Little Bill

Game of Thrones Inspired NRP (Accepting one more!)

I will offer up my interest now, would a religious order be acceptable for a house? So some of the priesthood see the colliding of the two moons as a sign for change a lnd stir people into a bit of a frenzy and grab some land and what not to work from (think Knights of St John or the Tuetonic Order in a way but formed in opposition to the main religion, not as a part of it) . Partly because they do believe the action heralds great change in what should be believed, but also just some plain old fashioned power hunger.

@gowia

I'd prefer great houses stay great houses, though with your plot in mind, I could easily see a deeply religious leader of a house (Or whoever can kill and replace the leader) using their wealth and status to fund this new religious order Stannis-Style for the reasons you mentioned.

Game of Thrones Inspired NRP (Accepting one more!)

Additionally, I figure I should mention there will be a lot of focus on the character arcs and development of characters in great houses, so though the greater focus will be about the nations, this is still a story about people trying to adapt to a great change less than a story about nations conquering one another, though that might also happen as the story unfolds.

Game of Thrones Inspired NRP (Accepting one more!)

Intrigue - Low Fantasy - Mature - Advanced

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For as long as men have lived in the world, there have been two moons -- Eirtu and Elonar. Eirtu has always been known as "The Great Moon" and the physical embodiment of the god of the world's dominant religion, whereas "The Lesser Moon" Elonar has faithfully orbited Eirtu as a physical manifestation of their goddess. That all changed recently when Elonar crashed into Eirtu, leaving nothing to prove it had ever existed but a sizable crater.

Predictably, the realm hasn't responded too well.

In the capital, tensions have been minimized to church leaders being busy handling the influx of converts and pleas of the frightened devout, whereas in the more rural regions of the world, low lords are being slain in the streets by hordes of peasants who believe that their goddess has died and that the end is very much nigh. With the royal army being a shadow of what it once was and practically abandoned because of the centuries of peace with other nations, chaos will definitely be one of the themes in play here.

Is this a post-apocalyptic medieval RP? No. By and large, I think most people will have calmed down about the moon exploding a few months into the RP when they've seen that the world isn't going to be swallowed into hellfire, but the point of this cataclysmic event is to spark off a power struggle that we'll deal with for the rest of the RP. Some will rise to power on the backs of those initially fearful about an apocalypse, others will use the tension to destroy old alliances and create new ones, and so on. This moon hoopajoop is designed to create the interregnum for our story that replaces Robert Baratheon's rebellion and death.

The roleplay itself will have its fair share of combat and war, but for the most part, I'd like to focus on intrigue more. "Petyr is an honorless liar" is one thing, but implying Petyr is guilty for something by saying "Surely, I hope you don't take into account Petyr's past as you cast judgement" is even better. I've seen too many Nation RP's where characters just blatantly say shit that would be taken as a declaration of war every other post, so try to not do that, unless your intention is to play a character destined to die because of their ignorance of politicking.

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OOC Information

FAQ

How many nations/Can I be Gandalf/Are you still accepting?
We are still accepting, and currently have 1 open slot! There will be seven kingdoms including mine, so six available slots for you guys. I was originally going for six because I was worried about the similarity between our seven kingdoms and the phrase "The seven kingdoms", but ASOIAF actually has nine so and I'd prefer an uneven number of nations, so seven it is. I don't know how many applicants we'll get, especially because I probably sound like a huge tool right now, but I'm definitely only going to accept six. Also, the only options to play are the great houses of nations. You could be a small house of a small nation, but the point is, no solo characters like pirates, politicians, mercenaries, or travelling wizards and other folk like that.

Can my house ______?
Here's where it gets tricky. Magic is largely gone from the world, but great houses are so ancient that logically, some of them would have some magic properties. As for ancestral magic, keep it small enough that it could be denied altogether or dismissed as an excuse for something nonmagical -- Familial telepathy, Not burning, maybe even a secret were-animal house. Anyway, if you want your house to have some special magical component and you're worried that the one you've written for your house doesn't fit in, PM me and I'll take a look.

Expand on the Advanced tag?
This is the Nation RP section so to avoid any disputes, I will say right off the bat that this is an Advanced RP. By Advanced I don't mean Advanced Section, I mean Advaaaanced Section, brother. Full Hulk Hogan voice and all. I want us to all write something we're collectively proud of instead of just trying to win the most duels and claim the most land.

Expand on that Low Fantasy tag?
This is more of a personal preference I can flex GM status to enforce, but it also makes the world a more believable backdrop for human problems in human stories which is the goal. Magic is rare, shunned, and often more trouble than it's worth, while creatures that roamed the land in abundance thousands of years ago are now only found in the thickest, deepest woods where men rarely roam. There are dragons, but probably only a dozen in the world, and definitely not in our neck of the woods. On the other hand, the RP will have dire beasts, enchanted weapons, plants and animals that totally don't exist, and so on.

Expand on the Mature tag?
Roleplayerguild's rules won't allow me to straight-up say that you have to be 18 to be a part of this roleplay, so let me just give a foreword that the roleplay will deal with a lot of the same mature themes brought up in the book -- Torture, rape, murder, humilation, violence, the whole shebang. This is a story with a largely gray morality, so the lines between hero and villain will sometimes be blurred. Keeping in mind the subjects allowed, I expect every topic to be handled maturely. Having a character who rapes every barmaid they see and eviscerates every guy who says something shitty to them doesn't make them a good villain, it makes them a forced one. Anyway, lotsa dark themes inbound, though the heroes of the story will hopefully make up for it.

Sheets

Your sigil should go here

House Surname of Capital, Rulers of Nation

Your great house and nation. The sigil should be designed with this. If you can't use the program or it's giving you a hard time, PM me and I'll be glad to take a stab at it myself.

Nation

Nation Name
The name of of your nation. If your people speak a second language in conjunction with commontongue, like how not all Irish people speak Gaelic, but all Irish people speak English, give both versions of the name if it changes in translation.

Ethnic Peoples
The name your nation's people are referred to. If they have any pseudonyms or mild slurs they are commonly referred to by, add them as indents.

Ethnic Description
The physical traits and genetic similarities of your people. This can be anything from a shared skin tone, hair color, eye color, nose shape, or height. As tempting as it is, try not to design a race of beautiful, battle-hardy Ubermensch that never see a boy grow under 6'5. In fact, this is a medieval roleplay, so anyone over six feet is probably an anomaly. As for "genetic similarities", think of traits they have that are less apparent. Native Americans can't digest milk, some Tibetans can breathe easily in high altitudes, and so on.

Culture
This should be your biggest section. The cultural customs, imports, exports, styles of dress, favored foods, art, music, and other facets of your nation. Include everything from the customs (Raising hands instead of shaking them) to the reasons behind them (Originally to prevent disease, now simply customary.) If any districts of your culture are particularly different from the others, include that in indents, as well as any particular stereotypes or common views of your people. The more detail, the better.

History
The history of your nation -- Roots, involvement in The Great Uprising, the great house's founding, and so on. The seven kingdoms were originally divided up by Ardall's seven generals, though since then many have been usurped by a lesser house, so go with either backstory.

House

House Name
The surname of your ruling house. Over time and through the initial enforcement of the commontongue, all ruling houses have generally Anglican-sounding names, even if their country's native language is a borrowed European Language, Gaelic, or Welsh. If your house name is a compound word, go with something that sounds right besides in the heat of battle, so don't go with "Steelsword" or "Bloodfire" or things like that. You can sound plenty tough without being edgy: Blackpool, Thorne, and Graves are all names straight out of Medieval England. Hell, I'm kicking myself for wasting Blackpool on this example, but there it goes.
_{House Lancaster, House Tyrell, House Tooke}

House Members
The house members we’ll see. Don’t worry about listing any quadruple-removed half-cousins.

