Topic: Sorcearth - Haven [MUL, Freeform, Urban Fantasy]

[Vandren]

Hidden History

Unbeknownst to most mortals, Dragons and Sorcerers have walked the world since the dawn of man. Initially, the Dragons ruled over some communities of early man and/or fed on others. Sorcerers moved about openly. They were part of the community, acting as advisors, healers, protectors, and wise men. Sometimes they secretly led the tribes of early man. They were the first priests and claim to have invented writing. Around 60,000 B.C.E., Sorcerers accidentally created the first Werebeasts. Other shifters followed over the next 10,000 to 20,000 years, records are spotty at best. Presumably these shifters were either servants to Sorcerers or were themselves Sorcerers who changed due to their art. After the first fall of Ur, the supernaturals went into hiding for safety. In the process, they adopted a few cross-species rules: 1) maintain the Veil, 2) presentation, and 3) hospitality. The first preserves their secret existence. The second requires that every being present him/herself to the local species ruler when (s)he enters a new territory. The third requires all supernaturals to aid another in need, sometimes this is called sanctuary. The first Vampires came later, after the establishment of societies and early nations. They were all originally Sorcerers who sought immortality. A few managed to complete the process, which has since been lost, and spread around the world. According to legends, Vampires appeared in China, Egypt, and South America at roughly the same time. They were probably within a decade or two of each other, but imprecise dating and oral history have caused problems for determining exact dates.

Throughout history, it has been easy for supernatural beings to conceal themselves. A handful were occasionally caught by mortals and publicly executed, but the vast majority of “vampires” and “wizards” caught by mortals were other mortals. The modern era, especially after the 1960s, created problems for concealment. Due to the spread of computers, easy international communication, and better record keeping, supernaturals need to be more careful to preserve their first law. In the U.S., the FBI and NSA might know that something is going on. It is difficult to tell, but both organizations appear to have created special branches devoted to investigating possibly supernatural activities in the U.S. The Catholic Church has a sect of monastic knights, the descendants of the Templars and Hospitallars, that definitely knows about supernaturals and is actively engaged in hunting them. Fortunately, many supernaturals have embraced technology, aside from some older Vampires and Dragons, and this has helped the entire community survive even as they carry on their own, sometimes bloody, conflicts in the shadows. These conflicts are rarely species on species so much as they are conflicts of philosophy or grabs for power. Thus, a group of sorcerers might be aligned with a group of vampires against a group of shifters who themselves are aligned with a group of vampires or sorcerers with dragons playing both sides against each other.

(The intended feel is somewhere between oWoD and Underworld)
__________________________________________________________________

I'd like to focus the group on the Lanyer family, a criminal network (org. crime) that is also attempting to acquire power by bringing as much shape-changer, draconic, and sorcerer lineage, as well as vampires, as possible into the family.  That said, if interested parties would prefer to focus on some other areas:
- The Stone Sorcery Academy (neutral house of sorcery devoted to teaching the, relatively, young)
- The Black Rose (upscale restaurant catering to organized crime, with a side business in the slave trade)
- The Menagerie (multi-style nightclub/biker bar/jazz cafe and illegal fighting arena)

Races
- Dragons
- Shape-Changers - Morphs, Chimerae, Werebeasts
- Sorcerers - actually Humans with talent for the art
- Undead - sentient (Vampires) and non-sentient (Liches)
--- Blood Slaves - Humans who've fed on vampiric blood

Sorcearth wiki page

Additionally, I'd like at least five interested parties before starting up an OOC thread, and at least four approved characters before starting an IC thread.

[Lyrus]

Mhmmm. Interesting, and well structured too. I'd be up for anything, but I'd better at doing Lycan/Shapeshifter most of the time.

[Vandren]

Danke.  :)

Variety's one reason I set up the Lanyers as they are.  That and it creates a good potential mix of "adventuring", politics (internal and external), and other hooks.

[Shihong]

Very intriguing!  I like the idea that Werebeasts have no hybrid form, and merely turn into the animals they're patterned after.  I'd like to pledge my interest in this as well.

[Vandren]

Cool.  :)

Re: werebeasts, in some ways I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to my werecritters.  By which I mean pre-19th century-ist.

[Shihong]

I think it's a nice take, if only because it isn't used very often.  I suppose I should ask a few other things...

For werebeasts, are they naturally stronger or more resilient when in human form?  Are their animal shapes larger/stronger/distinctive in some way from the natural animals they're assuming?  I suppose what I want to ascertain is whether or not they are noticeably 'super' in whatever form they choose.  Like, as a human, whether or not they could jump further, punch harder, and move faster than most non-supernatural humans.  Their physical limitations, in other words.

[Vandren]

For werebeasts, are they naturally stronger or more resilient when in human form?  Are their animal shapes larger/stronger/distinctive in some way from the natural animals they're assuming?  I suppose what I want to ascertain is whether or not they are noticeably 'super' in whatever form they choose.  Like, as a human, whether or not they could jump further, punch harder, and move faster than most non-supernatural humans.  Their physical limitations, in other words.

I had nothing beyond normal human range, except for lifespan (+20-30%; average 120-130 years) and limited regeneration (faster than a human, slower than a Vamp, no regrowing/reattaching lost limbs).  They can recover perfectly from being shot in the leg without medical attention, but it'll probably take a while (say up to half a day depending on caliber, whether it was a glancing shot, whether any bones were damaged, etc.); a knife cut, likely a couple seconds to several minutes depending on depth of the cut.  Most bleeding will stop within a few seconds tops (it's extremely rare for a shape-changer to bleed to death; a .45, 12 gauge slug or .50 to the chest might do it; beheading definitely would, but the critter has other problems there  ). 

A .45 hollowpoint to the head's probably going to kill a shape-shifter, unless the angle's bad and it skims the skull.

But I'm adaptable. 

My only limits are that I won't go the wolfsbane/silver route or lunar based shifting for werebeasts.
_____________________________________________________

Oh, side note, there are a bunch of authors who use non-hybrid form werecritters, including: Charles de Lint, J.K. Rowling, Jack Williamson, Terry Pratchett, Patrick Jennings, Fritz Leiber . . . and any pre-17th century source (Ovid, Marie de France, Gerald of Wales, Petronius, St. Augustine, etc.)

[Shihong]

Oooh god, Animorphs.  That is my childhood right there.  Pretty damn brutal stuff when you consider the target audience.  I mean, you'd be hard pressed to find a single one where one of the kids didn't get an arm lopped off and have to nurse a bleeding stump for awhile...

[Lyrus]

How many people do you think we need to get this going then?

[Vandren]

I added to the first post (probably after it was read) that I'd like at least five interested parties before starting an OOC and at least four approved characters before starting IC.

[Vandren]

Giving a final bump to try to drum up some interest.