I am the One who is Ao. My Wrath is swift, but fair.
All interested Players should read these RULES in their entirety. Also, please take note of the the addenda, including the one regarding Character Sheets.
Yes I realize the rules are quite large, I borrowed them from a game I played earlier that was built from scratch by multiple people (so I did not write these rules, I simply edited them for use on this forum). This is a God Game where you the players take the role of a god, but just because you are a god does not mean that no rules apply to you!
This is meant to be a very open-ended, creative oriented project that is not only an RP but like the writing of an epic story!
This is meant to be a farily serious RP, but a little bit of humor and such is appreciated. What I mean is please no giant space-goober gods.
I can guarentee that if you are willing to put effort in and aren't afraid of RP this is the game for you!
Link to RP Thread: http://mlpforums.com.../8631-the-void/
Rules:
Spoiler
TURNS
#1. All players are allowed one sentence per day with which to ACT. The day begins at 12:00 am midnight, Central Time. Watch the time, since I will treat any premature ACT as invalid, even if it is only a few minutes too early.
#2. All players are allowed to save up 2 or 3 ACTs (which would take 2 or 3 days) if they so choose, and then use them all at the same time or seperately. ACTs beyond 3 are "burned" off.
#3. All players are bound by the dictates of all previous ACTs by all players.
*No actions can be 'taken back', 're-done', or disputed. What's done is done.
STASIS
*If for some reason you will absent from play, you can enter STASIS where you will not receive turns as the days pass (as if you were saving them) but you will not be destroyed either.
#5. STASIS is available for those who have offline concerns that prevent them from signing online and making a one-sentence post for periods of longer than 3 days.
*STASIS turns you, a GOD or GODDESS, into some tangible object or ARTIFACT (see ITEMS OF POWER below) that cannot be destroyed but is none-the-less real to the beings and things of Creation. You may define the appearance of this artifact (it has only the POWER to PRESERVE your deity; it simply IS), but I will decide where it is located at the beginning of your STASIS. It can be moved, stolen, whatever. This impacts none of the gods per say, but will affect all mortals who perceive it. It will ALWAYS appear very special and may draw the interest of beings, especially those who worship you. This artifact however ceases to exist as a reliquary once you have re-entered play, but perhaps the hollow-chamber that once housed your essence may remain... it's your call.
WARNING: If you are absent from play for more than 5 days without notification and STASIS, you will be destroyed by PARADOX. You cannot exist and not-exist at the same time.
MULTIPLE ACTS
#6. When posting your Action, please limit your post to the number of ACTs you have saved or suffer the Wrath of Ao. No god can pre-empt his 3 days; the moves must be saved up. (meaning you can’t spend points you don’t have at that moment)
*If the Wrath of Ao involves your post being deleted ENTIRELY (I will qoute you and ask that you cross out the words), you get your turn again the next day as if you had saved it.
I will be keeping track; if you can fool me, by all means try. If caught, you will not be destroyed but you will suffer the Wrath of Ao, which means I get to make a move (and of course when Ao makes a move, it can be compound, or whatever). I may not undo whatever you have done, but I can make it much more complicated.
DESCRIPTIONS
#7. When posting, please describe your ACT in as much detail (or as little) as you deem necessary, but be aware that, if clarification seems needed, I will put an italicized byline at the bottom summarizing it.
*QUITE OFTEN I WILL SUMMARIZE SIMPLY TO ADD UNFORSEEN DETAILS. These details will never alter the spirit (as detailed by you in a private line or message if necessary) of your intended action, they will only add flavor.
ECHOES OF THE VOID
#8. Feel free to use the Echoes of the Void chat as a way of communicating IC with other players (The Private Message I will send all players is this). Out of character conversations should only be held in the OOC thread, so as not to confuse the others. Feel free to make alliances, coordinate your turns to accomplish greater things, and generally be social with the other gods but do so in the Echoes of the Void chat not in OOC. (OOC is for player banter/questions/etc.)
ITEMS OF POWER
#9. There are two kinds of ARTIFACTS; the first has already been explained (see #5. STASIS). The second kind is a NON-STASIS ARTIFACT also known as an ITEM OF POWER (which can become a STASIS ARTIFACT as well).
*An ITEM OF POWER not merely a magic item (which are subject to the laws of magic as defined by whatever the Gods will it to be).
WARNING: In exchange for divine level power, there is an equal chance of backlash against the god who created it. This will be exactly 50/50 and I, Ao, will determine the outcome upon its use EVERY TIME ITS power is USED, and let ALL DEITIES KNOW WHAT THE BACKLASH WAS in the AEON.
The power can be anything (but is essentially one of the three types listed below) but counts as one of your moves for a day. Up to three POWERS can be invested, and this works just like your ACTs; in fact it counts as however many ACTs are converted into POWERS.
ARTIFACTS can be used by mortals and ultimately their use is out of your control. However, you can certainly send portents and dreams to mortals (such a message is not an ACT) telling them what you want them to do with it. They don't have to do it (unless you spend a whole ACT making them) but will probably. Destruction of ARTIFACTS is impossible except by the deity who made it (or by BACKLASH and hence the Wrath of Ao).
All powers must conform to one of the following IN ESSENCE (that is they can be described cosmetically, but they are still essentially the same):
-ALTER (nothing damaging, but can warp things dramatically)
-DESTROY (full on entropy, this power does exactly what it says)
-PRESERVE (this one is usually for a STASIS ARTIFACT but can be used for preservation of something else besides a deity)
THE DOMINO EFFECT
#10. The DOMINO effect is a term used to describe some action that could be construed as more than one ACT (you are accomplishing more than one objective with one ACT spent) and runs the risk of the Wrath of Ao, but essentially accomplishes ONE ACT and therefore evades my direct intervention.
Such ACTS test the limits of what is allowed and are subject to my interpretation as per the WRATH OF AO
PANTHEONS
#11. PANTHEONS- At least three gods who pledge to share their works openly with one another will be called a PANTHEON. There are two advantages to being in a PANTHEON. First, you can create ARTIFACTS together. Second, each AEON following the 1st, a PANTHEON will gain PANTHEON ACTs equal to its total membership. These can be used by any member of a PANTHEON, although discussion would seem to be advisable.
The pledge of a PANTHEON is essential and lasts until one of the Gods breaks the agreement, at which time the Wrath of Ao comes to pass. And how!
(When a PANTHEON is created make a private message room to hold meetings in, make sure to include myself as well. The pledge can be whatever you want, but once given it is binding.)
ADDENDUM: THE WRATH OF AO
AND FINALLY, a better idea of what exactly the Wrath of AO is... it is essentially DM's fiat, that is whatever gets -me- going (and more often than not even if it is damaging to whatever long term plans you might have it is at least interesting). Don't complain! Anyone who suffers the Wrath of Ao (no matter how little or how much) took a -risk- WILLINGLY.
ADDENDUM II: The Passing of AEONS
AEONS are like chapters. At some point, Ao will call for a vote to initiate a new AEON, for which a majority wins. If the AEON does NOT pass, then Ao will begin to intervene directly in the affairs of creation more often (and his WRATH will become more CHAOTIC and UNPREDICTABLE). Eventually, Ao will call for another vote by the same rules, and with the same outcome if it is not passed.
When a new AEON is opened, the last one is closed. A lengthy undisclosed amount of time passes for which the cosmos to develop unmolested by the gods. A short description by Ao, much like a State of the Union address, will head each AEON and set-the-stage so to speak.
At the beginning of the new AEON (that is after the first) each deity is required to declare a portfolio (and therefore their intentions). Portfolios are one word (or sentence) describing what element, race, thing, etc. that your god wants to be associated with. Gods may share portfolios, and they need not be concrete things, they may be abstract ideas.
ADDENDUM III: MULTIPLE SENTENCES
As Rule #1 says, you have ONE SENTENCE per day with which you may ACT. If you wish to write more than one sentence, please make your actual ACT stand out in some way (underlined, emboldened, differently colored or something of that nature).
Here is an example:
Lord sees that the void is empty, and creates a small, hard object, dubbing it a rock. The rock is gray and covered in fine cracks. If you stare at it long enough, it kind of looks like a picture of Thomas Jefferson.
Lord creates a rock. (this is the ACT itself, the above is description)
And the rock floats in the void, being an object of no interest whatsoever. For some reason, Lord feels very pleased with himself.
The italicized portion represents Ao's recap of the ACT and its effects on Creation (I will leave these comments by using qoutations of your original post).