House Words
The motto of your house, which encompasses their values or general theme somehow. Try to keep it short -- In ASOIAF, the longest house words were "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" and "Though All Men do Despise Us", the latter of which is pushing it in my opinion. Include the meaning of the words and any historical importance they have. The more metaphorical they can be, the better! Also, bonus brownie points if it's not just a threat.

House Sigil
The description of your house's crest as you'd describe it to an armorer or historian. I'm not gonna make you use actual medieval terminology like "Salient Vert Ermine on a Chequey Field" because I'm not a complete nerd, and also because I don't want to call my house's bat sigil a "Flintermouse".

House Seat
The name of your castle/fort/holding. Include a brief description of its appearance and any components like escape tunnels, moats, special doors, or things like that which might bear mentioning so that it isn't godmoding if you use them in the future. Feel free to include a description of the surrounding city, though keep in mind "Capital" will be a seperate section entirely on the future sheet for those accepted.

House Heirloom
The item passed down from father to son, or mother to daughter or whatever, in your house. This is usually a weapon like a sword or axe, though houses with more scholarly or magical origins pass down books, dowsing rods, harps, scythes, and other various items. Though small houses and great houses alike have heirlooms, the heirlooms of great houses are typically much older, and usually enchanted somehow. Such enchantments should be included in an indentation and not present an advantage so great it can be relied on to win every battle.

House Themes
Imagery, symbolism, and themes you’d like to use. This will essentially act as a guide for people writing dream-posts aimed at one of your characters, or symbolism to foreshadow arcs and events you have in mind. This can be as simple as a list or as complicated as mine, or even more. Go nuts, you crazy kids.

Capital City
A brief description of the city surrounding your House Seat.

Banner Houses
The low lords sworn to your house. Whether or not you include brief descriptions is optional, just include things most would know: Their name, and perhaps their sigil, with occasional information on especially important banner houses.

House Members

Picture goes here. If you're using one, use a real picture (Google "Medieval faceclaim" or "Period faceclaim" or something like that. Some characters will have weird facial details not transferrable to readily-available pictures, so think of these as castings of Ardacia if it were a book; Similar and about what you’d expect from the written description, but kind of shinier, and trimmed of a few details.

“If you choose to give them a quote to reflect their personality, make sure to use it at some point in a solo post or collab.” – Deadbeatwalking

Name
Include titles. Heads of house are kings or queens, their children are princes and princesses, their siblings/cousins/distant relatives are lords and ladies. If you absolutely have to have a character with a famous nickname, try to have only one or two at most.

Age
It's basically the medieval times, so let's say the old age death limit is 70, and anything after that is pushing it.

Loyalty
Their house should be the first thing on this list, unless they've been disowned or something like that. After that would either be a woman's maiden house or any order that character is a member of, such as priesthood or knighthood.

Appearance
A description of their look, style of dress, and anything you'd notice being face-to-face with them. Gait, smell, hyperbolic comparisons, and so on.

Personality
Your character's mannerisms, traits, strengths, weaknesses, and so on. Include private details, and remember, the more realistic this person is, the better. Every member of your house should be a full-fledged person and not a two-dimensional caricature. Keeping in mind the setting, remember that there are few people who are completely good or completely bad.

History
As brief or as long as you'd like, describe your character's life. If you're using this sheet you're already accepted, so don't worry about giving me an epic ballad of life events for your ten-and-two princeling. If they've all had uneventful lives (boo) just give a bulleted list of tidbits of their history that reinforce their personality.

Map

Themes

Power
Our story takes place during an interregnum, or a period of time where leadership is either changing, unclear, or missing. This is based on ASOIAF's power struggle after the death of Robert Baratheon, which is modeled after history's Great Interregnum. Much like ASOIAF and the Great Interregnum, the roleplay will have strategic weddings, betrayals, and be severely impacted by religious groups; history had The Holy Roman Church, Westeros had The Faith of The Seven, Ardacia has Yevism.

Tradition
In precarious times, people tend to either reaffirm their faith in moral codes, or abandon them completely. Such is the case in Ardacia, where the south sees waves of growth in panicking converts to The Church of Eirtu, and the north deals with mobs of rioting peasants who believe their world will soon end. The systems of order preserving humanity are being broken and rebuilt left and right.

Adapting
To put it bluntly, characters who survive are ones who adapt to the changes in society. Those who publicly go against the changes to tradition happening, such as race mixing in The Sylvain and the unquestioned legitimacy of King Valdemar in Edontas, usually find themselves with new enemies. In terms of imagery, many of Ardacia's wild animals are cited as being "fouler than they were ages ago", the implication being that only the strong survive in Ardacia.

Passion
Within all the scheming, plans, and politicking of the world, the one variable that can quickly turn the tides is passion. Love causes men to do irrational things, though this is not always romantic love -- The love of a new leader commoners share, The love of a land that is not one's home, The love of someone that a character can't be with, all of these things can undo plans laid by others seemingly out of nowhere, or beget new courses of action. Think Lysa Arryn and Petyr Baelish, Robb Stark and The Freys, Jaime and Cersei, and The High Sparrow and, well, peasants.

Light and Darkness
Duality's a cool theme, alright? I've been told Ice & Fire is already taken, so Night and Day will be the opposites invoked in Ardacia. Right off the bat, Ardacians worship the light in the darkness (The moon), there's a house whose schtick is riding nocturnal bats, another house founded with a glowing fort, and an ancient religion of sun-worshippers being revived, and brought from the darkness. See? Themes. Additionally, they're situated at the north pole, so whereas Westeros's geography was not-Britain, ours seems to be more like not-Greenland. As a result, the shifting seasons have much longer days in the summer and much longer nights in the winter, as well as occasional dancing lights in the dark skies in northern winters.

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IC Information

Timeline

The First Age

The First Age

Also called "The Age of Beasts", this time in history refers to the centuries and centuries of history before the arrival of Ardall the Great. Though most of it is lost to time, scratchings in stone tablets, ruins of structures, and runes etched into the walls of shallow caves still give historians a glimpse into their life. The original peoples of Ardacia are known only as "Earthmen", who lived in huts made of packed earth and straw, rowed long boats made of hollowed trees, and hunted using spears and clubs. Though it is unknown where they originated from, given that Ardacia is fairly isolated, most believe that the Earthmen are the true natives of Ardacia who simply sprung from the ground after being created by Eirtu.

The Earthmen called Ardacia "Nokulikulk", which roughly translated to "Land that is not nothing". They had two dominant religions, one worshiping the sun as a god named Kameth, and another worshiping the moons as Eirtu and Elonar. Eventually, through a war known to the Earthmen as "The Great Eclipse", the sun worshipers were eradicated completely. This war was also the first fought completely with iron weapons rather than those of stone or wood.

The Earthmen were culturally very similar from the north to the south, with minor discrepancies based on what was more comfortable for the location -- Earthmen burned dung and fat for warmth, and mostly ate roots, wild vegetables, and whatever was slow enough to hunt. Aside from Northerners additionally eating Ice Hogs and Southerners additionally eating fruit, there were remarkably few differences in Earthmen from region to region. Unlearned in the commontongue, Earthmen spoke a lost language simply called "Oldtongue", which is only known as it was described in Ardall the Great's logs; 'A harsh language of consonants and throat-clearing tones that launch phlegm from their lips.'

The Age of Beasts was brought to an end by the arrival of Ardall the Great, also called Ardall the Conqueror. Though outnumbered by natives, Ardall's use of horses, steel, and a unified military quickly allowed him to conquer the entirety of the continent in just under a decade. He named his land Ardacia, crowned himself Emperor, and appointed several of his generals as kings to rule the land in his stead.

