Hoyo all!
So, I've got a high fantasy concept in mind for an RP. But, before I can turn it into an actual RP I need some partners as well as a few folks who might be willing to help me brainstorm and find the most fun way to actually bring it to life!
The Concept/Story:
There are three realms of existence with each being separated in what we might call their own dimensions.
- The Higher Plane, realm of the Gods.
- The Nether Plane, realm of the Demons.
- And the Mortal Plane, realm of mortals.
The Gods and Demons are antithesis of one another, but equally "divine." Neither can be killed in the traditional sense. Their physical bodies can be wounded and destroyed. But their essence is eternal and will eventually manifest in a new form if their old one is destroyed for any reason.
Obviously, our characters must all be from the Mortal Plane as playing a God or Demon is too open to abuse and God-Modding (trust me, I've seen it time and time again despite all rules and warnings against doing so).
Now, about the Dragons.
The Dragons are sentient, and can take to both humanoid and Dragon forms. In their Dragon form they communicate with other mortal creatures via telepathy since their mouths aren't suited to humanoid speech. All Dragons are unique. But among their variations of species there are a few standouts:
Aquatic Dragons have gills in addition to lungs, so they can breathe underwater, and are the fastest aquatic creatures thanks to naturally aqua-dynamic body shapes and their scales/fins aiding their propulsion. They also can use water magic to propel themselves faster as well as reduce their body's water resistance by manipulating the water closest to them.
Fossorial Dragons (those which live most of their lives underground) have hardened scales and are physically the toughest of all Dragon species and can take the most hits before being damaged ("skin/hide like diamond" is a phrase coined because of them).
All Dragons capable of flight have lighter bones and are thus more physically frail, but are by far the fastest aerial creatures alive. If you've seen How to Train Your Dragon, remember how fast Toothless was? Basically that. They're the medieval fantasy version of fighter jets, basically.
Serpentine Dragons, aka those lacking wings as well as lacking arms/legs, are the fastest terrestrial Dragons. They are also among the most physically powerful due to their body's evolution concentrating all of their muscle into one long torso instead of distributing it between a torso and other external limbs. They're only beaten in raw strength by one species of Dragon which we'll get to shortly.
Elemental Dragons are those born with control over a particular element such as fire, water, wind, electricity, or earth. Each Dragon is born with only one element. But they wield it with lethal efficiency.
Brute Dragons are both the largest and the most physically powerful of all Dragons. At their smallest (when full-grown) they're the size of a 5-story building. The largest ever known to have existed was the size of a literal mountain, being nearly 800 feet in height at the shoulder while walking on all fours and just over 2 miles in length from nose to tail. Due to their sheer size they lack wings, and also lack any elemental abilities. But for the most part, they don't need either.
In their humanoid forms the Dragons also lose most of their Draconic features save for a few sparse scales which often are retained on the shoulders, hips, and sometimes in various regions around the face. Female Dragons will also retain their tail while in humanoid form while the males do not.
The history of their species is clouded by a longstanding war with humanoids which lasted for millennia due to the humanoids viewing them as dangerous monsters instead of intelligent and reasonable beings. As such, they have long since isolated themselves on the central continent of the world which has come to be known to the humanoids as the Dragon's Maw (the Dragons do not recognize or acknowledge this naming convention of their homeland and will react harshly if you call it that in front of them). They defend this continent's oceanic territory with intense ferocity. As a result, no mortal has so much as been able to dock a ship on its shores in over 400 years.
Over time much information about the Dragons has been lost. But a few tidbits remain common knowledge. First is that the Dragons are notoriously stubborn creatures. Once they've made up their minds about something it's all but impossible to change them. Second is that the Dragons swore to isolation, meaning the humanoids don't even know if they're aware of what's coming or if they'd take action even if they did know.
So, given all this info what's going to happen in this RP?
Well, it's a fairly typical story about trying to stop an impending apocalypse.
