Introduction

In the centre of Thania lies its capital city, a vast, stone-walled enclosure known as Coppergate. The city got its name from the four spectacular, well kept gates that once made the city stand out so brightly, but only one of the original four remains, the city has been around for some time. It is a beautiful city, filled with artisans and traders for all four corners of the globe; some are here to stay, others vanish and return with the breeze. The Ivory Tower stands tall in the centre of the city as a symbol of Thania's prosperity and power. The ivory tower is more than just a symbol though, within the tower is the majority of the Coppergate School of Magic, an institution that offers training in the arcane arts to people of all ages and skill-sets. There are many other buildings of note, the most notable of which is probably the royal palace, where the king and his family reside. The rest of the city is filled with other, smaller buildings, which are surely important to somebody.

On the last day of every year, the festival of Saint Celice is held. The festival celebrates the victory of Saint Celice and the Divine One over Thanatos, the most powerful of the Old Gods and the god of death. The festival takes place throughout the whole day, merchants roam the streets trying to sell their festive wares, street performers impress vast crowds and music fills the air. But the most important part of the day is the ritual known simply as "Selection". The High Priest of the Divine One will stand in the city square and take 6 volunteers from the crowd, all of them teenagers, and he will provide them each with an orb. They will take the orbs to a cave in the hillside, where they will place the orbs atop small pillars and leave them there. It sounds like a meaningless task, but the orbs hold the Old Gods at bay. They will wear away at the orbs in an attempt to escape, and it will take them a year to destroy them, hence the annual renewal. The orb-bearers receive no prize other than the blessings of the Divine One in their future endeavours. Our story follows this year's orb-bearers, for not all is to go as planned; our heroes will be hurled into a world of adventure and confusion as they attempt to discover the true story behind the festival of Saint Celice.


Thania

Thania is an island off the coast of the large continent of Taakeira. Thania doesn't like to get involved with Taakeira, the most involved it gets with other countries is allowing foreigners into Thania. It is a large island with many large expanses of countryside, most of which is grassland. There are also other natural geological features such as moors and swamps among others. There are many small islands off Thania's coast, some of which are reachable at some points in the day, when the tide is out.

There are many cities in Thania, the largest of which is Coppergate. There are many small towns and villages as well, most of Thania's population live in rural areas and work in agriculture. There are also many seaside towns filled with sailors and fishermen.

Thania is ruled by it's monarchy, the Blackmore family. The current monarch is Gregory Blackmore, who is admired by the people, not only for his successful rule, but also because the Divine One supposedly chooses the monarchs of Thania. Should the next heir be unworthy, the Divine One will make it obvious. There is no record in history of this ever happening, and most doubt it will ever happen. King Gregory doesn't do everything alone; he has a council of advisors formed from clergymen, generals, archmages and other important figures. They are only there to advise, however, Blackmore can ignore their advice entirely if he so wishes, but such an occasion is rare.


Important Religious Terminology

Saint Celice - Saint Celice was the hero chosen by the Divine One to spread its word across the globe. There are many stories involving Saint Celice, the best known of which is her battle against Thanatos, the god of death.

The Divine One - The Divine One is the omnipotent being that watches over the world. It has no physical form, it instead chooses emissaries such as Saint Celice to spread its word. The Divine One is widely revered as the only true God.

Thanatos (The Black Scythe) - Thanatos is the Old God of death, and was the king of the Old Gods. He was the most powerful and his power was once said to rival the Divine One's. He was said to reap souls himself, and earned the title "The Black Scythe". During the Rebirth he battled Saint Celice, who was imbued with the Divine One's magic, and lost. He is portrayed in art as a tall, pale-skinned man with long black hair, wearing pitch black robes and a mask made of bone and carrying a scythe.

The Rebirth - The Rebirth was the final battle where the Old Gods were slain and the Divine One reshaped the Earth. The Old Gods were bound within the Earth and the ritual of Binding takes place every year on Saint Celice's day to ensure the Old Gods remain in their prison.

