Letter Bee

Dawn of a New Age - The Return of Magic

@Haydrian Cindel, You can add a sixth spell, plus the second-to-last paragraph of your CS is too large.

Dawn of a New Age - The Return of Magic

@Haydrian Cindel, Please correct the formatting.

@Gentlemanvaultboy, Accepted.

NEO-TOKYO: State of Disarray - Cyberpunk RP

@LetMeDoStuff, I vote NSF.

NEO-TOKYO: State of Disarray - Cyberpunk RP

I might join.

Dawn of a New Age - The Return of Magic

Dawn of a New Age - The Return of Magic

I. Intro

Intro

Many stories exist of ancient civilizations, of monsters, magic, and wonders. But these are not just legends. 10,000 years ago, Magic was the dominant force on this planet, and was as common as science is today. There is a cycle that determines which force will be in control of civilization, but thanks to the actions of humanity at Atlantis and Babel, that cycle has been thrown askew, with Earth being cut off from Magic longer than usual. But now, something has changed.

People have begun experiencing visions of winged, angelic beings called Malakim, some beautiful, others terrifying, and some both. Shortly after, those who have seen these beings, whether in dreams or in waking life, began manifesting strange, supernatural gifts, gifts each connected to a facet of existence. These powers have attracted attention both good and bad, as the world's governments have sought to capture and contain these 'Magi'.

In a world that is growing worse, the chaos caused by the Return of Magic might yet unravel an already tense situation...but the Malakim do not want Humanity to destroy itself, and so have given additional guidance to a group of Magi, asking them to turn the tide, to arrest the headlong decline of the world into a 'crapsack' state. Will you answer the call? If so, let the world enter the next phase of its destiny...

Welcome to Dawn of a New Age, the RP. In this RP, magic has begun appearing in the modern world. Your characters are a group of the first people to develop magical abilities. You will be forced onto the run from the US Government, who is looking to acquire your powers and use them as a weapon of war.

------

Note; this RP was originally made by Flamelord, but he gave me permission as long as no one, and I repeat no one @mentions him.

II. Magic

Magic

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 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 Symbols of Will and Magebane (see below), 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, and yes, AI have souls here as well.

Mind Magic - This magic deals with controlling minds and altering emotions of both humans and animals, as well as creating illusions (that aren't holograms), mental compulsions, and even erasing or editing memories. Note that if one has a strong willpower, they can resist or even break the above effects. Note that to resist a Mind Magic effect, they must know or correctly guess that a spell is being cast on them.

Note - All uses of Mind Magic on other PCs require OOC permission from the Players of said PCs.

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

Counterspell/Dispel Magic rules.

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 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

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'). The Government knows how to make Perfected Electrum.

Group Spells

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 (said soul 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.

III. Non-Magical Options

Symbol of Will

While Magic faded long before humanity developed religions and ideologies opposed to 'sorcery', belief is one of the ways Humans affect the reality around them. Thus, strong commitment in something can weaken Magic's hold on the mind and body. By holding forth a symbol of what one believes in most deeply (this includes symbols of atheism and secular nationalism), one can create a shield that is proof against all magic that is cast on its holder and the area around its holder. This magic-proof area moves when its holder moves as well, meaning that the 'Hunter' can be somewhat mobile.

However, the Symbol of Will must not only symbolize a sincere belief, it must also be something one is prepared to lose; it must not be tatooed or permanently grafted into one's body. However, gloves or even power armor are a way around this rule.

Special Note: Mages can have a Symbol of Will as well, but they exchange their magical ability for pure, enduring willpower. They lose three Spell Slots and mark those as [Symbol], [Willpower], [Willpower], instead.

Power Armor

The Government has access to advanced technology, technology that has been kept secret from the rest of the populace. An example of said technology is Power Armor; relatively slim suits of high-end materials powered by super-compact energy cells and equipped with sensors and computer capability. This armor, which resembles that from Halo more than it does Fallout or Warhammer 40k, can be equipped with Symbols of Will, mostly pertaining to the United States Government.

Magebane

The Government also has access to a green-white material called Magebane, which when it comes into contact with magical defenses, constructs, or Mages themselves, absorbs their magical energies; in short, it's a magical substance that takes away their Mana. Magebane can be used in Power Armor or as bullets, or even melee weapons like truncheons or clubs.

IV. Rules

Rules

1.) No Godmoding or Powergaming, aka no controlling other players' actions, no defeating your enemy in one shot, and no shrugging of all hits without a magical shield.
2.) Any consenting relationship between people of the same age group is allowed, whether it's Homosexual or Hetrosexual. If you cannot stand such things, don't post here in the first place.
3.) Be polite to others.
4.) No talking about IRL Politics. Ever.
5.) Please notify me if you will be gone longer than a few days, I myself will let you guys know if I will be gone.
6.) If anyone doesn't post seven days after the latest GM Post, they're automatically expelled.

