If he is not this badass. You have failed ISKANDAR, THE KING OF CONQUERORS!!!
Meh, who is this insect? No, Eskandar will not be a mere king of conquerers, he will be a Conquerer of Kings, King of Kings, a Shahenshah, an Emperor, Imbrator, Kaiser, Vicegerent of the Gods, the Will of the gods made manifest! But above all, he will be a Man.
So, I've just spent the past 11 hours going through 208 OOC posts pages in search of all in-game additions to the mechanics, comments on the game-world, suggestions, advice etc. to ensure that the next iteration builds upon this one completely. You may sing my praises. I also stumbled across where I hid my fiery whip and will proceed to unceasingly whip all pressure-mongers. And now, I will go change my clothes and get some shut-eye, dreaming of Divinus, Eternal, and Napoleon Bonaparte (what a badass. I'm totally going to make a character who is something of Bonaparte/Ceasar/Alexander - he will be called...Eskandar...)
Based on ActRaiser's OldGuild 'Divinus' RP Terrific Banner by the Fabled Frettzo
Mk.II
The Old Universe is Dead.
It has been rent asunder. How? Why? By who? 'Tis a mystery.
The world is empty, and Amul'Sharar has summoned new gods to reign supreme. The 'new' world can hardly be called a 'world' at all. Nothing exists. It awaits the coming of the new gods. They will create – or perhaps, recreate – life. They will mould this virgin world, creating a universe in their image, moulding it to their will and desire. Planets, creations, religions, ideals, nations, magic and more; they do as they wish, for they are gods.
However, they must remember that the gods of the Old Universe were also gods, and they are now gone. To where is unknown, but two remain. One is a terrifying being, a watcher of an untold million worlds, far above the might of any newly risen god. He is known simply as Amul'Sharar. The other is Fate, whose exact function is a mystery. These two act as guardians of the world, and though they are not occupied with the happenings in the new universe and its new gods, they are part of the mystery of this universe and the old. What they guard the new universe against is unknown, but guardians they are.
But of what concern is the Old Universe and its gods? This is a new world, a new universe!
This is your world.
***
Welcome, those of you who are new and those who have been here before. Thank you for giving this RP your time and passion. I know that dedicated RPers can create truly majestic and beautiful RPs. I don't aim for that, because that can be achieved if we all aspire to enjoy ourselves to the full. So, welcome, and let's get this show on the road.
Game Mechanics
Domains and Portfolios
Domains are 'elements' of the universe over which a god rules. These 'elements' are very broad and can range from the obvious (the classic four elements of air, fire, earth an water) to the far more obscure (such as 'fear' or 'fantasy'). A god can share a domain with many others - for instance, there can be many gods who have dominion over 'fire' or 'fear'. What makes gods more unique is their 'portfolio'. While many gods can share a domain, no two gods can ever share a domain and a portfolio, or just a portfolio. Portfolios are specific elements of a domain over which the god's powers are dramatically enhanced. A god whose domain is water will have power over all water, but if their portfolio is 'rivers' then their power over rivers is particularly potent and over-rides the power of any other god - whose domain is water or otherwise - over rivers. Of course, this is very simple, for other factors will also be at play, such as the level of said competing gods and so on. But adopt this as a general rule, and exceptions can be explored in-game. As a god increases in power and their level rises, they are capable of adding new portfolios within their domains to their personal portfolios. A god of water (oceans) may, once they reach the required level, carry out the requirements, and have the Might to spare, add another portfolio, like (rivers) to their portfolios. Likewise, a god can also add another domain, though the requirements for this are for more stringent than for portfolios. This will be explained in more detail further down.
It must also be emphasised that gods are not limited to their domains per se. These are powerful beings and all share a basic threshold of power. This moves us on to levels.
Levels
All gods of level 1 have a basic threshold of power:
They can control weather, landscape and other physical phenomena within their direct vicinity, which amounts to 100 miles (while gods whose domains are specifically geared towards weather, or earth etc. have a much increased vicinity and power over these.)
They have the ability to appear in whatever shape or form they wish (though it is the norm for any individual god to switch between a set number of preferred forms, while those more geared towards deception and shape-shifting make full use of this power.)
A god cannot be harmed by normal weapons or magic. A god's weakness is usually particular to that individual god and a secret hidden with the utmost care and vigilance. However, gods can muster power great enough to hurt another god, and if united, a group of gods can even cause the 'death' of another god. Death of gods may well occur as this RP drags on, and it will be discussed in more detail below.
A deity has the capability of, at any time, knowing all things within their vicinity, including thoughts, feelings, holy sites and other gods. However, a god has the ability to cover their presence or block the senses of another god to their presence, abilities whose success rate depends on level and domain (portfolio). A deception god, for instance, would be far more skillful at hiding their presence than one who is not.
Any deity can create their own, private plane of existence. This can act as a private retreat or a manner to escape from other gods. These generally cannot be located by other gods unless the god in question allows them to find it. Those gods whose domain involves dimensions or space/time warps may be able to find said planes. These planes are very small - don't think you can go creating a separate universe in your own plane!
A god can travel wherever they wish, however they wish at speeds incomprehensible to other creatures. Being present at one end of the universe or the other is simply a step away.
A god's essence leaves a mark, or a trail, wherever they go. This trail, unless concealed, can be detected by other gods. Might can be used to strengthen a god's concealment, and detecting these trails requires the expenditure of Might by a god on their detection capabilities. Detection and concealment naturally rise by 1 per level.
As a god's level increases, so too will their powers with regards to the above list. For instance, each level causes a god's vicinity to increase by approximately 10%:
100 mile radius at level 1
110 at level 2
120 at level 3
130 at level 4
145 at level 5
etc.
Do not take this literally, but keep in mind that with each level up their level of awareness will reasonably increase so that, for instance, by level 10 a god's vicinity would cover a whole planet. Further, gods have a basic idea of what is happening outside their vicinity. They do not know details, but general things. For instance, of tensions rising, of wars in the making, of scheming going on (no details of said tensions or schemes, but a general gist. Very much like smelling food that you cannot see). Further, with each level a god's ability to manipulate landscapes and weather and other such things will increase. So whereas a level 1 god of Fire could not get away with creating a Himalayan mountain range without usage of Might, they could quite possibly do so at level 10 (while a god of Earth can do as they wish in this regard from the offset.) I think this is pretty self-explanatory at this stage. If you do have further queries, do ask in OOC and I will reply and add to this post as necessary.
Higher levels open up new abilities. Of particular importance are the following:
At Level 1, a god can create tiny creatures that have no magical properties, like ants, beatles, mice etc. without using any Might. These can reproduce, survive and thrive.
Once a god reaches Level 2, they can create unintelligent species of animals or other beings that can reproduce and thrive. This includes magical and non-magical creatures.
Once a god reaches Level 3, they can create intelligent species of animals or other beings that can reproduce and thrive (at this level, humans, elves, dwarves and whatever else you can come up with can be created.)
A god's level also dictates how much Might Points (MP) they have to spare. Might will be discussed in more detail later, but here is a simple table (subject to change) which breaks down the amount of MP required for each level up:
A turn is simply a game mechanism which functions to order the game and put some limits on what any one god can do at a given time. A turn, in-game, has no set time-limit. Indeed, one turn can have billions of years pass while another only a few days or weeks. In real-time, we play a turn out until it reaches its natural end and it is necessary to move on to the next turn in order to allow for the story to develop. Why? This is because MP is used up during a turn and recuperated once a new turn begins. The first turn will see all gods at level 1, meaning they have 4 MP to spend. Further, each god gets 1 Freepoint (FP) per turn. This is similar to an MP, but has reduced power, as will be explained below.
Might
Everything up until now has been hair and bones. Might is the meat of the matter! (Note, alliteration.) Might Points, MP or simply Might, are the units of power in the game. Particularly powerful miracles or actions will require Might. However, one must first differentiate run-of-the-mill god actions which require no Might at all. A god can, using their inherent abilities alone, raise a small island or mould and form land more to their liking and so on. However, using Might to, for instance, raise an island will very quickly find you raising continents instead - raising such large landmasses without a higher level or dominion over Earth requires Might as it is.
Before going into more detail on Might, just a quick explanation of Freepoints. A god's actions can be split into three; those which require no power other than the god's inherent one (this becomes more powerful as the god's level increases, but in the beginning includes moulding small pieces of land, raising small islands, making a relatively normal item, like a sword or amulet etc.), second are those which are not great enough to require Might but too great for a god's inherent power and thus requires FP, and third is actions using Might. The Freepoint can be used for relatively low-key things like teaching people a simple idea (e.g. agriculture, reading, writing, loyalty, honour, bronze-working etc.) or creating an item imbued with magical properties - but NOT something blessed or divine. And other relatively low-power things. Going from Ug the Caveman to Ug the Tractor-Riding-21st-Century-Farmer is NOT how it works. If ever in doubt about whether an action falls under FP or Might, just drop me or Rtron a PM or ask in the OOC (it'll benefit everyone that way.)
Now, MIGHT. So you're happy enough with agriculture and loyalty, but you suddenly have an itch to teach your creations something else. Something big. Like Magic. Or The Force. Or maybe you've already taught them Magic and the Force and want to teach them Jedi or create some other Order to go out and do your divine bidding. Or perhaps you want to teach them agriculture but make them particularly talented and skilled farmers (you shall conquer the world's food-source first, and then the world!). You need Might for such things. But Might is not only limited to this.
What kinds of actions require Might? Here is a (far from exhaustive) list:
1 Might: Teaching your minions/worshippers/humanity powerful and unique skills/abilities
1 Might: Creating huge landmasses or oceans; or stars and planets if a god is of the correct domain or above Level 5
1 Might: Create a Hero. These are exceptionally powerful individuals among your creations whose powers and skills are renown and well-beyond the capabilities of normal members of their species or race. Those who gain such an honour also gain immortality, though a god may set conditions to this. Further, immortality does not mean they cannot be killed.
1 Might: Bless or Curse. This is the will of the gods made manifest. A blessing can range from a Golden Age for the blessed, or an increase in population. The population blessed by a god will find its crops grow well and their ways smoothed, as the subtle will of the god is worked in their favor. A blessing is not limited to these and can range depending the will of the god in question. The population cursed by a god will find their earth is barren and blighted, as the will of the god works against them. It depends, as always, on the will of the god (a population under a curse can find itself suffering from a frog infestation to far more sinister things, liking being devoured by Gremlins). Blessings and curses can be countered by other gods.
1 Might: Censure or praise. This is very similar to the above miracle, but it is applied to individuals or small groups of people and are far more severe. For instance, one who is censured may turn into a stone or find themselves with green skin and snakes for hair, while one who is praised may be summoned back from the dead or in other ways blessed.
1 Might: Form a society. A god may decide that his creations should move on in life beyond their nomadic or hunter-gatherer ways, and thus form them into a more organized society. Societies allow for created beings to make better use of the teachings of a god. There is only so much Ug the Caveman can do with knowing about armies and bronze-working, but King Ug, who has a whole village at his command, can begin organizing individuals into armies and allowing others to specialize in metal working and so on. This can also be used to form a highly specialised and well-trained Order - if you want to create the Jedi, the Knights Templar or the Valkyries, this is your port of call.
1 Might: Create a portal. A portal is a permanent connection between two places. Deities and magic can create temporary portals, but you can use this action to create a permanent one for your worshippers/minions/everyone to use. Alternatively, this action can create a hotspot for mana from a different world. For instance, you could create a permanent strong magical connection between the dungeons of a castle and your world of death, leaving deposits of negative energy there and wreaking unknown mutations on whoever is unfortunate - or fortunate - enough to be there.
