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Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Mission Three - Assault on Jinghong Dam - GM Post Part Two

Jinghong PoW Camp - 10/25/2022, 22:21 to 22:31 UTC+8

Sui Mang was creative in using her Noble Arm's first abilities, but it was not enough against the raw strength and experience of Sister Marta Rocha, who promptly overwhelmed her defenses, unstoppable force against a very movable object. If not for Marta's desire to avoid killing, the blow would have blasted the novice Arms Master to bloody gibs.

As his comrade was knocked unconcious, Liu Xie looked at how Nil was incapacitated by the noise of battle, and realized that this was truly a one-on-one. So the soldier decided to not hold back, and let go of all delusions that he could bring his enemy alive to Ai Chen. Stabbing his sword of ice into the ground, causing lattices of frost to form at the point of impact, the Chinese Arms Master caused spikes of ice, larger than the local groundwater would have allowed, to erupt from the ground beneath Marta's feet, threatening to impale her without quick action on her part.

Then suddenly, from the direction of Noel's group in the Mekong River's banks, a second sun, twice as large as Huo Ren's, and a sickly, radioactive green, shone, pushing the earlier Artificial Sun to the side and absorbing the latter's solar flares as Huo Ren resisted the entrance of this new intruder.

"The Downward Descent!" Liu said in Chinese, then in English, "The Downward Descent - They must be here to aid us! But why is Master Huo defying them?"

Then he looked around to see that every one of his fellow guards were dead, killed by vengeful prisoners, some of who were Arms Masters themselves who had managed to crack their restraints. So he looked at Marta and said, "On second thought, if Master Huo is defying them, they're probably going to ask a high price for their help and I don't want to be 'offered up'. So I'll surrender; take my comrade as well..."

@Lewascan2@Gerlando@QJT@Amidatelion

Collab Post between @Letter Bee and @Creative Chaos

Mekong River - 10/25/2022, 22:28 UTC+8👋

The light suddenly seemed to dim, while the heat grew more oppressive. Basilia then introduced herself, "Hello, morons! I am Basilia Bernardino, Cristina's abandoned sister, a member of the Downward Descent, and this is an Avatar of Superbia the smallest fragment of the smallest fragment of the leader of the Downward Descent. And we're here to make you feel like Worf!"

Avatar of Superbia

The Avatar approached Nico, casually putting up barriers of clear, transparent energy with a wave; he wanted the rest of his group to see what was to come, but not be able to interfere. These shields were not just more durable than most forcefields but also had an invisible telekinetic layer that would slow down even the slightest approach toward them...

Then Pride spoke in a raspy, acidic tone whose sharpness indicated spitting contempt, ”Ah, so you are the one my false friends, my brethren, chose to be my replacement. How could they have chosen such a… tunnel-visioned, ignorant young man who does not see the big picture, the forest made up by the trees? Together, we could have led Humanity to Cosmic Bliss; but they chose to reject me, reject their better…”

Nico stopped at hearing Wei’s surrender, only for his attention to be caught by someone insulting him and his comrades. At hearing the voice and seeing its owner, his head tilted at the sheer bravado of what she was doing in this moment. Real bold to be talking shit in a war zone. The nerve- But that train of thought was derailed when he saw the avatar of the leader of Downward Descent appear through the rift, and he began burning a bit hotter.

As Nico listened to the avatar’s words, his grip on Helios Rod tightened until his knuckles went white. It wasn’t a matter of the false man speaking the truth, even if some of the words stung a little. It wasn’t a matter of Superbia claiming to be his better, because all things considered, it could be true. It was something straightforward, but important to perhaps only Nico. “You know, I’ve gotten tired of this kind of shit. The Zodiacs, Diligence, and now you. All this talk about your superiority above people, as if you weren’t born like anyone else. If you were ‘superior’, I’d be talking to a man, not some coward who fights his battles behind a copy.”

Nico’s voice never raised above a speaking volume, his tone only showing his annoyance with the situation, but a lack of anger as if he was talking to someone who spilled a bit of water in him. Whether a result of his current overflow or built-up confidence, he was doing a good job of masking any fear he had.

Pride snapped the fingers of his right hand, and a Green Sun appeared in the sky. An Artificial Sun twice as large as Huo Ren’s, which was already the size of an apartment building, pushed the earlier one out of the way through sheer electromagnetic force, ignoring, nay, absorbing the frantic solar flares from that sun, which was shunted off to the side of the PoW camp.

Everything except for Huo Ren’s sun, and Nico’s aura powered by both the real moon and Huo Ren’s own Noble Arm, was now colored a shade of green by the light from Pride’s Sun.

Two beacons; one of frustrated arrogance and one of hope and humility, were the only ones pushing back the toxic sickly glow.

”I can see why my brethren like you,” Pride said, ”Fearless, grounded, free from the sense of self. You are truly Humilitas personified. Now face your doom!”

And a beam of green radiation blasted Nico full-on,

Clear mind, sound body, burning spirit. Focus. Upon hearing the beam of radiation, he launched himself forward evade the radiation and close the distance with a Wildfire strike, instead of turning back and retreating. In the state he was in, it would be easy to run away from Pride, if not more sensible. But in his spirit, he knew that the only way to survive was moving forward. Even if he was too slow to fully evade the radiation, he was confident in his ability to heal through at least a bit of the damage.