V.Signup Form

Signup Form

Name: What’s your characters name?
Age: How old is your character?
Physical Description: What does your character look like?
Place any photo’s here.
Important items: What possessions are important to your character?
Short Bio: Tell us your characters story up to this point.
Skills/Flaws: What are your characters strengths and weaknesses? You need two of each.
Spell List: 6 Spells overall.

Example:

Name: Gavin Prince

Age: 18

Physical Description:


Important items: Smartphone, Laptop, Pistol, First Aid Kit.

Short Bio: Gavin Prince was the son of an artisan metalworker and sculptor who alternated between making ceremonial swords for rich people, practical swords for martial artists, and abstract art for museums and rich collectors. Sent to college to study fine arts, Gavin found himself attracted to history, literature...and both men and women. Nevertheless, he continued to persevere studying art and other subjects by day, working with his hands with his father by night. Despite said father tending to be...reserved on matters of sex and the body, his sole reaction to Gavin 'coming out' as bisexual was:

"Just get someone who can work with their hands."

And that was that. One day, on the eve of 2012, while 'celebrating' the new years' with his current boyfriend, Gavin fell asleep, drunk. He would then receive a vision of a beautiful, winged woman in white robes, with brown skin and black hair and deep blue eyes. She would then look at Gavin, and say:

"The World is about to be worse. Stop it." Power, exhilirating energy, would then enter Gavin, and he knew this, that this would be part of him, power that can be used to save people, both those with Magic and those without. He would then pick a school, and select two: High and Timespace, and increase his power in them because he only chose two schools out of six. And with that, he would drift back to sleep...

When he woke up, he was sober and without a hangover, and he knew what to do. Some hours later, he would apply for 'leave' from his university while informing his father that he would be going on a trip to study medieval armor-making techniques in Britain; this was a lie.

The truth was that he was going to go to the town of Brightwell, Illinois, where he would then send messages to people that, he knew, had been visited by the Malakim...

Skills/Flaws:

Metalworker - Gavin knows how to shape metal, and otherwise work with his hands. This also makes him a dab hand at power tools.

Swordsman - Gavin knows the basics of swordsmanship.

Guileless - Gavin is too honest and trusting for his own good.

Inexperienced - Gavin is new to this whole 'saving the world' business.

Spell List:

Eye of the Monarch (High Magic) - Gavin can see all Magic, whether it is being cast, or a passive effect. This also works on illusions.

Bolt of Prime (High Magic) - Gavin can send out a bolt of silvery-white energy that can inflict damage which cannot be healed by magic.

Dispel Timespace Magic (High Magic) - Gavin can dispel any magic that uses Timespace, including scrying spells.

Archives of Time and Space (Timespace) - Gavin can look at a reflective surface, and see visions of the past, present, and future.

Flight (Timespace) - Gavin can use his control of the fabric of space to fly up into the air without World Magic.

Gate (Timespace) - Gavin can open a portal as small as his fist or as large as an SUV and keep it open for at least 15 minutes. Said portal can lead to any place whose picture he had seen.

Mercenaries of Olivenland - Fantasy RP set in the same world as Intrigues of Venedig

Mercenaries of Olivenland - Fantasy RP set in the same world as Intrigues of Venedig

I. Intro

Intro

At the very edge of the Great Western Continent, divided between the Inland and Outer Seas, is the strife-torn region of Olivenland, so-named after the precious olives that grow close to its coasts, olives which are worth their weight in gold.

Divided between two dozen petty duchies, counts, and the occassional merchant republic, Olivenland offers as many opportunities as Venedig, opportunities for wealth, fame, land and luxury. But what Olivenland can give an enterprising person that Venedig cannot is the chance to be free of the laws of the Reich des Goldenen Ghrales, the Empire that stands strong over the Great Western Continent and the Inland Sea for better or worse.

But the cost of freedom is high - Olivenland is a place where without friends and allies, you are as likely to die in an alleyway as you are to rule your own castle, and be enslaved as likely as you are to own slaves. Where in Venedig, you are safe from petty criminals, in Olivenland, no street or crossroad is free from bandits and desperate men, such is the lawlessness of the times.

Enter the Primefire Battalion. Newly-founded by Rote Kaufmann, the Hero of Venedig, this mercenary company was formed in the aftermath of the Electrum Amnesty, where the enslaved members of the Nobles' Rebellion were freed and restored to their old ranks by Emperor Karl Maximillian XV Schwanhueter. The Emperor had been manipulated and misled by an evil cult (which had tricked the Nobles into starting the Rebellion in the first place) into sentencing them into slavery as punishment, and the evil cult had nearly brought the world into ruin by almost summoning Mansbane, most bloodthirsty of the Old Gods, in Venedig itself.

Now vindicated, Rote has reconciled with the Emperor in full, but many of the people in both the Reich and Venedig aren't as accepting of the resolution of the crisis as they were. So Rote decided to use the connections he had formed in Venedig in order to form his own mercenary company: Its goal, to gather the re-ennobled ex-slaves who were still furious about the Emperor's actions into an enterprise worthy of their fury - The foundation of a new kingdom in Olivenland, and the restoration of order there!

