The Spirit Festival OOC (Started)

In Character Thread

In the City of Yuem, a great festival is held for one week in the summer each year. During this time, the spirits are particularly close to the material world, and on Saturday, the last day of the festival, the magic is so thick that during the evening a glimmer is visible in the air. It is a time for celebration, feasting, dance, and song, as well as honoring the nature spirits. Offerings are given to them in the hope that they’ll bring good luck, health, or a bountiful harvest.

The greater the sacrifice, the greater the reward, and the ultimate sacrifice is blood. Spiritualists, those with a connection to the nature spirits and divine, will ritually sacrifice prisoners sentenced to death in exchange for the protection of the city. The spirits of those sacrificed to not move on, but roam the material world as tortured ghosts. The practice has been going on since forever, to the point that no one knows what would befall the city if it was not performed. However, some want change.

A group of revolutionaries, calling themselves Peace Sword, plan to disrupt the festival and rescue the prisoners. They are not only motivated by compassion. The festival is being attended and sanctioned by the country’s new imperialistic queen, Sila, who they disagree with politically. This monarch is a target as well.

The World

Country: Zaster
City: Yuem

The Queen: The new queen of the kingdom of Zaster took power almost two years ago after the death of their relative, a queen called Hishu. The monarch almost immediately began building up an army and conquering small bordering countries.

Nature Spirits: The souls of the trees, earth, water, and air. Angered or mischievous spirits bring blight, sickness, bad luck, and bad weather, while gentle ones bring the opposite. They can be swayed by shrines and offerings. They are rarely visible.

Anima: One week during the spring, where the spirits are closest to the material world. They are particularly present at certain areas, such as Yuem.

Spirit Festival: The Spirit Festival is a celebration for honoring the spirits. On Saturday, the last day of Anima and the festival, human sacrifices are made by spiritualists.

Spiritualists: Those through training or birth that have a particularly strong connection to the spirit world. Their sacrifices and rituals have more influence than the average person’s will. They can pray directly to the spirits in order to gain their blessings, or to curse others. Spiritualists are particularly known for healing the sick, being able to see spirits, and exorcising evil spirits. The spiritualists of Yuem practice their art at the unimaginatively named Yuem Temple.

Note: Spiritualists are not D&D wizards or X-Men. Though they can very quickly communicate for a spirit and ask for something simple, like directional guidance, anything else requires time to perform the necessary rituals, meditate, pray, and so on. Their powers are not quick or devastating enough to do much in a combat situation. A spiritualist can make it rain, curse someone with illness, or bless armor with a special protection. They cannot throw bolts of frost, blow off someone's arm, or create a force field. Their powers are connected to their religious practices and social position, so they are all aligned with the Yuem Temple.

Peace Sword: A group of revolutionaries ideologically against both the sacrifice of people during the Spirit Festival and the new queen’s warlike ways. Both plebeians and dissatisfied nobles have contributed to it. They plan on disrupting this year’s Spirit Festival, rescuing the prisoners, and attacking the monarch, if given the chance.

Rules

I’m not going to put up any typical rules like, ‘no godmoding’ because I’m going to assume that everyone knows general RPG etiquette. If you don’t, then this RPG is not for you and I would suggest testing the waters in some RPGs more suited for your skill level. I’ll only put some rules that are generally variable between RPGs.

-Try to post every two or three days. You will be contacted if there is too long in between posts.

-If your character is having a conversation with another character and doing little else, short posts are understandable. Otherwise multi paragraph posts (they don’t have to be huge) are appropriate. By the same token, do not create huge posts laden with so much detail it is frustrating to read.

-Keep an eye on the OOC thread.

General Notes and Other Requirements

+This RPG takes place in a pre-modern fantasy setting. No guns, cars, and so on. No references to things that would only exist in this world, like Canada.

+There are no races, per say in this RPG, but feel free to make your character look however you want. The head of a lion? Pointed elf ears? Purple hair? Scales? Knock yourself out. This is a faerie world, and some of the rules of logic can be suspended in this area. No supernatural abilities, however, unless your character is a spiritualist.

+You can make as many characters as you want, but you can only start with a maximum of two in the beginning, to prove you can handle multiple characters.

+You cannot use a drawing for your character’s appearance unless you drew the image or someone else drew it for you. As a bit of an artist myself I don’t support using work without an artist’s permission.

+I will be making a summary of the events of the RPG so far in this thread for the convenience of those that want to join later on.

+On that note, you can join at any time throughout the RPG. If a huge amount of people join (I doubt this will happen) this may change.

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Note: We now have all the minimum amount of characters to start with.

Before the RPG can start, we’ll need at least one character from each of these groups. This would be in the ‘Position’ section on your profile. You do not have to be one of these, however! Just make sure that it is clear how your character, whatever their Position, connects to the overall plot. For example, your character could be a member of the nobility that supports the monarch.

Monarch (Only one…Once we get one, we can finally start calling the monarch a king or queen!)
Revolutionaries (At least 1)
Spiritualists
Guards of the monarch and/or city (at least 1)
Prisoners (at least 1)

Remember that you cannot use an image that does not belong to you for your character's appearance.

