ShwiggityShwah

Lets Play in Elysia - A Shwah 1x1 or Group Interest Check

Changed the Intro

:: Dragon Heart ::

@Hitman@Raijinslayer@Quincy@Esran@pkken

Two shots rang out and struck two of the downed men. Pox heart leapt into his throat as he thought the worst. "NO!"

Just then, the light of the shot spread to the two downed men and they winced, trying to get back into some semblance of lucidity. "Wha-Wha?" Said one. "Ugh, it hurts... but-" Said the other now working to get on their hands and knees.

Pox was relieved, and confused. Mostly confused. He looked... he knew there was someone there, and even in the crosshares he could sense that they were being watched, it could shoot him now, and yet. Yet it was helping them. Healing at range. That was a neat trick. But- but why? Why try to aid the enemy. Pox's already low opinion of his comrades sank more. Was this just a diversion, risking their lives. "Here! Quickly! Follow me!"

The men looked at the weird bird masked man, not knowing him. "Who the hell are you!"

"Guys over here! Hurry!" One of Pox's rescues was waving them over, safely around the corner of a building where three others were recovering.

That was enough, their comrade giving them orders was a good enough reason to trust Pox, and thankfully they could move on their own. "Keep your head down, they've got Marksman Magic!" He had to shout, another powerful blast ripping through the battlefield, casting dust and debris nearby. It was a warzone!

Safely behind the corner, the speculating began. "Bastards blew up the cart! There goes our loot!"

"Who knew they had magic that powerful! We didn't even see them!"

"How did they know we were there? Scrying magic?"

"I don't think it was them..." Pox was already looking back, there were more victims, and the battle itself could mean their allies being in trouble. Pox had to get involved. Had to stop this before the town was roped in.

"What do you mean, who else could it be?" Hard to believe your own guild would sacrifice you.

Pox didn't have time to answer, he moved around the building, hiding, looking out for the sniper and getting closer to the fight. He could help the Spiders if he got close enough... but why should he? Dragons were here to help, their magic showed that. How should he play this?

Monster Girl Mecha Academy... in dead-space.

@Foster

"Look me in my optic nerves and say that!"

Monster Girl Mecha Academy... in dead-space.

Kind of want to make a scientist that safeguards genetic data, but he himself is a brain in a jar.... basically he plugs into synthetic bodies and mech suits.

Lets Play in Elysia - A Shwah 1x1 or Group Interest Check

It took forever, years of saving but you finally did it. Your very own airship.
The solar sails are made of Essence Silk and sparkle when it catches the light. How you know it works, said the salesman. The cabin is a sealed environmentally controlled home, allowing for off the current travel through the stars. He through in near a months worth of rations, just to seal the deal.
You can go anywhere with this thing.
Now for the biggest question of all?
Where will you go?

The Glass City and make a fortune chiseling enchanted jewels among the Quartz Weavers.

Or the Celestial Grove where the spirits are said to frolic with those who visit their forests.

Or join the Lunar Confederation Fleet as they fight back against the Tiger Dominion. They could always use another hero.

Maybe you can start over on Riza Secundous. The Terraforming Spires have just been raised and they will be looking for new colonists.

Anywhere.
Can you imagine?

---

~Elysia~

Elysia is a place of gods. Not just humanity’s gods, but all of them. They created a pocket universe where they themselves might mold and play with creations. They’ve stolen worlds, entire civilizations in order to fill their playground with more. More planets to craft into their image. More mortals to accept worship. They’ve been doing this a long time. Hundreds of species. Thousands of worlds, all impossibly compact in a universe limited by a roiling mass of inescapable void. There is no escape, and over time, people stopped trying.

As expected, things work differently in Elysia. This realm of the gods. Spirits are a very real thing and have helped shaped cultures. They are composed of Essence, an element of dynamic energy that permeates all the corners of creation. Mortals have long since learned to attune themselves to this substance that defies scientific laws and have been able to harbor magic as a result. But this is a gift not given equally. Some species and empires grow to become arcanotechnological powerhouses, performing wonders unimagined, with ships capable of sailing from planet to planet on the currents of a star’s light. Others still beat rocks together and widdle spears, knowing very little of the spirits that extort their worship. A long time has passed, and can happen to knowledge over time.

Elysia though, is not a safe place. The Star Gods are titanic creatures, too huge and too alien to even notice the mortals that stare in awe at their magnificence. Their lesser gods and spirits all have motivations and personalities that run the spectrum of benign to terrible. Less spiritual threats, is Elysia itself. Filled with life, and strange worlds, many of them are innately hostile and still people find reasons to fight one another, for profit, resource, or ideology. Finally, is the great enemy, the universally feared Demons. Monsters not of Elysia that can creep in from the shadows, anywhere, anytime. Their forms are beyond measure, each more fearsome than the last. They want nothing more than to tear Elysia apart and feast on the souls of people.

That is the main things every civilized member of Elysia knows. Other than that, each world is different. Different histories, rules, technology, culture, flora, fauna, features, or magical connection.

Technology

Technology
Elysia is a universe of technological wonders. Artificial planets, star siphoning megastructures, and Airships that can carry entire civilizations can be found in the oldest and most powerful empires. However this is more the exception than the rule. Technology and knowledge is jealously guarded by those that have it and so, for every world that has all of its needs met with automatons and colossal 3D printers, there’s fifty or so other worlds that have to do things the hard way with technological levels ranging from futuristic to before stone age. Elysia has it’s dangers and the universe is by no means united. Even the gods themselves have their petty squabbles, with entire worlds ending up as lifeless husks as collateral damage, great civilizations dead, their knowledge lost.

The main sources of travel are airship. The most basic are more like sailboats than proper spaceships but once again Elysia gets strange. Even portion of space has atmosphere and there is a river of wind simply called, the current or the breath that connects many of the worlds. The more expensive use chemical fuel, then plasma drives, Essence Sails or even FTL Drives, capable of crossing Elysia in minutes rather than weeks. Armor and armament also range greatly as well with different pros and cons for each.

