The Dusk of Man [Templar vs. Illuminati Post-Apoc. Fantasy]

[Revenent]

The Dusk of Man

The World

It was the early 1800's, and the era of electricity was about to start and jump mankind forward into a state hundreds of times more advanced than what it had ever known in the span of just two centuries. The scientific breakthroughs that were about to take place would have propelled humanity into a near total mastery over the entire planet, but before these events ever had the chance to take place, something happened that altered the course of human development for all of the centuries to come...

No one ever understood why it happened, or why it changed the planet in the way it did, but an explosion of such incomprehensible magnitude struck northern Asia that the entire planet shook under its force. Whether it came from some impossible cosmic event, folly of man, or something supernatural, the disaster turned most of the continent in a field of ash and reduced the arctic ocean to dead water. For the following centuries, life in these areas was considered completely unsustainable, and anyone who tried to venture out to the site of the explosion to determine the source died of the toxic cloud it left long before they ever came near to it.

This did not mean the rest of the world was left unaffected however. This cataclysm, which came to be called the Second Flood as a reference to the purge that took place in the Biblical story of Noah, left behind a cloud of electromagnetic energy and radiation that swept across every last square mile of the earth and halted man's growth all but completely.

Electrical energy was a dream that was forgotten very quickly, even more useless now than the many other dwindling resources. Along with many other metals and metal-based compounds, gunpowder became extremely unstable, its most advanced uses now reduced to cannons and primitive bombs. Scientific advancement became scientific survival, with all of the world's few remaining great minds focused on curing this shroud of radiation, called the Poison, that significantly dropped successful birth rates and had a tendency to bring illness to a great number of adults as well.

It has continued this way for several centuries since the fall of the old society, with almost all of man's old accomplishments buried under dust or fallen apart in disrepair. People have reverted to an almost medieval state, the shrinking population now living in clusters of small stone villages across the world and trying to remain happy, even while being resigned to the fact that their world is slowly fading away. The sun still shines and they continue on generation after generation, but signs show that they will not be sustained forever with this cloud over them.

But even with most of the old world structures completely buried with time, two ancient factions have continued to live, one as a beacon of hope and one as a silent purveyor of truth, each trying to bring mankind back from its descent into a quiet death...

The Factions

The Templar Order

The Templar are the older of these two groups, having stood fast against what they perceive as evil in the name of God since the days of the Crusades. They believe not in restoring the world to its own state, but trying to heal nature's sickness and make it a new Garden of Eden, believing the Second Flood was a real act of God in response to the path his creation was taking. The Templar are completely open with their existence, preaching and providing charity from village to village and teaching people how to rebuild nature and live in God's light. Some believe they can be a bit militant against those who stand in their way, however. Many Templars have a very low tolerance for criminals, believing Earth doesn't need any more blight from men.

Grand Master

The highest ranked and leader of the Knights Templar, and usually the top captain of the Knights themselves unless too old or infirmed to fight. Makes most of the important decisions based on the advice and opinions of the knight captains and clerics, though he or she does very much have the final say. The succeeding Grand Master is decided by each one upon his death, or is voted upon by the captains and clerics if the Grand Master dies before naming a successor.

Knights

The primary known force and the visage of the order, Knights have proven their worthiness as Templars and are usually very ingrained into the way of thinking and overall spirituality, though there are exceptions. More than sergeants, Knights are known for using world magic (see Magic in the Dying World and for being exceptionally skilled with whatever weapon or weapons they choose to fight with. It is rare for an Illuminati Hand to be on equal footing with a Knight. Knights are led by captains, of which there can be any number of depending on the size of the order at the time.

Sergeant

Usually volunteers who aren't considered worthy of full Knighthood, or even skilled warriors hired as mercenaries for the order, Sergeants are generally only used as aid in combat to Knights, or as bodyguards for traveling Clerics. The best way to earn your Knighthood is to serve faithfully as a volunteer Sergeant for as long as it takes for a captain to notice you. One major reason most Sergeants aren't accepted as Templars is that they may agree with the Templars' actions, but not their ultimate goals or belief systems about how humanity should coexist with the world rather than live over it.

Cleric

Priests, scholars, and doctors all at once, Clerics care for the Knights physical and spiritual needs, as well as travel from village to village and preach the message of the Templars. Due to the nature of world magic, some Clerics may practice it, but it is generally not very useful for healing Knights.

The Grey Crusade

A special sector of the Knights that operate almost separately from the main group, even having their own home base at a different location. These are the Knights who have taken the risk to use Poison magic to help the order along, possibly damaging themselves mentally and physically for the greater cause. While greatly respected by most Templars for their sacrifice, they are asked to keep away from the regular Knights as much as possible in order to keep from spreading the impurity they have likely given themselves.

The Illuminati

Not since the very moment of its creation has the Illuminati group revealed its existence, and that still has yet to change. The Illuminati operates with as much secrecy as it is capable of, trying, unlike the Templars, to return man to its more technologically developed state and continue advancement into the machine age, all while seeking to create an answer for the problem of the Poison. They are more advanced than the Templars and the commonfolk, having access to basic metal machinery (usually steam- or coal-based) and even mechanical weaponry, though this only gives them a slight advantage of the Templars' raw skill and numbers.

In order to protect their own image, the Templar order will not publicly reveal the Illuminati's existence, either, so most people do not even know there is a war happening between these two ideologies.

Patron

Patron is the name given to the ultimate visionary and intellectual leader of the Illuminati, though he is strangely always a man in his twenties who appears shortly after the previous Patron leaves. For whatever reason, it has remained this way since the Second Flood, with Patrons changing every few years and none of the upper Illuminati members batting an eyelash. Always a very intelligent and charismatic fellow for his age.

