Fantasy Valiance [Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy] - CURRENTLY CLOSED!

[SkyGinge]

The RP has just begun, and therefore we are NOT currently taking new applications. However, should you wish to read along, then please proceed to the threads here...

~~~
They came without warning, without mercy.

Beings of pure darkness, of pure evil. Their soulless faces, their grotesque flesh. The warning bells barely drown out the screams. Too much blood to take in; bodies and buildings alike cut to pieces by this impossible army.

The end has come. The darkness has won. Valia has fallen...

~~~

Magic - the forbidden flame. A gift locked inside the hearts of all humanity, a power with equal potential for creation and destruction.

Since records began, magic was outlawed on the island of Valia. Lacking understanding of its nature, it was feared and therefore hated. In the hands of the wrong person, society could be torn apart and entire villages destroyed; furthermore, in the hands of a commoner, it threatened to overhaul the social hierarchy. Of course, there are those who, by nature, desire to study and make use of the secrets of the world. Many, wishing to use their magical potential, fled from their routine medieval lives to join tribes of magicians scattered across the recesses of the island. These tribes existed outside of society, untroubled by the law so long as they upheld their reclusive ways.

One tribe, however, rebelled against their forced banishment - the Drochiads, an anarchic cult of dark magicians. Under the authority of their leader, the Anarquesse, and the instruction of their dark religion, they would reap havoc as they saw fit, destroying and pillaging peaceful villages. Time and time again, the King and the brave Valiarum Knights would rise up to vanquish this darkness. Yet whilst the other tribes died and faded into myths, there would always be another to take up the title of Anarquesse and reignite the bitter conflict.

Until one young, foolhardy king decided to do the unthinkable. Lifting the ban on magic, King Lyram had his armies and scholars verse themselves in what little was known of magic, forming the most powerful army the island had ever seen. What followed was a long and bloody crusade across the island, uncovering long-hidden Drochiad hideouts and massacring the cultists inside. With the cult completely eradicated and no new Anarquesse emerging, Lyram had won. And with magic at the heart of his victory, what had once been the kingdom's enemy had become its salvation.

For the last forty years, Valia has enjoyed an unprecented era of tranquillity and magical enlightenment. Young villagers unsatisfied with a life of agricultural simplicity can make the pilgramage to the bustling capital of Alsiere to hone their magical potential at the newly established University of Magic. As scholarly attitudes shook high society and uncovered long-buried knowledge, magic was no longer a terrifying unknown. Instead its usage has become commonplace within every aspect of society, its many outstanding mysteries now a source of academic delight. Of course, traditionalists objected to such rapid societal upheaval, but who could object to the rule of the Hero King? And so the kingdom flourished under Lyram's rule, his warm address and iron fist maintaining the peace.

And then Valia fell.


One fateful night, King Lyram was assassinated in his throne room. And then they rose from the shadows, figures formed of pure dark magic encased in mysterious armour. The Shadow Reapers, monsters yet unseen. There was nowhere to run, for they do not tire or grow weary. There was nowhere to hide, for they see all. And there was no chance to fight, for magic and blade alike cannot harm their swirling flesh. And they swept across the kingdom in their droves, turning towns to rubble and slaughtering the entire innocent population, warrior and child alike. Until the screams finally stopped, the kingdom dead. The new Anarquesse had won, and his victory song was the silence of the slaughtered.

A month has passed since that dreadful day. Against the odds, there are a handful of survivors scattered throughout the island's deepest wildernesses, the last remnant of this catastrophic apocalypse. Forced to stay clear of the merchant's road, these young survivors the pursuit of the Anarquesse's menagerie of shadowy creatures, surviving off of what little scraps they can find.

But when all else is lost, hope still remains. These unlikely heroes must be the ones to overthrow Anarquesse and avenge their fallen kingdom. Yet the task seems insurmountable - can they truly defeat a man capable of single-handedly orchestrating a kingdom's demise? And what will they have to sacrifice on their road to vengeance?

~~~​

Welcome to my interest check! My name is SkyGinge (you can call me Ginge) and I've recently returned to the site having been very active on here about four years ago. Valiance is an adventure that mixes post-apocalyptic survival with an epic fantasy world. This is a tale I have run a few times in the past to some success, but the recent years have seen me develop as a writer and the narrative and world has also evolved accordingly. I'm really excited to get stuck into crafting this collaborative writing adventure with you all!

With the pitch out of the way, it's time for some more practical information:

• Detail: I'm always looking for quality over quantity, so I don't like to set strict post-length limits. However, I do ask for detail to be fleshed out according to the situation. For example, if you're writing a combat scene or writing about exploring a new village, I would hope for several paragraphs worth of response. However, if all you need to do is reply to something another character has said, a couple of lines will suffice as long as you give the other writer enough to work off of - I don't want two paragraphs of forced filler about how the way Fred said 'hey' to your character brought back traumatic memories of their dead goldfish Clive.
• Activity: Twice a week minimum, more is welcome.
• Content and Tone: Combat is pretty central to this RP, so if you're not into writing combat, this RP probably isn't for you. If you are, I'm excited to see how you use the magic system to fight off the Anarquesse and his monsters! However, it's not just pure combat - there will also be a fair bit of just playing out our character's trying to survive, exploring ruined villages and ancient buildings, facing challenges, solving puzzles and having downtime to reflect and see each character in a different light. Tonally, whilst things are obvious fairly dark, I like to maintain a slightly tongue-in-cheek adventure atmosphere to keep things bantering on.
• World and Structure: I plan on implementing an Act and Chapter Structure that splits up the RP into digestable chunks - this will hopefully improve the longevity of the RP by providing set opportunities for new players to join in, alongside giving us clear objectives to work towards with our characters. As such, I already have set beats and a set direction for much of the RP, especially the latter half. Furthermore, I've already set in stone some of the detail of this world, such as crafting a magic system for it (which I will share with you soon!). HOWEVER: there is a lot of freedom for you to contribute to this world, both in terms of lore and plot, and I would love you to be running your own subplots and contributing majorly to the main plot development to make the narrative as exciting as possible! I want it to feel as if our characters' decisions have direct ramifications upon the plot as it unfolds.
• Characters: Whilst I will be providing some prompts for potential characters, you have total freedom in crafting your character. You are allowed more than one character, and are also allowed to create villain characters.
• Spaces: I'm looking for probably 10 people max, myself included. It won't be first come first served; rather I'll review all the character forms and then choose participants after that. Choices will be made based on the promise of the character (i.e. the scope for interesting interactions and character development), the layeredness of the character and how well they fit into the world.

I will be posting tomorrow with more information about the magic system and the world of Valia itself, and hopefully the character thread will be up soon after that. If you have any questions then please ask them down below! And if you're interested, then please let me know too!

 

[thefinalgirl]

I'm interested!

 

[vleet]

Interested.

 

[swamp fairy]

Y E E T

Just what I'm looking for to get back into RPing. Count me interested!

 

[MToki]

This sounds super cool, count me in as well

 

[ShadyAce]

Ginge! Fantastic to see you around again (if you remember me, haha). I'm not certain if I'll have the time, but I'm definitely still interested!

 

[SkyGinge]

Magic

For centuries, the nature of magic remained shrouded in mystery. The widely-held belief was that magic tapped into the innate aura of the user, channelling some kind of inner, unknown energy into elemental power using the magical potential of the natural world. But if that explanation sounded too vague for you, alternative interpretations were available; some considered it a blessing from the Gods, and other a curse. It is only thanks to the scientific research undertaken at the University of Magic that there now exists a more concrete explanation of magic's nature.

Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide: the bare elements of the world's atmosphere. And among then, there is another element, since called auranium, present in varying densities across the kingdom. Usually when breathed in, it passes without effect through the human respiratory system; though a small amount is naturally stored within the body, the ordinary villager feels nothing of its presence and knows not how to use it. Nevertheless, all humanity has the potential to channel magic through the soul, known also as 'the unseen organ'. Though invisible, the soul allows the mage to store, energise and release auranium in a given elemental form. Learning to use your soul is like learning how to use a muscle you never even knew you had, and very rarely do people awaken their soul by accident. Instead, the University of Magic has developed a method of helping budding magicians to find and awaken their soul. This awakening is normally accompanied by an out-of-control expulsion of magical energy that can be quite dangerous without proper control, so the safe academic confines of the university is an ideal place to first use magic.

Once the mage's soul has been awakened, they will learn how to use magic in a number of ways.

1. Storage (basic technique)
Once awakened, it is possible to store auranium within the soul, allowing mages to make use of a greater amount of auranium than they would have from breathing in normally. A mage's capacity for storage increases the more they train with their magic. It is unwise to stay at full capacity for more than a few hours, otherwise the mage will begin to feel unnaturally lethargic.
2. Activation (beginner technique)
Whilst auranium is present in small amounts in the atmosphere, it also lies dormant within trees, rocks and other natural creations. Activation allows a mage to touch an object and re-energise the auranium within it with their elemental power. This is the least straining of the magical abilities, but any magic created this way is bound to the object in question and its surrounding area, and usually burns out faster than other magical methods. Conversely, it is also possible to deactivate a magically charged object of your element (i.e. a Red Mage putting out a fire).

3. Creation (advanced technique)
A three stage process which uses atmospheric auranium to 'create' magical effects. The most prevalent, popular and versatile magical technique.
Stage One: Drawing: The mage concentrates their soul to 'magnetise' nearby auranium into it, speeding up the natural storage process.
Stage Two: Conversion: The mage rapidly energises their stored auranium.
Stage Three: Casting: The mage releases this energy in their magical elemental form, channelling it out from somewhere on their body. Usually, mages cast from the hands as it is easier to visualise the process, which helps them when learning how to create magic; however, it is possible to cast from anywhere. Expert mages are able to cast with such precision that their magic was considered an art form before the fall.

4. Restoration (master technique)
Allows the user to touch an object and cause a chemical reaction within it which changes other elements into auranium. Exactly why this technique is possible is unclear; scholars are convinced the soul has something to do with it, but as the process itself doesn't use auranium, it is theoretically impossible despite being a practical reality. Nevertheless, the technique is seen more as a last resort as it is incredibly straining to the user and create a relatively minor amount of auranium for the effort required.

5. Melding (forbidden technique)
Scholars differ in opinion regarding whether two different elements of magic can be used simultaneously. There have been reports of it happening, but even the most powerful magicians haven't been able to control it for long enough for it to be passed off by some as a mythical ability.

The Mage is immune to their own magic (a phenomenon termed 'the divine fingerprint'), so for example a Yellow Mage would not be electrified by their own thunder. However, using too much magic in too short of a time strains the capacity of the soul, leading to 'soulache', a deep pain within the chest, alongside general lethargy and a temporary loss of immunity to the effects of ones' own magic. When magic has been cast, stored auranium is broken down into a less dense compound of auranium and released back into the atmosphere where it is temporarily immune from being drawn back in. This new compound cannot be drawn by a magician, and provides less magical energy if breathed in again. Due to this phenomenon, scholars speculated that the unprecedented amount of magicians in pre-fall Valia had led to a reduction in the amount of atmospheric auranium.
​

Studying Magic

Due to being banished for many centuries, public knowledge of magic is practically non-existent. As a result, there's no such thing as a self-taught, homeschooled 'freelance' mage. Instead, one must travel to the capital of Alsiere in the east to enrol at the University of Magic, home of scholarly enlightment and the magical sciences. There, the budding mage would not just receive magical training, but also study history, arts and the magical sciences, granting an esteemed and unmatched education sure to set you above the average civilian. The academic life is not for all, but for many, their three years at the university were the best of their life!

Magic comes in ten different elements split into four categories - the element you get when you awaken is normally the one which you wanted beforehand. Nevertheless, you are not locked into this element, and it is possible to change for another element, though you effectively have to start from scratch in terms of learning to use it. The University of Magic teaches seven of these elements, with each element having its own dedicated department within one of the university's seven spires. Another two elements, White and Gold Magic, are taught elsewhere in a secret location to the north of Alsiere. In order to train in these areas, an applicant must be of 'proven noble character'. What this boils down to in practice is that these elements are predominately studied by the social elite, and accordingly hold higher social prestige among the magical world. The final element, Black Magic, is not taught anywhere - at least, not that the King's authorities are aware of...

Here's some briefs on the elements. The information here is not exhaustive, but provides decent examples of the element in question - feel free to ping any questions my way concerning what is and isn't allowed, and be creative in thinking about how to use your element!

Temperate Magics

Red Magic

A Red Mage energises auranium to increase temperatures, including being able to create and control flames. As they grow in aptitude, they become capable of creating and controlling bigger and hotter fires. They can also put out and control existing fires by touching them (though they are not immune to damage from flames which are not of their own creation!), and warm up themselves and others by touching them. Expert Red Mages found eager employment as blacksmiths before the fall, but they also found employment using heat to help agriculturally and keep adventurers to the northern wastes cold. One of the most popular elements, 'cause it's undeniably cool to summon a big fireball.

Silver Magic

Opposite to a Red Mage, a Silver Mage is capable of decreasing temperatures, including freezing objects and creating projectiles of ice. The more they train, the colder they can plummet the temperature and the further they can freeze over. Furthermore, they also learn to defrost frozen objects not of their own creation. Though it appears limited at a glance, Silver Magic had a number of uses before the fall, being used to help with fishing and the conservation of food. Furthermore, clever usage in combat can see it used both defensively and for mobility by sliding across paths of created ice.

Yellow Magic

With the power of the third and final temperate magic, a Yellow Mage can magnetise objects, give electric shocks and create bolts of thunder. Though Valian society had only just began to grasp the potential and power of electricity, Yellow Magic is a favourite of the Knights of Valiarum, the royal infantry and chivalric police and an alround excellent combat element. From beginner to master, they progress from summoning tiny sparks to being capable of carefully controlling their magnetism abilities to pull and push metals to them and summon almighty thunderbolts.

State Magics

Blue Magic

A Blue Mage energises auranium to manipulate and create liquids. Though they start off learning to do this with water alone, they can actually form and control any liquid, though the more complex the chemical composition, the harder it is to create; as with other categories, they can manipulate standing liquids through touch. Whilst the treacherous seas surounding the island have scuppered any major seafaring, Blue Mages were highly sought after to help man the small merchant ships that travelled the coastal valleys. Though it was never used due the lack of war before the fall, it was theorised that a Blue Mage would be able to control the blood inside another person with some exertion by touching them, making them potent potential close-combat warriors.

Bronze Magic

Similarly to Blue Mages, a Bronze Mage has the power to manipulate and create inanimate solids, moulding and shaping the earth around them to do their bidding. The higher the mass of the object in question, the harder and more exhausting it is to form or mould; therefore, Bronze Mages work most commonly manipulating rocks and the earth around them. Master precision of this element led many Bronze Mages to become potters, smiths and other craftsmen; in combat, master Bronze Mages excel in defence, capable of shifting the ground to their advantage, tunnelling through the earth and, as a last resort, encasing themselves in stone.

Green Magic

The third State Magic allows a Green Mage to control and manipulate gases and the wind. Green Magic primarily revolves around manipulating the air to create blasts and flows of wind, using the art to create a force rather than change elements in the air - whilst they can create different gases, they create so little even at high capacity that it barely effects the atmosphere. Green Mages are also capable of stilling existing winds, and with mastery, making themselves fly for short amounts of time. With no obvious profession, Green Mages found themselves working in a number of different roles, including controlling the wind to make their arrows more accurate in hunting, and helping control the aforementioned merchant boats. Whilst they lack the raw combat power of other Mages, Green Mages are renowned for their mobility, using the wind to dodge attacks and travel at a boosted speed.

Pure Magic

Grey Magic

The outlying category. When Grey Mages cast magic, it isn't energised elementally like the other elements - rather, the auranium itself is expelled in a pure form. Whilst the uses of this aren't immediately apparent, it has lead to a small profession of potion-making as Grey Mages create concentrated vials of auranium-diluted water able to instantly refill the capacity of a mage's soul. Furthermore, it was incredibly useful for academic study, with many scholars electing to stick with Grey Magic. Grey Mages can transfer auranium with ease between themselves and others, and are also able to deactivate magic of any other element, allowing them to play an effective supportive role in battle. However, they are unable to transfer auranium into solid objects due to the density of solids.

Life Magics

Gold Magic

In the early days, Gold Magic was not limited to the special training of the secret northern plateau - that was, until scholarly study revealed it had far more potential than first imagined. Once considered to be 'nature magic', this element allows a Gold Mage to expand their consciousness into another living being or object, effectively possessing them. It works a bit differently to the other elements - they primarily use activation to touch animals and plants and have them work alongside them, whilst creation is incredibly strenuous for them and so far has only yielded the creation of plant life. When activating into an object, for example a sword, that sword would then feel like another part of the Gold Mage's body and be able to be moved freely. Very few studied Gold Magic, and those who did used it primarily for party tricks among the courts of the social elites, so its true capabilities remain unknown.

White Magic

Long associated with light and prosperity, White Magic survived the outlawing of magic through the royal Valiarum family, who continued to practice under so-called 'divine right'. A White Mage is given the power of life and healing, capable of healing wounds, creating forcefields and providing temporary boosts to another's strength. Training as a White Mage provided an instant skyrocket in responsibility and respectability, effectively consigning you to the role of village healer, though the prestige of such a role came with many perks. Despite its long-standing positive associations, there are a lot of worrying grey areas within White Magic. Could its power be used to 'heal' emotions and nullify pain unhealthily? How about bringing others back to life? The White Mages of the former age were bound by a strict code of conduct, but in this lawless fallen age, perhaps these boundaries will be broken...

Black Magic

The forbidden art pioneered by the Drochiads, not much is know about Black Magic. With its connotations of evil and connections to an ancient religion of destruction, Black Magic is believed to embody the antithesis of White Magic, being the magic of pure destruction, concentrating magic energy into blasts of elemental power designed only to kill. What it has in power, it lacks in versatility. There are also rumours of it corrupting the Mage, though these aren't studied due to the study of Black Magic being banned.

Magical Trivia

~ Historically, mages branded law-breakers would be punished by having their hands chopped off as the hands were believed to have a special connection to magic.
~ Sleeping with enough auranium stored in the soul has a bizarre hallucinatory effect on a mage's dreams which sees them vividly remember personal past events in their sleep.
~ As magic is so intricately tied up with breathing, a mage has to be able to breathe in order to use magic. Therefore, magicians of old would wear protection over their mouths, necks and chests to ensure they could protect themselves with magic until the end. Magic is also impossible to use underwater, unless you're a Blue Mage with expert manipulation skills.

​

~~

Thanks for all your interest so far! Expect a CS application thread and a bit more lore up within a couple of days!​

 

[Kharmin]

You already know that I'd be interested, silly Ginge!

 

[Cyprus]

Currently interested.

 

[SkyGinge]

Last little bit of information before I go to bed: here's a map of the east of Valia (where the RP takes place) I whipped up on Inkarnate. It's a little barren, but mainly because I've just focussed on detailing the key areas.

At the current rate of progress, I should have threads up by the end of tomorrow! ​

 

[thefinalgirl]

SkyGinge What races are available to play? Or is it only human?

 

[SkyGinge]

thefinalgirl : This is a world filled only with humans and ordinary animals, I'm afraid!

 

[thefinalgirl]

Ah, I see. Probably gonna make a Dark Knight or a Light Dancer as my character.

 

[SkyGinge]

Ah, I see. Probably gonna make a Dark Knight or a Light Dancer as my character.

What do you mean by both of these? Neither uses obvious terminology from the lore post above, which also detailed that dark magic isn't taught or really understood.

 

[thefinalgirl]

Ah, sorry. Just a regular archer who knows some slight form of Green Magic would be fine, right?

 

[swamp fairy]

Question: are survivors limited to novice magic users, or could a character be one of the Professors/Mages(?) that taught at the university?
On that note, is there an age limit for characters? I know the intro mentioned "young" survivors.
Also, are we allowed more than one character -- for instance, non-magic users?

 

[SkyGinge]

thefinalgirl : Yeah that'd be fine if you're happy with it, providing of course your application makes the final cut

swamp fairy : Great questions! I'll answer them starting with the easiest:

1. Multiple characters are allowed, including non-magic users!
2. There is no age limit particularly - whilst I did say young as a general we've had some interesting older characters when I've ran this before and I'm definitely up to see some characters with some more life experience!
3. Characters aren't restricted to just novice mages. I guess in my head I was imagining many of the characters being either midway through their studies before the kingdom's fall (and hence at an intermediate level) or perhaps recent graduates who have (or maybe haven't!) been using their skills for the previous few years. But there is plenty of scope for playing other types of character, be they former minor nobles, former criminals, or any other idea you can think of that fits this world. Feel free to come up with creative character ideas that break the mould! Regarding having a professor character, there are certain conflicts I have planned and certain revelations about magic that would be of particular poignancy to them, so on that side it'd be a really interesting character to see. My only worry is that they would likely be powerful in magic to an extent that would make some of the early threats a little lighter than would be ideal. I can think of a few potential work arounds for this based either in their personality and circumstance and am happy to discuss them via PM with you if you want to go down this route!

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Definitely interested, if you are still accepting

 

[SkyGinge]

Shotgunpenguin : Yep, I've not even got all the threads completed yet so we're definitely still accepting!

 

[swamp fairy]

Oh, I have another question: will we be starting the RP before the Shadow Reapers attack, or after?

 

[SkyGinge]

swamp fairy : After - one month after the fall. However, the fact that magic makes Mages dream about the past means at night times we will be able to do flashback sequences to the night itself

 

[Feywild]

Interested!

 

[swamp fairy]

swamp fairy : After - one month after the fall. However, the fact that magic makes Mages dream about the past means at night times we will be able to do flashback sequences to the night itself

Oohhhh, me likey!

 

[SkyGinge]

Spoiler: Tags

dragonsfire ShadyAce swamp fairy EricSings thefinalgirl vleet MToki Kharmin Cyprus Shotgunpenguin Feywild

The threads are now up!

I'll be tidying things up tomorrow and I've probably forgotten some information, but as far as I know you have everything you need now (and I'm all writered out)!
Here's a link to the main page from which you can access all the other threads
​

 

[Ramjammer]

Oh! I'd like to join in if it's okay. I mean towards villains more than heros in particular.