If you are a fan of Star Wars, you know that some worlds are Metropolis trading hubs for entire sectors while other worlds, though inhabited are pretty much nonexistent when it comes to ships, laser weaponry, or self sustaining cities.

In a civilized portion of the universe, most folks will at least have a universal translator and smart phone.

Magic

Magic
Magic is the effect of Essence, a type of dynamic energy that permeate all of Elysia. It is directly related to the gods, as they themselves are just solidified patterns of Essence. Essence can be focused to do pretty much anything, as it carries a bit of that divine spark to create and thus whenever something wishes to go against the designs of physics and reality, magic is generally required.
Magic is most commonly found as part of technology, using arcane components and magical materials to accumulate, channel, and focus the Essence into magic. All of these ‘Artifacts’ require a source of Essence, which is typically from another type of Artifact made for that purpose.

Magic can be shaped on a personal level but invariably involve an individual ‘awakening’ themselves to feel the essence within and around them. This can be done in a myriad of ways and all of them require dedication and discipline. The most common is through spiritual devotion. Mediation, communing with spirits, or purifying ones self through acts of faith usually attract minor gods and spirits which share their powers. Other ways are through intense study, learning about the metaphysical theories and applications and attempting to apply those theories through dangerous experimentation. Others are through sheer force of physical will, pushing their bodies beyond limits until they break through their own thresholds and awaken themselves. Most are incapable of putting in the effort required to Awaken themselves and then undertaking the study or practice needed to implement the Essence into magical effects such as spells, pranas, techniques, or charms. Like everything else, the more one practices, the better ones gets at controlling their Essence, and the more they can call upon for greater effects

Elysia's Stellar Empires

Below are an example of some of the more prominent mortal Entities in Elysia

The Tiger Dominion

An Example of Tiger Dominion technology and theme, James NG Art
Primary Race: Human
The Tiger Dominion survived the calamity a thousand years ago, and survivors clinging to what remains of South East Asia. The landmass would not have been able to support life were it not for the quick actions of the god Father and his pantheon of spirits. The humans here became dependent on the spirits to keep them alive, and thus the populations broke apart into dozens of tiny cults, each praying to their own god. These were the ancestors that eventually formed the Noble Houses, the ruling body of the Tiger Dominion.

The Tiger Dominion is an Ogliarchy, with the heads of the Noble Houses all having a say in how the Dominion conducts itself. The Emperor acts as mediator when the Noble Houses cannot agree on matters of policy. Outside of these acts of governments, the Noble Houses have set up a system where they obtain a monopoly on all aspects of life for its citizens. One cannot get two separate things without negotiating with the merchants and suppliers of two houses. The actual Nobles are almost above the laws, and will flaunt their wealth often by creating custom robots, altering their bodies with cybernetic enhancements or getting mutations that show aspects of Earth's old animals. Those that are not sponsored or adopted into the Noble Houses are barely considered citizens with very little of their own rights. The create a culture of competition and efficiency so that those that are talented rise above those that are meant to wallow in the dirt. Aliens are also considered outsiders until they can prove their usefulness.

The Tiger Dominion are opportunist and expansionist. The recent power vacuum of Elysia has put the Dominion on a path of conquest. Anything to benefit the Houses.

---

The Lunar Confederation

An Example of a Confederation City (Inspiration is Very similar to Mass Effect)
Primary Race: N/A
Earth's Moon actually survived the calamity, being taken by Father moments after the Demon weapons devastated the Earth. The Moon was set adrift, it's hab blocks and hub cities actually supporting the population as it floated on the currents of Elysia before it was set to orbit over a gas giant. Materials for survival were mined from nearby asteroids and bartered for by sympathetic spirits. Religion was never as important as industry and survival since resources to maintain the old systems were always in critical supply. And then the refugees of the Castian Seven Currents War reached their door step.

Their first contact with xenos came in the form of Frigates filled with refugees, fleeing the conquering armada of the Castian, a militaristic race seeking to become an empire. After some time to learn how to speak to the other, the Lunar Humans learned of the coming problem. They were instrumental in the counter attack and defeat of the Castians as it was their leader (possibly one of the first human Exalted) that managed to gather and create an alliance with six other smaller empires and coordinate them to become a fighting force. Since that day, the Lunar Confederation was born, and the fates between the Lunar Humans and those aliens have been entwined ever since.

Lunar Confederation Space is a combination of a number of different species and acts as a council Democracy, with each representative acting in the 'best' interest of their species or planet. There stations and cities are crowded and homogeneous as different needs require different facilities. Bureaucracy's are in place to establish order and regulation, but it takes a long time and things do get lost. Its an inefficient system, but all are welcome in their space.

---

Merico Industries

A Merico Exo-Mobility Suit Design
Primary Race: Merico Autonomous Employee (scrolling down and you can see some other potential models for sale, whether they are Employees or Customers. (The surgery and digital spiritual upload costs extra)
Merico Industries is a Mega-Corp, a stellar empire in its own right, that functions more as a buisness entity than any kind of governmental system. They are the current leading producer of Vehicles, Robotics, Communications, and Computer systems. Their friendly Super AI, KI-75 or Kits, is the most well known being in all of Elysia as she is the operating system for many networks and computers throughout the civilized and Advanced planets of Elysia. Her smiling friendly face and cute (consumer tested) visages are plastered on every Merico product and she is the star of many a hologram advertisement and commercial. While customer service and a facade of family friendliness epitomizes all of Merico Industries public standing, the reach and power the company has is almost unfathomably vast and tabloid articles abound of dirty dealings, back room deals, and crimes against sentient life. Merico Industries is a buisness first, and a race second, and it runs with an almost cold robotic fluidity past the smiling faces.

