Fractal Sky
Written and GM’d by Reivenn and Mingnon
Alithrone is a ruined world, whose surface is a shattered wasteland. However, life persists in the sky islands floating above its surface where the few survivors of the world's destruction remain. Unfortunately the skies may not really be any safer because Alithrone is ruled by a tyrant, a tyrant who is one step away from casting the entire world into oblivion, sky and all. The tyrant simply needs the right key to bring about this destruction.
However, this key has fallen into someone else's hands, someone who by accident ends up on Earth, where she comes across a group of high school students; friends who at the time are having their first reunion since childhood. Seeing a pursuing beast though, it is quickly revealed to this group that the stranger who showed up is no mere girl, and they are soon enlisted to help fight the tyrant and save her world.
Soon, they will have to fight a myriad of monsters, explore many places in the ruined world, and ultimately have to face the tyrant herself.
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Fractal Sky will be an anime-based RP that uses a more stripped-down version of the Fate Core system. Only four aspects, Fate Points, and a different skill system will be used, at least at the very beginning. The reason to use a system at all is to keep players' characters from going powerfully willy-nilly, breaking the worlds' established rules as shounen heroes are prone to doing.
Some basic setting information: Alithrone is basically a shattered world, with islands floating above the clouds and still able to support life, while the world below is a barren wasteland, the only stand-out feature being a black castle. The castle being the domain of the world’s new ruler, the Desecrating Princess.
Additional setting points include:- A normal-to-the-point-of-where-powers-don't-exist real world.
- Another world that employs medieval weapons, guns and magic.
- And some dashes of comic relief and slapstick.
- Not to mention the various opportunities to make sexy with Alithrone's locals - both human and monstrous - and each other!
Saisei is a seaside town in the Chugoku region of Japan within the Shimane prefecture. The shoreline is more modern, while as one moves inland a more traditional atmosphere is maintained for tourism until one reaches the suburbs. The town's school, Soubouki is located in the midst of the suburbs. At the northeastern edge of the town is a small temple used today for general worship, but in the past it was once dedicated to Yamato-no-Orochi. Other attractions include a small seaside amusement park and a shopping arcade. There are also various shops, a few restaurants and two hotels, which are all fairly popular during the tourist season in the spring and summer months.
Saisei, with its former patron, used to have a foul reputation. It was notorious for holding regular feasts dedicated to Orochi, which would quickly turn debaucherous. As well, loyal to the myth, a girl was brought into the shrine every seventeen years who was then never seen again; indicating that Orochi had accepted the sacrifice. Fear of a terrible curse being brought against any who sought to harm the town prevented anyone from doing anything about this for many years. However, these traditions ended when an emperor decided to destroy the town in spite of the curse. Showing that claims of a curse were false, the town was soon enough simply burned down. Legend holds that as the town burned all the townsfolk committed suicide to join Orochi in the other world. Somehow only the shrine remained intact during the destruction. It was only decades later that the town would then be rebuilt as per its namesake (Saisei meaning ‘rebirth’), into what it currently is today.
A world that lies in a dimension parallel to Earth. Almost entirely destroyed and shattered; most of the remaining life survives above the clouds, scattered across a series of floating islands. Whereas the earth below is either wasteland or crumbled cities and ruins, the only exception being a black castle.
The flying islands have been regrowing in recent years, while carrying the remnants of what the world used to have been like. Some of the islands are even large enough to have their own individual ecosystem or biome. As such, there are still some scant communities of survivors scattered throughout the island, but the certainty of the claim, let alone the locations or even the number of those in those communities, is unknown.
There are two other unique features; the co-existence of magic and technology, as well as the existence of various, monster-like beings and races. Many if not a great majority these monsters serve the supposed ruler of Alithrone, Lorian the Desecrating Princess.
Magic as a force continues to thrive in Alithrone and comes in varied forms, depending on the soul of the person wielding it. The individual soul is said to be a person's ideals; thus, the soul is required to be 'awakened' before one can begin to use magic. Once awakened, the soul manifests itself on one's person, representing that one's ideal form; thus there could be changes from clothing and hair, to eyes and even added or changed features. However, there is a quirk where anyone from another world will have their soul always manifest in Alithrone, as if it was always how they were.
Another way for magic to manifest is through simple spells and enchantments; solid formulae that have an expected and often lesser effect. However, they are almost always beneficial to the user; for instance, increasing the potency of magic or increasing the user's speed. These enhancements can come through scrolls, herbs made into a potion, or an enchanted item or accessory.
Technology is somewhat similar to Earth's, only regressed in some aspects. For instance, weaponry had advanced with the help of magically enchanted items, but there is also the existence of neo-medieval weaponry for melee combat. Items like light bulbs, the telephone, gramophone, the refrigerator exist and, should they be used, are nowadays powered with a socket-like charge stone. Vehicles also used to exist, and there are still some machines if someone where to find and use them. There were also once inventions unique to Alithrone, such as airships that are now lost, but a clever individual might with effort be able to reconstruct such wonders from the ruins.
And finally...
First off, let’s start off with what we’re looking for.
Basically, the party starts off as a group of regular high-school students, ages 16-19. These students are childhood friends who haven’t seen each other until around the start of the high school year. Upon awakening to their soul-based powers though, they are able to fight and use a power called a Mystic Talent. In addition while using magic or in Alithrone their appearance also changes into that of their soul-form.
Said soul-form though should be kept reasonable; still human, but with some alterations and features, the most major being a different outfit. Other alterations include different hair style and color, different eye type and color, a minor add-on like animal ears/tail and small wings or horns. The overall form must remain basically human and meet GM approval.
Likewise, Mystic Talents should be kept within reason. They are powers that are separate from a character’s other skills, and thus their own aspect. At the same time though, they shouldn’t be godly or even demi-godly. They’re just skills that are a notch up from a person’s regular fighting abilities.
And now the character sheet! (Note that this is more or less the basic form of it)
Name:
Age/Grade:
Gender:
Sexual Preference:
High Aspect: How the character defines his/herself, often encompasses primary concept and the role you see your character playing in the group.
Trouble: Essentially the conflict that character faces.
Mystic Talent: Explained above.
Background: The character’s backstory. This aspect can more or less represent it. Backstory can be elaborated on.
Mystic Talent Info:
Background Info:
Refresh: 3
Fate: 3
Weapon(s):
Skills: These are limited to five; one Good, two Fair and two Average. There aren’t any stunts as far as it’s known, and Skills aren’t entirely limited to Rapport, Fighting or Stealth. These are just whatever your character’s good at.
Good (+3):
Fair (+2):
Average (+1):
