Realistic or Modern ∇𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔞𝔰 ▸▸▸ 𝖆𝖓 𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖒𝖔𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖓 𝖍𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖗 𝖘𝖍𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖓 ▸▸▸ [CLOSED]

[blue UP]

​

You step into a building, and a cold chill runs up and down your spine like fingers made of ice. The energy of this place churns your stomach, and the back of your eyes tingle. You know something bad happened here. Everyone has this sort of sixth sense, knowing when things are off, and yours is sounding the alarm. You swallow it down, tell yourself to stop being silly, and then move on. Yet, as a human, you don’t see what is truly happening in that room. A monstrosity formed of corpses in various stages of death watches you walk by. You feel its nails through your hair and its awful breath on the back of your neck. So, you walk faster. Unfortunately, this monster consumes the entire hallway, and every step you take is only a slight shift in movement for it. You reach the door on the other side of the room and exhale as you hear voices you recognize on the other side. You grip the handle when a fast and visceral pain lances through your stomach, and you look down to be greeted by your entrails floating there. But your vision goes blurry, and for a second, you look up at your own body—headless.

Your friends open the door, swearing they heard something. All they see is the empty hallway. They had been waiting for someone—maybe. Actually, everyone was here. They don’t know why they thought you were coming because they don’t even know who you are. In an instant, you are not only food but a withering figment in people's memories.

What you don’t—well didn’t—know is that there’s another world, two actually, layered on top of your own. The umbra, where the demon that devoured you came from, and the lumen, filled with starving angels. They congregate in places of extreme negativity and positivity, respectively, and feed on the humans who are foolish enough to walk into their domain. Thousands of people go missing a year, but they are soon forgotten. There’s nothing that humans can do to protect themselves from this invisible threat. Fortunately, humans share this planet with the divine, humans with the ability to see and interact with demons and angels—and, more importantly, hunt them. They are called exorcists, and they sacrifice everything to cull this constant threat.

The year is 2025, and our story starts at an academy, in the massive metropolis of Gran Vesta, that trains the future generations of exorcists. Twenty years ago, a class from this academy saved the world. Today, they train new and upcoming students. This is how things are: an unbroken cycle of destroying one’s youth to create a weapon that can fend off demons and angels. And you are a new student at this academy, and your final exam is staying alive.​

• .01
• The Discovery of the Lumen & Umbra
• The Divine Pantheon
• The Towers & Ten Families
• The Heretical Order of Cain
• The Saints of Tower 9
• The Cicada Prophecy

• 
• 

  
  
  In the beginning, humans didn't know that the Lumen and Umbra existed alongside them, interwoven in the spaces they didn't see. Like a blanket, whole, but whose threads were so massive that the gaps between them were monstrously large. The Umbra and Lumen were no Hell or Heaven, respectively, but instead places that excess negative or positive energies humans made fed into. This energy is from your soul feeding either side when it leaves your body. During a time in human history when death was overwhelming, and the despair was infinite, the Umbra overfilled and spilled out into the world. The blanket started to unravel at a brisk pace.
  
  There were no creatures within the Lumen or the Umbra, but the energy was powerful enough to infest recently deceased and change them into beings that would be henceforth called demons and angels. And to remain on this plane, they had to continue to feed on their respective energies. Demons had it easiest as all they had to do was kill or dwell in places of constant death. Angels had to use far more subtle tactics. And because of this, humans started to die at catastrophic rates.
• 
  During these dark ages, there started a phenomenon where humans not only saw the demons and angels, but they also could touch them. There were not many of these humans, but they had been created by being around demons and angels for long periods. Their souls had absorbed the excess energy, and instead of feeding it back into the Umbra or Lumen, it transformed the soul into a weapon. But not a typical weapon, an aspect depicting the burden their soul carried. From there, they could manipulate that aspect to kill demons and angels. These people were called "divine" by those around them who hired them to take care of this curse they couldn't define. The name stuck, as did the job.
  
