At the moment this is still a WIP that needs a bit of organizing. Although I plan on posting this in the advanced section, I openly welcome casual role-players, since I believe most casual role players on this site would do just as well in advanced.
Welcome to our world, Casdora_____In the beginning there was only The One God, an omnipotent being of pure energy who existed before time and matter. The One God then looked into the empty void and sought purpose, but saw none. He then split himself in two and from his halves the twin gods Euros and Meros came into existence, and their purpose was to give meaning to the void. Although Euros and Meros were born of the same spirit, they were different halves of the same piece and so both were different, and neither could see the universe in its entirety as The One God could.
Meros believed in order and absolutes, and thought the universe should exist in spirit and be eternal. He also thought the future of the universe should be predictable and set in stone, and thought all things should have a purpose, or a destiny. Euros however believed the world should be ever changing and nothing should exist in absolutes.
So the brothers went to work, each creating their own vision of what the universe should be. Meros created the heavens and hells, realms of pure spirit, to represent his belief of two ideals: a constructive force and a destructive force to oppose it, and the two equal forces would balance the void between them.
Euros, however, desired a physical world, one which would give meaning by literally filling the void, and so Euros created the stars and made them ever changing. The void gave birth to the stars, and in time the stars would return to the void; the stars would return to nothing, but be born again in an endless but ever-changing cycle. In this Euros gave the void purpose, as all things that come from the void so too return to it.
When the brother's looked at each others work, they scoffed, both believing their workings to be the superior. However, both of the brothers agreed that to finish thier work, they must regain their omnipotence. They decided that to do so, they would have to see things through many eyes, just as their own. Meros, believing everything could exist in absolutes, created the spirits of angels and demons to represent the constructive and destructive forces in the universe: good and evil. He gave them homes in heaven and hell, and called his work complete. Through their eyes he could see the good or evil in all things.
Euros saw his brothers creations, and then went to work creating his own. Euros desired a material world, a new world of senses, and so he gave the stars their warmth and allowed them to grow brighter, other stars however he allowed to dim, and once they dimmed Euros created life from from the dust of the star. He watched as the warmth from the brighter stars gave energy to his creations, and then he went to work molding and shaping them into all assortments of things. He created trees, fish and deer, but finally he created humans. Like his brother, he created humans to represent the destructive and constructive forces of the universe, but unlike his brother he gave his creations the ability to understand both good and evil, but be bound them to neither. Instead he gave humans the capacity for both great good and evil, so that they might never be bound to one or the other.
When Meros saw what his brother had created, he could not comprehend them, and the chaotic and unpredictable nature of humans disgusted him. So he struck out against his brothers creations and began to kill them off, believing humans because they were tied to neither good nor evil, upset the balance. Angered by his brothers actions, and sympathetic for his creations, Euros sought to protect his creations, and so Euros gave them the ability to reproduce, so that thier kind may never die out. Euros then created a barrier between the physical realm and the realm of his brother, and finally the god sacrificed his divinity and fell to the Earth as a human, so that if his brother wanted to kill his creations he must kill him as well.
Meros watched his brother fall, but being only a half of The One God, he could not restore his other half nor cross the barrier Euros had created. Struck with grief Meros sacrificed his own divinity to create a bridge between the physical and spiritual realms, and he gave every human a spiritual counterpart, so that even as humans might die their souls would live forever, and in this way Meros would never truly lose his brother.
A Crown of Bones__________________________________The Inciting Incident _____________________________________
Twenty-four years ago Necromancy was born into the world, as Malfear began his rise to power. The exact origins of Malfear, and the cause for his war against the Five Kingdoms Is known only to the few mages whom survived the initial onslaught.
It is rumored that Malfear was once a mage in service of the tower with a lover, but Malfear grew dangerous and destructive with corruption, believed to have tampered in the arts of demonology. The Mages of the Tower were forced to act against Malfear, and skirmish Malfear came out victorious, but his lover lay dead. In grief, Malfear stabbed his own heart next to the corpse of his lover, wishing to end his life. Yet somehow, the mechanics of which are unknown to even the Archmages, Malfear did not die, yet instead was the first man to wade the river Styx. He returned from the river a necromancer, but unable to save his lover. From this point forward he took on a vendetta against the Tower and Arch mages and began to slay his former companions, raising them as minions to do his bidding.
