This is a Fantasy Quest taking place in an original universe. Before you kick in and begin, I just wanted to point a few things out:
This whole setting is a very old concept that I and several fellow players from my old forum (RPNation, for those curious,) made for a roleplay about a ragtag team of fantasy-world heroes and villains. We took some, (but not too much,) inspiration from Fable, the Elder Scrolls, and a few other fantasy series. I mean it. You'll probably notice several references to other fiction.
Other Facts:
The setting has a metric fuckton of world-building, lore, and history put into it that I and my fellow players wrote over the time of a year's time worth of detailed and expansive roleplay, but I won't bore you with the uninteresting exposition of the socio-geopolitical status of every single country on the planet. I'm not that cruel. And do not fret, because the character/s in this Quest are bound to do some epic, history-affecting shit, most likely involving the creation or dissolving of nations, slaughtering of dragons, making universal laws cry in the corner with a headache, and taking a shit on the human code of ethics.
Although the setting is firmly in place, I will mostly improvise the story and characters to create a (I sure hope,) compelling narrative based on what you guys seem to want and what you like.
If you have any questions about the universe, its functions, or anything else - ask me. There's some stuff I didn't explain in the spoiler below. Even if it isn't that pressing and is merely to sate your curiosity, go ahead.
Basic Lore Info (General, universal stuff. Don't read if you're not interested because not even this is required to start off.)
The planet the action takes place on is called Terra. The calendar works differently here: There are 360 days in a year, made into 12 months, each month (without exception) 30 days long. There are 7 days in a week, and there are always two special days per month when spiritual activity rises (falling on the 15th and 30th day of each month,) in different ways, depending on the month or day in particular. Possibilities include: the borders between the different worlds becoming thin, the moon being full, and the leylines overflowing with energy. These days are typically, but not always, accompanied by special festivals. This, too, depends on where you are.
Religious worship is as diverse as different varieties of cheese in this universe; it varies depending on the region, upbringing, needs of individuals, and occasionally even family. Sometimes, aristocratic lineages will, for an example, pledge themselves to a single, particular deity and ask for that God's protection. It is also different in the sense that the people are generally aware of the existence of many gods, and believe that hundreds of deities can exist, but they often choose to give their lives to one, or several deities in the form of a pantheon. Atheism is nigh-nonexistent, although some people go on living their lives aware of the existence of Gods without worshipping them. The Gods are also a bit more active than most fictional universes. Seeing a demigod (or a god on their own,) isn't that rare, and there's practically at least one half-divine being born each decade from some unwarranted coitus. Same goes for half-demons, who are often created by demons to act as small-scale antichrists (called "Dark Messiahs,") and start insurrections and generally fuck shit up.
There exists the metaphysical trinity of all existing beings: the body, the mind, and the soul. All are connected. Magic is realized by having the mind or body create a process (ie: an incantation, a gesture, or a thought,) intended to self-hypnotize the subconscious part of the mind into creating a tunnel to the soul through which mana may flow and create a specific effect; a spell. Mana is a special kind of spiritual substance that is literally infinite in its abundance, as it is conceived by the Elder God (an eldritch being said to have created the other, "lesser Gods." The lesser Gods are the one who created Terra and the ones that are most often worshipped, but the Elder God is an elder being capable of doing the truly impossible. He's the one who decided how space-time will work back before it existed,) to fuel the universe and its processes.
It should be noted that although not all beings have minds (like plants since they don't have brains capable of thought,) many things that have bodies also typically have a soul of some kind. When a plant dies, its soul moves onto the spiritual worlds where it slowly undergoes decay and turns into raw mana, turns into an elemental, or becomes a spiritual entity of some other kind; slowly developing a mind. A human being or other sentient creatures have the benefit of possessing minds; so when their body dies, their mind, to protect and preserve itself; leaves the brain and connects with the soul more deeply, creating a ghost that will then most likely be found by a celestial being (an angel, a servant of the gods,) and led to a spiritual world to live out the rest of its existence.
It should also be noted that souls, even those of actual mages have a relatively low capacity for mana production, even if it is tens of times bigger than that of normal people. Same applies to most animals and plants. Seeing a large slug that mutated its fluids into being magically on fire as a self-defense mechanism isn't impossible, but it's not likely either and will most likely be the result of "magical irradiation." Some beings are born with incredibly powerful souls, either as a result of eugenics between two mages, or random chance. These beings are called "inherently-talented magicians/mages," or "sorcerers."
