Sandbox of the Gods! I can has interest?

[PrestaDGTation]

  This story has been in my mind for a while.  I call it the War of the Gods, a strange tale of Genesis, Creation, Betrayal, Revenge, and all the Lies In-Between.

  The Universe has ended.  And now, it is being reborn.

  Deiu, the First and Supreme Deity at this time, wields a mysterious but omnipotent object called the Torch of Divine Light.  Every 'Unit' of this energy carries the raw stuff of creation, allowing people who have it to create miracles, objects, and literally anything they can imagine.  Being the good natured Supreme Deity he sees himself to be, Deiu begins to create beings and empower them with this energy.  Those beings would be, well, you.  So begins the Age of the Gods.

  It's meant to begin as a sandbox style game where your character will have 'Units' of this energy, allowing you to add your spin on the newly forming Creation.  As things progress, Deiu (played by me) will begin to assign gods titles and so forth.  However, eventually one or several of the Gods will betray Deiu, and try to take control of creation for themselves.  And then the real fun begins.

  Before I go into any more details, does this sound like a pie anyone would like to noms with me?

[Interested]

I'd like to be god of wisdom, knowledge, and magic.

[Xenolord]

Because this interests me greatly, I would like to take the role of the God\dess of Nightmares, Fear and Lies.

If that's cool.

[xxmaxinitxx]

How much of a group were you looking for, for this role play?

[Interested]

Hopefully a large number 6 or more. ;)

[xxmaxinitxx]

Well I'm expressing tentative interest, waiting upon more detail and such.

[Koekje]

Oh count me in, this just screams badass!

[xPeachyPuff]

I would be interested in this as well, though would need more details. (:

-xSRx

[Interested]

I believe that's five players including me. Hopefully we'll have more, but I'd love to hear more feedback from our beloved GM.

[PrestaDGTation]

  Hey guys!  Thanks for bearing with me!

  I'm so freaking happy to see you guys interested in this! 

  What you would need to know to play..

  There are two ways we can start this off.  I was planning on starting from the very first days of the Universe.  There is Deiu, his Torch, You Guys, and a small sphere that can't even be called a planet, floating in an inky void where there aren't even any stars shining.  Deiu will imbue you with some energy, and tell you to have at it!  In this mode, there won't be things such as nightmares, knowledge, and so forth to preside over until one of you creates them.  So, instead of being the God of XYZ, your character has the opportunity to literally invent XYZ, and preside over it from there.  This mode is pure sandbox:  I will be handling some of the things that Deiu creates, such as systems of life and death, and the rest goes from there.

  In the second plan, we can fast forward to when the world is effectively created, just brand new.  Deiu will have installed such things as dreams, death, weather, and he'll be looking for candidates to preside over these aspects of nature.  Rather than having traveled with Deiu when he left Oblivion, he would have summoned you five to take over aspects of creation.  In this mode, it's a more structured sandbox.  You will get to work miracles and preside over anything Dieu let's you have, working as the first gods of a new world.  But certain things will already be resolved, such as the nature of death, various systems of nature, and so forth.  In this mode, gods that want to rule over something get to.  In the other, it has to be made first.

  I would rather go with the first, and some of the tedious things (do animals eat?) might be taken care of as they happen.  But I'm open to review. 

  To help you think, here is the nature of the universe.

The First Moments:

  The Last Universe ended some time ago.  Our story begins in Oblivion.  It may be trite to call them souls, but literally, every essence of every being that has ever existed or will ever exist is floating here, in peaceful and total stasis.  There is no thought, no motion, no sound, and no sight.  Merely half aware points of perception, able to perceive nothing.  And that was when the Torch appeared.

  To describe Light coming into Oblivion is like describing how vivid color suddenly appeared to the blind.  This was earth shattering.  The idle souls began to turn to it, to question what it was.  But it was Deiu that reached for it.  Some would call him Chosen.  But in truth, he was simply a random soul floating in the abyss.  Now, he is God.

  Deiu will take himself and first adjacent souls with him out of Oblivion, which is physically connected at this time to the rest of the empty void of reality.  The newborn gods will take their rest on a moon of their own creation.  A creation provided by the Torch.

  Character Specs:

    Name:
    Generation:
    Units:
    Unit Capacity:
    Mantle:
    Personality:

  Generation refers to when your souls were brought from Oblivion.  If all five of you want to play, then you five will be considered the five souls adjacent to Deiu when the Torch Appeared.  That means you are Generation 1: literally the Oldest. Fucking. Things.  That have ever existed in this universe.

  Units refer to the amount of Divine Light you currently have in your bodies.  Everyone starts with 10. 
   (By virtue of his Torch, Deiu appears to have infinite amounts.)

  Unit Capacity refers to how much Divine Light you can hold: something Deiu can change for you.

  Mantles represent the Purviews of the Gods.  If one of you would preside over Dreams, the Mantle is the tool by which you exert your control.  By touching you on the shoulder with the Torch of Divine Light, Deiu gives you access to the well of power that is The Divine Light, from which you may manifest your own tool of office.  Once done, this item will never need Units of Light to operate.

  Personality may just be the most mysterious thing of all.  ;P

The Torch of Divine Light:

  Not one of the gods, even Deiu, knows the exact nature of the Torch.  It simply appeared, and had never added any clues to its own existence.  In truth, the Torch part is unnecessary: it is only the sphere, which radiates the raw stuff of creation, that matters.  A silent, omnipotent tool of creation. 

  A single unit of Divine Light can produce...
    ...A single object up to 200 lb
    ...A single action with up to 270 Joules of Force
    ...A single thought, up to 2 minutes in length
    ...A single change in energy, up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit in either direction.
    ...A single alteration of self, to any form.
    ...Enough life energy to live for 200 years. 
      ...In fact, so long as you have a full unit of Divine Light, you cannot be slain.  We think..
    ...A single soul to be manifested from Oblivion, assuming it has a shape to wear.  This is the only way to create life.  We think..
    ...And more to figure out.

  In fact, the one thing Divine Light doesn't seem to be able to do is travel through time.  There's a reason for that, but for now, that's about the only limit.

Future Cast:

  The God of the Dead World - One of the most important roles I have in my story is that of the Ruler of the Afterlife.  He doesn't exist yet, but for the morbid minded, keep it in your thoughts!

  The Goddess of Trickery - The very most important role in the story, after Deiu himself, is this Goddess.  I won't tell why, though. 

  The Omniscient One - There is a single being, perhaps in the future, who simply knows everything there is to know.  ..Or does he?

Anything else...

  Getting more Divine Light is pretty easy.  All you have to do is let it shine on you.  Deiu is always hanging around, and basically lets anyone drink from the well.  However, your bodies can only absorb it so fast:  1 point per in-game hour.  There is, however, a way to power up faster.  Several, perhaps.
  The reason you have a Unit Capacity is to denote that you can only spend so much at once.

  If the Gods are in conflict, well, those Units are your bullets, and functionally your life bar.  You don't die if you run out of Units.  But, once they are depleted, you no longer have the ability to defend yourself against those who do, or heal yourself if wounded.

  Hour Replenishing Rules don't apply in combat.  No, you cannot get your would be killer to monologue for another four minutes so you can get your god juice back.  The good news is, if Deiu just happens to be standing there watching you think about getting your would be killer to monologue for another four minutes so you can get your god juice back, he'll probably at least do something.  Fair?  Gooood...

  Level ups are provided my Deiu.  As you contribute to Creation, Deiu will amp your power threshold and your status, adding a sense of rivalry to the mix. 

  Of course, if one of you managed to take the Torch for yourself, you could do whatever you wanted!  But first, you'll have to figure out how to rob a guy who is currently omnipotent, and who, by this point, may be strong enough without it to make you regret the attempt. 

[Interested]

I think we should be able to create at least up to 300-500 sapient beings to worship, obey, or at least interact with us with a unit of Divine Light.

As for how we start out, maybe we could all start out in Prehistoric days, like the Dinosaurs or maybe even before?

[xxmaxinitxx]

I think he wants to start before that. Like we literally start with nothing. We'd create water, plants, we create every single thing from scratch and preside over it. Thats the vibe I was getting.

[PrestaDGTation]

  Interested has the gist of what I was going for, to be honest.  Prehistoric could be fun, but someone had to make the dinosaurs as well.  =p

  Granted, I'm not exactly interested in RPing every moment of Genesis.

"Hey, let's create the fucking grass!"
"Ohmigawd, that's AMAZING!  I'll make a damn cow to eat it!"
"And I'll miraculously conjure paint and watch it dry!"
"Sweet Jesus!  Can I come!?" 
"Sure!  I'll invent some crackers!"

..Like, I'm out there, but hell no.  There can be NPC gods to endure that kind of tedium.

  However!

  The meat and potatoes of the story is getting to literally populate the world with whatever you imagine.

  Now, I also mentioned the option of starting literally with nothing or fast-forwarding a little to when the world was already operating.  I personally think both would be fun, but I'm trying to gauge how 'sandbox' the players would really like it to be. 

  I'd like to say I'm all cool and know how you'd like to play, but admit it, this is a different-ish concept.

  So, kind of let me know your feels.

[xxmaxinitxx]

Well I guess I'll move past tentative interest and say I'm interested. I'll pick up the character sheet and PM it to you after this post. Anyway, I this would be pretty fun anyway you want to play it. You could also go in a different direction from evolution of earth and change the planet. This has a lot of different concepts you could play around with. A question I have, is what are we going to do after we get done created things? Or is this just the creation and then when we can't think of any more we are just done with the story?

[PrestaDGTation]

  A very fine question, my Actually Interested Friend Interested!  ...interesting.

  First of all, I like hear that sort of idea.  The reason I want to RP this is because that kind of creativity makes me excited!

  As to your question, there is a fairly complicated story here that will shape.  I've called it the War of the Gods.

  To give you a Vision of the Future, so to speak..

    "I'll allow no blood to be..."
    "..hellfire.  It opposes the..."
    "We are the First!  Why should you be giv..."
    "..I used to know.  The certainty of the future is lost..."
    "..Damn Trickster!"
    "..Eljadine is known to hunt the gods for their.."
    "This ring can undo all the wor..."
    "..were sealed in stone..."

    ....

    "...dead..?"

   I have some plans.  XP

[Xenolord]

I am probably gonna make a mistake here but... meh. That's what revisions are for!

    Name: Duplicity
    Generation: Gen 1 baybe!
    Units: 10
    Unit Capacity: 10
    Mantle: Hand Mirror
    Personality: Duplicity is a cunning and self-absorbed goddess.

I kinda fudged Mantle, because I'm not 100% certain I know what it's for...

[Interested]

  Name: Argonas
  Generation: Generation 1
  Units: 10
  Unit Capacity: 10
  Mantle: Dragonhooded Robe (I thought that "Mantle" meant your purview), Or, Dragons, if not.
  Personality: Argonas is a cunning, resourceful and studious deity. He takes his time to scan every opportunity before going to fulfill his destiny. He hopes he can teach others how to be patient and cunning, and hopes that the mortals that are coming will listen to him and become wise instead of foolhardy.

[Koekje]

Name: Erebus
Generation: I
Units: 10
Unit Capacity: 10
Mantle: An black onyx ring on his right index finger.
Personality: Erebus is a curious god. Not only is he curious as to why he's one of the few with the power to create, he's also curious as to what he can do. He's curious as to what the other gods can do. His curiosity, though, will soon make him want to know if he's stronger than the others ... Especially how he can become stronger.

[Interested]

I hope we get some more interest.:)

[PrestaDGTation]

  I think I need to better explain how Mantles work.  Characters, I'm afraid you won't start with an operating Mantle.  That said, please keep your Dragon Hoods and Hand Mirrors handy, because even if they don't have powers yet, they'll be very useful soon!

  A 'Mantle' is an object that confers powers over a specific aspect of nature.  The form of the object can be literally anything, from a glove, a Chinese Vase, or a halo, provided that is it something the user can wear, carry, or make part of themselves.  The Mantle is both a badge of office and a tool of power.  Having one signifies that you reign over the aspect of nature it represents, and the Mantle confers a power that allows you to do so.  The primary advantage of a Mantle is that long as you have it on you, you don't need to spend Units to use the power it gives you.

  While Mantles are very common in this age, that is only because Deiu is the kind of deity that wants everyone to have them.  In later ages, the Mantles are Legendary Artifacts: objects so rare and so powerful that some are actually worshiped by secret cults built around them.  Keep that in mind.

  To acquire a Mantle, there are four easy steps.
    -Choose an aspect of nature.  (It has to either exist or be in the process of being invented.)
    -Demonstrate your affinity for it.
    -Ask Deiu for a Mantle.  (Which is to say, let's confer)
    -Go nuts.

An example: Let's say look at the tale of Nomi.
    Standing on the face of the planet on day, Nomi thought herself "...You know what?  I really like food.  Like, really like it!  Eating is the best thing ever!  And right after that is feeding other things!  Food!!"
    She then stood up and conjured the powers of Divine Light, and began to use it to make feasts!  She and the Goddess of Nature worked together to create trees that would grow foods, and she began to study the crafts of cooking, interesting the new Gods of Learning.  She began to throw celebrations to feed her fellow gods, and would use her powers to feed the newly formed animals.  But she could only conjure so much, and that saddened her.
    Deiu saw her, and remarked in the voice of God:  "Baby likes t' eat!" or something equally profound.  He asked her to kneel, and touched her shoulder with the Torch of Light.  Accessing the Divine Light together, the two shaped a great basket full of food.  And no matter how many times it was emptied thereafter, when the lid was opened, it would be full of good things to eat.  And Deiu named her Nummi Nomi, the Goddess of Food, and she was forever known for her Basket of Plenty.
    Long after her demise, many thousands of years later, a mortal found a half crushed basket at the base of a mountain, which he wove into a cornucopia.  He took the thing home to his wife, and when she turned it upside down, food began to pour out of it.  And now, this object is considered divine, hidden from most mortals, but never weakened in its power.

  Minus the fact that I will never name a character Nummi Nomi, that's pretty much how it works.

  Yes, mantles can be stolen and used by other beings, for all the wisdom that may or may not have.
  Yes, mantles can be destroyed, but as the tale describes, even a woven basket Mantle is hilariously durable, and you have to destroy it utterly to erase its power.
  Yes, you can create magic items using the Divine Light on your own.  The difference is that those items will need to be recharged, and that you won't have Deiu's backing when you say you rule part of nature.

  With all of that said, so far, I love the characters coming in!  I will hopefully have the actually IC posts up later on this evening, so stand by!

  ^__^  So excited!

[Interested]

So Argonas would have to create dragons in order for his Dragonhood Robe to become divine.

[Xenolord]

That makes a metric butt ton more sense. Thank you, Presta. And I personally like the idea of a character named Nummi Nomi....

[Interested]

I'm glad that I've found a role play like this.

[PrestaDGTation]

  Close.  If you wanted to  become the God of Dragons, you'd first have to create them, after which you could preside over them.

  Once you had done so, Deiu would consider the option of making your Robe into a Mantle.  This would signify your authority, and give you a free use ability related to it.  Possibly an ability to alter your shape at will, but that power will be more your choice.

  You don't have to have a Mantle to be the God of Dragons.  It's simply something that makes it official, and easier.

  Be warned also: any life-form you create will have the capacity to become a God itself. 

  I'm glad the Mantles make sense now! 

  Anyhoo!  IC thread is up!  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=160675.0

  Makin' an OOC one as well!  Let's transfer talkies to there, ne!  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=160676.0

[Interested]

I'd be interested if we had more god in this.