MrReaves
Steamlord
A group of highly skilled teenagers is recruited to put a new, powerful kind of magic to the test; special weapons that are bound to their very soul, acting as a lightningrod for magical prowess and granting them superhuman powers. These "Artifice Knights'' prove to be impressive deterrents to the forces of evil, but while most admire them, others fear the consequences of so much power in the hands of so few...
~~~
This RP is open to any fans of high fantasy, steampunk, and intrigue!
Set in a world full of old magic and emerging technology, you will play the role of one of the Artifice Knights- disciplined warriors reaping the arcane benefits of “Fragments”, weapons so called for their most vital component; fragments of the core of the Godsword.
Through your battles and accomplishments, you may rise from anonymity to fame and prosperity. But on your shoulders also rests the responsibility of keeping the realm safe from evildoers and monstrous influences, who seem to be gaining in power… And your very existence may disrupt the fragile balance of power between societies.
~~~
~~~
I hope that after reading all that, you’re still looking forward to creating your Artifice Knight!
Here’s a few questions to help you get started on your character, and how they came to be picked for knighthood from the ranks of the prestigious arcane academy of Ivermore.
~~~
FRAGMENTS
The magic weapons, or Fragments, can be forged into whatever type the Knight has the greatest fighting skill with. Here are a few categories with examples;
Magic is present, often undetectably, in every aspect of the realm; even in every inhabitant of Naedria to a degree, but for the vast majority it would take considerable time and effort to will the smallest effect into existence, so few of them bother. As with most skills, though, some are born with an inherent talent for the arcane, and have an easier time attaining powers the longer they study the craft. They learn to make their soul, their very essence of magic, a repository where these universal energies can build up and be used later. In the process of taking power and forming it into a spell, though, the key is efficiency; much of it is wasted in the process. This can be countered to a degree by the use of a focus, an object that attunes itself to magic; crystals are well known for this ability to streamline the release of energy, though some disciplines use metals. These materials are often worked into wearable or wieldable objects such as amulets or wands.
Through the use of foci, spells can be much more powerful and more magic can be used before the soul finds itself drained. In recent years, the pet project of one of the Assembly’s Ascendant Magisters, Izin Oprix, has bore fruit; boring into the core of the Godsword yielded crystalline shards that proved to be unprecedentedly powerful foci, so much so that attempts to simply cast spells through them made the caster lose control of their magic, with disastrous results.
It was theorized that making the shards into the cores of weapons, making those weapons indirectly act as less-but-still-very-powerful foci for fine-tuned spells to be cast through, would offer enough control to make the wielder a formidable arcanist. Through careful forging by artificers, rune-warding by arcane theorists, and other systems and safeguards from various fields of magic it was ensured that the wielder could cast the spells to make them hit harder, cut deeper, move faster; for each spell that had some application in combat, a version could be crafted that the Fragment wielder could incorporate into their fighting style. The weapons were also made exceptionally sturdy through metallurgy and inclusion of drakeglass, a nigh-unbreakable and incredibly sharp glass-like material.
Young, fit, aspiring mages who could dedicate themselves to the cause were seen as ideal subjects, and Oprix could think of no finer place to source them than the most prestigious academy of Godsword; Ivermore.
Potential Fragment powers are listed below; I recommend only choosing a few and sticking with them, as your character would likely specialize in certain spells in the first place! If you can think of other fun ones, feel free to run them by me.
BIO TEMPLATE CAN BE FOUND IN THE OOC THREAD HERE!
If you have any questions let me know here or in the OOC thread! I’ll be glad to answer.
~~~
This RP is open to any fans of high fantasy, steampunk, and intrigue!
Set in a world full of old magic and emerging technology, you will play the role of one of the Artifice Knights- disciplined warriors reaping the arcane benefits of “Fragments”, weapons so called for their most vital component; fragments of the core of the Godsword.