Unable to deal with the growing power of Malfear, the Circle convinced the Valean king of this new threat, one which the king himself had first failed to comprehend, and the king dispatched an army to deal with the necromancer. The army quickly caught Malfear's small force, easily dispatched them and burnt the corpses, but Malfear's own corpse was nowhere to be found.
Five years later (18 years ago) Malfear reemerged, this time he marched from the Caspian mountains with a massive army of both undead and uncivilized brutes from the tribes beyond the mountains. He easily laid waste to all in his path, and as he met with the Valean forces he brutally overpowered them, and after each battle his forces only grew stronger as he gave new life to the fallen by the thousands.
Malfear fought his way to the Ivory Tower and laid siege to the ancient tower. Within three days the great tower was reduced to rubble and slew its occupants, with only Archmage Lyana, Tyleal, and a handful of mages and guardians escaping his wrath. He then set his gaze upon the Valean city of Oslo and the royal throne. Valean armies tried relentlessly to halt his advance, but Malfear proved too powerful. King Aleas of Valeal recognized he alone could not stop the advance, and so he sent word to his Gorgon allies, to which the Gorgon King, King Garren Blackwater, responded with an army which rivaled Malfear's own. In two years (16 years ago) The Gorgon and Valean kings pushed Malfear back, and as Malfear began to remove his armies into the Ferronian homeland victory seemed a hammer stroke away.
However, before the final blow could be stroke word reached King Garren of treacherous nobles in his own lands, that they had claimed the throne for themselves and slain the royal family. Furious King Garren abandoned the campaign, against the advising of King Aleal, deal with the traitors in his own lands.
King Aleal dare not pursue Malfear now that Malfear's force once more outnumbered his own. Instead the Valean king issued a warning to the King of Ferros and withdrew his forces, unwilling to commit his own armies for the sake of a rival kingdom. It was Ferros that waged a bloody five year war against Malfear, and only Kain came to their aid, though at great cost of both gold and land. Eleven years ago the last remnants of Malfear's forces were crushed, Malfear was proclaimed dead. The war became known as The War of the Blight, and in the aftermath of the war tensions between the kingdoms has never been higher, and the fear of magic has never been more widespread.
_____________________________The Five Kingdoms_____________________________
While Casdora is a continent home to many tribes and clans, the western stretch of land belongs to a collection of nations known as the Five kingdoms. Unlike the majority of Casdora which in more barbaric mannerisms, the five nations are the seat of power and civilization in Casdora. The Five Kingdoms refer to the other tribes and clans spanning the continent as "The Tribes Beyond the Mountains," because the five kingdoms is effectively separated from the rest of the world by a collection of mountain ranges.
Gorgon
The nation of Gorgon is a seafaring one. Characterized by marshlands and swamps the terrain is plague ridden and hostile to outsiders, but Gorgonites themselves have built a hardy immunity to the dangers of the swamplands over the years, and thus Gorgonites are less afflicted by diseases or sickness which would claim the lives of others. Because there is so little viable farmland throughout Gorgon, most Gorgonites take to the seas to become fishermen, and thus naval expertise is not only common but highly prestigious throughout Gorgon, and it isn't uncommon to see naval commanders awarded fiefs for their contributions.
With the swamplands acting as a natural deterrent against invasion by land the majority of Gorgons military might lies in their navy, whose size rivals that of Kain and Valeal, but whose experience is matched by none. Because of Gorgons sea-faring nature it isn't uncommon to see mages aboard the ships using air and water magic, air magic to push wind into the sails or water magic to calm the waves should the vessel find themselves amidst a storm. Because of this heritage of water and air mages aboard ships Gorgon has a long standing history of producing some of the strongest air and water mages in the five kingdoms.
Gorgon wildlands, more so then perhaps any other of the nations, are notoriously dangerous to travelers. Abound with poisonous plant life, venomous wildlife, and a plethora of predators which stalk the swamps, it takes a certain type of individual to brave these lands. While Gorgonites who live closer to the coastal lands are more prone to take up the art of seafaring, those living more inland are faced with the adversities of the swampland on a daily basis, and because of this there are few better suited to thrive in a hostile environment then a ranger born from the Gorgon marshlands.