Code: Select all

[b]Username:[/b]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Position:[/b]
[b]Sex:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Sexual Orientation:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]History:[/b]
[b]Other:[/b]

Position Count

Queen: 1
Guards and Soldiers of the Monarch and City: 1
Spiritualists: 2
Prisoners: 1
Peace Sword Revolutionaries: 2
Other: 0

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Username: Nils
Name: Cassan
Position: Spiritualist
Sex: Male
Age: Early 30s
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Appearance: Humanoid, 5'8''; thin, angular, and wirey. He has dark brown eyes. His cheeks are shadowed by a perpetual stubble that darkens a sharp jaw. He carries himself with the carefree panache of someone much handsomer, but his composure is all vanity considering his average looks. As is common among his people, his thick black hair, which grows from his scalp and along the spine all the way to its base, is pulled into a simple fishtail braid that is usually hidden under his robes.
Personality: Unlike his fellow Spiritualists of the Yuem Temple, Cassan understands the importance of a good show. He is flamboyant, outspoken, and charming. He is not afraid to use his abilities as a Spiritualist to entertain, sway, and persuade. Although he claims to have no interest in politics, he enjoys manipulating those who covet his favor, and his influence ranges far and wide.
History: Born in the small border country of Briel, Cassan comes from a farming family of no particular spiritual prowess. Yet at a young age, he was found to be adept at communicating with spirits, in particular giving them form when they had none, so the Spiritualists of the Yuem Temple brought him into their fold. His personality and abilities soon brought attention to himself, raising him to somewhat of a celebrity status and even turning the head of Queen Hishu who gave him a place in her court. He has perfected, and some say perverted, the sacrificial rites of the Spirit Festival into a form of entertainment. As a result he has been shunned by the Yuem temple as a traitor of the spiritual world and simply brought into the royal court as some kind of jester. Thus, at the present, carried over from Queen Hishu's reign, Cassan is a practicing Spiritualist of the current monarch's royal court. Before, he mostly acted as spiritual consultant and interloper between the court and the Yuem Temple, but under a new ruler, his talents and status may or may not be put to new uses.

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Username: Nils
Name: Sila
Position: Monarch
Sex: Female
Age: mid-20s
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Appearance: Humanoid, 5'; willowy and sharp-featured. Her hair is blonde, almost white, lying in flat curtains around her face and is left plain and unadorned. Her cat-like eyes are pale indigo but seem slightly pinkish due to her hue. Her royal robes range in shades of white to red. Hidden beneath her skirts are a pair of mismatched legs, one healthy and one frail and thin as a bird's bone due to an accident that temporarily paralyzed her left side; as a result, her left arm is also useless and although her face has regained feeling, she rarely smiles. She has gained the epithet the Glass Empress in reference to her appearance and handicap.
Personality: Despite her stoic appearance, Sila can be quite changeable, vicious or vindictive if provoked or exceedingly benevolent if flattered. She is headstrong, ruthless, and efficient in her decisions. The one brittle point in her iron will, however, is that her handicap has since made her quite spiritual to the point of superstition. Either out of delusion, faith, or guile, she will consult Spiritualists to justify her actions.
History: Sila is the exiled child of Queen Hishu for conspiracy against and the death of the rightful heir to the throne, her brother Drid. To avenge Drid's death, Queen Hishu sent her guards to torture and punish Sila, resulting in her present mangled physical state. Failing to kill her and partly out of maternal compassion, the Queen then exiled the battered girl to a religious conclave to be healed and live until she got word of her mother's death. With no one else to reign, Sila then succeeded the throne and began to instate her imperial rule, plotting military invasions of border countries.

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Username: Starwinter
Name:Cailin Al'Malik
Position:Peace Sword
Sex: F
Age: 19
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Appearance: At only 5'4", Cailin is not someone who is generally found intimidating. Her body is very learn, but she has developed the natural womanly curves. She has long auburn hair that flows in waves to her mid back. In the right light, it shows strands of brown, black, caramel and even a little red. Her eyes are also quite peculiar. From a distance, they look to be a pure chocolate brown. However, up close one can see that the closer to the pupil, the lighter her eyes become. This general depends on her mood. If she is in a good mood, her eyes will shine a lighter, almost hazel shade towards the center. If she is in a bad mood, you can tell by how dark and cloudy the brown of her eyes becomes. As for clothes, she dresses quite simply. Her legs are covered with form fitting tan pants and a pair of black leather boots that extend to just above her knees. As for a shirt, she wears a white long sleeved top. The sleeves are puffy from her shoulder to her wrists, were they bunch together. Over that, she wears a black corseted top so only the very top and bottom of the shirt is revealed, along with the sleeves.
Personality: Cailin is often most described as fiery. She is strong willed and stubborn, and her emotions often rule over her logic. Once she sets her mind to something, she becomes fixated on achieving her goal. She is the type of person who would act first, and think second. She also seems to have no filter between her brain and her mouth. Whatever she thinks, she will end up saying. This means that she is also a very honest person. Since she would rather know where she stands with someone than lie to get them to like her, you can be assured that whatever she says is what she believes.
History: Cailin was born into nobility, and lived a very, very good life. Her mother died at childbirth, leaving only Cailin and her father. Her father was in the resistance, and had started forming many plans to overthrow the monarchy. When this was discovered, he was captured and sentenced to death during the spirit festival. Knowing her father would want her safe, Cailin fled from her home and sought a sojourn with the Peace Sword Revolutionaries. Since they knew her father well, they took the girl in. She has now been with them for 3 years, and in that time she has gone through extensive weapons training. She has surpassed many of the men with the use of a bow, and is now currently working on learning to fight with swords and working to learn hand to hand combat.

