Berries
Berry bad fruit puns
**Notice: We are no longer accepting new players at this time, thank you for your interest! We may accept more during the roleplay, so if you'd be interested in joining later on just leave a comment~
Character Sheet Thread: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/circus-jamboree-character-sheets.348371/
OOC Thread: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/circus-jamboree-ooc.348414/
Discord: https://discord.gg/3RWk5dR
Character Sheet Thread: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/circus-jamboree-character-sheets.348371/
OOC Thread: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/circus-jamboree-ooc.348414/
Discord: https://discord.gg/3RWk5dR
Welcome to Circus Jamboree, a circus that promises a delightful show for friends and family alike.
Admired for their acrobatic, death-defying feats, Circus Jamboree is the newest circus to join the ring but is already gathering a reputation behind them.
However, little is it known that this circus is more than it seems.
Maybe you should be afraid of clowns.
Admired for their acrobatic, death-defying feats, Circus Jamboree is the newest circus to join the ring but is already gathering a reputation behind them.
However, little is it known that this circus is more than it seems.
Maybe you should be afraid of clowns.
Roleplay Information
Alright guys that's the dramatic introduction over. I'm Berry, and I'm going to be running this show (get it? show? because it's a circus? I'm so funny).
The premise of this roleplay is that a group of skilled mercenaries and warriors that came together to perform large-scale missions or go after high bounties under the disguise of a traveling circus. Many have bounties themselves and most are in trouble with the law somewhere in Deva. They can be driven to join by any set of motives and should have a diverse set of talents and races.
Let’s take a look at the world, shall we?
Containing three vast kingdoms, continent Deva is our focus. Technology in Deva is just beginning to accommodate steam train travel and the major project at the moment across the kingdoms is building railways. They are just beginning to discover electricity. The other two continents in the world are Tuva and Shin. The world's name is Umbra.
- King: Alistar A. Abreha
Capital: Farnfoss
Values: Progress & Productivity
Hilly and with a hot, tropical climate, Ruan is the main agricultural power in Deva. The most common races found in Ruan are humans and orcs, but notably almost all the orcs in Ruan are enslaved. Ruan is the only kingdom where slavery is legal, and they employ the use of slaves mainly to tend to their agricultural fields. While Ruan would desperately like to be able to export their goods through their own ports, their waters are littered with massive mountainous landforms which are impossibly hard to navigate, not to mention their resident sea serpent. Ruan's military is large but is mostly unskilled and disorderly. - King: Urias C. Heltzer
Capital: Tunstead
Values: Strength & Innovation
Flat and cold, Secet is entirely arctic. Snow and ice is permanent year-round and even during the summer it hardly warms up at all. For this reason, Secet is almost entirely dependent on Ruan as a food source because it is exceedingly hard for Secet to grow enough food to sustain itself. The most common races in Secet are humans and dwarves, and it is the largest military power on Deva. Additionally, Secet is at the cutting edge of technology because its dwarvish population are master craftsmen. Secet is also home to three of Deva's five dragons as well as a giant squid off its shores to the East.
- King: Wesley B. Hutterman
Capital: Padstow
Values: Curiosity & Creativity
Pirya is the only kingdom with non-human rulers. The entire Hutterman family is elvish, and that is one of the kingdom's trademark qualities. Due to this, the most common races on Pirya are elves and humans. With a moderate climate and plenty of access to the ocean, Pirya makes use of the fact with its multiple ports. While they do have some agriculture, they don't have as much farmland as Ruan. Pirya is the main source of Deva's apothecaries as the elves are very intelligent and find it easier to master the art of potion-making than any of the other races. Pirya's military is small but incredibly mobile.
The History of the continent is as follows: Deva has always operated in a very simple way. Ruan being the main agricultural kingdom, it trades extensively with Secet in exchange for skilled warriors and craftsmen. Pirya, meanwhile, is the main source of imports from the other continents and also provides a platform for Ruan to make food exports.
Recently with the emergence of steam trains, Secet's skilled craftsmen have become higher in demand. Secet, with this newfound power over the other kingdoms, has used this to build upon its already extensive military. It is a known fact that King Urias of Secet has aspirations to rid his kingdom of dragons, and perhaps his growing military is intended for that purpose.