The Second Age

The Second Age

Also referred to as "The Age of The Empire" this time frame is the smallest of the three ages, spanning only from Ardall the Great's landing in Ardacia, to the death of his great-grandson and subsequent fall of the empire three generations later. Though the shortest age, it is the most consequential in terms of innovations and inventions. The Ardacian Empire created Ardacia's first code of laws, erected mighty cities, and brought horses and an array of different vegetation to the sparse continent. Sewer systems, irrigation, glass windows, churches, knighthood, taxation, and other features of a civilized society were brought by Ardall as well, though glass making was technically brought by Hasin al Jakosh'ei, one of Ardall's generals. Whether it is said Ardall was kind or cruel is hotly contested, though few argue that the man was not a genius.

Ardall was not the only great innovator in the ranks of Ardacia's imperial family. His son, Gideon Arda, created The Mage's Guild and perfected the Ardacian Calendar, and his son, Terrance Arda, made it his life's work to create wells in each of Ardacia's inland towns, from the largest cities to smallest villages. It was not until the fourth Emperor, Brandon Arda, also known as The Crow King, that Ardall's legacy would come to an end. Whereas his forefathers built aqueducts and charted the movement of celestial bodies, Brandon's only contribution to the Arda legacy was the Ashen Arena, a massive coliseum built of huge slabs of black stone in the imperial city.

Famous for his comically mismatched gladitorial combat, Brandon frequently pitted clergymen, politicians, and members of his small council against one another, or wild beasts. Few dared speak out against his bloodlust for fear they would be sentenced to his vicious games next, though this was put to an end after Brandon famously had his aunt, the imperial treasurer and a widely loved philanthropist, face a dire crocodile in the Ashen Arena. Gertrude Arda's death is considered the catalyst for The Great Uprising, as each of the seven royal families were either connected or indebted to her at some time.

One by one, great houses began to form alliances and rally their banner houses, creating a unified army three times the size of the Imperial Army, which had already suffered a lack of support and funding to pay for Brandon's arena. After three years of siege, The Crow King earned the moniker he would have in death, and was forced to walk off of Crow's Cliff by his usurpers. With the Imperial seat empty, it was decided by the great house leaders that none would sit on it -- Ardacia had already known one leader who grew mad with power, and there was no reason to try with a new line. From this point on, the lords of Ardacia styled themselves king, and The Age of The Empire was brought to an end.

The Third Age

The Third Age

Also called "The Age of Kings", this was Ardacia's longest age, spanning from the end of The Great Uprising to very recently -- The Disappearance of Elonar. This age has had few technological advancements, though it has seen the most change in great houses and low houses alike, from lines being ended in conflicts to lands and titles being given for deeds. With the removal of the empire, the vast churches and temples created for Ardall's foreign god were refurbished for the worship of Eirtu and Elonar, while Imperial laws were simply altered to give the Yevist church the power once held by an emperor. During its time it was known as "The Age of Ashes", named for the frequent bookburning of Imperial texts and decrees, as well as the destruction of the few outposts that had been loyal to the empire during The Great Uprising.

Aside from the revival of Yevism and the abolishment of many Imperial laws and customs, The Third Age is known for its distaste and denial of magic, and seemingly every branch of spirituality that is not Yevistic. Many Imperial records, texts, and scientific discoveries have been lost to bonfires set immediately after the end of The Great Uprising. Despite the passionately anti-Imperial mindset of the era, some traces of Imperial culture still shine through today -- The eggs of black hens are considered unfit to eat by many for no reason other than "wholesomeness", for example, though the source of this superstition lies in the Church of Staloth, Ardall the Conquerer's faith.

The Age of Kings was brought to an end with the destruction of Elonar's Moon, a month prior to the IC starting. Some argue that they live in The Fourth Age, The Age of Eirtu, though others argue that it is not worth considering due to the imminence of the world ending. Regardless, The Age of Kings was not ended by the folly of a king or war with another nation as many predicted it might, but the actions of celestial bodies and man's superstitions surrounding them.

_{Is it a symbol for the start of the renaissance? Is it a symbol for the collapse of tradition? You decide!}

Glossary

Geography

The Isle of Gideon
The location of the Imperial Capital and the original seat of House Arda, named for Ardall's son born on his ship during the voyage. Geographically, it is the small island in between The Island of Bread and Ardacia itself. Its western port is guarded by Red Brothers, who are responsible for the upkeep of the Island of Bread and the transport of its prisoners.

The Windwall
Also known as the Windwall Mountains, the Windwall is a mountain range that spans from Kedoren's western shores all the way to the Vaincur territories in the east. The most important feature of the Windwall is its ability to transform the violent northern winds into arid, warmer gusts of air called Eirtu's Breath (foehn winds). This makes the regions south of the Windwall signficantly warmer, while the northern side is frequently pelted by snow and rain. Also of note are the rich deposits of ore and stone quarries that can be found throughout the mountains.

The Island of Bread
The Island of Bread was cleared of trees by Ardall after his landing and turned into a massive farm that became the breadbasket of the Imperial City and a major food source for all of Ardacia. After The Great Uprising, it was essentially abandoned and used as a colony for criminals, political exiles, and the diseased. As it was cleared of trees by House Arda for farming, the only vegetation left is the overgrown remnants of Ardall's farms and a few sparse trees grown from seeds carried by bird droppings. Despite its name, most sentenced to live in it starve, giving it the nickname "The Island of Dread".

The Mottem Expanse
The Expanse is a massive network of subterranean caverns and tunnels that run throughout the mainland underground. These caverns and tunnels are (for the most part) filled with Saltwater rivers and streams originating from the Sunrise Ocean, and in addition to potentially connecting several different regions is connected to the Western Ocean by means of Lake Tunis and several canals in Caerulmoste. The Expanse is populated by a number of brigands and piratical thieves uniformly identified as 'Mottem Madmen.' Infamous for piloting oreboats in pitch darkness in order to get the jump on unwary subterranean ships, they occasionally plague mainland settlements by visiting the surface via undiscovered cavern entrances.

The Singing Sea
The northern sea of Ardacia, named for the creaking whines of ice floes pressing up against the coast. According to cave writing from The First Age, Earthmen believed the whining noise was caused by the souls of sailors trapped under the ice -- This tells us Earthmen believed in souls and were able to craft sails. Beyond The Singing Sea lies a massive ice mass simply known as "The Frozen Sea". In the summer, fall, and spring, northern sailors are sought after for their skilled abilities to maneuver around the thousands of ice floes in the singing sea. In the winter, the singing sea has too many ice floes to dock ships, and either freezes over and connects to the frozen sea sea or becomes an unsailable slurry of ice and brine.

The Frozen Sea
The frozen sea, as most refer to it, is the planet's northern cap. Contrary to popular belief, it is not an icy landmass, but a single glacier that has remained frozen since the beginning of the first age. It is devoid of all life -- there are no animals, plants, or minerals to be found, simply miles and miles of unending flat ice. All Ardacians who have studied The Frozen Sea return snowblind and and missing more extremities than they have kept.

The Conquerer's Sea
The southern sea of Ardacia, named for Ardall the Conquerer's first arrival in Ardacia's southwest region. It is considerably less choppy than The Singing Sea and The Green Sea, but not as pleasant as The Sunrise Sea.

The Green Sea
The western sea of Ardacia, which lies on the border of Kedoren, The Sylvain, and Westport. It is somewhat choppy and has many points of shallow water, making it difficult for inexperienced sailors. It is saltier than the other seas, and as a result, ships that wreck in the green sea do not wash ashore.

The Sunrise Sea
Named for its views of the eastern sunrise, this is Ardacia's calmest sea, known for its fishing and many trade routes.

The Hall of Earthmen
The "Hall" as it is called, is a short canyon on the eastern edge of Kedoren and western edge of Vaincur, modified by Earthmen to provide shelter from the harsh northern winds. Fifty-six room sized pockets have been dug out of the canyon and walled with mud bricks, the least deteriorated of which have small vents near the top for smoke. It has been used historically to host armies, plague victims, and prisoners.

