Blu
ᴏɴʟʏ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀꜱ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ.
◄ GOTHIC ⨯ HIGH / COSMIC FANTASY ⨯ ACADEMIA ►
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MACHINATIONS OF A SONGBIRD
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Within the military academy of Nox Astella, the Wrensong company is positioned as the third highest ranked house in the entire school. At the same time, they're also regarded as the most troublesome of the bunch. Filled with eccentrics and pariahs, the members of Wrensong insist on marching to the beat of their own drum, much to the faculty's chagrin. But even among their peculiar ranks, the infamous 'Demon Healer' is the cause of a lot of headaches—quite literally! The student body is at his mercy as he tests out experimental healing methods, dubious potions, questionable buffs, and even a touch of necromancy; often with unexpected and harrowing results. The only person able to keep him somewhat in line is the Captain of the Wrensongs and his childhood friend. Relinquishing the ability to use any kind of combat magic, the 'Demon Healer' instead utilizes his vast knowledge of the support arts to prop up his squad mates in order to help them become the strongest students on campus. In turn, he seeks their assistance in achieving his ultimate goal: to create the foremost encyclopedia of all things medicine—the Apothecarist Bible.
Join the Wrensongs as they tackle monsters, missions, and more in their many misadventures!
Join the Wrensongs as they tackle monsters, missions, and more in their many misadventures!
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SETTING
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The world of Decium is an aesthetic mixture of Gothic architecture and atmosphere with various elements of High Fantasy. Additionally, cosmic horror and steampunk themes also play a role as the world begins to enter its first Industrial Age. While the planet itself is indeed diverse in its numerous biomes, the starting focus of this adventure is the Shadow Continent—named so for its low rate of sunlight and high rainfall. An average day would typically consists of an overcast sky with demure rays of sunlight peeking through, painting the world in a dreary look.
Our story begins in the city-state of East Endon: one of the three kingdoms under the sovereignty of the Nachthom Dominion. The current year is 1123 AD (After Division) in reference to the geopolitical event known as the Dividing War in which the previous singular ruling state was broken into four individual sovereignties that now separate the territories of the world. It also marks the downfall of the elves as the dominant ruling race of the world. The current four powers are as follows:
❧ Nachthom Dominion — The sovereignty that governs the territories of the western Shadow Continent and its surrounding islands. Ruled by Chancellor Luthus Finore Chromoleon. Within the dominion's borders lie three kingdoms under its reign: those of East Endon, West Endon, and Antha Victorium. East Endon, the largest of the trio, is governed by King Caeasara Fangus III and his royal parliament.
❧ Lindwurm Alliance — Established as a haven for all dwarven kind after the conclusion of the Dividing War, it is unique in that it's the only sovereign power ruled by a collective of dwarven kings; each a representative of their respective clans. The alliance resides in the Great Northern Continent consisting of innumerable mountain ranges and volcanoes.
❧ Hygarde Dynasty — Imperium of the eastern Flower Continent; ruled by Regent Sakusa until the young princess Monogami comes of age. It is a land full of nature and ancient mysticism; where the sun shines most brilliantly in stark contrast to the cold and sullen Shadow Continent to the west. Hygarde seeks to imitate the power structure of the world before the Dividing War, opting to operate as one united front.
❧ Seraphthim Empire — The most secretive and isolated of the four powers. Established by a humble king whose name has been lost to antiquity. There are many mysteries concerning the empire; even the identity of its current ruler is not common knowledge. It lies to the southern Dark Continent, known for being home to fearsome monsters and Devilik kind. Outsiders are forbidden by its authorities from ever coming here.
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Humans are the most numerous and common of the varied races living on Decium. After the Dividing War, they are now seen as the dominant race of the world. Elves were once considered the pinnacle of all races before man came to power, and they ruled over all with untamed arrogance. After their calamitous defeat at the end of the Dividing War, the many elven clans scatter, never again to consolidate any kind of real power or territory.
They are now often looked at with disdain wherever they go as a result of the role they previously occupied in the world's hierarchy and for their sin of creating an artificial race of people. Despite the prejudices held against elves, they are still officially considered citizens of the realms in which they are born and are afforded equal rights even if public opinion may differ. Elves have an average lifespan of 400 to 500 years.