Because even a sorcerer's ability to produce mana is limited, souls absorb mana from the environment. And most of the mana in the environment comes from the leylines and nodes; special, pseudo-spiritual cracks in the planet's soul (yes, it has a soul,) that excrete a very abundant amount of mana. Leylines open randomly and create new nodes by crossing with each other every now and then, also dying out every now and then when the planet fixes its soul up. An event in which a large number of leylines and nodes close or open up all across the planet is referred to as a "planetary magical maelstrom," or, for short, "great maelstrom," but smaller versions of the phenomenon occur called simply "maelstroms." Great maelstroms are the cause of great spiritual change, such as the unlocking (or creation) of new spirit worlds, the discovery (or birth) of new gods, or sometimes even new types of magic being discovered.
Maelstroms tend to occur randomly, like a natural phenomenon. Similar to earthquakes which are caused by the movement of tectonic plates, maelstroms are caused by a variety of different factors related to magic, such as the amount of mana being passed by the leylines, the number of souls passing through the planet at a time (violent wars are known to have caused maelstroms in the past,) and large-scale rituals (mages have been known to forcefully tear open new leylines or artifically cause maelstroms in the past for varying reasons.)
As a funfact: It is speculated by mages and prophets that the planet's soul will fully fix and stabilize itself in roughly 4 thousand years, permanently closing off all "natural" leylines forever, however, it is also believed that by then, artificial methods to open new leylines will become very common and highly available, so no one worries about it.
To stabilize the process of character creation, I advise to create plans and discuss things prior to voting. The year you were born was 230. Counted since the Ninth Planetary Magical Maelstrom.
(Blue - Winter, Green - Spring, Red - Summer, Orange - Autumn.)
The month you were born in was...
[] The Month of Time. The first month of the year, when prophets begin receiving visions of the future on the eve of the new year and write down their discoveries of the time ahead.
[] The Month of Space. The second month of the year, when entropy recedes and snow melts slowly, beginning a new cycle of life and creating space for plants and animals.
[] The Month of Life. The third month of the year, when flowers and fields begin to grow lush with flora and fauna of all kinds.
[] The Month of Colors. The fourth month of the year, when the days are long and when life is bountiful, in the very center of growth.
[] The Month of Fire. The fifth month of the year, when the Okko desert bushes in the far east set on fire and when the stars in the sky show a pathway to the future days.
[] The Month of Magic. The sixth month of the year, when the leylines explode with energy and when the sun's rays are at their strongest.
[] The Month of Entropy. The seventh month of the year, when life and magic begin to slow down and the life and magic end their peak, slowly degrading back into the other terminal of the cycle.
[] The Month of Ashes. The eighth month of the year, when life begins to age. The leaves on trees slowly pale in color and turn orange, while the Okko bushes turn into ash.
[] The Month of Water. The ninth month of the year, when waters flood the earth more often than in any other month, bringing what little salvation can be given to vegetation.
[] The Month of Demons. The tenth month of the year, when the spirit worlds begin to open up gradually and when the great archfiends of hell begin starting their annual incursions into our world.
[] The Month of Curses. The eleventh month of the year, when trees have but a few leaves on their dying branches and when animals and dragons fall into hibernation to awaken in the next Month of Life.
[] The Month of Ending. The twelfth, and last month of the year, when snow falls down from the sky and covers the earth in pure whiteness, preparing it to be reborn in the next cycle.
And you were born a...
[] Woman.
[] Man.
[] ??? (Only if you play a race that can be a hermaphrodite or that is genderless, like a blob of sentient slime, or something alike.)
As a...
[] Human.
[] Elf.
-[] High Elf.
-[] Wood Elf.
-[] Dark Elf.
-[] Desert Elf.
-[] Half-Elf.
-[] Write-in. (Elven subrace.)
[] Dwarf.
-[] Mountain Dwarf.
-[] Spiritual Dwarf.
-[] Great Dwed.
-[] Write-in. (Dwarven subrace.)
[] Write-in. (A custom race, or any other race. Maybe stuff like a half-demon, demigod, lizard-person, extinct reptilian, revenant, etc. Go crazy if you feel like you have an interesting idea.)
Your father was...
[] The ruler of...
-[] Albion. The great, contemporary kingdom composed of the three, principal isles and their surrounding annexes.
-[] Espania. The awesome, magically-advanced nation with the most expansive thaumaturgical knowledge on the whole continent of Pangea.