While Merico Industries employs across all non hostile races, the founding race itself is all presently synthetic and save a rare few dissidents, are all considered employees of the company. Merico had developed a way for codifying and digitizing brain and soul and thus the race has long since discarded their frail forms for more fashionable and functional automaton chassis'. Fads, upgrades, and advertisement campaigns focus and target the Merico as much as they do other races, and having a shiny new body is just as socially important as position within the company. Not properly representing the companies newer models shows unsatisfactory faith and commitment in the company's products and is grounds for warnings, suspension, demotion, or worse. Unlike droids, a Merico chasis is designed to hold a mortal soul, and thus are more alive than a truly synthetic being, even if the same benefits and limitations apply.

---

The Fae'Rin Ascendancy

A moderately intact Fae'Rin Observation Post
Primary Race: Fae'Rin
The Fae'Rin are one of the first races to have inhabited Elysia. They have been involved in every major conflict, and were the favored species of a particular potent Star God. They had a culture of rigid order and discipline, with portions of the population born into specific tasks and purposes and meant to fulfill that purpose. Their technology was incredible, almost to the point that it can not be replicated. Their magitech can almost be considered alive, buildings and skyships almost grown rather than made. Their legions of intricate golems and awakened intelligence automatons fulfilled all the purposes of labor, meaning that the Fae'Rin could focus on artistic pursuits. There is very little in Elysia that has not been touched by these curious and enigmatic peoples.

Then Oblivion happened, all of the gods of Fae'Rin's pantheon were killed, and the civilization was brought to near extinction leaving only their cities and tech behind. Only a handful survived the initial battle and the race will soon be extinct

Empires pick through their achievements like vultures on a corpse while the survivors struggle to cope with their loss and keep their shattered culture together. The cities and stations however are not entirely uninhabited. Fae'Rin Automaton still patrol and defend these places of wonders untold- and where Oblivion had touched, it left its taint behind in the form of terrifying Void Walkers. Tomb Raiders beware.

---

Hello Fair Reader

This is an interest check for a player or players to have a story in this universe. The universe is designed to have any kind of setting, any kind of genre and theme, but enough of a fantastical element that things like boundaries or limitations need not apply. Consider this universe a sci-fantasy. Where elements of super science mix with elements of magic, that world in parallel and in tandem with each other. The universe however is not safe and a million million little dramas can happen across its expanse. I’m offering a personal character driven story in a vast, epic scale, shared setting, but different themes, plots, and genres within that setting. Im letting players build their own stories with Elysia as the backdrop. If you have a background, Elysia can easily incorporate it. I’m even open to having multiple 1X1 stories collide, all of it acting within the same universe.

What I’m looking for.
Either a small group, roughly 5 players public or 1X1 private PMs to keep track of them easier. I don’t believe in limitations on writing. Things can be light hearted and whimsical, or deep dark and primal. It’s a universe where anything and everything can happen. Feel free to talk to me about what is okay or not, but I’m hoping for partners that share the same willingness to let a story evolve organically. Specifically I’m looking for:

• Casual/advanced players.
• No one liners. I will get super bored very easily.
• Those that ask questions, offer suggestion, and try to grow the universe in their own way.
• Mature audiences, but its okay if you aren’t 18, just let me know.
• Friendly players willing to talk out their issues.
• Patient players, I can’t dedicate everyday to the site.

For a small group Post here if you’d be interested. We’re going to discuss which scenario we’d like to try or adventure we’d like to go on before I start worrying about types of characters and their sheets. Generally I’m pretty open to concepts and backstories. This RP is supposed to get weird.

For a 1X1 PM me your interest so we can tailor a story together and talk about developing the character. Romance and other interpersonal dramas are encouraged but not necessary. Again, I don’t believe in limitations to writing. If you need help, ideas, pairings, or discuss further just let me know. If you desire a specific pair, I've most experience playing a male... but I'm pretty much going to the narrator for the majority so I'm playing a bunch of characters. A story world needs to feel alive.

---

Current Scenarios
With More to Come Later

Abandon World

Genre: Apocalyptic Survival
Themes: Steampunk, Zombies, Wilderness Survival, Tough Decisions, Horror
Comparable Media: Frost Punk, They are Billions, Revenant, Kagami of the Iron Fortress
Something terrible has happened. Nuclear War. Alien Invasion. Robot Revolution, Spores fall from the sky turning all you hold dear into mindless killing machines. You’re either one of the last survivors trying to keep your group safe, or you’re just trying to save your own sorry hide. Technology and Magic can’t save you, but it can help. Extra points, the calamity is causing crucial systems to fail, meaning the environment wants to kill you too. I’ve an idea for a particular planet with this one that delves in Steampunk, but this could easily be on a space ship that is filled with something particularly nasty.

Grab your Gun Space Cowboy!

Genre: Space Western
Themes: Soft Sci Fi, Space Ships and Space Battles, Crime, Hi-jinx
Comparable Media: Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Firefly, Cowboy Bebop
After a life played hard, played loose, or played badly, you lost it all. Now all you have left to your name is a spaceship and two dreams. Make a lot of money and have some F###ING FUN! The scenario assumes you are a criminal, a mercenary, a hero for hire, a scoundrel, a runaway rebel, whatever. You got a ship, a bounty on your head, and you travel Elysia getting into all kinds of trouble. Sometimes you’re in way over your head, up to your eyeballs in alien monsters, but you got the freedom to deal with it anyway you can.

The Phoenix Academy

Genre: Action Adventure
Themes: High Fantasy, Magic and Monsters, Investigation, Hunting, School/Training, Self Improvement, Cyber cops, Conspiracies
Comparable Media: Harry Potter meets Monster Hunter, Blue Excorcist, Xenoblade Chronicles, Deus Ex
Your character is a training member of an elite team. Depending on the chosen setting, this could be a cybercrime police unit on a space station, the last bastion of a colony ship or kingdom that teaches hunters to brave the hostile wasteland for supplies, maybe it’s a techno-magical guild that specializes in routing out and hunting down demons. All that matters is the Academy believes in a practical approach and uses trial by fire as a way of teaching its student body and they have an eye for talent regardless of the source, meaning some very strange fellow students and stranger missions.

You are the Exalted!

