Letter Bee — Roleplayer Guild

Intrigues of Venedig - Fantasy RP

I. Intro

Welcome to the City of Venedig, the most cosmopolitan place on the Planet of Erde. A metropolis built on land reclaimed from the mouth of the great Wien River, Venedig is known as a place of opportunity, where you can buy anything, sell anything, be anything, as long as you have the triad of skill, intelligence, and wealth. 

Take a boat to the Grand Bazaar, and you can smell pepper, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Take a carriage to the Jewelers' District, and you are treated to the sight of necklaces, rings, bracelets and pendants, all worth a fortune. If your preference is books, the Grand Library of Venedig has copies of every book ever made; and an interesting mystery is that when you take out a book, a new one magically appears, right in front of you. To be in Venedig is to listen to a dozen languages whenever you go to a crowded place, to see the canals blaze red in the sunset, and to rejoice in the clean streets, safe from petty criminals.

But Venedig has a darker side. On the planet of Erde, there are few places where slavery is forbidden, and this city is not one of those places. How can it be, when the slave trade is so profitable when selling people for every conceivable purpose is the source of so much money? The rulers of Venedig uphold the natural order, not subvert it! 

And in the wider world, their overlord and liege, the Emperor of the Reich des Goldenen Grahles, has taken advantage of that. Having won a civil war against the rebellious 'lesser princes' of his Empire, this ruler, Karl Maximillian XV Schwanhueter, has decided to make an example of his disobedient nobility, in order to impress that the Emperor is the absolute ruler of his nation - instead of being killed, they and their families will be enslaved and sold in Venedig, where they are supposed to vanish into the pages of history.

Six months later, the first batches of slaves, kept well-fed and clean to preserve their looks, are going to arrive in Venedig, where the rich and powerful are gathered to watch these ex-nobles suffer the humiliation of being sold as property. But the fact remains, Venedig is a city where anything can happen, where one can achieve almost any dream, and it applies to these new slaves as well, even if they dream of freedom, justice, and revenge.

But there is a deeper conspiracy behind the scenes, one which orchestrated the entire conflict to bring war and death to the world, and one must not let one's quest for freedom distract from saving the world from such intrigues...

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Basically, this is a Semi-Open World RP, with a central plot moved by two things: 'City Events' that multiple people can react to in their own ways and a 'Main Party' that moves the plot and can select what City Event they want to participate in (except for one City Event at the beginning of the RP that's only for people who want to join the Main Party. 

There will be crimes, riots, terrorist plots, misuses of Magic, and should we reach a certain point, plagues and open war. You can be anything you want as long as it makes for a good story, from a wandering bard skilled in sword and harp, to a wise mage or cleric, or one of the ex-noble slaves, confronting their new fate. Just contribute to the setting!

II.  Interesting Countries that Trade with Venedig

The overlords of the city of Venedig, the Reich des Goldenen Grahles was born from a boy's broken dream, a dream whose end resulted in a new beginning for the men of the north.

A long, long time ago, the Gods and Goddesses empowered Heroes to fight for them, all except their Queen, the Keeper of the Golden Grahl, from whose cup all magical energies flowed. One day, a young man, Phillip, went to the Holy Vale, where Kaiserstadt now stands, to wonder why this was so. Passing through the Three Trials set by the Keeper, Philip faced the Goddess, who answered his question thus:

"As you have come through my tests, you deserve the truth. The reason I do not raise up heroes and heroines is because I am no Goddess, nor are my family Gods. We are but men and women who have drunk from this Grail," she would present the cup to him, "which in turn draws its power from Existence itself. Therefore, Existence is the only True God."

Outraged at this answer, Philip snatched the Cup away from the woman, and drank from it. And so he became a 'God' himself, and the most powerful of all.

After this, Philip exiled from Erde the Keeper of the Golden Grahl and her brethren, the Gods and Goddesses, before casting the cup into a chasm deep within the world. And this is the reason why anyone with the right knowledge can tap into the earth for magical energy at need. Philip then looked back at the world, and saw his younger brother, Peter, who was learning how to be a healer. Deciding that the age of warrior-heroes was over, he empowered Peter as the first Hero of a New Age, commanding him to unite the people of the Northwestern Continent in worship of Existence, which they are also a part of...