However, also recently King Travis of Ruan died and left his son King Alistar with the throne of Ruan. Alistar is not a traditional thinker and wants to increase Ruan's exports to the other continents. This act would cut off Secet from part of their food supply, angering King Urias greatly. Meanwhile, King Alistar has no offspring meaning that if he were to die, his uncle Calib Landla would take the throne. Calib is known to be much more traditional and less likely to cut Secet off from their food. This may be the second reason that King Urias is increasing his military power, to invade Ruan and kill Alistar.
On the other hand, Pirya is in support of King Alistar's plans to increase Ruan's exports to the other continents. This is due to the fact that Ruan, because of their geography, is forced to export through Pirya's ports. For this reason, King Wesley of Pirya has also begun to expand his military in the event of war between Secet and Ruan. In the event of such a war, King Wesley would almost certainly take the side of Ruan.
In other news, Secet spies in Shin (another continent) have said that Shin seems to be amassing its own military. It is known that Shin is envious of Secet's development of steam trains and may be preparing an invasion force. This fact may cause King Urias to hesitate declaring war on Ruan, because he would be unable to fight Ruan, Pirya and warriors from Shin at the same time.
At the same time, relations between Pirya and Shin are deteriorating because Shin is beginning to reject trade with Pirya. This means, that in the event of an invasion from Shin, Pirya would side with Secet. Ruan, meanwhile, would likely side with Shin. This fact puts King Wesley in a tough position because if Ruan, Secet and Shin all go to war, he'd have conflicting interests about who to support.
Finally, continent Tuva is reportedly developing a problem with dragons. It is known that Tuva is an incredibly weak continent for military, and in the near future they may turn to Shin or Secet for assistance in dragon-slaying.
Races, Magic & The Circus
Races are as follows:
- Humans have an average lifespan of 70-80 years. They are the predominant race found across Umbra and are also the most versatile. Humans can survive and flourish in any climate or situation. They are also the driving force behind nearly all advancements in technology because they can both contribute to the planning and the construction of projects. Humans have an average height range of 5”5 to 6”2.
- Elves have an average lifespan of 50-60. They have reflexes faster, eyesight stronger and hearing better than any of the other races. However, they still have the same body as a human just with pointed ears. While they have strong curiosity and are the most intelligent of the races, they also tend to die young because their human bodies cannot keep up with their somewhat super-human abilities. Because of their intellect, they also mature early - a ten year old elf is around the same mental development as an eighteen year old human. Also due to their intellect they produce more apothecaries than any other race. Elves cannot stand the cold and have a sub-par immune system in comparison to other races. Elves have an average height range of 5”8 to 6”4.
- Dwarves have an average lifespan of 100-110 years. They are the driving force behind developing any technology due to their expertise in mining, construction and hard manual labor. They do not do well in warm environments however, and fatigue easily in the heat. Their specialty is construction and they do not often concern themselves in matters outside of it. While their intelligence is regarded as sub-par to humans and elves, in reality they just choose not to pursue higher learning in preference to the more practical option of working. Dwarves have an average height of 4”0 to 5”4.
- Orcs have an average life span of 90-100. They are undoubtedly the strongest of the races and their thick skin makes them usable in both cold and hot weather. They have the general build of a human but have pointed ears and hardened white or green skin, often littered with scars. The two skin colors come from two different clans, and while the clans have now dissolved there is some infighting among orcs based on coloration. They are the least intelligent of the races, leading to a lot of discrimination against them. Due to their strength, orcs are also the ones that are primarily used and sold as slaves, increasing the prejudice against them. Their average height range is 6"4 to 7"0.
- Sea Serpents - The only known sea serpent near Deva is off the shores of Ruan. The said serpent, known as the "Corpsefiend", is said to be as big as a mountain and can destroy fleets of ships at once.
Giant Squid - The only known Giant Squid near Deva resides in the bay between Ruan and Secet. Laying more towards the Secet side, the monster is known as the "Graveling" because of the way that it puts people in their watery graves if they dare venture near it. The monster is said to be the size of three warships and can sink any ship in one go.