------

Welcome, one and all, to yet another RP set in the world of Erde. Unlike Intrigues of Venedig, this will not be a 'Semi-Open World RP', but rather a more linear story, albeit where the players can still make decisions as to what plot hooks to tackle and what the main direction and ending of the plot is.

II. Interesting Countries that Trade with Olivenland

Reich des Goldenen Grahles

The overlords of most of the Great Western Continent, 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.

Update: Thanks to the Church of Existence proving that the entire Noble's Rebellion and Civil War was an attempt by an evil Cult to undermine faith in the Reich as a nation in preperation for said Cult's summoning of the Old Gods back to Erde, the Iron Decree was replaced with the Electrum Amnesty, which restored the freedom and noble ranks of the enslaved members of the Noble's Rebellion. But many of the ex-noble ex-slaves weren't willing to live under the reign of an Emperor who can allow himself to be advised to such cruelty, and so left the Reich entirely, exiling themselves. This was not wholly regarded as unhappy by the people of the Empire, as in other respects, Karl Maximillian XV was proving a wiser ruler than before...

Celestial Empire of Tian

"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...

Update: Gao Ming's Agents in Venedig failed, but in such a way that ties with Tian were not too seriously disrupted. But realizing that the Reich was too strong, the Celestial Empire sent more agents further afield, in order to look for opportunities in the region of Olivenland...

The Confederation of the Xul Warrior-Artisans

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 would 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 reservoirs and wind traps 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 matriarchal culture based on the 'Great Mothers', female Xul who have endured the pain of both battle and childbirth, or followed the alternative path of Druidism, 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 commands 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.

Update: The attempt to summon Mansbane in Venedig itself failed miserably, but the Xul were awakened to the clear and present danger the Old Gods, Mansbane's family, present to the world. Now, their Druids and Axefolk (as Xul practice Gender Equality) roam the region in greater numbers, seeking out Cults dedicated to the Old Gods and any vestiges of the latter's influence on the world. These Xul 'Zealots', acting in concert with the Inquisitors of the Church of Existence, could be great allies - Rote himself has good relations with them...

III. The Factions inside Olivenland

Factions

The Church of Existence - The Church of Existence is the most common Religion of the Empire and the lands beyond it, 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, although a few local bishoprics still allow the practice of slavery and even fewer are slaveowners themselves (although they proclaim that all of their slaves will eventually be free).

*The rest is to be filled in either later on in the game, or by the players.*

IV. Magic System

Magic

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.

Counterspell/Dispel Magic rules.

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 Rules

Enchantment requires High Magic and a spell that you or another party member knows, along with an item to be enchanted. 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

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 metal as hard as a 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

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?

Exceptional Skills

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

Hider

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 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

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 character's 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's Character Sheets

Mercenaries of Olivenland - Fantasy RP set in the same world as Intrigues of Venedig

I. Intro

Intro

At the very edge of the Great Western Continent, divided between the Inland and Outer Seas, is the strife-torn region of Olivenland, so-named after the precious olives that grow close to its coasts, olives which are worth their weight in gold.

Divided between two dozen petty duchies, counts, and the occassional merchant republic, Olivenland offers as many opportunities as Venedig, opportunities for wealth, fame, land and luxury. But what Olivenland can give an enterprising person that Venedig cannot is the chance to be free of the laws of the Reich des Goldenen Ghrales, the Empire that stands strong over the Great Western Continent and the Inland Sea for better or worse.

But the cost of freedom is high - Olivenland is a place where without friends and allies, you are as likely to die in an alleyway as you are to rule your own castle, and be enslaved as likely as you are to own slaves. Where in Venedig, you are safe from petty criminals, in Olivenland, no street or crossroad is free from bandits and desperate men, such is the lawlessness of the times.

Enter the Primefire Battalion. Newly-founded by Rote Kaufmann, the Hero of Venedig, this mercenary company was formed in the aftermath of the Electrum Amnesty, where the enslaved members of the Nobles' Rebellion were freed and restored to their old ranks by Emperor Karl Maximillian XV Schwanhueter. The Emperor had been manipulated and misled by an evil cult (which had tricked the Nobles into starting the Rebellion in the first place) into sentencing them into slavery in the first place, and the evil cult had nearly brought the world into ruin by almost summoning Mansbane, most bloodthirsty of the Old Gods, in Venedig itself.

Now vindicated, Rote has reconciled with the Emperor in full, but many of the people in both the Reich and Venedig aren't as accepting of the resolution of the crisis as they were. So Rote decided to use the connections he had formed in Venedig in order to form his own mercenary company: Its goal, to gather the re-ennobled ex-slaves who were still furious about the Emperor's actions into an enterprise worthy of their fury - The foundation of a new kingdom in Olivenland, and the restoration of order there!

