This is a world of adventure, a world of great danger, arduous quests and valiant heroes. Forever have the holders of the light fought against the creatures of the dark in an endless recurrence, cowering behind their walls until their forces allow them to push monsters back to their dark towers, as the power of the gods grow and wane.
Yes, forever have these tides passed repeated, and forever shall they continue, as the gods above and the gods below spin in this danse macabre.
However, mankind was nothing if not ingenious, and eventually, by gathering fragments of messages left from ages past, they learnt of this and started to prepare for the inevitable fading of their gods.
"If a Hero is what we must wait for, let us create a hundred of them, so that light will never fade!"
And so was built the great academy of Merek'Norr on the archipelago of Ra'Nuil, lost in the Umbdar Ocean, far enough from the cities of man that even should this plan fail, the Academy would survive the fall of civilisation.
Yet, this was an unneeded precaution, as as soon as the dark came creeping out, its students sailed across the sea to beat it back, and chased the monsters back to their holding before the kingdoms suffered.
For once not beholden to the mercy of the gods any longer, the holders of light knew an unprecedented age of peace that still looks like it will last forever.
However, not all is good for those living in this time of light, as those who were once necessary are now seen with distrust if not outright hate. Such is the fate of the Keepers of Gray or, as they are more commonly known, the Gravediggers. Once welcomed as the only ones who could assure a peaceful rest to the dead in the inevitable slaughters of the Passing Tides, they are now viewed as harbinger of ill luck, carrions that despoils the dead...
There is no longer a place for the Gravediggers in this world of light.
Or at least, this is what your elder told you. But you refuse this! If the world doesn't need you as you are, you'll just have to change as well! And what better place for it than the Academy itself?
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Anyway, where were you born?
[] You were born a human in Emoulin
[] You were born a changeling in Emoulin
Emoulin land of honor and chivalry. Forever have your countrymen lived under the protection of the Fae and the spirits of the wood. Oaths have always been the knight's strength, as well as the commoner's, and so lies and outright deceit are foreign to you, as breaking a contract with the Fae has dire consequences. Sometimes, the people of the wood decide to take children and replace them with one of their own, be it to take a more active part in the human's politics, or simply for their own amusement. Still, as it was necessary for their survival during the passing tides, this is seen as a necessary evil, and Changelings are accepted with respect, even if this respect is mixed with doubt and fear.
[] You were born a human in Endercross
Endercross, pearl of the desert. Endercross, city of hope, city of light, city of magic. No doubt owing to the fact that it was actually built above a rift to an infernal plane. The city's prosperity was built on an ocean of blood as adventurers ventured deep into the abyss to come back bearing artifacts of incommensurable value for their rich masters. Nowhere in the world is the separation between the poor and the powerful more marked, as those living in the lower levels must risk their life to venture into the rift to own enough to eat, while the viziers in the higher spires send even more adventurers to their death in their political games. Still, if you have enough money, it probably is one of the best place to live, as no other place can create their golems servants and living prosthetics. They don't work anywhere but in this city above the rift, but, assuming you have the means to, why would you want to leave this beautiful place?
[] You were born a human in Amessa
The Theocracy of Amessa was once the last bastion of the light, where all lived in accordance to the gods' will. However, as the influence of the gods was discovered, the theocracy's influence waned until it was on the cusp of being annexed by its neighbours. This misery pushed its inhabitants to deny the gods and start to develop a theory on how the world came to be if they didn't exist. After nearly a century of research, they are now the only nation to rely neither on the gods nor magic, and their mechanical birds and black powder weapons are more than enough to secure their country from the prying eyes of their neighbours.
[] You were born an elf of the Frozen Forest
The Frozen Forest, while nominally a bastion of the forces of light, has always been so far away from everything else that it isn't really known whether or not they actually fought against the dark. Reclusive and secretive, the elves are as immutable as the eternal ice their forest is made of, and have little use for the fallacies of civilisation. It is rare to see one of them out of their forest, and even rarer to see one allowed entry once he left.
[] You were born a human in Svartfald
[] You were born a svartalf in Svartfald
Svartfald is a city state in the far north, on the edge of the Umbdar Ocean. As their land allows for little yeld, they have become raiders to ensure their sustenance. In this age of relative peace, they are starting to turn away from piracy to become mercenaries, and wouldn't say no to a return of the old cycle. While they are holders of the light, the people of Svartfald are those closer to the dark. The many minerals of their unforgiving land and the need for good steel for their raids have created a tight bond between the humans and the svartalf, and underground species of small humanoid beings gifted with a gift for all things that have to do with metalworking.
[] You were born a human in a Rinagi caravan
[] You were born a corcitura in a Rinagi caravan
Once, the Rinagi empire was the greatest bastion of humanity. With their magic, they bent the spirits to their will, and created sprawling cities in the jungles now known as the oozing marshes. However, in their arrogance, they destroyed everything they created, and were left bereft of allies when the time came for them to beg for help. Alone and broken, they suffered under the thumb of monsters, until a great leader, a man with the soul of a beast, led them to freedom. Sadly, their earlier sins were not forgotten by the other kingdom and, using the nature of their leader as justification, they assured that never again shall they empire rise anew. They are now reviled nomads, holding proudly on the memory of their great culture for it is the only thing they have left. The time they spent under the dominion of the dark left their newborns susceptible to the attention of spiritual monsters, and it is not rare that one borns with the body of a human, but a soul that isn't. These individuals are known as Corcitura and are reviled, as in their impotence, they blame the one who saved them as the one responsible for their situation.
Why have you come to the Academy?
[] A Gravedigger needs heroes to bury and this is where heroes are.
[] Honestly, you just want friends
[] No one ever said that a shining sword couldn't be replaced with a sharpened shovel. You will be the greatest hero!
[] This actually is a good question. Wasn't this boat headed to Maath?
[] Write-in
Are you a boy or a girl?
[] Boy
[] Girl
What is your name?
[] Write-in
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Quick memo for the origins:
Emoulin = Knights and Fae and Geasa, oh, my!
Endercross = Arabian nights themed dystopic medieval cyberpunk megalopolis on a literal portal to hell.
Amessa = Leonardo da Vinci is squatting your cathedral. He did bring cool toys, though.
Svartfald = Do what you want 'cause a viking is free! You are a viking!
Frozen Forest = You have your bow and a knife. You don't need anything else.
Rinagi = The villagers from these old vampire movies.
This is a self-indulgent generic Fantasy that will probably heavily take from light novel conventions (I mean, it's set in a high school academy for Heroes so they can beat the Demon Lord whenever he comes back). Don't count too much on the "Original" tag.
The story can be either light and fluffy or dark and edgy, depending on the choice you make in the few creation posts. It can also become a strange mix, don't hesitate to mix and match.
You character will be created over the course of a few posts, so don't panic if there aren't all the options yet.
Ah, and if you think this isn't light novel-ish enough, at first I wanted to name this thread "I'm a Gravedigger? But I don't want to bury my friends in this fantasy Academy for heroes. Hopefully the Demon Lord will hit snooze", but I wasn't sure it would fit and it was very silly.