Genre: Super Hero
Themes: Epic Scale, The Brave and the Bold, The Vile and the Villainous, Interstellar Calamities, Champions of Empires
Comparable Media: Green Lantern, Gundam Wing, Overlord, Battle Angel Alita, Warhammer 40k
Like the Space Cowboy but crank it up to 11! You have been chosen by the Star Gods to inherit their power or you are special in a way that makes you stand out such as a specially created AI, or a member of an ancient and powerful race. Whatever the circumstance, you are essentially a superhero in a sci fi/fantasy setting, protecting planets from interstellar horrors, powerful criminal organizations, or fellow Exalted Supervillains! Feel free to go nuts with what you are and what you can do as there are few powers considered off limits. But remember, development always makes for better story. A great point will be at the moment you get your powers, or just at the point when you start your heroic (or villainous) career. Additionally you can be something totally different, a new stellar emperor, a great admiral or general, or some champion of a race or people. The possibilities are endless, but whatever your story, it’s going to be epic!

New Life on the Back of a Fish

Genre: Slice of Life-ish
Themes: Comedy, Starting over, Displaced out of Time, Exploration and Colonization, Fish out of Water
Comparable Media: Surviving Mars, Rimworld, Monster Girls, Most Slice of Life Animes but—
You leave your life behind to hitch a ride on a new colony ship. You awaken from cyro sleep way way later than you should have. You escape some past crime or tragedy and want to start over across the universe. Your grandparents found safety on the back of a space whale, and well, just kind of built a city on it, the whale didn’t mind. What happens next? This is a series of idea that deal with the mundanity in an extraordinary world, namely less action and more drama. Explore what a world full of sci fi tech, or magic, or both could have on the regular day to day with relatable problems. Are you the new barista that just so happens to be from a notorious race of vampires? Are you a kid with dreams of being an interstellar rock superstar? Are you trying to get back on your feet after an abusive relationship and gambling debt by accepting a new job where you train supernatural creatures to specific tasks? Are you just trying to take a vacation with your friends and want to see some of the strangest places in Elysia? Etc.

Specific Plots

Frostpunk

Themes: Surival Horror
The World of Capita has long since been terraformed for habitation. A cold planet with a breathable atmosphere, the earliest settlers of the planet turned their own ships into massive Furnace Generator Tower that when fed with fuel were linked to a complex network of steam power hubs and heating pipes. It was this network that was interlaced throughout the planet that allowed the pioneers to push back the cold and forge the nations as they are known today, all clambering for prestige, resources, and military power.

When first colonizing the world, it was discovered that every decade or so, the nearby planet of Fecundus, a planet completely enwrapped in colossal flora would bloom, sending clouds of seed and spores so vast they affected the weather of not only its own planet but other planets in the star system. Swept up in Elysia's Current, the spores would on occasional fall on Capita, causing choking weeds and resiliant plantlife to grow on whatever warm soil it touched. While this was the cause of many asphyxiating deaths and famine on Capita in the past, the present day Capitans have developed techniques, structures, and technology that deals with the plague of spores, mostly by burning them before they even take root.

The last Spore Storm was different. Never before had the spores reacted the way these did. Not only did it grow on soil, it grown on, and inside, people. It didn't just kill them, that would have been a mercy compared to what came next. The roots connect to the central nervous system, burrowing into the brain. Madness beget mindless savagery as the 'Shamblers' would seek out and attack the uninfected. As the cities devolved into madness and carnage, the generators failed or overheated and exploded. The cold retook the planet, killing farms and people that initially survived the outbreaks. This was a blessing in disguise. The plants couldn't root in the cold, but only fire could kill the spores completely. For that reason, survivors piled into anything capable of trans-versing the snow and ice and headed towards the poles. All of them seeking the last few generators that could hold back the growing chill in the air.

You are a survivor aboard the Dreadnaught Overlord, a rolling tank as long as a battleship. It's unlikely that the Shamblers have developed a way to get into the monster of steel and brass and smoke, but you share the space with 500 other cold and hungry survivors, all of them had witnessed the grisly death of loved ones and had their lives turn into that of merciless horror. That is not to mention the heart of the Dreadnaught, the ever starving furnace that demands coal, wood, anything that can burn. Supplies are low, morale is low, hope is low.

What will you do?

The Last Scion

Theme: Political Intrigue
The Tiger Dominion is one of Elysia's super powers. The thirteen Noble Houses all command entire worlds, each with their own economic, military, and political might. An opportunistic and expansionist empire, they seek to conquer all of Elysia underneath their banner, offering security for obedience and tribute. The Noble Houses all add to the Dominion's power, and yet they all compete with each other for greater control of the vast empire. The Dominion has grown too big and the Houses too greedy, it is only through the wisdom and power of the Emperor that civil war does not break out.

The Emperor however is getting old, and everyone knows it will be time for another to step in. All the Houses covet the throne, and are willing to do anything to get it. The Deliberative of the Houses becomes a bloodbath of candidates and the empire nearly tears itself apart with unrest. The usual electoral process. After the smoke clears, a lord is chosen, causing the other houses to seeth in rage and bitterness. Veiled threats are given and the rumors of revolution spread.

Our story begins when the Emperor is assassinated.

One character will be the son or daughter of the Emperor whose life is now on the line as your entire house become subject to attacks both subtle and blunt. Civil War breaks out and you are surrounded by enemies. Do you try to ally with one of them, using wit and promise to secure an alliance? Do you flee the Dominion, ask the bitter and conquered to help you reclaim the throne in your family's name? Or do you personally just swear revenge, and may the empire burn in your fury.

In a Group RP, one character will be the scion, the others will be their closest allies. Body Guards, Confidants, other nobles that are in or swore allegiance to the same Noble House, champions of the people trying to bring down the Oligarchy, or stranger allies still, say a Space Pirate Captain whom owed the Emperor a debt.

Political Intrigue and Space Battles Abound!