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Username: Panda Tzu
Name: Mustapha Liako (Moo-stah-fah)
Position: Leader of Peace Sword
Sex: Male
Age: Late 50’s
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Appearance: Humanoid. 6' Tall, broad shouldered. Tan leathery skin, long silver white hair. Steel blue eyes with flecks of gold. He has high cheekbones, a strong angled jaw, and slightly almond shaped eyes. from the corners of his eyes spread deep smile lines and his face is generally kind and calm with happy wrinkles. He has a grey goatee that reaches down to about his collar bone, and long wiry silver eyebrows.
Personality: Mustapha is kind and calm. He has a deep love for nature and life, and always tries to act and make decisions in an impartial and unbiased way. He has little patience for those who blatantly disrespect life, and acts to protect with outstanding ferocity.
History: Mustapha was born in a small village called Goji in the deep country side of Zaster. At a young age he was detected as having spiritual prowess by his grandfather, Zenji, whom he lived with his parents. Mustapha's grandfather had been a Spiritualist adept at a young age but defected from the organization, which was forbidden at that time, because he disagreed with their sacrificial practices. Afraid of disobeying the government, Mustapha’s mother and father thought that Mustapha should be given up to the Spiritualists. Granddad disagreed, to the point where he found himself with no other choice but to make off with Mustapha one night to go into hiding. Zengi was also wanted ever since defecting from the Spiritualists, and he couldn’t risk the two of them being caught.

They retreated far into the mountains of Zaster where Zengi taught Mustapha how to use his gifts in a way that didn’t require harming others, but still allowed him to help others. When Mustapha was 16 Imperial assassins tracked him and his grandfather to where they had been living in the mountains. They killed his grandfather and tried to kill him, but he got away.

Distressed, Mustapha made his way back to Goji (his home village) to look for his parents. When he got there he found the village in ruins and deserted except for one family that had moved in a few years prior to Mustapha’s arrival. They told Mustapha all they knew; that roughly a decade earlier some Imperial soldiers and a Spiritualist had come to investigate on rumors that a child with spiritual attunement had been born in the village. When questioned, Mustapha’s parents and the other villagers told the truth about Zengi taking Mustapha, but when the Imperialists questioned about where they had gone they didn’t believe the villagers when they said they didn’t know, and so slaughtered the entire town for trying to hide the truth from them.

Upon hearing this Mustapha was so crushed and disturbed that he fled into the wilderness. He ran for what felt like days, grieving, crying, confused, and enraged, until exhaustion got the better of him and he collapsed.

He awoke in the company of a stranger, a man who changed Mustapha’s life forever. His name was Master Dogen, and upon hearing Mustapha’s story he took the boy into his home and his heart. Master Dogen lived and taught Martial Arts in a small village on the outskirts of Zaster, and he told Mustapha upon his waking that he had found him passed out and on the brim of death in the wilderness. Mustapha lived for many years under the wing of Master Dogen learning all he had to teach, and eventually became his successor when he died of old age. Mustapha taught for many years after Master Dogen died, teaching his students respect for the spirits and natural world as well as martial arts.

Never having forgotten his past, Mustapha eventually decided to go back to Zaster to settle the score with the Imperials. He appointed a new master for the Martial Arts school and allowed any student who wanted to join him to follow, as long as he thought they were ready. Upon their entering back into Zaster they discovered the sacrificial practices of the spiritualists there, and vowed to bring an end to the killing, and the monarchial rule of government. To do this, they formed Peace Sword, and allowed any whom showed to have similar sentiments to join their cause.

Other: Through the teachings of his granddad, Zengi, and Master Dogen Mustapha has developed a unique outlook on life as well as a unique set of abilities. Zengi taught Mustapha how he could directly contact the spirit world by meditating and praying. He taught him that what was more important than making the spirits happy was following his heart, doing the right thing, and helping others, and that through those actions he would inevitably gain the favor of the benevolent spirits to guide and watch over him. He taught Mustapha how instead of making sacrifices to the spirits he could more or less bargain with them for their favors. In return for their help the spirits bestow a debt upon Mustapha which he must carry out within an agreed amount of time or risk the wrath of the spirit world.

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Username: River-Koi

Name: Ayo Sezu

Position: Prisoner, former "bohemian"

Sex: Female

Age: Early twenties

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Appearance: Skin the color of smooth mocha seemed to be an abnormal match for such pale hair. Twisted into what could be described as thin, neat dreadlocks and the color of fresh snow, it reached her mid-back as it was held out of her feminine face by a crimson scarf. Eyes were dark, nearly black-brown, but glistened with a spirit of stubborn and steadfast cunning, the left one decorated with a small beauty-spot at its outer corner. Full lips seemed always curled into some sort of smug little smirk, while her attire presented the reason why. Her dress was nearly Gothic in style, what with the laced corset that was cut down to nearly the small of her back from behind, baggy sleeves that revealed her shoulders, and a tattered skirt striped with dark red and black. Body was definitely not frail in any sort of way, her hips widened by womanhood and providing what could be called an hourglass figure. Of course, just a little, reasonable hint of fat could be visible on her person, but was typical for a well-fed female of her type. A commoner, it seemed, but with clattering jewelry, necklaces, anklets, and bangles the likes of which must have been far too expensive for her to afford in the first place. Shoes were simple: flip-flop like sandals crafted well enough to hold together during any sort of running.

Personality: Ayo is always quick on any sort of uptake-- it is in her nature and profession to be so. She will trick, steal, and manipulate to get what she wants, but that doesn't necessarily mean she has a bad character. To those she knows or admires, she will most likely go out of her way to make their day easier on them. She particularly enjoys the presence of children, mostly because of their overall carefree and trusting attitudes... Something she is not normally lucky to have. Ayo is a tad distrusting and even mean if she feels another person has a sort of "fake" personality, and is so entirely outspoken that she will not hesitate to bring it to their attention.