The Primalkin is the artificial race created by the elves by combining the features of man and beast through the use of forbidden magic. Their experimentation was considered a success of great paramount as the resulting first pair of primalkins were able to successfully breed. Now, there are numerous variations of primalkins in existence. Those with the blood of dragons flowing through their veins are considered exceedingly rare. Primalkin lifespans vary greatly per subgroup, ranging anywhere from averages of 50 to 200 years.
Dwarves are a rare sight outside of the territories of the Lindwurm Alliance as they are more seclusive than the other races. It's also a fact that their loyalty to their own kind is undeniably ironclad and so, when the dwarven clans decided to establish a rule solely for their own kin after the Dividing War, the vast majority followed without hesitation. While they are a hardy bunch in terms of resilience, dwarven lifespans are comparable to the average human's.
While there are a great many other races possessing comparable sentience, either their lack of intelligence or hostile nature makes it simply impossible to integrate them into polite society. Most also lack the ability to speak the common tongue, making communication another difficult hurdle to overcome. The universal currency in use on Decium is called Gilds ( Ֆ ) and they take the shape of gold coins.
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Within all living beings exist a flow of energy referred to as Mana which, when properly channeled, can allow a person to use magical abilities. Of course, not every living thing can channel mana, and even among those with the ability to do so, they require years of instruction, training, and mastery to utilize these gifts to their full potential. Magic behaves and presents uniquely to the individual, meaning even magic with similar properties will be different from one person to the next.
There are 10 classifications for magic spells and techniques. They are as follows:
- Elemental — Magic possessing properties related to the forces of nature or of the natural world.
- Creation — Magic that deals with the manifestation of matter or energy originating from nothing.
- Transmutation — Magic that allows the changing of the material properties of a subject to another form.
- Acquisition — Magic for the gathering of information.
- Summoning — Magic used to conjure or call upon a living entity, and in matters of teleportation.
- Healing — Magic with curative properties.
- Enchantment — Magic used to change a specific aspect or quality of a subject.
- Illusion — Magic used to influence the sensory perception or mental state of a subject.
- Necromancy — Magic as it relates to death, undeath, and the manipulation of life energies.
- Almighty — Magic that manipulates natural law and reality to one's own will.
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Nachtom's predominant military force takes the form of the various service academies located within its trio of kingdoms. While the primary function of these institutions is to develop the martial and magical prowess of its students to the benefit of the state, they also serve as universities to facilitate high-level learning and research into many complex fields of study. In East Endon, the premiere academy to attend is none other than Nox Astella.
Built to be a magnificent castle that dwarfs even the king's own residence, the school is housed within a specialty district of East Endon known as Academy Town. The citizens that reside here are all either students or faculty. Here, their every whim is catered to with impressive shops, taverns, theaters, restaurants, and so much more. There are sections of the town that intersect with the Nobility District, allowing highborn students to go to and from as they please. The current headmaster of Nox Astella is Yangus Chromoleon—a relatively young but well-regarded wizard and nephew of the Chancellor.
Ỉ̷̠̥͍̱͓͚̩͆́͊̇́̌̄̕͘͠͝n̴̖͇̹̼͙̠̽͌́͗͜ć̷̛̪̹̥̭̟̦͙̈́͋͒̍̓̃̐̿͗͆́͘̚͜͠͠ͅò̸̢̢̟̗͚̝̠̣͇͍̀ͅm̸̛͙͓̪̊̇̐͂̄̀̏̅̾̒̓̍͘͝͝ï̴̛̹̆̔̊́̈́̓͑̀͒͘̚͜n̵̨̺̋g̷̞̹͇̰̼̰̘̋̅͂͐͋͒̎̀̇̒̔̍̌̚͝͝ ̴̡̘̩͈͎̱̫̲̟̌͋́͂̀͐̇̅͜ͅT̷̥͉͇̳͎̫̩̺͎̀͒̄̿̀̔̀̌̈́̾̃̕͘͠r̶̨̛̜͎̼̦̦̝̱͇̠̯̣͒̎͒̉͛̍͝ă̷̡̨̻͕̺̼̣̠̬͔̫͙̗͈̜̄͠n̷̡̠̲̲̗̳͔͋̍̆͂̀͋͒̍͝š̴̖͚͊͊̄̽m̸͖͍̘̖͍̬̩͛͛́̓̇͒́̔͂͆̊̔͐i̷̛̼̮̦͈̠̻͕̋̀̍̂͂̂̑̈́̃̈̚͘͝ś̴̢̤̘̼̣̱̰̞̣̹́̓͐̈́͜s̷̨̡̙͔̩̩̮̞̲͈̬͉͖͂́̋̇̃̈́̾̿͑̊́͘̕͝ͅȋ̴̢̛͍̥̲̯̯̞̥͉͉̯̟̙̜̜̈́͒̿̌͂̐̓̃͘͝o̷̝̠͌͌͗̿̈́̿̅͆͋͜͝ṉ̸̨̣̼͚̔
'Did you know? That fairies come from the moon?'