------

Welcome, one and all, to yet another RP set in the world of Erde. Unlike Intrigues of Venedig, this will not be a 'Semi-Open World RP', but rather a more linear story, albeit where the players can still make decisions as to what plot hooks to tackle and what the main direction and ending of the plot is.

II. Interesting Countries that Trade with Venedig

Reich des Goldenen Grahles

The overlords of most of the Great Western Continent, 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.

Update: Thanks to the Church of Existence proving that the entire Noble's Rebellion and Civil War was an attempt by an evil Cult to undermine faith in the Reich as a nation in preperation for said Cult's summoning of the Old Gods back to Erde, the Iron Decree was replaced with the Electrum Amnesty, which restored the freedom and noble ranks of the enslaved members of the Noble's Rebellion. But many of the ex-noble ex-slaves weren't willing to live under the reign of an Emperor who can allow himself to be advised to such cruelty, and so left the Reich entirely, exiling themselves. This was not wholly regarded as unhappy by the people of the Empire, as in other respects, Karl Maximillian XV was proving a wiser ruler than before...

Celestial Empire of Tian

"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...

Update: Gao Ming's Agents in Venedig failed, but in such a way that ties with Tian were not too seriously disrupted. But realizing that the Reich was too strong, the Celestial Empire sent more agents further afield, in order to look for opportunities in the region of Olivenland...

The Confederation of the Xul Warrior-Artisans

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 would 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 reservoirs and wind traps 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 matriarchal culture based on the 'Great Mothers', female Xul who have endured the pain of both battle and childbirth, or followed the alternative path of Druidism, 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 commands 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.

Update: The attempt to summon Mansbane in Venedig itself failed miserably, but the Xul were awakened to the clear and present danger the Old Gods, Mansbane's family, present to the world. Now, their Druids and Axefolk (as Xul practice Gender Equality) roam the region in greater numbers, seeking out Cults dedicated to the Old Gods and any vestiges of the latter's influence on the world. These Xul 'Zealots', acting in concert with the Inquisitors of the Church of Existence, could be great allies - Rote himself has good relations with them...

III. The Factions inside Olivenland

Factions

The Church of Existence - The Church of Existence is the most common Religion of the Empire and the lands beyond it, 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, although a few local bishoprics still allow the practice of slavery and even fewer are slaveowners themselves (although they proclaim that all of their slaves will eventually be free).

*The rest is to be filled in either later on in the game, or by the players.*

IV. Magic System

Magic

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.

Counterspell/Dispel Magic rules.

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 Rules

Enchantment requires High Magic and a spell that you or another party member knows, along with an item to be enchanted. 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

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 metal as hard as a 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

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?

Exceptional Skills

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

Hider

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

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 character's 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

Noble Arms: Restoring Hope - With Gratitude to TheHangedMan

Pablo Legazpi

Appearance:

Height: ~1.8 Meters. Weight: 55 kgs.

Name: Pablo Legazpi

Age: 16

Nationality: Filipino

Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Katotohanan Ng Mundo (Truth of the World)



Noble Arm Abilities:

The Light of Truth - By touching a target with any part of the sword, Pablo can reveal said target's 'Truth'; this in essence means he can find out their life, their thoughts, and their secrets, without lies, self-delusions, and filters . When used upon a living person, they also see what is being revealed as well and know, instictively, that it's the truth. When used on an inanimate object, Pablo can find out events the object was involved in; useful when used against a murder weapon. This power can undo any form of mind control or mental effect, illusions that are not based on holograms, and mundane indoctrination and brainwashing techniques, as well as various forms of insanity that lead one to believe lies.

But the drawback of this power is twofold: One, Pablo also uses the power on himself every time he activates it, preventing him from lying to himself about his actions and their consequences. The other flaw is that every other power Pablo has draws on twisting the Light of Truth away from its intended purpose, thus weakening the Noble Arm as a whole.

The Symbolic Flame - Whenever he uses the Light of Truth, Pablo gains access not just to information about himself and those the sword touches, but also to symbolic heat and light that he can use to knockback or slightly singe Non-Noble Arms wielders, but burn Noble Arms wielders with fire that cannot be healed by supernatural forces - although Mundane Science can somewhat counteract that.

The Symbolic Shield - By further manipulating the symbolic heat and light created by the Light of Truth, Pablo creates a shield of raw mystic force; a dome or circle two to four meters in height and length, that blocks or reduces the damage from a mundane or 'mystic' attack. Note that too much force would just shatter this barrier, especially as Pablo is further twisting the symbols embodied by the Light of Truth.

Eyes of Truth - Pablo focuses the Sword's power into his eyes, allowing him to 'read' the hidden powers of Noble Arms within sight range, even if they are invisible or otherwise concealed. Like the above two powers, this cannot be used alongside the Light of Truth, though in this case, it's only because the latter is redundant with the Eyes.