The Great Rhaetian Wall
To the North, along the very border of the Kingdom, is a mighty wall that stretches from coast to coast. Three times the height of a man and studded every two hundred meters with small towers, a fort every kilometer, it is a feat of engineering that separates Rhaetia from the rest of the continent. Built by the Imperial Army during the early conquests of Ardacia, it is now falling into ruin in some places. The existence of the Rhaetian Wall and the difficulty in manning its whole length has created significant problems for travel and trade in peacetime, and the Wall is such an annoyance in that regard that its mere existence is what drove for trade via the Mottem Expanse to become commonplace as its subterranean rivers are the only straightforward means of circumventing the wall along most of its length.

Yevism - The official and less common name for The Church of Eirtu, named for Eirtu's supposed prophet during The Age of Beasts. The faith's essential beliefs are that Eirtu is the divine creator of the world, who watches the world from the moon with his wife Elonar, the second moon and goddess of Yevism. Whereas Eirtu is prayed for generally everything, Elonar is specifically prayed to for women giving birth, children who are ill, and the survival of crops -- the prayers which are most important. Yevist clergymen are known as "Black Brothers" for the colors of their robes, which are grey when they are given to them and gradually blackened with dirt and rain as the brother becomes more experienced. The leader of the Yevist faith is known as the High Brother.

House of Arda - The extinct great house of Ardall the conqueror. Their colors, orange and teal, still remain the color scheme of ancient buildings in the south. It is considered an act of blasphemy to construct a tapestry or painting of their sigil, punishable by a year of forced labor.

The Ashen Arena - A crumbling, black coliseum in a southern city that was once the Imperial city. It is seen as a symbol for the revolt of Ardacians and the wickedness of the Ardacian Empire. It is now occasionally used as a space for concerts or festivals, though its decrepit, foreboding appearance makes it unpopular for either.

The Mage's Guild - Ardacia's order of alchemists, which serve high houses and low houses loyally. A mage usually only specializes in one field, such as medicine or architecture, and so great houses usually have several mages, while low houses usually only have one or two. Despite their name, chemistry and astronomy are the closest the mages get to performing magic.
Church of Staloth - The religion brought by Ardall the Conqueror, which was Ardacia's official religion during the second age. It has a complex hierarchy of mercurial, vengeful, and frequently incestuous gods, who are said to live on the plane of Staloth. Due to the widespread bookburning and propaganda against all things imperial during the third age, few know what details of the religion are truth or lies.

Houses

House Flitton - @Deadbeatwalking
House Sable - @McHaggis
Western House - OPEN
House Osgar - @The Nexerus
House Soneillon - @Terminal
House Tyndall @Vor
House Helvetti - @RisenDead

Ardacia

Intrigue - Low Fantasy - Mature - Advanced

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For as long as men have lived in the world, there have been two moons -- Eirtu and Elonar. Eirtu has always been known as "The Great Moon" and the physical embodiment of the god of the world's dominant religion, whereas "The Lesser Moon" Elonar has faithfully orbited Eirtu as a physical manifestation of their goddess. That all changed recently when Elonar crashed into Eirtu, leaving nothing to prove it had ever existed but a sizable crater.

Predictably, the realm hasn't responded too well.

In the capital, tensions have been minimized to church leaders being busy handling the influx of converts and pleas of the frightened devout, whereas in the more rural regions of the world, low lords are being slain in the streets by hordes of peasants who believe that their goddess has died and that the end is very much nigh. With the royal army being a shadow of what it once was and practically abandoned because of the centuries of peace with other nations, chaos will definitely be one of the themes in play here.

Is this a post-apocalyptic medieval RP? No. By and large, I think most people will have calmed down about the moon exploding a few months into the RP when they've seen that the world isn't going to be swallowed into hellfire, but the point of this cataclysmic event is to spark off a power struggle that we'll deal with for the rest of the RP. Some will rise to power on the backs of those initially fearful about an apocalypse, others will use the tension to destroy old alliances and create new ones, and so on. This moon hoopajoop is designed to create the interregnum for our story that replaces Robert Baratheon's rebellion and death.

The roleplay itself will have its fair share of combat and war, but for the most part, I'd like to focus on intrigue more. "Petyr is an honorless liar" is one thing, but implying Petyr is guilty for something by saying "Surely, I hope you don't take into account Petyr's past as you cast judgement" is even better. I've seen too many Nation RP's where characters just blatantly say shit that would be taken as a declaration of war every other post, so try to not do that, unless your intention is to play a character destined to die because of their ignorance of politicking.

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OOC Information

FAQ

When will the IC be up?
Now that the OOC's up, start merging your house histories to make sense with one another, as well as finalize any of your house and nation details. We'll do this for a week or so on a piratepad and through PMs, and then I'll finalize all the notes made by adding them to the OOC -- We won't do any more worldbuilding after that, so get your ideas out there quick. I have additional ideas all the time too, but I don't want us to get so caught up in worldbuilding that we forget to RP. After that, the IC is launched! Anyway, expect it up in a week or two, depends how long it takes for us to get our shit together.

How many nations/Can I be Gandalf/Are you still accepting?
We are still accepting, and currently have 2 open slots! There will be seven kingdoms including mine, so six available slots for you guys. I was originally going for six because I was worried about the similarity between our seven kingdoms and the phrase "The seven kingdoms", but ASOIAF actually has nine so and I'd prefer an uneven number of nations, so seven it is. I don't know how many applicants we'll get, especially because I probably sound like a huge tool right now, but I'm definitely only going to accept six. Also, the only options to play are the great houses of nations. You could be a small house of a small nation, but the point is, no solo characters like pirates, politicians, mercenaries, or travelling wizards and other folk like that.

Can my house ______?
Here's where it gets tricky. Magic is largely gone from the world, but great houses are so ancient that logically, some of them would have some magic properties. As for ancestral magic, keep it small enough that it could be denied altogether or dismissed as an excuse for something nonmagical -- Familial telepathy, Not burning, maybe even a secret were-animal house. Anyway, if you want your house to have some special magical component and you're worried that the one you've written for your house doesn't fit in, PM me and I'll take a look.

Expand on the Advanced tag?
This is the Nation RP section so to avoid any disputes, I will say right off the bat that this is an Advanced RP. By Advanced I don't mean Advanced Section, I mean Advaaaanced Section, brother. Full Hulk Hogan voice and all. I want us to all write something we're collectively proud of instead of just trying to win the most duels and claim the most land.

Expand on that Low Fantasy tag?
This is more of a personal preference I can flex GM status to enforce, but it also makes the world a more believable backdrop for human problems in human stories which is the goal. Magic is rare, shunned, and often more trouble than it's worth, while creatures that roamed the land in abundance thousands of years ago are now only found in the thickest, deepest woods where men rarely roam. There are dragons, but probably only a dozen in the world, and definitely not in our neck of the woods. On the other hand, the RP will have dire beasts, enchanted weapons, plants and animals that totally don't exist, and so on.

Expand on the Mature tag?
Roleplayerguild's rules won't allow me to straight-up say that you have to be 18 to be a part of this roleplay, so let me just give a foreword that the roleplay will deal with a lot of the same mature themes brought up in the book -- Torture, rape, murder, humilation, violence, the whole shebang. This is a story with a largely gray morality, so the lines between hero and villain will sometimes be blurred. Keeping in mind the subjects allowed, I expect every topic to be handled maturely. Having a character who rapes every barmaid they see and eviscerates every guy who says something shitty to them doesn't make them a good villain, it makes them a forced one. Anyway, lotsa dark themes inbound, though the heroes of the story will hopefully make up for it.

Sheets

Your sigil should go here

House Surname of Capital, Rulers of Nation

Your great house and nation. The sigil should be designed with this. If you can't use the program or it's giving you a hard time, PM me and I'll be glad to take a stab at it myself.