History: Born in some small village near some small town, Ayo was a shy child. Even as she reached her adolescent years, she rarely spoke to anyone besides close friends or relatives. After both of her parents lost their jobs, however (mother was a servant, father was a fisherman), her family fell into a deep depression. Upon that, Ayo made the decision to help in any sort of way she could: the first was becoming a servant herself. She only lasted a few weeks in this profession before finally snapping and refusing to perform any menial labor any longer, which put her into a deeper predicament. After a day wandering about the town, she noticed a merchant's caravan. Watching it for quite a while as she had nothing else to do, she noticed the man who seemed to lead the caravan trick one of his "customers" out of a great deal of money. On that day Ayo realized there was a much easier way to get by in life. She began a few scams of her own, mostly involving guessing games, fake magic/card tricks, and fortune telling, and developed such a slight-of-hand that very few realized their money or jewelry was missing after they had left her. Practicing this well into adulthood, Ayo made a living off of lying, cheating, and stealing. Her family had been left well-off because of this when she finally left the house. However, it was in Yuem that she was finally caught, and found to be guilty of many other crimes in numerous cities, thus making her punishment more severe.

Other: Ayo never takes off or bets a certain necklace around her neck, which supports a circular gold pendant with white platinum carvings of two angels that holds the silhouette profiles of her parents.

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Username:Alexander Hamilton
Name: Aves Wisteria
Position: Guard of the Queen
Sex: Male
Age: 25
Sexual Orientation: Homosexual

Appearance:Aves stands below average height at 5’7”, with a thin figure. His large eyes are a burgundy, enhanced by tiny flecks of gold color throughout. His hair is a bright crimson; it reaches a few inches past his shoulders, but he usually keeps it up in elaborate braids and buns, especially when on the job. Feather sprout from his hairline, the same color as his hair and curl back over his head, tinged with purple at the ends. His ears are pointed and long , tipped the same sort of feather. He has a tail of more feathers that hang about a half foot from the ground. These feathers are a bit more elaborate in design, with more interesting patters of red, dark red, and purple. Because of his close proximity to the Queen and other nobility, he is always dressed elegantly. He wears plate armor on his chest, shoulders, lower arms, hands, and lower legs. Any cloth he wears is usually a combination of red and white, with gold embroidery or accents.

Personality: Aves is excessively concerned with ‘correct’ behavior. Though this brings forth great nobility and honor, it also makes him quite a spoilsport, incapable of relaxing and joking around. He is very polite, generous, and thoughtful of the feelings of others. His responsibilities are always met and exceeded. Aves’ concern for others stops the moment he perceives disloyalty or immorality in their actions, however, and he will pursue them without mercy.

History: Aves was abandoned as a baby, left to an orphanage set up by the Yuem Temple and run by spiritualists. He admired their charity and generosity and strove to model himself on them. Aves was introduced to combat by an old soldier that liked to give lessons to the children at the orphanage. He loved the idea of defending the weak with the sword, and showed great promise and enthusiasm. Eventually, the orphanage and the soldier helped to procure him real lessons. When he reached his late teens, he became a city guard. Aves impressed his superiors, not so much with his fighting ability but by his honesty and dedication to the work. Slowly he worked his way up the ranks until he reached the enviable position of being one of the bodyguards to the Queen.

Other: Aves’ preferred weapon is the spear. He carries a saber, but it is only used as a last resort.

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Username: Inerio
Name: Razi Vega
Position: Spiritualist
Sex: Female
Age: Twenty
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Appearance: Razi stands at an average height with coffee colored skin adorned with blue tattoos that circle along her body. Her eyes are an odd shade of orange, and always seem to be staring off into some far off land that only she can see. Her hair, an variant of green, is usually curled about her face and falls to her mid back. Her face is somewhat round, almost child like, in contrast to her body which so obviously belongs to a woman.
Personality: While Razi dislikes interacting with other people, save for a select few, she's rather good at brigtening a room. Charm is a trait that just seems to run in her family, and she inherited it well. She's not one to speak unless spoken to, but once addressed tends to speak her mind and often borders on being snarky. However, this is not to say that Razi doesn't lie, for she does so frequently and often when it benifits her situation.
History: Razi is a bastard child, having been born out of wedlock. Her birth compromised both her mother and her father's honor, so her grandmother took her in saying that she simply "happened upon her" one day. Razi's grandmother had spiritualistic traits, but had never bothered to put them to work, opting to raise a family instead. However, the woman did teach her a few basic things, in order to help the child deal with her powers and achieve normality in day to day life.

Razi, always one for exploring the unknown, left her village at the age of nineteen. She had long since known of the spiritualists in the Yuem temple and sought to expand her powers. Unlike her grandmother who had taught her that the social norm was a feat which she should strive to achieve, Razi wanted to do more with her life. At the present time, Razi is somewhat of a novice, only acting in the background of sacrificies and doing minor work.

Sweet. I'll be postin a profile up in hurr soon.