Personality: Pablo is a naturally reckless person who relies on his powers too often, but can take advice when needed. He also has a high opinion of himself and his intelligence, as well as a sense of self-loathing whenever this high opinion is proven to be wrong. Despite this, however, Pablo is a kind person, one who focuses on helping others as well as himself, and is aware of his flaws. He is someone who wants to have friends, and goes to great lengths to get people to like him and keep liking him.

*Likes: Sweets, Swordsmanship, History and Literature.

*Dislikes: Bullies, Spicy Food.

Fears: Showing his darker side to his peers.

Bio: Pablo's great-grandparents were migrant workers who came to the city of Manila in the Magsaysay Administration, looking for opportunity, and unlike many others, finding it. While said great-grandparents were menial workers, their children, Pablo's grandparents, were lowly clerks, while Pablo's mother became a lawyer and his father an Eskrima instructor. And so, Pablo grew into some wealth and affluence, despite his mother frequently taking on cases for free. Despite this, Pablo's life seemed normal, although he was more intelligent than his peers by a large margin, to the point where he took advanced classes. This made him feel isolated, and also the target of bullies. It became worse when he realized that he was bisexual early on.

He was afraid that if anyone found out, he would be expelled from his family and left out in the streets; he didn't want that. But at the same time, this was what he was born with, and he couldn't change it - he tried. The only people he can confide his secrets to, as well as doubts, were people on the Internet. Yes, foolish idea, but as long as he didn't reveal his name and personal details, he would be all right, right? Wrong, because eventually, one of those people, a woman, found out his personal details and tried to blackmail him for money.

Pablo had to make a choice; risk his secret coming out, or steal from what was not his? He chose the former, and he 'came out' to his mother that day. Surprisingly, his mother was understanding; not entirely approving, but not rejecting, either. And so they chose to confront the potential blackmailer together, Pablo's mother had a gun, just in case.

The blackmailer turned out to be one a former plaintiff that Pablo's mother had successfully prosecuted, and now sought to ruin the life of her family in response. She was also a Noble Arms master with the a Gauntlet that controlled darkness. Caught in a trap, Pablo and his mother risked death...until Pablo manifested his own Noble Arm, the Noble Arm of Truth. Taken by surprise, the blackmailer was defeated through a combination of quick moves and sucker punches by Pablo. And after that, the boy transferred to Trinindad Academy, a local school for Arms Masters, rejecting offers from more reputable institutions because Trinidad Academy was both in his country and closer to home.

After two years in Trinidad, the mysterious new Director of the Academy sent Pablo to join Operation: Symbiosis on the condition that he was not to be sent to Combat. His job? As an investigator and interrogator who can get answers without torture...

*Current Goal: See that Operation: Symbiosis succeeds.

Military Rank: Military Police-equivalent.

Noble Arms: Restoring Hope - With Gratitude to TheHangedMan

Noble Arms: Restoring Hope - With Gratitude to TheHangedMan

In the twilight of World War II, a mysterious power surfaced among select humans. This power, the Noble Arm, was the ability to conjure up a paranormal weapon that can defy the laws of physics, a weapon innate in the user's mind and summoned by their will into reality. For reasons that still cannot be explained despite years of research, Noble Arms only take the form of weapons from before the First World War, however, despite the antiquity of these forms, the power they can bear to the battlefield is unlike anything modern technology has been able to produce.

The ability to manipulate everything from small marbles to all four classical elements.

Forces that can block bullets, toss bolts of lightning, or even reduce matter into atoms in seconds.

And for the rarest and strongest, the strength to withstand the explosion of a nuclear missile.

All of these powers and more still have surfaced alongside Noble Arms and the ones who bear them, the Arms Masters, are sought after by countries all around the world. Where once the strength of a country was decided by the technological strength of their Army, it is now judged by the power of their Arms Masters.

But this state of affairs has produced sadness and strife; the world was not prepared for the possibility of superhumans, people who just by existing, challenge the notion of equality between men. And so Arms Masters and Normal Humans live in an uneasy state of coexistence, with radicals on both sides wishing to shatter the peace and dominate one another.

The year is 2020, ten years since the Union of Arab Republics was shattered by the Hammer of Masters, an organization which believes that Arms Masters are not part of humanity, but a 'master race' destined to dominate the world. The Hammer, relying on the immense power of their Noble Arms, broke the governments and armies of Syria and Iraq (Egypt is fine; it regained its independence from the UoAR some decades ago), establishing the 'State of Masters', a regime dedicated to the supremacy of those who held Noble Arms. But in the moment of their triumph, their 'Malik', Yusuf Al-Kindi, was poisoned by a discontented slave, and their state fell apart.

Now was the turn of the second group of radicals, the Disablers, to emerge. Normal humans who believed that Arms Masters were a separate race of monsters and freaks, the Disablers felt vindicated in their genocidal creed and with help from volunteers from the United States, Europe, and Russia, sparked an armed revolt where guns, bombs, and poison proved the bane of many members of the State of Masters. Exterminating even innocent children, the Disablers brought down the remnants of the State of Masters, plunging the centre of the Middle East into an anarchic void.