The Marauders

Theme: Space Western
Alot of folks don't quite fit in with normal society. Maybe they lost their family, their home, their liberty, maybe never even had those things in the first place. They act out, criminals, terrorists, revolutionaries, when they dont die for a cause they end up on a ship and fly to the rims of Elysia. There the rule of the stellar empires are tentative at best. The laws of strength, the laws of the gun rule out here. There's alot of things to be afraid of this close to the Void, but those that survive here are some of the toughest bastards you'll ever meet. And better yet, they roam in packs.

Space Pirate Gangs, Raider Tribes, Scrappers, Crime Syndicates. Alot of times it just isn't worth flying to the mysterious planets on the Rim, but occasionally there comes a fleet that makes a name for itself, so much that even those in the Inner and Core worlds hear about them. There's always some corporate big wig, some royal usurper, or treasure collector that has got the money but no desire to do the work themselves. They always look for talented expendables. A bit like the Marauders. They're Mercenaries, Free Booters, Corsairs. They hold the name and affiliation, but every ship is as different as the crew flying them. Many crews act more like pirates, slavers, raiders others work with a bit more morality, but just a bit. They fly, fight, whatever all for profit, for whoever pays the most and even then, if they don't like the job, they don't have to take it. Complete freedom.

Sometimes though a job comes around that you just can't refuse. A little too interesting with a bit too much money at stake. Where the risk is worth it.

Like Firefly and Guardians of the Galaxy, you are a member of the crew, no doubt with a colorful past. Ship's been contacted with a job, seize a piece of tech from some salvaging operation. Seems simple enough. Things get more complicated when you find out just whats inside of it, and just how many people want to get their hands on it, whether for the money or for their own nefarious ends.

Dragon at the Gates

Theme: Tales of Legend

The most terrible demon that has ever entered Elysia... Oblivion... A whirling mass of darkness. Of nothing, deeper than the void. A hungering cloud that slowly eats worlds down to the Essence of their rocks, and leaves them as lifeless husks only filled with the screaming souls of the lives stolen. Angry, dead, unnatural things spring out from its mass, seeking more to drag into the ever ravenous mass.

It is only Demons that will have the empires of Elysia forget their differences and join together in the defense of their homes. Even the Star Gods gather with their pantheons, ready to defend themselves against the only things that threaten their immortality. The Celestial Fleet and their deities gathered in defense of the Kalfka System and its Twelve Billion Souls.

It failed.

Three Star Gods, and a million ships, an entire civilization; wiped out against an endless tide of undeath and other horrors that lurked in Elysia, waiting for their time to strike. Oblivion feasted, the Sector was lost, and each empire weakened to the point of fear and paranoia. Faith and trust fractured, the alliances dissolved, and the Empires returned to defend their space, hoping against hope that their end will come later rather than sooner. All seemed lost.

And then another Star God, Karis'Anya, The Spear that Sparked the Dawn finally revealed herself, an immense dragon made of starlight. Her purview of Justice, Light, Protection, and Righteous Battles; she claimed the system next on Oblivion's Path, bringing with her the remaining mortal might of a dozen races. Her priests spoke that she had a way to fight the darkness, and she beseeched her brethren to join her in a final push, but even they the gods above gods turned away, afraid to meet the same fate as their brave siblings. The other empires were called to join in the cause, but like their divine masters, none can see the point of this. If the greatest armada in all of Elysia, even the gods themselves couldn't stop Oblivion, what hope is there for one and her rag tag defenders?

As the skies darken with the coming of Oblivion and its horrors, that is where our story begins. You are involved in this defense, maybe survivors of the Kalfka sector that have nothing left but revenge, maybe brave residents whose planets are next on the menu, maybe warrior priests of Karis'Anya's martial cult, maybe Exalted Champions of other empires who wanted to take another shot and slaughtering demons, or maybe mercenaries considered crazy enough to take on this job. While it seems hopeless, it turns out the dragon is not just blowing smoke and she stalls the advance, leaving the scattered armies and navies to defend the six planets of the system and the civilians there as lesser monsters assault the system.

You distinguish yourself and are given a secret mission. Convincing the other empires and gods to join the fight, a task just as perilous as being on the front lines. Demons will hound your steps, war profiteers will try to stop you, mad scared kings will try to silence your voices of bravery. It is your success or failure that will determine the fate of Elysia.

The Sanctuary

@Glyph

Aww thanks! Come onto the discord so we can yuck it up

Wanted: dnd 5e fantasy romp with allowed homebrew

@lunarius@Violent Violet

Sure sure just send me your character sheet.

The Sanctuary

Mirithal

"Where there is life there's hope, and life is everywhere."

Name: Mirithal the Nidhogan

Appearance:
As it can change form, it does adopt a few consistent depending on what it faces. It also can make a smaller more approachable avatar, see the Manipulation Magic below.

Forms

Description

Age: 339

Race: Veidish

Height: 12 feet at the shoulder, slumped on four legs usually.

Weight: About 4000 lbs (Weight of a Tree)

Composition: Its most common form is a creature that cannot be confused as anything else than a being composed of bark plates mixed with all manner of plant matter writhing underneath the bark like internal organs. Everything only looks vaguely organic in shape but the wood can grow, be reabsorbed or shape itself at will, forming limbs and appendages. Only the head seems to retain a shape for any stretch of time and it looks like a artistically modeled mask of twisted warpped wood that only slightly looks like a face but with near two dozen slots for eyes and no mouth. Its mouth is actually a series of mandibles composed of grinding roots and snapping flytrap leaves. Thankfully this is hidden underneath its' 'face'. Generally the moss and leaves on its back supply it with nutrients and it will sit in water for drinking. While it can grow edible fruit and seeds, it flatly refuses to eat them.

When it uses another form, the bulk of its matter is left behind as a husk, appearing to be a heavy piece of wood sculpture.

Personality: A gentle giant. Wise as it is childish. Strong as it is fragile. Destructive as it is innocent. Approaching with hands open, the Nidhogan will claim you as a creature worthy of life and protection, tending to your needs for life. Attack with the fires of rage and fear, and it will be as if the very earth itself will rise to snuff out the embers. The Nidhogan is a creature of extremes, and it knows not of restraint, save for its infinite mercy and forgiveness for the ones who let their fury subside. Indeed, the Nidhoggan has no memory of such grudges, instead indulging in the love and joys of life itself. How it does so is potentially dangerous to those nearby.