The next few centuries were of expansion and innovation, as Philip, from his realm in the Higher Planes, empowered more 'non-warriors', artisans, thinkers, and even traders, to increase the development and sophistication of the empire founded by his Brother, an Empire that saw the Golden Grahl as the symbol of Existence itself, and who spent every waking moment trying to discover more about the laws that guided it, and how to reshape said laws to their liking.

And so, life was good...until the last direct descendant of Peter, Wolfram the High, tried to conjure up the Grahl from the center of Erde so that he can become a God himself. He failed, and the calamity broke the Northwestern Continent in two, creating the Great Inland Sea, and turning the future site of Venedig into a set of isles in a lagoon.

However, the Holy Vale had enough lingering magic to save a great multitude of people, and from this was continued the Reich des Goldenen Grahles, now ruled by the Schwanhueter dynasty, descendants of Wolfram's Keeper of the Swans, Karl Maximillian I. But not all believed in the legitimacy of this new ruler, and others believed that the Reich as a whole had been a mistake and that the disparate peoples of humanity should go their own way. But Karl Maximillian I and his descendants managed to regain the allegiance of huge swathes of land, including the nascent city of Venedig.

One Millenium Later, the Reich has yet to restore the full extent of Wolfram the High's Empire, and its current ruler, Karl Maximillian XV, was content to let it be so, but less content to bow to the demands of his own nobles, who had been given many privileges by his father and grandfather, so that they would help them snatch up the 'Rebellious Provinces'. And so, after matters came to a head, the nobles rose up in rebellion, which was crushed by the Emperor with the help of a new weapon: Gunpowder.

After this, Karl Maximillian XV was the unquestioned master of the Reich des Goldenen Grahles, but his eldest son, Otto, was stabbed to death with shivs while visiting a cell filled with imprisoned rebels in order to reassure them of clemency. Needless to say, the Emperor was outraged, and promptly issued the infamous Iron Decree, which ordered that all the imprisoned nobles and their families would be sold to slavery in Venedig. And so it was done.

"People say the Gods are Uncaring, and that is a general truth. But as it is a general rule, there must be an exception," this was the words of the first traveler from Tian to reach Venedig.

Once, there was a Dragon, who was also a God. This Dragon reigned over a mild land, and watched over its people with a pleasing eye, appreciating the way that they formed societies and organizations. One day, to see them up close, the Dragon took human form, in order to find out more about these creatures.

And what he saw was this: They smiled, they laughed in joy, they cried, they lived and they loved. And he loved them back. But when he turned back into a dragon and went back to the heavens, he saw that no matter what he did, great and small, he would always harm those who looked up to him, either by not doing enough or by doing too much. After that, he cried, and the tears of the Dragon fell down into human lands, dispersing into magical energy, and empowering the first Magi.

And that is the real reason why humans are able to do magic...

With myths and legends that contradict the Goldenen Grahles' and the Confederation's, the Celestial Empire of Tian believe that Love is the true moving force of the universe, and that all pain, all suffering, will be ended once everything in existence, from the lowest insect to the highest God, are united in one harmonious whole. Disunity and Separation, they believe, is an illusion, or at best, a wound, a wound that can only be healed by communion with others, a communion that recaptures, at least for a moment, the greater unity with Love.

But despite this, the citizens of the Celestial Empire do not eschew individuality altogether, or at least, the majority doesn't. Everyone must find their own ways of communing with other people, their own paths to unity, and true harmony comes from realizing that people can change roles, lives, and characters, and yet still remain part of the whole.

Thus, under a good Emperor, chosen from among the descendants of the Dragon, the Celestial Empire of Tian is a good place to live, where food is plentiful, medicine and literacy are widespread, and the roads and borders are kept safe by large, well-organized armies of professional troops. Under a good Emperor.

The current ruler of Tian, Emperor Gao Ming, is anything but 'good'. In the interests of spreading harmony and love across all corners of Erde's globe, Gao Ming had delved into forbidden arts, conducting experiments on blood and souls in hopes of 'condensing' people into raw magical energies, which he considers to be the purest manifestation of Unity. Crushing dissent using an aborrhent artifact of immense magical power, the Whip of Chainbringer, God of Slavery, Gao Ming has sent his armies to expand in all directions, and even sent spies and emissaries to Venedig, hoping to find a way to take control of the city...