Enter Operation: Symbiosis. An armed force funded by multiple nations, corporations, and the two rival organizations called the Arms of Nobility and Organization for Disarmament, Operation Symbiosis is a numerous, well-funded, but fractious force divided in its goals. Should it restore order to the region, or just be content with dismantling the remnants of the State of Masters and the more radical Disablers? Should it ally with local forces to do so, even those that profess religious radicalism (like that has ever worked in other worlds)?

And if it did both of those things, should it attempt a utopian vision in which Arms Masters and Normal Humans cooperate with one another instead of conflict, and if so, does it have a chance?

Only time and your involvement will tell.

------

Basically, unlike previous versions of Noble Arms, Restoring Hope is a semi-sandbox RP where (almost) every faction is playable, although Operation: Symbiosis (see below) members are preferred. You can play adult military or civilian personnel as well as the usual 'child prodigy' characters. In fact, adults are more encouraged in this setting for obvious reasons. You can also play normal people, people who do not have any Noble Arms and have to rely on technology.

Membership in a faction allows one the perks and privileges that each organization (see below) has; for example, an Operation: Symbiosis member has decent rations, medical care, and access to the latest technology, but also risks the hatred of the local population and the wrong side of a roadside bombing if they're not careful. PCs are limited only to the rank of Colonel or the equivalent (unless with special permission from the GM) but can get promoted up to Faction Leader if they are careful. They can also increase the power of their Noble Arm (if they have any) or gain access to more sophisticated technologies in time.

PCs can also start at multiple places in the region, within reason - We don't want PCs being too far from each other. The general direction of the plot will be guided by 'Region Events', such as the Operation: Symbiosis deployment, the resolution of the war against the Hammer of Masters (see below), and Kuwait and the Gulf's attempts to undermine the Aishanids of Barsa (see below). PCs are expected to react to these 'Region Events' and even start their own once they grow powerful and influential enough.

Note again that Operation: Symbiosis members are preferred for the first few applications...

Noble Arms

Noble Arms:
Noble Arms take the form of weaponry that were created before World War I; each Noble Arm posses powerful abilities beyond normal human capacity, however they can only be used if they are released into reality by their user. Noble Arms exist in a kind of 'hyperspace' that is unique to its user and can be called from there - in essence, an Arms Master is always armed.
Noble Arms have an astonishingly versatile ability pool, from calling down fire, to strengthening the body, etc., and more often than not, possess more than one ability. However, similar to physical activity, using a Noble Arm is draining physically and moreso mentally - extended use of ability is much akin to overexerting yourself on both fronts, and as such, so much more fatal to overdo.

Noble Arm Ratings:
Noble Arms are rated according to how valuable they are, and that value is determined using to factors: Rarity of effect, and military usage. The strength of a Noble Arm is thus determined by how many military and police countermeasures are in place. The rankings go from F to A. There exist Noble Arms that change strength depending on the situation, and are added with the additional "+" symbol.

Examples of determining rank and its effects is:

A Noble Arm Capable of strengthening its user is common, and can easily be countered by police officers with proper ordinance, and thus, merits an E rank, its user is not notable to the government and subsequently ignored.

On the other hand, a Noble Arm capable creating explosions in the atmosphere is uncommon and dangerous, as such, the user must undergo a government registration form and placed under mild scrutiny. The Noble Arm in question will merit a C or B rank.

Finally, there are Noble Arms that can achieve effects akin to nuclear explosions. Such Noble Arms are both rare and extremely dangerous to countries at large. Its user will be under constant surveillance and limits will be placed on the usage of their Noble Arm. Such Noble Arms are always rated A.

Global Organizations

Arms of Nobility

An organization bent on pushing the importance of Noble Arms and Arms Masters, and is the chief backer of their rights globally. Many of its supporters are wealthy and well known, however, they often face strong opposition from non-Arms Masters due to the agenda's they push and the number of benefits they desire for Arms Masters. In a reluctant truce with the Organization for Disarmament to back Operation:Symbiosis.

Organization for Disarmament

An organization determined to limit the use of Noble Arms and the suppression of Arms Masters. Their main goal is to abolish schools and facilities dedicated to Noble Arms and to limit the occupation of Arms Masters to the military only. Often, they are supported by many labor unions and social media outlets. In a reluctant truce with the Arms of Nobility to back Operation Symbiosis.

The Hammer of Masters

A terrorist organization bent on creating a world were Arms Masters are the rulers. Their ideology is that Arms Masters are not, in fact, human, but a new superior race that deserves to be in power. The current number of members is unknown, however, they have 2 confirmed A ranked Arms Masters in their ranks, a fact that worries many countries.

In the former UoAR, the Hammer holds the cities of Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, as well as the central portions of each country (contested with the DIsablers).

The Disablers

A terrorist organization bent on erasing or otherwise oppressing Arms Masters. Their ideology is that Arms Masters are not, in fact, human, but a race of monsters born with nothing but the ability to bring misery and destruction and as such must be culled or otherwise strictly controlled. A cause that many have joined and more have supported, and because of the support they have garnered from the masses, they are able to move through countries and city with relative ease.