Through your battles and accomplishments, you may rise from anonymity to fame and prosperity. But on your shoulders also rests the responsibility of keeping the realm safe from evildoers and monstrous influences, who seem to be gaining in power… And your very existence may disrupt the fragile balance of power between societies.
~~~
The year 27 NE (New Era) is an exciting time in the realm of Naedria and its many composite nations. After the continent-spanning Totality Wars between old Naedrian kingdoms, which brought about unprecedented destruction and loss of life, a period of rebuild followed under the banners of those who had ended the wars; the Arcanist Assembly. This Assembly was a gathering of mages of many different disciplines and kingdoms, rebelling against their employers after forced participation in the wars, where their magic caused many innocent casualties.
With their combined power, the Assembly eventually overthrew every regent and dissolved their armies. Borders were redrawn to divide the Naedrian continent into various magocracies, or nations led by conclaves of mages, and the populace was given the opportunity to rebuild their homes and lives in peace.
An important role in both the war and the rebuild was played by the Artificers, mages committed to the craft of machines; their squadrons of brass automatons (dubbed “stiffs” by the common folk) were instrumental in ending the war, and other magi-technical inventions like streetlights, factories, airships and skytrams allowed cities to be built back greater than ever before.
By far the most imposing and relevant of these cities is Godsword, named after its most prominent feature; the two-thousand-foot-tall sword of grey stone that protrudes from the valley floor at an angle, dwarfing the city- a relic of the Titan’s Age, when gods of monstrous size and shapes still roamed the half-realized, half-dreamed world, according to lore. The city is the Naedria’s greatest repository of mage’s guilds, schools and archives, and thereby serves as the headquarters of the Arcanist Assembly and centre for cutting-edge arcane research.
Not all is well across the nations. Some still support the old ways of kings who have gone into hiding, vying for power from the shadows (mostly those who reveled in or benefitted from the war). Others protest the absolute power that the arcanist conclaves hold over the realm, some going as far as to suggest they orchestrated the outbreak of the Totality Wars so they could play hero and put themselves in charge, and campaign for nations to be ruled democratically by their people.
Many families who had their farms or shops ruined in the wars turned to the cities and factories to eke out a living, finding poor working conditions and poorer pay in some; this has caused some workers to form their own guilds and unions who campaign before the conclaves. Alongside these civil unrests, magical beasts and rogue arcanists with dark powers still pose a threat, especially in rural areas, though walls of stone and patrolling mages abate those fears to a degree.
With their combined power, the Assembly eventually overthrew every regent and dissolved their armies. Borders were redrawn to divide the Naedrian continent into various magocracies, or nations led by conclaves of mages, and the populace was given the opportunity to rebuild their homes and lives in peace.
An important role in both the war and the rebuild was played by the Artificers, mages committed to the craft of machines; their squadrons of brass automatons (dubbed “stiffs” by the common folk) were instrumental in ending the war, and other magi-technical inventions like streetlights, factories, airships and skytrams allowed cities to be built back greater than ever before.
By far the most imposing and relevant of these cities is Godsword, named after its most prominent feature; the two-thousand-foot-tall sword of grey stone that protrudes from the valley floor at an angle, dwarfing the city- a relic of the Titan’s Age, when gods of monstrous size and shapes still roamed the half-realized, half-dreamed world, according to lore. The city is the Naedria’s greatest repository of mage’s guilds, schools and archives, and thereby serves as the headquarters of the Arcanist Assembly and centre for cutting-edge arcane research.
Not all is well across the nations. Some still support the old ways of kings who have gone into hiding, vying for power from the shadows (mostly those who reveled in or benefitted from the war). Others protest the absolute power that the arcanist conclaves hold over the realm, some going as far as to suggest they orchestrated the outbreak of the Totality Wars so they could play hero and put themselves in charge, and campaign for nations to be ruled democratically by their people.
