33 replies to this topic

[Shadow of the Fallen]

Introduction:
First of all, I would like to apologize to the entire forum for botching my last thread. The idea was good, but I guess that was the newbie run. The great thing about me, however, is that I learn faster than lightning strikes. One mistake is all it takes to set me straight.

With that said, I'm sure most of you have heard my name. You have at least seen it posting somewhere. If you have read the old ANP thread (not the one in current use), you would have seen some of my better *ahem* roleplaying. Regardless, I invite all members of this forum, with previous roleplaying experience or without, to partake in this roleplay. No, this EVENT. An event that I will strive to make an epic of grandoise proportions.

Welcome to the world of Darkoor...

Setting:
Imagine a world, a world much more advanced then our own. Imagine vast cities that sprawl across a boundless landscape. Picture in your mind, spires that pierce the roof of the world, and satalites that orbit nearby their tops, delivering information and transporting men from peak to metalic peak. Think of a world of life, where things are peaceful. For all the vast achievments, it has failed to pollute itself with its own industry. Within your own thoughts, create a place of technology, a place that you would like to go.

Now destroy it.

Man's biggest downfall, it was said in hindsight, was that he did not reach space, he did not inhabit other worlds. More then that, but that he didn't do it more then two hundred years ago. Before the birth of 'The Emporer', the only name their current ruler is known by. He is an iron fisted tyrant, a ruler of despised qualities, and a vicious murderer. The kind of man that would rather murder an innocent child then watch gladiators in blood sport. They say he wears a mask of the blood of his victims... But thats impossible. Still, the violence that this man posseses surpasses that of any of the ancient war gods of the old shamanistic, uncivilized people from the past.

Civilization, maybe thats a topic we shouldn't discuss. There is no civilization on Darkoor (pronouced dark-[h]our), there is only the empire and the emporer. Only the knights of his court, blood thirsty animals that hardly deserve the title of something once revered as holy. A "Knight" is an abomination, an obscene horror of humanity. Some say they aren't even men, but great beasts... Again, that HAS to be impossible. Genetic engineering died out before the age of strife, before The Fall.

The police are no better. They're picked by hand when they are only children based on the greatest potential to become a vicious brute. Capture by the emporer's armed forces, from any branch, will result only in the most gruesome of pain. You would tell them anything, curse your own mother's name from the agony, and request death... All before they ask you the first question. They all take sadistic pleasure out of such things. Among them, the first choice of weapons are the ones that require the weilder to be up close and personal to his victim, and are customized to inflict a variety of pain.

And where is the government in all this? Where has the democracy and production dissapeared to? Ha, did it even exist? All that anyone can think of, day in and day out, is the endless damnation before them. The death in life that lies on the path ahead. The uselessness and the deception of it all. The only government is that which the people create within their small social clusters. The only major population centers that still exist are the capitals from before The Fall. They are spread out abroad across the land... Between the ruins of a now-dead life. The ashes of fallen towers and the scorched remains of the flourishing population.

Amidst it all, a band of ordinary, unknowing people are about to reveal the truth to themselves. And the world.

The Darkoor is come.

Information you should know:
Here is the important details about the world that any player should know before starting. Its set up more in list format then with any real orginization, so as you read through it may seem pretty random. Right now the concern is that you understand the world that I have created, and can start thinking about how your character will fit. For more on that, see the next few sections. As always, if anything seems incomprehensible, or sketchy, feel free to pm me about it. I will calrify.

The world has obviously (if you read "setting") experienced an apocalypse. Before that time, it was a post information age level of technology. When I talk about a gun in this game (since it is semi-futuristic) think current day styling. Yes there are things like 'energy weapons' but that will be covered when the time comes, and your character wont have one... Dont even get that bright idea in your head. And dont dismiss this with that, there are good reasons for everything. As a general rule, the images I try to paint to you could be comparable to real world things (a brick building wont be bubble shaped, and plates aren't in the shapes of 'X's unless they're supposed to be :tongue2: ).

The "government" has been broken down into two groups, which have merged slightly. The criminal aspect, and the normal aspect (the good, law abiding people). Among criminals, there is honor... Though not to those outside of the ring. The normal aspect has traced most of their lineage down to certain bloodlines, survivors of The Fall. Through those bloodlines, they have developed collective families called clans. People who cant trace their blood have become outcasts, and are called as such. Furthermore, the clans are constantly at odds with each other, and with the outcasts... None of them intermix, if at all possible. (Romeo and Juliet anyone?)

There is no magic. Drop that thought.

The land itself is torn up from the apocalypse. Giant dust storms fille vast vales where cities once stood. Barrens splash across the landscape. Mountains have been blown away into great gashes on the world, causing new ranges to appear. Climate is adverse at best, the whole world being in chaos. There are, however, still patches of green earth, far away from the ruins of cities, and those population centers still left standing.

You DO NOT want to be caught by the police. Trust me, it is a bad experience. They have prisons that spiral down into the very core of the world, hundreds of floors deep. Men who die in their cells are never removed, their remains rot away and are eaten by the flies and mice, if they dare go to the depth of the corpse. The cells on the lower levels are often full of half rotten corpses, untouched by mother nature above while they decompose in metal cells. The gaurds carry energy weapons that will burn through living tissue, leaving nothing but a scorching hole in their victims. STAY AWAY FROM THE POLICE IF YOU DO SOMETHING WRONG. :grin:

(For the sake of getting this post up before late tonight. I will append this list with a new post at a later time. In the same manner as I did with "Last Son of the Bladed Moon")

Rules: (Copied from "Last Son of the Bladed Moon")
Yes, its that time again, I'm going to lay down the law:

1) Think about your posts.
This one bothers me the most, so its numero uno. Before you type out a post, think about it a while. You have time, this is a forum, relax. As long as the pace is fast enough to keep the intrest up, don't worry about posting immediatly. It's conveinent, but I'd rather see a well thought out post that took longer then a one-liner thats only half hearted and more OOC then not.