Where the radiation had hit, there were small patches of blackened skin, patches that in real-time, began turning into tumors; skin cancer. These not only caused pain but turned his regeneration against him, as this cancer fed on the natural power of his Noble Arm and its additional regenerative capabilities.

The Hero of 1988, Angelito Jaime, had a similar condition; he had smoked so much that his lung cancer benefited from his Arms Master Survivability.

But to make it worse, Pride had drawn another Noble Arm, a sword identical to Nico’s Helios Rod, only it was black and platinum, as opposed to white and gold, and parried the youth’s blow with this.

Pride laughed, a nonchalant guffaw that mocked his would-be assailant.

“So you are worthy of becoming Humilitas, my replacement, after all,” he seemed to grow larger, darker, before continuing, ”I will extinguish you from this world, and deprive it of hope. There will be no better tomorrow, not when I was denied my role in bringing it about!”

Pride then hunched his back, and several spider legs burst forth from it as his humanoid form changed, engorged, and transformed itself into an unholy mix of human and spider.

Drider Form

Then this monstrous form launched itself at Nico!

Nico considered his options in rapid succession, stoking himself up hotter and hotter. At this point, his immunity to his own fire was the only thing keeping him from burning to a crisp in an instant, but that was what he needed at the moment: to be untouchable. Big spider man, and not the good spider man. Legs or body, but one must go. Focus, Makri. When Pride launched itself at Nico, he planted his feet on the ground and waited for a perfect moment. Just a little closer…

The moment the monstrous thing was close enough for Nico to reach with the edge of his blade, he took a step back and focused the heat that was building within him into just the cutting edge of Helios Rod. “Fall forever, since you’ve got so much pride to drag you down.”

Even the glow of his dual state vanished for a moment as he put maximum focus into this singular moment in time. Now or never, do or die time. Burn up. At with that, he stabbed forward into Pride, letting loose a focused version of his usual Wildfire Dance strike, this one meant to pierce rather than slam into a target. Something only made possible with the sun and moon on his side, and the utter clarity this power gave him.

Pride lifted two front spider legs to block but found them hewn off, the clean cuts bleeding wisps of smoky darkness. The green sun flickered, but the monstrous spider-human regained its poise as it spoke, “Fool; do you not see? You merely present yourself as an irresistible opportunity for my former kin, those I once loved as though they were my flesh and blood! With every show of the qualities they fail to live up to, you whet their conviction that only you can complete their ranks!”

He then gestured for Basilia, and with a quick motion, she drew her black sword and opened another portal that the Avatar of Superbia crawled into, although she stayed a while longer and said to Cristina (@Digmata), “Sister, remember our power; the power that will make you pay for your betrayal.”

She then sneered at Nico as she put one leg into the portal, “You’re a very unlucky man, to be desired by so many. Maybe you should sin more? That way you wouldn’t be so irresistible…”

And she blew him a kiss and jumped into the portal, which sealed itself.

The Green Sun faded, leaving behind Noel and Myron, who were surprised at the events, Henri, who could potentially have cut the battle off by banishing Superbia’s Avatar with Fighting in Shade but might have accidentally hurt Nico as well, a disappointed Ernesto who had just seen Nico steal a fight he probably wanted, Cristina, who was probably struggling with her sister seeing her as a traitor for skewed reasons, and Nico himself, now more desirable to some of the people he most hated…

The glow of flames within Nico’s body returned as Superbia and Basilia retreated, his focus fading away along with the white-hot glow of Helios Rod’s edge. The mercenary stumbled at Basilia’s words, chuckling. “Lady, I don’t need luck, or to sin any more than I already do. I’m just fine as is.” As soon as the portal closed, Nico let out a triumphant laugh, barely catching himself as he fell to the ground. He propped himself to his knees with Helios Rod, smiling where the portal was.

“Don’t care about who’s listening, the burns, or nothing like that right now. It was all worth it to be the hotel worker that made a god have to retreat.”

If Nico had looked at Noel that very instant, he would see the eighteen-year-old wiping a nosebleed with a white handkerchief…

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Avatar of Superbia/Pride, Leader of the Downward Descent

Originally One For All from MHA

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Mission Three - Assault on Jinghong Dam - GM Post Part One

Mekong River - 10/25/2022, 22:20 UTC+8

It was his love for his brother and his brother's love for him that had awoken their Noble Arms, and it was his brother being shot and barely clinging on to life due to his Arms Master Survivability that had made Wei Rui conclude that he had to surrender. So trying to remember his English lessons from better times, the man shouted, "Wait! We surrender!"

To prove his intentions, he dispelled his Noble Arm, causing his costume to scatter into motes of light and bringing him back to his PLA Uniform. Gone was the somewhat cocky and arrogant soldier who had wanted to avenge his fellows; Wei Rui just wanted to save his brother.

"Please..." he pleaded, even though he knew that he had a share in Ai Chen's depravities, that by guarding her camp, he had helped her commit unspeakable acts. No excuse, not even the 'there was nothing he could have done' line, not when he had the potential to be an Arms Master all along.

First Lieutenant Noel Alonso was prepared to follow the rules of war, and said to Myron, "Get me a pair of handcuffs and a first aid kit. Once we make sure the second surrendered Arms Master is stable, put them in data storage in your disk."

------

Basilia Bernardino looked at her sister and said in a cold, clipped tone, "Masarap ang buhay mo ngayon, alam mo ba? (Your life is good right now, you know that?)"