#1. All players are allowed one sentence per day with which to ACT. The day begins at 12:00 am midnight, Central Time. Watch the time, since I will treat any premature ACT as invalid, even if it is only a few minutes too early.
#2. All players are allowed to save up 2 or 3 ACTs (which would take 2 or 3 days) if they so choose, and then use them all at the same time or seperately. ACTs beyond 3 are "burned" off.
#3. All players are bound by the dictates of all previous ACTs by all players.
*No actions can be 'taken back', 're-done', or disputed. What's done is done.
STASIS
*If for some reason you will absent from play, you can enter STASIS where you will not receive turns as the days pass (as if you were saving them) but you will not be destroyed either.
#5. STASIS is available for those who have offline concerns that prevent them from signing online and making a one-sentence post for periods of longer than 3 days.
*STASIS turns you, a GOD or GODDESS, into some tangible object or ARTIFACT (see ITEMS OF POWER below) that cannot be destroyed but is none-the-less real to the beings and things of Creation. You may define the appearance of this artifact (it has only the POWER to PRESERVE your deity; it simply IS), but I will decide where it is located at the beginning of your STASIS. It can be moved, stolen, whatever. This impacts none of the gods per say, but will affect all mortals who perceive it. It will ALWAYS appear very special and may draw the interest of beings, especially those who worship you. This artifact however ceases to exist as a reliquary once you have re-entered play, but perhaps the hollow-chamber that once housed your essence may remain... it's your call.
WARNING: If you are absent from play for more than 5 days without notification and STASIS, you will be destroyed by PARADOX. You cannot exist and not-exist at the same time.
MULTIPLE ACTS
#6. When posting your Action, please limit your post to the number of ACTs you have saved or suffer the Wrath of Ao. No god can pre-empt his 3 days; the moves must be saved up. (meaning you can’t spend points you don’t have at that moment)
*If the Wrath of Ao involves your post being deleted ENTIRELY (I will qoute you and ask that you cross out the words), you get your turn again the next day as if you had saved it.
I will be keeping track; if you can fool me, by all means try. If caught, you will not be destroyed but you will suffer the Wrath of Ao, which means I get to make a move (and of course when Ao makes a move, it can be compound, or whatever). I may not undo whatever you have done, but I can make it much more complicated.
DESCRIPTIONS
#7. When posting, please describe your ACT in as much detail (or as little) as you deem necessary, but be aware that, if clarification seems needed, I will put an italicized byline at the bottom summarizing it.
*QUITE OFTEN I WILL SUMMARIZE SIMPLY TO ADD UNFORSEEN DETAILS. These details will never alter the spirit (as detailed by you in a private line or message if necessary) of your intended action, they will only add flavor.
ECHOES OF THE VOID
#8. Feel free to use the Echoes of the Void chat as a way of communicating IC with other players (The Private Message I will send all players is this). Out of character conversations should only be held in the OOC thread, so as not to confuse the others. Feel free to make alliances, coordinate your turns to accomplish greater things, and generally be social with the other gods but do so in the Echoes of the Void chat not in OOC. (OOC is for player banter/questions/etc.)
ITEMS OF POWER
#9. There are two kinds of ARTIFACTS; the first has already been explained (see #5. STASIS). The second kind is a NON-STASIS ARTIFACT also known as an ITEM OF POWER (which can become a STASIS ARTIFACT as well).
*An ITEM OF POWER not merely a magic item (which are subject to the laws of magic as defined by whatever the Gods will it to be).
WARNING: In exchange for divine level power, there is an equal chance of backlash against the god who created it. This will be exactly 50/50 and I, Ao, will determine the outcome upon its use EVERY TIME ITS power is USED, and let ALL DEITIES KNOW WHAT THE BACKLASH WAS in the AEON.
The power can be anything (but is essentially one of the three types listed below) but counts as one of your moves for a day. Up to three POWERS can be invested, and this works just like your ACTs; in fact it counts as however many ACTs are converted into POWERS.
ARTIFACTS can be used by mortals and ultimately their use is out of your control. However, you can certainly send portents and dreams to mortals (such a message is not an ACT) telling them what you want them to do with it. They don't have to do it (unless you spend a whole ACT making them) but will probably. Destruction of ARTIFACTS is impossible except by the deity who made it (or by BACKLASH and hence the Wrath of Ao).
All powers must conform to one of the following IN ESSENCE (that is they can be described cosmetically, but they are still essentially the same):
-ALTER (nothing damaging, but can warp things dramatically)
-DESTROY (full on entropy, this power does exactly what it says)
-PRESERVE (this one is usually for a STASIS ARTIFACT but can be used for preservation of something else besides a deity)
THE DOMINO EFFECT
#10. The DOMINO effect is a term used to describe some action that could be construed as more than one ACT (you are accomplishing more than one objective with one ACT spent) and runs the risk of the Wrath of Ao, but essentially accomplishes ONE ACT and therefore evades my direct intervention.
Such ACTS test the limits of what is allowed and are subject to my interpretation as per the WRATH OF AO
PANTHEONS
#11. PANTHEONS- At least three gods who pledge to share their works openly with one another will be called a PANTHEON. There are two advantages to being in a PANTHEON. First, you can create ARTIFACTS together. Second, each AEON following the 1st, a PANTHEON will gain PANTHEON ACTs equal to its total membership. These can be used by any member of a PANTHEON, although discussion would seem to be advisable.
The pledge of a PANTHEON is essential and lasts until one of the Gods breaks the agreement, at which time the Wrath of Ao comes to pass. And how!
(When a PANTHEON is created make a private message room to hold meetings in, make sure to include myself as well. The pledge can be whatever you want, but once given it is binding.)
ADDENDUM: THE WRATH OF AO
AND FINALLY, a better idea of what exactly the Wrath of AO is... it is essentially DM's fiat, that is whatever gets -me- going (and more often than not even if it is damaging to whatever long term plans you might have it is at least interesting). Don't complain! Anyone who suffers the Wrath of Ao (no matter how little or how much) took a -risk- WILLINGLY.
ADDENDUM II: The Passing of AEONS
AEONS are like chapters. At some point, Ao will call for a vote to initiate a new AEON, for which a majority wins. If the AEON does NOT pass, then Ao will begin to intervene directly in the affairs of creation more often (and his WRATH will become more CHAOTIC and UNPREDICTABLE). Eventually, Ao will call for another vote by the same rules, and with the same outcome if it is not passed.
When a new AEON is opened, the last one is closed. A lengthy undisclosed amount of time passes for which the cosmos to develop unmolested by the gods. A short description by Ao, much like a State of the Union address, will head each AEON and set-the-stage so to speak.
At the beginning of the new AEON (that is after the first) each deity is required to declare a portfolio (and therefore their intentions). Portfolios are one word (or sentence) describing what element, race, thing, etc. that your god wants to be associated with. Gods may share portfolios, and they need not be concrete things, they may be abstract ideas.
ADDENDUM III: MULTIPLE SENTENCES
As Rule #1 says, you have ONE SENTENCE per day with which you may ACT. If you wish to write more than one sentence, please make your actual ACT stand out in some way (underlined, emboldened, differently colored or something of that nature).
Here is an example:
Lord sees that the void is empty, and creates a small, hard object, dubbing it a rock. The rock is gray and covered in fine cracks. If you stare at it long enough, it kind of looks like a picture of Thomas Jefferson.
Lord creates a rock. (this is the ACT itself, the above is description)
And the rock floats in the void, being an object of no interest whatsoever. For some reason, Lord feels very pleased with himself.
The italicized portion represents Ao's recap of the ACT and its effects on Creation (I will leave these comments by using qoutations of your original post).
Closing Notes
Spoiler
Because some players are also avid fans of God Games and have played in a large number of them, sometimes they grow tired of having worlds and suns. I've seen worlds full of water, fire or stone and while interesting, they only create one more thing for me to remember and do not end up greatly changing the game. Because of this, I'm going to request that this game take place in a more traditional format, that being a world roughly akin to our own. If you want it to be a desert world, that's fine, or a mostly seas and scattered islands, also okay, but I don't want to have a game where all of existence is one type of element.
Seeing that I'm placing this restriction, at the start of the game each god will be given 1 extra Act. This Act must be spent on the creation of a habitable world, as in must create animals, plants, water, earth, or something else necessary. This will allow us to get to the more interesting parts of the game sooner. Think of this Act as a free card, which allows your other Act to be spent on something more unique to your character.
The intent of this free Act is not for each god to create their own private sandbox, but rather to rapidly get one world ready for more interesting creation.