1 Might: Create an Avatar. Being within the presence of a god in their full, divine glory, even a minor one, is enough to drive lesser mortals mad. To remedy this problem, a god has two avenues. They can simply take on a form which will not destroy the physical world by its mere presence. Or it may create an Avatar. These are small fragments of a god, which operate completely independently. Given the tremendous willpower of a god, they may give their full attention to all of their Avatars simultaneously, without suffering from any distraction or deterioration of abilities. In this way, gods may be in two or more places at once. Avatars are beings of extreme power. They can be devastating in war and boons during peace. Magically, physically and in many other ways, they are very difficult to match. Depending on the god in question, an Avatar's abilities and qualities will differ. These beings exist so long as their creator wills it or a more powerful Avatar or god destroys them. Magic from mortal beings, if powerful, can harm and weaken them, so far as to force them to dissipate until they regain strength, but they cannot destroy them. If an Avatar is created, the next Avatar will cost double (i.e 2 Might), and the one after that will cost double again (i.e 4 Might) and so on. There is no limit on the number of Avatars a god can create, and Avatars are taken to be at the same level as the god in question. While a Hero can potentially defeat an Avatar, the level between the Avatar and said Hero must be extraordinary for an Avatar to be completely bested (unless the Avatar actually allowed itself to be bested for whatever reason).
1 Might: Create a moon.
1 Might: Level a Hero up. The number of levels is dependent on the current level of Hero. Higher level Heroes require more Might for each level up. a Level 1 Hero can be raised to level 7 or 8 quite easily with 1 Might. A Level 20 Hero may only be able to rise by 1 or 2 levels. A Level 30 may require 2 Might for a single level up.
If, when a turn comes to an end, you find that you have not used all your Might, then the unused Might will move on to the next turn and be added to however much you recuperate per turn. So, if you have 4 Might per turn and only use up 3 Might in the current turn, then you will recuperate 4 Might in the next turn, and the 1 remaining will be added, giving you 5 Might in total. You may well find yourself having to save Might if you want to level up.
As you know by now, leveling up is one of the ways in which you can increase the amount of Might your god recuperates per turn, each level up increases your total Might recuperation by 1. However, there is another way to increase Might recuperation.
'Holy Sites', which generate Might, can be created by a god. Half the amount of Might which goes into creating a Holy Site is produced by it per turn. So, for instance, if you spend 4 Might on creating a Holy Site in a given turn, it will generate 2 Might for you every turn thereafter. These Holy Sites can be destroyed by other gods however, and non-godly beings can destroy them if they use powerful magic or apply enough force (for instance, a concentrated barrage by a good few catapults can bring Holy Site in the form of a temple down). Holy sites can range from something like a temple, a lake, a totem, and anything else you can come up with. Different Holy Sites will be more or less difficult to destroy, but none can be made invulnerable. Holy Sites are also places where one can expect creatures who revere the god to travel to in pilgrimage or live near to or within.
A player must wait four turns after creating a Holy Site in order to create a second, and another four to create a third. After the third one must wait eight turns, and after the fourth one must wait twelve. One cannot create more than five holy sites, unless one of the five is destroyed in which case it can be repaired or a new created. If a holy site is destroyed then repaired, the Might used on its creation will be lost, and the Might used to repair it will replace the original creation figure. For instance, if you create a Holy Site for 10 Might (meaning you get 5 Might per turn from it) and then it is destroyed and you repair it for 12 Might, you will now get 6 Might from it per turn. The rule applies if you build it for 10 Might and repair it for 6 Might.
I am open to exploring in-game methods in which a god can produce extra Might (for instance, a particularly bloody god may have his worshippers sacrifice animals or other creatures etc. in a ritual). Before you go ahead and spend Might on such things, please PM me and ensure that you have my approval.
And, as final note on that, a god's power and Might are in no way related to how many worshippers they have. A god is an independent, mighty being, it does not draw its power from 'worshippers', but depending on the kind of deity, worshippers may well add to its power. If you believe your character is one such god, PM me and we can see to it.
To clarify the above: It clearly says that there are 'in-game methods in which a god can produce extra Might' - we are talking about Might production here not temporary or one-time additions to Might. The example of a bloody god does not refer to a one time sacrifice, it refers to an ongoing ritual which would happen per turn and thus add to said god's Might per turn (for instance, a yearly celebration where enemies are slaughtered in the name o- BLOOD for the BLOOD GOD!). The key is that the ritual is dedicated to the god in the example - a huge battle would not add in any way to to a bloody god's Might as it is not dedicated to them, is not a ritual and so on - even if its worshippers were involved in said battle. The fact that spending Might on creating such in-game methods is specified brings the mechanism closer to how Holy Sites work - you spend X Might and you get X Might per turn out of it.
With regards to worshippers, it quite clearly says that a god is 'an independent, mighty being' that does not 'draw its power from worshippers'. This is to separate from gods int this RP and other gods in fantasy settings - like the Chaos gods in Warhammer and so on - whose power is purely generated by worshippers. The gods in Divinus, when stripped down of everything - Holy Sites, special weapons, worshippers etc. - are still very powerful, independent beings. BUT, under certain conditions 'worshippers may well add to its power'. A god is not dependent on worshippers, but that does not mean they cannot gain power from them per turn, just as a demigod does. Again, there will have to be special circumstances surrounding the god ('depending on the kind of deity', 'If you believe your character is one such god') in order for this section to apply.
So, to summarise. Per turn, a god gets Might depending on their level (i.e. at Level 1 a god gets 4 Might per Turn; at Level 2 they get 5 Might per Turn; at Level 3 they get 6 Might per Turn etc.) If a god is Level 0, for instance, they would get 0 Might per turn. Whatever your Level provides + any spare/unused Might from the previous turn + half the total Might spent on Holy Sites.
One of the uses of Might is, as has been mentioned, to adopt more (Portfolios) for oneself and even Domains. Once a god reaches the required level, carries out the required actions and have the Might to spare, they can add a portfolio. The following are the requirements in order to add a (Portfolio):
A god must have used at least 3 Might points in the specific (Portfolio) before they are eligible to adopt it as theirs. For instance, a Water (Oceans) god who wishes to incorporate (Rain) into their (Portfolio) must spend 3 Might points on (Rain) related actions before they 'unlock' (Rain) as a portfolio which they can add.
A god must spend another 3 Might points in order to incorporate the (Portfolio). So, the above god spent 3 Might points on (Rain) related actions, now they need to spend another 3 Might points to incorporate it, just as they spend Might to level up.
A god cannot incorporate a (Portfolio) which is not within their Domain. So, a Fire type god cannot incorporate (Rain) as a (Portfolio).
Each (Portfolio) requires 1 Level to sustain it. For instance, a Level 1 god cannot sustain any more (Portfolios) than they have. At level 2 they can add a new (Portfolio). So, before being able to add a new portfolio, a god must reach level 2 and fulfill the above requirements, then they must reach level 3 to add another and have fulfilled the requirements and so on.
These are the rules regarding portfolios. Domains are as follows:
A god must have used at least 6 Might Points in the specific Domain before they are eligible to adopt it.
A god must spend another 6 Might in order to incorporate the Domain.
A god cannot incorporate a Domain which is a natural opposite to one of their existing Domains. For instance, a god with a Water Domain cannot then incorporate Fire. Earth cannot incorporate Wind, Light cannot incorporate Darkness and so on. If you are unsure whether a Domain is a natural opposite to one of yours, PM a GM or ask in the OOC.
Each Domain requires 7 Levels to sustain it. So once a god reaches level 7, they can only sustain 1 Domain, the one they already have. Once they reach Level 14, they can add another, and so on.
Lo~ve, Demigods and Marriage
It is entirely possible that, as the RP trots along, unexpected developments will find you in the loving arms of a significant other (or in some cases, in the unrelenting grip of the bane of your existence.) Whatever the case, marriage is not a concept foreign to the gods, though individual gods have different approaches. Some feel incomplete and yearn to find their other half, others are not fussed either way and are content marrying should they find someone or living alone, and others still may avoid marriage like the plague – what do they want with such things! Moreover, individual couples may have very different approaches towards married life and its implications. Some may treat it as a bond as divine as godliness itself and not to be betrayed in any manner, a completely exclusive bond in every way. Others may go about as their lives before and rut where they like and with whomever, whether their partner approves or not. Naturally, where the partners are not in agreement the latter approach can cause significant scheming, plotting and divine drama (and no, divine does not mean ‘blissful’ here xD) for examples, see: Hera x Zeus; Aphrodite x Hephaestus.
It is entirely possible, too, for whatever reason, that a god may take a liking to one of his/her creations, or the creation of another god and seeks in some way to seduce them. While this is clearly a most natural godly urge (cough), do try to keep it PG13 and descriptions to the bare minimum necessary. However, know that this RP does lean more towards adult themes - there will be extreme violence, horrific immorality & lack of conscience and, yes, nudity.
Now, on to the meat of the matter! As can be expected, such relations would naturally bear fruit, and for gods, these are not your run-of-the-mill fruits. Relations between gods produce upper tier demigods while relations between gods and created beings produce lower tier demigods. It does not cost any Might to create these demigods, but there is also a catch. Demigods are independent beings who are played by independent players – NOT by the player who controls their father/mother. Either a GM or a new player will take control of these beings and play them as the others play their god characters. If good reason is given, however, there may be exceptions to this rule.
Demigods are similar to Heroes, but much more powerful. They have the ability, with time, to become full-fledged gods. They too have Domains and (Portfolio), although their power over these are much reduced and grow as they level up. Leveling up occurs for demigods as it does for gods, they must consume Might. Demigods, however, do not have Freepoints. Demigods, it must be emphasised are as different from gods as Heroes are to demigods. Gods and demigods are entirely different beings and wield nowhere close to the amount of power a god has. Unlike gods, demigods are purely physical beings, although as their level and power increases, it may result in a change to their form - they may become something more like this.
As mentioned, demigods have a Domain (Portfolio), and they have great power within those. Unlike gods, however, demigods do not have any power over other Domains and (Portfolio). Thus, while a Fire god could still create, fashion and control water and do water-based things with skill, a fire demigod has no such capabilities. If anything, their opposites are usually their weaknesses and they can be expected to be extraordinarily vulnerable to being near, or being attacked with, what is considered an opposite of their Domain.
The extent of their power over their Domain increases as they grow in power, in the beginning, however, said power over their Domain is very restricted. A demigod of Fire could, for instance, create huge fireballs and withstand great heat, but they could not create volcanoes and open up the very earth to let lava spew out (note: lava-spewing dependent on whether a magma core exists or not.) However, demigods are not simply over-powerful Heroes, they have a unique baseline of abilities:
Demigods exercise increasing control over their Domain (Portfolio) as they level up.
Demigods can add (Portfolio) and Domains to their already existing ones in the same way as gods do.
Demigods have greater initial strength and stamina than the average Hero, though not by much unless the demigod in question is somehow tied to martial ways or physical power.
Demigods can fly.
Demigods are capable of using magic, and are usually naturally proficient at it.
Demigods have a phenomenal amount of magical energy reserves, in comparison to mortals.
Demigods are annihilated if they venture beyond the atmosphere, though higher level ones may be able to generate an 'atmosphere' of sorts around themselves should they wish to explore the empty spaces beyond.
While the presence of a demigod does not cause living things to be annihilated, the presence of lower level demigods can put a strain, or a weight, on people. The presence of higher level ones can cause terrific headaches - the effects of this vary depending on the power of the mortal in question.
Demigods have a limited ability to know things within their one thousand metre vicinity, including the presence of living beings, strands of thoughts and feelings, holy sites and other demigods. However, a demigod, unlike gods, does not have the ability to cover their presence or block the senses of another demigod to their presence. Those geared towards deception or stealth, for instance, would be capable of hiding their presence, though success is limited. Demigods cannot sense gods unless the god in question wills it.
Normal weapons are generally ineffective against demigods, and so too are all low-level magics.
