"From tombs of chains, the lost shall wake, And all the earth shall tremble and shake. If seals are broken, night will reign, Until the Oracles bind again."
In the aftermath of a war that shattered the heavens, three Oracles stand as the last bastion between humanity and the ancient gods who were chained and forgotten. Gifted with divine sight, sound, and speech, they hold the fragile seals that keep the Forbidden Gods imprisoned beneath the earth. But the chains are cracking. Shadows stir in the depths. And the Oracles must choose two Guardians from among the mortals marked by divine blessing. As old alliances crumble and new threats arise, the chosen few must band together to journey to the Temple of Echoes, where fate will be decided and prophecies fulfilled. Their Oath demands they protect one another, for if the Oracles fall, the Forbidden Gods will rise, and the world will be consumed by chaos.
Overview
When the Immortal War finally ended, the world was left in ruins. The heavens were scorched. Oceans had boiled. Mountains had fallen. And the god… the once glorious keepers of creation, had turned on each other in a clash of power, pride, and madness. But of them all, three remained unbroken.
Fodohr - The Watcher of Time Brotla - the Whisperer of Secrets Elses - the Voice of Truth
Together, they rose not to rule… but to restore. They sealed away the corrupted gods, once-kin turned monsters and bound them in tombs of stone and silence, chaining them with sacred rites no mortal hand could break. These were the Forbidden Gods, deities so consumed by corrupted that they sought to unravel the laws of existence itself. But such a seal could not hold without living anchors.
So the Triad gifted their last blessings to mortals. They chose three mortal women, one for each god:
• One to See beyond time and illusion. • One to Hear the echoes of the divine and the cries of the dead. • One to Speak words that shaped fate and truth.
They became the Oracles.
With their task set, the gods faded from the mortal realm, leaving behind only the Chainbound Pact, the Oracles, and a world that was beginning to forget what it once feared. Now, not all gods perished or fell to corruption in the Immortal War. When the war ended, and Fodohr, Brotla, and Elses sealed the Forbidden Gods, a few lesser deities, scarred but untainted, remained behind. They were not strong enough to shape fate or forge chains. But they were inspired. These few surviving gods turned their grief into resolve. They could not rebuild the world, but they could help protect those who would preserve it. And so, they offered their essence to mortals, gifting fragments of divine power to those brave or foolish enough to accept. These were the first Guardians.
The Oracles
Who are they?
Oracle Who Sees — The Eye of Fate Sees glimpses of what is to come, but can’t interpret the visions clearly
Oracle Who Hears — The Ear of the Divine Hears divine and forbidden whispers, but can’t control what or who she hears.
Oracle Who Speaks — The Voice of Judgment Speaks divine truths into the world, but cannot lie
Each Oracle is granted the sacred right to choose two guardians to protect her. These selections are based on intuition, vision, prophecy, or personal trust, but not divine instruction. Their choice is binding, and steeped in ancient tradition: once chosen, a guardian cannot be dismissed or replaced except by death.
The Guardians
Who are they?
Guardian Candidates are mortal individuals marked by a divine blessing, all hoping to be chosen by one of the Oracles to serve as a guardian. They come from diverse backgrounds, each bearing potential and ambition.
Why?
The Guardians’ abilities grow stronger, maybe even gaining new aspects tied to the Oracle’s own divine gift (Sight, Sound, or Speech) (this can be discussed later with your Oracle!)
Our story will take place at the Rite of Choosing where our Oracle will choose two Guardians:
The Rite of Choosing is a sacred ceremony in which each of the three Oracles selects their two Guardians from among a group of god marked mortals. These Guardians will become their protectors, confidants, and extensions of their will on the journey to reinforce the weakening seals that bind the Forbidden Gods. Candidates each bearing gifts from the remaining gods will demonstrate their strength, skill, and faith to win the Oracle's favor. But the Rite is not untouched by mortal influence. Nobles, and political factions often pressure the Oracles to choose candidates who serve their interests, whether due to bloodline, influence, or raw magical power. An Oracle may be urged to choose a candidate who is strong, but untrustworthy, dangerous, or secretly loyal to another cause. Choosing poorly may cost her more than just protection, it could unravel the balance between the mortal and divine.