The Gods and Demons have been at war since time immemorial. But lately the King of Demons has set his sights on the Mortal Plane which is supposed to be neutral and not part of their conflict. With humans and certain other races being particularly susceptible to the negative influence of Demonic energy he feels they would make ideal puppets against the Gods, as they view humanoids as their children (in a manner of speaking, more on that later if I get any interest in this idea).
To test his idea he's begun having hordes of his Demonic followers use magic to weaken the Barrier Between Realms allowing the negative energy of the Nether Plane to seep into the Mortal Plane and corrupt those most sensitive to it. And the idea has seen great success. Humans especially are vulnerable to this due to the nature of the human condition, along with other races with similar conditions of greed/selfishness such as dwarves, goblins/orcs, etc. Elves and several other races like the merfolk, nymphs, faeries, and others are highly resistant to the Demonic energy. But resistant does not mean "immune."
The idea is sound, and the King of Demons is now convinced that breaking down the Barrier Between Realms and invading the Mortal Plane is going to be key to the Demons finally defeating the Gods.
The Mortal Plane has caught wind of this thanks to whispering from the Gods to the races most sensitive to Divine energy (such as faeries, nymphs, the high elves specifically (other elven species/races aren't as sensitive and haven't heard these whispers), etc). As such, they all know what's coming. And they also know that without the help of the Dragons they're likely going to fall prey to the schemes of the King of Demons.
Why?
Two reasons:
1) The Dragon race was created by the Dragon Goddess Sil'Eph Niir who is a bit of a unicorn amongst the Gods in that since Her Awakening (the moment She as a Goddess became conscious of Her own existence) She has been immune to Demonic energy (there are a few other Gods/Goddesses who are also immune). As such, having created the Dragons from Her own essence they are also immune, meaning they cannot be corrupted by said energy like the humanoid races can.
2) The Dragon race is vastly more powerful than any humanoid race could ever be in terms of their raw physical strength (largely due to their size) and their magical potential (which eclipses even the High Elves who have the greatest magical potential of any humanoid race).
Without the Dragons, the humanoid races have no hope of survival or victory in this impending war for their plane of existence. The Demonic forces and their corruptive dark energies are too powerful. Especially if the Barrier Between Realms breaks down completely. They need the Dragons. But it's not as simple as walking up to their door step and asking them to play along.
And... That's where I'm at.
I have most of the story down. And I know for sure that I want to include a throng of playable races for folks to choose from, as well as a deep (but still simple) magic system for those who like using magic in fantasy settings.
Where I'm stuck at, and where I need some assistance via brainstorming, is how we want to structure the relationships between the humanoid races, and how easily we want the Dragons to be convinced (or not) to help out. Like I said, they're stubborn creatures. Maybe they'll fight. Maybe they won't. Since they're immune to Demonic energy it's entirely possible that they'll remain safe and unbothered on their continent while the humanoids are all corrupted and taken to the Nether Plane to become puppets of the Demons against the Gods. With the hatred the Dragons hold against the humanoids, it's not out of the realm of imagination that this would be the case.
The initial idea I had was for a tense and uneasy truce to be called between humanoids wherein which each race would choose their representatives (our characters) to travel to the Dragon's Maw and attempt negotiations with the Dragon race. Since this is such a dangerous venture, given how fiercely the Dragons defend the waters of their territory from outside incursion, they can't ask just anyone. They had to put the word out asking for volunteers. ANYONE who fancied themselves strong enough, brave enough, diplomatic enough, etc, and who thought they could do something to help this venture succeed. Because of the urgency of the situation the humanoid races cannot afford to be picky.
This is how I had planned to keep the RP open to any playable race and any conceivable background/lifestyle so that everyone is free to create the characters they really want to play and still have a place in the RP's story without any worry of being too much of a "fish out of water."
There's literally no such thing, here. Be whatever you want!
Now, there are a few rules I had in mind for the RP, most of which are your standard run of the mill rules.