Demigods, as a rule, cannot bend space-time and create personal planes or travel between dimensions of their own power. A god may, however, move them between dimensions or planes of existence. Thus, should a god wish to banish a demigod to another plane the demigod would be utterly helpless.
Demigods can create life, though this is generally not sentient and very basic - for instance, a carnivorous plant. Or an unintelligent hobgoblin who must be injected with purpose (i.e. defend demigod's lair, collect wood)
God and demigod Levels and Might requirements are the same:
Demigods, like Heroes, can be aided by gods to grow stronger, and a god can use their own Might to increase the Level of a demigod. The higher the demigod's level, the less effective 1 Might is in leveling them up. Unlike Heroes, demigods do not level up naturally with time, Might MUST be spent. Demigods whose level is 15-20 can ascend to Level 1 gods, those whose level is 25-30 can ascend to Level 3 gods and those whose level is higher will ascend to a higher level, as will be decided by the GM. Demigods can use their Might in the same way gods use Might and Heroes use Khookies to teach, create and other such things.
Demigods, like gods, can also build Holy Sites, though these are nowhere near as impressive as those created by gods. They are, however, an extra source of Might, functioning in the same way as those constructed by gods. Unlike gods, demigods can be affected greatly by worshippers. For each thousand worshippers, a demigod gains an extra Might Point per turn - when populations increase, the number of worshippers required for 1 Might will also increase. 3 or 4 Might Points will be the max a demigod can get from worshippers. This will happen by having the ratio of worshipper population to amount of Might earned constantly change. For instance, those with anything from 0-3500 worshipers have a ratio of 1 Might:1000 pops. Those with higher, will have 1:1500. It will keep altering to ensure that the max a demigod gets is 3 or 4 Might out of worshipers.
Amul'Sharar and Fate
Other than hanging about and being in every way more terrifying and powerful than you, Amul'Sharar and Fate also have a pretty decent purpose which relates to you directly (other than destroying you if they feel the time has come). They can be approached if you have questions about the game-world and the mysteries of the Old Universe and what they guard against. They will also intervene should they feel the need to, either blessing or cursing, praising or censuring. It is a mystery why they do this and what their reasons are. Further, and of further interest to you, they can be directly approached for favours and powers. How a god does so must be explored during game play (you certainly cannot just waltz up to them ;P). If you RP well and show creativity in approaching them, they may take note of you and listen to what you have to say. These two may even be challenged – but as things are, any challenge to them, even should the new gods unite, will certainly be crushed. It will take a long time before such a thing can be considered, if you wish to consider it (if things get so far.)
Death
Before discussing the death or destruction of a god, a quick comment on combat is in order.
Generally speaking, gods will usually engage in wars and combat indirectly, through their minions/slaves/worshippers and so on. Such wars and battles will take place like in any other RP: players can either have a good back and fro posting battle until strategy and best writing wins out, or they can discuss it and decide a plot line, or they can collaborate on a post and write up something terrific to read. If battles should become direct, and one god takes up the sword against another, then procedure will be much as above. However, in both cases the level of the gods involved must be taken into account, and so too must the amount of Might in play. For instance, if we have a battle between the armies of a Level 5 god and the armies of a Level 10 god, but the L5 army has ten heroes and is blessed and has various technologies, bringing the total Might spent on bringing about such an army to, say, 15-18 Might, but the army of the L10 is made up of hundreds of Ug the Caveman with absolutely no idea which is the sharp end of the stick and which is not, then clearly, the Level 10 god, despite being a higher level, will be really hard-pressed. So such things must be taken into account. With direct god battles, level plays a very major part, obviously, but so too does quality roleplaying. If the lower level god puts up a heroic fight and uses all the wit and power available, while the higher level merely plays on the fact that they are a higher level, the 'Forces that Be' may well step in. For me, quality roleplaying and gripping writing trumps statistics any day. Keep that in mind.
Now, for god death. As mentioned earlier, a single god may be able to hurt, even badly damage, another god. However, unless the difference in level is huge (perhaps, 10 levels higher) then they will not be able to 'kill' the other god alone. Should a few gods, three at the least, gang up on one god, and they are all of similar levels, then they could potentially muster enough power between them to kill their victim.
There is a difference between a god dying and god being destroyed. A god who dies merely slips from the current planes of existence available to any other god. In other words, they exit the 'World' guarded by Amul'Sharar and Fate completely. They are formless and without will and power, but they are still technically living. Their existence as whatever god they were before is permanently gone, but their essence lives on and can return as a new god with a different domain and portfolios. This is is how old gods 'die' and new ones are 'born'.
If, however, a god is destroyed, which is impossible for player characters in this RP to accomplish, then their very essence is destroyed and their existences all cease to be. While PC's may not be able to achieve this, be warned that certain actions may bring upon you the wrath of those who can and will (you will be warned if you are in danger).
Heroes
Once sentient, intelligent beings have been created, a god may wish to create Heroes. Heroes are creations who have been 'chosen' by the god and granted great power in order to go out into the world and do as their god has commanded them. The one playing the god who created the Hero also plays the Hero. Should the Hero be converted by another god, the original player will continue to control them. Heroes wield tremendous power and can be devastating forces on a battlefield and great, charismatic leaders. They may also be peaceable creatures, depending on their god, with very little combat knowledge or ability. Heroes are immortal and are largely impervious to things which would otherwise kill normal members of their species - such as poison, serious stab wounds and magical attacks. However, this does not mean they are invincible. Potent poisons can kill them in large quantities while powerful magic or numerous serious wounds (or both) can bring about their death. Depending on the god in question, their Heroes can be more or less impervious to such things. While all Heroes have unique powers, all have a basic threshold of power, as listed below:
All Heroes are, given potential conditions particular to individual gods, immortal
All Heroes are impervious, to varying degrees, to attacks, poisons and magic
All Heroes have extraordinary strength, speed and stamina, the extent of this depending on their god and level
All Heroes can cast magic, the type and their proficiency with it depending on their god and the Hero's level
All Heroes can Bless or Curse individuals, though the power of this grows with level and is not as powerful as a god's ability
All Heroes can to a very limited extent, mould their direct surroundings to their will - an inherent kind of magic rather than a divine capability
All Heroes can sense people, objects, creatures and gods, unless any of these are concealed, within their 100 metre radius
As Heroes grow in strength, their own, unique abilities will grow, and so too will their basic traits listed above. Heroes level up using Khookies (or XP points). Beginning at Level 1, Heroes have 0 Khookies, and as they go about their daily life, they will earn Khookies. Each post will be granted a number of Khookies after certain factors are taken into consideration. But before we get on to that, let's give two examples posts.
Example 1:
Horath, the myty man hoo kils all hoo stand in hiz way puntshed the grayt boldjer in hiz way and distroyd it, bikoz he iz levil 340 and can do stuf lyk dat. he den run's a fyoo step's and fynd's himself akros the owshin, in de midle of tat batle goin on in hat plase. widout weighting, he smash't the first soldier he see'd, and befor he new it he waz saroundid by the ded or dying body's of the soldier's, he lookt to the sky's and gayve a miytee ror before jomping bak over the sea, getting into bed, and having a good nights sleep aftr a veri lonng day.
Example 2:
Horath took another step forward, forcing himself to continue onward, against the pain in his arms and the pressing heat of the merciless sun, he forced himself to push the boulder, one more step, even half a step further. His breath was shallow, coming in quick gasps, sweat ran freely down his face and all over his body, and his cracked lips and dry throat called out for even a droplet of water. If only he'd been more prepared before leaving on this mad quest! If only he'd not been so angry and frustrated with her... He shook his head, this was no time for regrets, and so he continued onward, pushing the great red rock across the dry plains. It was a large thing, nearly twice his size and ten times his wait, and the fact that it was not perfectly round did not help, in fact, the side he was trying to roll over now was completely flat. He put his shoulder to the rock and tried pushing it, but to no avail. This was hopeless! He was never going to get this stupid thing to the city, and he was never going to be able to board the ship and get to Mardithia in time. But then, he could always walk, yes, it would take a few weeks, he may miss a few battles, but he'll get there eventually. He shook his head, no, he was needed at the front, and he was needed now, even if it took him all day and night, and all tomorrow too, he would push this impudent rock to the city, whether the rock wished to be pushed or not! "You look in pain young one. Why do you push such an ugly thing, when you can walk, free of its burden, free of its weight" a strange old voice, crackly in a way, sounded to Horaths right. He immediately jumped back, reaching for his sword and drawing it. "Who the..." before him stood not a man, but a strange ethereal being, human-like, but not human at all. "Fear me not for I wish you no harm young one, your plight merely intrigued me. Why do you push such a great rock, and where do you take it?" Horath was speechless, what in the world was this? "Uh, it's...well" the creature raised an ethereal hand, and Horath stopped, it closed its eyes and did something, before long it began to nod. "Ah, I see, you wish to travel the large blue yes yes? You wish...to go to war" its voice faded slightly at the last bit, as if disappointed. "You wish to fight...to kill your brothers and maul your sisters and SPREAD EVIL IN THE LAND!" its voice rose dangerously high and its colour changed, becoming very dark, its ethereal body becoming more like smoke. Horath backed away. "NO! No I don't" he tripped on a dried root and fell back, landing on the hard ground and smashing his head badly... (Little Time Skip, WOULD BE FILLED WITH WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED!) The great spirit Xeanthiel nodded as it picked up Horath. "Very well, for your love and your people, to Mardithia I shall take you" and before Horath could say a thing, or even ask for a second to prepare, the being was off, flying through the sky at speeds Horath did not know possible. "AAAHHAAAHHAHAHA. NO! NO! Stop! You're going to FAAAAAAASSSSTTT!!" but the creature ignored him, going even faster. Horaths ears suddenly popped and his hearing became weird. Then it was over, he was back on solid ground. Once more, he fell to his back, this time out of dizziness and inability to stay on his feet. "Ar-...-ou...-ay?" someone was speaking, someone was saying something, he just couldn't make out the words. "Ho..ath, ar- -ou -kay?" he looked around himself, not entirely seeing what was around, it was all just a blur. "What?" he asked half-consciously. "Are you okay?" his ears had popped again, and he could hear again....
Factors considered when giving Khookies:
Spelling and Grammar (graded out of 10): Example 1 is the king of kings when it comes to terrible spelling and grammar. If your post is anywhere like that...let's not think about that. Just basic spelling and punctuation will get you a 10/10, and there is allowance for general typos or mstakes everyone tends to makes.
Writing Quality: There is difference between getting spelling and grammar right and having good writing quality. If your post grips me and your use of language and vocabulary is better than average, you've got yourself a 10/10.
Story Line Advancement: If your post actually adds something to the RP and develops the story in an interesting direction, then you're ticking this box. Even if you're basically RPing on your own but are creating an interesting storyline for yourself then that's brilliant.
Character Development: I want to see real characters, real people, not a character who makes Barney seem like the most complex creature in existence by comparison. A post which really delves into the workings of the character's mind and makes me think, 'yes, this is real, this isn't just some game someone's playing somewhere' then you're good.
Independence: Quite simple, this is about your ability to create a story line with other characters rather than depend on the GM to do so for you (basically, help me be lazy.)
