Fantasy Cadavers

[Elenion Aura]

—̴̹̈́̂̌—̴̨͙̹̓̓̓͆̕—̸̳̔̋̇͝—̸̠̙̥͌—̸̬̺̤̪̙̑͗͑̎̕—̶͈̘̈́̀͒͗͑—̵͈͉͕̃

Cadavers
Demon Hunters

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• Demons Hide Among Us
  
  In your closet. Under your bed. They could be anywhere. They could be in your next door neighbor. They could be in you. The governments of the world will tell you it's a lie. Of course Demons don't exist, they'd say. Have you ever seen a Demon? There's a reason for that. Because out there, in the night, there are people... It's a stretch to even call them people, really. Whatever they are, whatever you call them, they're out there. Hunting Demons. Fine, fine. If you must call them something, call them Cadavers, because that's what they are. Soulless, unfeeling things. Marionettes with no strings. Dead.
  
  To become a Cadaver is to forsake the life you once knew, to give yourself over to the eldritch powers that exist beyond death. The exact specifics of how it's done are hard to come by. That is no accident. You see, the Ritual to become a Cadaver is as dangerous as it is occult. Many would-be Cadavers have died in the attempt. Many more have been driven to madness - these Cadavers are dubbed Ravenous - due to a botched Ritual, becoming no better than the demons themselves. The Ritual, when performed correctly and to completion, culminates in the separation of Soul and Body. But the Soul has to go somewhere. Some Cadavers store their Soul in the steel of a blade, others in a spear. Some even choose unassuming household items to become Soulbound.
  
  In society's shadow, Cadavers endure. They tirelessly carve out the rot and excise the cancer that lurks beneath the gilded facade of modernity. Like animals, some Cadavers form packs, while others live a solitary existence. The guiding thread that binds all Cadavers together in their un-life is simple: the eradication of Demons.
  
  Now that you've heard my tale, I've a question for you... Will you live your life the same way you did before you knew that the creatures who go bump in the night are real and are coming for you? Or will you join the ranks of the ones who become monstrous in the name of hunting monsters?
  
  
• The known world:

  

  
  
  The world of Cadavers, appropriately dubbed the Mortal Realm, is split between two continents: Alma and Ulta. The Mortal Realm is plagued by Demons who stalk the land in search of humans to devour, as they have since the dawn of time. As the age of man dawned and humans began to congregate together in great cities, the Demons were forced to adapt. So far the Mortal Realm plays host to Seven Player Created Continents, each with their own storylines, culture, and locales! The world map still has room for more countries. If you're interested in creating your own, do not hesitate to let us know!
  
  Alma
  
  
  

  

  Portia:​

  Portia is a nation comprising a blended culture and contains a very wide variety of architectural styles from a variety of historical periods. Portia's great architectural eclecticism stems from its long history, constant redevelopment, and various external influences. Portia's capital is Saffen, a word which means 'Safe Haven' in the local dialect. Ironic that so many Demon attacks go unreported here. Safety is a function of wealth and power in this city, which means that the poorer districts, the slums, fall prey to Demonic attacks at much higher rates than does the nearby Southtown, Saffen's upscale neighborhood.
  
  

  

  Raurum:​

  Raurum, despite its relatively diminutive size, was once a formidable power on the continent. It has since lost much of its influence after years of political infighting and costly wars decimated its economy. The vast majority of Raurum's population are peasants, with little political power. The country is ruled by a parliament comprised of members from a few ancient noble houses, whose love political scheming and courtly intrigue far outstrips their care for the rights and interests of the populace at large.
  

  

  Gozoren:​

  Gozoren is the current dominant power on the Alma continent. Its military might and vast resources leave little in the way of competition. Gozoren is also one of the more technologically advanced countries, owed in part to its considerable investment in military-funded education made mandatory for its people.
  
  Ulta
  
  
  

  

  Eskary:​

  A warlike, isolationist people, Eskarians have a long history of brutal wars fought to maintain its sovereignty and defend its borders from encroachment. As frigid as the land itself, the natives of Eskary are suspicious of outsiders at best, and downright hostile at worst. They cultivate as little interaction with the outside world as possible, a fact which has resulted in their somewhat stunted development. Cadavers are few here, as are Demons. Cadavers are found almost exclusively among the Eskarian nobility.
  