That's great! I look forward to seeing it. ( :

Username: Nils
Name: Cassan
Position: Spiritualist
Sex: Male
Age: Early 30s
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Appearance: Humanoid, 5'8''; thin, angular, and wirey. He has dark brown eyes. His cheeks are shadowed by a perpetual stubble that darkens a sharp jaw. He carries himself with the carefree panache of someone much handsomer, but his composure is all vanity considering his average looks. As is common among his people, his thick black hair, which grows from his scalp and along the spine all the way to its base, is pulled into a simple fishtail braid that is usually hidden under his robes.
Personality: Unlike his fellow Spiritualists of the Yuem Temple, Cassan understands the importance of a good show. He is flamboyant, outspoken, and charming. He is not afraid to use his abilities as a Spiritualist to entertain, sway, and persuade. Although he claims to have no interest in politics, he enjoys manipulating those who covet his favor, and his influence ranges far and wide.
History: Born in the small border country of Briel, Cassan comes from a farming family of no particular spiritual prowess. Yet at a young age, he was found to be adept at communicating with spirits, in particular giving them form when they had none, so the Spiritualists of the Yuem Temple brought him into their fold. His personality and abilities soon brought attention to himself, raising him to somewhat of a celebrity status and even turning the head of Queen Hishu who gave him a place in her court. He has perfected, and some say perverted, the sacrificial rites of the Spirit Festival into a form of entertainment. As a result he has been shunned by the Yuem temple as a traitor of the spiritual world and simply brought into the royal court as some kind of jester. Thus, at the present, carried over from Queen Hishu's reign, Cassan is a practicing Spiritualist of the current monarch's royal court. Before, he mostly acted as spiritual consultant and interloper between the court and the Yuem Temple, but under a new ruler, his talents and status may or may not be put to new uses.
Other:

I hope this is fine. I'm also thinking of posting a profile for the monarch, and I have about half of it done, but I can't decide if it should be a King or Queen... haha.

I like him! Interesting character. I hope that other people join, though. x_X I will be making a bio later on so that I can fill any missing spots that other people don't want.

This. Is. Awesome-tastic. Very original! Interesting idea as well. I'm surprised there aren't more people commenting. Well, I am most certainly making a character. Once I finish the picture, I will post her here. (Prisoner, btw.)

That flattery will get you everywhere. I hope to see your character soon.

Hey Alexander, I sent you a private message with a prospective character sheet, Im just not sure if you recieved it or not beacause it looks like they're stuck in my out box or something... I dont know, just double checking.

Sent you a response message. In summary, the character looks good overall and it would be great to have a Peace Sword leader. The age could use some clarification. Some of it was cut off at the end so I wasn't sure where you were going with it, but the 'energy manipulation' thing looks like it could be an issue. Besides those minor things, the character looks good and I look forward to having him. ( :

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Just some things that I felt I need to add in terms of info about the RPG:

I want the majority of spiritualists to have that as their primary position, as opposed to having numerous guard spiritualists, Peace Sword spiritualists, prisoner spiritualists, or the like.

This RPG wold is not meant to be black and white. The spiritualists and monarch aren't 'evil' and the Peace Swords aren't 'good'.

I'm not sure I was clear in the opening now that I look at the wording, but the prisoners being sacrificed are chosen because they are criminals sentenced to death already. So any prisoner characters at the very least need to have been convicted of a crime.

The magic of spiritualists is meant to be be subtle, based on their ability to influence spirits and connect with nature in general. They can't throw lightening bolts or jump tall buildings in a single bound. You can still be flexible with what they can do, though, as long as you keep the appropriate feel.

Whoohoo, finally decided on a gender...

Username: Nils
Name: Sila
Position: Monarch
Sex: Female
Age: mid-20s
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Appearance: Humanoid, 5'; willowy and sharp-featured. Her hair is blonde, almost white, lying in flat curtains around her face and is left plain and unadorned. Her cat-like eyes are pale indigo but seem slightly pinkish due to her hue. Her royal robes range in shades of white to red. Hidden beneath her skirts are a pair of mismatched legs, one healthy and one frail and thin as a bird's bone due to an accident that temporarily paralyzed her left side; as a result, her left arm is also useless and although her face has regained feeling, she rarely smiles. She has gained the epithet the Glass Empress in reference to her appearance and handicap.
Personality: Despite her stoic appearance, Sila can be quite changeable, vicious or vindictive if provoked or exceedingly benevolent if flattered. She is headstrong, ruthless, and efficient in her decisions. The one brittle point in her iron will, however, is that her handicap has since made her quite spiritual to the point of superstition. Either out of delusion, faith, or guile, she will consult Spiritualists to justify her actions.
History: Sila is the exiled child of Queen Hishu for conspiracy against and the death of the rightful heir to the throne, her brother Drid. To avenge Drid's death, Queen Hishu sent her guards to torture and punish Sila, resulting in her present mangled physical state. Failing to kill her and partly out of maternal compassion, the Queen then exiled the battered girl to a religious conclave to be healed and live until she got word of her mother's death. With no one else to reign, Sila then succeeded the throne and began to instate her imperial rule, plotting military invasions of border countries.
Other:

Username: Starwinter
Name:Cailin Al'Malik
Position:Peace Sword
Sex: F
Age: 19
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Appearance: At only 5'4", Cailin is not someone who is generally found intimidating. Her body is very learn, but she has developed the natural womanly curves. She has long auburn hair that flows in waves to her mid back. In the right light, it shows strands of brown, black, caramel and even a little red. Her eyes are also quite peculiar. From a distance, they look to be a pure chocolate brown. However, up close one can see that the closer to the pupil, the lighter her eyes become. This general depends on her mood. If she is in a good mood, her eyes will shine a lighter, almost hazel shade towards the center. If she is in a bad mood, you can tell by how dark and cloudy the brown of her eyes becomes. As for clothes, she dresses quite simply. Her legs are covered with form fitting tan pants and a pair of black leather boots that extend to just above her knees. As for a shirt, she wears a white long sleeved top. The sleeves are puffy from her shoulder to her wrists, were they bunch together. Over that, she wears a black corseted top so only the very top and bottom of the shirt is revealed, along with the sleeves.
Personality: Cailin is often most described as fiery. She is strong willed and stubborn, and her emotions often rule over her logic. Once she sets her mind to something, she becomes fixated on achieving her goal. She is the type of person who would act first, and think second. She also seems to have no filter between her brain and her mouth. Whatever she thinks, she will end up saying. This means that she is also a very honest person. Since she would rather know where she stands with someone than lie to get them to like her, you can be assured that whatever she says is what she believes.
History: Cailin was born into nobility, and lived a very, very good life. Her mother died at childbirth, leaving only Cailin and her father. Her father was in the resistance, and had started forming many plans to overthrow the monarchy. When this was discovered, he was captured and sentenced to death during the spirit festival. Knowing her father would want her safe, Cailin fled from her home and sought a sojourn with the Peace Sword Revolutionaries. Since they knew her father well, they took the girl in. She has now been with them for 3 years, and in that time she has gone through extensive weapons training. She has surpassed many of the men with the use of a bow, and is now currently working on learning to fight with swords and working to learn hand to hand combat.
Other: Magic runs in Cailin's blood but has been diluted by human blood. She has managed to retain only a small amount of the magic that her mother passed on to her. She has one power, and that is to conjure a light so bright it will blind any foe within a small radius. She can still see when she uses it, but it doesn't last long. Mainly it is used as an advantage while fighting hand to hand, and to shield herself and her allies briefly from long ranged weapons. It does no damage to anyone, but does provide a good distraction.

W00t! More characters! *does dance of joy* Consider our composition of characters so far, I'll be making a guard to Queen Sila.

One thing, Starwinter: non-spiritualists cannot have supernatural powers, as being able to do so requires a high enough level of skill to communicate with spirits to make them do what you wish, which takes significant training and practice. Those with very small levels of natural spiritual power would be limited to being more attuned to their presence than the average person.

I'll put both profiles up. ( :

Hey there,

Let me know if you want me to take him having any spiritual powers at all out. Don’t worry, I wasn’t thinking of shooting fireballs or any of that stuff, and I really don’t even know where the whole energy manipulation thing even came from. I think I was just on a creative tangent and I thought the two words sounded good together, though I don’t really know where I was going with It, I think it can be disregarded at this point.

I was planning on keeping it on the more subtle side…healing, blessing, communing with the spirits through meditation and prayer, and I was thinking “the more peaceful” approach he would take, instead of the sacrificing, would involve his asking the spirits for help and favors, and them requiring debts on him personally in return. Things such as perhaps cleaning out a polluted stream, abstaining from eating meat for awhile, protecting a forest from loggers, etc. where the bigger the favor he asked of the spirits the more extreme the debt put on him would be.

For that matter I was wondering some things about the spirits themselves. I think these questions are best asked through examples. So, for example; let’s say there was a river. Would that river have its own spirit? Or would it be governed by a ‘Grand water Spirit” that governs all water everywhere? Or, would it be a mix, would it be like, each river has its own spirit, but they are all controlled by the grand water spirit? To put this into context, let’s say there was a spiritualist that wanted to ask a spirit to send a huge surge of water down the river for whatever reason, or he wanted to ask the river to stop flowing for a minute so he could cross it, would he ask the specific river spirit, or the grand water spirit? If there were both, and he asked the river spirit, could the grand water spirit over rule the river spirits decision?

The same idea could go for trees. Let’s say that there was a grove of trees. Would each tree in the grove have its own spirit? Would there be a spirit that presided over the entire grove of trees? And/or would there be a grand tree spirit that held relative dominion over all trees? To elaborate, do spirits have identities, that is, a name they are called by to distinguish them from other spirits? Would two different river spirits have different names and personalities…do spirits have personalities?

I realize that the Spiritualists and Monarch are not “evil” and the Peace Sword are not “good”, which is why I am wondering if it is plausible that Mustapha’s village was destroyed the way it was some fifty years ago?

Also, I am wondering what those who serve the Monarch should be referred to by, in my characters history I kept calling them “Imperialists” for whatever reason, let me know if that should change…

Sorry for all the questions and I hope you don’t feel like I’m imposing too much on the story or Rp. I just haven’t let me creative juices flow in awhile (the semester just ended) and I get a little carried away sometimes. If you want me to tone it down or to leave you guys alone, just say the world and I can be gone. Thanks.

-Panda

Sorry for my whole long thing at you before when I didn't even get your whole description of what you'd planned. I was basically just making a guess at what you might have been going for because most RPGs with magic are very 'power' oriented, and I was very paranoid people would try to make spiritualists into the equivalent of D&D wizards or X-Men.

I looked it up and 'imperial' can mean anything pertaining to an empire, and an imperialist kingdom country becomes an empire as it conquers territories, so calling things pertaining to it 'imperial' is appropriate. Calling someone 'imperialist' implies they support of the doctrine of imperialism, though, which is not the same as supporting a particular state, sooo....I think maybe they should be called 'Loyalists' for being loyal to the crown and country, as opposed to being rebels. You can call them whatever you feels works, though.

In the current time period, people can become spiritualists aren't rare enough to fight that hard over, and it is not a huge problem if someone leaves the Yuem Temple. I guess we could say that 50 years ago they were much more fundamentalist and hardcore about those things. I say we just roll with it.

As for the technicalities of spirits... There aren't any major spirits that have control of the entirety of water or air or the like. (Well, there might be, but they're too powerful and mysterious for anyone to have contacted them) There are numerous individual spirits, and they all vary in power and influence. So, you have some weaker spirits that are attached to single tees, and you have a more powerful that has power over that entire grove of trees. Using the power of a spirit like that would require more skill and effort than a weaker one. You also have some that just sort of float around, not connected to any particular place but to life and energy in general. You don't have to worry about the details that much, though.