Prime Executive

If Patron is the leader, the person who fills this position is the organizer, managing all of the research projects and special functions of the various Illuminati members. Whereas Patron's decisions are usually made independently and treated as final within the organization, the PE is willing to listen to the upper members of the group and use their input when making his own choices of how certain tasks should be carried out. Ultimately, though, he answers to Patron.

The Mind

The highest group of the Illuminati, these are the men who further both the group's influence and its cause, scientists, engineers, and scholars of the very highest caliber. While generally not being trained in combat, most of them are quite powerful on the psychic end of self magic (see Magic in the Dying World), so only the most skilled Templars dare to engage them on the extremely rare occasions they come face-to-face with these reclusive geniuses.

The Voice

The only members of the Illuminati who actually try to be seen out in the open, though none would recognize them as such. Coming in the forms of popular village administrators/chieftains as well as well-renowned traveling merchants, or even heroes, these con artists have a threefold goal: share the ideals of the Illuminati with the commoners, seek out possible recruits, and undermine the Templar cause, all with enough caution to protect the group's secrecy.

The Hands

Soldiers, spies, assassins. When it comes to protecting important members and taking out dangerous enemies, researchers and con artists won't cut it. Illuminati Hands are allowed to operate almost however they see fit as long as they don't compromise the secrecy of the group, so you may find brutes as well as sneaks, mages and psychics as well as machinists (though most prefer the quieter route). Hands generally aren't as well-trained or as high in number as Knights, though one would be a fool to consider them weak or not dedicated to their cause.

Supplemental: Magic in the Dying World

For reasons even the Illuminati Mind doesn't fully understand, the Second Flood unlocked many different abilities within some of the humans its Poison has influence, with the ability to perform magic easily being the most notable. Only a handful of people know naturally how to do magic, though, with most of it being performed by Templars and Illuminati who are trained to do it. Magic comes in three varieties:

World Magic

Magic that draws from the essence of the world around the user, rather than from within. This can range from summoning fire and wind to manipulating periodic elements to empowering or protecting nearby allies, depending on how the user has guided their training. Some of have even been known to influence animals. Used almost exclusively by the Templars, though generally not the Sergeant class.

Self Magic

Magic that draws from within rather than from without. Generally comes in the forms of energy (think "chi") magic and psychic magic. Energy magic can include drawing energy from yourself to craft a temporary weapon or other object, drawing the energy out of an opponent to weaken them, transplanting energy into another person to rapidly heal them, or whatever else one can think of. Psychic magic includes telepathy, telekinesis, remote vision, foresight, mind control, and more. Self magic, by nature of being generally not directly offensive, is used mainly by the Illuminati, though some Templars dabble in it.

Poison Magic

Magic that draws from the supernatural qualities of the Poison itself in order to empower existing magic or craft very powerful spells that extend beyond the physical plane. Because it directly links the user to the Poison, even for a short time, it is known to cause illness, insanity, or death in those who use it too much or just happen to have a weak body. Used exclusively by the Grey Crusade and those outside of either faction, since even the Illuminati consider it too risky.

Notes on...

Just a few things about the RP itself and any clarifications needed on the world it's set in. More will be added if people feel they don't fully understand something or other. So, if you have any questions, please bring them up. :-)

The RP

If you had trouble telling up to this point, the main genre of influence I would say for this RP's tone and style would be somewhere in the anime/JRPG area, but don't let that scare you off if you don't care for those things. When I say that, I just mean it will be capable of being light-hearted despite the unfortunate setting, and the fights don't have to be super realistic, though I don't want people to be jumping a hundred feet and the air and swinging swords larger than themselves. I'm hoping for a fine combination of western and eastern fantasy here.

As for the actual set-up and rules, I'm not really interested in employing any system, so if that's something you desperately want, I'm sorry, but I don't know the first thing about systems anyway. There will be a central plot and go for all of the characters to work toward (at least after some time), but this will only be loosely plot-guided, with hopefully a lot of freedom given to the players to start their own subplots between themselves and give things a bit more depth.

The Factions

Hopefully you understood this from the way I was writing, but if you didn't, please understand that this is not meant to be a good group vs. bad group RP. Neither the Templars or the Illuminati are meant to be completely pure or completely evil; there are members of both varieties and of every kind inbetween in both groups. So don't think in order to make an Illuminati character, he or she has to be a giant prick, though that could certainly be the case anyway.

Character Sheet Format:

Code Select Expand

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b] Either a written description or a picture is fine, and it doesn't matter what kind of picture you use (real life, drawn, etc.). Use whatever you're most comfortable with.
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Sexuality:[/b]
[b]Faction:[/b] Templar or Illuminati (if you want an unaffiliated or third-group character, PM me with the details)
[b]Role:[/b] The group within the faction, i.e. Knight, Cleric, Mind, etc.
[b]Weapon:[/b] If they wield one. Nothing more advanced than crossbows, cannons, and gunpowder bombs. For Illuminati, some varieties of mechanical weapons may be available, just put whatever idea you have and we can discuss it after.
[b]Magic:[/b] Their chosen variety of magic (if they have one) and what sort of focus they have within it.
[b]Personality:[/b] No need to be too specific, since personality usually becomes more refined as you play a character more.
[b]Background:[/b] You can keep this brief and general as well, since hopefully you'll be able to convey most of the interesting details in-character. If you have a supernatural-ish background in mind, or anything that could fit in the world, but is questionable, be sure to run it by me and see if it's okay first. If they're a Knight, be sure to include how they proved themselves for knighthood. If they're part of the Mind, but sure to discuss their skills and maybe a contribution they made to either Illuminati tech or the cure.
[b]Theme Song:[/b] Entirely optional fun for those who like this sort of thing.