After taking those factors into account, I'll hand out however many Khookies you have earned. An average post should receive 4-6 Khookies. Good posts should receive 7-9 and stunning posts could receive up to 14. The following are the Khookie requirements for each level up, subject to change, considering all Heroes begin at Level 1:
Level 1-2: 2 Khookies
Level 2-3: 3 Khookies
Level 3-4: 6 Khookies
Level 4-5: 7 Khookies
Level 5-6: 10 Khookies
Level 6-7: 11 Khookies
Level 7-8: 14 Khookies
Level 8-9: 15 Khookies
Level 9-10: 18 Khookies
Level 10-11: 19 Khookies
Level 11-12: 22 Khookies
Level 12-13: 23 Khookies
Level 13-14: 26 Khookies
Level 14-15: 27 Khookies
Level 15-16: 30 Khookies
Level 16-17: 31 Khookies
Level 17-18: 34 Khookies
Level 18-19: 35 Khookies
Level 19-20: 38 Khookies
Level 20-21: 39 Khookies
Level 21-22: 42 Khookies
Level 22-23: 43 Khookies
Level 23-24: 46 Khookies
Level 24-25: 47 Khookies
Level 25-26: 50 Khookies
Level 26-27: 51 Khookies
Level 27-28: 54 Khookies
Level 28-29: 55 Khookies
Level 29-30: 58 Khookies
Level 30-31: 59 Khookies
Level 31-32: 62 Khookies
Level 32-33: 63 Khookies
Level 33-34: 66 Khookies
Level 34-35: 67 Khookies
The higher your level, the harsher the grading of your posts. Thus, not only is it more difficult to level up for high level Heroes due to higher Khookie requirements, but they will also get less Khookies per post than lower level Heroes. Moreover, as there will undoubtedly be time-skips, it is important to know that Heroes naturally grow in power over time - which manifests as leveling up. Thus, after a time-skip, it can be expected that a Hero would have gained some levels. However, time-skips will have less of an effect on Hero leveling the higher the level of a Hero. A high level Hero (e.g Level 40) may only gain one level in a hundred year time skip, or none at all in less. A mid-level Hero (e.g. Level 20) may get 3-4 levels in a hundred year time-skip. A low mid-level Hero (e.g. Level 15-19) may get up to 10 levels in a hundred year time-skip. Lower level Heroes (Level 1-14) may get up to 20 levels in a hundred year time-skip.
Khookies can also be used in much the same way a god would use Might. Using Khookies, a Hero can found a full-fledged Order without a god having to use Might, form societies and teach their people new technologies and ideas. A people who could previously not build stone houses may be shown by a Hero to do such things, one who could not use magic in a particular way can be taught, and a Hero could set himself up as a King, thus teaching them monarchy. Further, a Hero can teach ideologies - by building a temple to a certain god, he can teach them a religion and teach them laws and so on. The only difference is that unlike things a god does, they do not magically affect an entire species or people, merely those whom the Hero interacts with, and they must be shown to taken a substantial amount of time ICly, depending on the thing in question. Teaching people how to make Fire may take a few months, teaching people about Monarchy and getting them to accept a monarch's authority may take decades.
Khookie usage:
2 Khookie - Teach people a basic technology or idea (stone houses, Monarchy, empiricism)
5 Khookie - Form a village, tribe or other small settlement
8 Khookies - Teach people an ideology (such as a religion or way of life, Code of the Samurai etc.)
10 Khookies - Teach people a powerful magic or technology (Magic, The Force, Damascus steel, sword specialisation etc. very unique boons to a people)
10 Khookies - Form a full-fledged Order, complete with any unique skill or magical specialisation
It must be noted, last of all, that there is potential for Heroes, given extraordinary circumstances, to become demigods. There is no set route for a Hero to go about becoming a demigod and it is a matter of developing ICly, though one ingredient that is of utmost importance is to gain access to divine essence in some way.
If an extremely powerful Hero were to harm an Avatar, for instance, and drink its blood, they would take in some of said god's essence present in their blood and become somewhat divine themselves (or at least close to it). It must be noted, also, that normal mortals or Heroes who are not powerful enough, would be immediately destroyed upon exposure to divine essence. So any unworthy creature lucky enough to obtain divine essence, which then goes on to consume it, will quickly find itself the most wretched of beings before being completely annihilated.
In cases where a god willingly gifts a worthy Hero with their essence, this will cause said Hero to immediately ascend to godhood. However, whether a Hero is worthy or unworthy is a matter for the GM to decide once the divine essence has been consumed...
Some Rather Important Rules
The Golden Rule: Thou Shalt Not Godmod It's funny 'cause you're a god and all xD some people think that this means normal RPing rules don't apply, but they do. There is a twist, however. You cannot take control of another player's god, that's basic. However, there is more space for battling for control when it comes to creations, and it can make for some very interesting play - imagine creating a hero who is then influenced by another god and doing some of their bidding before returning to your true path after you guide them once more etc.
The Fair-Warning Rule: Thou Shalt Give Fair Warning Before Influencing Another's Creation It's all good being able to influence another god's creation, but before doing any such thing, you must tell the other player that you will be influencing said character, either in OOC or PM. They MUST agree before you post in the IC influencing their creation. If you believe another player is being unreasonable and you should be able to influence a certain character, then bring the matter to either myself or Rtron and we will mediate.
The Good Summaritan Rule: Thou Shalt Summarise Your Posts Sometimes you read a post the writer finds fascinating, and which many others may also find fascinating too. However, others may well find it dull as dishwater. As a Good Summaritan, you should give a comprehensive and short summary of any posts exceeding 5,000 characters at the head of your post, in a hider labelled 'Summary'. You can also give these summaries for shorter posts if you are a Summaritan unparalleled.
We're all here to have fun, these are the three most important rules in my view and I don't need to spell out every rule imaginable, because RPGuild rules are generally the same. Use your logic, come to the GMs if there are any issues.
On the Universe and the World:
Just remember, what we currently have is an empty 'World'. Before we can begin creating things (or, indeed, destroying what has been created or bringing about chaos, untold misery and destruction), we must create a 'Universe' within this word. The universe is basically the skeleton which we can then begin building meat upon, the husk which we slowly fill up, the empty cell membrane which we must fill with all those fascinating things which complete it.in the beginning all there would exist is a 'World'. A completely empty world where nothing exists - space, time, the universe as self-contained 'thing', 'plane of existence', or 'dimension', the laws of nature, physics etc. All that doesn't exist, it's not even a 'void' or 'vacuum' in the sense that outer space is a 'vacuum'. What must be created, first and foremost, is the 'Universe' as a new dimension or plane of existence within 'The World', Time must begin, Space as a thing must exist, the Laws of Nature and Physics must be brought about (default as they exist in our world). If you are confused, then think of 'The World' as outer space in god-terms, and 'The Universe' as planet Earth in god-terms, and a god's personal plane of existence as a separate dimension within 'The World' i.e. something like a satellite.
On Creating the Universe:
Now, for a universe to come about, all the gods must pool their power and create a 'Big Bang' effect. Through this Big Bang each god can then will things into being, such as galaxies, stars, planets etc. The power of the pooling together of energy, this moment of divine unity, as well as the Big Bang, carries their will forth and a universe is birthed which can then be built upon. For instance, once the universe is complete, we may find that something like water does not exist, or seasons, or fire. We can then go our separate ways and do as we like. While not necessary as the game develops, we might want to all focus on developing one planet first, and bring life to others later by replicating the first. So, some of us may be thinking, if the gods can barely create ants at Level 1, how the the hell are they going to create an entire universe? Even if they combine their power. The simple answer is, they can't. Not on their own at least. The raw power is not available. But there is more than simple gods at play here, there is Fate at play, and a new universe must come about. It is Amal'Sharar and Fate who will supply the power for the creation, and the gods must all add their own power to it. Each god, upon adding their power, gives the eventual 'Big Bang' something unique; Vestec may add something of an inherent chaotic element to the universe yet to be born, Vowzra may ensure that the chaos operates within a greater, ordered and hormonal (O.O) harmonious whole and so on.
The process of adding one's power consumes 1 Might if a god is level 2, but consumes 4 Might if the god is at level 1. Unless the level 1 god levels up before they give their energy, the strain of either giving their energy or the 'Big Bang' itself will force them to level up automatically. So every god will be at Level 2 and without Might after the creation is complete.
The 'big bang' experience may well be different for each god, but one defining feature of it is that it will be BIG (hence, BIG bang). And it will be a bang (hence big BANG). Huge and noisy is the way gods like it xP. To qualify this, the very experience of the 'Big Bang' will be different. This is as much a physical 'creation' as it is a spiritual, ethereal, intangible one. This isn't just the beginning of the universe as a physical 'thing', this is the coming into existence of infinite timelines and futures, lives, orders, seasons, chaoses and so on. A god like Vowzra, for instance, may find it to be an awe-inspiring, overpowering thing, he may be carried off, mentally, into a thousand futures and see a thousand flashes of lives that could be. One like Escre (god of Life (Spirits)) may suddenly sense all the lives that will ever be within him, Vestec may be engulfed by all the powers chaos can muster and so on. It may create an epiphanical experience. On the other hand, it may be purely physical, perhaps the raw power and ear-piercing sound may drive a god to near madness, it may fill them with joy to know that this is of their doing, they may be filled with inexplicable terror and so on.
On the Scope of 'Creation' in Rules 1 and 2:
When we speak of 'Creations' in these rules, we mean important creations. Heroes, specific monsters, entire races, major temples, etc. If you create a race that naturally reproduces, another God could play around with a faction of that population (until another God chases them off that is) without seeking permission. If Astarte creates an entire race of Ug the Cavemen, Vestec can go convert a portion of them to his religion. Or turn them into forging cyclopes. Or just smite a portion of them. Maybe drive his own race to war with them. Whatever suits his fancy. Naturally, this might irritate the creating god and they can retaliate if they so wish. Vestec cannot, however, exterminate the entire race without prior permission. Nor can a god meddle with specific characters deemed important by a player without permission.
In summary, you have to get permission to screw with major creations of a Player, but not for minor things. (If you feel something is minor, and the creator says it's major, talk to a GM. They'll mediate.)
Now, for the sake of maintaining OOC peace and order, when you agree on something via PMs or OOC, use clear language which leaves no space for doubts. Things like 'Yes you can do that,' and 'No you can't' are examples of clear language. Things like 'Maybe,' 'You can try,' 'That sounds like it could happen,' 'Hmm,' are not clear.
Moreover, if a player does godmod or goes beyond their remit or does something that requires permission, try not to post a revenge post of godly godmodding to get them back. Godmodding is an issue dealt with OOCly, attempting to take vengeance won't sort it, and the RP could easily devolve into godmodding bonanza if enough like-minded people are about.
A Comment on the Roleplay's pace:
Due to the fact that we're in the middle of the academic year, this RP's pace will be reasonably slow until the exams come to an end. Expect periods of absence and slow responses, particularly during examination periods. It is expected, however, that players will keep us all informed of how busy they will be and what we can reasonably expect. Disappearing for long periods (like, two weeks) without warning is unacceptable.
On Considerations for Combat:
Levels - mean that a god is inherently stronger, has more Might anyway and is just in every way more powerful than the other and therefore should, if they use their strength correctly, come out on top. At worst, they can force the other to spend all their Might and then take them out with their own remaining Might.
Might - The more of it you have, the more powerful the strikes you can deliver. An attack which uses 5 Might as could obliterate Solar systems. If an attack using higher Might, or an army with higher Might, goes against one of less Might, it will generally win out, unless tactics and strategy are also at play.
Tactics and Strategy - This is really about the individual and how smart they can be about their battle. If they are very intelligent about it and deliver one act of genius after another, whether they are high or lower level, things should swing in their favour whether due to their brilliance alone, or due to some kind of divine intervention in their favour.
Writing quality - This is just a matter of pure writing quality. Is it gripping? Does it make sense? Is it well thought out? This will be a factor a GM considers when deciding who should win in cases where players cannot decide between themselves.
Plot line/Player agreement - If the players have agreed what the result will be, then that will generally over-ride all the above (unless the result is absurd. Like a frail old mortal lizard which can't think and has no magical powers going up against a Hero and winning.)