History
Currently King Arminius of House Briar sits on the Gorgon throne, seated in the capital city of Zola. King Arminius only recently rose to power, since only twenty years ago the throne belonged to King Garren of House Blackwater. During the War of The Blight against the Necromancer Malfear, the majority of Gorgonite forces were deployed in the conflict against the necromancer. With the king absent from the throne, and the majority of the vassals loyal to him engaged in the war against Malfear, House Briar and their conspirators staged a coup in Zola, which resulted in Lord Arminius claiming the throne, citing ancient heritage as his claim to the royal throne.
Upon news of the coup, and the slaughtering of his daughters and only living son, King Garren withdrew his soldiers from the war against Malfear and marched against the newly crowned King Arminius. The armies of the two kings met in a narrow patch of dryland just east of Castle Highwater. King Arminius came out victorious with the head of King Garren impaled on his great lance. In the years that followed, the dynasty of House Blackwater was ruthlessly pursued until thier name was survived by only a small number of members from a cadet branch, with the main branch of the family having been entirely exterminated. Today, House Blackwater is only a shell of the former glory it used to be, reduced from it's holdings of the kingdom and multple duchies across Gorgon, to only Baronies and lesser titles spread sparatocily throughout Gorgon, under the service of Houses known to be loyal to House Briar.
While House Blackwater rests on the verge of extermination, the thirst for revenge has never been stronger. Rumors are fluttering that the Blackwaters are preparing to reclaim the throne, with a flock of lesser houses loyal to the Blackwaters preparing to return to the service of thier former lieges. Loyalty runs deep amoung the Blackwaters and thier former vassels, and provided the opportunity the Blackwaters could once again pose a dangerous threat. Recently the surving members of House Blackwater have begun to dissapear, many suspect foul play by King Arminious and his House, and accuse them of tyranny, but lack of evidence keeps their hands clean.
Allegiances:
Loyal to House Briar: The Blackwaters are a threat to the crown, and the continuity of our house, and they are a threat that needs to be removed. Gorgon rule under house Blackwater was chaotic and unruley. Dukes and Counts waged war on one another relentlessly for claims on only a few acres of land, but under rule of House Briar Gorgon has never been more united. The Blackwaters threaten the stability fought so hard to bring to the land and need to be removed before our own civil war erupts. The path to peace was dubious, but one thing is certain. Since the Briars Claimed the throne infighting amongst Gorgonite Lords has disappeared... because only those loyal to House Brair are allowed to rise to considerable power.
Loyal to House Blackwater: The Briars are a house of traitors and kin slayers. It is known that King Arminius' older brother died at an early age, and we have reason to suspect it was foul play by Arminious Briar, who killed his own brother to rise to power in his father's lands. The kin slayer then used his new found power to stage the coup whilst our armies were absent, and upon claiming the throne he executed every lord who would not bend their knee, citing them as traitors to Gorgon. The queen and her children were also executed, and the manner of their deaths is a controversy amongst the Briars, but a slight that may never be forgiven amongst the Backwaters. The queen was stripped bare, her throat slit and her body nailed to the door of a whorehouse, and her children were used as firewood, and tossed into a bonfire that was kept aflame for three days on the corpses of those deemed traitors.
Valeal
Where the swamplands of Gorgon end, the land begins to giveaway to temperate forests and rolling hills with lush green grass as far as the eye can see, by this time you know you've entered Valeal. People hailing from Valeal are called Valean, and Valeal itself is a cultural powerhouse, rivaled only by Kain. Fertile farmlands and abundant land have allowed for great prosperity in Valeal in the past, and Valeal was known as a land of great philosophers and architects, but alas the golden age of Valeal is fast on the decline.
Following the War of the Blight, and Malfears defeat, the once subjugated citizens of Southern Valeal have proclaimed independence and have risen armies numbering in the thousands. Furthermore, magic has been looked at in a very negative light in recent years, and growing progressively worse. Recently, an order known as Paladins of the Rose have gain prominence, and whose sole task is to seek out mages throughout the five kingdoms and kill any who practice anything but the branch of Restos. The Order has begun to gain a large following, and as years press on their following grows larger, and with the King of Valeal preoccupied by the Valarian civil war, their power may yet go unchecked. A cold war has begun between the Order and the Circle of Magi, with the Order actively killing mages by the hundreds and the Circle of Magi in a mad race to find young mages and bring them under their protection before the Order claims them first.