Then she shifted to English, "Cristina, this world isn't worth saving. I realized that when you abandoned me so long ago. But Superbia, Pride, showed me the truth - That I was sacrificing too much for you, that I gave and gave to you that you cannot give back. And all for what? For you to forget about me? To pursue life as a mercenary? To find new friends? Hija, walang pagmamahal na walang kondisyon (Girl, there is no love without a condition)."

She stepped forward, allowing the light to glint on the black latex of her costume that made her look like a stereotypical femme fatale, and drew her swords, before saying, "Now, out of my way; the fools you call friends need to be introduced to my Master..."

And as Myron and Noel had finished giving Han Rui medical attention before putting him and Wei Rui in storage, Basilia stepped forward in full view of Nico and the others, drawing her two swords; Noble Arms of potent power, then cutting the space in front of her with a black sword, from where a tall man, wearing a black suit, a black mask that made him look a bit crab-like, with bare white arms and black boots, smoothly walked out with an almost feline grace.

The light suddenly seemed to dim, while the heat grew more oppressive. Basilia then introduced herself, "Hello, morons! I am Basilia Bernardino, Cristina's abandoned sister, a member of the Downward Descent, and this is an Avatar of Superbia the smallest fragment of the smallest fragment of the leader of the Downward Descent. And we're here to make you feel like Worf!"

@Digmata@Chiro@Deide@Creative Chaos

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

This RP is now 17 months old.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Mission Three - Assault on Jinghong Dam

Mekong River - 10/25/2022, 22:10 UTC+8

As Cristina's Mirage Space faded and the real world was thrown into sharp relief, she'd find that Huo Ren had managed to evade what should have been a swift death - He had been yanked out by his buddy, Cao Bao, an Arms Master who might be a greater asset than most of the Zodiac (after Qingshe's departure) combined. Why? Because Cao Bao had the ability not just to teleport people to his side across vast distances, but also to reconstruct their bodies to an earlier form, according to a 'blueprint' saved up in his Noble Arm. So now Huo Ren was far away, completely healed, and was now recuperating for the few minutes he needed to replenish his ability to bring on the fire once more.

Ernesto had been disoriented for a few seconds by the fireball hitting his eyes and momentarily blinding him; he would be back in fighting shape this round or the next, though. As for Henri, he and Cristina were back in the Mekong riverbank just in time to see Wei Rui, the spear-wielding 'Awakened' Arms Master, suddenly teleport in front of his brother, Han Rui, and parry Nico's sword using his spear's shaft. Apparently, the threat to his sibling had awoken a new power in the Chinese Marine; what glorious implications for any scientifically-minded observer.

And now, said sibling detonated the Noble Arm bomb he had been carrying, this time, the shockwave was smaller, more localized, and did not affect his brother or himself - Yet another new power. However, unless Nico used that 'checkpoint' power he had, the detonation would fray, break, or tear through anything he had that wasn't himself or his Noble Arm, something that anyone who knew him would assume he'd be keen to avoid, meaning that he probably did teleport back to the 'checkpoint', allowing the two Chinese brothers space to catch their breath and think up their own plan of counterattack...

Jinghong PoW Camp - 10/25/2022, 22:10 UTC+8

The snowball, which was the size of a moped, was blown up by Stang, filling the air with cold air and slush that was scattered a second time by Marta's impact, which warmed up the place immensely. For a brief moment, Liu Xi and Sui Mang were caught by surprise by the other Arms Master's arrival, before the latter pursed her lips and said in accented English, "Bring it."

From her spear came forth new threads that wove themselves into ropes tougher than steel, and kites of cloth that floated in the air as mobile shields; was this a new power, or a clever use of an existing one? What was new were her tactics of using the kites to absorb the next attacks, whether from Marta's fists or Nil's ever-duplicating staff, while using the ropes to try and grab the limbs and arms of the two ASEAN Arms Masters, even as her partner swung his sword of ice at them; each cut caused a cold crescent wave of slush to hurl itself at Marta and Nil, trying to keep the two off-balance.

Their intention was not to kill; that much was obvious. Considering Ai Chen's expressed intentions, it was clear that they wanted a prize to bring before their superior.

But the time to consider that was small... Because the Sun was rising again.

Hills of Jinghong - 10/25/2022, 22:15 UTC+8

Huo Ren was with Cao Bao on the hills overlooking the PoW camps and the town below the dam. After a few minutes of rest and recuperation, he had created another Artificial Sun and flown it up, up where it would threaten any attempt to strike Jinghong Dam from the air, as well as block Qingshe's aim at Ai Chen, although he did slow down the approach of the Artificial Sun long enough for his occassional lover to either get some heavy-duty sunglasses or get out of the artificial sun's range. Not that he'd do anything more to spare her from the consequences of confronting Qingshe; less competition for Alonso and Makri that way.

He looked at his aide, a proper Arms Master instead of a weakling, and said, "Shen Tu, what do your 'pets' say is happening below?"

Shen Tu

The response was, "Only nine hundred regular forces - forty-five percent of the two thousand who were garrisonning the facilities - are left. They have begun to fight the rebelling PoWs and Task Force Obsidian, but the ones in the camps are going to be overwhelmed; should we help them?"

Huo Ren shook his head and said, "No, write them off as lost. Tell your 'pets' on the Mekong riverbank to step in, now; Noel Alonso and Nico Makri will be mine."