The Xul Warrior-Artisans are a race of natural survivors and warriors, the most prominent sapient nonhumans on the planet Erde. With a rich store of lore and legends, they have a unique origin myth that emphasizes the importance of mortals in the world:

Long ago, in the Age of Creation, the God Mansbane was exiled by his brothers and sisters so that the latter can claim the rich plains and forests of Erde. Raging at being forced to live in a desert waste, Mansbane sought revenge by seeking to lay waste to the world, and so extend his domain to the areas he had been denied. And so he created his own race, a species of fighters, siege engineers, and tacticians, who would exterminate the other races from the land. With skin and hair the color of the sand, sharp teeth for tearing apart flesh and plants, cat-like eyes that can see in the dark, and strong arms that tire less quickly than most humans', these 'First Xul', our ancestors, would have made a fine instrument for the destruction of life.

However, Mansbane did not realize that his creations had their own hopes and dreams, and when he told the First Xul, whom he had given axes meant to shed the lives of other Gods, of his plans, they turned their weapons against him, realizing that if Mansbane expanded his domain, everyone whould suffer in the end, including them. And so, in the first rebellion against the first tyrant, the 'First Xul' threw off their shackles, and in defiance, added the 'Warrior-Artisans' to their name.

And they had lived alongside the other races, as equals, ever since.

Millennia later, the Xul pride themselves on making the unlivable livable, using their knowledge of irrigation and engineering to create gigantic resevoirs and windtraps to collect water so that they can live, no, thrive, in the deserts of the Southern Continent. Pioneers of the Druidic arts, the Warrior-Artisans are also masters of using grasses and plants to hold back the dunes of their desert home, preventing said desert from advancing. But make no mistake, they are still fierce soldiers, and their axes are the nightmare of hardened warriors.

Following a matriachal culture based on the 'Great Mothers', female Xul who have endured the pain of both battle and childbirth, or followed the alternative path of Drudism, the tribes of the Confederation live in relative peace, with disputes being settled through non-lethal, but still fierce, duels. However, this peace has not dulled the edge of the Xul's axes, for the Great Mothers hire out thousands of mercenaries and engineers to Venedig, some of them bringing the Creed of Survival, whose prime commmands can be summed as such:

"The proper response to suffering is to use tools to remove the cause of suffering. When you thirst, dig a well. When you hunger, plow a field. When you have an enemy - that's what an axe is for!"

Note: Xul look like brown-skinned Orcs.

III. The Factions inside Venedig

The City Government of Venedig - "Wealth must not lead to lawlessness, lawlessness must not lead to the fall of Venedig." This is the driving belief of the Mayor and the City Council, which are elected by the city's citizens every four years in order to oversee law enforcement, infrastructure, and foriegn relations (as far as the Emperor of the Reich allows). Efficient, ruthless, and hardworking (even their critics admit that), the City Government keeps the climate of peace, trust, and mutual benefit that allows for widespread trade.

The Venedig Marine Knights - Venedig had always been metaphorically married to the sea, the source of its immense wealth. And so, it is natural that its armed forces are able to fight on both land and sea, and the Venedig Marine Knights are best at both. Unlike the majority of knightly orders, the Marine Knights prefer to fight dismounted or on ships, but few who have seen them board an enemy flagship, or hack a  kraken into pieces, can doubt their courage.

The Razors' Guild - As long as there are conflicts between people, assassins will always be needed. Barbers by day, killers by night, the Razors' Guild are beholden to the City Government for giving them a place to call home, but not their puppet. Taking money from both their barbershop and assassination jobs, the Razors' guild adhere to a sense of loyalty to their clients, in order to keep the flow of 'customers' going...

Die Kommission für menschlichen Umgang mit Menschen - The Commission for the Humane treatment of Humans (KUM or CHH) - The newest power group to arise in Venedig, the Commission is founded on the belief that if slaves are treated with basic rights and a minimum of respect, they would be more obedient and productive. And so, they lobby and press for laws against the cruel treatment of enslaved people, and despite their name, they do the same for Non-Humans as well. However, some of them are drifting to the belief that the institution of slavery itself is inhuman and corrupting in the long run, but these aren't influential...yet.