  
  Over time, the divine formed a system, dubbed the Pantheon, to allow them to exist and function in plain sight. This style of rule spread worldwide, and while some of the members rebelled, there were so few that they eventually folded in. Yet, for all their organization and preparation, the flood of demons and angels was not abating; if anything, it was getting closer and closer to an apocalyptic event.
• 
  The oracles surmised that all life would end at the half-year mark. So, the smartest among the Pantheon, a man by the of Goldan, drew together the plans for the towers. Ten massive structures formed from an even amount of umbra and lumen energy, along with a sealing technique that was lost after Goldan's death. They could provide a barrier, called the Miasma, that made it much harder for the energies of the Umbra and Lumen to pass, bringing it down to a manageable amount. Yet, there was concern that the power of these towers might fade from years of use. So, Goldan stated that ten of the strongest divine families tie their bloodlines to these towers to cycle the power with every new generation, ensuring that it would never deplete.
  
  
  These families formed the ruling body of the Pantheon, dubbed simply the Ten Families. The families would stay close to a tower for the rest of their lives. If someone in their bloodline left, they were severed from the tower and deemed a heretic. The strongest family member would be the figurehead in the Ten Families while bonding to the tower. When they passed the next strongest, not the next in line, would take their place and continue the cycle.
• 
  So what of those who rebelled not only against this ruling style but the entire concept of the pantheon? They were deemed "heretics" by the theurgy and hunted down. Had they been left to their peace, they might not have turned on the pantheon. But, alas, they became one of their strongest enemies. They called themselves "The Order of Cain" from the Biblical tale. They stated that how was Cain to know he had committed the sin of murder when murder wasn't even a concept yet? So, how were they supposed to know that leaving the pantheon would result in their death, as no one had ever tried to do it?
  
  
  So, with the pantheon at their throats, they leaned into traditions that were once banned. They also created an art of fighting that was structured around using their aspects to kill the divine. As a jab at the pantheon, they called these members "Heretics." These Heretics went toe-to-toe with the pantheon's theurgists and exorcists and seemed always to win. That was until they faced the pantheon's greatest exorcist, Sephtis. He was able to slay any and every Heretic that came for the Pantheon until they retreated. It is believed that only women and children from the Order of Cain persisted after that, and they, too, fell from importance. To this day, Sephtis is honored in exorcist academies worldwide by depicting his weapon, a falcata, painted red to symbolize the blood of the Heretics, hanging over their doorways.
• 
  Twenty years ago, in Gran Vesta, the only city with three towers nearby, an army of demons nearly destroyed the Ninth Tower. They had first secretly killed off the family, the Lavoies, that were bound to the tower. The Oracles had failed to predict this tragedy. So, the theurgists scrambled into action but were wiped out without much fanfare, and then exorcists were called in. However, a powerful lumen user, believed to be a Heretic, had put a massive barrier over the city, not allowing outside forces to help. It was up to the paltry force in Gran Vesta to save the tower from destruction. This tragedy was called "The Night of a 1000 Demons."
  
  Among them were the grade 1 exorcists from the Bellum Academy. Of all the exorcists called into the fight, they were the only ones to survive. They held off the demon army long enough for Dr. Ares Fel to devise a plan to return power to the tower. For that achievement, they were viewed as some of the strongest exorcists that the pantheon had ever produced. They only suffered one fatality, the strongest exorcist in their ranks: Aden Kardos.
  
  
• 

  
  In light of what happened twenty years ago, the oracles have been more and more diligent in their readings. And they found something of a repeating theme among their divinations. Here's what they have cobbled together:
  
  "In months after the cicadas stopped their grand feast upon the divine, their humming would still be felt. The bones of all would rattle in their overwhelming symphony, and while it would ache and nauseate, it was a blessing they continued to hum. When silence was left in the wake of everything, would Gabriel rise from his slumber, lifting up and up into the sky, calling for the end of times. And from his horn would fall the bodies of Judas. One would perish on their throne of lies, and the other would kneel in front of that which was stolen from the kingdom of Heaven. In the dark days to follow, the divine must decide to take a bite from the Tree of Knowledge and be forever damned or save their souls and damn the world. Then and only then will the cicadas sing again, their stomachs full of flesh and their wings filled with hymns."

