OoC: Angel of Cherry Feathers

Angel of Cherry Feathers

Being the objective minimalist that I am, you have my deepest apologies for this whale of a post; I'm seeking fairly experienced role-players. The setting of this story will be the world of Chiheisen, which bears a good resemblance to earth's past. The highest levels of technology include single-action firearms and the recent creation of the steam engine. Humans are the only playable race, and naturally "magical" abilities simply don't exist.

((Notice I threw "naturally" in there?))

While Chiheisen mainly differs from earth in its era and geography, the strongest distinction is that of the recently discovered alloy (Discovered around eighteen or so years in the past) known as Cherryfeather Steel. It was given this name because of its extremely light weight and red hue. It is indestructable under normal conditions. Its blunts never break and its edges never dull. One who taps the power of Cherryfeather Steel is known as a Wielder.

Anyone who is touching Cherryfeather Steel is able to do various things no regular humans may perform. While in contact with this alloy, a person may revert to his or her most prime age in peak physical condition, drawing absolute strength, speed, and stamana. Any item of Cherryfeather Steel may have its mass (though not its volume) be altered by its Wielder at will, allowing the item to go from being as light as air to as heavy as a boulder in an instant, potentially creating impossibly fast and forceful strikes. In addition, there are a multitude of bizarre powers, e.g. contorting an element, breaking a physical law, or altering people's mental state, which are determined by that metal's specific shape.
((Side Note: I'd rather no two people have the same weapon/item, as that would mean sharing an ability. There is no actual order in what shapes yield which powers, so feel free to pick a creative item/ability, and pair them together. I really don't care if an object might be considered "overpowered," since that's really what these are meant to be in the first place.))

A Cherryfeather item's strength is determined by three things:
1>Its volume: The physical amount of steel.
2>Its purity: How old it is.* (This can normally be determined by color alone--darker reds being more original)
3>Its Wielder's will: Weaker willpower gives them greater strength; those who succumb to frustration, hostility, and greed are generally the most powerful of Wielders, while those with a conscience and sense of morality have a harder time tapping the metal's power.

*Only under the intense heat of a forge does the alloy become malleable. This would normally be all well and good, but there seems to be only a limited amount of it. All existing Cherryfeather Steel can be traced back to a single region around eighteen years in the past, and no more of it has been found since. Smelting the alloy into different shapes or into more/larger items is always a wasteful process, as it fractions off the power exponentially. Because of this, generally, the earlier an item with CF-steel was made, the more powerful it is.

Important:
After the story's begun, there will be two rather obviously balevolent and malevolent groups, either of which may be joined up with at any point. It may help if I were told in advance which "side" will be joined upfront, or if you'd prefer to remain independant for a while. The main focus of this story will revolve around these conflicting sides; the banevolent one trying to keep the baddies in check while searching out the alloy's mysterious past, while the malevolent folks will be stirring up trouble for an unknown goal. (I have a character "leading" each side, in a way.)

It will be important for joiners to understand the limitations of having simple humans with no naturally magical abilities, which is in part my purpose for trying the story in this way; if they lose contact with their item or weapon of Cherryfeather Steel, they'll revert to being the regular folks they were before. There will be no half-elf-half-vampire-mage-paladin-chesswizard-godkings in this one, it pains me to say. It's my belief that placing limitations on one thing can really make the creativity in others shine, so I'd love some feedback on if any experienced role-players are interested in taking part.

I think this is an awesome idea, and if no one has reserved a swords man then I will : )

This sounds great. I would very much be interested in joining; I'd probably be a gunman.

I'd like to join as well. Might I reserve chained shields?

Though, it might be easier if you gave a bit more details regarding the factions, the land, and the authority + laws that currently guides it. Some history behind all those would also help to build a foundation for an even better rp.

Those choices all work. What exactly are chained shields, though? Regarding Chiheisen's details...

Geography:
The known world's map is cut horizontally into a handful of strips determined by the land's relation to its equator. The Bright Trail is located directly on the equator, and is home to the most prosperous people and cities. The (Northern and Southern) Dim Trails sandwich the Bright Trail; they are generally colder, cloudier, and less appealing. The (Northern and Southern) Dark Trails are the furthest out, closest to the frozen poles, and are nearly inhospitable.

Ruling:
There is no central government or common regulations between lands. Areas are contained under something like a monarchy with the highest rank being that of a Warlord. Just beneath that are Noblemen, handpicked by the current Warlord, who own the individual cities. Regular inhabitants aren't actually expected to remain loyal to the Nobleman and Warlord they live under, as countless travellers go between lands too often to deal with. Even soldiers are more like merceneries, and will change alliances if another land's Warlord offers higher pay (it isn't considered an act of betrayal, just simply the more intelligent decision).

Money:
The common currency is the Guilder, a purple square of silk with golden threading. There are also five- and ten-Guilder squares, etc. Silk is associated with luxery and a higher standing in life; Warlords and Noblemen often wear silken coats and have drapes of it in their homes. Generals and traders, as well, can amass large amounts of it. The ownership of silkworms is widely prohibited.

Beliefs:
While most all believe the main religion, there are multiple variations of it. The only constants are that there are two great deities: Hiri the male, and Kara his wife. Only together could they create and shape the universe. After a fiery quarrel, the godly couple parted ways, throwing off the balanced perfection their world once held. There are differing ideas on which of them, if either, is still watching over Chiheisen. There are few practicing priests. Those remaining all have different beliefs on the reason behind Cherryfeather Steel's introduction into the world.

Ok, now all we need is a character skeleton. Everything else is fine IMO.

I don't need any profiles. The writing alone can speak for them. I'd just likea decent number of folks who won't suddenly drop out.

Chained shields are as the name suggests. Shields that are chained together. I've been testing out a character build that uses three large shields for battle and was thinking maybe I can use that build here as well.

As for dropping out... as long as people keep posting and I have material to work with for my posts I usually don't drop out. If things get slow I might be counting on you to engineer some twists or events. Unless we via non-thread master could instantiate them as well. My post rate is maybe 1-2 post every 1-2 days, possibly 0-3 posts on weekends depending.

I can agree with souleo. I try not to drop out of RPs, unless they die off slowly. As for posting I try and post when I can. My sleep and class schedule are a little weird so.