The Nidhogan is completely alien to most other civilized species as it does not seem to have the same mannerisms, motivations, and cultural identity, more or less deciding things on a whim. It has habits of trying to understand and mimic other cultures but utterly fails to understand the subtleties. As a being of life, the concept of death and heavens and even the gods are difficult for him. Even when something stops moving, it just fades and becomes flowers and grass and trees

Additionally, the Nidhogan is unpredictable. It seems to react like a dog would. Against rage, anger, fear, it responds in kind. Against gentleness and compassion, it responds with affection. At times it seems distracted. Other times it seems to talk to itself before wandering off on some errand. It claims that it hears voices and knows the names of very prominent gods and demons but fails to grasp what they are exactly.

Persona

Gender: Fluid, it will take on the gender of its form and normally isn't concerned with what it's called. Like most plants, it has male and female parts.

Sexuality: Poly-amorous. It is attracted to others by biochemical signals they unleash during emotional states. Like sunshine, it is attracted to positive emotions.

History: The creature was not born. It was made. Maybe it was a tree given life and sentience. Maybe it is alike an elemental. Maybe it is but a golem of wood. Who can say really other than Nidhogan itself.

What it believes happened was that something created it. Its faded, but it was something with hair and two legs. That's what it thinks. And when its creator finished with it, the creator seemed to not really know whether Nidhogan was what it wanted and so, it abandoned the Nidhogan, leaving it more or less to its own. At that time, it was more a beast. It grazed, it hunted, it chewed on trees, and it swam in lakes. It was an aimless monster, at many points running into the other civilized races and attacking them. It became a creature of myth. It chewed at the Roots of the Tree in Salern before being driven off. It tried to smash the machines of Arkon before they burned a forest to kill it, only to see it douse the flames with dirt and root. It fueled stories and became just another reason not to go in the woods at night.

One such event in its life, the Nidhogan approached a plume of smoke and stumbled upon a camp of soldiers. The siege camp of some crusade that had reaped the land of life in their petty war and fire. The nation and the peoples, unknown to the Nidhogan. These squishy races were to be feared, feared as they attacked the creature. Now, it watched, it watched as hundreds of souls smelled the red of hate and anger. The Nidhogan lost control, it roared, bellowed across the forest, its truest power unleashing as the forest itself followed it in a tide of wood and thorn. The army was slaughtered. The survivors spoke of the forest attacking, and the only rational explanation was that some sorcerer of their enemy made this happen. The war and crusade escalated elsewhere, but when the forest reclaimed the land on that bloody battlefield, the Nidhogan’s rage subsided.

During the battle, the Nidhogan braved walls of fire and fields of metal thorns. Its wood burned, its bark lashed with blade, yet it fought like the elements have come alive in fury. It fought with the forest behind it right into the heart of the army, right towards the sorcerer priest that had led this bloody campaign. Their battle was a clash of titans, and at some point, the Nidhogan had received a terrible wound by the priest's enchanted staff jabbed into its neck but ultimately the giant felled him, crushing the priest's unholy body under its bulk.

The Nidhogan changed that day. The staff lay still embedded in its form, its shaft woven impossibly among the creature’s girth. Through it, it heard whispers. Through it, the Nidhogan felt other colors. It had other thoughts. The Nidhogan as a dumb animal heard those whisper and learned things over the decades. It attempted to copy what it heard. It went to places, using might and magic to destroy or create at its whims, incidentally answering the prayers of one person or another.

Eventually the Nidhogan began to understand civilization and itself as a person, of sorts. But finding no home among others. It experienced loneliness but its power allowed it to grow and manipulate life. It experimented with this power. It made things of plants, with voices and minds all their own. With no concept of family, sometimes these early Veidish went on their own, other times they stayed together. There was no purpose to them nor was their great wisdom to guide them. The Nidhogan only made these beings cause he could and being not much more intelligent than the beings it created, despite its longer life and divine voices. It was the blind leading the blind. They were like a gaggle of children, creating, watching, playing, learning, together with no supervision. At last, the Nidhogan was no longer truly lonely.

Yet the voices continued, and so did the Nidhogan grow as it has always done. It desired what other creatures had. It desired a place among them, it desired great homes, be surrounded by ‘family’. It wanted to be hear the colors of green and yellow. It wanted to know what gods were, and magic, and love. But still, despite going to places in need of a miracle, the creature of brambles was met with only red and purple. Thankfully other Veidish, being smaller did not have the same trouble.

It suddenly had a great idea. The Veidish should make a city! A great place where they can grow and grow and grow. Then the other creatures will accept them. And then they'll make friends. And those friends will make friends. And everything will be good and happy and fun. The Nidhogan finally made an order and all the Veidish it could find all loved this idea. They needed somewhere safe though. Nidhogan still remembered the terrible red he saw when he crushed that army, and it didn’t like it. So they all agreed to search for a home.

They split up, traveling all corners of the world. Most Veidish in their innocence forgot what they were looking for, but Nidhogan, it just grew, getting smarter and egg’d on by the voices in its head. It didn’t forget its goal. Find a safe place to build a home.

Magic:
Elemental Wood: Master
To the Nidhogan, the Element of Wood, the Element of Life is its purview and domain. Reacting more as instinct than actual spell casting, Nidhogan can make nearly anything happen as it portains to plants. Trees will swing their branches, thorn bushes grow in a moments notice, before bursting in a shower of thorns. Fungus will grow to incredible sizes and shower the land in noxious and coughing spores. Roots entangle. Moss devours. Grass slices. Herbs tangle themselves as living bandages. The list goes on, and its more than welcome to teach the Element of Life to prospective students.