Veritas is a horror shonen. Yes, I’ve taken heavy inspiration from Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, some of that surprising body horror from JJBA, the in-your-face body horror of Parasyte, a few power system ideas from Darker than Black, vibes from Psyren and D. Gray Man, and the underrated Blood Blockade Battlefront—mixed that together and make sure that Tokyo Ghoul doesn’t touch it. And true to its name, Latin for “truth and reality”, it has a bit of a mystery to solve. Yet, unlike all shonen, there is no main character. This is a collaborative group effort. Occasionally, we may have backstories or small character arcs shine through, but for the most part, there is no one important character—mine included.

So, if you’ve ever made an OC for one of your favorite shonen animes and tucked it to the side because that’s cringe and you don’t want to talk about it, this is the RP for you. You’ll have two characters at the outset of the RP. The alumni who saved the world 20 years ago and the student just starting the academy. So, if you are cranky about what happened to your favorite zaddy in that one shonen anime, you can make a new one and coddle them. Points if you know who I’m talking about.

This RP includes:

• A power system that is loose enough to let you make up what you want, but regimented to make sure no one is OP.
• An episodical structure to ensure the RP moves at a decent pace—not fast, just decent.
• A small system to allow players to win, lose, and possibly die in a narrative way that is both satisfying and keeps you from being the MC or forgotten by the plot.
• Time for all that juicy shonen character drama, tragedy, and possibly some romance.
• Me. I think I’m swell.

What you won't get:

• insanely fancy div coding. Sorry. I learned how to do this on a different site, and a lot of the parameters are different here. Also, I'm not very good at it. On the other hand, I am good at aesthetic

If that interests you, let me know. I have almost everything written. I went ahead and included the history for the world above, to let you get an idea as to the state of everything. Get those brain juices flowing. So, my requirements for this RP will be:

• 5 – 10 interested people. I don’t want to put a lot of work into something that can’t even get off the ground.
• A writing quality style that gets across what you are trying to say without me reading lines upon lines of every intestinal movement they have. So, Lit-Adv Lit?
• Be 18+, due to the gore (it won't be extreme, if you can handle JJK, Chainsaw Man, and Hell's Paradise, you're fine), character death, and posts involving mental health and trauma. I promise not to go heavily into the latter part, as this is a shonen RP, but with us playing older characters... I'm sure they've seen some things.
• The flexibility and interest in doing not only solo posts, but collaboratives ones as well. As I've said before, this is a collaborative RP. No one is the protagonist.

Anyway, do the thing, and ask any questions you want to.​

 

[JudasMichael]

Interested!

 

[Klown]

 

[Solar_Abyss]

I've got an old character of mine that I think might work well in this world. Definitely interested!

 

[sasayuri]

I'm interested! This sounds so well-planned, my only worry is that I haven't done any RP in about seven years, and never this genre, but if you have me I'll join

 

[pendog]

Hey, I'm interested!

 

[YABABAINA]

Horror, JJK, and CSM in the same sentence, it’s peak..

 

[myrkwise]

Consider me interested

 

[Kameron Esters-]

With all this effort put in, it'd be a crime not to join lol. Consider me interested!

 

[orpheus.]

This is niiiice. I'm in.

 

[blue UP]

Alright. That's more than enough interest to get this bad boy up and going. I have everything written. I need to go over it with a fine tooth comb and make sure everything is cohesive and easy to read. I also need to finish the example CSes (aka MY character sheets), and then we should be good to go. Expect this to be done either tomorrow or Saturday (8/3) at the latest. In the meantime, I will drop the "how the powers work" bit here so you guys can start thinking about that. I need to reformat character creation, or I would drop that in as well. Hopefully, this gives a good idea of how powers work. Also, feel free to ask any questions. I'm sure I forgot to explain something.

• .02
• ASPECT
• TRADITION
• WEAPON

• 
• 

  
  vis (wees) is Latin for strength; force; power. Here, it is the catch-all for the power used by both the divine and the demons/angels. Replace it with "energy," and you have a good idea as to its use in the world.
  This power is individual for every divine. Does it mean that every divine has an awakened aspect? No. Some don't have enough vis to awaken them, or the user doesn't want to. Only the divine wanting to become exorcists force their aspect to come out. Considering what energy, or vis as it is called, brought their aspect into awakening, it means what sort of aspect they will have.
  