The Church of Existence - The Church of Existence is the most common Religion of the Empire, and has been proven to be both factually true yet somewhat compatible with the Tian and Xul teachings. Its main belief is that as Existence is the only True God, and Sapient Beings are capable of consciously altering Existence, then Sapient Beings are the most divine parts of the Universe. This, in turn, spurs a belief in the essential dignity of every person. 

The Church in Venedig is very powerful and influential but has attracted controversy by supporting the KUM/CHH despite owning a few slaves themselves. They justify such behavior by saying that their slaves are treated well and are only temporarily slaves; they will get their freedom eventually...

Player Faction: Alhryt-Liu Trade and Lending Company

Contact us for loan and slave appraisal

Founded a little over three centuries ago by a Tian and Xul, both immigrants to Venedig, the  Alhryt-Liu Trade and Lending Company (better known simply as the Company) got its start in a modest stall in the Bazaar exchanging currency brought in by the hordes of travlers from all corners of the globe. The pair did well for themselves, making a modest amount of wealth before moving into money-lending and trading. They shipped wool and wine, swords and shoes, anything anyone needed to anywhere on Erde. The pair had been well-off before but now they were rich, both of them attracting good wives and making friends in the higher circles of society. By the time they retired the names Alhrty and Liu were respected in Venedig, known for being dependable and able to investments into steady profits.

As time went on trade and currency exchange took a backseat to moneylending which left the Company with a problem: what to do with people who defaulted on their loans? Sure they could confiscate property and what little money the debtor had but that was rarely worth much. Every time someone wasn't able to come up with the money the Company made a loss, an unacceptable turn of events. So fifty years into it's existence the Company jumped into what people were already doing: the slave trade.

It was simple. Once the time ran out on a contract the debtor was given a week to come up with the money or something of equal value. If they couldn't they forfeited their freedom. They were no longer people but property, a red mark in the ledge suddenly converted to an asset. If their body still couldn't cover the cost their meager belongings were taken as well. 

Of course, many tried to run away from their debts but the Company quickly built a network of bounty hunters, trackers and thugs to return escapees. It is rare for someone to evade the Company for more than a month.

Jobs Offered
Trackers:People who specialize in find property that decides to run out on agreements. Consisting of a highly paid but relatively small professional core supplemented by temporary mercenaries and thugs. One time contracts pay well enough and contractors that do well are often offered a permanent job with good pay and benefits as well as a pension for next of kin if they die in the line of duty.

Traders: This refers to people that sell slaves as well as those who sell non-sentient property. There are always plenty of assets that need to be sold off and traders working for the Company can expect a 20% cut of every sale as well as plenty of stock provided to them for no charge.

Silencers:By far the smallest of the employee categories Silencers are the in-house spies and assassins used by the company in situation where it might be too awkward, expensive or simply not convenient to hire the Razors. Silencers are expected to keep a low profile but how they handle any particular job is up to them. Whether they kill a target with blade, poison, arrow or magic doesn't matter as long as they're discrete. They are only sent to to deal with things that pertain directly to the company such as bandits harassing caravans or slaves plotting rebellion. The Company never takes contracts as a matter of principle and a sense of politeness towards the Razors. 

General Labor:The men and women who serve as general muscle for the Company. They serve as bodyguards for the traders and higher up personal and protecting caravans or bringing in debtors who ran out of time, run messages to the various offices in the city, take care of the horses and repair the wagons. They take care of all the small things that go into running a business that most people wouldn't even think. It's not exactly glamorous but the Company would fall apart without them. The largest subset of the Company, the vast majority of employees start here. They are free to apply for a shift to one of the other positions or might be offered one if they show impressive aptitude in a particular area.

"Ignorance is an abomination to the Illuminated."

History:

An enigmatic conclave of mages.

Their history is as shrouded in mystery. Hidden behind half truths, misdirection and even outright lies. In order to discover the true history of this secretive cult, one would be hard pressed to discover it without being a member. Some of their detractors say that they're hardly an organized religion at all - saying they're nothing more than madmen spewing nonsense to lure in others. Others say they're just fools with too much free time. Who can blame them, really? The Church of Existence frowns heavily upon them - indeed, the members of this society are welcome openly in no lands, even as though they themselves claim to be harmless seekers of truth.