1) No God-Modding, Metagaming, or Power Playing.
2) Respect your fellow role players, and don't cause any drama either IC (unless it's planned out and approved by all parties, including me as the GM) or OOC.
3) If you have questions, ask me. Please do not assume you can do whatever you want just because I've encouraged such open creativity with characters. There is a set lore and worldbuilding rules to abide by.
I would appreciate if anyone willing to participate could try their best to be active and post at least two to three times per week. If your max is twice, that's cool. If you can't commit to at least two per week, please don't join this one. I want this RP to move relatively quickly compared to my usually more laid-back experiences.
I don't care about post length, but I do care about the quality of your writing.
Therefore, if you can't immediately identify, define, and most importantly to know how to utilize all of the following terms, then this probably isn't the RP for you:
- The difference between an Antagonist and a Villain
- Characterization
- Conflict
- Dramatic Irony
- Exposition
- Figurative Language
- The difference between a Flat, Round, Positive and Negative character
- Foreshadowing
- Imagery
- The literary meaning of Irony (the literary meaning is different from the regular day life meaning)
- Metaphor
- Motif
- Personification
- The difference between Plot and Story (they are NOT the same thing)
- Protagonist
- Rising Action and Falling Action
- Setup and Payoff
- Subplot
- Subtext
- Theme
- Tone
With that all in mind, if you're interested in this idea and don't have a problem with the above list of terms then I'd love to hear from you!!
If you have ideas for how the humanoid relationships should work, such as being typical Tolkein-esque with dwarves and elves hating each other and humans basically being selfish dicks to everyone, let me know! If you have ideas for other Dragon types, let me know! If you have ideas for any plot/story beats or mechanics which could be added to enhance the lore/worldbuilding, let me know!
If we can get the right people and all the right ideas and discussion going we can get this RP started sometime soon (though, likely not until next week at the earliest because full-time jobs are a thing)!
Cheers!
- GojiBean
So, I've got a high fantasy concept in mind for an RP. But, before I can turn it into an actual RP I need some partners as well as a few folks who might be willing to help me brainstorm and find the most fun way to actually bring it to life!
The Concept/Story:
There are three realms of existence with each being separated in what we might call their own dimensions.
- The Higher Plane, realm of the Gods.
- The Nether Plane, realm of the Demons.
- And the Mortal Plane, realm of mortals.
The Gods and Demons are antithesis of one another, but equally "divine." Neither can be killed in the traditional sense. Their physical bodies can be wounded and destroyed. But their essence is eternal and will eventually manifest in a new form if their old one is destroyed for any reason.
Obviously, our characters must all be from the Mortal Plane as playing a God or Demon is too open to abuse and God-Modding (trust me, I've seen it time and time again despite all rules and warnings against doing so).
Now, about the Dragons.
The Dragons are sentient, and can take to both humanoid and Dragon forms. In their Dragon form they communicate with other mortal creatures via telepathy since their mouths aren't suited to humanoid speech. All Dragons are unique. But among their variations of species there are a few standouts:
Aquatic Dragons have gills in addition to lungs, so they can breathe underwater, and are the fastest aquatic creatures thanks to naturally aqua-dynamic body shapes and their scales/fins aiding their propulsion. They also can use water magic to propel themselves faster as well as reduce their body's water resistance by manipulating the water closest to them.
Fossorial Dragons (those which live most of their lives underground) have hardened scales and are physically the toughest of all Dragon species and can take the most hits before being damaged ("skin/hide like diamond" is a phrase coined because of them).
All Dragons capable of flight have lighter bones and are thus more physically frail, but are by far the fastest aerial creatures alive. If you've seen How to Train Your Dragon, remember how fast Toothless was? Basically that. They're the medieval fantasy version of fighter jets, basically.