-[] A Mesopotamian city-state. The oldest collective of independent city-states; Mesopotamia. Your father inherited a city-state and ruled over it despotically.
-[] A northern tribe. He was a great chieftain respected by his people. He led your people to greatness for many days.
-[] Write-in. (Country name and general concept and history.)
[] A sorcerer...
-[] Black mage.
--[] Necromancer.
--[] Diabolist/Infernalist.
-[] White mage.
-[] Red mage.
-[] Blue mage.
-[] Elemental mage.
-[] Alchemist.
-[] Write-in. (Magical specialization.)
[] Rich, traveling merchant.
[] A wandering adventurer and mercenary.
[] Slave trader in the east.
[] The guardian of a forest.
[] Warrior in the army of...
-[] Pick a country. (From the list above, or write-in.)
[] Deity. (Only available to the Demigod race.)
-[] Of what? (ie: Fire, War, Love, etc. Write-in.)
[] Write-in.
And your mother was...
[] (Pick as above.)
As a child, you were...
[] Write-in.
[] The heir of the king/queen. (Only available if your father/mother was a ruler.)
[] An aristocratic child. You grew up in a large mansion or a palazzo. The most sophisticated and respected scholars came to teach you how to read and write.
[] The helper in a small shop. You were tutored on haggling and convincing customers that what they bought was an incredibly rare item and they just made the deal of their life.
[] A party trick caster. You realized small spells thanks to your inborn talent.
[] A blacksmith's apprentice. You learned how to cast iron and how to heat up a furnace, as well as how to forge iron with a hefty hammer.
[] A street urchin. Forced to steal, pickpocket, and sometimes beg for food in order to survive. You had it tough.
[] A child of the steppes. You traveled the vast lands and plains that the continents had to offer and generally stayed away from civilization of any kind.
[] A slave. Kidnapped by bandits, you were taken into their camp and then sold for 12 gold denari as a slave. You worked, irrigating the fields and reaping the crops for many days. (Write-in how you were freed as well.)
As you grew up, you...
[] Write-in.
[] Started the career of a dungeon-plundering, pirate, rogue, and handsome/seductive criminal.
[] Started your own group of bandits.
[] Started the life of a mercenary and adventurer.
[] Went to a thaumaturgical university to study sorcery.
[] Became a member of the guard.
-[] What kingdom/nation? (Write-in.)
[] Became a tamer and hunter of dragons and draconic creatures.
BASIC INFORMATION
Name: Shamash Aliases: Prince Shamash, Rightful Heir of Eridu, Heir of Wisdom Age: 21 Gender: Male Race: Demigod – Descendant of Wisdom
PERSONAL
Character Alignment: True Neutral Relatives:
Nisaba – Goddess of Wisdom – Mother
Enmerkar – Human, King of Eridu – Father
Etana – Demigod – Brother
Siduri – Demigoddess – Sister
Shala – Demigoddess – Sister
PHYSICAL
Appearance: Items & Personal Belongings:
Spell Tomes: Numerous books describing magic and its various components and theories.
Workshop: A mage tower in Eridu – It has all the typical resources and tools that a mage requires. It doubles as your 'room' and 'study' so to speak.
Rich: A lot of money given to you by your father. You own at least 500 gold denari (one is enough to buy a goat.)
Skills & Traits:
Omni-Literal: You can read any language unless it is warded against this specific ability. You also learn it instantly upon reading a few words.
Omni-Lingual: You can speak any language unless you are cursed not to be able to use this specific ability. You can also speak with animals and beings that can't understand normal speech. As long as it has a mind capable of thought, you can communicate in one way or another.
Inherent Aptitude: You learn things at least four times as fast as the average person. It becomes possible to become a trained, veteran soldier in less than two months of sword training. Just a few last years you spent as a mage allowed you to become extremely powerful.
Spells & Magic:
Scribing texts capable of casting spells.
Golem creation and programming.
Binding contract creation.
Formulation of steles, obelisks, and inlays.
Capable of channeling consciousness across long distances
Drawing up and purifying water
Making fields fertile
Concentrating magic
Erecting and strengthening stonework
Barring those unworthy of mind or spirit
Bending the paths of the winds, rivers, and leylines.
[X]Plan Sorcerer King
-[X] The Month of Magic. The sixth month of the year, when the leylines explode with energy and when the sun's rays are at their strongest.