'Did you know? That fairies come from the moon?'
Even within this world brimming with magical beasts of all ilk, fairies are seen by the vast majority of people as simply nothing more than, well, a fairytale—stories meant to captivate the imagination. However, there are some that would purport to have seen one of these elusive creatures. As those claims go: fairies are said to have come to Decium from the moon, arriving here on comets that are, in actuality, fantastical metal vessels.
Direct interaction with fairy kind is not recommended according to these eyewitnesses. One man described how a third party was cursed by a fairy and began to exhibit inhuman traits and behavior. They developed a sickness that caused their skin and orifices to ooze black pus. They call it the uncurable 'Fairy Disease'. Of course, these claims were never truly substantiated. Below is an artist rendition based on an eyewitness account of a fairy:
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WRENSONG
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The Wrensong company is the 57th iteration of houses under the 'Wren' name. The predecessor to the current incarnation was called 'Wrenfury,' established some thirty years ago. Like with all houses, the Wrensong's unique crest is magically adhered onto a house member's body; the location of the crest is chosen at the individual's discretion. It works as an identifying mark, unable to be copied or falsified due to its unique magical properties. Additionally, the brand disappears when mana is not channeled to activate it. It is also used as a 'key' to open up the pathway to the Wrensong's base of operations and research hall.
At the base of a great Nachttree located in the eastern gardens of Academy Town is a derelict shack. In its interior is a double door made of obsidian and locked with a magic seal. Upon activation of the Wrensong's crest, the seal will be broken to allow that individual to enter. Inside is a pathway of elaborate stairs that will eventually lead to their base of operations built at the top of the Nachttree called the Songbird's Cage.
A base of operations acts as a central hub for all house-related activities as well as serving as that house's living quarters while its members attend to their duties. The current House Supervisor is a man named Yang Iago—an alumnus and former Wren house member.
Nox Astella assigns each house an independent research hall located near the Grand Library in which to conduct their studies and experimentations. Wrensong was assigned Research Hall H. A large portion of the hall has been filled with intricate alchemical machines along with multiple large cauldrons for brewing purposes at the insistence of the 'Demon Healer.' Like with their base of operations, the research hall can only be accessed by unlocking the magic seal with the house crest.
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Because mana is automatically channeled through her vocal chords, her Devilik magic is activated any time she vocalizes a sound. The resulting high pressure wave produced by her vocalizations can cause immense physical destruction that scales by volume. A person unable to channel mana to protect themselves can be torn to shreds if caught by the wave. While she normally sports shoulder-length hair, Melancholy can use mana to change its length and manipulate it like tendrils.
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MESSAGE
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If you've read the lore or even just have a cursory interest based on the premise, I'd like to formally welcome you to this Anime-style RP centered around a magic academy in a dark Gothic, high fantasy setting on the verge of a great technological revolution. We're in the throes of a transitionary period where the world still very much relies on the traditions of magic and chivalry but is seeing the effects of rapid industrialization around them.
Will these changes bring harmony or discord? Especially to such an antiquated concept as a 'magic academy.' Nox Astella is basically a major branch of the sovereignty's military force. The students, while pursuing an education, are also being honed as weapons for the state and are expected to act as guilds, taking on jobs that come from their very own government or just the general citizenry within their domain.
The concept of the 'Demon Healer' boils down to the idea of having everyone else do the fighting while being subjected to the twisted whims of what would usually be a passive type of character. The 'Demon Healer' doesn't care about what you want. He'll do what he thinks is exciting or enjoyable for him, even at the (temporary) expense of his teammates. Meaning: expect bizarre things to happen to your character ever so often and just roll with it. Despite the title however, this isn't meant to be wholly grimdark or a power fantasy in abuse. It's played out more as a gag, so please don't take the idea too seriously.
