Fantasy The Divine Brotherhood - An Original Low-Fantasy Universe

[HowlingWoods]

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  THE DIVINE BROTHERHOOD
  AN ORIGINAL LOW-FANTASY UNIVERSE
  
  IMPORTANT NOTE: This universe is a work-in-progress. It is already fairly developed in it's own right, but almost everything is subject to change over time. Please do not be discouraged if you don't like one or two details! We can always discuss things and make changes. Please read everything thoroughly!
  
  RULES & EXPECTATIONS:
  
  I. Please be literate! At least 2 paragraphs per post, more if you can provide it.
  II. If you can't be bothered to read everything in this thread, then I'm afraid we wouldn't make very good partners.
  III. Please ask questions if you have them! I don't bite...usually...
  IV. I don't have any requirements for age, but please be aware that as of the time of writing I am currently 17. So, if you have an issue writing with partners under 18, please keep that in mind. That said, my birthday is May 23rd, so that won't be an issue anymore in less than a month.
  V. If you're willing to talk OOC through discord, then please mention that in your PM to me. I love talking and plotting OOC, and I reply faster on there anyway!
  VI. If you have any limits or triggers, please let me know in the first post!
  VII. Be willing to play male and female characters. It's okay if you have a preference, just don't absolutely refuse to play the other gender.
  VIII. Be willing to play side characters when/if the need arises.
  IX. If you have a problem, whether with the RP, with me, or something else, please let me know!
  
  WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME:
  
  I. I am literate! I typically write somewhere around 4-5 fleshed out paragraphs per post, with exceptions for during conversations, but I might write drastically more or drastically less depending on circumstances and muse.
  II. I do MxM and MxF pairings. I can maybe be convinced to do FxF, but I have limited experience with that. I also do platonic roleplays sometimes, as well.
  III. I typically play males, but I can play females, too. Side characters are fun as well!
  IV. I like to keep the lines of communication open, so if I have a problem, I'll let you know.
  V. I'm okay with roleplaying in either PMs or threads!
  VI. I typically prefer to use anime or semi-realistic face claims, but I won't complain if you choose to use an actor or real person. I could be convinced to use a realistic face claim as well, if I don't already have an image in mind for a particular character.
  VII. I'm a sucker for drama, and for sad feels.
  VIII. I'm flexible, and I want to develop and flesh out this world. So, if you have any ideas, please let me know!
  IX. Meet me and find out more!
  
  
  Thanks to leviathan. for the code!
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  THE LORE​

  
  It is common knowledge that the world in which we live was created by a trio of brothers whose names were Min, Sin, and Kin. Min was the leader of these 3 brothers, and he created all things that had no allegiance - the dirt and the grass, the animals and the trees...At first, there was no such thing as life - Min created the animals and the plants to be inanimate creatures, void of life and there just for decoration. It was Kin who gave these things life, who made the wind rustle the leaves in the trees and the grass grow with time. Kin made the animals dance and play together, and he created life... He also created the Beast-Born. The Beast-Born were his masterpiece, for they were the first sentient life. Then, Sin, who was always known to be the more sinister of the brothers, created death. He said that all things that have begun must end, and he made the animals fight and compete for territory and food. He said he must balance this world, so that everything earned came at a cost. When Kin created the Beast-Born, Sin felt he had been shown up. So, he created the Demons- the second sentient life, whose very existence seemed to represent physical strength and power.
  
  When this world had been created, the brothers watched it grow, vowing that they would not interfere in this world now that it had been finished. Civilization sparked, and from civilization came governments, and with governments...came corruption.
  