Rules
1. All players are expected to respect each other, if you have an issue with someone, please DM me. 2. You are allowed to play as many characters as you can handle. 3. Please try to post at least once a week(Real life will always come first, just let us know!) 4. Consequences of actions (magical, social, personal) should affect characters realistically. 5. Play within your character’s abilities and limits. No Godmodding! If you're a Guardian, your powers will gradually increase. Don't start off overpowered. 6. Guardians owe unwavering loyalty to their Oracle, but inner conflict and personal growth are encouraged to create dynamic storytelling. 7. An Oracle’s prophetic abilities are tied to her virginity. Losing it causes her visions to fade or vanish entirely. This rule creates tension around purity, sacrifice, and the cost of power. Only her prophetic abilities will be lost.(FTB in forum if you decide to take this character down this road) 8. Contact with artifacts or remnants of the Forbidden Gods corrupts mortals and even Oracles unless properly cleansed by the Oracles. 9. Secrets, hidden motives, and political intrigue are welcome. 10.Prophecies are cryptic and open to interpretation. Avoid metagaming prophecies as absolute truths to allow for mystery and suspense.
I'm also looking for two co-gm's to help me out with this. I'll be playing a Guardian, so a co-gm playing an Oracle would also be idle!
Drop a reply below if you're interested or DM if you'd like to co-gm!
This could be interesting. What kind of powers will the guardians develop? Stuff like increased strength, speed and reflexes as well the sense associated with their oracle or more things like magic?
@EtherealThorn Yes, I know who you are. ^.^ It's good to see you~
I'm good! Hopefully we can get this RP up and running!
This could be interesting. What kind of powers will the guardians develop? Stuff like increased strength, speed and reflexes as well the sense associated with their oracle or more things like magic?
Magic. Guardians already would have enhanced strength, speed and reflexes before being chosen by an Oracle. On the Guardian character sheet there will be a section to fill out two powers granted by your lesser deity. For example maybe one Guardian can wield fire, and when chosen by the Oracle, the Guardian is able to engulf their weapon or shield in flames. You don't have to associate your magic with your Oracle if you don't want to!
I've been intrigued by this concept! Unfortunately my work schedule will likely make it difficult for me to participate consistently and communicate in a timely manner, but if those issues are not intollerable, I'd consider drafting a character for this setting.
My current inclination is to just pick a character that I think could contribute to the story after everyone else has chosen their desired characters. On the other hand, it doesn't quite look like the current trajectory of this interest check is picking up the nine-ish members that it looks like you were fishing for with the premise (assuming that one person plays each role, which might not be the case since you mentioned that players were allowed to play multiple characters if they could handle it [I'm not confident in my ability to handle multiple major roles]) so it looks like I will likely be taking on at least one of the Guardians.
I do have some questions about this setting that I'm not super clear on. It seems to me like you are implying that the tradition of having three Oracles supported by two Guardians each has been a thing for quite a long time, like maybe a hundred years at least. If this is the case, does that mean that the original three Oracles chosen by the three main gods are the very same Oracles that we will be playing as or interacting with (and therefore that Oracles are immortal) or have the offices of the Oracles experienced turnover since the time when the corrupted gods were sealed?
Additionally, the rituals for picking Guardians (the Rite of Choosing) appears to be well established, obviously implying turnover for the position of Guardian. What I'm not quite understanding though based on the provided information is how frequently this ritual occurs. In other words, do Guardians serve for life (or at least until they choose to retire) or do they serve for established terms (say, 10 years). If the later, does the Oracle replace both of her Guardians at the same time, or does she stagger the replacement time for each Guardian? Also, do all Oracles replace their Guardians at the same time, resulting in one significant Rite of Choosing every decade, or, going back to lifetime service, do Rites of Choosing get scheduled whenever a vacancy for Guardianship occurs?
Ahh I thought I replied to this. Im just on mobile atm, I will answer all questions in the morning! And perhaps we can make a smaller group with those of us interested