-[X] Man.
-[X] Demigod
-[X] Your Father was...
--[X] The ruler of...
---[X] A Mesopotamian city-state. The oldest collective of independent city-states; Mesopotamia. Your father inherited a city-state and ruled over it despotically.
-[X] Your Mother was...
--[X] Deity.
---[X] of Wisdom
-[X] The heir of the king/queen.
-[X] Went to a thaumaturgical university to study sorcery.
I wanted to make something different than your usual adventurer, so went with a ruler. Originally was supposed to be a human but then I saw Mesopotamian city-states, and it just... happened.
We're a Gilgamesh expy now, with magic. Open to suggestions though.
[X] Plan King of Groves
-[X] The Month of Life. The third month of the year, when flowers and fields begin to grow lush with flora and fauna of all kinds.
-[X] ???
-[X] You are a Treant, otherwise known as an Ent. When your hermetic kind isn't tending to giant sprawling gardens and towering flowery cities, they root themselves in place and await the passage of time. You, however, are most different. You wish to wander amongst the hills and tundras, the jungles and plains, and the mountains and savanahs to explore what Nature's realm has to offer.
-[X] Though many dryads - tree spirits - accompany ents, they are not of similar origins. Ents are, as unthinking saplings, the rare few plants that survive the flood of the Leylines' power before they slowly develop into the unkillable architects they are famous as decades later, growing with time until the thousand tides of winter erode them at last. They are titanic workers of the Green magic, and their wood can be as good as steel.
-[X] Your earliest memories were that of a titanic jungle, greater than any in this world. (Amazonia)
-[X] You have wandered this continent for many years, frequenting beasts, dryads, haunted caverns and even the golden city. Your bark has become excellent armor from years of abuse, and your grove glimmers with the gold and gifts of the grateful tribes you have aided. Perhaps it is time you venture north, up the isthmus the tribes folk say there are great citadels and bloody gods?
[X] Plan King of Groves
-[X] The Month of Life. The third month of the year, when flowers and fields begin to grow lush with flora and fauna of all kinds.
-[X] ???
-[X] You are a Treant, otherwise known as an Ent. When your hermetic kind isn't tending to giant sprawling gardens and towering flowery cities, they root themselves in place and await the passage of time. You, however, are most different. You wish to wander amongst the hills and tundras, the jungles and plains, and the mountains and savanahs to explore what Nature's realm has given unto life.
-[X] Though many dryads - tree spirits - accompany ents, they are not of similar origins. Ents are, as unthinking saplings, the rare few plants that survive the flood of the Leylines' power before they slowly develop into the unkillable architects they are famous as decades later, growing with time until the thousand tides of winter erode them at last. They are titanic workers of the Green magic, and their wood can be as good as steel.
-[X] Your earliest memories were that of a titanic jungle, greater than any in this world. (South America, Amazon)
-[X] You have wandered this continent for many years, frequenting beasts, dryads, haunted caverns and even the golden city. Your bark has become excellent armor from years of abuse, and your grove glimmers with the gold and gifts of the grateful tribes you have aided. Perhaps it is time you venture north, up the isthmus the tribes folk say there are great citadels and bloody gods? (Diplomat, Green Magic, Tank)
This is good, save for the South America, Amazon part. This isn't "Earth." It's a custom world, and a wholly different universe from ours. A small name change will be enough, like, say... the "land of Amazonia," or something.
This is good, save for the South America, Amazon part. This isn't "Earth." It's a custom world, and a wholly different universe from ours. A small name change will be enough, like, say... the "land of Amazonia," or something.
[] Plan: Crazy Ice-Fire-Demon Lady
-[] The Month of Fire. The fifth month of the year, when the Okko desert bushes in the far east set on fire and when the stars in the sky show a pathway to the future days.
-[] Woman.
-[] Demi-Elemental
-[] Your Father was...
--[] A sorcerer...
---[] ...who traveled to the stormy mountains to the North and harnessed the powers of Ice and Lightning in a quest to prove he wasn't a third-rate hack.
-[] Your Mother was...
--[] A Fire Elemental
-[] As a child, you were...
--[] A mess of issues. Between a father with an inferiority complex and a very inhuman mother, your childhood was far from normal, or even healthy. The fact that your nature as a half-elemental allowed you to master magic that took your father decades in mere years didn't help at all. Your unusual upbringing has left you insane in almost all senses of the word.
-[] As you grew up, you...