Elemental Earth: Novice
As the Earth is so tied to the life of plants, The Nidhogan has slowly learned some of the spells that effect the earth. This is very limited, cracking the ground, pushing it up, smoothing it out. It uses this more for landscaping than anything considered attacks or defenses, but it does have its utilitarian uses. Shaping stoneworks for one.

Manipulation: Limited
Not really magic, but more of a way of interaction. The Nidhogan can take on multiple forms. All of these forms are limited to something inherently plantlike, either looking to be made of leaves, vines, wood, flowers, or some combination of the plant matter. Invariably these forms are mimicry of something else the Nidhogan wishes to embody. Out of its body of wood, a blossom will emerge and step out. While the husk remains inert, the blossom will unfurl into the form the Nidhogan wishes to interact as. This form is further enhanced by a type of pollen or spores which have a slight hallucinogenic effect as well as pheramonal. It allows those afflicted to perceive the plant as something more approachable. For example, the forms below,

Female Elf

Male Human

-will be more easily accepted as what it is trying to mimic, giving its form a more accepted quality, maybe even a semblance of beauty. Nidhogan uses this to interact with other creatures. It can only change when stepping back into its bulky husk.

Conjuration: Unique
While the Nidhogan has absolute control over plants, causing them to grow, bend, and act at its will, something rather extraordinary happens when the Nidhogan is grounded in a place long enough. Materials that it works on, a process described as both garden, cultivating, and pruning gain a semblance of sentience. The Nidhogan has been known to surround itself with creatures that are not quite Veidish and act more like elementals of wood and earth with their own goals, will, power, demeanor, and even intelligence. It is currently ever curious about what it can create, and has claimed that it has 'grown' or 'birthed' other Veidish in its life. With a below however it can summon these creatures, beasts, and other spirits of the forest to its service. It has only done so in times of war and great jubilation.

Skills:
Gardening, Cultivating, Wood Carving, Stonework, Medicine, Basket Weaving, Topiary, Farming, Cooking, Sewing
The Nidhogan seems a creature that hungers for the skills and talents that create. It has been asked to grow homes and build furniture with admirable gusto. It will sit itself down in sewing circles. It has constructed statues and seeded farmland. The creature is fascinated with what happens with life, love, and some other bits and bobs come together

The Sanctuary

Nidhogan

"Where there is life there's hope, and life is everywhere."

Name: Nidhogan, The Root that Marched Against the Flame

Appearance:
As it can change form, it does adopt a few consistent depending on what it faces. It also can make a smaller more approachable avatar, see the Manipulation Magic below.

Forms

Description

Age: 339

Race: Veidish

Height: 12 feet at the shoulder, slumped on four legs usually.

Weight: About 4000 lbs (Weight of a Tree)

Composition: Its most common form is a creature that cannot be confused as anything else than a being composed of bark plates mixed with all manner of plant matter writhing underneath the bark like internal organs. Everything only looks vaguely organic in shape but the wood can grow, be reabsorbed or shape itself at will, forming limbs and appendages. Only the head seems to retain a shape for any stretch of time and it looks like a artistically modeled mask of twisted warpped wood that only slightly looks like a face but with near two dozen slots for eyes and no mouth. Its mouth is actually a series of mandibles composed of grinding roots and snapping flytrap leaves. Thankfully this is hidden underneath its' 'face'. Generally the moss and leaves on its back supply it with nutrients and it will sit in water for drinking. While it can grow edible fruit and seeds, it flatly refuses to eat them.

When it uses another form, the bulk of its matter is left behind as a husk, appearing to be a heavy piece of wood sculpture.

Personality: A gentle giant. Wise as it is childish. Strong as it is fragile. Destructive as it is innocent. Approaching with hands open, the Nidhogan will claim you as a creature worthy of life and protection, tending to your needs for life. Attack with the fires of rage and fear, and it will be as if the very earth itself will rise to snuff out the embers. The Nidhogan is a creature of extremes, and it knows not of restraint, save for its infinite mercy and forgiveness for the ones who let their fury subside. Indeed, the Nidhoggan has no memory of such grudges, instead indulging in the love and joys of life itself. How it does so is potentially dangerous to those nearby.

The Nidhogan is completely alien to most other civilized species as it does not seem to have the same mannerisms, motivations, and cultural identity, more or less deciding things on a whim. It has habits of trying to understand and mimic other cultures but utterly fails to understand the subtleties. As a being of life, the concept of death and heavens and even the gods are difficult for him. Even when something stops moving, it just fades and becomes flowers and grass and trees

Additionally, the Nidhogan is unpredictable. It seems to react like a dog would. Against rage, anger, fear, it responds in kind. Against gentleness and compassion, it responds with affection. At times it seems distracted. Other times it seems to talk to itself before wandering off on some errand. It claims that it hears voices and knows the names of very prominent gods and demons but fails to grasp what they are exactly.

Persona

Gender: Fluid, it will take on the gender of its form and normally isn't concerned with what it's called. Like most plants, it has male and female parts.

Sexuality: Poly-amorous. It is attracted to others by biochemical signals they unleash during emotional states. Like sunshine, it is attracted to positive emotions.

History: The creature was not born. It was made. Maybe it was a tree given life and sentience. Maybe it is alike an elemental. Maybe it is but a golem of wood. Who can say really other than Nidhogan itself.

What it believes happened was that something created it. Its faded, but it was something with hair and two legs. That's what it thinks. And when its creator finished with it, the creator seemed to not really know whether Nidhogan was what it wanted and so, it abandoned the Nidhogan, leaving it more or less to its own. At that time, it was more a beast. It grazed, it hunted, it chewed on trees, and it swam in lakes. It was an aimless monster, at many points running into the other civilized races and attacking them. It became a creature of myth. It chewed at the Roots of the Tree in Salern before being driven off. It tried to smash the machines of Arkon before they burned a forest to kill it, only to see it douse the flames with dirt and root. It fueled stories and became just another reason not to go in the woods at night.