Approved Characters:

Aiden Wolf - SargentToughie
Alec Kreed - Moon Hound Hati
Jane - MissFire
Charis Mazerie - Maelyn
Nikki Hart - MarissaSeraphOfInsanity
Marie Valorain - SargentToughie
Levien Sutherland - Moon Hound Hati

Where do we go now, sweet child?:
IC Thread
OOC Chat
Character Gallery

[Revenent]

Thread updated with more info on the game itself and the character sheet. Here's hoping I get at least one interested so I don't look like a fool over here. ;D

[SargentToughie]

I don't know why this thread hasn't generated more interest, the premise sounds absolutely awesome.

Count me among those that would love to see this played out.

[MarissaSeraphOfInsanity]

This definitely has my interest.

Technically I shouldn't even be on Elliquiy at the moment since I'm supposed to be working on my last assignment for the semester but once that's out of the way and I have some spare time I'll defintely post up a character sheet.

[Revenent]

No rush, I'm not too worried about this getting started right away considering we don't even have enough people to start with yet. I'll be looking forward to what you come up with, though.

[MarissaSeraphOfInsanity]

Hey Revenent,

Sorry this took me so long to get up. That assignment was a nightmare. Now I like to make characters that break the stereotypical mould so I created an Illuminati that uses Poison Magic. I included an explanation for this but if you want me to change just let me know and I'll do my best to tweak the story.

Name: Nikki Hart
Age: 18 years old
Appearance: With soft, pale features and wide, inquisitive eyes, Nikki appears disarmingly young and naïve, surprising many with her brilliance. Her eyes are a soft shade of sky blue and her long, black hair is always plaited neatly into a ponytail. She also carries a few trinkets on her person, typically necklaces bearing pre-Flood symbols that caught her fancy. Despite being obsessed with neatness and maintaining a tidy appearance, Nikki can appear quite haggard and unkempt whenever she has one of her “episodes”.
Height: 5’5”
Sexuality: Bisexual (Prefers Women)
Faction: Illuminati
Role: Mind (Nicknamed “The Broken Mind”)
Weapon: Poison magic imbued rapier
Magic: Poison Magic

Personality: A child prodigy, Nikki is incredibly inquisitive and has an information obsession that requires her to know absolutely everything she can about the world and if faced with a puzzle or a challenge she will obsess every waking minute until she has a solution. She also has a few other odd obsessions and quirks, namely her need to be neat and her obsessive urge to collect odd trinkets. It is impossible to tell what random odd or end will catch her fancy but once she decides she wants to add something to her collection she will do everything in her power to make it hers, with several annoyed colleagues having complained about her stealing everything from old, pre-Flood ink pens and hairpins to rare coins and priceless family heirlooms. Ever since her accident she has also become incredibly forgetful, losing memories of many of her half completed formulas and breakthroughs, making her prone to outbursts of annoyance and frustration.

Background: It is well documented that the Illuminati tend to avoid the use of Poison Magic, although the reason why is not as widely known. The reason stems from the actions of a young woman, viewed as both a prodigy and failed experiment by her Illuminati brethren.

Born in a year of heightened electromagnetic activity from the Poison, Nikki was affected at a genetic level before she was even born, with a body that magic seemed to naturally flow through. With a keen and sharpened intellect, Nikki came to be known as a child prodigy and as news of the young genius began to spread the Illuminati quickly moved in to claim her, inducting her into their order.

Granted an extensive education in science, sorcery and other academic pursuits, Nikki was at the forefront of magical research and development, helping seek new uses of magic to further the Illuminati’s goals. Eventually being granted the rank of Mind, Nikki was leading a team of other so-called geniuses into the use of Poison Magic, hoping to influence the patterns of Poison energy throughout the world to not only reduce the infant mortality rate but also to allow more children with her aptitude for magic to be born. The results couldn’t have been more disastrous, with almost all other participants either going completely insane, becoming terminally ill or being killed outright. Nikki herself was also tragically afflicted, with a rapid deterioration of her brain cells resulting in her rapidly losing her memories in a process that will ultimately culminate in her death.

Viewed as a lost cause by her fellow Illuminati, Nikki works tirelessly in an attempt to invent a cure to her condition before all her knowledge of how she might do this fades into oblivion. Typically left to her own devices as she works on a cure, Nikki is still one of the foremost minds within the Illuminati despite her condition and as such is still sought out for her skills.

[Revenent]

Nikki Hart - Approved

Very nice and original character, Marissa, I wouldn't tweak her at all. :D It's always refreshing to see people be willing to give their characters genuine flaws.

On the topic of characters, I should probably note now that people will be allowed to play multiple characters in this RP if they feel they're capable of doing so, though I haven't decided on an actual limit yet. I imagine it'll be around three or four if we only get a small group going, though I may just leave it up to each individual player how many they're comfortable playing. I've been known to play quite a few characters in other RPs, with some of them just functioning as support while one or two act as mains.

Oh, and since I forgot to before, I added Sexuality to the character sheet.

[Moon Hound Hati]

This looks very interesting. I have a question though, before I start working on a character sheet. How many years after the "Second Flood" does this take place?

[Revenent]

Several centuries, enough to wipe away most of what the world was before the arrival of the Poison. There are still small remnants of the old world, but extremely few. Imagine the old society as being like an Atlantis that everyone knows existed and has a few ruins remaining around the world, but has otherwise been completely wiped out aside from some history remembered.