What is known, is that it was first founded by a woman by the name of La-Zha, the first and the holiest of the Illuminated, said to have ascended to be placed beside the holy being. This pure white, enigmatic being was said to have descended from the holy Moon, bringing with it a gift of fire and incomprehensible knowledge to her. This knowledge was said to change her into a both a Gate of knowledge, a key to mysteries and secrets to those willing to bear the burden of knowledge.

The way the Church of Existence tells it, if she bought any knowledge, it was nothing but chaos and destruction.

The way they tell it however, is far different. The Gate traveled the world. Taking in everything with her own eyes. Writing journals, meeting new cultures, seeking the world and all the mysteries in it while educating and bringing her knowledge to others. Should she have been allowed, she'd have bought understanding to the entire world...and yet, the people were frightened. Terrified of having their blissful ignorance taken from them. So they imprisoned the Key, before executing her. She became the first Illuminated - a Venerated Ancestor that is considered to reside in a White Palace upon the moon. And she, was given the special privilege of being the gate that locks it from the unworthy, and the key to ultimate knowledge.

After her execution, the others fled into hiding, deciding that if the masses did not want their illumination, then they would have it to themselves, sequestering themselves away in small cells, content to study the world around them.

and as such, they have survived to this day despite many a trial.

Religion:

The religion of the White Scarab is simply put, the discovery of knowledge no matter the cost. A religion not every could find palatable, and they would be the first to admit, not everyone who joins their society has the best of intentions, and they would say that they do not care for those outside of their conclave. After all, why should they care for the ignorant masses who reject them? Some have caused many a trouble for Venedig, in pursuit of their own lust for knowledge.

Those of the Scarab worship two beings - The Illuminator, the primary deity, and the Illuminated. Venerable members and ancestors that contributed greatly to the knowledge stores of the Scarab. However, while they praise these beings, there is no formal worship of them. No masses, prayers, or other such arbitrary things. After all, the most pleasing thing to them would be to further knowledge or make a discovery - but every year, during the Summer and Winter solstice, they hold a secretive meeting where a grand debate and exchange of knowledge takes place. Where one can show off their progress to their peers, should they wish.

Upon becoming a Neophyte, those entering must forgo their past. Let go of everything and devote their entire lives from that point on to their new cause. To cement this fact, they are stripped of their old name and after a ritual they are given a new one. These names are kept by a most trusted member of the group, the 'Keeper of Names'. Some believe these names hold power over their holders. Some merely believe its something to exert more control and loyalty.

As well, upon their left breast is tattooed their loyalty in silver ink. A depiction of a torch above a crown, back dropped by a rising sun.

This is the key one needs to enter into any den of theirs. Failure to produce it along with several secret and key words, will be met with nothing but death - or worse, imprisonment. Human experimentation can lead to valuable insights to the physical human nature...

The journals and works of the Gate, as scant few that still exist, are treated as the holiest of texts to them, even if they are written in almost undecipherable code.

Internal workings & Hierarchy:

The hierarchy of the Scarab is divided into four ranks. Neophyte, Adept, Cipher, the Illuminated. They have no formal leader, not officially at any rate, but a council of the most learned and respected members known as the Illuminated are often the ones who make the decisions for the group. At any time, there is only ever five such people, but most have it for many, many years, and sometimes a seat is left unfulfilled for a lifetime - but there is always at least, someone upon the throne of knowledge.

There is a general understand that one can practice and do whatever he likes within the group, so long as he does not endanger the whole.

That said, they are hardly united. The pursuit of knowledge can often make one blind. Obsessed, some might say. Some would put their own ego above others. While officially outlawed - if one has a rival within the group...destroying his work, so long as you are not caught is an accepted practice. Murder, is a common outcome of such plots as well. After all, if you weren't clever or bright enough to see through such a scheme then you likely as well deserved it, according to them.

Their only base of operations, if they have one, is a library on the northern fringes of society. Hidden in a mountainous region, deep underground, carved out by many, many years of construction. This is where all of their knowledge and research is pooled, and only those of rank Cipher and above are allowed entrance, save for the rare special exception. The library doubles as high end magical research facilities, and some rooms date back centuries - and some have been sealed for just as long.

The rest of the time, they operate mostly independently as it is safer for them to do so. At times, in small cells should some agree to work for some common goal.