A Comment on Creating Species:
No completely new species, upon being created, will have a fully functional social order or knowledge. Species must either be created and developed ICly, or the first post (detailing their creation) must also detail their development/evolution/growth to the present day. For instance, when humans are first created, they will have no knowledge of 'society' or 'magic' or even something like 'self', 'identity' etc. unless they are taught it or naturally develop it over time. These things can either be given them in the creation post (meaning the player would have to detail their growth, giving a reasonable time-frame) or they can be allowed to develop naturally ICly, with contribution from the original creator and other players. If a new species has evolved from a previously existing species, then it can be assumed that they have all the knowledge of the original species, as well as anything new that has been given them either directly by a god or by virtue of their evolution, and said evolution must be detailed in their creation post. Try, as much as possible, to ensure that we do not have cases of creation ex nihilo when it comes to species, intelligent or otherwise. Try to maintain a logical development of and building upon what has already been created. For instance: Big Bang -> Universe -> Planetary tilt, atmosphere, seasons etc. -> Development of fungal plants and germs -> Development of larger sea animals -> Sea animals develop ability to live on land -> etc.
Of course, it is not expected that every planet will follow such a route, but the point is to develop and build upon what others have done. This is not a rule, merely an expression of preference by myself, for whatever it is worth.
On Balancing Game-Play, Plot & Character Development, and Technological Advancement:
Natural technological advancement should be slow and there should be a focus on the development and growth of the various civilisations in existence (growth of nations, conflicts, godly politics etc.) When granting technologies, players should be aware of the seismic consequences this will have on the game-world as a whole. Sometimes it is far more interesting to explore a certain technological period in depth before allowing for advancement in technology. Keep that in mind.
On Using More Might than you have:
This is technically possible (stat-wise that is, you will simply go negative) but is highly discouraged. Gods who over-exert themselves to this extent can suffer from some VERY serious side effects...(e.g. transformed into a very vulnerable mortal creature for a given period of time). What happens if, for instance, you create a very powerful Holy Site and go negative? Technically speaking, the Might you spent creating it didn't exist at the time you created it. It would be unfair if anyone could go negative in order to build an amazing Holy Site with what, 100 Might, and then get back into positive in 2 turns thanks to the return on it. It would break the system. Therefore, there will be an assumption that any positive effects on Might-gained-per-turn due to going negative will be taken into consideration until said god's Might naturally returns to positive figures.
(A Far From Exhaustible) Technology/Ideas List, Just So We're All Aware of the Current Technological State of Things
Self/Soul Emotions – disgust, love, hate, fear, anger, joy, trust, anticipation, surprise, shame, pity, jealousy, pride, patience, confusion Equality Beauty Boredom Entertainment Learning Creativity Chakra/Spiritual Energy Nodes Magic Knowledge Epistemic Virtues – attentiveness, benevolence (Principle of Charity), coachability, circumspection, conscientiousness, creativity, curiosity, discernment, discretion, foresight, intellectual honesty, intellectual humility, imaginativeness, interpretive sensitivity, objectivity, parsimony (Occam's razor), perceptiveness, prudence/practical wisdom, studiousness, tenacity, truthfulness, understanding, warrant, wisdom Empiricism – All knowledge stems from experience and evidence Rationalism – Where criterion of the truth/knowledge is not sensory, but intellectual and deductive Scepticism – It is not enough to have a belief, one must have good reason or justification for that belief. It is impossible to have good reason or justification. Materialism – Matter is the fundamental substance in nature, and all phenomena, including mental phenomena and consciousness, are the result of material interactions. Choice – Mentally making a decision: judging the merits of multiple options and selecting one or more of them. Free Will – The ability of conscious agents to be free to make their own decisions , free of any social, moral or political constraints. Society Civic Virtue – A series of habits individuals have which are important to the welfare of society and put the welfare of society above the individual. Friendliness – A pro-social set of behaviours seen in people who are pleasant, agreeable, interested in others, genial, empathetic, considerate, and helpful. Duelling in response to an intolerable insult has been considered a civil behaviour in many cultures, but it is not a friendly action. Etiquette Class and Class Consciousness The Common Good – A specific "good" that is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community. Universal Good – g Utilitarianism – It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong Common Sense – Basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge things, which is shared by ("common to") nearly all people, and can be reasonably expected of nearly all people without any need for debate Morals – Conscience – An aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment that assists in distinguishing right from wrong. Moral judgment may derive from values or norms (principles and rules). Conscience is often described as leading to feelings of remorse when a human commits actions that go against his/her moral values and to feelings of rectitude or integrity when actions conform to such norms. Spirituality Meditation Enlightenment – Full comprehension, awakening to the truth Debate and Discourse Distrust/Xenophobia – Xeno = foreigner/enemy or insect Duty – A term that conveys a sense of moral commitment or obligation to someone or something. Arises as result of being human; or one's particular place in life (one's family, one's country, one's job); or as a result of one's character; or as a result of one's own moral expectations for oneself Home/Dwelling Place – Tents, caves, huts. Humans no longer sleep under tree, but have their own dwelling places. A place to call home. As human advance into societies, their dwelling places will become huts and villages. Later, these will become towns and cities, and huts will become houses, manors and even castles. Fidelity and Loyalty Identity Justice & Injustice Just War Pacifism Oppression
Claimed by Vowzra
A way of life aimed at leading one to happiness by achieving the truly ‘good’ things in life, what are called ‘Virtue’. The supreme ideal of Stoicism is a combination of ‘Wisdom’ or moral insight, ‘Courage’, ‘Self-Control’ and ‘Justice’ which includes upright dealing with other people. By following the supreme ideal and achieving it, a man becomes truly self-sufficient; that is, immune to suffering and bad fortune. ‘Virtue’ is a personal characteristic, not one bestowed by class or position: thus, even a slave who has achieved ‘Virtue’ is free, because no man, not even a king, can affect him. Stoics believe in that, as all people live in a singular community under more or less similar conditions and restraints, all have a duty to live in conformity with the community. There are two main principles; 1) resigning oneself to Fate and; 2) living life according to nature’s laws. Although resigning oneself to Fate seems to mean that one should not try to improve the future, this is not correct: stoics put a high value on public service, for instance, or striving to better oneself. In the case of stoicism, resigning oneself to Fate means that one should not set too high a value on cursory, transient thing. By avoiding a fixation on the unimportant, man can find true inner peace and unshakeable contentment that does not rely on possessions or fortune. By accepting that things come and go, this contentment and peace will withstand the obstacles of ambition, luxury, and—most importantly—greed. As for living life according to nature’s laws, this can mean generally conforming to society, but is also deeper as a key tenet of stoicism is ‘questioning convention’. Living according to nature’s law are two-fold:
Training oneself to live with only the bare necessities. A man should know how to live with just basic food, water, clothing, and shelter. “Set aside now and then a number of days during which you will be content with the plainest of food, and very little of it, and with rough, coarse clothing, and you will ask yourself: ‘Is this what one used to dread?’”
Stoics insist on developing the gift of reason. One must perfect their sense of reason to conquer their devastating inner emotions: grief, pain, fear (of death, especially), and superstition. Reason allows one to escape from and discipline their passions, understand that ‘nothing is good or bad, only thinking makes it so,’ and to generally accept the mind as a greater source of truth than the body or emotions. Stoics are famous for their idea that ‘the shortest route to wealth is the contempt of wealth.’
Mercy – A broad term that refers to benevolence, forgiveness and kindness in a variety of contexts. Names Nation Nature War & Peace Philosophy Property Ethics Golden and Silver Rule – One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself; One should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated. Good & Evil Fire Stone tools Fur Clothing Mining Logboat String Painting Ceramics Bone Flute Animal Domestication Sewing Rope Plant Domestication Brick Spindle Metalworking Salt Cultivation Leather Irrigation Equestrianism Weaving Loom The Wheel Spear and Javelin Spear-throwing/Javelin-throwing Boomerang Club Bow Small Settlements Wooden Walls Sundial Language Alphabet/Writing Reading Mummification Papyrus Ard plough Glass Making Galley Pottery Bronze Forging Plumbing Abacus Iron Smelting Arch Calendar Mapmaking Steel Saddle Aqueduct Archimedes Screw Crane Watermill Paper Horseshoe Sword Chariot Ram Bow (for galleys) Incendiary Arrows Crossbow Catapult Sarissa/Pike Stirrup Scorpio
27. I wanna join.
Introduce yourself in the OOC, and once a place opens up, you can play a demigod. Feel free to join in all our very serious conversations, heated philosophical debates and other very, very serious stuff we tend to very seriously do in this very serious thread about very serious things. And on that very serious note, don't forget to read the OP and second post! If you have any ideas concerning your potential future character, wrath you would like to one day unleash upon the universe, comments on anything, or any questions at all, don't be shy.
1. Do we have to use Might to level up?
Yes.
2. How much Might is required to level up per level?
Second hider down, beneath 'Game Mechanics', under 'Levels'.
3. How much extra Might do we get per level up?
Each god begins at Level 1 with 4 Might and gains 1 Might per level up.
4. Can I just level and save Might?
You can do as you like.
5. I want to make a few creatures another character made loyal to me.
You can convert a small number of another character's creations without asking. Bigger actions against important creations require that you seek permission from the player in question.
6. I want to create a species which is mega-loyal to me and is immune to the approaches of other gods.
You can create races which are blind loyal to your character, whose loyalty is basically gene-encoded. You cannot make them immune to being messed with, converted or in any other way affected by another god.
7. So, is there any posting order or can I just get working o my post?
There is no posting order or limit, you can post in any order and as many times per turn as you can. Do try to allow two players to post after your last post before you post again though.
8. I want to create a species that goes 'Harungamunga' upon emerging into the world.
That is scientifically impossible. The Inherent Laws, the Fundamentals of Existence, the Alpha and Omega dictate that the first thing any creature can say, upon emerging into the world, is 'Wow'. Your creatures can say 'Harungamunga' all they want, but their first sound must be 'Wow'.
9. How do I know a new turn has started?
An IC post will come up which will say 'Turn [insert turn number here]' in big, red writing with a summary of how much Might each character has available.
10. Why doesn't the spoiler work anymore?!
...click on 'Toggle' below the writing box and the formatting cheat sheet will appear to help you out with that.
11. What are Khookies?
They're mine!! All mine! *Crazed laughter* (See the 'Heroes' hider above)
12. What is this 'fire whip' everyone seems to fear?
Fear it.
13. I want to create another planet!
You can if you so wish. However, there are billions of barren planets about, creating a new one from scratch may just be a waste of Might...
17. Does the planet Galbar rotate? Does it have gravity?
No it doesn- OF COURSE IT DOES YOU MINION!
18. If we get to level 3, can we create unintelligent creatures without spending might?
It depends on the creation. Creatures like ants don't require Might at all, from the very beginning. When it comes to creatures like the T-Rex (or other terrific real life top predators), that do not have any magical properties; then 1 Freepoint is capable of creating one, and 1 Might considerably more. When one reaches level 10, these creatures no longer require any Might at all. If it is a powerful creature with magical capabilities, you can create 1 such species using 2 Freepoints. At level 10, you can create 4 using 1 Freepoint. At level 15 you no longer need Freepoints to create them. Intelligent species require 1 Might regardless of level.
19. I want to do more than one thing with 1 Might Point.
It is entirely possible to do more than one thing with 1 Might. You can teach an intelligent species more than one idea, concept or technology using 1 Might alone, and create a few species with 1 Might. Feel free to experiment in-game in this regard. Remember, the more Might you use on creating something, the more powerful it is and the more difficult it is to tamper with by other gods.
20. I'm confused about the Freepoint.
Read its function above, under the 'Might' hider. If you are still confused, ask.
21. Is it possible to destroy, steal, take, appropriate, eat, put out, bury, dodge, parry or in any other way reduce the catastrophic damage of the fire whip?
*Gets fire whip out*
22. I just created something! Awesome!
Great, now go fill out one of the sheets in the second post you miserable minion.