  

  Lu’uma Plata:​

  The party country. Every single day is a new celebration. Literally. Their most famed day of festivities occurs during the summer, where fifteen festivals happen all at once and the decor varies wildly every few streets in the capital. They are well-known in fashion circles for their quality, handwoven cloth and fine embroidery, though it is rarely put to use in regular clothing for the price. Masses of tourists from nearby countries also travel over for their old-fashioned markets and perennial flora, the numbers peaking on the day of Fifteen Festivals. Similar to Eskary, there are few Demons that come so far north to such a small country, so people are much more relaxed than the countries that take the brunt of the attacks.
  
  

  

  Ishaform:​

  Ishaform is a land ruled by a sole Supreme Leader, one who controls everyone and everything within Ishaform's boundaries like puppets. Due to this little fact, information on this country is scarce. It is impossible to gauge their power in relation to the rest of the countries on Ulta. It is surrounded by a massive border wall that grants safety but also additional isolation from other countries. What is known about Ishaform is that it is almost devoid of any free roaming Demons and that it used to be three countries that constantly waged war on each other, pushing the innovation of various technologies suited for warfare. Upon annihilation of the infrastructure of all three countries due to the never ending war, its first dictator rose to power and united the people of the fallen lands, beginning the bloodline of the pure evil that is ruling the land today.
  
  
• Lore
  
  Cadavers
  
  Every Cadaver carries around a weapon or object which houses the essence of their soul called a "Soulbound." These are typically items with sentimental value, though they could be anything. In many cases, they act as a foci that allows the Cadaver to channel their power.
  
  

  

  
  Soulbounds can be teleported to and from a pocket dimension for easy keeping. Though, if someone else is making contact with it or it is far away from you, it will not respond.
  
  It's possible to transfer the soul to a new soulbound, though the caliber of your soul could destroy it. It needs to be of high quality or have sentiment attached to survive the transfusion.
  
  If a Soulbound is broken, it shocks the user into a catatonic state, causing their eyes to go dull and lifeless. Their soul will have 7 days to linger in the physical world before fading. To save itself, it may try to re-enter the body with nowhere to go, which is excruciatingly painful. If one does not find a new soulbound within that time, the cadaver will die.
  
  Becoming a Cadaver mutes the emotions, but does not altogether kill them. It's very possible for cadavers to have limited emotional responses or mimic emotions.
  
  Cadavers still age, but a bit slower.
  
  Cadavers can go for much longer without sleep or food.
  
  Cadavers are generally outcasts, alienated from society and by normal humans.
  
  Reasons one might become a cadaver are: to protect something, get revenge, be more powerful, avoid death, a duty or passed down obligation.
  Magus
  
  To acquire magus, a ritual must be performed. These rituals each require a drop of blood given unto the element itself or chosen soulbound.`
  
  

  Magus – Lux
  

  

  
  Daunting, this ritual is a test of control and patience. Think of trying to keep a candle lit in the wind. Block out everything and submit, then the light will reveal itself to you. This process could last days, making the attemptee go without food or water till it's decided you're ready. If you lack the metal fortitude, you will perish.
  
  
  
  

  Magus - Nox
  

  

  
  The most intense. It'll want you to prove yourself to it and show your determination. The ritual may subject you to your own worst nightmare and taunt you with illusions. The process can feel like an eternity when it has only been a few minutes. If you fail, you become possessed by darkness or you die.
  
  
  
  

  Magus - Vis
  

  

  
  Elemental powers of the Earth (or magic besides light or dark.) These rituals are the quickest. Either you sink or swim. If you do not prove worthy, the element may reject you and cause injury or your death. It is possible to reattempt this ritual as many times as your luck permits.
  
  Unlike Lux and Nox which can only be obtained via ritual, Vis elements can sometimes choose their users. Incredible desperation, or a near death scenario can invoke an element's power. When this happens, a soulbound is given, molded to the user's spirit.
  
  Lux and Nox are naturally more powerful than the Vis elements. However, Vis users who really know what they're doing can easily trump a Lux or Nox user via pure skill.
  