One such event in its life, the Nidhogan approached a plume of smoke and stumbled upon a camp of soldiers. The siege camp of some crusade that had reaped the land of life in their petty war and fire. The nation and the peoples, unknown to the Nidhogan. These squishy races were to be feared, feared as they attacked the creature. Now, it watched, it watched as hundreds of souls smelled the red of hate and anger. The Nidhogan lost control, it roared, bellowed across the forest, its truest power unleashing as the forest itself followed it in a tide of wood and thorn. The army was slaughtered. The survivors spoke of the forest attacking, and the only rational explanation was that some sorcerer of their enemy made this happen. The war and crusade escalated elsewhere, but when the forest reclaimed the land on that bloody battlefield, the Nidhogan’s rage subsided.

During the battle, the Nidhogan braved walls of fire and fields of metal thorns. Its wood burned, its bark lashed with blade, yet it fought like the elements have come alive in fury. It fought with the forest behind it right into the heart of the army, right towards the sorcerer priest that had led this bloody campaign. Their battle was a clash of titans, and at some point, the Nidhogan had received a terrible wound by the priest's enchanted staff jabbed into its neck but ultimately the giant felled him, crushing the priest's unholy body under its bulk.

The Nidhogan changed that day. The staff lay still embedded in its form, its shaft woven impossibly among the creature’s girth. Through it, it heard whispers. Through it, the Nidhogan felt other colors. It had other thoughts. The Nidhogan as a dumb animal heard those whisper and learned things over the decades. It attempted to copy what it heard. It went to places, using might and magic to destroy or create at its whims, incidentally answering the prayers of one person or another.

Eventually the Nidhogan began to understand civilization and itself as a person, of sorts. But finding no home among others. It experienced loneliness but its power allowed it to grow and manipulate life. It experimented with this power. It made things of plants, with voices and minds all their own. With no concept of family, sometimes these early Veidish went on their own, other times they stayed together. There was no purpose to them nor was their great wisdom to guide them. The Nidhogan only made these beings cause he could and being not much more intelligent than the beings it created, despite its longer life and divine voices. It was the blind leading the blind. They were like a gaggle of children, creating, watching, playing, learning, together with no supervision. At last, the Nidhogan was no longer truly lonely.

Yet the voices continued, and so did the Nidhogan grow as it has always done. It desired what other creatures had. It desired a place among them, it desired great homes, be surrounded by ‘family’. It wanted to be hear the colors of green and yellow. It wanted to know what gods were, and magic, and love. But still, despite going to places in need of a miracle, the creature of brambles was met with only red and purple. Thankfully other Veidish, being smaller did not have the same trouble.

It suddenly had a great idea. The Veidish should make a city! A great place where they can grow and grow and grow. Then the other creatures will accept them. And then they'll make friends. And those friends will make friends. And everything will be good and happy and fun. The Nidhogan finally made an order and all the Veidish it could find all loved this idea. They needed somewhere safe though. Nidhogan still remembered the terrible red he saw when he crushed that army, and it didn’t like it. So they all agreed to search for a home.

They split up, traveling all corners of the world. Most Veidish in their innocence forgot what they were looking for, but Nidhogan, it just grew, getting smarter and egg’d on by the voices in its head. It didn’t forget its goal. Find a safe place to build a home.

Magic:
Elemental Wood: Master
To the Nidhogan, the Element of Wood, the Element of Life is its purview and domain. Reacting more as instinct than actual spell casting, Nidhogan can make nearly anything happen as it portains to plants. Trees will swing their branches, thorn bushes grow in a moments notice, before bursting in a shower of thorns. Fungus will grow to incredible sizes and shower the land in noxious and coughing spores. Roots entangle. Moss devours. Grass slices. Herbs tangle themselves as living bandages. The list goes on, and its more than welcome to teach the Element of Life to prospective students.

Elemental Earth: Novice
As the Earth is so tied to the life of plants, The Nidhogan has slowly learned some of the spells that effect the earth. This is very limited, cracking the ground, pushing it up, smoothing it out. It uses this more for landscaping than anything considered attacks or defenses, but it does have its utilitarian uses. Shaping stoneworks for one.

Manipulation: Limited
Not really magic, but more of a way of interaction. The Nidhogan can take on multiple forms. All of these forms are limited to something inherently plantlike, either looking to be made of leaves, vines, wood, flowers, or some combination of the plant matter. Invariably these forms are mimicry of something else the Nidhogan wishes to embody. Out of its body of wood, a blossom will emerge and step out. While the husk remains inert, the blossom will unfurl into the form the Nidhogan wishes to interact as. This form is further enhanced by a type of pollen or spores which have a slight hallucinogenic effect as well as pheramonal. It allows those afflicted to perceive the plant as something more approachable. For example, the forms below,

Female Elf

Male Human

-will be more easily accepted as what it is trying to mimic, giving its form a more accepted quality, maybe even a semblance of beauty. Nidhogan uses this to interact with other creatures. It can only change when stepping back into its bulky husk.

Conjuration: Unique
While the Nidhogan has absolute control over plants, causing them to grow, bend, and act at its will, something rather extraordinary happens when the Nidhogan is grounded in a place long enough. Materials that it works on, a process described as both garden, cultivating, and pruning gain a semblance of sentience. The Nidhogan has been known to surround itself with creatures that are not quite Veidish and act more like elementals of wood and earth with their own goals, will, power, demeanor, and even intelligence. It is currently ever curious about what it can create, and has claimed that it has 'grown' or 'birthed' other Veidish in its life. With a below however it can summon these creatures, beasts, and other spirits of the forest to its service. It has only done so in times of war and great jubilation.

Skills:
Gardening, Cultivating, Wood Carving, Stonework, Medicine, Basket Weaving, Topiary, Farming, Cooking, Sewing
The Nidhogan seems a creature that hungers for the skills and talents that create. It has been asked to grow homes and build furniture with admirable gusto. It will sit itself down in sewing circles. It has constructed statues and seeded farmland. The creature is fascinated with what happens with life, love, and some other bits and bobs come together

The Sanctuary

I was rewriting my history when we got slammed with a project at work. My CS will be presented soon.