Also note, technology in this game will not be restricted to fantasy levels, it can progress to relatively modern or advanced levels, but if gods attempt to artificially speed up mortal advancements, especially through simply "giving" them new methods or knowledge, it will generally go awry. With that said, laser guns and mecha suits are not out of the question if the game progresses long enough.
For those who have never experienced a God Game, they are truly remarkable and one of the few games which are best played in a play-by-post format. Through a simple line of words, players get to create and manipulate worlds of their making. Naturally players feel protective of these creations and sometimes they forget that in a God Game, their works mingle with one another. This is where problems occur. Creation occurs and destruction follows suit and from this destruction more creation takes place and the Void becomes complex and gains a history. The ability to shrug off a setback and adapt to a different, sometimes drastically different, circumstance than existed only hours before. However, it never fails that someone will take something personally, or make something personal.
I've seen it in far too many games where an offense, real or imagined, snowballs. The game suddenly becomes a feud between two players, neither of whom are having fun by this point, and everyone else starts to find themselves as collateral damage. Because I have seen these problems so many times in the past and in almost every game, I have made this message to make my stance clear on these issues in advance.
Consider the issues below my pet peeves, testing my patience on these is in no ones best interest.
------
1st) Do not question Ao. Perhaps this sounds stern, or like a dictatorship, and that's because it is. As Ao, I will do my best to run things fairly. Occasionally I will make oversights about some previous Acts, by all means point these out. Do not, however, attempt to second guess me. Once an Act has been summarized, consider it done. The reason for this is that I do not want to dread every time I see a private message come up because I expect it to be yet another player complaining because something did not go their way. This rapidly drains my excitement. This whole game rests upon the notion that Ao is the ultimate law, if this idea is not followed, the game falls apart.
2nd) Do not state the phrase "Player X has been doing X and I cannot tolerate it anymore. Something must be done about them or I'm leaving." This does no good. If the action happens, it means it was permissible by the rules. Anyone signing up for this game should be creative enough and flexible enough that they can have all their plans ruined over and over, but still think up ways to salvage the situation or something entirely new. If you have one vision for your Game and will not see it altered, then this is not the game for you.
3rd) Keep conflicts in character. I have no problem with gods having feuds with one another, it makes things more fun. If the characters ill will spills into OOC then this becomes a problem. As a part of this pet peeve, do not ever state that you will now make your entire game goal be to undermine another player, I've seen it happen and it ends games. If your gods do get into feuds with one another, do not escalate every attack. You could even try being subtle and invoke a plan that takes several days to unfold instead of declaring all followers of said god turn to ash. If I feel a god has become overly disruptive, then I will PM them and ask that they tone down their actions for awhile, but my definition of disruptive might be different than the players being disrupted. In the end, subtlety is fun, try it.
4th) Okay, this one isn't a game ender like the first three, consider it something that just mildly annoys me. You all get to be gods of things, that's a given. But at the start of a game, don't declare yourself a god of dragons, or fire, or death, or war, or anything else. In this game you are what you do so at the start of the game, you are nothing. Your actions will define what your god is known for. A player can claim they own trees as much as they want, but if they never once spent an act on trees, their claim doesn't have much value does it?
------
My tone above is harsh I realize, but I want to get the disciplining out of the way and do it without having to speak with a player about it. I greatly enjoy God Games, its why I keep coming back to them over and over again, but the drama involved in them can quickly suck the joy from their wondrous complexity. In this game I will be taking a no-tolerance policy to players who try to ruin the experience of the game for myself or for other players. This doesn't mean you can't cause destruction, mayhem and cosmic changes, but do not make this a malicious game. If you feel someone is starting to actually grow angry then back down a bit, your own fun, and the game itself, could easily be ruined. And for those who suffer bad luck, suck it up a bit, when you first read that update stating that all your followers became diseased and died, don't begin hammering away at that keyboard while you still see red. Take a breath and go take a walk, gain a bit more of a level head and examine the issue more deeply before you take an action.
Making this game work takes a dedicated and fair Ao, which I will attempt to be to the best of my ability, but it also relies heavily upon you the players. If you keep this in mind, and remember how much work one of these games requires to run, then we can all have a good experience.
Seeing that I'm placing this restriction, at the start of the game each god will be given 1 extra Act. This Act must be spent on the creation of a habitable world, as in must create animals, plants, water, earth, or something else necessary. This will allow us to get to the more interesting parts of the game sooner. Think of this Act as a free card, which allows your other Act to be spent on something more unique to your character.
The intent of this free Act is not for each god to create their own private sandbox, but rather to rapidly get one world ready for more interesting creation.
Also note, technology in this game will not be restricted to fantasy levels, it can progress to relatively modern or advanced levels, but if gods attempt to artificially speed up mortal advancements, especially through simply "giving" them new methods or knowledge, it will generally go awry. With that said, laser guns and mecha suits are not out of the question if the game progresses long enough.
For those who have never experienced a God Game, they are truly remarkable and one of the few games which are best played in a play-by-post format. Through a simple line of words, players get to create and manipulate worlds of their making. Naturally players feel protective of these creations and sometimes they forget that in a God Game, their works mingle with one another. This is where problems occur. Creation occurs and destruction follows suit and from this destruction more creation takes place and the Void becomes complex and gains a history. The ability to shrug off a setback and adapt to a different, sometimes drastically different, circumstance than existed only hours before. However, it never fails that someone will take something personally, or make something personal.
I've seen it in far too many games where an offense, real or imagined, snowballs. The game suddenly becomes a feud between two players, neither of whom are having fun by this point, and everyone else starts to find themselves as collateral damage. Because I have seen these problems so many times in the past and in almost every game, I have made this message to make my stance clear on these issues in advance.
Consider the issues below my pet peeves, testing my patience on these is in no ones best interest.
------
1st) Do not question Ao. Perhaps this sounds stern, or like a dictatorship, and that's because it is. As Ao, I will do my best to run things fairly. Occasionally I will make oversights about some previous Acts, by all means point these out. Do not, however, attempt to second guess me. Once an Act has been summarized, consider it done. The reason for this is that I do not want to dread every time I see a private message come up because I expect it to be yet another player complaining because something did not go their way. This rapidly drains my excitement. This whole game rests upon the notion that Ao is the ultimate law, if this idea is not followed, the game falls apart.
2nd) Do not state the phrase "Player X has been doing X and I cannot tolerate it anymore. Something must be done about them or I'm leaving." This does no good. If the action happens, it means it was permissible by the rules. Anyone signing up for this game should be creative enough and flexible enough that they can have all their plans ruined over and over, but still think up ways to salvage the situation or something entirely new. If you have one vision for your Game and will not see it altered, then this is not the game for you.
3rd) Keep conflicts in character. I have no problem with gods having feuds with one another, it makes things more fun. If the characters ill will spills into OOC then this becomes a problem. As a part of this pet peeve, do not ever state that you will now make your entire game goal be to undermine another player, I've seen it happen and it ends games. If your gods do get into feuds with one another, do not escalate every attack. You could even try being subtle and invoke a plan that takes several days to unfold instead of declaring all followers of said god turn to ash. If I feel a god has become overly disruptive, then I will PM them and ask that they tone down their actions for awhile, but my definition of disruptive might be different than the players being disrupted. In the end, subtlety is fun, try it.
4th) Okay, this one isn't a game ender like the first three, consider it something that just mildly annoys me. You all get to be gods of things, that's a given. But at the start of a game, don't declare yourself a god of dragons, or fire, or death, or war, or anything else. In this game you are what you do so at the start of the game, you are nothing. Your actions will define what your god is known for. A player can claim they own trees as much as they want, but if they never once spent an act on trees, their claim doesn't have much value does it?
------
My tone above is harsh I realize, but I want to get the disciplining out of the way and do it without having to speak with a player about it. I greatly enjoy God Games, its why I keep coming back to them over and over again, but the drama involved in them can quickly suck the joy from their wondrous complexity. In this game I will be taking a no-tolerance policy to players who try to ruin the experience of the game for myself or for other players. This doesn't mean you can't cause destruction, mayhem and cosmic changes, but do not make this a malicious game. If you feel someone is starting to actually grow angry then back down a bit, your own fun, and the game itself, could easily be ruined. And for those who suffer bad luck, suck it up a bit, when you first read that update stating that all your followers became diseased and died, don't begin hammering away at that keyboard while you still see red. Take a breath and go take a walk, gain a bit more of a level head and examine the issue more deeply before you take an action.