[SargentToughie]

Name: Aiden Wolf (last name was given to him as a joke among his superiors)
Age: 24
Appearance
Human
Transformed

Height: Human: 5' 8'' Transformed: 8' 5''
Sexuality: Straight
Faction: Templar
Role: Grey crusade
Weapon: When human he can make use of some meager self magic to imbue his gauntlets with supernatural strength. When transformed, weapons become irrelevant.
Magic: As stated above, only uses self magic, and in very small and meager amounts.
Personality: Most of the time he's an extremely quiet and isolated loner. Even within the Gray crusade he has very few friends, and only a select few people that he associates with on a daily basis. Despite his condition, Aiden takes his job extremely seriously, and will stop at nothing to bring those who cause needless pain to others to justice. Aiden deeply respects those who have sacrificed their life to the Grey Crusade of their own will, though he only serves the Templars themselves out of his own personal sense of duty and desire for redemption. He looks down on the way that they see his people as 'blights' and seek to eradicate them.

Background: lycanthropy is a disease that has polluted the world for several generations now, and while extremely rare, it's one of the most well known and feared genetic disorders ever caused by the poison.  The disorder causes the subject to undergo strange and terrifying transformations at an uncontrollable basis, causing them to turn from a human into a beast that becomes a hybrid of both man and wolf. In this form, subjects typically lose all sense of intelligence and become feral beasts, ruthlessly attacking anything that they consider to be a threat until nothing is left in it's wake. When in their 'feral' form, Lycans wield physical strength and speed that regular humans simply couldn't hope to match alone, as well as boosted senses of sight, hearing, and smell. This results in a lycan becoming the perfect predator,  and as such, those that are have lycanthropy are naturally feared, even though symptoms don't typically start showing up until the subject's early teen years.

Transformation happens nightly for those who are new to transformation, and even when a subject is fully mature, they still transform when certain conditions are met, one of which being the night of a full moon, another being when human instinct picks up on the prospect of it's life being in imminent danger.

Aiden was one of those people, living a regular life until the age of 14 only to have his entire life ripped out from under him. The first time he transformed was when he and a young girl of his home village were out having a childish adventure in the woods. Needless to say, when her corpse showed up the following morning brutally mauled and bloodied in the own square, after she said that she was going off with him, there was hell to pay. Were he not fast on his feet and familiar with all the alleyways and crevices of the town, Aiden would have been executed because of something that he couldn't control. For about six years after that Aiden wandered alone, his feral form keeping him alive with a nightly hunt which kept his stomach full of raw meat from fresh kills. He could find no place to call home, as every time he tried to settle down in an inn for more then a night or two, more innocent mauled corpses showed up in the street.

Around the age of twenty, Aiden began to get spiritual, one of the only ways he could keep himself sane during a time where he considered himself nothing more then a beast in hiding, waiting to bring pain onto people that had never harmed him. He realized that he needed to commit his life to god, if he ever wanted a chance to receive the lord's forgiveness for all of the atrocities and killings that his feral side had performed. Still, Lycans were considered abominations by the Templars, and were hunted ruthlessly for something that was out of their control. As such, he only met with a captain of the Grey Crusade in a neutral ground, wilderness, so that his feral side could easily defend itself and escape should it turn out to be an ambush. After a few hours of negotiation, he was given the last name 'wolf' because of his condition, and was brought in to serve in the Grey Crusade. Since joining, he has slipped out of his spirituality, realizing that it was just a desperate attempt at finding something to hold on to, but he still serves in the Grey Crusade out of a sense of his personal need for redemption, as well as a belief that the Templars are doing good for the majority of humanity, his own kind excluded.

[Revenent]

Aiden Wolf - Approved

A good demonstration of how this is indeed a fantasy story when you come right down to it. I'd be interested in seeing what kind of effects people come up with for the Poison besides the magic, the diseases, the lowered birthrate, and whatnot.

[Moon Hound Hati]

Right, here's the sheet. Just let me know if there's anything that needs changing.

Name: Alectionovus "Alec" Kreed
Age: 23
Appearance: Both his stance and the look in his Poisen tainted yellow eyes radiate the aura of a haunted man. His slender and tones, trained for many to be equally efficient in both agility and strength. His hair is kept relatively short and he bears no jewelry of any kind, as they would only get in the way whilst wearing a full suit of armor. Despite spanding many hours a day inside said suit of armor, he still manages to retain a nice light tan, making him the envy of more than one pale faced knight in the Templar order.
Height: 6 feet and 2 inches
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Faction: Templar
Role: The Grey Crusade
Weapon: In his right hand he carries a typical longsword while wielding a slightly shorter, and thus lighter, sword in the other.
Magic: Poison magic.

     The poison magic allows Alec to use a small assortment of unique spells.

• Plaque Touch     Depending on how much magical energy Alec pumps into the spell, the effects can vary from a sudden fever to full body paralysis. The target is infected with a small dose of special Poison that fades from the body after a certain amount of time, so the effects are only temporarily. However, the spell requires Alec to touch the target with one or both hands for it take effect.
• Eyes of the Dead     Using the power of the Poison, this spell allows Alec to reach into the memories of any corpse he touches, both human and animal alike, and see anything they have seen prior to their death. Memories suppressed by trauma or effected by afflictions such as dementia are extremely hard to retrieve, often revealing only fragmented or inaccurate images.
• Poison Snare     The only long range spell in Alec's arsenal. A dark orb with a sickly green glow surrounding it is shot at the target, a special sort of Poison similar to that of the Plaque Touch infecting the body upon impact. It makes all the muscles inside the body responsible for movement to constrict, causing painfull cramps that slow down or even incapacitate the target. This spell's range is about 30 meters.
• Death's Shroud     This spell infects Alec's own body and armor with Poison. For 5 minutes, Alec resides in a state of invulnerability. No blade can pierce his armor or cut his flesh while this spell is active. Elements such as fire, wind, water, ice and even lightning have little to no effect. While perhaps the most powerfull spell in his arsenal, it also leaves Alec severely weakened after its effect run out, often losing consciousness within a minute and remaining in that state for several hours.
  