Nation

Nation Name
The name of of your nation. If your people speak a second language in conjunction with commontongue, like how not all Irish people speak Gaelic, but all Irish people speak English, give both versions of the name if it changes in translation.

Ethnic Peoples
The name your nation's people are referred to. If they have any pseudonyms or mild slurs they are commonly referred to by, add them as indents.

Ethnic Description
The physical traits and genetic similarities of your people. This can be anything from a shared skin tone, hair color, eye color, nose shape, or height. As tempting as it is, try not to design a race of beautiful, battle-hardy Ubermensch that never see a boy grow under 6'5. In fact, this is a medieval roleplay, so anyone over six feet is probably an anomaly. As for "genetic similarities", think of traits they have that are less apparent. Native Americans can't digest milk, some Tibetans can breathe easily in high altitudes, and so on.

Culture
This should be your biggest section. The cultural customs, imports, exports, styles of dress, favored foods, art, music, and other facets of your nation. Include everything from the customs (Raising hands instead of shaking them) to the reasons behind them (Originally to prevent disease, now simply customary.) If any districts of your culture are particularly different from the others, include that in indents, as well as any particular stereotypes or common views of your people. The more detail, the better.

History
The history of your nation -- Roots, involvement in The Great Uprising, the great house's founding, and so on. The seven kingdoms were originally divided up by Ardall's seven generals, though since then many have been usurped by a lesser house, so go with either backstory.

House

House Name
The surname of your ruling house. Over time and through the initial enforcement of the commontongue, all ruling houses have generally Anglican-sounding names, even if their country's native language is a borrowed European Language, Gaelic, or Welsh. If your house name is a compound word, go with something that sounds right besides in the heat of battle, so don't go with "Steelsword" or "Bloodfire" or things like that. You can sound plenty tough without being edgy: Blackpool, Thorne, and Graves are all names straight out of Medieval England. Hell, I'm kicking myself for wasting Blackpool on this example, but there it goes.
_{House Lancaster, House Tyrell, House Tooke}

House Members
The house members we’ll see. Don’t worry about listing any quadruple-removed half-cousins.

House Words
The motto of your house, which encompasses their values or general theme somehow. Try to keep it short -- In ASOIAF, the longest house words were "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" and "Though All Men do Despise Us", the latter of which is pushing it in my opinion. Include the meaning of the words and any historical importance they have. The more metaphorical they can be, the better! Also, bonus brownie points if it's not just a threat.

House Sigil
The description of your house's crest as you'd describe it to an armorer or historian. I'm not gonna make you use actual medieval terminology like "Salient Vert Ermine on a Chequey Field" because I'm not a complete nerd, and also because I don't want to call my house's bat sigil a "Flintermouse".

House Seat
The name of your castle/fort/holding. Include a brief description of its appearance and any components like escape tunnels, moats, special doors, or things like that which might bear mentioning so that it isn't godmoding if you use them in the future. Feel free to include a description of the surrounding city, though keep in mind "Capital" will be a seperate section entirely on the future sheet for those accepted.

House Heirloom
The item passed down from father to son, or mother to daughter or whatever, in your house. This is usually a weapon like a sword or axe, though houses with more scholarly or magical origins pass down books, dowsing rods, harps, scythes, and other various items. Though small houses and great houses alike have heirlooms, the heirlooms of great houses are typically much older, and usually enchanted somehow. Such enchantments should be included in an indentation and not present an advantage so great it can be relied on to win every battle.

House Themes
Imagery, symbolism, and themes you’d like to use. This will essentially act as a guide for people writing dream-posts aimed at one of your characters, or symbolism to foreshadow arcs and events you have in mind. This can be as simple as a list or as complicated as mine, or even more. Go nuts, you crazy kids.

Capital City
A brief description of the city surrounding your House Seat.

Banner Houses
The low lords sworn to your house. Whether or not you include brief descriptions is optional, just include things most would know: Their name, and perhaps their sigil, with occasional information on especially important banner houses.

House Members

Picture goes here. If you're using one, use a real picture (Google "Medieval faceclaim" or "Period faceclaim" or something like that. Some characters will have weird facial details not transferrable to readily-available pictures, so think of these as castings of Ardacia if it were a book; Similar and about what you’d expect from the written description, but kind of shinier, and trimmed of a few details.

“If you choose to give them a quote to reflect their personality, make sure to use it at some point in a solo post or collab.” – Deadbeatwalking

Name
Include titles. Heads of house are kings or queens, their children are princes and princesses, their siblings/cousins/distant relatives are lords and ladies. If you absolutely have to have a character with a famous nickname, try to have only one or two at most.

Age
It's basically the medieval times, so let's say the old age death limit is 70, and anything after that is pushing it.

Loyalty
Their house should be the first thing on this list, unless they've been disowned or something like that. After that would either be a woman's maiden house or any order that character is a member of, such as priesthood or knighthood.

Appearance
A description of their look, style of dress, and anything you'd notice being face-to-face with them. Gait, smell, hyperbolic comparisons, and so on.

Personality
Your character's mannerisms, traits, strengths, weaknesses, and so on. Include private details, and remember, the more realistic this person is, the better. Every member of your house should be a full-fledged person and not a two-dimensional caricature. Keeping in mind the setting, remember that there are few people who are completely good or completely bad.

History
As brief or as long as you'd like, describe your character's life. If you're using this sheet you're already accepted, so don't worry about giving me an epic ballad of life events for your ten-and-two princeling. If they've all had uneventful lives (boo) just give a bulleted list of tidbits of their history that reinforce their personality.

Map

Themes

Power
Our story takes place during an interregnum, or a period of time where leadership is either changing, unclear, or missing. This is based on ASOIAF's power struggle after the death of Robert Baratheon, which is modeled after history's Great Interregnum. Much like ASOIAF and the Great Interregnum, the roleplay will have strategic weddings, betrayals, and be severely impacted by religious groups; history had The Holy Roman Church, Westeros had The Faith of The Seven, Ardacia has Yevism.

Tradition
In precarious times, people tend to either reaffirm their faith in moral codes, or abandon them completely. Such is the case in Ardacia, where the south sees waves of growth in panicking converts to The Church of Eirtu, and the north deals with mobs of rioting peasants who believe their world will soon end. The systems of order preserving humanity are being broken and rebuilt left and right.

Adapting
To put it bluntly, characters who survive are ones who adapt to the changes in society. Those who publicly go against the changes to tradition happening, such as race mixing in The Sylvain and the unquestioned legitimacy of King Valdemar in Edontas, usually find themselves with new enemies. In terms of imagery, many of Ardacia's wild animals are cited as being "fouler than they were ages ago", the implication being that only the strong survive in Ardacia.

Passion
Within all the scheming, plans, and politicking of the world, the one variable that can quickly turn the tides is passion. Love causes men to do irrational things, though this is not always romantic love -- The love of a new leader commoners share, The love of a land that is not one's home, The love of someone that a character can't be with, all of these things can undo plans laid by others seemingly out of nowhere, or beget new courses of action. Think Lysa Arryn and Petyr Baelish, Robb Stark and The Freys, Jaime and Cersei, and The High Sparrow and, well, peasants.

Light and Darkness
Duality's a cool theme, alright? I've been told Ice & Fire is already taken, so Night and Day will be the opposites invoked in Ardacia. Right off the bat, Ardacians worship the light in the darkness (The moon), there's a house whose schtick is riding nocturnal bats, another house founded with a glowing fort, and an ancient religion of sun-worshippers being revived, and brought from the darkness. See? Themes. Additionally, they're situated at the north pole, so whereas Westeros's geography was not-Britain, ours seems to be more like not-Greenland. As a result, the shifting seasons have much longer days in the summer and much longer nights in the winter, as well as occasional dancing lights in the dark skies in northern winters.