Making this game work takes a dedicated and fair Ao, which I will attempt to be to the best of my ability, but it also relies heavily upon you the players. If you keep this in mind, and remember how much work one of these games requires to run, then we can all have a good experience.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The harsh tone in the rules is a leftover from a site filled with people far more rowdy than you bunch, so please don't feel offended. I did not write 99% of the above, I only made edits to it for use on this site.
If you have any questions be sure to ask, the rules may seem complicated at first but with some explanation it isn't quite as bad.
Character Sheet Template:
Name:
Appearence: (You are a god so your physical form may change according to your will, but do try to keep a look consistant with your deity's nature)
General Personality: Like your looks this can and should change over time, (it should morph naturally as you play and take on new roles) but for now give a general description.
*Appearence and Personality can be as detailed or lacking as you wish.
Side Rules:
1.When posting, add this to the bottom of your post indicating the number of ACTs you used and the number of ACTs you now have.
Acts Used: #
Acts Left: #
2. When posting multiple ACTs seperate the various ACTs into different bolded sentences rather than one sentence.
Player List:
- Princess Arylett XVIII - Arka
-Neikos El Presidente -Thokal
- Twister XXV - Acastus
- Queen SuperTheAwesome III - Deus Butio
-Aureity - Ryadin
-Zalgo - Zalgo
-matau - Asatya
-Linguz - Ismael
-Fizzydoo-The-Daring - Maat
-LightningWIng - Lycantheos
-EvilShy - Emrakul
-Dawnpath- Avarice
Game Play Example:
(This is an excerpt from when I was a player using this system, this is just to help give you an idea of what the game will be like. My God's name is Xouk, he was first but a pile of dust but then as he became attached to his mortal creations he took on their avian form. He is the god of psionics, time, the dead, and sound magic. (he built up this portfolio as the Aeons passed) This game went on for quite some time and this excerpt is from the middle of the game, so things have already become very intertwined. I know this excerpt looks quite large, but really it is only a small portion of the total RP. This doesn't even include the god's conversations, only their ACTs.)
Note: The way the excerpt works is that the gods name is bolded and underlined while their non ACT text is in normal text, and their actual ACTs are in bold. The italics are what Ao responded to the ACTs with. This is similar to how I will be doing it, with one minor variation on the italicized portion.
Spoiler
Kssthal-"We must begin our work." the Kssthal spoke, whispers of a thousand dead worlds echoing across the planes. The great energy form that appeared to comprise the Kssthal turned, focusing on the main plane of existance. Seeing a suitable template, the Kssthal concentrated.
Kssthal abducts approximately one percent of every lifeform and transports them to the analog he created, freezing them in stasis so that none can harm each other.
Looking across the frozen beings the Kssthal mused. How to go about this, this great task - for destruction is not the oposite of creation. Uncreation is the opposite of creation.
Eventually, exerting the will of nine hundred and seventeen minds the Kssthal tainted the entire plane with uncreation energy. Anything that set foot there would be warped within minutes.
Kssthal taints the entire plane he created with Uncreation energy, warping everything in the plane irreversibly.
A small percentage of life throughout the Void is stolen away and brought to the quiet world that Kssthal has wrought. At the same time this world is tainted with Uncreation, energy of entropy and decay. The trees wither and glow with malign light, the seas dry up and leave empty beds and the animals prowl throug the forests leaving ghostly prints in their wake. The mortal entities are the most profoundly affected. They lose their natural shapes, instead becoming tall and gaunt creatures with sunken cheeks and taut skin. Their eyes glow with a malevolent purple hue and misty vapors rise off their bodies as the air itself is consumed upon touching them. All of these beings have been infused with the energy of Uncreation, the power of erasure. Where the mortals walk the ground fades and plants and animals decay at their touch.
As soon as this taint has been added to the plane it begins to dissolve. It is a very slow process, but around its borders the stolen landscapes of the Prime World dissolve away to leave Nothingness. It will long millennia before the plane is consumed entirely, but it will come to pass, for Uncreation unbinds even itself over time, or else it was doing quite a poor job.
Um-Um was furious with the sudden invasion of Sylvanos' Sylvari. He marvelled how the Ummites defended themselves and the toll they took on the invaders. However, wars are not won by defense alone. His People would have to take to the offensive to have any hope of survival. He knew they were demoralized from their defeat, but were not beaten.
Deciding a mid-day message would be most effective, Um entered the thoughts of all who considered themselves Ummites.
"My Children," Um bellowed. "Fear not My Voice. It is I, Um, your Creator.
Do not despair. I have heard your prayers. I have not abandoned you. You will triumph in the end. Sylvari, Viserack, and Xatin; all of you fought with distinct honor in the face of overwhelming odds, inflicting much more death to the invaders than they you. I know you grieve the loss of your family and friends. They are with Me now, also looking down on you. More of you will unfortunately join them by the conclusion of this conflict.
But the conclusion of this conflict will be victory for you! Each and every one of you now holds your fate in your hands. I created you, but you have shown you are strong enough to survive. And you must continue to show this will to live, for if you ever falter, any chance of surviving your enemies shrinks to nil. There might even be more than one deity working against Us to make this a reality. I have you, and you have Me. I will not let you down."
Um attempts to rally the surviving and remaining Ummites.
"Your sacrifices will not be forgotten; instead they have emboldened me to answer your prayers. I will attempt to provide some protection against the evil magics. The Sylvari's use of these forbidden arts has damned them all, but they are a powerful temptation. Remember, they are forbidden for a reason. I am going to embolden you with a natural resistance to those magics, but it is a heavy ordeal- not all will survive this process. You will have one minute to pray that you do not want this protection. I will not abandon those who do not want it. You have proven you can stand on your own two feet- if you do not wish to receive this and risk death, I will not force you to.
Do not give up! We will triumph, and I am always watching you."
Um retreated from His People's thoughts and waited the minute he promised. Then he created a small mixture of the primal magics for each of his followers who decided not to opt out. With a mighty throw, He heaved them at the planet, each mixture landing on a wanting follower. With any luck, this small dose would help the Ummites resist the invading Sylvari.
Um attempts to provide a natural resistance to His Followers.
The Ummites are bolstered as their god sees fit to speak with them. Celebrations take place all throughout Ummite culture and the war is forgotten as they revel in their continued grace with their god. Those of faith ponder the gods words and decides that he supports the war which has begun. These priests rally the people and stoke the fires in them and their will to fight.
As Um finishes speaking with them, he offers them a gift, resistance to Primal Magic. The highly religious community almost universally accepts the offer. Those that deny it hide their choice so as not to be seen as faithless. Those blessed by Um become insulted to direct assaults by Primal Magic, summoned flames no longer scorch them, magically crafted diseases cannot sap their health and the death poisons no longer touch them. Rocks can still be moved beneath their feet or dropped upon them, waters can envelope and drown them and all other indirect means of killing are available, but the Ummites now must be indirectly assaulted.
The Primal Sylvari soon learn of this blessing in their next encounter. As the Primals march upon the next outpost they are ambushed and almost the entire army is slaughtered as their magics fail them. They fall back, but are given no quarter and are cut down by the Ummites to the last man. The few survivors spread word of the great defeat, but the Primal Sylvari have not yet given up. Taking into account the Ummites new defense they devise their next course of attack.
Khrcinna-Khrcinna decides to give her Daemon Calling to far more than her own races she places the knowledge of her gift to all races but with subtle guile passages in various tomes, in the minds of those not mentally stable to share with the world, in dreams and in other varied forms. The calling will follow all the basic rules the means can vary based on what is known to each race so it is attached to all forms of power and can even involve science and mathematics in the calling at some point. All that matters to her is every race having those that seek power or are in desparation or simply foolish to cut a deal for a wish within her power to grant.
Khrcinna cunningly and with various avenues adds Daemon Calling the art of Daemonology to a far wider audience of mortals, slipping it into the craft and magics and powers of all the races for those that freely choose to use it.
The ability to summon Daemons is spread beyond the deep confines of the earth and given avenues in multiple paths of study. Now those who attempt higher levels of learning will stumble across ways to call forth the temptresses and hear the offers they hold.
Those in Sigil come across the knowledge most quickly, as higher learning is all they strive for currently. One might think that those who chose paths of intellect would have fewer desires, but the Daemons come to show that their desires are only different. Rather than asking for power, wealth or women, as are the three favorite wishes of goblins, the scholars of Sigil often wish for greater minds, or a breakthrough on their current project, or for a clever and loyal assistant. The result of these wishes are that many scholars find their afterlives less pleasant than they might have otherwise been, but it also rapidly increases the rate at which Sigil progresses. The wonders of Sigil are plentiful, and they are still just beginning. Come the next Aeon the planar city will truly be an alien and incredible place.
