Umbra

[Miz]

Umbra

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A Miz & Pine Production

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• Introduction
• Gameplay
• Setting
• Requirements
• Resume

• 
  
  
  John 26:5:14, Evening
  
  
  Scribe Log: Speeches of Dean: Memoriam of Matthew
  
  
  
  My children!
  
  
  
  Do not avert your eyes from salvation, for redemption is not guaranteed! We all stand trial here: judged by our collective actions. It is our decisions now, which determine one another’s eternity. Challenges will present themselves, and it is these challenges we must overcome. It is from these small daily victories that will preserve our virtuous souls. It is only the act of the sinful that would discourage this enlightenment. Obsessed with their own desires, these individuals are only detrimental to the goals we all have sacrificed so much for.
  
  
  
  Let me remind you - my children - of the reasons we stand trial here today. Our souls are being appraised as we speak. Yes its true, we remain forsaken here amongst the swarming crowds of the sinful. Yes its true, we remain a victim to the harbingers of sin and doubt. However, there is still hope, still a chance of redemption, for all of us.Our ancestors ached just as you do, fought just as you have, but they were not the shepherds of their own virtues. They succumbed to their weaknesses: embraced a life of complacency; accepting their sin as one does the Lord's will.
  
  
  
  Our forefathers cultivated in their arrogance and produced vindication for their sins. Abandoning testament and virtue alike, they left their souls to drift to secular desires. For that reason our ancestors were forsaken. Left here to face the onslaught of war and strife that engulfed the world. This holy war, which involved the chosen of both the peaks of heaven and the pits of hell, ravaged this world. Sinking it into the abyss which our blood now find itself. We reside here now, amongst the unchanging world of Limbo.
  
  
  
  Jesus of Nazareth may have died for the sins of the past yet we have no such saviors now. We all stand trial here together. Our sins weighed against us. It is for that reason, the virtues of one does not equate to the salvation of all. Need I remind you the trickery of sin. We must not become jealous, wroth with envy. We must not become slaves to sloth. Nay shall we embrace pride and believe our actions greater than those of our neighbors. Heed the words of the overseer as he guides us through these difficult times - and do not question his orders, may they be demanding or perilous. It is for the good of all that we listen, it is for the good of all that we strive for virtue.
  
  
  
  So I leave you all with this introspection and hope: that in the forthcoming of weeks, times will improve. While the present may appear bleak, we mustn’t submit to our follies. We must burden the challenges that are acquainted with us today, we must embrace the further struggles that are to develop, and we mustn’t place our souls into the hands of our whims. Stay safe - my children - remember to lock your doors, and pray before tonight’s rising. Harbingers of sin will ravage the land, claiming the umbra of night as their own.
  
  
  
  In Matthews Memory,
  
  
  
  Amen.
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Gameplay
  
  
  Game Focus
  
  
  This game focuses on a group of four people, and their interactions with the world, each other, and the NCC’s (Neutrally Controlled Characters). As such, this game will only have four total players (Including Miz and Pineapple). Now, this is not about a ‘first come, first serve’ situation. We want to know who is interested in playing this game, and we will ask people to join the game that we feel with enjoy the game and bring something meaningful to it.
  
  
  What does this mean for you? - Think of this as a type of application: we want to know why you want to play the game, why you think you would be great at it, and some samples of previous characters you have made. it’s nothing personal at all, we would love to play with everyone, but this setting doesn’t lend itself to that type of game, it has specific roles that need to be filled (mainly, the cast of four). You can post the pseudo-application here or PM it to Miz or Pineapple if you feel more comfortable that way.
  
  
  Why do we only want a select few? - The game is casual, and as such will probably have minimal impact on your other games, we only expect one to two posts a week (per person) - in fact, we only want one to two a week. We all have classes and things to do, we can’t invest hours reading and catching up in the game if people go back and forth for dozens of posts. The game is fairly casual like that. (there is opportunity for more posting - through skits and flashbacks).
  
  
  But the gameplay wise, all characters are created in unison. Why is this? We want this game to feel real, it’s a small settlement with few people, it wouldn’t make sense for our histories to all be separated from each other. As you can probably guess, it would be really hard to have all players include all other players into their history if we have many players, and especially hard if we allow players to come and go during the game.
  
  
  Creative Writing Excerise
  
  
  Lastly, a large thing to note is that this roleplay is more like a creative group writing exercise - it’s about creating a roleplay as interesting to read as it is fun to play. This is about collaborating together to make events, discuss what we want to have happen, and write it together. The game is an open book, we all know how the game works, the minor details, and what will happen. This is not a game about a story teller guiding you through an experience. It’s about having fun talking to and socializing with each other over this setting - over teamspeak. Yes, teamspeak. It’s a lot more fun to discuss over voice chat or even instant messages through teamspeak then from PM’s - things more faster this way.
  