23. How long are the days and years on Galbar?
Assume Earth-like statistics unless otherwise specified in-game. So days are 24 Earth hours, a year is 365 Earth days.
24. What is this Undatec/UNDATEC/undatec/Undawhatsisface some people keep mentioning?
Just some slave who will soon be consumed by the mighty Thulemiz.
25. What is this Thulemiz?
You shall find out very, very soon... *Ominous, rather disturbing laughter*
26. Kho has mentioned this 'Astartian philosophy' a few times. What is it?
That is a mystery before which all mysteries wane. A paradox amongst paradoxes, the enigma of enigmas. Only those who come humbly before their Mother Astarte and ask can ever come close to finding out. As of yet, this is all we have:
"You're all mad. The only Reality that exists is everything you experience in the present, the rest either ceased to exist or doesn't exist yet. Concepts like Chaos and Order are useless, created by mortals and gods to explain things as simple as patterns of actions and strings of moments. Nothing but what you're perceiving truly exists to you in that moment."
-Astarte
Character Sheet Skeleton
Name:
Alias: If any
Gender: Male/Female/Both/Neither
Domain (Portfolio): e.g. Water (Oceans)
Domain (Portfolio) Description: Tell me a bit about your Domain, what specific powers it entails. Likewise for your chosen (Portfolio).
Alignment: (Good, Evil, Indifferent or some kind of variant of Good or Evil. For example, if you are a god who is extremely into law but who is also benevolent and uses law for the 'good', Lawful Good is your alignment. If you are a Jackboot fascist, you are Lawful Evil).
Personality: Their personality etc. the way they see themselves
Appearance: Pictures, descriptions or both are fine. You can specify preferred forms and what forms they adopt in particular circumstances
Musical Theme: Lets add some spice
Description: What is the essence of the character? For example, if they are a god of war, are they a savage killer, a shrewd tactician or warrior king type of war god? If they are a god of magic, are they a wise type of mage, or evil and wicked? This is more about how they are viewed by others, what kind of aura do they give?
Concealment Level: did you read the OP? Detection Level: did you read it properly?
Response to 'What is Wi?':
It is, at this point in their [early humans'] growth, basically just Telekinesis. They can move physical things without touching them. Very powerful Wi users can even lift themselves, thus making it seem like they're flying. They can push away enemies, bring boulders crashing down, uproot trees. Just basic movement of things. The older human is, the more powerful they generally are, with 10-11 year olds generally being powerful enough to uproot medium sized trees. Wi = Magic. They just haven't really discovered all there is to it, so it wouldn't be uncommon for each human to have unique abilities with regards to their Wi other than the usual Telekinesis. It would also not be unusual for Wi to manifest itself differently when the user desperately needs something. For instance, if you have a Cimex bearing down on you and you just wish you had something to fight it off with, if your Wi is good enough you might find Wi blade forming in your hand or something. This is on an individual basis though as no god has really taught them magic properly, this is all just their studiousness. The question arises: Is Wi spiritual, where it involves the soul and believing? Or is it magical, like is their an organ that allows them to utilize this, could it be the brain, were Wi is manipulated like a bodily function? Different kinds of Wi would use different things, whether spiritual or mental. Something like lifting things would probably require mental and spiritual focus. But Wi, or Magic, was Astarte's [the goddess of Magic] gift to humanity. I'm not entirely sure how it is generated, that is for the relevant player to decide, and to quote the relevant player, Frettzo: 'Wi is as broad as magic can be, ranging from healing to blood magic. Of course, humanity has only investigated the Telekinesis and a smaller amount have developed specific combat uses, like redirecting your spiritual energy to certain parts of the body to reinforce them. Still no fireballs or death rays that I know of, it's all very down to earth so far.'
On Hero Levels and Pace of Levelling:
I completely understand the point you make, but I think you may be over-analysing levels. The fact that they're easy to gain is mostly due to the fact that the Khookie requirements for each level up to level 10 can be gained with a single post. At the moment, all these level twenty-something Heroes will require at least three Khookies worth of posts for even one level, so leveling up for them will stall considerably.
Level 1-2: 5 Khookies
Level 2-3: 6 Khookies
Level 3-4: 9 Khookies
Level 4-5: 10 Khookies
Level 5-6: 15 Khookies
Level 6-7: 16 Khookies
Level 7-8: 19 Khookies
Level 8-9: 20 Khookies
Level 9-10: 25 Khookies
Level 10-11: 26 Khookies
Level 11-12: 29 Khookies
Level 12-13: 30 Khookies
Level 13-14: 35 Khookies
Level 14-15: 36 Khookies
Level 15-16: 39 Khookies
Level 16-17: 40 Khookies
Level 17-18: 45 Khookies
Level 18-19: 46 Khookies
Level 19-20: 49 Khookies
Level 20-21: 50 Khookies
Level 21-22: 55 Khookies
Level 22-23: 56 Khookies
Level 23-24: 59 Khookies
Level 24-25: 60 Khookies
It's just important that the difference between a normal mortal (Level 0) and a regular Hero (level 10) is given some weight. In the end, as I have said many times, quality RPing trumps statistics for me any day. If Kuro comes up against Zerabil and proves himself to be a mighty mortal indeed, then there is nothing to say he can't defeat a Hero - how can we say that a Hero may be able to defeat a demigod with time if we cannot also say that a normal mortal cannot defeat a Hero with time?
Further, beating five soldiers in a fist-fight is fair enough, but you need to take other factors into account. Kuro will have weapons at hand, and even if he does not, he has Wi as well as his own martial art. When these are combined, the average soldier stands no chance against such dedication. The average five soldiers don't stand a chance. While these are normal humans, this is also a fantasy setting and humans can be expected to reach absurd levels of power if they have, as Kuro has, put the training and the years in. If you add the fact that EVERY NIGHT humans are facing terrors from their wildest nightmares, I'd say that the likes of Kuro and Zerabil and Ialu, who can face these creatures of the night, would grow even faster than one who simply trains all day everyday.
Also, remember that all current Heroes were born Heroes, thus they could only start at level 1. We have not yet had a case like Kuro's where one was mortal and had a life before. I will have to judge whatever post you put up and his level will have to be worked out taking his 46-year development as a mortal into account.
To make a long story short, don't worry over-much about levels. They're important and fun, but nothing game-breaking.
Advice on the New Iteration:
1. Make the history of Galbar/whatever new world/the universe be thousands of years old, if not millions or more. Having the various races just appear on a gigantic world and slowly spread out irked me because it left a gigantic world sparsely populated with just a few tens of thousands of people. It also prevented much meaningful history from being created.
2. Allow more gods to join ar first/allow new players to join as gods later into the RP/make demigods more powerful/make demigods achieve god status much quicker. The issue here is just as the number of original people dwindled, it was hard to replace them. This led to us having less people and to the story being worse off as well since a lot of us couldn't really impact it all that much.
The inner laws of the current game-world also allow for new gods to appear, it's just a matter of Fate and Invictus allowing them in, which was the only thing preventing new gods entering the world and various dimensions within. Perhaps we'll have a more lenient immigration policy on all those gods seeking to cross the border into the game-world xD
I admit I've been more actively developing this RP's mechanics and my own characters' personalities and potential development arcs in my spare time. I'd love to start the RP now, but we're coming up to the last bit of the academic year and I'm already being bombarded with assignments and trying to get ready for exams - as, I am sure, are the rest of you. I've got one assignment due for this Sunday, let me think on the matter this week and I'll let you know what decision I come to by the time I submit. In the meanwhile though, can we just have a quick round of opinions from everyone on whether they'd like to start it early or wait until June?
When Ialu eventually ascended I was going to have him make a planet or two and try to keep it his little secret from the others. A little playground of his own.
Similarly I think my guy this time around will have a planet or two that he claims complete dominion over and tries to keep the others away from. Naturally, I expect Vestec for one to ignore the silly air god's wishes
...I really need to think of a name befitting of my god so I can stop saying 'my guy'. Anyone want to help me with that? I can think of plenty of names: Atmus, Aeros, Cyclanos, Ventus, Volatus, Zephyrion...
I just can't decide between any of them
I'm all for it - there will ultimately come a point, if the RP develops far enough, were space exploration will become a thing, and it would be a shame for Galbarians to find they are in fact alone in the universe. It would be a nightmare to create so many planets with their own different races, histories etc. though, each planet would effectively be an RP on its own, and the eventual meeting between them will be the bringing together of all said RPs. It's not impossible, but it would be exceedingly difficult and require a great amount of time and dedication
I expect every silly god to ignore every other silly god's wishes when it comes down to it xD
And as for names:
Atmus: Reminds me of the word litmus for some reason. Connotes a certain level of wisdom, atmosphere-iness (in the sense that he would be far off and in a world of his own) Aeros: This one doesn't appeal to me for many reasons - but suffice to say, isn't there a brand of shoes called aeros or something? Cyclanos: sounds like a bit of an angry god, doesn't think things through properly, just goes for it and screw the consequences. A bit like a cyclone now that I think about it >.> Ventus: xDD this one made me laugh. Vent xPP Volatus: This one seems reasonable Zephyrion: This one sounds really nice, but there is something quite sinister lurking behind it. Like an epic villain in hiding kind of sinister. A mastermind controlling things from behind the scenes kind of sinister. A Vowzra kind of sini- um, sensational O.O
Hmm, so are you guys planning on going inter-planetary from the very beginning? (As soon as Galbar (if we call it that) is self-sufficient and can be copied that is)
@Cyclone Yes, the issue of time is something that we argued about early in this RP, and I definitely wish to alter it in the next version. We didn't think it out OOCly in this one and by the time we came to 'oh wait, we should have had millions of years pass on Galbar' it was already too late. We were all agreed that from pre-existence to existence had taken billions upon billions of years, we just got excited and forgot to properly timeline the creation of things - so we'll definitely work on that bit more carefully in the next version. Perhaps creation posts can either explicitly show how a certain creature was first created then evolved until it reached the point the god wishes it to be at, or there can be an implied lapse of time between the moment of creation to the moment the creation actually becomes (and whatever happened in between can be settled IC) It will become an issue where, for instance, we're midway through a story-arc and someone decides to create a new species - would that new creature just pop up randomly, fully developed, there and then? Or will there be an implication that they had always existed in some way but had only now emerged as sentient beings? Because it would be an issue where you have to wait thousands/millions of years for every new living creation to develop fully. Ideas?
As for the level requirements, oddly enough they were put in place more or less to ensure the development of life in a logical manner - i.e creation of a habitable planet first, then of things like plants, bacteria (maybe), ants and the animal kingdom as a whole, and then the development of any other sentient races a few turns later. It wasn't meant so much as to inhibit players from doing their thing, it was more to prevent what happened in the original - where literally the first thing that happened was the creation of humans on a lifeless planet ^^' you literally had cavemen on a Moon-like planet, with no form of subsistence, air et al. And the rules worked well in preventing Sauranath from creating dragons while we were still in pre-existence in this RP ^^'
But if we, as players, come to the agreement that we first need to develop the planet before going on a 'sentient races and heroes crazy', then I'm fine by removing those initial level limitations.
And @Rtron we did have time pass ICly, but I think Cyclone is referring more to what happened before we started RPing and meddling with mortal affairs - i.e how long, in Galbar time, did it take to create humans? How much history did they have from their creation until the IC point where we started playing around with them? I think at one point we came to the conclusion that it had been a few weeks, but then managed to extend that (with some effort so as not to contradict the IC) to ten or so years, which is obviously ridiculous in many ways.