The people of the world outside of Sigil come across the Daemon knowledge far less frequently. Occasionally a Andor scholar will stumble across it upon old glyphs, or a Sylvari mage might inadvertantly summon one, but these incidents are few and far between. When a mortal does summon a Daemon, they are often more wary than their siblings in Sigil, for they see the work of the gods all around them, and the idea of an eternity in exchange for a few short years is a hard one. Despite the one sided offer, even some of these wiser souls are won over by the tantalizing promise of a wish and they are claimed by the Daemons as well.
Aeternum Ignem-The Aeon would be coming to an end. So, as a way to save what Andor he could, Aeternum Ignem created the Blue Seers. The Blue Seers would be placed much like the Red Seers of the Andor, but their powers are far different from the Red Seers. The Blue Seers could see slightly into the future. How far? It is a matter of will power. They could see either a minute or a hour, even a day if they tried their best. This is so they could warn of coming disasters and tragedies. Aeternum created these Blue Seers and placed them in the world amongst the Andor.
Aeternum Ignem creates the Blue Seers, who have the ability to see into the future to an extent.
Another type of Seers appear, these are the Blue Seers who can catch glimpses of the future. This power has limited uses in the grand scheme of things and Blue Seers often end up being petty con men, using their gifts to ensure gambling victories or correctly guessing the outcome of random events for money. A few of the most gifted Blue Seers are able to foresee coming dangers, but rarely is the gift so strong.
Between the Red Seers and Blue Seers, the Andor society has slowly become more interwoven. The Red Seers have kept ties strong between different tribes, sharing messages and news in moments rather than the weeks it would otherwise take. The few Blue Seers with strong enough gifts are able to warn of upcoming goblin raids, and thus the goblins are surprised to find each of their attacks routed.
Sylvanos-And so, with the coming of the Aeon's Close, Sylvanos acts. With great speed, Sylvanos spreads amongst all Sylvari; Ummite, Primal, and Jungle varieties. In their minds, he spoke.
"Behold, I am Sylvanos, God of Change, and the True Creator of the Sylvari. It was I who crafted Primal Magic, and spread its practice with my Servants, the Primal Dragons. It was only ever my wish for you to learn on your own, as a fledgling must learn to fly, through trial and error. Now a great rift has spread amongst my children, due to the actions of Um the Deceiver. The Art of War have been tainted, So think of your actions. I do not favor war, but I shall see how this ends, as I ever have done. Breath Deep, and Long Life."
Sylvanos speaks to the minds of all Sylvari.
Next, amongst the Primal and Jungle Sylvari, each Sylvari glows a bright green for the briefest of moments, feeling renewed and rejuvenated. "As you support and defend the forest, so too does the forest support and defend you." He spoke to the cosmos, binding those specific Sylvari to the Primal magic of Nature. Wounds would heal quicker, sickness would be less severe, and the Sylvari would live longer, between three or four times the age they used to.
Sylvanos binds the Primal and Jungle Sylvari to Nature magic.
Sylvanos speaks to the Sylvari and inspires the Primal Sylvari to fervent worship of their creator. The jungle Sylvari also offer up some prayers and honors, but with far less passion. If Sylvanos had hoped to win over the Ummites though, he finds that they are set in their ways. When the constellations and other gods had shared knowledge of the divinities they had come to learn of Sylvanos, but they also knew of Um and they heeded him as their first and only god.
Meanwhile the jungles and forests are bound to the Sylvari who worship Sylvanos. When they dwell within those wild places they are healthier, enjoy greater longevity and fewer illnesses. This new boon serves to strengthen the Primal Sylvari's urge to drive forth the Ummites who have fallen from grace. For the jungle Sylvari it enables them to work with even more dangerous diseases and poisons now that the danger to themselves have been mitigated. Some truly foul things have begun to be created in the dark jungles, the hundreds of Xatin bodies left over from the experiments are evidence enough.
Aunmul-With his Luddophites sufficiently occupied, and his city well on the way to true greatness, Aunmul sees fit to deliver his final ACT of the Aeon. There was no point in bringing the greatest minds of the Mortal Planes together simply to practice their own arts; if Sigil was truly to grow into a place worthy of his governing, the citizens must prove they are truly capable of innovation. Thus, Aunmul once again visits the center of Sigil, where the Portal Golems stand guard.
"Once, you were born to your race, and bore the mark of your gods. You were the greatest of your kind, without peer or Master. But in coming to my city, you have embraced a calling greater than faith or race. You heed my calling; but you are not worthy of it yet. Your knowledge and skill are the product of the Gods of the Mortal Planes, but you are capable of so much more."
Bringing his hands together, Aunmul hid his new creation from view, as a mighty stream of undulating matter descended from the storm outside of Sigil, filling his hands to overflowing. Bright lights flared across the clockwork city, and great booming thunder shook the mighty Cogs in their seating. Finally, Aunmul parted his hands, and in the center of the square, and enormous Obelisk expanded into being. Seemingly composed of innumerable interlocking pieces, the thousand foot tall monolith towered over the surrounding buildings. Each partition periodically flared with electric blue light, hinting at some great mystery inside.
"A time of rest approaches for me, and a period of growth and invention yawns before you. Within this monolith are contained the godly secrets of all crafts: Magic, Alchemy, Metallurgy, Tactics, Martial Arts, Philosophy, Engineering, and others yet unknown to you; all lay hidden here. But no mere Mortal can tap these secrets. Only a Master of many crafts, a mortal who has learned to take these basic gifts and bring them together can attain these secrets. And to attain the secrets that lay within this obelisk...is to...become...a Demigod."
With those final words, Aunmul leaves the enticing Obelisk for his Mortal innovators to ponder over; for his words spoke true. No Mortal could attain godlike skill in a given craft. It is only those Mortals who heed his word, and seek to merge their vocations together to make new ones, who will discover the power of the Monolith. For the Monolith is designed to impart not knowledge, but inspiration! Any mortal who approaches the Monolith and ponders it's puzzle is imparted with new and exciting ways to utilize his particular skills. With this final catalyst, Sigil can truly evolve into something great over the great gulf of time between the Aeons.
For his final Act, Aunmul creates The Monolith in the center of Sigil within the sight of all.
Within Sigil appears the Monolith. The structure is a great puzzle and one which requires not only cunning, but mastery of many diverse elements of knowledge. Only an outstanding individual will be able to solve the riddles of the Monolith and for now the many fine minds of Sigil try their hand to no avail.
Sylvanos-Sylvanos, readying his final act, begins to chant. Deep within, he draws upon his desire for his people to live free of the influence of Um. He does not favor the actions of Um, but now desires to give his followers a new ability. Looking into the souls of Primal and Jungle Sylvari, he binds those with honor, loyalty to the Sylvari, and the will to be a warrior; to use primal magic, not to master it as those who have come to be called mages, but to further augment their own martial skills by tapping into the world around them, each aspect of the magic a virtue to these warriors. Courage for Fire, Wisdom for Water, Resiliency for Earth, Grace for Air, Purity for Life, Mercy for Death(Others, quick and without doubt), and Balance for Nature. A single purpose unites these new warriors of the Primal and Jungle tribes of Sylvari, a single name, given to honor those who trained them. Dragon Knights.
Sylvanos creates the Dragon Knight Caste in Primal and Jungle Sylvari people.
Sylvanos creates a martial branch of study within the Primal and Jungle Sylvari, though few jungle Sylvari pursue it, honor is not a highly regarded trait in their society. These warriors draw upon their passion and fire to fuel primal magic, using it enhance their fighting prowess. These warriors can cause buffets of fire to burst forth from each blow they deliver, catch arrows in mid flight with orbs of air and slick down the ground with ice to make battle treacharous. In the coming battles with the Ummites they prove to be peerless opponents. They are never felled in single combat, instead succumbing to numbers or the Ummite tactical advantages.
It should also be noted that the Jungle Sylvari have no idea of the war currently raging between their kin. They exist upon another continent and only know of their distant siblings through the infrequent stories carried to the jungle via sea travelers.
With the Dragon Knights appearance the Ummites continue to lose ground. They make feints, set up tactical ambushes, and even set the forests themselves ablaze when their forced to retreat, and retreat they must. Though the Ummites win each battle, they are losing the war. For every man they lose, they slay four, but they cannot hold their ground against the onslaught of Primal Magic and the might of the Dragon Knights. Soon many Ummites are living out upon the plains where they had once driven the Andor, or at the base of the mountains. In a few years time the Primal Sylvari will have reclaimed all their forests, but the war will have come at a grievous cost.