  Sin, of course, thrived in seeing his creations create such systems as slavery, which seemed to appall Min and Kin. Yet, they had made their vows, and they stayed out of the way...Except for Sin. Sin was not satisfied with slavery being such a small part of this world. He wanted to see the entirety of the Beast-Born race enslaved. After all, Kin's creations were so weak, so naive....His race was powerful and sturdy. He wanted to make his brothers see that his creation was the best of all their creations. So, he broke his vow and meddled in the world they had created, influencing the government to make the buying and selling of slaves a higher priority. At first, Min and Kin didn't find out. It was only after several thousands of years that Sin had a slip of tongue and accidentally revealed to Min and Kin that he had broken his vow. Kin was furious, and tackled Sin. Min tried to separate the two, but all three of them tumbled down from their palace into the world below. By entering the mortal realm, the three brothers became mortal themselves, although still unable to age. Blaming Kin for their new mortality, Sin beheaded Kin, and Min stabbed Sin, determined to not let him loose on the world they had created. Min survived, and it is said that he is still roaming this world under a new name, hiding his true identity and discreetly working to stop slavery and fix his brother's wrongdoings.
  
  
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  THE BEAST-BORN​

  
  The beast-born are shifters, capable of shifting into the animal of their birth. While beast-born are diverse and vary greatly depending on their animal, there are a few common traits. They all have at least one physical manifestation of their animal, even in their human form. Most commonly, this is ears and a tail, but antlers, tusks, horns, and fangs are also not unheard of. Beast-born in their human form communicate much like humans do, but communication once shifted is a little more difficult. It is easy to communicate with another of the same species, but communicating with other species can often lead to misconceptions or confusion. While a fox and a wolf might have an easier time communicating than a fox and a deer, in either case all a demon will hear is a series of non comprehensible barks, meows, or other vocal calls. In general, the rule is that if the animals have a similar vocal call, then communication is possible between the two species, but may not be completely fluent.
  
  When shifting, any normal clothing a beast-born was wearing will be shredded. While clothing exists that will not be shredded during shifting, it is very expensive and must be made to custom-fit the beast-born. It is usually only afforded by rich masters who have slaves that must shift often for their jobs. A shifted beast-born is often indistinguishable from their animal counterparts until they shift back into human form.
  
  The beast-born are often gifted with talents based on their species. While enhanced senses may be the obvious one, many beast-born also exhibit personality traits related to their species. While not a hard and fast rule, wolves will often be more social and protective, whereas a fox might be cunning and devious. This also applies to inborn skills. For example, a fox might be good at thievery, and a wolf might be good at making new friends. However, there have been reported cases of beast-born who seem to defy the animal they were born with. Wolves who are shy and flighty, or rabbits with aggressive tendencies. However, they are often considered oddities, and may suffer scorn from even their own kind as a result.
  
  In Agea, most beast-born are born into slavery and then raised with their mother for the first five to ten years of their life before they are seperated to be sold to their first master. Many beast-born do not have last names, unless they were born outside of slavery or have taken on the name of one of their masters. Beast-born slaves may specialize in a variety of tasks, from entertainment, housework, and agriculture to prostitution and manual labor. Often the task they specialize in is dependent on the individual talents and skills of their particular species.
  
  While the vast majority of the beast-born population is enslaved in Agea, there are the rare few towns on the outskirts of the country where free beast-born have banded together and formed communities. However, their numbers were dwindling fast as many have been rounded up by slavers and sold. A few still seek refuge with either the rumored underground resistance residing in Riwa City, or in countries outside of Agea where slavery is banned, but technology has not progressed nearly as far. The most notable of such countries is Leetze, an industrial country in which both demons and beast-born are equally free to die in harsh working conditions and impoverished home lives.
  
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  THE DEMONS​

  
  The demons are the dominant race in Agea, and although the beast-born are more numerous, the demons are consistently more powerful. Resembling humans in appearance, save for the wider variety of natural hair and eye colors they exhibit, the demon's main asset is their ability to harness the elements. At birth, a demon is given the blessing of a single element out of the four cardinal elements: Air, water, earth, and fire. Children can be tested for which element they possess as early as the age of two by seeing how various elemental runes react to them. By the age of five, they can start to harness their element and control it, although they cannot truly master their control without training consistently.
  
  Very powerful demons can potentially control one of the four minor elements: Lightning, between fire and air; shadow, between air and water; life, between water and earth; and lava, between earth and fire. A minor element can only be controlled by a demon with the elemental blessing of a neighboring cardinal element. So, a fire elemental can learn to control both lightning and lava, but could never hope to learn to control life or shadow.
  