  The aspect is a single word that defines the divine at the moment it is awakened. From there, it's up to the divine to manifest the aspect and control it. The stronger a divine's vis, the stronger the manifestation. Yet, one can overmanifest, creating something that kills them. So, the trick is to balance vis use with how one wishes to define that aspect. Most divine summon power from the umbra, as it is the most plentiful and easier to manifest.
  
  
  EXAMPLE

  Imagine someone awakens their aspect, which is "brilliance." This can manifest in a few different ways. Either physically by thinking and reacting quicker than any other divine. Or metaphysically as flame or light.
  
  
  Most divines try to move their powers towards the metaphysical as they find it easier to curtail their use in many different ways. But that doesn't mean they always have the wherewithal to do that. Awakening one's aspect can happen one of two ways: by other divine funneling their vision into you, allowing you to awaken it on your terms, or when an event (usually traumatic) forces it out of you, bringing all your vision to the front. See, you wield your vis through emotion. So, going through something that brings many emotions forward would be enough to tip it over. Unfortunately, these users don't have the luxury of trying to define their aspect. They get what they get.
  
  And what of angelic contracts? Vis made from the umbra is straightforward—it's pushing something out into the world with the intended effect of harm. Vis made from the lumen is much harder to grasp and far more abstract. In the rare occurrence that someone is in the presence of an overwhelmingly positive influence, their aspect will awaken in a way that makes it impossible for a divine to comprehend. That's when angelic contracts are called upon.
  
  
  

  This is Regis, one of the more common angels that form pacts. He has a collection of eyes.
  There are a handful of angels in the world that don't feed upon hurting others to stay on this plane. And while there are demons like that as well, finding one is impossible. So, this angel will take one's aspect and decipher it in a way for the divine to use it. But they do not do that for free. They always ask for a favor. Usually, a favor is for the flesh or a portion of their vis. They rarely ask for "subservience" or "family members." No, they want an obvious favor so everyone knows that that divine belongs to them. This may sound like an aspect made from Lumen is worse in every way, but the angel will give a vague idea as to what their aspect is and allow the divine to decide on the one word. It doesn't even have to reflect them. They have the power to choose, and as such, they can wield it a lot more easily. So, while an umbra aspect may be "brilliance", a lumen aspect could be "inferno" "sword" "bones", etc. Which makes lumen aspects and the divine that use them a lot more potent and deadly
  
  
  
• 

  
  

  
  Traditions are useful as all aspects can only be activated via "triggers," and an exorcist might not have the materials or time to activate them. We'll discuss them in the Character Creation part.
  Unlike aspects, traditions are taught, and they remain fundamentally the same no matter which theurgist uses them. That being said, there are many different traditions and variations based on the family of the divine that created them. Usually, all divine know a tradition or two. And an exorcist would be a fool not to use a tradition for their gain, as they can supplement any aspect and improve upon it. These traditions use your vis in a regimented way to create the same result no matter the environment. Below, we'll go through the types of traditions and their styles. Usually, families mix and match these to create something unique for them, but understanding the basics will help you understand the entire thing.
  