IV. Magic System

There are six disciplines of Magic:

High - There are many theories that try to explain High Magic. Some say that it is the power of The Divine, it is the power of positive emotions, channeled through the human soul. Nevertheless, High Magic is the power of controlling Magical Energy itself, allowing for the ability to see all Magic, to draw available magical energy from the sky and earth, create constructs of condensed Mana, create and fuel magitech and enchanted items, ward people and places from magic, and finally, the ability to create bolts of silver-white light that cause damage that cannot be healed by magic to Mages and Magical creatures... But not ordinary targets, whose burns can be healed as normal.

Note: High Magic has been nerfed; the last sentence has been edited so that only other Mages and Magical Creatures, as well as magitech, receive damage that cannot be healed by Magic.

World - World Magic is control over the physical elements of the world. You want to create Fire? World Magic. You want to alter Gravity to make yourself float? World Magic. You want to use lightning to electrocute a person? World Magic. Basically, if it has nothing to do with changing one thing to another, or controlling something that isn't wholly of this earth? World Magic is your key. Basically, Bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but without healing or spiritual arts and with control over gravity.

Change - This is the magic that deals with changing one thing to another. This magic can knit wounds and reverse aging, cause trees to grow fists and turn vines into whips. This magic can change one substance to another, turning lead into gold, earth into acid, and fire into water. What it cannot do, however, is affect stuff protected by High magic, or mess with things that are already dead. That belongs to another school, the magic of the Underworld.

Underworld - Death is all around us, and the old laws against disturbing the ghosts who chose not to pass on are gone, cast into the wind. Nevertheless, the souls of the departed have to be treated with respect...but it is not the same for their bodies. Underworld Magic is the magic of Necromancy; it is the magic you wield when you want to raise an army of the dead, to control the shadows of the world, to speak with ghosts, and to strike people dead with one blow (this is a high-level spell). You can even use this to transcend death, allowing you continued existence in this world without the need for food, drink, and sleep...

Timespace - The magic of traveling vast distances in a single bound, of teleportation, portals, and scrying. The strongest Magi can even control probability, making a person luckier or unluckier, sometimes to absurd levels. But what it can not do is reverse the past; basically, no time travel. Bullet Time and Time Stop are also possibilities for incredibly strong practitioners but have certain requirements that limit their effectiveness in combat.

Bullet Time and Time Stop Nerfs: Bullet Time can only be activated defensively when confronted by attacks too fast for the mundane body to dodge normally. And by that, it only works when people are shooting bullets at the guy and it can only be used to dodge bullets and other attacks - it cannot be used to attack in turn. This keeps what I want - PCs being able to dodge bullets - without making them overpowered in offense, as well as giving PCs the choice not to shoot bullets in the first place.

As for Time Stop, not only can the 'time bubble' be cut apart by Ex. Swordsmanship, but it doesn't work on sapient beings; it can still be used to stop bullets, explosions, crashing trains, rampaging animals, and lightning strikes, but not melee strikes from sapient beings - neither the user or his opponents can use ranged attacks in a Time Stop. The in-universe reason for this is that having a Soul protects you from unauthorized changes to the timeline.

Mind Magic - This magic deals with controlling minds and altering emotions of both humans and animals, as well as creating illusions, mental compulsions, and even erasing or editing memories. A very powerful magical discipline, but strong willpower can break its effects...

Basically, each PC is supposed to mix and match effects from multiple sources of magic, although specialization is a thing.

Countering and Dispelling Magic

Making Anti-Magic spells is a bit complicated, but basically, you first need three High Magic spells, including the Anti-Magic rote, and one spell of the School you want to dispel. For example, if you want to dispel Underworld Magic, you need three High Magic spells and one Underworld Magic spell. As you have six starting spells available, you can theoretically be able to counter or Dispel three schools maximum. You can only counter or dispel High Magic if all six of your starting spells are of that school.

Enchantment Rules

Enchantment requires High Magic and a spell that you or another party member knows, along with an item to be enhcanted. Note however that the weaker and less durable the material is, the magic you can put into it is more limited; for example, oak can be enchanted to emit laser beams, birch cannot. This is the same for metals, and the strongest of spells can only be enchanted into 'Perfected Electrum (more below)'.