  Lightning elementals can create electrical charges of various sizes and strengths, and if struck by lightning can gain immense power for a short period of time. Shadow elementals can control shadows and move them around, useful for creating illusions or sneaking around unseen. Life elementals can control the growth of plant life, as well as communicate with animals of any species, including shifted beast-borns. Moreover, master life elementals have a limited mind control over some less intelligent creatures, such as insects, but could not hope to control a beast-born. Finally, lava elementals can melt the earth and create waves of lava to crash down on their foes.
  
  Demons who have a pure heritage of fire elementals are unlikely to be able to learn a minor element, and thus the mixing of elements is encouraged in order to create stronger offspring. Even so, it takes a massive amount of training to even begin to control a minor element, and you must master your cardinal element first.
  
  However, there are those known as 'noble' demons, who have a natural gift for learning both their cardinal element and a minor element. It is rare for a non-noble demon to ever master a minor element. Nobility is a dominant trait, and is quite easily passed down in families, and thus many nobles in Agea come from a long line of nobles before them who are often rich and powerful in their own right. Arranged marriages are very common within noble families in order to encourage the creation of strong offspring.
  
  There is a rare mutation of which no one knows the cause in which a demon will be born with no elemental blessing whatsoever. In this instance, the child will never be able to learn to control a cardinal element, let alone a minor element. Those born with this curse are known as non-elementals, and are often the subject of much scorn. Many non-elementals commit suicide, or are killed by their families, as it is considered a disgrace to have a non-elemental born in one's family.
  
  

  

  
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  THE RESISTANCE​

  
  There is a slowly growing resistance building strength in the 'Slave Hub of the World', Riwa City. Led by the divine brother Min, who now goes by the name Relinor to hide his true identity, the resistance welcomes both beast-born and demons with open arms, as long as they are willing to fight for their cause. However, naturally there are many more beast-born in the resistance than there are demons, and so the few demons that do exist often bear the brunt of scorn and hatred. The resistance is an underground movement for now, avoiding the public eye and completing covert missions and assassinations behind the scenes as they build up numbers. But sometime soon, Relinor knows the demons will figure him out and send an army to make an example out of them, and he's determined to be ready when that happens. They move their base of operations often, but they're currently based in an abandoned subway system.
  
  
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  A SPLIT WORLD​

  
  The world created by the Divine Brotherhood never truly united on a global scale. Instead, each pocket of civilization took over their own continent, forming what is known as the 'Continental 13'. They developed in complete isolation from each other, at various speeds. While some of the continents are still stuck in the iron age, others have developed into a more medieval setting. Others still have become industrialized. The only country to have reached true modernization is also positioned on the largest continent - Agea. It is said that Agea was the birthplace of the very first sentient life, and the testing ground of the gods. However, while Agea may have developed their technology to a new level, their society remained corrupted almost to disrepair. Their people seem the most affected by Sin's influence, and have begun to thrive on slavery and the descrimination of the beast-born.
  
  In all, the Continental 13 consists of Agea, Leetze, Midraf, the Rim, Waterlog, Traif, Emgrant, Yarrow, Talgwort, Queran, Ridgras, the Rift, and the Faluts. Agea is the only modernized country. Leetze and Waterlog are industrial countries. Midraf, Traif, Emgrant, and Yarrow exist in a medieval - like era. The Rim and the Rift are both unofficial names for the iron-age archipelagos located near Yarrow and Traif respectively. Talgwort, Queran, Ridgras, and the Faluts have not been fully charted by Agean explorers, but appear to be devoid of any sentient life.
  
  Of all the countries, only Leetze is open to immigration. They are a large continent with a small population, with a landmass second only to Agea's sprawling spread but not nearly enough people to populate it. The majority of the population has settled on the west coast and industrialized it, although some isolated communities still live in the iron age on the east coast. They are the closest nation to Agea, and as such a large portion of their immigrants are beast-born refugees seeking freedom from slavery in Agea. However, while slavery is not an official system in Leetze, it could almost seem as if the working class have become slaves to the factory owners.
  