  
  ABILITIES

  abilities listed alphabetically
  ACTIVATION: This is forcefully applying a trigger to anything, leading to its initial and/or desired effect. Using it on a defunct bomb would cause it to explode. Using it on a sealed door would cause it to open. It can be used in conjunction with other traditions to create a number of machines. Machine being the term for a power that requires multiple traditions.
  BARRIERS: This is forming a barrier around oneself or a person/object of their choosing. Barriers cannot do any damage, but they can protect those within them from damage. They can also trap someone or something else. But they can't do this wholesale; they have to be tuned into what they are trapping.
  CONJURING: This is summoning low-level demons/angels that you have made a pact with to help. Usually, they are one-use, or they have a continued cost to keep them coming back. They can be destroyed without any impact on you, but you lose that pact. These beings have to be of such a low level that they do not supplement an exorcist's strength. Mainly used a diversion, an addition to a power, or something to help with exploration.
  DISABLING: This power works as the inverse of the activation power. It can shut down a bomb, disable a door from working, or disable any machine that might have activated. It is not powerful enough to disable someone using their aspect, but it might be used in conjunction with other powers to disable the effect of an aspect.
  DIVINATION: This is not outright seeing the future but, instead, a way to forecast future moves of either opponents or allies. For instance, you might set it up at a doorway to alert you if anyone passes it or have it light up far away if certain conditions are met. This power is more for strategy than knowing what the future holds.
  ILLUSION: Fairly straightforward. This tradition creates an illusion. All illusions are not solid. They can vary depending on what they are placed on, how long they last, and the conditions required to activate and deactivate them. The size of the illusion is equal to the amount of vis put into them.
  SEALING: This tradition type is used to contain angels, demons, divine, etc. While that may sound a bit like barriers, sealing is actually a way to nullify vis. Sealing is harder to activate than barriers and more specified in how it is used. But if correctly implemented, it can tip the balance of a fight.
  TELEPORTING: As it sounds. This is the tradition that allows one to move quickly across a space. Different forms of it have different parameters and distances at which it works. It just matters how much vis is put into it.
  TRANSMUTATION: the tradition of turning something into another thing. Most users of this tradition use it to turn one inanimate object into another. There have been stories of transmuting humans, demons, angels, and even other divine beings. It's fair to say that practice is outlawed. This ability is useful in changing the terrain, getting through obstacles, or creating obstacles. Or, let's say your aspect uses metal and only metal, turning things around you into it.
  
  
  
  STYLES

  styles listed by power level; they all use vis but to varying levels
  OFUDA: the simplest way to activate a tradition. While it is the weakest among the list, it comes at no cost to anyone and can be used on the fly without putting much vis into it. They also can be sold and bought by theurgists and don't require any attunement.
  TOKENS: the most common way that one activates a tradition. These tokens are small personal items you hold, each imbued with a different tradition. The only limitation is that they must be created from something you've spent time with and put yourself into.
  BLOOD: Blood is fairly commonly used to activate a tradition, but only in small ways to activate equally small traditions. The more blood dumped into a tradition, the stronger it is, but the weaker the use becomes, which can add up quickly. It can only be blood from the source of the tradition, freely given and fresh. It is a finite resource that must be used conservatively.
  ANIMALS: Only in the direst of circumstances does the divine use animals, but sometimes a tradition calls for more power quickly. It is fair to say the larger the animal, the stronger the tradition. But one has to not only kill the animal but dissect it as well for the required effect. Vivasecting them gives quite the power boost, but no divine in their right mind would do that.
  FLESH: Sacrificing one's flesh for a tradition is not unheard of, but not many people use it. It's usually a last-ditch effort and from a place that can heal over time. There have been stories about the divine eschewing all their flesh to be able to seal powerful creatures. It can be done, but with dire ramifications.
  WORDS: Words are one time use. Imbuing a tradition into a word is a complicated thing to do, but the dividends from them are immediate and powerful. Unfortunately, once the word has been used, the user can never say it again. They lose all knowledge of it, and if heard from other people, it will sound garbled. The word has to have a meaning that corresponds with the attached tradition.
  SOUL: This style has only been used a handful of times as it is detrimental to whoever uses it. There have been very few divine that have been able to chip away at their soul to use this power. That was an art that was lost back in the times of Goldan. So, when someone uses it, it's for the entirety of the soul for a massive return. This style is forbidden within the pantheon and only useable with permission from the Ten Families.
• 

  
  Each weapon is unique to an exorcist and considered mandatory equipment. A weapon not only augments their vis, but also gives them something to use in case their vis is insufficient or runs out.
  
  For those born into the pantheon, weapons are either passed down the family line or gifted from another family. Those born outside the pantheon, called independents, are given weapons from the Theurgy. These possess a Latin name explaining their nature and have been used by previous exorcists—those who have passed in the line of duty. Attunement to these weapons is harder than those who were given their weapons since birth, but all of them can be empowered by vis. Not every weapon can be. They have to have been touched by the Umbra or Lumen to allow them to channel that power into them. So as such, no one can forge their own weapon. They have to find something and make it their own. Certain aspects may help facilitate this attunement more or make it harder—it's truly up to the whim of fate.
  