  Lux and Nox are not definers of alignment or morality i.e a person who uses Lux magus could be an antagonist.
  
  Clans which are devoted to a certain magus and discipline exist.
  
  If a person performing a ritual does not have a focus or dedication (i.e just asking vaguely for "power"), they may attract darkness wanting to claim them as easy prey.
  
  Rituals cannot be cancelled once in progress. If the attemptee wishes to back out, it counts as an auto rejection. Though, the earlier you quit, the less recoil there'll be. Same effect if one's concentration is broken.
  
  As they are like contracts with a magic force, you can't learn new magus of a completely different type, only expand upon your own abilities with said magus. However, once powerful enough, it's possible to develop adjacent abilities i.e a Vis – water user can learn Vis – ice.
  
  Because it is so powerful, it needs a lot of room to contain itself. Which is why it necessitates the hallowing-- aka the user forsaking some emotional capacity and relocating a chunk of their soul to a soulbound.
  
  There are no hard limits on what each can do. There's overlap in that if you think you can do something on a technicality, then you can. I.e Vis – Water and Vis – Earth might both be able to control plants for different reasons – manipulating the condensation vs. the roots.
  
  People who've not undergone a ritual may still be aware of magus i.e if they are priests or into the occult.
  
  Every human has an inherent level of ki (the devout call it "mana") which enables them to perform miscellaneous magic abilities without a ritual, though they'd need to be aware of it to tap into it.
  
  Rituals can be undergone at any age.
  

  

  
  
  

  

  
  
  

  

  
  Demons
  
  Demons are a race of loosely-related, warlike creatures borne from Magus - Nox. They appear, at times, a disorganized rabble of monstrous beings who stalk the Mortal Realm in search of humans to devour and subjugate. However, their social hierarchy is comparable to that of their celestial counterpart.
  
  

  

  
  Singularly powerful, the Overlord rules Demonkind with an iron fist. A creature of such vast power, the Overlord is typically a title held by the most powerful Demon. Though the power of the position waxes and wanes as new Overlords rise and old ones fall.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  Any Demon may rise to the rank of Kami, provided they have the strength to do so. The strongest Kami is usually dubbed the Overlord.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  Yokai is a catch-all umbrella term for infernal demons whose species and appearance may vary wildly from one to the next.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  Kaiju are bestial demons who make up for their generally lower intellect with sheer size and brute, monstrous strength. They, like the angelic Karmas, cannot speak.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  The lowest level Demons are the weakest, and most numerous subtype. They are the most likely to invade the Mortal Realm.
  
  
  Angels
  
  Angels are faithful servants of the Magus - Lux. From their bastion high above in the Celestial Realm, angelic forces mete out divine retribution upon the world. Or at least, they once did. For millennia, now, angels have left much of the Mortal Realm to its own devices.
  
  

  

  
  Overseeing it all is The Order, a coterie of upper echelon celestial beings whose purposes are theirs, alone.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  The hammer and anvil of Angelic might are the Archangels. Powerful knights of heaven, these divine beings have not been dispatched to the mortal realms en masse for many an age.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  Seraphs comprise broadly all higher angels. Some are warriors in their own right, but others may be craftsman, artisans, or the like.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  Karmas are mysterious angelic beings, creatures of order who dispassionately serve the greater good. These silent creatures are unnerving to behold, even to other angels.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  Angels, like common Demons, are the lowest ranking beings within the celestial ranks. Their true form is that of a many-eyed, eldritch entity that would appear incomprehensible to mortal eyes. They appear human so as not to shock them, but magic users can see their true forms if they focus. These angels field angels are the most abundant subtype found on Earth. There they perform endless errands that consist of little miracles, gracing churches, etc.
  Spirits
  TBA
  
  
• 
  Thank you for your interest in Cadavers! I'm really excited about this setting and our world, and I'd love to build a group of roleplayers who can engage with the world and help us build it even more (one day I'd like the whole map to be filled!)
  
  This will be a fairly sandbox-y roleplay experience. Several plot lines can be running in parallel, and we may even play around with non-chronological storytelling to get the most out of the setting and the world at large.
  