Dragons - There are five dragons that reside in Deva. The first, and most powerful, lives in Secet in the North. Known as "Hellteeth", this dragon is black and is known for having massive teeth that can shred through any material. The second dragon that resides in Secet is the "Fogtooth" which lives off of the shore in the mountain range near the Graveling's lair. Thought to be able to summon fogs, Fogtooth has never been properly sighted because everybody who gets close enough to see dies.
The third and last dragon that is a Secet resident is the "Horrorbrute". Near Secet's border with Ruan and Pirya, Horrorbrute is the most problematic of dragons. Known to be terribly aggressive, Horrorbrute also constantly fights with Pirya's resident dragon "Acidspawn". Horrorbrute is a massive red dragon, and while he has the least combat abilities out of the dragons he has the thickest scales and is almost impossible to injure. Acidspawn is a smaller green dragon, however her acid manages to keep Horrorbrute at bay. It is feared that if Horrorbrute and Acidspawn get over their feud, they may mate and introduce more dragons to Deva.
The final dragon, known as "Skeletalscream", is the first cause of deafness in Deva. Located to the South of Ruan, Skeletalscream has a piercing screech that can be heard for miles. Anybody within a two-mile radius is deafened. Somebody within half a mile will be killed from brain trauma caused by the loud, high-pitched scream. While Skeletalscream largely keeps to itself, if provoked it can be incredibly deadly. There is no known counter to its shrieks. Therefore, it is avoided at all costs.
Apothecaries - Those (usually elf or human) who have mastered the art of infusing their energies with solid materials. The products of these fusions are potions. To make potions, apothecaries infuse their energy with a substance, usually herbal, through intensive meditation which allows them to channel their own energy into the herbs. The training for an apothecary typically lasts 25 years to be able to complete healing and physical effect potions, but even if one studies their whole life they may never be able to make a mental effect potion. Potions are the only form of magic found on Umbra and the categories are as follows:
- Healing potions, commonly referred to as HP, are used to heal injuries or maintain a youthful look. These potions generally work by accelerating or fortifying cell growth/reproduction in the user’s body. This serves to help wounds heal faster or to strengthen skin cells to give a youthful glow. While somewhat common place, if used too often it can shorten the user’s life span due to the strain of accelerating/fortifying the creation of new cells in the body. These potions usually take a few hours to work and have varying levels of effect depending on the skill of the apothecary. HP is made by infusing life energy, a substance akin to mana, to herbs.
- Similar to healing potions, physical effect potions (known as PEP for short) change the function of the body to benefit the user. However, PEP do this by changing the nerve networks in the user’s body. By increasing sensory perception, PEP allows the user to briefly obtain greatly increased physical abilities. For instance, if the nerve system is engineered to disregard physical limitations, the user will gain strength. On the other hand, if the nerve system is engineered to create more nerve endings, the user would be able to feel things such as wind pressure and microscopic details. These potions usually last for a minute or two, depending on the skill of the apothecary. If used too frequently, the potency of the PEP will wear off until rendered useless. PEP is made by infusing physical strength to certain herbs depending on intended use.
- Mental effect potions, or MEP for short, are in a class of their own. Only the most skilled apothecaries can make effective MEPs, and even then they are high-risk for both the maker and the user. They work by changing the paths in the user’s brain to reach a number of desired effects. The first, and most common, is to make their “tongue loose” and compel them to talk and answer questions. However, it is also possible to alter memories and permanently change personalities. MEP that concern memory and personality require the maker to infuse their own memories and personality into the potion, and after they are infused the maker will lose them.
For example, if the apothecary infused kindness into a MEP he/she would lose the ability to be kind. Likewise, if they infused a memory, they would no longer remember it. For easier MEPs like “loose tongue”, it is required that the apothecary infuse mental energy into the potion which will make them instantly tired. This also applies to memory and personality MEPs. However, if an apothecary falls asleep during the creation of a MEP, they will have their entire soul fused into the MEP which kills their body. MEPs with the soul of apothecaries in them are banned worldwide and called soulbinds. It is largely unknown what happens if somebody drinks a soulbind MEP.