Saint Celice's Day - Saint Celice's day is a festival celebrated on the 31st of December to commemorate Saint Celice's victory over Thanatos during the Rebirth.

The Old Gods - The Old Gods were 6 beings responsible for creating and maintaining the Earth. They were said to barely be distinguishable from mortals, they looked like mortals and debauched themselves in a fashion similar to mortals. This was why the Divine One decided change was required. They were defeated in the Rebirth and bound within the earth. The Old Gods are Thanatos (death), Zephyr (sky/air), Syrene (moon), Pyros (sun), Gria (nature), Hydra (water). The gods had many other minor attributes, but are best remember for the ones that have been listed.

Binding - Binding is a ritual that happens every year on Saint Celice's day. The High Priest of the Divine One gives 6 teenagers each an orb which they are to take to a cave in the hillside, where they place the orbs upon special pillars. These orbs keep the Old Gods imprisoned, and new orbs are needed every year.

The Holy Church of the Divine One - The Divine One is worshiped all over the globe, and worship is controlled by the Holy Church of the Divine One. The Church is a widespread organisation that has much political power in many countries. It is based in Thania, and has the most power there.


Character Sheet

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[b][size=200]CHARACTER'S FULL NAME HERE[/size][/b]

[right][img]URL FOR CHARACTER IMAGE HERE[/img][/right]
[b]Name[/b]: (What is your character called? You can be as creative as you like, as long as their name is serious.)

[b]Age[/b]: (10-18)

[b]Gender[/b]: (This oughtn't need any explanation.)

[b]Personality[/b]: (What makes your character tick? What makes them unique? What makes them who they are?)

[b]Likes[/b]: (Just to flesh out your character's personality. You may have as many or few as you like.)

[b]Dislikes[/b]: (Just to flesh out your character's personality. You may have as many or few as you like.)

[b]Appearance[/b]: (What does your character look like? I know there's a picture, but now you have a chance to add in anything the picture misses out.)

[b]Skills[/b]: (What is your character good at? Most of our characters will either be apprentices or employed in some business, so they'll have a reasonable degree of skill at some craft. However, they're still young, so there'll be no master swordsmen or archmages. This field includes magical abilities.)

[b]Weaknesses[/b]: (Nobody's perfect; what's wrong with your character?)

[b]Weapon[/b]: (What weapon does your character wield, if they wield one? You may have up to two.)

[b]Pre-existing relationships with other characters[/b]: (Does your character have any connections to the others that go back to before the start of the roleplay? If not, leave this field blank.)

[b]Short History[/b]: (You don't need to write shed-loads, but a good paragraph would be nice. Talk about their background, what happened in their past and how it's brought them to where they are today.)

Rules

1. No godmodding without permision.
2. No autohitting.
3. No powerplaying.
4. This roleplay has a medieval fantasy setting. The most advanced weapon in use is a musket, but bows are still preferred over guns due to their higher rate of fire and reliability. The only vehicles in use are drawn by animals or people.
5. If you won't post frequently, don't join. If you're going to be away for any large period of time, let the rest of the group know so we can sort something out.
6. Subplots are encouraged, so tell us about it in the OOC if you have an idea for one.
7. The characters are all teenagers, so none of them are going to be super powerful or intelligent. That being said, I don't particularly want to see any characters who can't do anything for themselves.
8. Romance is allowed, but it's by no means a core element of the roleplay.
9. You may use any kind of picture you like for your character, as long as it's not a photo of a real person.
10. I won't accept anyone with appalling English. A few mistakes here and there are fine, but if u wrt lk ds there's not a single chance of you getting in.
11. I will allow reservations. One you reserve a spot, you have 24 hours to make your character. There are 6 spots, one of which I shall take.
12. I may allow other characters to join later in the roleplay. We'll just have to see.