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IC Information

Timeline

The First Age

The First Age

Also called "The Age of Beasts", this time in history refers to the centuries and centuries of history before the arrival of Ardall the Great. Though most of it is lost to time, scratchings in stone tablets, ruins of structures, and runes etched into the walls of shallow caves still give historians a glimpse into their life. The original peoples of Ardacia are known only as "Earthmen", who lived in huts made of packed earth and straw, rowed long boats made of hollowed trees, and hunted using spears and clubs. Though it is unknown where they originated from, given that Ardacia is fairly isolated, most believe that the Earthmen are the true natives of Ardacia who simply sprung from the ground after being created by Eirtu.

The Earthmen called Ardacia "Nokulikulk", which roughly translated to "Land that is not nothing". They had two dominant religions, one worshiping the sun as a god named Kameth, and another worshiping the moons as Eirtu and Elonar. Eventually, through a war known to the Earthmen as "The Great Eclipse", the sun worshipers were eradicated completely. This war was also the first fought completely with iron weapons rather than those of stone or wood.

The Earthmen were culturally very similar from the north to the south, with minor discrepancies based on what was more comfortable for the location -- Earthmen burned dung and fat for warmth, and mostly ate roots, wild vegetables, and whatever was slow enough to hunt. Aside from Northerners additionally eating Ice Hogs and Southerners additionally eating fruit, there were remarkably few differences in Earthmen from region to region. Unlearned in the commontongue, Earthmen spoke a lost language simply called "Oldtongue", which is only known as it was described in Ardall the Great's logs; 'A harsh language of consonants and throat-clearing tones that launch phlegm from their lips.'

The Age of Beasts was brought to an end by the arrival of Ardall the Great, also called Ardall the Conqueror. Though outnumbered by natives, Ardall's use of horses, steel, and a unified military quickly allowed him to conquer the entirety of the continent in just under a decade. He named his land Ardacia, crowned himself Emperor, and appointed several of his generals as kings to rule the land in his stead.

The Second Age

The Second Age

Also referred to as "The Age of The Empire" this time frame is the smallest of the three ages, spanning only from Ardall the Great's landing in Ardacia, to the death of his great-grandson and subsequent fall of the empire three generations later. Though the shortest age, it is the most consequential in terms of innovations and inventions. The Ardacian Empire created Ardacia's first code of laws, erected mighty cities, and brought horses and an array of different vegetation to the sparse continent. Sewer systems, irrigation, glass windows, churches, knighthood, taxation, and other features of a civilized society were brought by Ardall as well, though glass making was technically brought by Hasin al Jakosh'ei, one of Ardall's generals. Whether it is said Ardall was kind or cruel is hotly contested, though few argue that the man was not a genius.

Ardall was not the only great innovator in the ranks of Ardacia's imperial family. His son, Gideon Arda, created The Mage's Guild and perfected the Ardacian Calendar, and his son, Terrance Arda, made it his life's work to create wells in each of Ardacia's inland towns, from the largest cities to smallest villages. It was not until the fourth Emperor, Brandon Arda, also known as The Crow King, that Ardall's legacy would come to an end. Whereas his forefathers built aqueducts and charted the movement of celestial bodies, Brandon's only contribution to the Arda legacy was the Ashen Arena, a massive coliseum built of huge slabs of black stone in the imperial city.

Famous for his comically mismatched gladitorial combat, Brandon frequently pitted clergymen, politicians, and members of his small council against one another, or wild beasts. Few dared speak out against his bloodlust for fear they would be sentenced to his vicious games next, though this was put to an end after Brandon famously had his aunt, the imperial treasurer and a widely loved philanthropist, face a dire crocodile in the Ashen Arena. Gertrude Arda's death is considered the catalyst for The Great Uprising, as each of the seven royal families were either connected or indebted to her at some time.

One by one, great houses began to form alliances and rally their banner houses, creating a unified army three times the size of the Imperial Army, which had already suffered a lack of support and funding to pay for Brandon's arena. After three years of siege, The Crow King earned the moniker he would have in death, and was forced to walk off of Crow's Cliff by his usurpers. With the Imperial seat empty, it was decided by the great house leaders that none would sit on it -- Ardacia had already known one leader who grew mad with power, and there was no reason to try with a new line. From this point on, the lords of Ardacia styled themselves king, and The Age of The Empire was brought to an end.

The Third Age

The Third Age

Also called "The Age of Kings", this was Ardacia's longest age, spanning from the end of The Great Uprising to very recently -- The Disappearance of Elonar. This age has had few technological advancements, though it has seen the most change in great houses and low houses alike, from lines being ended in conflicts to lands and titles being given for deeds. With the removal of the empire, the vast churches and temples created for Ardall's foreign god were refurbished for the worship of Eirtu and Elonar, while Imperial laws were simply altered to give the Yevist church the power once held by an emperor. During its time it was known as "The Age of Ashes", named for the frequent bookburning of Imperial texts and decrees, as well as the destruction of the few outposts that had been loyal to the empire during The Great Uprising.

Aside from the revival of Yevism and the abolishment of many Imperial laws and customs, The Third Age is known for its distaste and denial of magic, and seemingly every branch of spirituality that is not Yevistic. Many Imperial records, texts, and scientific discoveries have been lost to bonfires set immediately after the end of The Great Uprising. Despite the passionately anti-Imperial mindset of the era, some traces of Imperial culture still shine through today -- The eggs of black hens are considered unfit to eat by many for no reason other than "wholesomeness", for example, though the source of this superstition lies in the Church of Staloth, Ardall the Conquerer's faith.

The Age of Kings was brought to an end with the destruction of Elonar's Moon, a month prior to the IC starting. Some argue that they live in The Fourth Age, The Age of Eirtu, though others argue that it is not worth considering due to the imminence of the world ending. Regardless, The Age of Kings was not ended by the folly of a king or war with another nation as many predicted it might, but the actions of celestial bodies and man's superstitions surrounding them.

_{Is it a symbol for the start of the renaissance? Is it a symbol for the collapse of tradition? You decide!}

Glossary

This will be updated as we all collaborate on worldbuilding.
Yevism - The official and less common name for The Church of Eirtu, named for Eirtu's supposed prophet during The Age of Beasts. The faith's essential beliefs are that Eirtu is the divine creator of the world, who watches the world from the moon with his wife Elonar, the second moon and goddess of Yevism. Whereas Eirtu is prayed for generally everything, Elonar is specifically prayed to for women giving birth, children who are ill, and the survival of crops -- the prayers which are most important. Yevist clergymen are known as "Black Brothers" for the colors of their robes, which are grey when they are given to them and gradually blackened with dirt and rain as the brother becomes more experienced. The leader of the Yevist faith is known as the High Brother.

House of Arda - The extinct great house of Ardall the conqueror. Their colors, orange and teal, still remain the color scheme of ancient buildings in the south. It is considered an act of blasphemy to construct a tapestry or painting of their sigil, punishable by a year of forced labor.

The Ashen Arena - A crumbling, black coliseum in a southern city that was once the Imperial city. It is seen as a symbol for the revolt of Ardacians and the wickedness of the Ardacian Empire. It is now occasionally used as a space for concerts or festivals, though its decrepit, foreboding appearance makes it unpopular for either.

The Mage's Guild - Ardacia's order of alchemists, which serve high houses and low houses loyally. A mage usually only specializes in one field, such as medicine or architecture, and so great houses usually have several mages, while low houses usually only have one or two. Despite their name, chemistry and astronomy are the closest the mages get to performing magic.
Church of Staloth - The religion brought by Ardall the Conqueror, which was Ardacia's official religion during the second age. It has a complex hierarchy of mercurial, vengeful, and frequently incestuous gods, who are said to live on the plane of Staloth. Due to the widespread bookburning and propaganda against all things imperial during the third age, few know what details of the religion are truth or lies.