--[] ... became an Adventurer and traveling Mage, picking up your father's quest to elevate the status of your family name beyond that of a linage of third- and fourth-rate hacks and charlatans.
[X] Plan: Crazy Ice-Fire-Demon Lady
-[X] The Month of Fire. The fifth month of the year, when the Okko desert bushes in the far east set on fire and when the stars in the sky show a pathway to the future days.
-[X] Woman.
-[X] Demi-Elemental
-[X] Your Father was...
--[X] A sorcerer...
---[X] ...who traveled to the stormy mountains to the North and harnessed the powers of Ice and Lightning in a quest to prove he wasn't a third-rate hack.
-[X] Your Mother was...
--[X] A Fire Elemental
-[X] As a child, you were...
--[X] A mess of issues. Between a father with an inferiority complex and a very inhuman mother, your childhood was far from normal, or even healthy. The fact that your nature as a half-elemental allowed you to master magic that took your father decades in mere years didn't help at all. Your unusual upbringing has left you insane in almost all senses of the word.
-[X] As you grew up, you...
--[X] ... became an Adventurer and traveling Mage, picking up your father's quest to elevate the status of your family name beyond that of a linage of third- and fourth-rate hacks and charlatans.
[X] Plan: Crazy Ice-Fire-Demon Lady
-[X] The Month of Fire. The fifth month of the year, when the Okko desert bushes in the far east set on fire and when the stars in the sky show a pathway to the future days.
-[X] Woman.
-[X] Demi-Elemental
-[X] Your Father was...
--[X] A sorcerer...
---[X] ...who traveled to the stormy mountains to the North and harnessed the powers of Ice and Lightning in a quest to prove he wasn't a third-rate hack.
-[X] Your Mother was...
--[X] A Fire Elemental
-[X] As a child, you were...
--[X] A mess of issues. Between a father with an inferiority complex and a very inhuman mother, your childhood was far from normal, or even healthy. The fact that your nature as a half-elemental allowed you to master magic that took your father decades in mere years didn't help at all. Your unusual upbringing has left you insane in almost all senses of the word.
-[X] As you grew up, you...
--[X] ... became an Adventurer and traveling Mage, picking up your father's quest to elevate the status of your family name beyond that of a linage of third- and fourth-rate hacks and charlatans.
Plan: The Pariah.
[X] The Month of Entropy. The seventh month of the year, when life and magic begin to slow down and the life and magic end their peak, slowly degrading back into the other terminal of the cycle.
[X] Woman.
[X] Greater Jabberwocky( An unnatural mutated and eldritch cross of Fae,dragon,elf,and whatever else inbetween)
-[X] Your "Father" was...
--[X] The ruler of...
---[X] Zomha,A mad kingdom that's using science and magic to regularly attempt to break the rules of nature and life.
[X] Sorcerer
[X] Witch doctor( Science based magic /life-Magic/Soul magic)
-[X] Your.....Mother was...
--[X] Wicca of Change
----[X] Who also specialize in voodoo
[X] The newest experiment that was subjected to all sorts of rituals.
You said you'd be glad to write any of these guys, and it'd be hilarious to see Not!Gilgamesh have to deal with the daughter of the disgraced Sage of the Winter Storms when she decides to assault his palace with the sole intent of stealing all the quill pens housed within, because she's insane enough to do that.
You said you'd be glad to write any of these guys, and it'd be hilarious to see Not!Gilgamesh have to deal with the daughter of the disgraced Sage of the Winter Storms when she decides to assault his palace with the sole intent of stealing all the quill pens housed within, because she's insane enough to do that.
Please don't make Not!Gilgamesh's life even harder, it's already difficult enough with him being the heir apparent and more work will surely lead to Caster!Gil's end.
[X] Plan Undead Mongols
-[X] The Month of Life. The third month of the year, when flowers and fields begin to grow lush with flora and fauna of all kinds.
-[X] Woman.
-[X] Human.
-[X] A sorcerer...
-[X] Black mage.
--[X] Necromancer.
-[X] A wandering adventurer and mercenary.
-[X] A child of the steppes. You traveled the vast lands and plains that the continents had to offer and generally stayed away from civilization of any kind.
-[X] Started your own group of bandits.
Born in the Month of Life, it's only natural that we then follow its natural conclusion. We were given life, so we deal in death.
Let's go make a Fantasy Undead Mongol Horde and ravage this world like the Khans of our world did to our own.