Personality: Due to the effects of the Poison, Alec has slowly been losing his ability to controll his actions consciously. While not yet in advanced state, he has experienced brief blackouts during moments of intense emotion. The most prominent example was when he discovered the nude and butchered bodies of a dozen girls in the basement of building that a group of outlaws had occupied and used as their headquarters. His vision had faded to black and by the time he had regained his senses, the outlaws had taken the unfortunate girls' places, dangling from the ceiling like slaughtered cattle. Due to his traumatic childhood and his life in the order following that, Alec has developed an unwavering sense of justice. He is willing to go to great lengths in order to bring criminals to justice, sometimes injuring himself needlessly in the process. Preferring to work alone or with a likeminded partner, Alec has few friends. While he is one for the occasional sarcastic remark, he does not like to socialize much outside of Templar related business.

Background: At the young age of nine, Alectionovus "Alec" Kreed had to watch helplessly and terrified to the bone as his entire village was butchered like a bunch of animals. He had watched from afar, hiding in the nearby woods where he had been playing with some friends. They were the only survivors of a merciless raid. For hours they cried softly, eventually being found by a passing Templar patrol, who had seen the smoke rising from the flames from afar.

The bandits had been dealt with swiftly and without the slightest mercy, all slain by the Templar order mere days after the incident. It impressed Alec so much that he begged to be taken in by them. He did not want to go to an orphanage or distant family like the other survivors. Luckily, the grandmaster had been a wise man who had an eye for potential Knight material. Alec wished with all his heart to become a Knight. Justice would be his sword and with it he would shield innocent people from tragedies. Punish the unjust and protect those who cannot protect themselves. That had become his creed. It was what he lived for from that moment on, dedicating himself fully on his training.

Years passed and Alec grew to become perhaps the most promising Knight in training within the order. Adapting a most unusual fighting style, Alec choose relentless attack power over a solid defence. Trading in a shield for a second sword, he became known as the "Beserker" for his relentless assaults that often left no opening for any sort of counter attack, forcing the opponent into submission. It was something that garnered a lot of respect from other Templars.

Unfortunatly tragedy struck Alec a second time. During one of his first missions as a Knight, he became infected with a strong strand of Poison, altering his destiny forever. It had been unfortunate turn of events that would prevent Alec from remaining in the ranks of the Knights and also shattered any chance of one day becoming Grand Master, as the old one had secretly hoped for. Transferring to the ranks of the Grey Crusade, he found himself among some of the most selffless individuals he had ever encountered. As all members were of the Grey Crusade were infected with Poison, Alec had never really interacted with any of them, viewing them as some sort of strange outsiders. Inspired by their sacrifice, Alec persuid his goal with regained vigor. No criminal would be spared from his blades as he searched high and low for the land's most notorious and dangerous outlaws. He would come to witness the many horrors mankind was capable of, but while his innocence was further fractured, his desire for justice remained strong as steel.

Alec is now known as the "Dark Beserker", due to the black armor he started wearing after joining the Grey Crusade. In more ways than one is it a fitting name...

Theme Song:
18 - Emiya - Kenji Kawai ver.2 - Kawai Kenji - Gekijouban Fate Stay Night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS OST

[Revenent]

Maybe just a bit too much on the perfect side with the "most promising Knight" thing and the Grand Master at the time wanting him as a successor, but overall very good. Don't worry about changing anything.

Alectionovus "Alec" Kreed - Approved

[Moon Hound Hati]

Well, it's a matter of how you look at it. You could say he was most promising knight of his generation, but you could make it sound way less impressive by saying he was the most promising one of his group of trainees, which makes it a lot less grand depending on the size of the group. But being the most promising doesn't necessarily mean that he was leaps and bounds ahead of his peers; he could have been just a little better due to hard work and dedication. And I'm sure someone as wise as a grand master would have more than one potential candidate for succession, so if one falls off the list (like Alec) he'll still have several others to choose from. Let's just say that Alec was the youngest one on that list.

[Revenent]

Works for me. :-) Like I said, it wasn't that much of an issue, and I still think you did a great job overall.

[MarissaSeraphOfInsanity]

I'm glad you liked my character, Rev.

And the Grey Crusade is starting to look pretty popular. Good thing the Illuminati have their own Poison Magic expert ;D

[Maelyn]

I'm quite interested in this.  I have a busy week ahead of me, but I will ponder the character idea and see if I can get something together by this weekend.  I'm considering a cleric, though that may change.  We'll see.  :)

[Revenent]

Well, since I'd certainly be willing to get started with five or six players, we should probably get a few things clear right around now. First of all, what section do would all of you prefer this to go in? With mind control a factor and everything, NC certainly is viable, but I don't know if anyone here would actually be doing it.

[MarissaSeraphOfInsanity]

I'd put it in something like NC just so that we have the most freedom. Obviously we'd take people's real O/O's into account so if they wanted to go NC they could and if not they wouldn't be forced to. It just keeps options open for people and leaves the most wriggle room.

[SargentToughie]

Rev's asking because he and I witnessed a player drop out of one of my RPs when it was starting because it was in the NC section.

I think he just wants to play it safe. Some people just can't stand being around certain things, even if they have no part in it themselves.

[MarissaSeraphOfInsanity]

Yeah, I've seen that happen before. Personally I'm not into NC and I wouldn't do it but I don't care about what other people do so I'm fine with being there.

So basically I'm fine with what everyone else decides.

[Revenent]

Demo's exactly right. I've actually seen two cases of that, so I figured I would just see if there was anyone who wouldn't want to play the game in a certain section or whatever. If no one is like that, I'll just stick it in NC for freedom's sake.

[SargentToughie]

I really don't want to see this RP fall into obscurity. It really seems like it would be a whole lot of fun once it got rolling.

By the by, here's Aiden's theme song, since I forgot to put it on his sheet.
Disturbed The Animal lyrics

[Moon Hound Hati]

Same here. I'm ready to start whenever you want.

[Muse]

Revenant.  I just wanted to say that you've clearly created something awesome here.  i'd join if I had the time. 

Hm... 

Is there a particular posting pace you're going for? 

[Revenent]

I was hoping for at least one more Illuminati to start with other than the one I'm going to play, but I'll probably get it started this weekend regardless to make sure people don't lose interest.

Muse, as long as you don't disappear completely without a word and try to post at least once or twice a week (extenuating circumstances taken into account), I'm fine with whatever pace you choose. I don't think it should be too difficult for people to post, though, since I'm not going to impose some ridiculous minimum-words-per-post rule.

[Moon Hound Hati]

Well, I can make a second character if you like. I've done juggling multiple characters before, so I'm used to it.

[Revenent]

Couldn't hurt, though don't feel obligated to make another. With only five or six people, though, especially in a two-faction RP, I'm hoping some people will have multiple characters in order to make more varied interactions. I'll be using four characters, though (not counting NPCs), so hopefully that should pick up some slack.

[SargentToughie]

I usually play around 4 as well, so that won't really be much of an issue. Actually, my second character should be done by the end of the day.

[MissFire]

Name: Jane
Age: 22
Height: 5' 3"
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Faction: Templar
Role: Knight
Weapon: Longsword - "Wintergrasp"
Magic: World Magic, Ice

Personality: A firm believer in the Templars and what they stand for. Outside of combat and work she can actually be quite soft-spoken and gentle, but when she is working or fighting she is cold,tactical, and blunt. Cares little about her reputation or politics, and more about winning victories for the Templars. Her friends see her as trustworthy, intelligent, and competent. Those that don't know her well see her as an uncaring, cold, suck-up.

Background: Jane was found by a cadre of Templar Knights when she was just five years old. She was wandering the wilderness alone and seemingly unharmed, though she bore no memory of who she was or what she'd been doing there. Jane found a home with the Templar order, and engrossed herself wholly in repaying them by diving deep into studies. Her gratitude to the Templars is all-encompassing, and while her devotion makes her an astounding soldier, it also blinds her to any corruption around her. She soon found that she had a gift for World Magic and could manipulate ice and cold. Jane studied magic relentlessly, to the point that it has turned her formerly black hair a bright white. When she was finally completed her training she was at the top of her class and quickly put into combat where she continued to prove herself. It wasn't long before Jane received full knighthood.

Jane's combat skills are on par with the rest of the Knights, though she is far from the best swordswoman. Her ability to think like her opponents and outwit them is what leads to her repeated victories in battle. Her swordsmanship may not be the best, but her skills in World Magic are just about unrivaled. With her control over snow and ice, she can create blinding snow storms, walls, columns, or barriers of ice, and even freeze individual targets solid. One of the victories that led to Jane being promoted to knighthood was when she flanked an enemy encampment by walking her troops across a river via a bridge of ice.

However, being so hard-working and talented isn't all that it is cracked up to be. Jane's cold and blunt attitude in battle as well as her desire to impress her superiors have not won her many allies among the rank and file. She's earned the nickname "The White Witch" for her demeanor and magical talent. While many dread serving under or with her, there are a few who enjoy sticking by her side because they know she will do what it takes to win the day. It only remains to be seen if Jane's views of the Templars will hold true through all her upcoming ordeals. And just who is she, really? Who were her parents and why was she abandoned?

[Revenent]

Looks good to me, approved. :-)

Tentatively, let's say depending on how much other stuff I have to get done and if The Roleplayer Formerly Known as Demonwing01 gets his second character up, I may put the main thread up. If nothing else, I'll get the OOC and character threads going so we can get everyone organized.

[Maelyn]

I should have mine done by late tonight or tomorrow I think.  Just need some finishing touches.  :)

[SargentToughie]

Remember when I said that I'd have the character sheet up yesterday? Well... I lied... Arkham city didn't want me to do ANYTHING productive with my Saturday.


Name: Marie Valorain
Age: 19
Appearance
Height: 5' 4''
Sexuality: Bi
Faction: Illuminati
Role: Hand
Weapon: Anything she can imagine
Magic: Self

Personality: For the most part, Marie is a very light hearted and energetic girl. Whenever she approaches a situation, it's usually with a smile on her face and with a very optimistic view of things. Her favorite thing in the world to do is lift the spirits of those around her, even those who would normally be famed for being brooding or depressed all the time. The way she sees things, the world is already dark enough, so she should do whatever she can to make it lighter, at least until the Illuminati has completed it's task and restored the world back to the way it once was.

Background: Maria came from a rather typical family and lived a fairly typical life up until she was about sixteen years old. In all honesty, the only thing that made her family so special was the fact that they had a very natural and powerful gift with using self magic. Maria learned to use this self magic in several different ways, though most of it involved causing very flashy and eccentric blasts around her, mostly for special effects during her performances.  After all, Marie liked to make people feel better, and leave the stresses of every day life behind them for a few moments, and she found that one of the easiest ways to do that was through song, one of Marie's specialties.