The Circus itself contains a set number of roles and adheres to a very strict hierarchy, which is also the hierarchy of the assassins. The hierarchy is as follows:
Ringmaster
Clowns
Acrobats
Animal Tamers
Strongmen
Notably, however, Circus Jamboree also employs one apothecary and one apothecary's apprentice who act somewhat outside of the hierarchy.Clowns
Acrobats
Animal Tamers
Strongmen
Circus Jamboree's Ringmaster is a man that goes by the name James Jubilee. In circus, he is responsible for introducing all the acts as well as the show. His fiery orange hair and obnoxious beard are the first and last things that the audience sees. He always carries a long metal baton, and usually dresses in black and red. His voice is thunderous and has a quality to it which captures the attention of performers and audience alike.
Outside the circus, Jubilee is responsible for assigning the group tasks and making sure that they are making progress towards their target. It is presumed that he gets paid the most, and he expects a high degree of respect from all members. His history, real name and literally any detail of information about him is unknown. It is presumed that he is a famous criminal but it has never been confirmed. Jubilee will be played by the GM.- The circus' two clowns act as Jubilee's right hand men. They carry out his orders and are often used as messengers. They are also are the circus' two most skilled warriors (besides, perhaps, Jubilee). During the show, they can substitute for any act, but usually either perform as a duo or solo. Their skillsets therefore include acrobatics, animal taming, music and more. The position of clown is open to any player, though there will only be two clowns accepted.
- Acrobats are, on the surface, the most skilled performers in the circus. Known for their incredible sense of balance, agility and speed make them a pleasure to watch. Balancing on tightropes, jumping through flaming hoops and peddling around on unicycles all while hardly breaking a sweat, Circus Jamboree's acrobats are one of the large contributors to Jamboree's success as a show. Outside of the circus, acrobats are used for missions such as reconnaissance and breaking into high-profile buildings or settlements. However, they tend to be more fragile than any of the other roles and therefore specialize in long-range weaponry.The position of acrobat is open to any player, but there will only be four acrobats accepted.
- Circus Jamboree owns two lions and four show horses. The lions are usually kept in cages despite their training, but the horses are used for a variety of purposes outside of just performance. Despite the fact that Jamboree also keeps horses to help transport their circus, the show horses can also be substituted to help travel. The animal trainers, of which there are two, control these animals. The animal trainers tend to be strong and surprisingly quick which helps them to keep control of their beasts.
Often times, the two animal trainers will perform together, but sometimes they also perform with other acts. For instance, acrobats and horses are a common combination. Outside of the circus, the animal trainers are used as decoys to create a distraction or as secondary tanks and damage dealers. However, their strength and speed also make them useful in a variety of other ways as well. The position of animal tamer is open to any player, but there will only be two animal trainers accepted. - Strongmen are exactly as they sound: strong men. Or women, of course. Used to perform feats of strength, they often partner with acrobats to make their best performances. It isn't uncommon for strongmen to make use of PEPs to enhance their strength for any particularly trying acts of strength. They tend to be physically slower than any of the other performers. Their attire usually is minimal, with men going without shirts entirely and women in skin-bare garments. Outside of the circus, they are used to break down doors, overpower infantry and generally anything that requires plenty of brute strength. They are also valuable tools to help the circus move. The position of strong man is open to any player, but there will only be four accepted.
Jamboree's apothecary doesn't perform and usually is used to create PEPs for strongmen, or any other potions that they may require for their missions. The apothecary's assistant serves the same role, but they are in training.
That's it for world/IC information!
OOC Information
If there is enough interest, I will be accepting applications for all the following roles:
Clown (2)
Acrobat (4)
Animal Tamer (2)
Strongmen (4)
Apothecary (1)
Apothecary's Apprentice (1) (optional)
Players are welcome to have as many characters as they want, but no more than one in any category. However, you will not be guaranteed the role of your choice. I reserve the right to accept or deny characters based on their acclimation to a certain role. Also, it should be noted that if you become inactive I will not hesitate to kill your characters off. XD Once I have 3-4 people interested I will put up a thread for CSs. ^^
Finally, thanks to Edna for the brilliant circus name.
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