And I think that one of the main reasons the human population never really managed to get beyond the thousands on Arguilla was mainly because: Dyun, Cimex, Eternal Night, and then the constant warring xD
Garagogarag Ogorogo (Referred to simply as 'Gar' after enslavement)
Gender:
Male
Age:
'60 Summers have we seen'
Appearance:
Garagogarag with 'Seihdhara' in both hands - unlike other Treeminds, his weapon was a two part, one part a sword-like club, the other a grand horn which let out a most staggering sound
An 11 feet tall bearlike beastman, weighing at 265 kilograms. Like others of his tribe, Gar's fur colour changes shades according to the environment he inhabits, his psycho-emotional state and physical health. His body is tattooed with a unique Treemind shaman concoction, allowing it to change colour in much the same way his fur changes shades. What's more, the tattoos can also shift and move, creating an effect which can range from the terrifying to the rather confusing for outsiders - among Treeminds, it has far deeper meaning, used for mating, indirect forms of communication and others. Like other Treeminds, he is very well-muscled and his fur is thick and rough. Due to Treemind affinity towards nature and shamanistic practices, their very bodies, over time and with great exposure to the magic of their forest and cavern homes, become imbued with a passive magic. This magic affects their fur most of all, making it extremely rough and difficult to cut. Though by no means an armour of fur, the thickness and roughness certainly provides protection against attacks, particularly attempts at cutting them. The magic also affects their perception and intellect, and one might sometimes notice a glow to Gar's eyes, which has nothing to do with an animal's natural ability to see in the dark.
Personality:
Garagogarag is a Treemind, bearlike beastmen who dwell in the forests and the caves. Unlike other beastmen, Treeminds are a rather more refined, dignified and intellectual subspecies. They hold dearly to their ancient traditions and ways, they revere nature and trees in particular. Though they do not worship a deity as such, they consider all life to be connected, and that life is most powerfully imbued in trees. The older the tree, the more powerful is the life within it. Garagogarag grew and flourished in this kind of society, and this as invariably affected his personality.
He reveres nature and trees in particular, all he does in life, he does to become ever closer to the great source of life. He is a very quiet creature, preferring to listen and watch. However, when he does speak, his words are short and very thoughtful, making them slightly riddle-like to outsiders. While he has spent most of his life in his homeland, among the tree and the caves and in the mountains, he has had contact with other beastmen. His curiousity means he does not give fearing outsiders much consideration, unless they give him reason to be afraid - or more likely, to be hostile. Further, his tendency to watch and listen means that he has an ability to understand other creatures even if he has no knowledge of their language or if they do not speak their mind.
Overall, a curious, rather wise and thoughtfully kind creature when he chooses to be.
However, Treeminds are not simply adorable teddy bears. Their's is a society which emphasises martial skills and strength. From a young age each Treemind must go through a ritual and is 'bonded' with a weapon which, unless a rare situation arises, stays with them for life.
Where Treeminds feel threatened, or where their tribe and their cherished homeland is in danger, they become furious monstrosities, lethal in combat and capable of rampaging until their enemies have been utterly destroyed - to their last man, woman and child. They would raise villages and towns, bring down garrisons and leave behind them a trail of blood and ruin. What makes Treeminds particularly terrifying in this regard is their unmatched discipline and organisation in war. Their ability to communicate indirectly, almost telepathically though not quite, means that even in their rage they work cohesively and look-out for one another.
Garagogarag is, in this regard, a typical Treemind. His strength and power gained him tremendous respect and allowed him to rise to the position of Tree-Claw, the most prestigious position a warrior Treemind could possess. His sense of duty to the tribe means he would go to any lengths to avenge it and bring about the downfall of its enemies and all who plot and scheme against it. Further, his sense of 'justice' with regards to destroying aggressors can at points depart from the realms of purely 'defensive' combat to an all out battle to the death or the annihilation of said 'aggressor'.
The greatest weakness of Treeminds is undoubtedly their pitifully small numbers. There is no more than one tribe of Treeminds, made up of fifty to sixty individuals in total. This has meant that they tend to be very isolationist and avoid conflict as a whole. With their small numbers and low birthrate, they cannot afford to battle endlessly, and thus they have developed a more or less pacifist way of living - any aggressive expansion is, in their view, unjustifiable. The only war which is justifiable is one against an aggressor who refuses peace. Garagogarag holds dearly to this belief, though he may find himself doing that which he is most disinclined towards...
Previous Profession:
Garagogarag was a very high-ranking member of the tribe, having risen to the position of Tree-Claw not four summers before his enslavement. Treemind tribal hierarchy:
Tree-Cub (Unproven Youngling) Tree-Arm/Tree-Mouth (Warrior/Hunter) Tree-Mother/Tree-Father (Treeminds Dedicated to Raising Families) Tree-Nourisher (Treeminds Dedicated to Supplying the Tribe with its Needs - i.e. Workers) Tree-Claw (Chief Warrior) Tree-Walker (Tribal Shaman) Old-Tree (Tribal Elder) Tree-Mind (Chief)
History:
The outer red line shows the hunting grounds of the Treeminds. They cherish this land and love it much, but it is not part of their core and sacred 'homeland'. This land is where they hunt, from the coast and rivers, they hunt fish, and in the mountains and firsts and on the hills, they hunt down larger prey to feed the tribe. These hunting grounds are generally out of bounds for anyone not a warrior. The middle, darker red line, shows the sacred 'homeland' of the Treeminds. This land is imbued with the ancient Treemind magic and every inch of it is holy and must be protected against all odds. The Treeminds do not hunt here, shedding of blood is forbidden, and all Treeminds bar Tree-Cubs can roam freely here. The huge Lake Grasidar, and north of it The Solitary Mount, are two of the three most revered places by the Treeminds (the third being Old Bark-Skin, a magnificent and archaic tree located in the inner-most circle.) The smallest, inner-most circle, is where the tribe is settled. Their homes are located here and that is where the young are kept. At its centre is Old Bark-Skin. Many Treeminds inhabit the impressive girth of Old-Bark-Skin, particularly the Tree-Mind, the Old-Trees, the Tree-Walker and the Tree-Claw. Others also inhabit it, and the rest have their homes around it.
The slave wagon rocked back and forth as it made its way along the road. The horses whinnied and grunted as they clip-clopped along and the horse-master clicked his tongue at them and whipped the reins so they could go faster. The wagon was surrounded, armoured guard rode alongside it, before it and behind it. It had been a good hunt, they caught what they needed. A bearman! Yes, one of those incredibly rare monstrosities from the north! They were going to have fun with this one in the capital for sure! The horse-master smiled to himself and whipped the reins again, egging the horses on.
It had been a surprise encounter in the hills just north of Pae-Zun, quite a distance from where the creatures were usually spotted. They had managed to surround him, cutting off his path to the river and to the rest his kind. He had been curious at first, not showing any signs of fear or aggression, and this had allowed them to get quite close to him before he noticed that something was off. Dressed in all his leaves and strange crown of branches and and horns, he looked a rather fearsome sight, especially with those strange markings slithering all over his body, shifting from a threatening black to a menacing, angry dark red. The horses had not liked that at all, but the men managed to keep them under control. The creatures were usually spotted with clubs or other such weapons, but this one was empty-handed. All the better!
There was silence and stillness for a while as the men stood watching the creature, and it stood watching them. They had studied these creatures for a while before coming, asking a few scholars back in the capital, working out a strategy to capture one. The horse-master had called the mage, and the child, forward and told him to do what he was being paid for. It took a little while, but then the child walked forward and began circling the creature, the mage muttering all the while. The creature circled too, wary but curious of this tiny creature they had sent forth. The child muttered something, a little, high pitched sound, and the creature gave a grunt in response. They both sat, the creature doing so in a rather mesmirised, unnatural way.
'He's caught!' the mage hissed. With that, the horse-master gestured to his men and they charged. The creature looked up, groggy and slow. It tried to get up, but it was too slow. A great mace landed on its head, sending the creature crashing down. But it was not out yet, rolling over, it grabbed the child and got groggily to its feet, attempting to adopt a fighting stance. Strike after strike, the men did not cease. The creature seemed to be purposefully keeping the child away from their weapons - but there was no way it was doing it purposefully. Definitely the magic getting to it, the horse-master convinced himself as he watched the affray. A few men were sent flying due to the wild swipes of the monster, but soon enough it was on its knees. The chains were thrown, bringing it down even further, a muzzle was placed on its mouth - after two failed attempts lost a few men their fingers and hands. It was amusing for the horse-master to watch, this beast would surely be a spectacle in Lairea.
It was dragged into the slave wagon, a run of the mill jail wagon they'd had resized and strengthened for this particular hunt. They didn't want the creature running away if it managed to break the chains. The mage wiped some sweat from his brow. 'As we agreed, I'll be getting half of what you sell it for,' the mage said, looking towards the horse-master, 'as we agreed, Tivullus.' The horse-master gave him a cold look. Glancing towards a few of his men, he gave a quick nod. Before the mage knew what was upon him, the tip of a sword erupted from his chest. There was a moment of calm before the mage started shaking uncontrollably. His killer let out a hair-raising shriek and tried to let go of the hilt, but to no avail. Before long, both fell dead. The hired guard had been fried to death by some kind of protective spell the mage had cast upon himself. It must have been that strange red amulet. Tivullus looked carefully and found that, to his satisfaction, the strange stone in the amulet was now a dull black. It was as he thought.
'Come on, let's get out of here. Throw the kid in with the thing and let us be on our way!' the child was thrown in, the creature had its muzzle removed and they set-off. A few of the men complaining about broken bones or missing hands had to be cared for. If it was up to Tivullus he would have had them dealt with more permanently, but there was no need to antagonise those he depended on for protection.
The journey back took a few days ride, but the weather was good and no one stopped them - any bandits who may have considered it clearly decided otherwise upon seeing the heavily armed guard and the monstrosity they were carrying.
***
'Rare 'un this! Will bring 'uge crowds no doubt! C'mon, 'oo wants it?!' There were shouts and screams as the crowd fought over the exotic creature. 'Does 'at kid come with i'?' one of the bidders managed to out-shout the rest. 'Yes, yes, the kid comes with i'! Can't tcha see i' won't le' i' go? C'mon, c'mon, 'oo wan's i'?!' once more the roar of the crowd rose. Bit by bit bidders departed as they gave up. It was three who ended up remaining in the bid. A rather plumb, pink, bald man who was dressed in clothes far too extravagant even for a wealthy Laireanian. The other was a man leaning on a cane and banging a wooden leg to the stone floor every time he shouted a sum of money. His nose was hooked and his body, though by no means as large as the former, was not exactly a model of human muscularity. The third wore a huge black cloak and all that was visible of him was a long white beard which extended as far down as his waist. The one leaning on the cane came out on top.
***
Garagogarag did not struggle much. He knew he was far from home, he could no longer sense his people. The child was still seated on his shoulder, even as these strange little creatures stripped him of all he wore. He was glad he had buried Seihdhar before he ventured beyond the hunting grounds. He had been curious. Meeting other beastmen in the hunting grounds, trading with them and interacting was interesting, but he could never help but feel rather limited.
From his youngest days he had dwelled in the tribal lands, his parents reared him there and the tribe cared for him, but he thirsted for more. What lay beyond the tribal lands? What creatures? What life? Perhaps the source of all life had led him here, had led this strange youngling to him, which sat on his shoulder even now, quiet and unperturbed. Was it not a strange little creature? It spoke sometimes, but other than that did little else. Garagogarag could feel strange energies from it, but he did not understand them - they were very similar to the man they had killed, the one who had been muttering. Perhaps this child was related to him in some way, or perhaps he had been apprenticed to him, in much the same way a Tree-Cub is apprenticed to a Tree-Walker.
The journey here had been long, they had given him very little to eat and he had spent most of his time communicating with the little thing. It muttered in a strange tongue, but Garagogarag understood and responded, and the child seemed to understand him too. It had mostly asked him about his life, and he had obliged.