  If you've read this far, please message me with an image of a heart. Or just send me this: .
  
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  THE SETTING​

  
  Deep in the heart of the Redwood Mountain Range laid a sprawling valley closed off from the rest of the world by towering mountains on either side, nothing but a narrow passageway carved into the cliffside allowing entrance into the city known as the “Hub of the World”. One of the largest cities to exist on Agea, Riwa City sprawled across the entire valley and was built up high into the clouds. The tallest building on Agea resided in this city, it's towering spire daring nature itself to defy it's sturdy structure.
  
  From a distance, Riwa City was one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Dig a little deeper, though, and you'll quickly find that there is plenty of corruption to be found underneath the glimmering skyline and valley views. Criminals that should have been sentenced to a life in prison mysteriously have all charges against them dropped. Powerful politicians make promises to better the city only to cause it's citizens more heartbreak. Homeless roam the streets with hollow looks in their eyes and unemployment rises with every passing year. But perhaps the worst thing about Riwa city was the slaves.
  
  Of course, slavery was a common practice all across Agea, but no city thrived in it as much as Riwa seemed to. Importing and exporting more slaves than any other city in Agea, it wasn't only the "Hub of the World" but also the hub of the slavery trade. Slave breeders were more common in Riwa City than anywhere else, working constantly to keep up with the constant demand for more and more beast-born.
  
  But there was hope.
  
  Rumours of a resistance were beginning to spread like wildfire. Beast-born and traitorous Demons that had taken up arms against their masters and this system of slavery. They were still small, but they were slowly growing their numbers under the watchful eyes of Relinor, thought to be the surviving member of the Divine Brotherhood, Min.
  
  No one seemed to be taking the rumors seriously yet, but Relinor knew it was only a matter of time before Riwa City would take the fight to their doorstep, and he was determined to make sure they had enough people to survive the war that would surely come soon after.
  
  
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  POSSIBLE PLOTS​

  
  I've got a list of characters that is constantly changing and being added to HERE. Feel free to check it out if you'd like to play with a pre-existing character!
  
  
  DANGEROUS SECRETS. Muse A is a demon born into one of the most powerful noble families in Riwa City. When he turns out to be a non-elemental, his family is ashamed and disgusted. Locked away in his own home for fifteen years, Muse A has grown to hate the world he lives in, but more than that - he hates himself. Muse B is a beast-born slave with a penchant for mischief. When she is bought by Muse A's family and stumbles upon the lonely demon, she begins to wonder why he's been locked away. It turns out the truth may be more dangerous than any lie.
  
  ILLEGALLY DISGUISED. Muse A is a beast born who has disguised himself as a demon illegally after his master passed away of a terminal illness. Determined to survive in the underbelly of Riwa City, Muse A is on the run from the police when he runs into Muse B, a member of the resistance and a demon. What kind of chaos will ensue?
  
  JUST ONE BID. Life is hard. Especially for Muse A, a beast-born who was blinded in an accident and sold when they could no longer work. When Muse B, a hot-headed demon raised by Relinor, the leader of the resistance, after his own family cast him out for being a non-elemental, sees Muse A on stage while undercover at an auction for his first-ever mission, he know he has to save them, even if it means becoming the very thing he hates. With just one bid, Muse A is suddenly his.
  
  FORBIDDEN LOVE. Muse A is a fire elemental, and a noble. Muse B is a water elemental, and a noble as well. Their families would never let them marry, knowing that it would weaken their bloodlines. But they've fallen deeply in love, and there is nothing they won't do to be together.
  
  BEATEN BUT NOT BROKEN. Muse A is a beast-born slave with a rebellious streak. Many masters have tried to tame him with violence and relentless abuse. But his newest master, Muse B, wants to take a different approach. He will tame him with love.
  