Many families who had their farms or shops ruined in the wars turned to the cities and factories to eke out a living, finding poor working conditions and poorer pay in some; this has caused some workers to form their own guilds and unions who campaign before the conclaves. Alongside these civil unrests, magical beasts and rogue arcanists with dark powers still pose a threat, especially in rural areas, though walls of stone and patrolling mages abate those fears to a degree.
~~~
I hope that after reading all that, you’re still looking forward to creating your Artifice Knight!
Here’s a few questions to help you get started on your character, and how they came to be picked for knighthood from the ranks of the prestigious arcane academy of Ivermore.
- Where and how did they grow up? Were they born to poor labourers and had to fight their way into a spot at Ivermore, where they faced much snobbery? Were they born to former royals and charged with maintaining the family’s image of superiority?
- Did they choose to join the Artifice Knights because they truly care about guarding the innocent, or because they’re attracted to danger, or just want to prove their greatness? Perhaps just for fame?
- What particular skills do they bring to the table, outside of their proficiency with a weapon? Is there a certain field of magic, alchemy, or artificing they excel in?
~~~
FRAGMENTS
The magic weapons, or Fragments, can be forged into whatever type the Knight has the greatest fighting skill with. Here are a few categories with examples;
- Blades (swords, daggers, longswords, waraxes, scythes.)
- Polearms (halberds, tridents, spears, lance.)
- Blunt (Quarterstaffs, warhammers, maces, gauntlets and shields.)
- Ranged (Bows, firearms.)
Magic is present, often undetectably, in every aspect of the realm; even in every inhabitant of Naedria to a degree, but for the vast majority it would take considerable time and effort to will the smallest effect into existence, so few of them bother. As with most skills, though, some are born with an inherent talent for the arcane, and have an easier time attaining powers the longer they study the craft. They learn to make their soul, their very essence of magic, a repository where these universal energies can build up and be used later. In the process of taking power and forming it into a spell, though, the key is efficiency; much of it is wasted in the process. This can be countered to a degree by the use of a focus, an object that attunes itself to magic; crystals are well known for this ability to streamline the release of energy, though some disciplines use metals. These materials are often worked into wearable or wieldable objects such as amulets or wands.
Through the use of foci, spells can be much more powerful and more magic can be used before the soul finds itself drained. In recent years, the pet project of one of the Assembly’s Ascendant Magisters, Izin Oprix, has bore fruit; boring into the core of the Godsword yielded crystalline shards that proved to be unprecedentedly powerful foci, so much so that attempts to simply cast spells through them made the caster lose control of their magic, with disastrous results.
It was theorized that making the shards into the cores of weapons, making those weapons indirectly act as less-but-still-very-powerful foci for fine-tuned spells to be cast through, would offer enough control to make the wielder a formidable arcanist. Through careful forging by artificers, rune-warding by arcane theorists, and other systems and safeguards from various fields of magic it was ensured that the wielder could cast the spells to make them hit harder, cut deeper, move faster; for each spell that had some application in combat, a version could be crafted that the Fragment wielder could incorporate into their fighting style. The weapons were also made exceptionally sturdy through metallurgy and inclusion of drakeglass, a nigh-unbreakable and incredibly sharp glass-like material.
Young, fit, aspiring mages who could dedicate themselves to the cause were seen as ideal subjects, and Oprix could think of no finer place to source them than the most prestigious academy of Godsword; Ivermore.
Potential Fragment powers are listed below; I recommend only choosing a few and sticking with them, as your character would likely specialize in certain spells in the first place! If you can think of other fun ones, feel free to run them by me.
- Elementalism (flames, flash-freezing, blinding light, electric charge, air blasts, etc.)
- Metamancy (telekinetic force, arcane shielding, holding/trapping spells, etc.)
- Psionism (illusory images, distraction, energy draining)
BIO TEMPLATE CAN BE FOUND IN THE OOC THREAD HERE!
If you have any questions let me know here or in the OOC thread! I’ll be glad to answer.