We are Garagogarag Ogorogo. We are the mighty Tree-Claw. Emerged We from Our Tree-Mother's life-womb many summers ago. We played with other Tree-Cubs. We wrestled. We bested them all. We grew.
When We grew into our tenth summer, We were bonded with Our beautiful Seihdhara. She was waiting for Us by The Solitary Mount. She called to Us during the bonding. We answered. She inspired Us. We fashioned Her. Our precious Seihdhara.
We hunted together, Our Seihdhara and We. We bested all other Tree-Arms, Our Seihdhara and We. We bested Our Master Tree-Claw Horaroh Oharaho, Our Seihdhara and We. We were the Tree-Claw, Our Seihdhara and We.
Many times did We travel. Man places did We see. The Thunderhoofs We befriended. The Skytalons We honoured. We traded much. We offered them wood from the Sleeping-Trees. They offered Us tales and knowledge. They taught Us much. We were good students. Other beastmen We did not approach. Too far.
We grew. Restless We grew. We left Our beautiful Seihdhara. We buried Her beneath the Sacred Earth. The Life led Us away from Her. She is far away now. The Life parted Us from Her. We will to Her one day return. We must as the Life commands obey. We must Grow.
With his crown of branches and horns taken, and his kilt of leaves and bark removed, nothing covering him but his fur, Gar now moves to welcome a brave new world. He will Grow.
Preferred Arms:
Unlike other beastmen, Treeminds have a preference to blunt weapons. While their bodies are undeniably lethal, they fashion great clubs and other such weapons out of ancient trees in their sacred homelands, which have succumbed to the final sleep. These weapons are precious to them and it is not unusual for a Treemind to form a bond with their weapon which lasts a life time. These bonds are extremely intimate and difficult to understand for outsiders, even other beastmen. Gar, not wishing to have his precious Seihdhara endangered along with him, buried her in a place only he knows before setting off beyond the bounds of Treemind territory, where he was subsequently captured. He will return to her one day.
Agriculture: Not much grows in these bitterly cold lands. Though the Treeminds tend to the earth and water it, and though they are omnivorous creatures, they can ill afford to spend time farming and tending to crops, only to then eat what can barely sustain their huge bodies and muscles. Further, growing crops would require the mindless destruction of the tribal forestlands, an act that no Treemind would ever think about, let alone consider.
Architecture: Treeminds do not ‘build’ as such. They prefer to adapt naturally occurring shelters to their advantage. They carve out caves and reshape holes in trees to better suit them. Most Treeminds dwell within adapted holes in Old Bark-Skin, while those who have no space there find space in and around any roots from the ancient tree which happen to break the surface.
A Human Artist’s Depiction of Old Bark-Tree
As far as streets and roads go, Treeminds do not have stone roads or streets, but they have well-known dirt roads in the woods, which are known to them. It helps greatly in manoeuvring through the thick forest – which is very important for creatures as large as Treeminds, a wrong turn into a particularly thick undergrowth can see them trapped and unable to find a way out without needless destruction of the forest life. This thick forest acts as a hindrance against any unwanted visitors and makes the Treemind tribe’s pacifism and isolationism far easier to maintain.
Climate: Located in the northernmost Orcish territories, the Treemind tribal lands are bitterly cold and snow covers the earth throughout the seasons. This is far more apparent on the hunting grounds and beyond the heavily forested tribal heartlands. Whereas the hunting grounds have less trees, and trees there are rather young and small in size, those in the tribal heartlands are much older, larger, and close to each other, meaning that much of the snow covers the trees but does not reach the ground below them. This is very true for the area of land beneath Old Bark-Skin. While rain, being far smaller and more fluid than snow, does get through, it does so in far smaller quantities. The Treeminds take it upon themselves to ensure the earth remains well watered and favourable to life. Lake Grasidar, despite the intense conditions, remains unfrozen throughout the seasons. The Treeminds see this as a miracle evidencing the sacred qualities of the lake, a blessing from the source of all life so that the Treeminds in its care do not die of thirst – indeed, the rivers in the region are frozen over all year round, though this is only a thin layer of ice, below which the fast flowing waters and plentiful fish dwell. The Solitary Mount, the tallest mountain for miles around, is the most bitterly cold part of the Treemind tribal lands. From bottom to top, it steadily gets colder and colder. Only those crazy or on pilgrimage (or both) dare approach it – for not even a Treeminds thick fur can keep the harrowing cold at bay.
Geography: The tribal territories vary from snow-covered plains and hills on the outskirts to forest and thick jungle closer to the village. There are also plenty of rivers running through the tribal lands and mountains are numerous. The largest of these is undoubtedly The Solitary Mount north of Lake Grasidar.
The Solitary Mount
Lake Grasidar also lies just east of the tribal village, a massive lake which never freezes, despite the intensely bitter cold. Only one kind of tree grows in the cold climate of the tribal lands, what is known to humans as the Northern Icetree but known as the Holy Garatha tree to the Treeminds. It is a tree which, unlike any other tree, can only grow in subzero temperatures. While trees normally die under conditions as cold as those in the tribal lands, these trees flourish and prosper here – in fact, they quickly wilt and die in warmer climates. These trees can grow to become extremely large – Old Bark-Skin is an extraordinarily old and thus extremely large Holy Garatha. Various kinds of berries grow in the jungle, and these are usually picked by Tree-Cubs. While Treeminds enjoy its taste, it cannot sustain them in the quantities available in their homeland.
Crafts: The only materials directly available to Treeminds are dead or fallen trees – what they refer to as sleeping trees, or trees that have fallen into the final sleep. Tree-Arms drag these dead trees from the hunting grounds (for they only use fallen trees from the hunting grounds and not from the homeland) back to the village where the Tree-Nurturers either carve them out or prepare them to be delivered to their trading partners – the Thunderhoofs and Skytalons to the east. Holy Garatha wood is rather valuable and extremely useful, but the Treeminds do not realise this and exchange it rather cheaply. As far as carving wood goes, Treeminds are extremely skilled. They initially used their claws, and carved very impressive carvings indeed, but ever since they began trading with their beastman friends they have had access to metal carving materials which have been of great use and allowed Treeminds to carve what they previously could not, skilled as they were. All Treeminds must go through a ritual of bonding when they have reached their tenth year. This involves seeking out a fallen tree in the tribal territory, one which ‘calls out’ to them, and carving their chosen weapon – what they call their ‘Ik’Grarg’Ki’, ‘Partner on the Road’. This process does not require any carving skill as such as a Treemind is in a state of ‘inspiration’ throughout the bonding rite, but where a Treemind is finding it particularly difficult to carve their Ik’Grarg’Ki, a more skilled member of the tribe may help them, carrying out the commands of the inspired individual. Treeminds do not engage in ironworking and their carvings do not stray beyond the scope of totem-like structures, coastal fishing boats, and Ik’Grarg’kis.
Crime: As a community, Treeminds are far too small in numbers for criminals to arise undetected. As a result, it is a generally crime-less society. This is further enforced by the fact that all members of the tribe are connected and aware of each other’s presence if they are nearby. Due to their small numbers, Treeminds are extremely protective of each other’s lives, particularly the young as they are the future of the tribe. For this reason, killing another Treemind is considered the most heinous crime possible. Any who do so owe a debt to the tribe and must make it their life long duty to produce as many children as possible in order to undo the evil they have done. This may seem a light punishment – or in fact, a reward! – but it becomes far more difficult when no respectable Tree-Mother would allow you anywhere near her, let alone to lay with her. Those who fail to produce any children within two summers are banished from the tribal lands and are not permitted to return ever again. As one may expect, murder is a crime so rare that no living Treemind has witnessed it. Petty crimes such as thievery do not exist, mostly due to the fact that there really is nothing worth stealing in the tribal village, and if there was, Treeminds morals would not allow for such a thing.
Cuisine: While capable of eating fruits, berries and crops, Treeminds do not produce this in adequate quantities to sustain themselves, so their cuisine is mostly made up of meat. They are not fussy and will eat whatever meat is available, though the more refined among them tend to cook their meat before eating it – they are not savage animals after all! When it comes to beverages, Treeminds savour nothing more than their very own water from Lake Grasidar! But where that is not available, they don’t mind normal water too ^^’
Dangers: The Treemind tribal lands are thriving with all kinds of life and therefore, without a doubt, dangers. Beasts one can expect to come across include the vicious Snow Wolf (known to humans as the Northern Wolf) whose white coat provides brilliant cover in the snow. What makes this wolf particularly dangerous, other than its size (being at least twice the size of a typical wolf, which are also to be found in the tribal lands) is the fact that it has the ability to blast prey with debilitating, focused breath of icy air which can freeze limbs – causing severe frostbite in the best of cases, and a quick death between the wolf’s jaws in the worst. Unlike the common wolf, Snow Wolves tend to hunt alone and form families, much like humans, rather than hunt in packs. The Snow Bear, a large white bear, is also a real danger. It can be found close to rivers, the coast and in the mountains, generally avoiding forestland. These mammoth creatures can reach 12 feet when standing on their hind legs – which is tall even for a Treemind. This makes them a danger even to the Treeminds. However, they tend to avoid any creature close to it in size, meaning adult Treeminds are generally safe from the wrath of the Snow Bear. Smaller creatures must beware, however, as the speed and power of the Snow Bear is not to be trifled with. Indeed, a Snow Bear can reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, making it absolutely lethal when it decides on a prey. Smaller and slower bears do dwell in the tribal lands, such as the Tree Bear, a very small bear which only eats plants and prefers to dwell up in trees, the Earthen Bear is a large but slow brown bear whose size standing can range from 5 to 7 feet. They mostly eat plants and small creatures, though they can be dangerous to passers-by if driven into a corner or feel threatened. The climate is also a real danger. One foolish enough not to dress well or to allow the cold through may well find themselves with frostbite or suffering from hypothermia. It is rather uncommon to come across those who have died of frostbite in the tribal lands, mostly due to the fact that such falls would have died long before getting so deep into claimed Orcish lands.
Education: Treeminds have no schooling system. Children learn in two main ways: play-fighting and through the strange link all Treeminds have with one another. As a Tree-Cub grows, it is bound to play-fight with others of its age, and the strongest tends to be the most dominant and respected. With time, this hierarchy loosens as each Treemind grows and takes their position in the life of the tribe. Young Treeminds, depending on their position, are put in the care of an older and more experienced Treemind who goes about teaching them the ways of their chosen path in life. There is, of course, the Tree-Walker who has immense magical knowledge and is very in tune with nature. The Tree-Walker tends to take on one apprentice and teaches them all s/he knows so that they can carry the mantle of Tree-Walker, with all the knowledge and power of past Tree-Walkers, to the future. The pinnacle of Treemind education is the pilgrimage to the top of the Solitary Mount. It is not known what occurs during the pilgrimage, but those who return tend to have knowledge and magical capabilities beyond the comprehension of any normal Treemind.
Family structure (extended family, living situation, marriage, child rearing)
Government (selection, church & state, important ruling figures/offices)
History
Languages (writing accents, dialects)
Laws (how formed, how codified, how consistently applied, criminal law, civil law, religious law)
Law Enforcement (watch/guard details, honest or corrupt, punishment)
Medicine/Health (who is it available to, magic or science)
Military (special units, army, navy, air force, siege weapons)
Naming Conventions (surnames, nicknames)
Population (total pop, pop of peasants/merchants etc)
Religious Traditions (rites of passage, death rites, daily/weekly practices, mythology, marriage) Treeminds keen to prove their mettle can go on pilgrimage to the top of the lonely mountain. Those who return are honoured and given a position higher than even that of the Tree-Mind, they become The Solitary-Tree, sage-like, holy figures who are greatly revered.
Romance (casual sex, courtship/dating, what is considered attractive)
Frettzo,
Vec,
Lord Zee,
Double Capybara