  RECOGNIZED. Muse A is a beast-born living in an isolated village on the outskirts of Agea with other free beast-born. Muse B is a slaver who is beginning to have doubts about their work. When Muse B's group raid Muse A's village, Muse B is given an opportunity to help Muse A escape. He takes it. Years later, Muse B has left the slavery business, and lives alone in a 1-room apartment in Riwa City's slums. Muse A has managed to disguise herself as a demon for years, and has moved to Riwa City in hopes of finding her family, who were sold into slavery when their village was attacked, and maybe joining the resistance. However, she never forgot the demon who let her escape oh-so-many years ago. When she bumps into him on the street, she recognizes him almost instantly. She knows that having him on her side could help in her search immensely. Can she convince him to help her find her family?
  
  AN UNFORTUNATE LANDING. Muse A is a human from planet Earth, many years in the future. Earth has died, and humanity has fled to a space ship on which they've lived for several generations. But the oxygen reserves are running low, and sacrifices must be made. Any humans who are considered detrimental to society are put into cryogenic sleep and cast into space in tiny escape pods. There is no knowing if they will survive. For whatever reason, Muse A was cast out in this manner. Maybe they were on drugs, or have committed crimes. Whatever the case, their pod drifted for ten years before it crash-landed on this planet, on the continent of Agea, not far from Riwa City. Muse B is a commoner and a demon who lives on the outskirts of Riwa City. And the escape pod Muse A just arrived in? It crash-landed on top of Muse B's house.
  
  CAT CAUGHT IN A MOUSE TRAP. Muse A is a beast-born on the run from slavers after their village was attacked. Muse B is a slaver with a sharp wit and a stubborn streak. When Muse A takes shelter in an extensive cave system, Muse B sets up a trap to collapse all but one of the cave's exits and force them out the last one, where the slavers will be waiting. But things don't always go as planned, and Muse B's associates have been unhappy with their treatment of them for months. Now, they've made their own plan to capture Muse B in their own trap. When Muse B goes in to retrieve Muse A with all the other exits blocked, Muse B's associates collapse the last exit. Suddenly trapped in the cave together, it's in their best interest to work together to escape - but can they put aside their differences to do so?
  
  YOUR PLOT HERE. Suggest one!

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[HowlingWoods]

It's been like an hour since I originally posted this, but I added 2 new plots so I figured I'd bump anyway. So...

Bump~

 

[TheCrazyBirbLady]

I am Interested, I am 21 and returning to the roleplaying scene after about a 4-year hiatus so if you are willing to forgive my rustiness I would love to play. I normally average 1.5 paragraphs but if you give me plenty to work with I am sure I could match you. I DM dnd games on a weekly basis so I have an eye for detail.

 

[Zariel]

Neat concept, I'll hit u up if I'm free. ^^

 

[HowlingWoods]

I am Interested, I am 21 and returning to the roleplaying scene after about a 4-year hiatus so if you are willing to forgive my rustiness I would love to play. I normally average 1.5 paragraphs but if you give me plenty to work with I am sure I could match you. I DM dnd games on a weekly basis so I have an eye for detail.

PM me!

Neat concept, I'll hit u up if I'm free. ^^

Thanks, just let me know!

 

[kevintheradioguy]

That's a curious setting. I'm cool with discussing it and chatting on Discord (hmu at kevintheradioguy#5754 if you'd like), though one big "but": I tend to be absolutely not okay with anime FCs :c

 

[HowlingWoods]

That's a curious setting. I'm cool with discussing it and chatting on Discord (hmu at kevintheradioguy#5754 if you'd like), though one big "but": I tend to be absolutely not okay with anime FCs :c

I'll send you a message! I can work something out with the face claims issue. Either I'll send a description or find a real one for ya.

 

[HowlingWoods]

I will likely regret bumping this as I was swamped with RPs just yesterday...but bump! Also just added a few plots! In particular, CAT CAUGHT IN A MOUSE TRAP. Looking forward to trying some new plots.

 

[HowlingWoods]

 

[HowlingWoods]

Bump! Added a link to my thread of characters under the last tab.