Houses

House Flitton - @Deadbeatwalking
House Sable - @McHaggis
House Oaken - @Macro
House Osgar - @The Nexerus
House Soneillon - @Terminal
Northern House - OPEN
Southern House - OPEN

Ѧasks

BADDA-BOOM.
Anyway, in light of the recent few drop-outs, we're accepting again, so I'll start pinging the formerly interested parties. Direction of the Razors post is up to any Razors who wanna attend, feel free to write for Jimmy. "Gruff gang guy" shouldn't be too hard to nail.

@Tuddums @Zebanamana @sakurasan

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Monday // August 16

The Goat had been on the lam for about two days, keeping low and generally not walking around Razor territory swinging his dick around. Not everybody knew he did it, but everybody who was somebody seemed to, which was unexpected but not much of a problem yet. Nobody had been looking for him, as far as he knew, leaving him to spend the past two nights maskless under a bridge. Nobody knew. Nobody would. He stopped to think on the fact that he hadn't worn his mask for two days, and though nobody had seen, what that meant. There were so many things nobody saw. Things that they couldn't.

Flashback

The factory The Bombers used as a hideout wasn't as flashy or comfortable as the catered drug den The Razors called home, but it had its comforts. Namely, the vending machines. Before it was made the official clubhouse by Rex's predecessor's predecessor, it was the home to a colony of squatters who had stored room after room with stolen vending machines full of soda lifted from a freight train, unaware that their stolen goods would be stolen by a gang before they could make use of them. The basement was somehow nearly filled with the machines Tetris-style, and one half-filled dented machine would usually stand watch at the corner of every hall. Most rooms had one or two, with an overturned machine being used as a coffee table or seat, while larger rooms kept rows lined in whatever was deemed the room's "back".

Some said it was to stay awake to be up for anything. Others said it was because their group had so many kids. Whatever the case was, the machines were far from having been used up, and the sight of two or three men in masks carrying vending machines up and down stairs was a daily occurence. The room BJ and Rex were in had four machines; Two between the windows, and one covering up a missing chunk of plaster in the wall to their right. Rex sat on the fourth machine, knocked over and emptied of its goods long ago, whereas BJ stood with his hands behind his back, somewhere between a soldier at attention and some sort of horrific satyr-waiter. Eight years had been a long time, and even though most people didn't know BJ, Rex did, and even in private, BJ just liked to stand like that. Different strokes for different folks, Rex always thought to himself about his eccentric old friend.

Rex's mask was a custom-outfitted polar bear, with no decoration other than a pair of bomber-blue framed sunglasses and a plastic golden crown, though the mask itself was furry rather than latex. He said that inside, he had fans that kept him cool, and that it had a radio and "A little polaroid with a girl that got her titties out on it.". He had light brown skin and a thick layer of black hair across his arms and legs, with scattered tattoos of allegiance from his knuckles to his neck. What's important to note is that he had a lot of tattoos, covering a lot of Rex.

The man weighed as much as a small car, and his frame seemed to spill over the edges of every seat he took. He held a can of soda in one hand, holding it with an underhand grip as if he were swirling an old cognac, while his other kept busy going in between a bag of Cheez-O's and underneath his mask in a steady rythm.

Across from him stood BJ.

It was almost comical how different they were, as if Laurel and Hardy were wearing animal masks. Rex leaned into his seat, eating, drinking, and laughing. BJ's stood as straight as a rail, and he was as quiet as a churchmouse. As always. Rex liked him, but he never liked that, and a lot of other things, about him. It was worrisome. Skeevy, almost, or at least to the jovial Rex. There had been a bowl of sunflower seeds set out for BJ -- Rex enjoyed entertaining guests even at the factory, and would always find a reason to give some small dish out at a meeting -- though they remained untouched.

"Whatsa matter? You think I'm stupid, Beauregard?"

"No, but I think this is stupid. I bet you know it is too."

BJ's golden eyes shone in the sunset peering through the windows. His rectangle pupils always creeped Rex out, though it made sense that such a person would choose such a mask. Even before the mask trend, the cajun always had such an odd way of looking at him. Rex took a sip of his coke, sighing a deep grumble to himself, and deflating further into his seat.

"I bet your palms are sweaty thinkin' about it, Reginald."

BJ's raspy drawl sent a chill down Rex's spine. For what it was worth, the pale goat across from him was right.

"That may be so, but just 'cause something's so dangerous it's dumb doesn't make it less imperative."

Rex was a party animal and a glutton, but he was no coward, and his leadership showed that. He was a first-in, last-out kind of a guy in a fight, and he would address issues if he saw them, when he saw them.

"That's very brave of you."

BJ took the seat at his side -- a ratty old armchair -- and leaned forward to pluck a few sunflower seeds from the bowl.

"Myself, I've always thought of bravery as the kindest description of being dumb."

Rex gave a chuckle through crunching up bits of Cheez-O's.

"But why lie and say it's just drugs? He probably agreed to have this meeting with you in The Grotto because he's fixing to put a bullet in you. Why not have it somewhere safe so you know you won't die?" An empty sunflower seed dropped from the neck of BJ's mask as he spoke, turning to look at the last bit of sunset through the factory's windows. He hadn't noticed until then, but the sky was already dark. The sun's orange and fuschia now only covered the bottom of the sky near the black sillhouette of San Marzano's cityscape. The rest of it was now deep, dark blue.

"Everyone dies." Said Rex.

"And if people know I died trying to bring about a truce, they wouldn't just want to kill whatever pendejo snuffs me. They'd call for a fucking genocide. I'm talking lamb's blood on the fucking doors, BJ."

Rex wiped his hand off on the leg of his shorts, and took the last swig of his coke, tossing the can over his shoulder. Even at his most serious, Rex always tried to make the situation seem a little brighter.

"We'd start killing them, they'd start killing us, and even more people would die in the end."

"So why risk your life for something that might not work?"

BJ took another few sunflower seeds. His rectangle pupils now stared through the dim blue filter of twilight as the sun completed its descent. He heard crickets in the distance, unsure of whether they were outside or in the factory. Both seemed likely. In the dark, Rex's polar bear head seemed more blue than white, as the massive mexican sighed a heavy sigh.

"Why does the sun fucking rise? I don't know. Who knows, man. I'm just tired of all this."

Rex's voice ached with sincerity, and BJ turned to meet his gaze, or at least that of his mask.

"You ask me to talk to you in private just to unveil your give-peace-a-chance plan?"

BJ took another few sunflower seeds as he spat the shells out, chuckling softly to himself.

"You picked a bad mouthpiece. I don't think I've sat next to a Bomber in weeks."

"No, BJ. You're the only one who knows, I want it to stay that way. I wanted to make sure that if I die, you'll make sure anyone who knows why is dead so that world war three doesn't break out in San-Fucking-Marzano."

BJ stopped his crunching for a moment and paused to think. Mocking Rex for wanting to stop unneccesary bloodshed was one thing, but work was another.

"How will I know how to find Gary? Doesn't he travel with a pack of goons?"

"Gary's favorite goon is this cat named Timmy. Skinny guy with a tiger mask. Real fuckin' mean. He's his eyes and ears. If I get killed, find Timmy, and either get him to take you to Gary or have Gary come find you. When that happens, anyone who might've been a witness will also come with him as back-up, so you can squash all those birds at once."

Rex stood up with a heave and audible whining noise from the vending machine he had been sitting on, and dusted his hands off once again on his shorts. He didn't seem shaken, but worried for certain. He was a man who expected to be killed, and for all the laid-back traits he was known for, there was no way of thinking of anything else.

"You know what they say 'bout problems looking like a nail to the man with a hammer."

BJ pulled his rock hammer from his pocket and gave it a spin in his hands. It had a plain wooden handle, and a simple steel hammer-head attached to a wide chisel tip. It just barely shone in the moonlight, though not as much as BJ's translucent plastic eyes. Damn that mask, Rex thought to himself. Still, though BJ was a creep, he was a friend, and Rex could count his true friends on one hand.

"Thanks BJ."