Mekong River - 10/25/2022, 22:16 UTC+8

The soldiers on the riverbank were reduced to thirty men and women, but once the madness cleared up, they began firing pistols, assault rifles, and submachine guns at the now-embattled Nico, Noel, Ernesto, Cristina, and Henri; a few were even grabbing the machine guns and grenade launchers that had been strewn about the area and preparing to shoot at their much-hated enemy. Not just that, but three of the PLA Tanks, accompanied by three PLA APCs, began moving by themselves as if possessed by poltergiests.

...Which considering Shen Tu's power as Huo Ren's aide, was a pretty apt comparison.

On the plus side, while Noel got a pretty grievous nerf, Nico now had the advantages of Sun Stoke and Sunsetter at the same time, and found himself unwillingly empowered by Huo Ren's own ability. This was his moment.

@Lewascan2@Gerlando@Nimbus@QJT@Amidatelion@Digmata@Chiro@Deide@Creative Chaos

Introduction | Local Fish Arrival

Hi, my name is Ikan, a local fish from the sea of Nusantara, nice to meet you!
I'm familiar with how RP work's but never been engaging in one that much, so maybe i can say that i'm still somewhat a beginner. So, i'm sorry if my writting is not really good. (However, i'll try my best to improve!). Anyway, my hobbies are drawing besides sitting all day long doing nothing in my room. I love Vocaloid in general and my current favorite game is Reverse 1999.

That's all i had to say i guess
I'll look foward to our future interactions ^^

@Ikan

Welcome from the Philippines!

Letter Bee's Character Sheets

Name: Neil Harper

Age: 18

Physical Description:


Important items:

- School Mop.
- Smartphone.
- School Uniform (and underclothes).
- Backpack and Textbooks.
- Packed Lunch.

Short Bio: Born to well-to-do parents who can give him a decent education, Neil was odd in the sense that he had an Imaginary Friend, 'Niklaus von Hildmann', who looked exactly like him but was a noble of a place called the Barony of Weißer Berg, aka White Mountain. This Imaginary Friend knew things that Neil did not know on his own, such as a full dictionary of what his world knew as German, how to fight properly with swords, and how to ride a horse. Most importantly, he taught Neil a few bits of Magic; nothing that would get him in trouble in his world, aka Earth, but enough to convince Neil that his imaginary friend was both real and telling the truth.

Niklaus regaled him with stories of Weißer Berg and how it was beautiful in all seasons, filled with happy villagers and valiant knights, and how his father ruled over a prosperous and peaceful land, which was in danger from an Emperor who was trying to crush the rights and liberties of his people. 'Nik' also told Neil that he was a magical prodigy, a 'Dimensioneer', who can mentally bond with people from other worlds and eventually, exchange places with them with their consent.

As is obvious to all, only some of that spiel was true, namely the 'Dimensioneer' part. The Emperor was not evil in the beginning, and Niklaus' father was a petty tyrant. Nevertheless, as Neil grew up, he eventually allowed Niklaus to suggest a 'contract' that would allow them to exchange places with each other across worlds and dimensions.

The first exchange was wonderful; Neil was able to enjoy a lavish banquet while Niklaus got him a date with the hottest girl in class. Further exchanges provided even better learning experiences until a guard made a remark about 'crushing a serf revolt' and another talked about hanging children from trees. And it was then that Neil found out that his friend was false; more inquiries revealed that not only was Niklaus' father a cruel, corrupt man, but Niklaus was one himself, having slaughtered innocent villages and extorted huge sums of copper, silver, and gold coins, as well as grain and other food.

Oh, and the Emperor they were rebelling against was someone who wanted to stop that behavior.

When Neil confronted Niklaus about this, the latter laughed at him and said that this was part of his plan all along - On their eighteenth birthday, a secret clause in the contract they made will exchange their places for real, permanently, and he will be able to avoid the fate that was coming once the Emperor inevitably won. Oh, and that there was some sort of conspiracy but he had to find that out from the Church of Existence. Good luck!

And so it happened as Nik predicted; the Rebel Nobles were defeated by the Emperor's Gunpowder Army in the Battle at the Gates of Kaiserstadt, Prince Otto was knifed to death by the imprisoned nobles when he came to assure them of clemency, and the Emperor ordered Niklaus, the last survivor of his family, enslaved in response and sold in Venedig.

Just as luck would have it, Niklaus and Neil turned eighteen just when Nik arrived in the city to be prepared and processed into slavery. Now, Isekai'd against his own will and forced to try and escape his would-be enslavers, Neil seeks help from the Church of Existence... If he can find them!

Starting Faction: N/A

Spell List:

Dimensional Contract (Dimensional + High, allowed by a Character Trait) - Is capable of making a pact with one other person, and only that person, to exchange places with each other across multiple worlds. This pact, however, has been negotiated by someone who inserted a clause permanently changing their places after a certain amount of time. Note that High Magic can Nullify the Contract, but until then, this 'Spell Slot' cannot be used for any useful Magic.

Bond across Worlds (Mind + Dimensonal, allowed by a Character Trait) - Neil can telepathically communicate with Niklaus, his treacherous friend, even across universes, and this communication is two-way, with Niklaus watching over Neil's actions and ordeals.

Portal (Dimensional) - Allows Neil to create a portal to a place he can see with his sight, and this can be used to conduct short-ranged false teleports. However, Dimensional Magic is always flashy, unlike Timespace (a Forbidden Area), and so it is easy to detect him using this.