Perfected Electrum

Electrum is a mix of Gold and Silver that occurs naturally, but can be made by artificial means. This material, if treated by High and Change Magic by four different Magi (see 'Group Spells' below) can be 'perfected', aka transformed into a metal as hard as diamond yet not as brittle, and whose lightness is that of cloth. But the most valuable property of Perfected Electrum is that it can contain very, very strong spells, except for Resurrection (see below under 'Group Spells'). Thus, Perfected Electrum is made only in very small quantities, under the watchful eye of the most powerful states...

Group Spells

Basically, multiple spell-casters with different Schools can do things that would strain a single Mage. This also helps in compensating for single Magi's weaknesses in specialization.

Example Spell:

Resurrection (High, Change, Underworld + materials for a new body) - Three Magi, or alternatively, a single Magi who has six High, Change, and Underworld spells each, can bring back a dead person. High Magic is used to supply magical energy for the permanent return of the Soul (they must always be willing), Change is used to turn inorganic material into organic matter, and Underworld is used to tug back the Soul from wherever it's been. Resurrection cannot be Enchanted into Items.

V. What if I don't want to play a Mage?

Any PC can replace a spell from their spell list with an 'Exceptional Skill', which is basically a talent that counts as completely mundane as far as Erde is concerned, even if it would be supernatural in our world. All Exceptional Skills can resist the magical equivalent, or even counter them; for example, Exceptional Swordsmanship allows you to cut through magical barriers or attacks, while Exceptional Medicine can cure wounds caused by High Magic and normally unhealable by any spell, provided one has the right materials. Exceptional Skills can be anything you want, as long as 1.) it does not have an obviously magical effect, and 2.) It is an enhanced version of something a normal human can already do, just boosted to implausible levels.

This is an incomplete list of examples:

- Exceptional Swordsmanship
- Exceptional Archery
- Exceptional Unarmed
- Exceptional Endurance (can resist even magic)
- Exceptional Bureaucracy
- Exceptional Trading
- Exceptional Diplomacy (stuff done with this can resist the effects of Mind magic, even if the target is weak-willed)
- Exceptional Medicine

Exceptional Skills can also be stacked, aka doubled or even tripled in power. For example, you can use up three spell slots to gain Exceptional Swordsmanship x3, which allows you to cut through a two-story building made up of granite, and tear apart a Time Stop with a slash. More on stacking in the Rules section.

Note that Exceptional Skills are intended to be specialized, but at the same time, lack the versatility of Magic. And yes, you can have both Exceptional Skills and Magic; Exceptional Skills replace individual spells, not the entire spell list.

V. Rules

1.) No godmodding, powerplaying, metagaming, etc. etc.
2.) Any mature scenes, aka anything above nudity, must be taken to PMs.
3.) No OOC feuding! If you must argue, be respectful. IC, meanwhile, you can hate each other as much as you like as long as it doesn't seep over to OOC.
4.) You can control NPCs when I explicitly say that you can control them or if they belong to your Custom Faction.
5.) That said, you are allowed to create three PCs each, but only one Custom Faction per player.
6.) Please notify me if you will be gone for more than a week, I myself will let you guys know if I will be gone for that same amount of time.
7.) It's a fantasy world; you can learn Magic - two new spells of any School per City Event/Story Arc, more if you find a willing mentor and time. New Exceptional Skills, on the other hand, are easier to stack, harder to learn - You can double the power of two Exceptional Skills every first arc, and select a new exceptional skill every second arc. Venedig will have Eight Arcs, so you get to stack two skills on the first, add one skill on the second, stack again on the third, and so on.
8.) The primary races are Humans and Xul (brown-skinned Orcs). Elves are a minor civilization and not superior to Humans, and need GM Permission to play. Same for Dwarves and Gnomes.

VI. Character Sheet Skeleton

[b]Name:[/b] What’s your characters name?
[b]Age:[/b] How old is your character?
[b]Physical Description:[/b] What does your character look like?
Place any photo’s here.
[b]Important items:[/b] What possessions are important to your character?
[b]Short Bio:[/b] Tell us your characters story up to this point.
[b]Starting Faction:[/b] If you're creating your own faction, please describe it here or in a separate post
[b]Spell List:[/b] 6 Spells overall.
[B]Exceptional Skill List:[/b] Replace any number of your 6 Spells with an Exceptional Skill
Letter Bee Member

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