  
  
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  Game Setting & Plot
  
  
  Because of the nature of this roleplay, the setting cannot be easily simplified. For this reason, we have tried to limit the information below to only the knowledge you will need to know to see if you are interested. There is much more to this setting that we expect actual players to known including things like cultural customs and words that we and the players invent.
  
  
  For the basics however, this game is a post-armageddon roleplay focused on a small unnamed dystopian community. This community believes that they are currenting living in the first level of hell - known as Limbo. They believe the land they live on sunk into hell during the rapture and holy wars that later ensued. Leaving only the forsaken behind. However, neither of these beliefs can be confirmed, nor disproved. It is these beliefs you grew up on, it is in these beliefs you pray, and it is in these beliefs you live.
  
  
  Every night, each person in this complex rushes home to seek shelter from the Umbra of night. you see, at night that is when things get disturbing. This is when the Harbingers come out, shadowy creatures with piercing red eyes. This creatures are immortal beings, no bullet, no blade can harm them, only stall the inevitable, those we get caught and dragged to the lower levels of hell (or so the people believe). If is because of this that society grew as it has. Every man, woman, and child has a job to perform, from the farmers who tend to the crops at night, to the scribe who records the births of future generations. The most important role in this society however, is the Overseer. It is the Overseer who says what the laws are, it is the Overseer who keeps the complex safe and organized, and it is the Overseer that we trust, unconditionally. There is only ever one Overseer at any point in time, and a new one raises only once the present Overseer dies.
  
  
  Each teenager is responsible of getting an apprenticeship in one of the many professions of society, and they learn many things about it from all the others currently working the same profession. However unlike other professors, each Overseer only has one apprentice, and currently, that was Matthew. Mathew never came home one night, and no one had ever seen him since. To keep things simple - You knew Matthew, to all of you he was seen as virtuous and without fault, the ideal human. You were very close friends with him, and trusted him, he knew your deepest of secrets, the one thing you hope no one would ever know. You are not sure why he’s gone, perhaps you believe her has gone to the gates of heaven or he was caught by a harbinger. However, you care enough about him to risk your own life, to adventure out at night, go against the laws and rules of the community, to find him.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Requirements:
  
  
  So, if you want a quick checklist to see if this game is for you...
  
  - You must realize, this is not a game created by Miz and Pineapple to play - it is a game created from all of our ideas. We all determine the direction and the setting together. If you have no intention of improving the game setting, you should find another game.
  
  
  
  - You must enjoy learning and expanding on a setting and on characters as much, or maybe even more than playing in that setting or with that character.
  
  
  
  - You must be able to make your opinions known, and be able to understand that people may not always agree.
  
  
  
  - You must know that compromise is not ideal, and that sometimes it’s better to find an alternative instead of compromising.
  
  
  
  - You must enjoy creating symbolism and meaning in everything, from a character name, to the silhouette in the distance.
  
  
  
  - You must be able to accommodate a manufactured culture, with unique slang terms, and practices.
  
  
  
  - You must be capable of thinking as a person in a setting, to get a better understanding of how the people of the setting would feel or think.
  
  
  
  - You must be able to have a level of experience when it comes to writing in roleplays to conveys all of these goals.
  
  
  
  - You must be interested in and enjoy discussing a roleplay.
  
  
  
  - You must be able to discuss such ideas on TeamSpeak.
  
  
  
  - You must be respectful of others - regardless of how terrible an idea might first appear, never shoot them down, for even the craziest of ideas can be molded into the perfect concept.
  
  
  
  - You must love characters and love the idea of collaboration
  
  
  
  - This roleplay does have a definite end/conclusion - YOU MUST BE COMMITTED TO COMPLETING THIS ROLEPLAY TO ITS CONCLUSION.
  
  
  
  - Of course, you must leave your sanity at the door. (we are not responsible if it is lost/stolen upon leaving)
  
  
• 
  
  
  Resume
  
  
  So if you are still interested... Please fill out this resume and submit it to either this thread or through a private message to either Pineapple or Miz.
  
  Why do you want to play this roleplay?
  
  
  
  What do you think you can bring to the table better than anyone else?
  
  
  
  What is your favorite part of roleplaying?
  
  
  
  Do you have the ability to collaborate on Team Speak?
  
  
  
  Can you link to some samples of previous characters you have created? (on site/off site, doesn’t matter.)
  
  

Final Notes


We thank everyone who shows interest in our game. We did not want to make this an invite only roleplay for the simply reason we want to know more people in the community and let those individuals who have not yet experienced an advanced level roleplay play in one.