Xouk-Seeing the end of the Aeon coming soon Xouk sets out on three final tasks.
In some Psionics (1/5) he instills the ability to use their minds to create grand pieces of sound fused with magic. This ability is only available to Xatin Psionics, and revolves around music and voice. Due to sound traveling through air it becomes known as The Breath or as some call it Harmonics.
Xouk creates the form of Psionics ability known as The Breath
He then takes The Breath and separates it into spheres much as Sylvanos did with Primal Magic. All instruments and styles being used now may be expanded and improved as new ideas and instruments are created. Also the Psionic may choose to either use their powers or not when playing, in this way they may play simply for the joy of playing as well as for a more practical purpose.
The spheres are as follows.
Voice- Allows them to create music capable of soothing and comforting the darkest beasts and melting the hardest hearts. It also is used to alter the opinions of others, or to create various other emotions. Includes songs, poetry, speeches and anything else oral.
Beat- Bestows extra coordination and focus when doing anything. Can be used in tasks such as building to speed up the process, war to help keep soldiers from routing, and other such activities. Includes drumming for now, but would include any object which is hit to produce a noise (the name is deceiving, because it doesn't actually have to hold a beat to work).
String- Allows for greater mental usage, it may speed up the brain or provide better thinking capabilities. It also greatly increases Psionic capabilities in those who are listening to it. Includes a simple Lyre like instrument.
Air- Can cause changes in the environment. Can call down rain, shake earth, start fires, and such. Includes any instrument in which one blows into it to produce a noise, a flute like instrument is used for now.
Xouk separates the breath into the spheres of Voice, Beat, String, and Air.
As his final ACT he sends a message to his children, and any others who worship him. To keep the message alive he also places an obelisk etched with the same message where the highest concentration of Xatin may be found.
"The gods shall soon enter a time of great sleep my children, and you will not feel our touch upon the land for many generations. Fear not for the gods have not forsaken you, and remember that we will return one day. Keep your wits about you, and remember the tenets I have given you to follow. Before I part with you for this time, I have left a gift for my children. Follow your hearts my Xatin, and may you fill your cities with music forever more!" along with this message any Xatin capable of using The Breath gains a basic understanding of its use.
Xatin sends his final message before the end of the Aeon to his children and followers.'
The Xatin's gift of psionics comes to be further refined, gaining a new branch which relies upon sound and comes to be known as the Breath. This offers a wide range of powers and is helpful in many varied areas. The Xatin are happy to share their gifts with the culture housing them, and with the Ummites they struggle to aide in the war efforts, but the early psionics are still too unrefined to be of great benefit.
Xouk also leaves a lasting message for his Xatin, one of hope to lead them through the coming eras of godlessness. The Xatin receive the message well and begin to prepare themselves for lives without the god, reinforcing their faith through rituals and prayers so that they can keep the faith alive even while the gods are not with them. The Ummites are happy to follow suit and begin to erect shrines to Um in their new homes, the old ones lost and destroyed to the Primal Sylvari.
Khrcinna-Khrcinna decides to amuse herself at the end of the first age and tries to end the tribal rift among the Goblins she herself goes some tribes at war, in no simple manner tosses them into the void of eternal darkness under her palace pact or no for their souls (they are getting in her way therebye breeching the pact made with the Daemon) and makes sure every Goblin sees what she is doing in a dark and horrible night of terrific dreaming. Then in no short order reinforces her rule to not kill each other except for the truly infirm and ill who are of no longer value which should be done with mercy OR for leadership - she leaves that open to pactmaking with Daemons or other means to take over. The Prophets while she sleeps will act in her stead and will have an elite warrior cult to enforce her edict not to kill other Goblins save those exceptions noted - any that do are to be tortured to death - slowly - followed by going to the dark void of the abyss she sends such souls if its one Goblin or a tribe backed by the power of the Prophets.
Khrcinna enforces her edict that no Goblin may kill another save for them being to unfit to be of value or suffering from illness that will kill them anyway OR to gain leadership over a tribe but this is open to any means to eliminate the former leader then makes sure there is a way to enforce this among the Goblins.
A night of great terror rocks the Surface Goblins as Khrcinna makes clear that she doesn't care whether they worship her or not, as her creations they will obey! All those goblins battling their own kind are swallowed up by darkness and sent to a terrible fate. The message is clearly received by the rest of goblin kind and they are all cowed into submission. Feuds cease immediately and the Road of Khrcinna becomes a mandatory practice for all the tribes.
As a result of the cessation of conflicts the goblins no longer keep themselves in check. Their population explodes. A trickle of goblin raiders becomes a flow, and then a flood. Not a day passes when goblins are not found upon the surface. In their wake they leave ruin and death as they strip the land of food, resources and valuables. With the Primal Sylvari just finishing their war and reclaiming their forests their armies are spent. Rather than battle the goblins, they seek to avoid them while they regain their strength. The plains Andor begin hunting the goblins, fighting them on the plains, while the mountain Andor hunker down behind their walls as they always had. The jungle Sylvari deal the most efficiently with goblin invaders, but even they can scarcely kill them all before more burst from their holes.
Kssthal-"We must begin our work." the Kssthal spoke, whispers of a thousand dead worlds echoing across the planes. The great energy form that appeared to comprise the Kssthal turned, focusing on the main plane of existance. Seeing a suitable template, the Kssthal concentrated.
Kssthal abducts approximately one percent of every lifeform and transports them to the analog he created, freezing them in stasis so that none can harm each other.
Looking across the frozen beings the Kssthal mused. How to go about this, this great task - for destruction is not the oposite of creation. Uncreation is the opposite of creation.
Eventually, exerting the will of nine hundred and seventeen minds the Kssthal tainted the entire plane with uncreation energy. Anything that set foot there would be warped within minutes.
Kssthal taints the entire plane he created with Uncreation energy, warping everything in the plane irreversibly.
A small percentage of life throughout the Void is stolen away and brought to the quiet world that Kssthal has wrought. At the same time this world is tainted with Uncreation, energy of entropy and decay. The trees wither and glow with malign light, the seas dry up and leave empty beds and the animals prowl throug the forests leaving ghostly prints in their wake. The mortal entities are the most profoundly affected. They lose their natural shapes, instead becoming tall and gaunt creatures with sunken cheeks and taut skin. Their eyes glow with a malevolent purple hue and misty vapors rise off their bodies as the air itself is consumed upon touching them. All of these beings have been infused with the energy of Uncreation, the power of erasure. Where the mortals walk the ground fades and plants and animals decay at their touch.
As soon as this taint has been added to the plane it begins to dissolve. It is a very slow process, but around its borders the stolen landscapes of the Prime World dissolve away to leave Nothingness. It will long millennia before the plane is consumed entirely, but it will come to pass, for Uncreation unbinds even itself over time, or else it was doing quite a poor job.
Um-Um was furious with the sudden invasion of Sylvanos' Sylvari. He marvelled how the Ummites defended themselves and the toll they took on the invaders. However, wars are not won by defense alone. His People would have to take to the offensive to have any hope of survival. He knew they were demoralized from their defeat, but were not beaten.
Deciding a mid-day message would be most effective, Um entered the thoughts of all who considered themselves Ummites.
"My Children," Um bellowed. "Fear not My Voice. It is I, Um, your Creator.
Do not despair. I have heard your prayers. I have not abandoned you. You will triumph in the end. Sylvari, Viserack, and Xatin; all of you fought with distinct honor in the face of overwhelming odds, inflicting much more death to the invaders than they you. I know you grieve the loss of your family and friends. They are with Me now, also looking down on you. More of you will unfortunately join them by the conclusion of this conflict.
But the conclusion of this conflict will be victory for you! Each and every one of you now holds your fate in your hands. I created you, but you have shown you are strong enough to survive. And you must continue to show this will to live, for if you ever falter, any chance of surviving your enemies shrinks to nil. There might even be more than one deity working against Us to make this a reality. I have you, and you have Me. I will not let you down."
Um attempts to rally the surviving and remaining Ummites.
"Your sacrifices will not be forgotten; instead they have emboldened me to answer your prayers. I will attempt to provide some protection against the evil magics. The Sylvari's use of these forbidden arts has damned them all, but they are a powerful temptation. Remember, they are forbidden for a reason. I am going to embolden you with a natural resistance to those magics, but it is a heavy ordeal- not all will survive this process. You will have one minute to pray that you do not want this protection. I will not abandon those who do not want it. You have proven you can stand on your own two feet- if you do not wish to receive this and risk death, I will not force you to.