Rex walked over to the window, putting both hands on the frame and leaning forward. Most of the glass had long ago been smashed away, leaving Rex's furry white face to peer out at the concrete jungle further away with a clear view.

"Glad you're taking this in stride. I don't know why, I guess I expected you to worry."

"Hey, man. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Take care of yourself."

Rex could hear BJ stand up and begin making his way to the exit. He thought that he heard a tinge of anger in his old friend's voice and knew in a way, he deserved it. Suicide was a selfish option, and what he was doing could turn out to be just that.

"You too BJ."

He shook his head. No time to start getting all sentimental. What was done was done. Rex knew he was gambling, and he lost. The cards don't always come out in your favor, BJ thought to himself. He looked up at the empty street he had been riding down. He was reaching the factory, and already, he saw familiar faces. There were scores of Bombers around, sitting on the curb or standing by rows of bikes leaning together, all headed towards the factory. Today was an important day to be a bomber. Today, they would choose a new leader.

---

Meanwhile, "Church" is in session at The Grotto. Though it is the middle of the day, the nightclub is packed. Rows upon rows, pews, banquet halls of Razors mingle within the club's pink velvet walls, buzzing with feverish life. The few windows the club has have been covered with purple curtains, and the front and back doors only open for brief moments for those to go in or out.

Within The Grotto, the chaos is only amplified. Voices shout to speak over one another, and threats are fired in no particular direction. Finally, a voice louder than the others is heard, though it does not shout. It is the ring of a phone. The phone. Each voice somehow stops in unison for the phone to ring, and as if the voice of a scolding parent, ringing replaces the chaos immediately. Behind the bar, there is a hot pink telephone that has only ever had one caller. Jimmy.

After one ring, a wolf at the bar picks up the phone, and immediately presses speaker.

"Everybody here?" The wolf nodded immediately, before correcting himself and speaking up with a 'Yessir'.

"Good. Let's get this show on the road. I want to know what's going to be done."

---

The Court of The Red King

@Polybius Your character ideas have given this RP a dose of penicillin. So, I guess this is a diabetic RP.
I like both of the choices equally, so my only suggestion is to merge them. Kind of half Luke and half Han, y'know? Anyway, up to you, figured I'd bump this to poke those interested so they know I haven't forgotten this. More OOC stuff soon to come!

Ѧasks

@Esoteric Hate to see you go, congrats on the move though!

---

For the rest of you; Post will be up tomorrow! Not gonna lie to you, I had just been working on it for a few hours and my computer's automatic updates deleted it, so now I can't be arsed to start writing it again 'till tomorrow. Look forward to a flashback scene about BJ, Rex, philosophical musings, and soda. It'll be followed up with a current post where all The Bombers are getting together to vote on a leader, while all The Razors gather at The Grotto to discuss what should be done, so if anyone wants to get ready, there's your prompt.

Also, now seems a good time for a headcount, seeing as I've been gone forever. Sorry about that, I'll be avoiding it as much as possible from here on out!

Chesapeake

I made a thing, wasn't sure which tab to put it in.

Bob

Name
Robert "Bob" Harper

Age
42

Gender
Male

Ethnicity/Nationality
Bob's family tree is painted in just about every imaginable variation of white.

Physical Description
It is said that some "Age like wine" and grow more comely with age, whereas others "Age like milk" and the opposite is true. Neither can be applied to Bob, who has always been kind of dumpy and fat-faced. The beard he grows is thin and a lighter shade of blonde than on his head, so he has remained clean-shaven for nearly thirty years, save for a three-month long mustache experiment after his divorce. He is notably short for a man -- a few inches over five feet -- though his wide shoulders and stocky frame keep him from being a completely laughable security guard. He has round, soft features and squinty blue eyes. His hair is the color of hay, and is usually combed to either side to hide a small pink patch growing at the top of his scalp. He has a pretty forgettable face, and has been described on at least five separate people as "Looking Mormon". Without his uniform, he's a balding posterboy for the clothes sold at Target and Gap. With it, he's at least color coordinated.

Psychological Profile
Bob has as much tunnel-vision as, well, some kind of tunneling mole. I'm not a zoologist. Bob's life has been largely unexceptional, save for one piece of his past he is trying to reclaim: Tony. Though his son hasn't been gone for the legally mandated seven years to assume a missing person is dead, the case has been just as cold as the day it was first reported. Whether out of genuine belief in his son being alive or delusions created to subconsciously protect himself are uncertain to most, but Bob's assurance he will be reunited with his son has remained unwavering all the same.

Psychologically speaking, this is unsurprising. Bob was born to two unintelligent parents in a poor household, married the girl he got pregnant in his senior year of high school, divorced the girl he got pregnant in his senior year of high school, raised the son he had from a failed marriage, lost him, and has now worked in a dead-end field for decades from job to job. Bob doesn't have an interesting life with things to fixate on, and like others who are born into emptiness, Bob has constructed an identity for himself through his missing son; He believes he has been given his shitty life as a moral test (Some of this belief extends into his Catholic upbringing), and that his role as a Guard of Security probably means something important.

He is always the first to give a bum on the sidewalk a dollar, will always ask wobbly old people if they need help with their groceries, and so on. Aside from his role as some sort of vaguely karmic cosmic justiciar to make up for his lack of a life, Bob doesn't have that much going for him. He's aware of the unlikelihood of Anthony being alive, but his strong faith in karma and remaining vigilance on forums keep him on the path he's chosen. He strongly believes people reap what they sow, and as such, has tried to sow nothing but good in order to one day reap a son.

History
Bob was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, a town known for its scenic lake, lack of jobs, and abundance of heroin. Often affectionately referred to as "The Mistake by The Lake", Bob grew up with the same life as most lower-middle class suburban white kids in the 80's. One year he was really into Michael Jackson's discography and grabbing his crotch while he danced, and another, he wore a lot of Aerosmith shirts and bandannas. His love for bikes as a child transferred into a love for motorcycles as a teenager, and his first real dream would be to become the first Erieite to win the PA Moto-Tournament. Unfortunately, his dream would have to wait, as Bob became a father at the age of 18, and later married his son's mother in a thinly-veiled shotgun wedding. Bob and Carolyn would have difficulty settling into married life and dealing with parenthood, especially with Bob's small-town belle of a wife feeling Bob was beneath her in a way, though Bob's discomfort remained only on the surface: He had a son whom he loved, and more importantly, he had Carolyn. The three had six relatively peaceful years. Carolyn would serve Bob breakfast, Bob brought home a paycheck, and Tony watched cartoons. After six years, that would change, and Bob found himself being served with divorce papers and a note wishing him "All the best".

Bob wanted to throw himself into depression, and why wouldn't he? He had lost the wife he had only gained through the intervention of an angry father and physically peaking in high school, and he was left with a son who he loved, but acted as a huge financial burden nonetheless. Faced with succumbing to his misery or rising to the occasion, Bob threw himself into parenting his son, encouraging him to express his feelings often and fostering a love of music and art in him at an early age. He was something of a helicopter parent, but he was a good one, and in a way, that felt like it made up for losing his wife. This period of life is usually the timeframe for any of Bob's stories he precedes with "Back when things were good", and is the most cataloged in Bob's album of photos.

Six years ago, that period ended as well, when Bob received the second goodbye note of his life, which was coincidentally also completed with a remark wishing him "All the best." Tony, who had since grown into an extremely skilled guitar player, left Bob and Erie for Helstrümm and Norway. Whether Tony chose a Satanic metal band known for their cult-like following to anger his fairly Catholic father is unknown, but it is known that the band never performs, and only ever releases LP's through their website. Though the name Tony signed his note with is the name credited with their guitar (Kilroy Gnash), Bob has no way of seeing or finding his son, and is currently looking for an "in" to finding out more of them by hanging out at death-metal music stores in the town that has now become his neighborhood: Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore.