The Black Knight
One Thousand Club
The Tree, 000 B.A. (Before Arrival): It came from space in the form of a meteor and when it landed, it created a crater so deep that an entire city could have nestled within it. The tree grew overnight. It could be seen around the world, standing on the planet with its arms outstretched in all directions. Its physical arms never surpassed the borders of its continent, Joreba (yo-reh-bah). However, its branches still extended, but could not be seen by the human eye.
No one knew exactly what to make of the tree. The four kingdoms of the north, south, east and west: Dawn, Sunder, Belas, and Torn; sent their scouts to investigate. The scouts returned with fruit. Dawn experimented on it; Sunder divided the fruit and fed it to their councilmen; Belas planted the fruit in the ground; and Torn destroyed it.
- Dawn learned that the fruit was not fruit but a living organism—an egg.
- The councilmen of Sunder became severely ill, and in their illness, greed infected the kingdom. Those secretly vying for the throne attempted to take it, causing the kingdom to descend into fire and destruction. From the dead husks of the councilmen emerged monsters who acted in the likeness of the human they were born from. A monster reclaimed the kingdom and now sits upon its throne.
- In Belas, a monster sprouted from the ground and attacked the kingdom. It cost Belas 10,000 soldiers and the beast still escaped.
- Torn was the only kingdom unaffected.
The Great War, 005 A.A. (After Arival): The three human-ran kingdoms held a private meeting between the kings. Dawn did not share their secrets. They continue to experiment with the fruit and agree with the majority that the tree was evil. The three kingdoms banded together and marched a combined army of 600,000 soldiers to the tree. When the army began to roast the tree’s roots, the boughs began to rain blood as monsters erupted from the fruits in its defense. The army fought for days without rest and their morale gradually dwindled. There were serpentine creatures beneath the roots that latched onto men and drew them into the crater never to be seen again. There was a great beast which guarded the trunk and shouted curses at the men in a language they could not comprehend. It threatened them not to climb. The men attempted to flee, describing the tree to be a Hel. The were no survivors. The minstrels sing that the tree drank from the army’s blood like water.
Post-War Era, 005-055 (Present) A.A.: The monsters became known as demons to the world and angels to a religious few. A religion was born around the birth of the tree, the tree named Joreba after the continent it has consumed. They are the Children of Joreba. They are terrorists to the three remaining kingdoms and are not welcome. They eat the fruit and spread the curse of the demon like a plague. The demons cover the land, migrating from Joreba unless they are born on the mainlands. There has been a new creature born from the union between a demon and a human. The union is often non-consensual, and at other times ritualistic for the clergy of Joreba see them as a blessed and evolved lifeforms. The half-demons are called Daemons. The daemons roam the world with free will. Some slay the demons, while others use their supernatural gifts to claim power for themselves. Daemons are identified by the colors of their eyes. Their eyes are capable of changing to inhuman colors when angered.
Due to the coming of the demons, women fell greatly in status. They were called “witches” for the world identified them as being bearers of demons and yet they were needed for the continuation of humankind. Those who were crippled or deformed were accused of being a demon and murdered in the streets by vigilantes. The pagan practices of Joreba are done in secret and those who practice them are hunted and publicly executed. Daemons are similar treated like outcasts and are feared. Very few communities would welcome them without conflict.
This game is inspired by the anime and manga “Claymore,” the History channel show “Vikings,” and elements of Norse mythology. The theme of this game will be Norse-inspired, and so all character names should be either from Norse mythology or come from Celtic, Germanic, and Scandinavian culture. This game will have genres of: medieval, fantasy, horror, and romance. There may also be mature themes in this but nothing that will violate the RPN Guidelines. If you like to world-build—move into a game, and make what you want from the set story, then I welcome you because I have left a lot of room for writers to surrender to their imagination. As a GM, I will only deny your creation if I feel it is overpowered, affects the development of other player characters (makes them seem useless and teamwork pointless), or the game as a whole. I will not permit those who start drama, demand that I give them special privileges over others, or who are easily triggered by not getting their way. If you do not like this, and are hoping that I will be like other GMs who make a RP game for everyone and everything regardless of behavior, you are in the wrong game. My games are NOT for everyone, but they are for most.
Setting
The world is called Midgard. There are four kingdoms. You can reference the map to see what those four kingdoms are. Sunder is a kingdom of demons and home of the demon king. Avoid this area in your character creation. Just avoid it. It is off-limits.
The level of technology is bow or crossbow. There are no firearms. Mode of transportation is horse-drawn cart or wooden ship. Hygiene: you get a wooden basin full of hot water and there’s an outhouse or nature itself. Everyone must keep within the in-game reality. There are no showers, trains, firearms, etc. There are siege engines such as catapults, raid towers, battering rams, etc.
Races
There are only humans, demons, and the daemons. The demons are not entirely what you would imagine—large snarling beasts with horns and resemble a Christian devil. They sometimes resemble monsters and other times, they resemble humanoids. Even though there are no elves or dwarves, your character can have pointy, elf-like ears if you want, or be short and sturdy like dwarves. You can make your daemon appear however you want them to.
The Story
The Kingdom of Dawn has sent messengers across the last human-controlled lands, seeking the assistance of Daemons. At a great banquet in Dawn, the Dawn King has asked for the King of Torn and Belas to attend and share their opinion about the creation of a special mercenary band comprised of daemons. How your character receives this message is up to you. There will be tests of strength, so be prepared. If you do not like writing combat, then I do not recommend your participation in this game. However, if you are willing to learn and challenge yourself, then please do so. It will only make you a better writer, and no one will fault you if you try. I am not going to reveal too much. That's the whole point of the story!
- The Daemons can see the unseen branches of Joreba.
- The Daemons can understand the demon tongue without having needed to study it.
- The Daemons can see in the dark.
- The Daemons can since demons and other Daemon.
- The Daemons can speak the demon tongue.
- The Daemons possess a unique fighting style not found in scrolls or taught in schools. Their techniques differ to each Daemon.
Time Manipulation; Space Manipulation; Matter Manipulation; Pocket Space Creation; Luck Manipulation (also known as Probability Manipulation); Dimension Creation; Realm Walking; Nonexistence; Absolute Invulnerability; Absolute Invincibility; Permanent Power Stealing/Copying/Mimicry; Instant Death; Cannot summon gods; Extreme Regeneration; Resurrection; Advanced Healing; Reincarnation; Absolute intangibility; Mind Control; Cannot die; and premonition/foresight. This list has the potential to grow.
Code:
[b]Name:[/b] What is your character’s name? First and Last name. If your character is an orphan, then they do not need a last name.
[b]Nickname:[/b] What is their nickname? This is not to be confused with alias.
[b]Alias:[/b] This would be their alias or title if they have one.
[b]Age:[/b] The history goes as far back as 55 years. If your character is a daemon, then they need to have been born between 005 to 055 A.A. Post-War.
[b]D.O.B.:[/b] Choose a date between those years.
[b]Birthplace:[/b] What region did they come from? You can even create your own settlement that we can mark on the map.
[b]Gender:[/b] Male, Female, Neuter.
[b]Race:[/b] Daemon
[b]Height:
Weight:
Hair Color:
Eye Color:
Daemon Color:[/b] What color does your character's eyes shift to when they are using their daemon power? What do their eyes look like and how do they differ from a human's?
[b]Skin:[/b] Maybe they don’t have human skin. Maybe they have fur or scales?
[b]Physique:[/b] Plump, Solid, Athletic, Slender, etc.
[b]Legend:[/b] If you gave your character an alias, what did they do to acquire it? What is the story behind that alias?
[b]Personality:[/b] What do they like, dislike, how are they overall, what are their goals? How are they when it comes to teamwork and combat? Do they have any cultural mannerisms? Do they have an accent? What are their fears? What drives them? These are all examples you can include in your character’s personality.
[b]Background:[/b] This is optional. I say this is optional because this can be created as the game goes. Not everyone knows their character right away, and being that this is a one-shot, there is time to develop him, her, or them. If you already know your character’s back story, then go ahead and write it. Include any names of mentors, father/mother figures, siblings, etc. Use your imagination! Take this idea and run with it. You can also collaborate with other writers if you wish to have companions.
[b]Gear:[/b] Describe their armor or clothing. This is not the weapons section.
[b]Weapon:[/b] What weapons are they known to use? How long are the weapons? How many arrows, darts, bolts, etc. How many weapons? I would like for each character to have their own unique primary weapon, but I understand if you have envisioned for your character to have a specific weapon and it is similar to another character's, then that is fine. I limit similar weapons between player characters to three. No more than three writers can have the same weapon.
[b]Daemon Power:[/b] This is your character’s daemon power. You only get one power and it must have a theme. If it is fire, then I expect to only see fire. Ice, then ice. No elemental or multi-themed powers. ONE power.
[b]Extra:[/b] Steeds, familiars, battle themes, funny information, or just extra information go in this section.
1. One character per writer. I am only allowing one character per writer at this time.
2. 300 word limit. This is not a game for one-liners or people who can only write one paragraph.
3. Collaborate with Others. Please be sure to plot with others. This is why you are choosing to be apart of a "group" game. This is not a 1x1.
4. Communicate. Please let the GM know if you are going to be absent for a lengthy period. I do not need to know your business. I just want to know when you are expected to be back or finished with your busy period. If you leave the game, then please let the GM know so that I can replace you.
5. Activity. You will be required to post once a week. If you need more time, then at most, I will only grant you two weeks and no more.
6. Whatever the GM says Goes. If I say "no" to your idea, do not argue with me. No is no. If you do not like it, see yourself out because there will be no drama in this game.
7. Drama. By joining to this game, you are agreeing to join my creation and abide by the game rules and RPN Guidelines. I will not tolerate drama, and I will not tolerate disrespect. Do not invite disrespectful people to this game or problem children. I will let you and whoever you invited go. I will not have everyone suffer your petulance because you feel you deserve special treatment. I will do what I have always done and let the bad apples go.
8. Have fun. This is all I ask. Have fun, respect each other, and I look forward to seeing your amazing creations!
9. No Pre-Made Characters. Do not submit to me a CS from another game or a player character designed for another game. It is a huge slap in the face to me when I make this OP, and the writer does not even read it or design a character meant to fit in thw lore. It makes for a hard sell and I will refuse such a character.
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