Serpentine Dragons, aka those lacking wings as well as lacking arms/legs, are the fastest terrestrial Dragons. They are also among the most physically powerful due to their body's evolution concentrating all of their muscle into one long torso instead of distributing it between a torso and other external limbs. They're only beaten in raw strength by one species of Dragon which we'll get to shortly.
Elemental Dragons are those born with control over a particular element such as fire, water, wind, electricity, or earth. Each Dragon is born with only one element. But they wield it with lethal efficiency.
Brute Dragons are both the largest and the most physically powerful of all Dragons. At their smallest (when full-grown) they're the size of a 5-story building. The largest ever known to have existed was the size of a literal mountain, being nearly 800 feet in height at the shoulder while walking on all fours and just over 2 miles in length from nose to tail. Due to their sheer size they lack wings, and also lack any elemental abilities. But for the most part, they don't need either.
In their humanoid forms the Dragons also lose most of their Draconic features save for a few sparse scales which often are retained on the shoulders, hips, and sometimes in various regions around the face. Female Dragons will also retain their tail while in humanoid form while the males do not.
The history of their species is clouded by a longstanding war with humanoids which lasted for millennia due to the humanoids viewing them as dangerous monsters instead of intelligent and reasonable beings. As such, they have long since isolated themselves on the central continent of the world which has come to be known to the humanoids as the Dragon's Maw (the Dragons do not recognize or acknowledge this naming convention of their homeland and will react harshly if you call it that in front of them). They defend this continent's oceanic territory with intense ferocity. As a result, no mortal has so much as been able to dock a ship on its shores in over 400 years.
Over time much information about the Dragons has been lost. But a few tidbits remain common knowledge. First is that the Dragons are notoriously stubborn creatures. Once they've made up their minds about something it's all but impossible to change them. Second is that the Dragons swore to isolation, meaning the humanoids don't even know if they're aware of what's coming or if they'd take action even if they did know.
So, given all this info what's going to happen in this RP?
Well, it's a fairly typical story about trying to stop an impending apocalypse.
The Gods and Demons have been at war since time immemorial. But lately the King of Demons has set his sights on the Mortal Plane which is supposed to be neutral and not part of their conflict. With humans and certain other races being particularly susceptible to the negative influence of Demonic energy he feels they would make ideal puppets against the Gods, as they view humanoids as their children (in a manner of speaking, more on that later if I get any interest in this idea).
To test his idea he's begun having hordes of his Demonic followers use magic to weaken the Barrier Between Realms allowing the negative energy of the Nether Plane to seep into the Mortal Plane and corrupt those most sensitive to it. And the idea has seen great success. Humans especially are vulnerable to this due to the nature of the human condition, along with other races with similar conditions of greed/selfishness such as dwarves, goblins/orcs, etc. Elves and several other races like the merfolk, nymphs, faeries, and others are highly resistant to the Demonic energy. But resistant does not mean "immune."
The idea is sound, and the King of Demons is now convinced that breaking down the Barrier Between Realms and invading the Mortal Plane is going to be key to the Demons finally defeating the Gods.
The Mortal Plane has caught wind of this thanks to whispering from the Gods to the races most sensitive to Divine energy (such as faeries, nymphs, the high elves specifically (other elven species/races aren't as sensitive and haven't heard these whispers), etc). As such, they all know what's coming. And they also know that without the help of the Dragons they're likely going to fall prey to the schemes of the King of Demons.
Why?
Two reasons:
1) The Dragon race was created by the Dragon Goddess Sil'Eph Niir who is a bit of a unicorn amongst the Gods in that since Her Awakening (the moment She as a Goddess became conscious of Her own existence) She has been immune to Demonic energy (there are a few other Gods/Goddesses who are also immune). As such, having created the Dragons from Her own essence they are also immune, meaning they cannot be corrupted by said energy like the humanoid races can.
2) The Dragon race is vastly more powerful than any humanoid race could ever be in terms of their raw physical strength (largely due to their size) and their magical potential (which eclipses even the High Elves who have the greatest magical potential of any humanoid race).