Mantle of Memory (Mind) - Neil can temporarily alter people's memories to make him feel like a familiar, even friendly presence, and this allows him to go through areas where he normally would not be allowed to go.

Perfect Recall (Mind) - Neil can give himself near-perfect memory of all information he has absorbed since infancy.

Learn Faster (Mind) - Neil can watch someone do something (fencing, shooting, even gardening) through his eyes or a magical recording, and master the relevant skill for one to three posting rounds. This requires that his body be able to endure the requirements of said skill in the first place, but he is athletic enough for most physical work and styles of fighting...

Character Traits:

Dimensioneer - Allows access to the Dimensional Contract and the Bond across Worlds spells.

Fairest of all the ‘Princes’ of the Earth - Neil's face and body are the perfect mix of masculine and feminine traits, strong and smooth, lean yet toned, and all perfectly proportioned. Even on Earth, he is of supermodel-level looks.

Traditionalist Spell Mastery (Dimensional, Mind) - Neil has Spell Mastery of Dimensional and Mind Magic and can cast the spells he has of those Schools with only his words, gestures, or in emergencies, pure thoughts.

Iliad City: A Magical RP in an Original World - Reboot

Iliad City: A Magical RP in an Original World - Reboot

I. Intro

In another universe, on the planet of Historia, there lies a city filled with magic and spells, of warriors and thinkers. This city, named Iliad, is the last refuge for the Descendants, a group of people who despite their lineage from the person who gained the blessing of The One Deity to advance Humanity, are now vilified as heralds of an apocalypse due to lies of unknown origin, lies which have convinced the other nations of the world to try and kill them all.

Despite this hatred, the city is protected by two Magical Academies which hold greater strength than entire armies, whose students stand strong against a world that hates them. But as an invasion looms from the greatest nations on the planet, the two Academies descended into a quarrel on the best way to save their city.

You are one of the students of the Magic Schools. Or an ordinary civilian who knows a magical spell or two. Or a soldier. Or a refugee from the nations that hate Iliad City and The Descendants. Or any combination of the above plus a Descendant themselves - You have free choice of who to be, just remember that you live under the shadow of doom, and that your next actions can save or doom those whom you love!

Longer Version of the Intro

In another universe lies the planet of Historia, inhabited by Humans much like us, but blessed with impossible powers that we think of as 'Magic'.

Magic is a daily part of life, existing alongside technology just as advanced as ours', although some integrate magic with science to create advanced inventions. But it is a widely held belief among the people that the highest form of Magic is Storytelling, and that The One Deity, the Creator of the Multiverse, gave Humanity the power to warp reality through the telling of stories.

Three thousand years before the present day, when the greatest storyteller of that time, the Illuminated Poet, sang of the grief and joy of Humanity, appealing to The One Deity to provide a way through their sufferings. In response, The One himself came down and sang his song, the Epics of Making, by which Humanity and whatever sapient beings lived beyond Historia were granted freedom from the will of the divine. The Epic of Making was instructions for the casting of Magic, allowing Humanity to better their lives and that of others at will.

And so the Illuminated Poet taught pieces of the Epic to those who followed him, turning them into the first Magi. He also sired twenty sons and thirty daughters and prophesied that as long as a descendant of his bloodline was alive, Humanity’s destiny and the destinies of all sapient beings across the Universe, would be free from divine interference, and Magic would continue to be accessible to all human beings (and most aliens except for [REDACTED]).

Fast-forward to the present and the majority of the descendants of the Illuminated Poet have suffered purges, slaughters, genocides, and massacres from the various nations of the world due to ignorance and misunderstanding, or even outright lies spread by their enemies. Their one safe refuge is Illiad City, an independent city-nation founded by the freethinkers and outcasts of the world, people dedicated to artistic and philosophical pursuits, as well as worshippers of The One Deity. Despite the hostility of other nations towards it, its access to a greater portion of the Epic of Making makes it equivalent to the great empires of the world in Magical might.

But now, a feud is brewing between the two prime Magical Academies of the city, a feud brewing from how to deal with the world's hostility towards them. Ironically, this feud might be the one thing that brings down the metropolis...

II. The Factions of Iliad City

The Big Three

Marduk Academy for The Mystic Arts, located on Uruk Hill in the western parts of Iliad, holds power over the pieces of the Epic of Making that govern 'Heroic' Magic - The Magic of Light, the Elements (Fire, Water, Air, and Earth), and the power to heal the wounded and the sick with mystic energy alone. Their students are the champions of the defenseless, the honorable knights-errant, and the wise wizards. But confronted with the hatred of other nations towards them, they seek a 'muscular' foreign policy, asking that Iliad City use its magical might to conquer the neighboring empires and repressive states that wish to destroy Illiad City before they grow too strong. However, whispers are being heard that push for more than that - That Marduk Academy should attempt to rule the world so that no nation would exterminate the descendants of the Illuminated Poet once again.

And Professor Ninsun, its Principal, is beginning to listen...

Ishtar School for Creative Minds, on the other hand, holds power over the pieces of the Epic of Making that govern 'Black' Magic - The Magic of Darkness, Entropy, Blood and Death, as well as the power to inflict agony and weaken their enemies. Their students are the spies and assassins, the dark knights whom monsters and criminals fear. Despite this, they used to work alongside Marduk Academy, until Professor Nergal, its principal, began urging for the casting of the Spell of Otherworldly Travel, which will transport Iliad City onto another dimension where its people can live in peace. Problem is that 1.) This requires the pieces of the Epic of Making that Marduk Academy does have, and 2.) Marduk Academy considers Ishtar's solution cowardly.

As the feud simmers, Ishtar does double duty watching out for foreign infiltrators in the Leviathan Port/Mount Ophir in the eastern, coastal part of Iliad City.

The Cassandra Club is the newest faction in the block, a small band of students from both Academies and a larger group from other schools who believe that the brewing feud between Marduk Academy and Ishtar School is being engineered by a 'sinister force' outside the city as part of a grand plan to conquer Iliad City and acquire the full Epics of Making. Not only that, but they believe in asking the question: Why do other nations hate us? What are the lies they've been fed to kill off the descendants of the Illuminated Poet? Do they even know that they are bringing Humanity’s destiny under the control of the Divine again? And if so, who is trying to do so and why are they courting the wrath of The One Deity?

The Cassandra Club is led by the Anonymous Council, a group of 'concerned students and teachers' (PCs have the option to be part of this circle) whose goals are to find out exactly who is profiting from the extermination of Descendants and stop them before its too late. These folk are supported by the Church of The One and meet in the Cathedral of The One.

III. Interesting Places in Iliad City

Interesting Places

The Wall - Iliad City is located on a coastal plain from where three peaks with smaller plateaus jut out, and the plain is enclosed by a huge wall, two miles high and four miles thick (Based on the Ark Fortress of Bukhara, Uzbekistan), with four gates where refugees seek asylum from the Hermannreich's oppression, many of whom are admitted into the farmlands, forestlands, and hills inside the wall after a thorough screening, including mind-reading.

Mt. Uruk - Watching over The Wall surrounding Iliad, Mt. Uruk stands deep inside the city's west, bristling with walls and fortifications of its own, including magical shields and guns. Marduk Academy sprawls over all of the mountainside, even digging a reinforced bunker underneath the surface to conceal its own pages of the Epic of Making.

The Leviathan Port/Mt. Ophir - Iliad City's port is where most of its foreign trade comes from, due to the Hermannreich's on-and-off hostility. A bustling structure where great cargo ships dock and depart, the Leviathan Port is watched over by great ranged guns from two coastal forts that guard the entrance to the bay, as well as Ishtar School for Creative minds, whose campus, located on Mt. Ophir, the smallest of the three peaks of Illiad, overlooks the port.

The Acropolis - On a mountain higher than Mt. Uruk and Ophir lies the Acropolis, where a plateau on top contains City Hall (where the Mayor, a Non-Descendant, is constantly pressured this way and that by the feuding academies). Besides City Hall lie the Cathedral of The One, in whose basements the Cassandra Club sometimes meet, and Fort Maccabeus, where the city's formal military, a powerful force of its own, regularly sends out patrols of Gunships, Pegasi, and the occasional Dragon Rider to remind the Academies that they are not the rulers of the City.

Artisan Coffeemakers United Branches - A set of coffeehouses spread all throughout Iliad City dedicated to the production of quality artisan coffee, tea, and pastries at a fair and affordable price. Both Ishtar and Marduk have cafes of ACUB on their premises, with secure internet lines to each other, and it is rumored that students who wish to establish forbidden contact with each other are allowed to use said lines... For a price.

Enchanted Mountain - Iliad's prime amusement park, with a large Ferris Wheel, magitech roller coasters, and virtual reality simulations of any environment one can think of, as well as various restaurants catering to every palate. It is also a 'truce zone' between Iliad and Marduk, due to Professor Gilgamesha having spent time there on better days and not wanting to let the place be stained by the current inter-school conflict.

Kaleidoscope Arcades - A series of arcades filled with the latest games mundane science and magitech can supply, and are thus destinations where both Marduk and Ishtar and students from other schools can be found competing against each other in a halfway-friendly manner.

Paradise Spa - The place everyone who is anyone in Iliad goes to relax, Paradise Spa is filled with treatments both mundane and magical which rely on pleasing every sense possible, from sweet aromas to soft coats of mud to serene sounds and calm colors, along with filling yet tasty smoothies and juices, Paradise Spa is where the troubles of the world fall away, even for a while.

Players can submit new places if they want to.

IV. The World Around Illiad

Iliad City is situated on a peninsula that juts out at the very edge of the Western Continent, one of two major landmasses that make up Historia's inhabited parts. These two continents used to be filled with many city-states, kingdoms, and republics, but those have now been absorbed by two distinct power blocs which in their way, present a danger to Iliad City, even if one of them (Olympia) is one of the reasons reason the latter has not been invaded yet (the other is Iliad City's sheer magical might). These power blocs are the Unified Hermannreich, a gigantic nation that seeks to dominate the world, and the Olympian Federation, which believes they are defending it. These are elaborated on below.

The Two Powers of the World

The Unified Hermannreich - The undisputed conqueror of the entire Western Continent except for Illiad, the Hermannreich is also an empire built on slavery and oppression, maintained by a dark alliance between its militaristic regime and the mysterious Custodians. With vast armies at its disposal, it waits for the order to conquer Iliad City and purge the Descendants, but its inferiority in Magic and the need to keep the slave population underneath its heel are obstacles to fulfilling such an order.

That and Iliad City is grudgingly protected by its main enemy, the Olympian Federation across the sea...