To further complicate affairs the situation of the Valerian Rebellion appears to be somewhat of a sensitive topic, with many vassals desiring to simply grant the Valerians their independence because the civil war has left Valeal weaker than ever to invasion from Ferros, whilst others argue that an independent Valaria may side with Ferros and stage an invasion once their independence is won.
History:
King Aleas of House Varren sits atop the Valean throne in the capital city of Oslo. House Varren is a powerful and ancient house, and fifty years ago King Alius of house Varren set his armies against the longtime rival kingdoms of Valaria and Ferros. In time Valaria and the western front of Ferros were conquered, however King Alius was slain by a bolt through his eye, and following his death his armies withdrew from Ferros and an uneasy truce was formed, Valaria however remained under Valean rule.
Following the War of the Blight, Valarian Nobles with claims to the throne began an uprising against their Valean lieges, seeking to regain their nation's independence.
Allegiances:
Loyal to House Varren: The Valarian Rebellion must be quelled quickly. Ferros is on the brink of joining the war, as they have supplied Valarian rebels with everything thus far but soldiers. The longer this war is waged, the weaker our nation becomes. Our own nobles here in Valaria are withholding soldiers, and armies are amassing throughout Valaria under the banners of lesser lords, all of whom claim to be amassing their armies to defend against Valarian raiders, but if there is anything to be learned from the history of our Gorgonite allies, it's that traitors strike when their targets are weak.
As long these lesser nobles refuse to pledge their military force against the rebellion, we are forced to stay the majority of our fighting force due to fear of a coup, and with each passing day Valarian Independence becomes more likely as does invasion from Ferros. However, an opportunity has arisen. Infighting amongst the Valarians themselves has left an opening in their defenses, and an army has been dispatched to lay siege to Valaria's coastal, and capital, city of Vespar. If we can claim the capital we would effectively gain control over the western front of Valaria and disrupt the rebels line of supply, potentially starving them into submission. Then, a reunified Valeal would be prepared against a Ferronian invasion.
Order of the Rose:In Practice, the Order of the Rose is loyal to the king, even if they act without his instruction. Despite their questionable ambitions, they are a valuable asset to the king none the less. Full of skilled warriors and guardians, as well as some of the best Restos mages the world has ever seen, whose magic and skill at bringing soldiers back from grievous wounds almost borders necromancy. In fact there are rumors fluttering about that necromancers have slipped into the ranks of the Order, a foul rumor and likely to be untrue... but sometimes rumors have merit.
Because Valaria and Ferros so openly allows the practice of magic outside the Ivory Circle, it has become a hotspot for mages to practice their foul deeds without fear of repercussion. As Valaria is openly hostile towards the Order, many Paladins of the order are currently accompanying the Valean army marching on Vespar... however they also march alongside mages loyal to the Circle and Ivory Tower, who are accompanying the army under the kings blessing. To assault a Mage in service of the Ivory Tower is an act punishable by death, as Mages bearing the Circle's standard are considered non-combatants and under the protection of the kings of Gorgon, Valeal, Valaria and Kain. However, the path into Valaria is treacherous, and who knows what manner of ill fate may fall upon the Mages along the way.
Valaria:
Ferros:
Kain:
The Ivory Tower
Although the Ivory Tower was first created some thousand years ago, by a Valean king and his council of mages, it has never since nor ever shall owe fealty to any king. However, now that the Ivory Tower lay in ruin by the hands of Malfear in The War of the Blight, the mages of the tower and the Circle of Magi have been given refuge in Oslo, the Valean capital.
Because magic is such a volatile force, in the days before the Ivory Tower mages were feared and hunted, and as often as mages brought harm unto others either by accident or ill intent, they also destroyed themselves with the magic they did not understand how to harness. The Ivory Tower was built in response to this, to make the lands safer by teaching young mages how to wield their magic and hunting feral mages whom brought harm unto the innocent.