The Disablers hold Baghdad and Tikrit in Iraq, as well as Damascus and Homs in Syria.

Local Organizations

Operation: Symbiosis

Arms Masters and Conventional Forces working together in order to restore order to Syria and Iraq, Operation: Symbiosis is either the last and greatest hope for peace and order in the region or a foreign force using those concepts as a smokescreen for seizing the area's resources. Numbering 150,000 strong (including 1,500 Arms Masters of varying strengths), Operation: Symbiosis is technologically sophisticated, with its backers calling on old favors (and it is rumored mind control) to acquire access to American, Chinese, and Russian weaponry. But these advantages can only win them the conventional war, not the battle for Hearts and Minds...

The Democratic Forces of Syria and Iraq

Formed by the Kurdish people as a 'self-defense force' in the years before the Hammers' coup, the Democratic Forces of Syria and Iraq gained mass appeal due to the 'State of Masters' and Disablers' oppressive policies, which drove Yazidis, Armenians, Assyrians, Turkmen and Zororastrians into the DFSI's grasp, along with masses of ordinary Arabs. The most powerful force in what was once the north of the UoAR, the DFSI is one of the most interested in allying with Operation: Symbiosis, and has hinted that only they can prevent the international forces from being chewed up by local insurgents... Or ensure it. They number 75,000, and are simulteanously besieging Mosul and Raqqa, the twin Capitals of the State of Masters.

Al-Nursa Front

Islamic Fundamentalists who control Idlib Province in Syria.

Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

Islamic Fundamentalists and radical terrorists who rule over the city of Fallujiah in Iraq, but have cells all across the former UoAR, including Independent Egypt.

The Aishanid Caliphate of Barsa

Barsa, Iraq, was under siege by the Hammer of Masters and their enslaved mortal minions, while suffering bombings and assassinations by the Islamic State day in and day out. Then one day rose an Arms Master by the name of Aisha, who claimed to be the Aisha, the favorite wife of Muhammad, who had returned from death to restore the true spirit of Islam which had been distorted by evil men after the Battle of the Camel in 656 AD. Normally, this would be a ridiculous claim by anyone, even an Arms Master, but 'Aisha Returned' was able to manifest powers only the most powerful Noble Arms had shown, marking her as powerful enough to back up her words. Taking up arms against the 'State of Masters' and ISIS, 'Aisha Returned' was able to liberate Barsa by herself and was acclaimed ruler by the relieved (or terrified) population. She then declared the liberation and equality of Woman beside Man and transformed Barsa into a prosperous and fertile oasis city with her Noble Arm's powers. Is another potential ally of Operation: Symbiosis.

Neigboring Nations

Turkey - Hates the Democratic Forces of Syria and Iraq and wants to take pieces of both northern Syria and Iraq for itself; is in an economic depression due to bad economic policies. Might be discreetly backing Islamic State against Disablers and Hammer of Masters.

Saudi Arabia - Is concerned about the Hammer of Masters and the Disablers and is openly backing Al-Nursa Front and the Islamic State.

Lebanon - Small country allied to Operation Symbiosis.

The Twin States of Israel and Palestine - Israel has very good Arms Masters, but Palestine has twice as many, and the Hammer of Masters wants to dismantle them both. Therefore, in 2010, Israel decided to concede everything to the Palestinans, including withdraw from West Bank settlements, give them East Jerusalem as their capital, and allow Palestinian refugees to return to Israeli territory. These decisions were controversial (to put it mildly), but bore fruit as the Hammer of Masters brought down an asteroid on both nations soon after, an asteroid as large as the one that killed the Dinosaurs and would have driven the rest of humanity except for Arms Masters extinct if it had hit. To halt the asteroid, Israeli and Palestinian Arms Masters had to work together, with many of them dying due to the strain of shielding the world. And after that, more Palestinian Noble Arms wielders survived than the Israelis (though not so much that they would simply have been able to overwhelm the latter), forcing further cooperation lest the Hammer and Disablers destroy them both.

Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar - Aligned with Saudi Arabia in foriegn policy, including backing Islamic State. Tried to attack Barsa to depose 'Aisha Returned', and got thorougly beaten. Are afraid of the Hammer of Masters.

Iran - Supporting the Disablers despite having Noble Arms wielders as part of its armed forces. It does not have Nukes as it already has Arms Masters, and it is using the disorder caused by the collapse of the UoAR to expand its influence and power, with the goal of invading Iraq and Syria and forging a new empire that would reach the Mediterranean.

Egypt - Glad it is independent of the former UoAR.

Character Sheet

[center][b]Appearance:[/b] (Picture preferred, although written descriptions are good too. Also, please included miscellaneous information such as height and weight.)[/center]

[b]Name:[/b]

[b]Age:[/b] (13 is the minimum age; even Operation: Symbiosis employs 'child geniuses' or child Arms Masters in strictly [i]non-combat[/i] roles.