For character creation, you have a variety of races to choose from. And if none of those are to your liking, you can go even beyond that. Just approve the concept with me first. While firearms are gaining popularity, the use of simple and martial weapons are still very much common, things like swords, spears, bows, etc. Magic is Anime in design, meaning it's supposed to be unique per individual. Even if two people use fire magic, it should be applied differently for each. Mage-types need a catalyst to cast magic be it a grimoire or staff or whatever you'd like. Melee or hybrid-type fighters can forgo that as their magic act more like superpowers in a sense.
IMPORTANT: I'm looking for someone to fill the role of the Wrensong company's captain—the student leader of the house—that also happens to be the healer's childhood friend. Those are pretty much the only requirements for this role; every other detail will be left to your discretion. If you're interested, let me know down below and we can go over the details.
Will these changes bring harmony or discord? Especially to such an antiquated concept as a 'magic academy.' Nox Astella is basically a major branch of the sovereignty's military force. The students, while pursuing an education, are also being honed as weapons for the state and are expected to act as guilds, taking on jobs that come from their very own government or just the general citizenry within their domain.
The concept of the 'Demon Healer' boils down to the idea of having everyone else do the fighting while being subjected to the twisted whims of what would usually be a passive type of character. The 'Demon Healer' doesn't care about what you want. He'll do what he thinks is exciting or enjoyable for him, even at the (temporary) expense of his teammates. Meaning: expect bizarre things to happen to your character ever so often and just roll with it. Despite the title however, this isn't meant to be wholly grimdark or a power fantasy in abuse. It's played out more as a gag, so please don't take the idea too seriously.
For character creation, you have a variety of races to choose from. And if none of those are to your liking, you can go even beyond that. Just approve the concept with me first. While firearms are gaining popularity, the use of simple and martial weapons are still very much common, things like swords, spears, bows, etc. Magic is Anime in design, meaning it's supposed to be unique per individual. Even if two people use fire magic, it should be applied differently for each. Mage-types need a catalyst to cast magic be it a grimoire or staff or whatever you'd like. Melee or hybrid-type fighters can forgo that as their magic act more like superpowers in a sense.
IMPORTANT: I'm looking for someone to fill the role of the Wrensong company's captain—the student leader of the house—that also happens to be the healer's childhood friend. Those are pretty much the only requirements for this role; every other detail will be left to your discretion. If you're interested, let me know down below and we can go over the details.
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GUIDELINES
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I. All face claims must be in the Anime aesthetic. Certain races may prove difficult to find the appropriate pictures for; in which case: a highly stylized art style is acceptable.
II. All in-character dialogue must be color coded. Please pick a color that is distinguishable from other players' choices.
III. Discord is mandatory for out-of-character activity. It's just an overall easier and quicker way to manage things, both for the GM and the players.
IV. On my part, the story will be the main focus. However, players are free to drop in / drop out and write their own side plots if they so choose.
V. Limit of 1 character per player as of right now. You can freely create and control NPCs as necessary for your purposes.
VI. Posting expectations are 1 post per week minimum. Length does not matter (one-liners excluded) as long as you get your point across and have enough for others to respond to.
VII. If after two weeks of inactivity without a prior explanation or a request for an extension, you will be automatically dropped.
VIII. Tag players that you directly interact with in-character or mention in passing.
IX. Note your interest down below so we can keep this thread moving.
II. All in-character dialogue must be color coded. Please pick a color that is distinguishable from other players' choices.
III. Discord is mandatory for out-of-character activity. It's just an overall easier and quicker way to manage things, both for the GM and the players.
IV. On my part, the story will be the main focus. However, players are free to drop in / drop out and write their own side plots if they so choose.
V. Limit of 1 character per player as of right now. You can freely create and control NPCs as necessary for your purposes.
VI. Posting expectations are 1 post per week minimum. Length does not matter (one-liners excluded) as long as you get your point across and have enough for others to respond to.
VII. If after two weeks of inactivity without a prior explanation or a request for an extension, you will be automatically dropped.
VIII. Tag players that you directly interact with in-character or mention in passing.
IX. Note your interest down below so we can keep this thread moving.
〖 DISCORD - CHARACTER SHEET - IC THREAD (TBD) 〗
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