The Tower operates on its own agenda, separate of the five kingdoms. However, the Tower is guided by the Circle of Magi, or powerful mages who are in charge of the future of the Tower and all of its mages. It is tradition for each nation to select their most knowledgeable mage and send him to the Tower to become an Archmage of the circle, and at any time the Circle of Magi has a single Archmage from each nation. Upon entering the tower, mages abandon all previous loyalties during their time in the service of the tower. Mages under service of the Tower, but acting in the interest of any nation, is an act punishable by death.
It is also important to note that during their time in the Tower mages abandon their surnames and the names of their Houses should they come from one. Even the Archmages of the Circle of Magi are not exempt from this rule, as they too have abandoned their surnames. Instead they are known simple as Archmages of the Circle.
Warden of the Magi (Guardians):
Once within the Tower young mages are taught not only how to harness their magic, but also trained to use the sword. Mages who show exceptional skill at swordplay are given the opportunity to join the Wardens of Magi, or Guardians as their mage counterparts call them. If a mage skilled with a sword elects to become a Guardian, he undergoes arduous training for the next five years of his life. During their time in training, the mage may opt out during the first four years, and it isn't uncommon to see mages who opt out of the training during this period go on to become royal guards in service of a king, but during the fifth year the mage has agreed to bind his life to the service of the Magi. On the first day of the fifth year, the mage undergoes a sacred ritual in which thier ability to harness magic is taken from them. The bridge in their souls, the same bridge they use to draw magical energies from the nether is reversed. As a result, the mage loses his ability to wield magic, but as a result becomes immune to it.
During the fifth year the majority of potential candidates die, as once they undergo the ritual they are to accompany Veteran mages and guardians in a hunt for a feral mage. Sometimes the candidate gets lucky, and the feral mage they hunt is little more than a rogue pyromancer burning fields for joy, yet other times the candidates arn't so lucky, and their first time in the field they are pitted against far more dangerous mages which utterly overpower them. One thing is certain though, by the end of thier fifth year their training is complete and they stand as Guardians and are taught the Ritual of Sealing, a ritual which renders a target mage inert. The ritual literally leaves the target unable to harness magic, and sometimes whether by inexperience or intent the ritual also renders the target mage mindless.
Guardians are then assigned to a veteran mage or sometimes two, who duty it is to protect and accompany in the hunt of feral mages, or mages whom use their magic to harm innocents.
What are Feral Mages? By the Circle's definition, feral mages are mages who use their magic with mal-will towards any non-combatant. It's a rather slippery slope of a definition, since mages under the command of a king ordered to kill civilians are by definition feral mages, yet often times the circle will refuse to pursue mages such as this, since their own label as non-combatants is kept in a delicate balance between amongst the kings. Basically, most of the time there is no difference between a feral mage and a mage in the service of a king, except the Circle hunts feral mages, whereas they have to let the latter type of mage walk free.
Mages of the Tower:
Mages are taught how to harness their magic in a way which will not destroy them, and the tower teaches young mages in the arts of Restos and Destros. Similar to the Guardians, mages undergo five years of training within the tower, and are allowed after only the first two years, although most mages decide to stay for the remainder of their education. On thier fourth year, the mages may choose to sweat fealty to the Tower, and mages that choose to do so are then taught in the school of Mystos during their final year. Although many outside the circle frown upon the teaching of the branch of Mystos, the Mages of the Tower argue their particular field of work requires them to be knowledgeable in all fields of magic.
Also unlike the Guardians, mages who complete their training and do no swear fealty to the tower are allowed to freely leave. Many of which do, and put their magic to work as sailors, healers or in the service of whatever lord they chose to pledge fealty to.
Allegiances:
Loyal to the Tower (as either a mage or guardian):
In recent years the Archmage of Ferros has withdrawn himself from the circle, and Ferros refuses to send young mages to the Tower, both of whom cite the tower has secret agendas in the favor of Valeal (the Kingdom in which the Tower is located). Once a mage has sworn fealty to the Tower, they may not leave, and to do so is punishable by death. Even the Archmages themselves are not exempt from this law. The King of Ferros however claims that should the Tower elect to pursue the Archmage, it would mean they would abandon their role as non-combative and would effectively be declaring war.
To further complicate matters, rumors are widespread that feral mages have used the civil war occurring in Valaria as an opportunity to amass safely because the war has left the country lawless. A select group of Mages and Guardians have been tasked with driving these feral mages out of Valaria, and then the travel on into Ferros where they could negotiate with the Ferronian king concerning the Archmages abandonment.