[b]Nationality:[/b]

[b]Noble Arm Name & Appearance:[/b]

[b]Noble Arm Abilities:[/b] (The maximum bumber is 4 - Try and be sensible about this. Just because you [i]can[/i] doesn't mean you [i]should[/i], also be as detailed as you can, especially on its strengths, weaknesses, and effects.)

(As a clarification, no A-ranked Noble Arms; Noble Arms that can cause the equivalent of a nuclear explosion. B-class Noble Arms, which can explode city blocks, are also severely restricted; they will only be allowed if the user can be trusted not to use them too much [i]and[/i] if they have to pay a cost to their body and mind.)

[b]Personality:[/b]

[b]*Likes:[/b]

[b]*Dislikes:[/b]

[b]Fears:[/b]

[b]Bio:[/b]

[b]*Current Goal:[/b]

[b]Military Rank:[/b] If a member of Operation Symbiosis.

*Optional

Rules

1.) Cooperative storytelling comes first. You are not here to godmode by gaming/breaking the system to make yourself as powerful as possible. You are not here to use your powers to brute-force all obstacles the GM brings before you, or use sophistry, psychological tricks, or 'mental influence magic' to win every diplomatic confrontation. If you find 'Storygaming' an ugly word, this is not the RP for you.
2.) Nor does an angsty backstory that fits various 'story beats' make your character good if their purpose is to defeat everyone and establish themselves as superior top dogs and otherwise make it an arms race with the GM on who can godmode more. If you're not going to use your angsty backstory to make a good story, this is not the RP for you.
3.) That said, powerful characters and angsty backstories are permitted, as long as they are made by players who are willing to cooperate with each other and the GM to make a good dynamic story that isn't just 'X overpowers Y' by bending the rules so far they break, violating the spirit of said rules, and (to quote Dave Brookshaw of Onyx Path publishing) of course, common sense.
4.) I am not as lenient as TheHangedMan. If you cannot obey the prior three rules, you don't need to respond to this thread at all; there are other games for you.
5.) Do not be an asshole.
6.) Post length is five sentences minimum, but longer posts are encouraged, of course. GMs are also bound by this rule.
7.) Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and Al-Nursa Front are not playable, as said, it's only "almost" every faction that's playable.
8.) Disablers are playable, but priority goes to filling out the Hammer of Masters' ranks as antagonists first.

Differences from the Original and IRL Life

- Joshua Bannings, the Champion of the Noble Arms Summit, has been replaced by 'William Ascot'.
- The Iraq War did not happen in this timeline, although Afghanistan did. Operation: Symbiosis is the first intervention by international forces in both Syria and Iraq in this timeline.
- Grace Poe is this timeline's President of the Philippines and not Rodrigo Duterte.
- Jim Mattis is this timeline's President of the United States instead of Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton.
- More to follow.
- Syria and Iraq are (nominally) united into one country, with Egypt being part of said union as well until 2010.

~ Phantom Thieves of London: The Calling ~

Mikhail Chekhov

Mikhail wanted to scream, but he could not. He wanted to rage, to shout, to throw a tantrum, but it was clear that his capability to do so had been removed. Was this permanent? If so... If so...

He cried.

Tears fell from his eyes at the thought of the words he can no longer say, words he can no longer say to Tyler and Hakuro and his Mother, Mina Chekhov. Mikhail was capable of love, even now, and the few people he had left in his life were his few remaining ties to sanity. But now, now that Ashcroft (Or Impostor-Ashcroft) knew about his secrets and planned to hurt and kill at least one of those he liked -

He was damned, that was true, damned to pursue a road of revenge that can only end with his soul burnt and scarred. But he knew what innocents were, still didn't wish them harmed in his quest. And he did not want Hakuro/Hatto-san to be one of the people hurt. Nor Tyler, although the real Ashcroft liked his friend for being 'proper' and accomplished.

Oh my God, were they worrying about him? Did they even know that he had disappeared? Or did time here run differently than in the 'real' world? If only there was cell reception in this dungeon!

He tried to see if his smartphone had cell reception after all - It didn't.

Turning off said phone, Mikhail opened his backpack to pursue his textbooks - Even studyiing was preferable to getting bored out of his mind. On instinct, he tried to say something, anything, and found out that the spell on his voice had faded like some JRPG when he let out a short, "I'm bored..."

A pause.

"I can talk again." Testing out his regained ability to speak, Mikhail said softly, "I need to find a way to escape. I can't let these assholes get their hands on Hatto-san. But how can I get out of their constant vigilance and that of Impostor Ashcroft's?"

His Keychains - The ones of a Beretta Nano and the Butterfly Knife - Glinted. On instinct, he grabbed them and they began to transform into an actual gun and knife. No reaction from the guards - Did they even see the glint and transformation? Whether they did so ir not, he hid the weapons in his uniform - These can be of use at the right moment.

They can't keep him in here forever.