhausted and dizzy. Then they would roll over and die. This took a brutal toll on the Red Clover tribe. Many of the tribe members died. Some decided to turn tail and leave. Most of the slugcats were too afraid to leave their ancestral home. However, four slugcats have decided to end the terror of the illness themselves. They intend to go to the God of Rain and ask it how to stop the illness. 
[/hider]
[hider=What is a Slugcat?]
Simply put, a slugcat is a creature that had been bio-engineered a long time ago to clean out pipes. They are a sort of combination of a cat and a slug, though they have opposable thumbs and can stand both on all fours and on their hind legs. In the game, they are considered rather intelligent, but the level of intelligence is never specified. However, in this RP, they will be considered to have human levels of intelligence. They are at a sort of prehistoric level, using spears and rocks to deal with the world around them. Most of them are omnivores. They are two feet tall typically and have smooth skin, akin to a slug.

The Red Clover tribe in particular typically has very red slugcats. However, they are capable of being almost any shade. They are also capable of patterning, though it is rare. These patterns are limited to what one would find on an IRL cat. Even more rarely, a slugcat can be born with a defect which gives them a particular skill (or, if they are unlucky, made to have one for an iterator's purposes). Some are capable of staying underwater longer due to pseudo gills. Others are capable of forming spears out of their body. Still others are able to secrete explosive powder or store things in particularly large cheek pouches.
[img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRHfiZj7Wq7HOXbf9RBMFx3zgz88W19wqaiG-fhx5ybiiEDMQa_rL44w0aYqYgsiy-rXx0&usqp=CAU[/img]
(Official Rain World art)
[/hider]
[hider=Important Tidbits]
What is a cycle? The game never specifies the exact amount of time a cycle is. It is simply the amount of time between rain cycles. Think of it like days, though they can technically be anywhere from a day to several weeks. In this RP, though, they are going to last about three days under most circumstances.

Why is the rain so important? The rain is a brutal, ticking time bomb. When it comes, it rains hard enough to physically harm every creature it touches. The world starts to flood and even the surface is consumed with enough water to go over the treetops. Slugcats escape it by finding water locked shelters made by ancient, long dead people to protect themselves from the rains.

What is the god of rain? The god of rain is what’s called an Iterator. They are massive robotic creatures (tall enough to be in low gravity) built for the purposes of the now dead civilization. They are powered and controlled by hyper intelligent AI. Their towers are called Cans by the iterators, though the RP characters would simply call them towers. They create the rain as a by-product of their cooling processes.

What are the symptoms of the illness? That depends on how close one is to the iterator tower. As far as the slugcat clan knows, they include: Exhaustion, dizziness, the inability to eat, vomiting, and death within a few weeks.

What is the Red Canopy? It is a section of the world far from the Iterator’s tower. It is one of the many biomes that surround the iterator. This particular biome is a rainforest, rife with massive lizards, mosquito-like predator and prey, and lots of wetlands. It’s called the Red Canopy because of the plants. Most flora has varying shades of red leaves and flowers. Fruit and bugs are the most common food here, though particularly daring slugcats hunt the sluggish green lizards or slippery pink salamanders for their meat.
[img]https://preview.redd.it/drew-all-slugcats-and-have-some-headcanons-below-v0-uzyao70e203b1.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=86b46cff15382c7e8bd99772bec10190d5dc71f0[/img]
(Art by fluffytroodon on reddit)
[/hider]
[hider=Themes and Story Expectations]
	The themes of this roleplay include: Found Family, Survivalism, Life/Death/Rebirth, Body Horror, Illness. TW for Gore, Death, Cancer and similar illnesses. There will probably be NSFW themes. There will certainly be swearing.

	This RP will contain up to four players, each representing their own slugcat (more on that within the character creation section). These slugcats have gathered together to travel up to the top of the iterator structure: Four Drops of Sun (FDoS). They know this being as the god of water or the god of the rains. The main story will revolve around survival-based travel up to FDoS. This includes battles with the predators of the region, making friends with the scavengers and other non-aggressive species, running from the rain, and fighting for food. If it goes for long enough, the players will eventually ascend FDoS and come to his chamber to talk to him. Throughout their journey, they will learn the truth of why the world is dying and come to understand the cycle of rebirth.

	Players will NOT be expected to understand the whole lore of rainworld. This RP will NOT take place anywhere within the main cannon. It is simply using the world and creatures as a base. Please feel free to ask questions. If you don’t care about game spoilers and want to learn more about Rainworld lore, the GM suggests Daszombies and Solemn Sunday. Again, this knowledge is not necessary, but it is fun.
[img]https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/2054243689554799292/99DA5308B672F39FD705783F5672EDF808079B56/?imw=512&imh=367&ima=fit&impolicy=Letterbox&imcolor=%23000000&letterbox=true[/img]
(Artist Unknown.) [/hider]
[hider=Rules and Player Expectations]
1. If it takes longer than one week for a player to respond, they will be considered inactive and booted from the game. This will be waived if the GM is made aware that the player will be unable to respond.
2. Responses must be at least one paragraph long. Preferably, responses should be two or more paragraphs long but that is not always required.
3. Mentions of SA are to be kept to a minimum. They should only be discussed if necessary and should have a Trigger Warning before they are discussed. Players may inform the GM of other triggers through PMs if they would like. They will be considered for future reference and the player will be informed if there is no way around them within the story.
4. Players have the right to discuss actions with the GM to ensure their comfort within the RP setting. However, the GM has the final say as to how issues will be resolved. This is not for discussions of drama. It is for discussions of boundaries within the RP.
5. Follow site-wide rules.
6. Character Sheets and Responses to Rp should have proper grammar.

Like the game, the characters should not feel like they are strong enough to overpower the environment. They should be clever enough to tackle challenges, but they are still in a cruel, brutal world that cares little for their life. Take things slow. Respect the Rain.

This is an experience where interpersonal relationships will form a large part of the world and story. Players will be expected to create characters that want and/or need to interact with others for their goals and interests. This does not mean that characters need to be nice or happy-go-lucky or friendly. It does, however, mean that characters need to have a reason to be with their group. This can be already knowing another character, or it can be that they think traveling in a pack is the safest way to get to the tower. Any reason is fine. Creating characters who avoid the party will defeat the purpose of having the party to begin with. 
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/da/1c/bb/da1cbb2e485059545304f3420b150b58.jpg[/img]
(Art by garfieldplushieeee on Pinterest) [/hider]