Without the Dragons, the humanoid races have no hope of survival or victory in this impending war for their plane of existence. The Demonic forces and their corruptive dark energies are too powerful. Especially if the Barrier Between Realms breaks down completely. They need the Dragons. But it's not as simple as walking up to their door step and asking them to play along.
And... That's where I'm at.
I have most of the story down. And I know for sure that I want to include a throng of playable races for folks to choose from, as well as a deep (but still simple) magic system for those who like using magic in fantasy settings.
Where I'm stuck at, and where I need some assistance via brainstorming, is how we want to structure the relationships between the humanoid races, and how easily we want the Dragons to be convinced (or not) to help out. Like I said, they're stubborn creatures. Maybe they'll fight. Maybe they won't. Since they're immune to Demonic energy it's entirely possible that they'll remain safe and unbothered on their continent while the humanoids are all corrupted and taken to the Nether Plane to become puppets of the Demons against the Gods. With the hatred the Dragons hold against the humanoids, it's not out of the realm of imagination that this would be the case.
The initial idea I had was for a tense and uneasy truce to be called between humanoids wherein which each race would choose their representatives (our characters) to travel to the Dragon's Maw and attempt negotiations with the Dragon race. Since this is such a dangerous venture, given how fiercely the Dragons defend the waters of their territory from outside incursion, they can't ask just anyone. They had to put the word out asking for volunteers. ANYONE who fancied themselves strong enough, brave enough, diplomatic enough, etc, and who thought they could do something to help this venture succeed. Because of the urgency of the situation the humanoid races cannot afford to be picky.
This is how I had planned to keep the RP open to any playable race and any conceivable background/lifestyle so that everyone is free to create the characters they really want to play and still have a place in the RP's story without any worry of being too much of a "fish out of water."
There's literally no such thing, here. Be whatever you want!
Now, there are a few rules I had in mind for the RP, most of which are your standard run of the mill rules.
1) No God-Modding, Metagaming, or Power Playing.
2) Respect your fellow role players, and don't cause any drama either IC (unless it's planned out and approved by all parties, including me as the GM) or OOC.
3) If you have questions, ask me. Please do not assume you can do whatever you want just because I've encouraged such open creativity with characters. There is a set lore and worldbuilding rules to abide by.
I would appreciate if anyone willing to participate could try their best to be active and post at least two to three times per week. If your max is twice, that's cool. If you can't commit to at least two per week, please don't join this one. I want this RP to move relatively quickly compared to my usually more laid-back experiences.
I don't care about post length, but I do care about the quality of your writing.
Therefore, if you can't immediately identify, define, and most importantly to know how to utilize all of the following terms, then this probably isn't the RP for you:
- The difference between an Antagonist and a Villain
- Characterization
- Conflict
- Dramatic Irony
- Exposition
- Figurative Language
- The difference between a Flat, Round, Positive and Negative character
- Foreshadowing
- Imagery
- The literary meaning of Irony (the literary meaning is different from the regular day life meaning)
- Metaphor
- Motif
- Personification
- The difference between Plot and Story (they are NOT the same thing)
- Protagonist
- Rising Action and Falling Action
- Setup and Payoff
- Subplot
- Subtext
- Theme
- Tone
With that all in mind, if you're interested in this idea and don't have a problem with the above list of terms then I'd love to hear from you!!
If you have ideas for how the humanoid relationships should work, such as being typical Tolkein-esque with dwarves and elves hating each other and humans basically being selfish dicks to everyone, let me know! If you have ideas for other Dragon types, let me know! If you have ideas for any plot/story beats or mechanics which could be added to enhance the lore/worldbuilding, let me know!
If we can get the right people and all the right ideas and discussion going we can get this RP started sometime soon (though, likely not until next week at the earliest because full-time jobs are a thing)!
Cheers!
- GojiBean