The Olympian Federation - A close compact of twelve nations that claim to stand for Freedom and Justice, the Olympian Federation is a naval power that governs the Eastern Continent whose fleets, airpower, and cruise missiles prevent the Hermannreich from destroying Iliad and then crossing over to the east. However, do not be deceived: Olympia is just as Anti-Descendant as the Hermannreich is, it just hides it better. Once Iliad City's usefulness ends to the Federation, the latter will destroy the former itself.

V. How Magic Works (To be itself reworked)

Magic System

All Magic comes from instructions given in the Epic of Making, which in turn is a long poem or song that details the transference of a part of The One Deity's power to mortal Humanity, and the basic mental exercises used to 'pull' magical power from the depths of one's own soul to make what you imagine real.

The various 'types' of Magic come from concepts common to humanity, concepts that you either come up with or are taught. These, in turn, are powered by the Human heart, will, and soul. There is no way to take magical energy from the surrounding environment, as only Humans (or fully sapient aliens, if they exist) have magical energy.

Anyone can learn Magic, but few have the combination of strength of heart and imagination to be truly good at it. Therefore, Magical Academies are important so that what existing Magi already imagined before can be taught to other people.

Schools of Magic

There are six disciplines of Magic:

High - Many theories 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 indestructible and immortal souls of others, 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.

World - World Magic is control over the physical elements of the world. Do you want to create Fire? World Magic. Do you want to alter Gravity to make yourself float? World Magic. Do you want to use lightning to electrocute a person? World Magic. 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. 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.

Mind Magic - This magic deals with controlling minds and altering the 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 better resist its effects...

Note: A lot of individual spells are very broken by nature, and would fundamentally destroy the game’s balance if implemented. If you’re touching these spells, please make sure you have some limitations added to them. If you’re not sure, look no further than your GMs! They will be happy to answer your question/address the balancing of your powers.

Spell Mastery

Spell Mastery

Pretty self-explanatory. Each spell your character possesses has their own degree of mastery. The more you master a spell, the less effort (Mana, Time, other relevant resources) it takes to perform that spell. If you have enough spells from the same school mastered, you can choose to make it a <Magic School> Mastery trait. How many spells, you ask? Well, there’s not a hard-coded number for that. But I’d say about 3+ spells of the same school. We can lower the number if the spells are difficult enough, or raise it if they’re easier to cast. Having Mastery as a trait makes learning and mastering new spells of that school a lot easier.

How long is it going to take to master a spell: This gives me headaches every time. It really depends. From the length of an arc to the number of times the character practices/uses these spells. I’d say on average 1 spell is mastered every arc as a benchmark, but don’t take this as a gospel. Use a LOT of nuances when interpreting this. We’ll try to adjust and accommodate your needs, just let us know.

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'). Iliad City has a monopoly of Perfected Electrum, by the way.

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.

Update on Group Spells: There’s no longer any rules in terms of how many spells are needed to perform group spells. What combination of spells creating what is down to your creativity. Use your imagination! And a bit of common sense too…

Non-Magical Options

Character Traits (Formerly Exceptional Skills)

Character Traits (Formerly Exceptional Skills)

Character Traits can both be a few neat bullet points to describe some of your character’s defining traits, and also accommodate your character’s non-magic skills. They essentially describe a portion of your character, and some of them might be capable of special effects that can benefit you and other characters in different ways.

A character Trait consists of 3 parts as described

<Trait Name>: <Trait Description>. <Trait Effects>
<Trait Name>: Self-explanatory
<Trait Description>: A few sentences explaining what characteristics of your character that this Trait is describing. You can go longer if you wish
<Trait Effects>: These are optional, but the most interesting. These essentially encompasses the Ex Skills, but a lot more specific and individual-based.

A few examples of generic trait to illustrate this further

Swordmaster: His extended training with his family’s traditional blade and under their guidance have made him exceptionally capable with these weapons. Greatly increases proficiency when using blades
Turtleback: His natural skin of his species allowed him to essentially be a walking mini-fortress. Enhanced resistance against physical attacks.

A Healthy and Focused Mind: Her zen training allowed him to ascend to a higher spiritual state that allows her to act solely based on his instincts. Only usable in a combat situation. Allows the character to ignore mind magic during this time. Only affected when said magic can affect subconscious thoughts.
Disgraced Warrior: From a family of traitors, he is received by the public with mistrust. Reduce effectiveness when coercing people through diplomacy.

Supreme Chef: She’s just really good at cooking duh. <Blank> (Yes, you can leave it blank. You don’t have to have an effect for every trait).

Of course, these are generic examples that apply to no one in particular. Your character traits, however, are bound by their background. A character trait has to be connected somehow to your character and what makes them who they are. Unrelated traits will be rejected. Your trait names does not have to follow these format. Feel free to go ham and be creative with the name and description.

What these skills are not, however: They do not fully describe your character. There is and should be more depths to your character than just a bunch of bullet points. They have defining characteristics but they have nuances and more depths to and outside those characteristics. That’s how a great character is made

Some potential questions.

How many traits are needed: There should be no limits to how many traits you have, but please refrain from making too many of them. Remember this is supposed to represent defining characteristics that screams that’s them when mentioned. You don’t want to describe yourself like that. For starters, around 3-4 traits would be a healthy number (this number is preliminary).

What about combat with vague measures to quantify your strength: Well, this is not a tabletop RP to begin with. There is no dice. We have narratives and plots to drive your characters around. How battles would turn out is entirely down to you and your fighting partners. Discuss with your partner how you would want fights to turn out. Maybe this guy have a really cool move that he wants to show off, or this lady is cocky and needs to be slapped down a peg. After all, it’s more about building your character than a game of who gets to win. If you have problem deciding the fight, the GMs can step in and help

Can you bypass these skills somehow: Yes. Having traits that give you enhanced characteristics (durability/strength/speed/etc.) does not make you infallible (unless you opt in for it, to which you would need to give a GOOD justification). Having enhanced resistance against Mind Magic could fall apart if you’re intoxicated/not paying attention. Use common sense and logic at all times.

Gaining/Losing traits: This is possible, as your character changes, but you shouldn’t gain too many traits throughout the journey anyway, so when you want to add/remove/change a trait, contact your GM. Don’t worry we’re friendly

What about Magic Mastery: If you have 3+ spells mastered from the same school of magic, you can gain a mastery trait of that specific school, giving you increased magic literacy for that school. If you CHOOSE to have that trait at the very beginning, and thus giving you at least 3 spells to be mastered, you should contact the GM so we can discuss it.

Technology, Magitech, and Super-tech

Technology is equivalent to 21st Century Earth, but Spellcasters are capable of creating devices called "Magitech" which allow even common people to access the benefits of Magic. In Iliad, this has resulted in magical healing being common throughout, with specialized 'regeneration booths' in strategic parts of the city where even grievous injuries may be healed as long as they are not inflicted by High Magic. There is also a set of Magitech Bullet Trains and Nuclear Fusion plants (with magic used in the process), as well as 'Null-entropy fridges' which can preserve meat and fresh vegetables indefinitely.

Military Magitech is also very much advanced, with Iliad City being able to bio-engineer, through magic, entire armies of Pegasi and Dragons, which are fielded alongside more mundane VTOLs and Supersonic Airplanes. They also have Golems, animated humanoid statues of clay and metal, which supplement normal infantry, tanks, and the more usual kind of Magi. The grand majority of inhabitants know some battle magic, including children and teenagers who are trained in spellcasting as soon as they can talk.

However, both the Hermannreich and Olympia are developing not just their own Magitech, but are conjuring up, from almost nowhere, pieces of technology that though they are as powerful as Magic and Magitech, run purely on Science. This 'Super-tech', which includes Lasers, Railguns, and Anti-Gravity devices that can lift up an entire Supercarrier to the skies, is an unwelcome development for Iliad City, and some say it is the harbinger of its fall...

VI. Rules

1.) Do not be an asshole.
2.) Take NSFW to PMs.
3.) 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.
4.) This game is friendly to m/m and f/f romance.

VI. Character Sheet

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b] The usual age for a student is 13 to 18, but characters older than those are permitted.
[b]Bio:[/b]
[b]Mundane Skills:[/b]
[b]Magic:[/b]
[b]Character Traits:[/b]
[b]Faction (Marduk, Ishtar, or Cassandra Club when it's founded):[/b]
[b]Are you a Descendant of the Illuminated Poet?:[/b] Simple yes or no question.

The OOC Discord

Potential Iliad City Rework

Lore Entry: The Custodians

The Custodians were once Angels, of every rank from Cherubim to Seraphs and even one Archangel, who rebelled against The One Deity and were cast down into the Universe, a thousand or so light-years from Historia, after their rebellion. After being cast down, the Custodians were made mortal, albeit with 'Metahuman' powers tied to their genetics, and unable to tap into Magic. Yet despite this, they retained their overwhelming knowledge of the physical world and sciences and used it to found first a civilization, then a Star Empire which oppressed lesser races.

There are two factions of Custodians, with the first being The Collective, which confusingly applies to both the thirteen former Seraphs and single Archangel which were now reduced into Metahumans, and their multitudes of followers and slaves in their Star Empire. The second is a resistance movement, The Repentant, which is led by one former Seraph and their followers, both 'original' Fallen and the children born to the Custodians when they became mortal.

And finally, it is rumored that the Unfallen Custodians, messengers of The One, still exist in Heaven, reforged into transcendent beings with additional powers that allow them to mentor and coordinate 'Risen Martyrs', the souls of mortals whose virtues In life had made them adequate replacements for the Custodians' duties in Heaven and Hell (which in this setting is closer to Purgatory and a place to reform and redeem sinners instead of torturing them forever). These Unfallen are detested by The Collective, who forbids mentioning their names in their dominions on pain of excruciating death.

As for the Fallen Archangel who now leads The Collective? He is now known as Ubersmench, and his powers give him near-invulnerability, and super-strength which can destroy planets, flight, and heat vision as long as he is underneath a Yellow Sun...

Update:

I, Jest, and Windstormugly talked about Custodian Lore a bit more, and we decided to edit the Custodian's lore to make The One less intentionally dickish. Here is the lore in bullet points:

- The majority of Custodians didn't rebel and are still in Heaven.
- Only a few thousand Custodians were cast down to the Universe.
- Fallen Custodians can breed with other Custodians to make full-blooded members of their race and breed with other species to create Part-Custodians.
- Few Custodians ended up in Historia.
- The grand majority of Custodians founded a 'Star Empire' a thousand light-years away from Historia.
- The reason the Star Empire doesn't just invade Historia is that even with advanced technology, the Galaxy is still very big and it's hard to find one single planet. Thus, they have to be summoned by [SPOILER] or be extremely lucky.