Feral Mage: You're a feral mage, and while you may not necissarily be evil you fit the bill of a feral mage as far as the Tower is concerned. Maybe your a sellsword who uses his magic for the highest bidder? Maybe you just know a lot about The Branch of Darkness, more than the Circle is comfortable with.
[hider= How Magic Works]
How Magic Works:
When Meros sacrificed his divinity and gave every human a soul, he created a bridge of sorts between our human bodies here in the physical world and our spiritual counterparts in the nether, or the place between heaven and hell. He can use this bridge to draw energy from the nether, and those who know how to wield this energy can turn it into powerful spells and incantations.
Magic requires a great deal of concentration to cast, and the weaving of magical energies into a useful spell is not only a learned skill but a dangerous one as well, since losing concentration could result in a spell backfiring on the caster. Casdora recognizes three branches of magic, each with thier own schools of discipline.
Destros
The following schools fall under the branch of Destros:
Airmancy is the school of control over wind magic.
Pyromancy is the school of control over fire magic.
Hyrdomancy is the school of control over water magic.
Geomancy is the school of control over earth magic.
Constructism, when used in conjunction with one of the schools of the four elements, is the school of creating elemental constructs bound to the service of their creator.
Demonology is not taught anywhere throughout Casdora, but when learned in conjunction with summoning it allows the mage to summon Demons from the depths of hell itself. Be careful though, as Demons are often unruly and have agendas of their own.
Restos
The following schools fall under the branch of Restos.
Healing is the school of mending the body, and restoring the body from wounds, grievous or otherwise.
Blessings is the school of protective and augmentative magic, ragic from magical barriers, anti-magic shells, or blessings such as night-vision or water-breathing.
Excorsim is the school of expulsion, teaching mages how to expel unwanted magics and even substances from the body, ranging from poison to demon possession. Masters in the art of Exorcism can even 'seal the bridge' of an unfortunate target, effectively rendering them unable to use magic. The duration of this seal depends on the skill of the user, and can range from a few seconds to the targets entire life.
Angelology, when used in conjunction with summoning, allows the mage to summon angels, or holy spirits, from beyond the nether. Much like demons, angels often have their own agendas and it takes a particularly powerful mage to bind either demon or angel to their will.
Mystos
The following schools fall under the branch of Mystos, alternatively called the Branch of Darkness.
The school of Illusion allows the caster to alter a targets perception of reality, and powerful mages can even trap a target within a false fantasy, much like a dream, and much to the Mages of the Tower's chagrin, sometimes a target is so entranced by this fantasy they refuse to leave, and eventually die from starvation or dehydration if not looked after for the remainder of their life. Effectively Illusion gives the caster control over a targets mind.
Necromancy: See how necromancy works.
Curses enables the caster to place hexes on an unfortunate victim. Hexes can range from turning a victim into an animal, fusing their body with objects around them and leaving them forever immobile, or simply giving them a string of bad luck. The imagination is the limit with curses, however curses more so then any other magic have a high likelihood to backfire.
Alchemy allows the caster to alter the physical properties of an object, such as turning iron to gold, or even altering their own forms such as turning themselves into animals or the exact image of another person, shape shifting as it's called.
Summoning allows the caster to form ethereal weapons, animals and companions, most of which disappear after only a short time, but when used in conjunction with Demonology or Angelology it allows the caster to bring forth Angels or Demons into the world.
Malfear was the first Necromancer the world had ever seen, and during time in Casdora he passed his knowledge to many of his acolytes, some of whom survived the War of the Blight and continue to spread thier corrupt knowledge throughout Casdora. Necromancy is unique from the other schools of magic, in that once a mage becomes a necromancer they are often left unable to draw magical energies from the side of the nether that allows one to use Destros or Restos. Necromancy also consumes the casters mind, and in times leaves them mindless and destructive shells of humanity, it should be noted however that some necromancers are unaffected by this decadence. The process by which one becomes a necromancer was chronicled by one such necromancer who retained her mind.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
We saw his power, great and unrelenting. Entire armies laid to waste only to be risen by the Master. He came us mages, captives of war, with an ultimatum. Join him or serve him. The ones who refused him were killed, and their bodies raised again as the mindless servants we've seen a thousand times over. I was the first to submit and so they pulled me from the line, their rotten hands pulling surprisingly strong on my arm, their eyes glowing blue with magical energy.