And you aren't imposing at all. It's sometimes a bit awkward for me because I have a very specific idea in my head of how my RPGs should be, and I am constantly surprised when people (naturally) do things that I did not think of before. You'd think I would have learned to expect by now that people all have their own individual styles and spins on things, which is what makes an RPG fun. ^_^; And asking questions like the ones you have helps me know what isn't clear from my descriptions.

Do you want to send me the rest of your 'Other' section so that I have the full profile to put up? Or should I just use what you sent me even though it was cut off? You're already accepted, so it is mostly a matter of whether you think what was there is important enough for everyone in the RPG to know from your profile.

Okay, i'm just going to take that section about the magic out. I'm excited for this RP =)

Ok, great, thanks for the info. I re-worked my character sheet a little, so I guess I'll just stick it up here, but I had another quick question first. I was just wondering how long Peace Sword has been in operation for... 5 years, 10 years, more, less? Just curious so were all on the same page.

Thanks Again, i'm looking forward to starting!

Username: Panda Tzu
Name: Mustapha Liako (Moo-stah-fah)
Position: Leader of Peace Sword
Sex: Male
Age: Late 50’s
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Appearance: Humanoid. 6' Tall, broad shouldered. Tan leathery skin, long silver white hair. Steel blue eyes with flecks of gold. He has high cheekbones, a strong angled jaw, and slightly almond shaped eyes. from the corners of his eyes spread deep smile lines and his face is generally kind and calm with happy wrinkles. He has a grey goatee that reaches down to about his collar bone, and long wiry silver eyebrows.
Personality: Mustapha is kind and calm. He has a deep love for nature and life, and always tries to act and make decisions in an impartial and unbiased way. He has little patience for those who blatantly disrespect life, and acts to protect with outstanding ferocity.
History: Mustapha was born in a small village called Goji in the deep country side of Zaster. At a young age he was detected as having spiritual prowess by his grandfather, Zenji, whom he lived with his parents. Mustapha's grandfather had been a Spiritualist adept at a young age but defected from the organization, which was forbidden at that time, because he disagreed with their sacrificial practices. Afraid of disobeying the government, Mustapha’s mother and father thought that Mustapha should be given up to the Spiritualists. Granddad disagreed, to the point where he found himself with no other choice but to make off with Mustapha one night to go into hiding. Zengi was also wanted ever since defecting from the Spiritualists, and he couldn’t risk the two of them being caught.

They retreated far into the mountains of Zaster where Zengi taught Mustapha how to use his gifts in a way that didn’t require harming others, but still allowed him to help others. When Mustapha was 16 Imperial assassins tracked him and his grandfather to where they had been living in the mountains. They killed his grandfather and tried to kill him, but he got away.

Distressed, Mustapha made his way back to Goji (his home village) to look for his parents. When he got there he found the village in ruins and deserted except for one family that had moved in a few years prior to Mustapha’s arrival. They told Mustapha all they knew; that roughly a decade earlier some Imperial soldiers and a Spiritualist had come to investigate on rumors that a child with spiritual attunement had been born in the village. When questioned, Mustapha’s parents and the other villagers told the truth about Zengi taking Mustapha, but when the Imperialists questioned about where they had gone they didn’t believe the villagers when they said they didn’t know, and so slaughtered the entire town for trying to hide the truth from them.

Upon hearing this Mustapha was so crushed and disturbed that he fled into the wilderness. He ran for what felt like days, grieving, crying, confused, and enraged, until exhaustion got the better of him and he collapsed.

He awoke in the company of a stranger, a man who changed Mustapha’s life forever. His name was Master Dogen, and upon hearing Mustapha’s story he took the boy into his home and his heart. Master Dogen lived and taught Martial Arts in a small village on the outskirts of Zaster, and he told Mustapha upon his waking that he had found him passed out and on the brim of death in the wilderness. Mustapha lived for many years under the wing of Master Dogen learning all he had to teach, and eventually became his successor when he died of old age. Mustapha taught for many years after Master Dogen died, teaching his students respect for the spirits and natural world as well as martial arts.

Never having forgotten his past, Mustapha eventually decided to go back to Zaster to settle the score with the Imperials. He appointed a new master for the Martial Arts school and allowed any student who wanted to join him to follow, as long as he thought they were ready. Upon their entering back into Zaster they discovered the sacrificial practices of the spiritualists there, and vowed to bring an end to the killing, and the monarchial rule of government. To do this, they formed Peace Sword, and allowed any whom showed to have similar sentiments to join their cause.

Other: Through the teachings of his granddad, Zengi, and Master Dogen Mustapha has developed a unique outlook on life as well as a unique set of abilities. Zengi taught Mustapha how he could directly contact the spirit world by meditating and praying. He taught him that what was more important than making the spirits happy was following his heart, doing the right thing, and helping others, and that through those actions he would inevitably gain the favor of the benevolent spirits to guide and watch over him. He taught Mustapha how instead of making sacrifices to the spirits he could more or less bargain with them for their favors. In return for their help the spirits bestow a debt upon Mustapha which he must carry out within an agreed amount of time or risk the wrath of the spirit world.

Yay! Looks like we just need two more profiles before we get started, one being mine. I'll get workin' on that.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that my lap top stopped working yesterday so I am going to have relatively restricted access to the internet for the next week or so, but I am still all for the game, and will be able to get on from time to time. Also just making sure we're all still on board?