As such, when she turned sixteen, she left home to travel the world, mostly out of a desire for fun and adventure. Still, the bandits that polluted the paths and trails of the world guaranteed that Marie would either have to hire protection, or become her own protection. With her bloodline having as potent self magic as it did, it didn't take long before Marie was fully capable of defending herself while she traveled.

Sometime during her travels, agents of the Illuminati realized just how potent her self magic connection was, and they realized that she would be an extremely powerful ally. As such, they reached out and made her an offer, and upon realizing what the final goal of the Illuminati really was, there was no way that Marie could refuse. If the world could be improved, made into something better, then the people would be happy, and Marie would be doing exactly what she set out to do. Besides, there was something adventurous, exciting, mysterious, about working with the Illuminati, if for nothing more then the experience of it, Marie would have collaborated with them.

[Moon Hound Hati]

Name: Levien Sutherland
Age: 23
Height: 5 feet and 9 inches
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Faction: Illuminati
Role: Mind
Weapon: None
Magic: Self Magic. He specializes in Psychic magic with a talent for telekinesis in particular, being able to move even large boulders with but a flick of his wrist or create kinetic barriers that can block arrows and blades as effectively as any metal shield. On the flip side he's completely inapt at telepathy and mind controll.

Personality: An eccentric but highly gifted young man who often seems very detached from the world around him. He perceives life and death as trivial things, remaining perfectly calm even in the most dire situations. Morals and standards are things he views as restrictive or even ignorant. The only thing that can hold his continued interest is his research. All other things bore him quickly, even the Illuminati organisation he belongs to.

Background: The sole reason that Levien Sutherland was part of the Illuminati was because it was more convenient for him. He had stated as much to the Patron himself. Some would call that a foolish action, but it made Levien no different from other members. Everyone in the organisation was part of it in order to gain something, and the organisation from them. The only difference was that the eccentric young man was completely up front about it.

Levien holds the rank of Mind due to his previous research, which produced an effective (but costly) way to cure stage one Poison infection. Of course, the infected person had to receive the treatment within three hours or the Poison would have already progressed too far.

Living in a secluded old mansion far East, closer to the edge of civilisation then most would dare, Levien spends most of his waking hours advancing his research. For almost half a decade he has studied the dreaded Poison that taints the world, intrigued by its capabilities. He believes looking for a cure is a fool's task, instead focusing on finding a way to make the human body capable of absorbing the poison. If the body could be altered in such a manner then mankind could finally explore the currently inhabitable lands that caused the second flood. Naturally, it would also make it possible for humans to use Poison magic without the current tedious side effects.

Levien uses his position within the Illuminati and the potential results of his research to secure himself a steady supply of... "volunteers." Studying small samples could only get you so far, after all. Luckily his test subjects always consisted out of complete scum that nobody would miss. Murderers, thieves, barbarians and other such ilk. Pretty much the worst humanity currently had to offer had been strapped to his operating table at one point or another during the course of the last four years.

Theme Song:

Greatest Battle Music of all Times: The Epic Assassin

[Revenent]

Very nice characters, both of you. Approved. OP's updated with all of the approved characters so far (if by some stretch of idiocy I forgot yours and it's not up there, let me know), and I'll throw up an OOC in a moment here, followed by the character thread.

Edit: That's one up.

Edit2: And the other one.

[Maelyn]

Name:  Charis Mazerie

Age:  19

Appearance: 

Blonde hair in varying shades of honey and gold falling down to mid back and brushed back from her face.  She braids strands of her hair on the sides from time to time.  Her deep, dark brown eyes seem more intelligent than the youthful face in which they are set.  Pink, bowed lips, the bottom one a little fuller than the top, sit below a pert nose. 

Charis keeps in shape, a result of the many hours of weapons practice and the amount of walking she does while traveling.  Encased within her leather and chain boots and armor, it is easy to see her long, defined legs and arms.  The chain armor across her chest covers a pleasant enough bosom and emphasize the elegant shape of her neck and shoulders. 

Her general appearance is as pictured with the addition of her staff and a hooded cloak.  She also has a satchel filled with necessary supplies including a book, paper and writing utensils, and a few other essentials.  She has a belt with a few pockets for such things as well.

Height:  5’ 6”

Sexuality:  Heterosexual

Faction:  Templar

Role:  Cleric

Weapon:  Staff (pictured) and dagger

Magic:  World Magic is her focus, specifically elemental and healing magics which include, but are not limited to, the following:

Air – She can still the air in the room or remove it completely, making breathing difficult if not impossible.  Or she can create movement with the air, causing objects to move with it.  Speed of movement varies from being absolutely still to amassing a whirlwind that sucks the air from the surrounding area to feed its strength and speed. 

Fire – She can create flame with a snap of her fingers, causing a small ball of fire to form in her hand.  From that ball, she can feed the flame with both her power and the oxygen in the surrounding area, letting it grow in size from a diameter of two inches to two feet.  She can then force the flame from her body in a fireball and direct it at a target within a range of 100 yards.  Or she can feed the flame to encompass her body, including her armor and weapons, giving her additional damage per hit and a bonus to her armor when she herself is the target.

Earth – Manipulation of earth in a variety of ways – moving, creating walls or other structures, reconstructing landscapes, etc.  She can pull pockets of earth and hurl them at a target or pull large segments up and around a target to immobilize them for a time.  (The target can hack through it, of course, but it would take time.)