  If the exorcist loses or breaks their weapon, they will have to attune to another one to wield it in the same way they did their previous one. Otherwise, it becomes an unintuitive piece of metal or wood they're throwing around. Weapons from living exorcists, exiled or retired, are considered insanely powerful treasures that the pantheon hordes. Only people in positions of honor are allowed to wield such weapons, and they're the only ones that can. As wielding a weapon imbued with someone else's vis is akin to grabbing a hold of a rusty piece of barbed wire. But being able to attune to it allows someone to not only manipulate their own vis but that person's as well.

 

[orpheus.]

I see this and the first thing that comes to mind is: GUNS.

 

[myrkwise]

Already have some character/power ideas, but it'd be useful to hear other people's ideas as well.

 

[Nellancholy]

I'm travelling until Sunday so I won't be super prompt on the starting up process,but I'd just like to register my interest as well.

Perfectly fine with being on the shortlist until a second wave of recruitment starts,if this is already full up for now.

 

[Kameron Esters-]

And the P E A K continues!

 

[Peckinou]

Considering

 

[Wayne]

This seems very cool! I'm Interested!

 

[blue UP]

Aight. It'll definitely be tomorrow (8/3), probably in the evening (5 GMT; US CST). My job decided to ignore the on-call protocol and send me two states away for a job. I'll have some spicy words for upper management come Monday. Until then, I'm getting this job done. I should be back tomorrow to get everything wrapped up.

I see this and the first thing that comes to mind is: GUNS.

Guns are totally viable. They're not more powerful than any other weapon, but you can roll up with a shotgun. Actually, a previous idea I had used one, but it felt TOO cool, and I wanted to avoid my characters being too cool. I recommend typing "magical gun art" into Pinterest; there's a lot there.

Already have some character/power ideas, but it'd be useful to hear other people's ideas as well.

When I get the main thread up, I do plan on starting a Discord for people to discuss everything in. Because I totally understand, you don't want to get mostly through a CS, and someone puts something up that's exactly like yours. That has happened to me so many times.

Perfectly fine with being on the shortlist until a second wave of recruitment starts,if this is already full up for now.

I will be honest and say that it won't be first come, first serve. I don't know if I'll have more applicants than slots open, but I don't want people to rush their CS. Hek, it took me a month to write everything, and I changed one of my characters five times. I want people to be happy with what they're playing and not stressed. So, I'll probably make a deadline.

 

[Kameron Esters-]

Already have some character/power ideas, but it'd be useful to hear other people's ideas as well.

Me personally, I think i might go with a summoner. Been playing SMTIII recently so consider me inspired

 

[Ayama]

When I get the main thread up, I do plan on starting a Discord for people to discuss everything in. Because I totally understand, you don't want to get mostly through a CS, and someone puts something up that's exactly like yours. That has happened to me so many times.

Aww man, and just when I thought I might've finally found a cool RP I could join without an off-site OOC TwT Ah well- still a great RP concept either way.

 

[blue UP]

Apologies that this took so long~! I was stuck on the hekkin' tarmac for 4 hours yesterday. Anyway, here it is, in all its glory (?):

Realistic or Modern - ∇𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔞𝔰 ▸▸▸ {OOC}

You step into a building, and a cold chill runs up and down your spine like fingers made of ice. The energy of this place churns your stomach, and the back of your eyes tingle. You know something bad happened here. Everyone has this sort of sixth sense, knowing when things are off, and yours is...

www.rpnation.com

 

[lizardanya]

i'd be interested if this is still open :]

 

[SavannahSmiles]

Hello! Is this still recruiting?

 

[blue UP]

Aww man, and just when I thought I might've finally found a cool RP I could join without an off-site OOC TwT Ah well- still a great RP concept either way.

I understand that. I would love to keep everything on one site. But, unfortunately, keeping the OOC organized to keep chatting away from plotting, away from collabing, away from shitposting would create an insane web of pages. So, using a chat system that can easily categorize everything is easier. Not that I'm disappointed at forums for not having this; that would be a coding nightmare. But until there is a facsimile for it, Discord is the easiest way to ensure that information is where it should be. I really like organization, if you couldn't tell.

Hello! Is this still recruiting?

Yep! This is not first come, first serve. If only to allow people time to think about their characters and the like. So, join us if you are interested!

 

[e v i]

this concept is beautiful, and i can tell you put so much work into it!!