Then I saw one different than the others. Whereas the others were rotten and wreaked of death, this one was human I thought, as the skin on his hands and neck were unrotten, but he wore a mask of gold and silver on his face. In his left hand he held a dagger, and in his right he held a mask much like his own.They threw me before him and I rose to my knees. He gripped me by the chin and whispered 'There is only light when there is darkness', although I did not understand the meaning until later. Then I felt his dagger sink into my chest, and the feeling of the cold ground rushing to meet my face was my last memory of the ritual.
When I awoke, I found myself in a river with water so black I thought a great void laid beneath me. All around me white orbs of light flowed a few feet above the water, but followed its direction, with some orbs moving faster than others. I watched as some orbs didn't flow with the river, but instead rose higher and higher until they disappeared. When I looked up I saw a ceiling of white, bright and nearly blinding, yet the light didn't fall on the river around me, nor did it illuminate my surroundings.
I looked behind me and saw a single pale orb, unlike the others it refused to move and I felt drawn to it like a moth to light. I wanted to touch it, but as I moved closer to it I felt an overwhelming urge to draw no closer.
'Follow', I heard a voice in my head speak to me. 'Follow' it again repeated. Uncertain, I began to follow the river. After some time, the length of which I do not know, I noticed the river and grown deeper and stronger, it know flowed up to the back of my knees and I could feel a gentle tug. Then before me I saw a giant gate, half silver and half gold with the head of a lion carved into the surface. I put my hands on the gate and it opened easily despite its massive size.
I continued with the river. At some point I noticed the river had grown deeper still, flowing now to my waist, and the current had grown stronger still but not overwhelmingly so. It's also important to note the orbs of light still flowed with the river, with thousands upon thousands flying up and disappearing into the ceiling, but with a great multitude more continuing with the river. As I walked on, I noticed not only did the river grow deeper but the orbs of light were now skimming just along the top of the water now.
Finally I came to a gate of pure black with a scorpion engraved on the front. By this point the water was chest deep and every step was a struggle against the current. I placed my hand on the gate, and noted how much harder this gate was to open then the first. Once the gate finally opened, a ghastly scream pierced the air. A woman's I think. I was startled and wanted to turn back, but once more the voice said "Follow". So I did.
A short time after passing the black gate the water became too deep to wade through, and I had to begin swimming. The swim was easy as the current carried me with great ease. The orbs of light still followed me, skimming along the surface of the water, and I noted now that very few orbs were falling to the sky. Ahead of me the blackness gave way to a bright red, and as I swam closer I saw a gate of fire burning bright against the black. It burned with an intensity and heat I can never describe. Then I noticed that the orbs of light were submerging in the water just before they reached the gate, and the voice once more spoke to me, saying 'Take'.
The orbs that still floated above the water couldn't be touched. I went to grab one but my hand faded though the orb. I tried with another much to the same affect. Finally, I went for one of the submerged orbs, and I was able to grasp it. It was heavy, far heavier then I could manage as I swam, now trying to fight the current from sweeping me far past it. I went for another, which was much lighter, but still far too heavy. The third one I grabbed was manageable, it weighed a considerable amount still, but I kept it out of fear of only finding heavier ones should I let it go.
I had lost my attention, and noticed now how close I had drifted to the gate of fire. The water itself seemed to begin to boil around me, and my brow sweat furiously as the heat from the gate became unbearable. I turned my back to the gate and went to swim away, but I felt something grab me and pull me under the water. As it dragged me closer to the gate I recall the screams, thousands upon thousands of people screaming, and I heard them all under the river. I fought desperately against the current but it refused to let me go. The orb was weighing me down as I swam against the current, but my hand acted against my own will and refused to let go. I swam until I felt I could swim no longer, but still I swam desperate to escape the screams. Somehow, I am not sure how, I escaped the river.
When I broke the surface of the water, out of breath and with my ears bleeding from the deafening screams, I found that the water was once again only ankle deep, and I found myself where I had started. Looking at the orb I saw when I had first entered. This time I touched the orb, and re awoke in the realm of the living as a necromancer.