Water – This includes the creation and manipulation of water in various forms.  When without, she can create water for drinking.  She can also purify said water for rituals and the like.  She can change the flow of a body of water depending upon its size – i.e. a stream or creek. 

General notes and combined elements – Basically, she can create, manipulate, augment or discard any element, though she is restricted by sizes and ranges, etc.  She can also combine elements for various results such as feeding air to fire to fan flames or adding water to earth to help with plant growth, etc. 

Healing – While stronger in her ability with the elements, Charis is versed in magical healing.  As such, she is able to assess the damages and decide whether a wound is minor (i.e. cuts, scrapes, bruises), moderate (i.e. broken bones with clean cuts, stabbings, minor to moderate internal bleeding) or severe (i.e. multiple fractures, serious head wounds or gashes, removal of limbs).  Minor wounds are easily cured with the simplest and fastest of spells and care.  Moderate ones are more complex and take a greater concentration and draw more power, making them difficult to perform in the midst of battle, though not impossible.  Severe wounds are night impossible to perform without total focus and concentration.  They also take a great deal of power and can incapacitate Charis for a time once complete.  In some instances, it may take multiple healing sessions for moderate or severe wounds.

Personality:  Charis is a woman with many facets to her personality. 

Quiet Observer – She sits back and assesses the situation, learning what she can of people and places by watching the goings on around her.

Big Heart – A kind and compassionate woman for the most part, Charis likes to see people happy and healthy.  She has an easy smile and ready laugh, often eager to share her joys with others so they may join in her amusement and happiness.  Due to this part of her nature, she sometimes gets upset by people’s cruelty and lack of understanding or compassion.

Passionate – Charis is very passionate about a number of things, but mostly for being a cleric and a storyteller.  In her position as a cleric, she helps to spread the word of God through use of her stories and songs.  She shares these with others on her travels and hopes they understand the message she is trying to portray through them. 

Proud – Charis’ mother and grandmother were great women – intelligent and determined to do whatever they could to help others in need.  Proud of them for the women they were, Charis endeavors to be such a woman.  She is also proud of her own accomplishments with her magic, training, and induction as a cleric. 

Fighter – She will fight for what she believes is right, whether it be physical or no.  While she often hopes to find peaceful solutions, she knows that is not always an option.  Fighting is sometimes a necessity and she does not shy away from it if or when it comes to that.

Background: 

Charis’ mother, Shanna, was unaware of her pregnancy when she decided to embark on the latest research trek to the explosion site hoping to find cures to a number of illnesses, not to mention the low mortality rate.  While she turned back as soon as she was aware she was carrying, the damage had already been done.  She’d ventured too far into the toxic cloud. 

Upon her return, Shanna was deathly ill and nearly lost her child.  But Charis’ grandmother, Maigren, was a powerful cleric, and a Templar.  After a quick assessment of the situation, Maigren gave her daughter a choice – her or her child.  Shanna was a loving and selfless woman and gladly gave her life for her daughter.  After a long, grueling pregnancy with Maigren at her side, Shanna finally brought Charis into the world.  She was able to hold her daughter once in her arms before passing into the afterlife.

Maigren never learned the father’s name from her daughter.  Indeed, when asked, Shanna had refused to confess it.  With no other options, Maigren took her grandchild under her wing, though it was no hardship.  She was glad to have her granddaughter with her, especially after having lost her only child.

Charis grew up in a world rife with the Templar teachings, especially once Maigren realized the ramifications of past events.  Whether it had been from Shanna’s travel into the toxic cloud or from Maigren’s powers being used so much to save her granddaughter’s life, Charis was born with a gift for World Magic.  Maigren taught her from a very young age about control and the consequences of losing it.  She also taught Charis against abusing her power.  Charis was taught the Templar way and it is all she has ever known, in a sense.  As she grew into young adulthood, she began to understand the meanings behind the teachings more and more. 

At sixteen, Maigren was called away to help with an uprising in the south.  She never returned.  Instead, an old friend of Maigren’s came, informing Charis of her grandmother’s death and taking her to the church.  Charis was then interviewed and assessed.  Realizing her potential, they offered her training to become a cleric, as her grandmother had been, and  Charis gladly accepted.

Throughout her life, Charis developed a love and affinity for the written word.  Upon first sight of the Templar library, she was in awe.  It was there she spent most of her life for the next few years.  She devoured anything and everything she could on a multitude of subjects.  This also culminated into a love of writing – stories, fiction and non, and even songs that spoke of all she’d learned, sending the Templar’s message to all who would listen.

She was also willing to learn anything anyone would ever teach her, which is how she ended up with basic weapons training.  When she first started using pole weapons, she found she quite enjoyed it and has since specialized in them.  She’s no Knight, but she can hold her own for the most part.

At eighteen, Charis was officially inducted into the Templar Order as a Cleric, the culmination of all her years of training.  Since her induction, she’s been traveling – sometimes alone, sometimes with others.  During her travels, she spent a lot of time with the people of each town or village, asking about local lore, gossip, anything they wanted to tell her.  She recorded everything, taking meticulous notes, then incorporated some of what she’d learned into stories or songs that she would later sing to them. 

Most enjoyed her stories and songs, complimenting her on her talent.  She had a clear, beautiful voice that was a joy to hear no matter if spoken or sang.  Its soft and sometimes sultry tones helped to soothe or distract a person from their troubles while listening to her.

Theme Song:  BarlowGirl – Never Alone
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[Revenent]

Very much approved. :D Feel free to post her in the character thread and say something in the OOC if you want. I'm currently working on putting up my two characters, and then I'll work on the IC thread after that.