I look forward to getting started!

Crap. So sorry about your laptop. ) :

I meant to post this yesterday, but I forgot that I couldn't' double post. Whoopsie. I'll contact Koi to make sure they are still playing.

Edit: Contacted Koi; they're still going to make a profile.

Username:Alexander Hamilton
Name: Aves Wisteria
Position: Guard of the Queen
Sex: Male
Age: 25
Sexual Orientation: Homosexual

Appearance:Aves stands below average height at 5’7”, with a thin figure. His large eyes are a burgundy, enhanced by tiny flecks of gold color throughout. His hair is a bright crimson; it reaches a few inches past his shoulders, but he usually keeps it up in elaborate braids and buns, especially when on the job. Feather sprout from his hairline, the same color as his hair and curl back over his head, tinged with purple at the ends. His ears are pointed and long , tipped the same sort of feather. He has a tail of more feathers that hang about a half foot from the ground. These feathers are a bit more elaborate in design, with more interesting patters of red, dark red, and purple. Because of his close proximity to the Queen and other nobility, he is always dressed elegantly. He wears plate armor on his chest, shoulders, lower arms, hands, and lower legs. Any cloth he wears is usually a combination of red and white, with gold embroidery or accents.

Personality: Aves is excessively concerned with ‘correct’ behavior. Though this brings forth great nobility and honor, it also makes him quite a spoilsport, incapable of relaxing and joking around. He is very polite, generous, and thoughtful of the feelings of others. His responsibilities are always met and exceeded. Aves’ concern for others stops the moment he perceives disloyalty or immorality in their actions, however, and he will pursue them without mercy.

History: Aves was abandoned as a baby, left to an orphanage set up by the Yuem Temple and run by spiritualists. He admired their charity and generosity and strove to model himself on them. Aves was introduced to combat by an old soldier that liked to give lessons to the children at the orphanage. He loved the idea of defending the weak with the sword, and showed great promise and enthusiasm. Eventually, the orphanage and the soldier helped to procure him real lessons. When he reached his late teens, he became a city guard. Aves impressed his superiors, not so much with his fighting ability but by his honesty and dedication to the work. Slowly he worked his way up the ranks until he reached the enviable position of being one of the bodyguards to the Queen.

Other: Aves’ preferred weapon is the spear. He carries a saber, but it is only used as a last resort.

Alrighty, here's my character.


Username: River-Koi

Name: Ayo Sezu

Position: Prisoner, former "bohemian"

Sex: Female

Age: Early twenties

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Appearance: Skin the color of smooth mocha seemed to be an abnormal match for such pale hair. Twisted into what could be described as thin, neat dreadlocks and the color of fresh snow, it reached her mid-back as it was held out of her feminine face by a crimson scarf. Eyes were dark, nearly black-brown, but glistened with a spirit of stubborn and steadfast cunning, the left one decorated with a small beauty-spot at its outer corner. Full lips seemed always curled into some sort of smug little smirk, while her attire presented the reason why. Her dress was nearly Gothic in style, what with the laced corset that was cut down to nearly the small of her back from behind, baggy sleeves that revealed her shoulders, and a tattered skirt striped with dark red and black. Body was definitely not frail in any sort of way, her hips widened by womanhood and providing what could be called an hourglass figure. Of course, just a little, reasonable hint of fat could be visible on her person, but was typical for a well-fed female of her type. A commoner, it seemed, but with clattering jewelry, necklaces, anklets, and bangles the likes of which must have been far too expensive for her to afford in the first place. Shoes were simple: flip-flop like sandals crafted well enough to hold together during any sort of running.

Personality: Ayo is always quick on any sort of uptake-- it is in her nature and profession to be so. She will trick, steal, and manipulate to get what she wants, but that doesn't necessarily mean she has a bad character. To those she knows or admires, she will most likely go out of her way to make their day easier on them. She particularly enjoys the presence of children, mostly because of their overall carefree and trusting attitudes... Something she is not normally lucky to have. Ayo is a tad distrusting and even mean if she feels another person has a sort of "fake" personality, and is so entirely outspoken that she will not hesitate to bring it to their attention.

History: Born in some small village near some small town, Ayo was a shy child. Even as she reached her adolescent years, she rarely spoke to anyone besides close friends or relatives. After both of her parents lost their jobs, however (mother was a servant, father was a fisherman), her family fell into a deep depression. Upon that, Ayo made the decision to help in any sort of way she could: the first was becoming a servant herself. She only lasted a few weeks in this profession before finally snapping and refusing to perform any menial labor any longer, which put her into a deeper predicament. After a day wandering about the town, she noticed a merchant's caravan. Watching it for quite a while as she had nothing else to do, she noticed the man who seemed to lead the caravan trick one of his "customers" out of a great deal of money. On that day Ayo realized there was a much easier way to get by in life. She began a few scams of her own, mostly involving guessing games, fake magic/card tricks, and fortune telling, and developed such a slight-of-hand that very few realized their money or jewelry was missing after they had left her. Practicing this well into adulthood, Ayo made a living off of lying, cheating, and stealing. Her family had been left well-off because of this when she finally left the house. However, it was in Yuem that she was finally caught, and found to be guilty of many other crimes in numerous cities, thus making her punishment more severe.

Other: Ayo never takes off or bets a certain necklace around her neck, which supports a circular gold pendant with white platinum carvings of two angels that holds the silhouette profiles of her parents.


Let me know if her crimes need to be more extreme than just a long history of stealing, heh... Or anything else.