Do not give up! We will triumph, and I am always watching you."
Um retreated from His People's thoughts and waited the minute he promised. Then he created a small mixture of the primal magics for each of his followers who decided not to opt out. With a mighty throw, He heaved them at the planet, each mixture landing on a wanting follower. With any luck, this small dose would help the Ummites resist the invading Sylvari.
Um attempts to provide a natural resistance to His Followers.
The Ummites are bolstered as their god sees fit to speak with them. Celebrations take place all throughout Ummite culture and the war is forgotten as they revel in their continued grace with their god. Those of faith ponder the gods words and decides that he supports the war which has begun. These priests rally the people and stoke the fires in them and their will to fight.
As Um finishes speaking with them, he offers them a gift, resistance to Primal Magic. The highly religious community almost universally accepts the offer. Those that deny it hide their choice so as not to be seen as faithless. Those blessed by Um become insulted to direct assaults by Primal Magic, summoned flames no longer scorch them, magically crafted diseases cannot sap their health and the death poisons no longer touch them. Rocks can still be moved beneath their feet or dropped upon them, waters can envelope and drown them and all other indirect means of killing are available, but the Ummites now must be indirectly assaulted.
The Primal Sylvari soon learn of this blessing in their next encounter. As the Primals march upon the next outpost they are ambushed and almost the entire army is slaughtered as their magics fail them. They fall back, but are given no quarter and are cut down by the Ummites to the last man. The few survivors spread word of the great defeat, but the Primal Sylvari have not yet given up. Taking into account the Ummites new defense they devise their next course of attack.
Khrcinna-Khrcinna decides to give her Daemon Calling to far more than her own races she places the knowledge of her gift to all races but with subtle guile passages in various tomes, in the minds of those not mentally stable to share with the world, in dreams and in other varied forms. The calling will follow all the basic rules the means can vary based on what is known to each race so it is attached to all forms of power and can even involve science and mathematics in the calling at some point. All that matters to her is every race having those that seek power or are in desparation or simply foolish to cut a deal for a wish within her power to grant.
Khrcinna cunningly and with various avenues adds Daemon Calling the art of Daemonology to a far wider audience of mortals, slipping it into the craft and magics and powers of all the races for those that freely choose to use it.
The ability to summon Daemons is spread beyond the deep confines of the earth and given avenues in multiple paths of study. Now those who attempt higher levels of learning will stumble across ways to call forth the temptresses and hear the offers they hold.
Those in Sigil come across the knowledge most quickly, as higher learning is all they strive for currently. One might think that those who chose paths of intellect would have fewer desires, but the Daemons come to show that their desires are only different. Rather than asking for power, wealth or women, as are the three favorite wishes of goblins, the scholars of Sigil often wish for greater minds, or a breakthrough on their current project, or for a clever and loyal assistant. The result of these wishes are that many scholars find their afterlives less pleasant than they might have otherwise been, but it also rapidly increases the rate at which Sigil progresses. The wonders of Sigil are plentiful, and they are still just beginning. Come the next Aeon the planar city will truly be an alien and incredible place.
The people of the world outside of Sigil come across the Daemon knowledge far less frequently. Occasionally a Andor scholar will stumble across it upon old glyphs, or a Sylvari mage might inadvertantly summon one, but these incidents are few and far between. When a mortal does summon a Daemon, they are often more wary than their siblings in Sigil, for they see the work of the gods all around them, and the idea of an eternity in exchange for a few short years is a hard one. Despite the one sided offer, even some of these wiser souls are won over by the tantalizing promise of a wish and they are claimed by the Daemons as well.
Aeternum Ignem-The Aeon would be coming to an end. So, as a way to save what Andor he could, Aeternum Ignem created the Blue Seers. The Blue Seers would be placed much like the Red Seers of the Andor, but their powers are far different from the Red Seers. The Blue Seers could see slightly into the future. How far? It is a matter of will power. They could see either a minute or a hour, even a day if they tried their best. This is so they could warn of coming disasters and tragedies. Aeternum created these Blue Seers and placed them in the world amongst the Andor.
Aeternum Ignem creates the Blue Seers, who have the ability to see into the future to an extent.
Another type of Seers appear, these are the Blue Seers who can catch glimpses of the future. This power has limited uses in the grand scheme of things and Blue Seers often end up being petty con men, using their gifts to ensure gambling victories or correctly guessing the outcome of random events for money. A few of the most gifted Blue Seers are able to foresee coming dangers, but rarely is the gift so strong.
Between the Red Seers and Blue Seers, the Andor society has slowly become more interwoven. The Red Seers have kept ties strong between different tribes, sharing messages and news in moments rather than the weeks it would otherwise take. The few Blue Seers with strong enough gifts are able to warn of upcoming goblin raids, and thus the goblins are surprised to find each of their attacks routed.
Sylvanos-And so, with the coming of the Aeon's Close, Sylvanos acts. With great speed, Sylvanos spreads amongst all Sylvari; Ummite, Primal, and Jungle varieties. In their minds, he spoke.
"Behold, I am Sylvanos, God of Change, and the True Creator of the Sylvari. It was I who crafted Primal Magic, and spread its practice with my Servants, the Primal Dragons. It was only ever my wish for you to learn on your own, as a fledgling must learn to fly, through trial and error. Now a great rift has spread amongst my children, due to the actions of Um the Deceiver. The Art of War have been tainted, So think of your actions. I do not favor war, but I shall see how this ends, as I ever have done. Breath Deep, and Long Life."
Sylvanos speaks to the minds of all Sylvari.
Next, amongst the Primal and Jungle Sylvari, each Sylvari glows a bright green for the briefest of moments, feeling renewed and rejuvenated. "As you support and defend the forest, so too does the forest support and defend you." He spoke to the cosmos, binding those specific Sylvari to the Primal magic of Nature. Wounds would heal quicker, sickness would be less severe, and the Sylvari would live longer, between three or four times the age they used to.
Sylvanos binds the Primal and Jungle Sylvari to Nature magic.
Sylvanos speaks to the Sylvari and inspires the Primal Sylvari to fervent worship of their creator. The jungle Sylvari also offer up some prayers and honors, but with far less passion. If Sylvanos had hoped to win over the Ummites though, he finds that they are set in their ways. When the constellations and other gods had shared knowledge of the divinities they had come to learn of Sylvanos, but they also knew of Um and they heeded him as their first and only god.
Meanwhile the jungles and forests are bound to the Sylvari who worship Sylvanos. When they dwell within those wild places they are healthier, enjoy greater longevity and fewer illnesses. This new boon serves to strengthen the Primal Sylvari's urge to drive forth the Ummites who have fallen from grace. For the jungle Sylvari it enables them to work with even more dangerous diseases and poisons now that the danger to themselves have been mitigated. Some truly foul things have begun to be created in the dark jungles, the hundreds of Xatin bodies left over from the experiments are evidence enough.
Aunmul-With his Luddophites sufficiently occupied, and his city well on the way to true greatness, Aunmul sees fit to deliver his final ACT of the Aeon. There was no point in bringing the greatest minds of the Mortal Planes together simply to practice their own arts; if Sigil was truly to grow into a place worthy of his governing, the citizens must prove they are truly capable of innovation. Thus, Aunmul once again visits the center of Sigil, where the Portal Golems stand guard.
"Once, you were born to your race, and bore the mark of your gods. You were the greatest of your kind, without peer or Master. But in coming to my city, you have embraced a calling greater than faith or race. You heed my calling; but you are not worthy of it yet. Your knowledge and skill are the product of the Gods of the Mortal Planes, but you are capable of so much more."
Bringing his hands together, Aunmul hid his new creation from view, as a mighty stream of undulating matter descended from the storm outside of Sigil, filling his hands to overflowing. Bright lights flared across the clockwork city, and great booming thunder shook the mighty Cogs in their seating. Finally, Aunmul parted his hands, and in the center of the square, and enormous Obelisk expanded into being. Seemingly composed of innumerable interlocking pieces, the thousand foot tall monolith towered over the surrounding buildings. Each partition periodically flared with electric blue light, hinting at some great mystery inside.