Of course the idea of a Resume is not to act pompous but to find some way of measuring players before we approve them. As character bio will not be worked on until those who are approved to play have been selected. This way we can all work on developing our characters together so that we can interlink our close pasts together and unify events in our lives.


Nevertheless - Please remember, that we will be selecting only a small number of players to join us in our game (only around 2 players). If you are not accepted please do not take offense to this. We just want the best candidates for our game so that it will run as desired. There are many other games on this site, and many more that will be posted in the future. Don’t take any rejection from us too personal.


~ Miz & Pineapple

 

[The Dark Wizard]

This game has been approved and set to awaiting players.


Enjoy!


Seriously though great job as always.

 

[The World is Flat]

Why do you want to play this roleplay?


First, the scheduling works for me. A casual posting cycle, but with opportunities to handle skits and dialogues is perfect. I go through periods of intense work, and then sometimes have days or weeks off, so i can balance my work and my play, so to speak. Secondly, the setting and thematic elements engage me. I'm certainly engaged by the concepts, and i love the idea that it's a collaboration. Being able to discuss the game as an equal member of a group, not as an audience is really a wonderful idea and i'd love to be a part of it. Miz has also been talking to me a lot about the game in the past, and it sounds f**cking awesome. Blame him if you let me join. His fault for making me want to play.


What do you think you can bring to the table better than anyone else?


I don't know that I can bring anything to the table better than anyone else, but I know that I will bring my own enthusiasm for the game, my own individual style of writing and character development, and my opinions and insights, and I imagine those will help to contribute to the game. I don't see myself as the strongest roleplayer, a stunning writer, or "the best" at really anything. I think that each person, especially in close knit games, brings a uniqueness that makes everything unique, and it's up the the players to cherish that individuality.


What is your favorite part of roleplaying?


When I first started roleplaying, I was 10, and it was with an employee on our farm. She was really into roleplaying, and did some roleplaying on a now (I think) defunct site called Xanga. I was amazed with the idea that you could make your own characters and worlds. (This is around the time i was starting to enjoy writing). Admittedly, I started out doing "fan fiction" roleplays, I got into making my own worlds and characters not too long after on a website called The Hive Workshop, where those ideas translated into map projects, and no small amount of roleplaying on their forums. I also roleplayed via email with my brother, and various chat programs like skype with a close friend of mine. We had created a world together, and it was there that i found what gave me the most satisfacton; creativity. That constant feeling of discovery that you get as you let a strong character act through you. It's one of the most rewarding experiences i've ever felt. The creative process of making and letting characters grow, especially when it's with other people and players is just awesome. It's why I roleplay.


Do you have the ability to collaborate on Team Speak?


Yes


Can you link to some samples of previous characters you have created? (on site/off site, doesn’t matter.)


Yes, I can.


http://www.rpdom.com/threads/shards-of-immortfreyani-odrono-regent-of-the-black-sands-herald-of-locusts-guardian-of-the-shard.51877/#post-675479


^


Most recent one, if you want more, don't hesitate to ask.


Most of my favorite characters don't have sheets. I guess i haven't gotten to writing them down. I could write books about them. My most developed characters are not written down, but only have place in pages upon pages of messages and emails on various websites.

 

[Kid]

Why do you want to play this roleplay?

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This contrive has captured my heart, simply amazing work has been created by the astounding Miz and Pineapple. The set up and plot have me so enthused seeing as it's also beautifully written. I do believe that this contrive with help with my experience on advanced roleplays. If I am not picked I will watch the thread blossom considering my anxiousness to have a role in it.

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What do you think you can bring to the table better than anyone else?

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I can bring my talent of detail and plot candies. However, I am not to sure about me bringing anything to the table better than any one though ,I do think I can keep the interest and dedication on the table. I've played many kinds of rps and followed their rules and requirements. I've been rping since the age of twelve and have seen great development because of my passion for writing. I tend to be very in depth with the descriptions and thoughts of my characters. I like to create something that is so deep and intense that it's maddening. I want to make a plot that has many twists and turns, but there's also the element of it being so simple at times.

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What is your favorite part of roleplaying?

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Character developing would have to be my utmost favorite part of role playing, only after character interaction.I go from one end of the spectrum to another with my writing style from happy to utterly depressing. From peaceful and carefree to dark and a bit violent. I love making characters that have to go through great leaps in order to grow into a better person. All in all, my style is a bit insane and eclectic. Is very over done, I mean if it were toast you'd have to scrape off the top layer over the sink.

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Do you have the ability to collaborate on Team Speak?

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Collaborating is my definite thrill. I do have access to Team Speak I believe.

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Can you link to some samples of previous characters you have created? (on site/off site, doesn’t matter.)

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I can definitely do as such.

http://characterset1.blogspot.com/
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