  If this drums up enough interest I'll get working on the CS, OOC, and IC threads. Also, we have a discord server! If you're interested, feel free to join us below:
  
  Happy Hunting ~
  

​

⛧ c o d e d _ b y _ s p o o k i e ⛧​

 

[Vorifengrous]

I love it!

 

[Elenion Aura]

I love it!

Glad to hear it!!

 

[Elenion Aura]

Feel free to post any questions as well!

 

[Vorifengrous]

Feel free to post any questions as well!

Is there a post schedule or frequency requirement?

 

[Elenion Aura]

Is there a post schedule or frequency requirement?

I think the expectation would be for RPN posts, about 1/week? Although that's player dependent and ofc life gets in the way sometimes. If anybody is ever waiting on someone to post IC, we can also run shorter RPs on discord to keep the creative juices flowing

 

[darkborn]

Redemption Complex triggered. Alrighty. Interested; though, one question: is everyone going to be a cadaver, or, say, there are cadavers and then there are magi, and then there are other people... etc.

Interesting lore, by the way! Cadavers seem very much like liches/archliches with their Soulbounds. Just less... skeleton-y.

 

[Elenion Aura]

darkborn happy to have you aboard!

is everyone going to be a cadaver, or, say, there are cadavers and then there are magi, and then there are other people... etc.

Good question!! I think that it’s fine if not everyone plays a Cadaver. I’d say the available races to start would be Human or Cadaver. Humans, while not up to par with Cadavers in most cases, can have some minor magical ability.

Angels and Demons are on the table, too. But I think they’d be better served with a narrative arc unto themselves, so I’d probably ask players to hold off making them right away (unless they’re okay with their characters being sidelined somewhat until later)

With that said I think it’s also important to note that there won’t be any hard limits on how many characters a player can have (with the soft limit being, ‘don’t overdo it’)

 

[Elenion Aura]

Bump

 

[Vorifengrous]

Bump

bump

 

[Melomania]

Hello! This sounds super interesting and I would love to take part! Do you have any characters lined up already, or perhaps a character sheet for us to fill out? I would love to know some more details, so please let me know what works!

 

[Elenion Aura]

Melomania yes! Let me dig a template out

Cadaver Profile

Name:

Appearance:

Personality:

Affiliation:

Background:

Magus Type:

Abilities:

Soulbound Weapon:

Techniques:

—

There are a few Character Sheets kicking around in the Discord if you’d like to take a look there!

Also feel free to fill out the CS and post it here/send it to me in a pm if you wanna discuss

Happy to have your interest

 

[Melomania]

Elenion Aura Thanks so much! Although I don't use discord much, I'm down to check it out!!

 

[Elenion Aura]

Some notes on affiliation since that has been a sticking point for some:

Affiliation can simply be the country your character hails from (if you have an idea for a country that’s not already on the map then that’s totally doable just lmk and we can set it up), or if you have an idea for a non-governmental organization that might want to hire or otherwise affiliate with Cadavers then that works too. Of course Cadavers can also simply be unaffiliated.

 

[Elenion Aura]

OOC

Fantasy - Cadavers - OOC

This thread is for out of character chat for the Cadavers RP Feel free to use this thread or the discord server to discuss characters, settings, potential plot lines, or whatever!

www.rpnation.com

 

[Elenion Aura]

Aaaand CS

Fantasy - Cadavers - CS

Please don’t post your Character Sheets here! Yes, super mixed messaging, I know :(( If at all possible, please post the WIP of your CS in the interest check thread: Fantasy - Cadavers Feel free to tell me as much or as little about your characters as you’d like to, but try to hit the basics...

www.rpnation.com

 

[Elenion Aura]

Bumping this for the morning crowd

 

[Moomba]

Hmm. Interesting.

 

[Elenion Aura]

Hmm. Interesting.

Happy to have you! Lmk if you've any questions

 

[Blackoutcatharsis]

Interested!

 

[Kwayzar]

Looking tasty.

 

[Elenion Aura]

Interested!

Looking tasty.

Welcome aboard!

 

[Elenion Aura]

Bumping this again because we are still looking for new and excited players!

 

[Elenion Aura]

bumping this

 

[Elenion Aura]

Bump