"A time of rest approaches for me, and a period of growth and invention yawns before you. Within this monolith are contained the godly secrets of all crafts: Magic, Alchemy, Metallurgy, Tactics, Martial Arts, Philosophy, Engineering, and others yet unknown to you; all lay hidden here. But no mere Mortal can tap these secrets. Only a Master of many crafts, a mortal who has learned to take these basic gifts and bring them together can attain these secrets. And to attain the secrets that lay within this obelisk...is to...become...a Demigod."
With those final words, Aunmul leaves the enticing Obelisk for his Mortal innovators to ponder over; for his words spoke true. No Mortal could attain godlike skill in a given craft. It is only those Mortals who heed his word, and seek to merge their vocations together to make new ones, who will discover the power of the Monolith. For the Monolith is designed to impart not knowledge, but inspiration! Any mortal who approaches the Monolith and ponders it's puzzle is imparted with new and exciting ways to utilize his particular skills. With this final catalyst, Sigil can truly evolve into something great over the great gulf of time between the Aeons.
For his final Act, Aunmul creates The Monolith in the center of Sigil within the sight of all.
Within Sigil appears the Monolith. The structure is a great puzzle and one which requires not only cunning, but mastery of many diverse elements of knowledge. Only an outstanding individual will be able to solve the riddles of the Monolith and for now the many fine minds of Sigil try their hand to no avail.
Sylvanos-Sylvanos, readying his final act, begins to chant. Deep within, he draws upon his desire for his people to live free of the influence of Um. He does not favor the actions of Um, but now desires to give his followers a new ability. Looking into the souls of Primal and Jungle Sylvari, he binds those with honor, loyalty to the Sylvari, and the will to be a warrior; to use primal magic, not to master it as those who have come to be called mages, but to further augment their own martial skills by tapping into the world around them, each aspect of the magic a virtue to these warriors. Courage for Fire, Wisdom for Water, Resiliency for Earth, Grace for Air, Purity for Life, Mercy for Death(Others, quick and without doubt), and Balance for Nature. A single purpose unites these new warriors of the Primal and Jungle tribes of Sylvari, a single name, given to honor those who trained them. Dragon Knights.
Sylvanos creates the Dragon Knight Caste in Primal and Jungle Sylvari people.
Sylvanos creates a martial branch of study within the Primal and Jungle Sylvari, though few jungle Sylvari pursue it, honor is not a highly regarded trait in their society. These warriors draw upon their passion and fire to fuel primal magic, using it enhance their fighting prowess. These warriors can cause buffets of fire to burst forth from each blow they deliver, catch arrows in mid flight with orbs of air and slick down the ground with ice to make battle treacharous. In the coming battles with the Ummites they prove to be peerless opponents. They are never felled in single combat, instead succumbing to numbers or the Ummite tactical advantages.
It should also be noted that the Jungle Sylvari have no idea of the war currently raging between their kin. They exist upon another continent and only know of their distant siblings through the infrequent stories carried to the jungle via sea travelers.
With the Dragon Knights appearance the Ummites continue to lose ground. They make feints, set up tactical ambushes, and even set the forests themselves ablaze when their forced to retreat, and retreat they must. Though the Ummites win each battle, they are losing the war. For every man they lose, they slay four, but they cannot hold their ground against the onslaught of Primal Magic and the might of the Dragon Knights. Soon many Ummites are living out upon the plains where they had once driven the Andor, or at the base of the mountains. In a few years time the Primal Sylvari will have reclaimed all their forests, but the war will have come at a grievous cost.
Xouk-Seeing the end of the Aeon coming soon Xouk sets out on three final tasks.
In some Psionics (1/5) he instills the ability to use their minds to create grand pieces of sound fused with magic. This ability is only available to Xatin Psionics, and revolves around music and voice. Due to sound traveling through air it becomes known as The Breath or as some call it Harmonics.
Xouk creates the form of Psionics ability known as The Breath
He then takes The Breath and separates it into spheres much as Sylvanos did with Primal Magic. All instruments and styles being used now may be expanded and improved as new ideas and instruments are created. Also the Psionic may choose to either use their powers or not when playing, in this way they may play simply for the joy of playing as well as for a more practical purpose.
The spheres are as follows.
Voice- Allows them to create music capable of soothing and comforting the darkest beasts and melting the hardest hearts. It also is used to alter the opinions of others, or to create various other emotions. Includes songs, poetry, speeches and anything else oral.
Beat- Bestows extra coordination and focus when doing anything. Can be used in tasks such as building to speed up the process, war to help keep soldiers from routing, and other such activities. Includes drumming for now, but would include any object which is hit to produce a noise (the name is deceiving, because it doesn't actually have to hold a beat to work).
String- Allows for greater mental usage, it may speed up the brain or provide better thinking capabilities. It also greatly increases Psionic capabilities in those who are listening to it. Includes a simple Lyre like instrument.
Air- Can cause changes in the environment. Can call down rain, shake earth, start fires, and such. Includes any instrument in which one blows into it to produce a noise, a flute like instrument is used for now.
Xouk separates the breath into the spheres of Voice, Beat, String, and Air.
As his final ACT he sends a message to his children, and any others who worship him. To keep the message alive he also places an obelisk etched with the same message where the highest concentration of Xatin may be found.
"The gods shall soon enter a time of great sleep my children, and you will not feel our touch upon the land for many generations. Fear not for the gods have not forsaken you, and remember that we will return one day. Keep your wits about you, and remember the tenets I have given you to follow. Before I part with you for this time, I have left a gift for my children. Follow your hearts my Xatin, and may you fill your cities with music forever more!" along with this message any Xatin capable of using The Breath gains a basic understanding of its use.
Xatin sends his final message before the end of the Aeon to his children and followers.'
The Xatin's gift of psionics comes to be further refined, gaining a new branch which relies upon sound and comes to be known as the Breath. This offers a wide range of powers and is helpful in many varied areas. The Xatin are happy to share their gifts with the culture housing them, and with the Ummites they struggle to aide in the war efforts, but the early psionics are still too unrefined to be of great benefit.
Xouk also leaves a lasting message for his Xatin, one of hope to lead them through the coming eras of godlessness. The Xatin receive the message well and begin to prepare themselves for lives without the god, reinforcing their faith through rituals and prayers so that they can keep the faith alive even while the gods are not with them. The Ummites are happy to follow suit and begin to erect shrines to Um in their new homes, the old ones lost and destroyed to the Primal Sylvari.
Khrcinna-Khrcinna decides to amuse herself at the end of the first age and tries to end the tribal rift among the Goblins she herself goes some tribes at war, in no simple manner tosses them into the void of eternal darkness under her palace pact or no for their souls (they are getting in her way therebye breeching the pact made with the Daemon) and makes sure every Goblin sees what she is doing in a dark and horrible night of terrific dreaming. Then in no short order reinforces her rule to not kill each other except for the truly infirm and ill who are of no longer value which should be done with mercy OR for leadership - she leaves that open to pactmaking with Daemons or other means to take over. The Prophets while she sleeps will act in her stead and will have an elite warrior cult to enforce her edict not to kill other Goblins save those exceptions noted - any that do are to be tortured to death - slowly - followed by going to the dark void of the abyss she sends such souls if its one Goblin or a tribe backed by the power of the Prophets.
Khrcinna enforces her edict that no Goblin may kill another save for them being to unfit to be of value or suffering from illness that will kill them anyway OR to gain leadership over a tribe but this is open to any means to eliminate the former leader then makes sure there is a way to enforce this among the Goblins.
A night of great terror rocks the Surface Goblins as Khrcinna makes clear that she doesn't care whether they worship her or not, as her creations they will obey! All those goblins battling their own kind are swallowed up by darkness and sent to a terrible fate. The message is clearly received by the rest of goblin kind and they are all cowed into submission. Feuds cease immediately and the Road of Khrcinna becomes a mandatory practice for all the tribes.
As a result of the cessation of conflicts the goblins no longer keep themselves in check. Their population explodes. A trickle of goblin raiders becomes a flow, and then a flood. Not a day passes when goblins are not found upon the surface. In their wake they leave ruin and death as they strip the land of food, resources and valuables. With the Primal Sylvari just finishing their war and reclaiming their forests their armies are spent. Rather than battle the goblins, they seek to avoid them while they regain their strength. The plains Andor begin hunting the goblins, fighting them on the plains, while the mountain Andor hunker down behind their walls as they always had. The jungle Sylvari deal the most efficiently with goblin invaders, but even they can scarcely kill them all before more burst from their holes.
The game has now started but anyone who is still interested in joining is more than welcome to shoot a character sheet my way, there is still room for more!
Edited by He Who Brings the Night, 15 April 2012 - 12:11 PM.