First, I noticed my chest was not in pain despite the blood, and the dagger had been removed. The man in the silver and gold mask put both of his hands against my cheeks, and said 'we find light in the darkness', and then showed moved his robes to show me his bare chest, which was wounded much like my own, to which he explained:
"You become a master over life and death only when you are enslaved by neither, but rest somewhere in between."
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When you enter the realm of death you find yourself in the river Styx, then as you follow the current you come to a place where the orbs of light, or souls, dip into the water. The orbs are the souls of the living, and once they become submerged it signifies that the human vessel for the soul on the other side has died. Only then can a necromancer interact with the souls, and if he should carry them back into the realm of the living, he would have dominion over the soul. A soul can only be returned to the realm of the dead once the necromancer who carried them back passes away, until then a necromancer can literally use the soul as many times and for whatever purpose he wishes. Carrying a soul back through the water is an extremely difficult task, and even the most skilled necromancers risk being swept under the Gate of Fire, since carrying a soul back becomes harder each time it is accomplished. It is advisable to only carry one soul back and a time, and for player characters to only have carried one soul back (even the most skilled necromancers you may see through the RP have carried only two or three back, with the exception of Malfear who carried thousands back).
Also, the more powerful or older the soul is, the heavier it is.
Shades
When a Necromancer passes the Scorpion gate, a soul is expelled from hell to attune the necromancer to the realm of death. These souls are then cast into the realm of the living, where they wander for a time before they can materialize into ghastly spirits. These spirits are unaffected by objects from the material world, meaning swords and arrows have no affect on them, neither does most magic save for Exorcism, which can dematerialize them for a time.
Shades can then posses the corpses of the dead, or even animals and suits of armor, but a shade cannot posses a living person. When the vessel of a shade is slain, the shade is dematerialized for a time, but always returns. The longer a shade remains in the physical world, the stronger they become and jumping from vessel to vessel, to the point where a shade can effectively jump from vessel to vessel without materializing at all, making shades a truly dangerous opponent as long as there is a nearby vessel to posses.
Shades often have no recollection of their prior lives, and because of this they often do not associate with any particular gender. If they do, the often only associate with the gender of the particular vessel they are inhabiting. Because shades are able to posses corpses, they are often confused with necromancers, and even though shades are born from necromancy they aren't related to it any further than that.
Shades can only return to the realm of the dead once the necromancer whom created them is dead. This may mean the soul of the shade returns to hell, but the time the shade is given again may yet give them time to redeem themselves.
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Character Sheet
Name:
House Name: If applicable. If you give your character a house, expect to see your relatives frequently throughout the RP.
Age:
Appearance: Picture or words acceptable
Homeland: Choose one of the five kingdoms. Also, I use kingdoms and nations interchangeably. Sometimes I'll call it five kingdoms, other times i call it five nations.
Allegiance:
Race: Guardian, Mage, Shade or Necromancer
Spells: There are three branches of magic, and multiple schools for each branch. If you are a guardian then you can't use magic anymore.
Ok, so if you're a Mage, and you're Allegiance is to the Ivory Tower you can pick three schools of magic from the three branches except Demonology, Angelology and Necromancy, but these may become available later. If you're a Feral Mage, or a Mage who never swore allegiance to the Ivory Tower, then you may choose three schools from either Destros or Restos. If you're a mage who completed training at the Ivory tower, but later abandoned the tower for whatever reason, you may still choose schools from the branch of Mystos. Same if you're just a mage that by some happening learned the Branch of Darkness. Understand that if you abandon the Ivory Tower after you swore allegiance, you'll probably be hunted, same if you know Mystos without being with the tower. Also, if you're going to have your character learn Mystos on his own, write a good reason why in the Bio.
Now, if you're a shade you may choose either Destros or Restos (you automatically know Mystos). Then Pick three schools from the two branches you know (once more, Necromancy, Demonology and Angelology are off limits for the moment).
If you're a Necromancer, you may only know Destros and Mystos. Once more, choose three schools.
Weapon:
Bio: Try to make your character history as rich as possible. Throughout the RP i'll probably be drawing from your characters histories to shape the story.
Standard RP rules apply. I predict this to be a slower paced RP, so expect that coming in.