2) Dont kill other PC's
See fighting... But know that if you type "Jim Bob kills Kenny" I'm just going to void it or sumthing... I'd hate to have to bother the mods... If circumstances arise that would put two PCs against each other in combat, I will handle that via a handy die combat system. Though I doubt that any PKing will actually arise from this.

3) NO Flaming!!
Just don't be an idiot and you wont have to worry about this.. Handle things responsibly and you wont have to be removed from the game... If you have a problem with sombody being 'mean' to your charecter tell me. I will fix the problem. If they are violating your person (sexual harrasment, foul language problems, etc.) take it up with a mod, they will probably remove them from the forums (which is worse then anything I could possibly do to them).

4) Have fun!
Saved the best for last.

Fighting: (Copied from "Last Son of the Bladed Moon")
For standard combat, like fighting a mob of bandits, you can pretty much govern your own actions and the reactions of your enemies within reason. For other people, like bosses or somthing, I will want to decide what happens. I will tell you when I want to do this so that you all are not lost..

If you want an example of "standard" combat, take a look at the "A New Power" RP Thread... If you want to know what the more organized combat is going to be like... Its basically the same way, only instead of you simply stating what happens, you leave off before the results and allow me to tell you what happens.. For example:

You: Jim Bob strikes out at Kenny with a willow switch.

Me: Jim Bob's stike hits Kenny solid in the leg. Kenny's knees buckle and he falls to the ground grasping for the blood red mark on his leg where the switch hit. Little does he know.. Kenny is falling off a cliff!!

I hope that clarifies it.

And now, the moment you have been waiting for: How to make a character
Right now, what I want is for people to sign up for this thread. To tell me they are interested in roleplaying. If you have a character in your head, and you just have to post him/her, go ahead. Be my guest. But it may or may not be your final version.

For I have an odd request to make of you all, though it will make sense later. You must all share a common trait. A birthmark, certain shaping of the eyes, hair color, eye color, special skill (non-magical, ie: Great marksmen), etc. Throw ideas out and I will give you my input every so often. As a group, you will have to make up your mind on what you would like to have as your 'symbol'. If you take too long, I'll intervene and make a decision for you. I don't want this to hinder the character creation process, and it can be as major or minor as you all want (depending). I do however, need it for a specific purpose... So dont argue.

So that's it... So far. You may think I have told you nothing about this world... But that's the point. If I told you everything then why post? You'll have to trust me on this one, in the past I have failed, but this is the real deal.

If I have overlooked anything, or something is unclear, please PM me immediatly.

Live life or Die! Go forth my warriors!
Shadow of the Fallen

[MDRud216]

Name: Ackon
Age: 22

Appearance: Ackon ussually prefers a variety of white utility garments, as they take on whatever dust and color of the environment he is in and provides plenty of storage without being weighted down with something like a backpack. For now he is wearing a hoodie, dark, almost brownish gray with ash and dust and cargo pants, stained to match. He has greasy black hair, allowed to sit naturally on his head with no special styling. Solemn gray-blue eyes look out, always taking in the surroundings with hidden interest. Ackon is firmly built from his life of strenuous activity. He stands 6' 2".

BREIF History: He has been alone for all his remembered life, and although he assumes at one time he had loving parents he prefers not to dwell on it. All that matters is the present, and the last seven years he had met no one worth sticking with, or that would not slow him down. In the recent past he had tried to make friends, allies, companions, whatever you want to call them, but his attempts proved unsuccessful.

Personality: He is sociable when he can be and not quick to resort to violence; but wehn he does what needs to be done is carried out with an unparralleled, and unregretted vengence.

Equipment: Ackon carries very little with him, living day to day. But his Weaponry consists of a long switchblade and semiautomatic pistol. His last weapon is a medium sized, unproffesional sniper rifle which (when he has it with him) is carried in an an inconspicous bag, held tightly to his body as not to restrict running speed. The essential spark lighter is also among his posessions. Ackon wears versatile running shoes and occasionally black gloves, trigger finger cut off.

[Keeper of Lives]

I want to join this thread.

Common traits: ?Strong, expert marksmanship, or gray eyes?

[Shadow of the Fallen]

I forgot to put this in the character creation section at the end. Sorry, I was rushed from all sides to finnish this.

You will not have magic. That was stated at one point.

Your character's position in society, previous positions, and future positions are as outcasts. Sorry, no ex cops etc.... There's something far better in store for you.

Edit: When making your characters, please do not worry about history. Think about personality, physical appearance, and things that seperate you from society as an individual. Please do not base things off any more then a basic "orphan-like" beginning. Recent events are fine. Your wife died, so your pissed... etc. But do not go into a "when jim-bob was born he..." deal. You don't know where you came from, just like all outcasts.

[Vao]

W00t! Wait for the editting and may a new character come forth from the abyss.

I suppose we should give some ideas on potential common traits. I suppose I'll give my two cents.

• Substance addiction (predominantly alchohal although potentially other illicit or frowned upon drugs dependent on how Shadow creates the world)
• Serious Psychological Diseases (Dyslexia, Chronic Depression, Depersonalization Disorder, A.D.D., etc.)
• Physically impaired (Varies)

Edit: Eh, yeah, well, I just prefer using some more defining features just because I find it gives some characters more unique qualities. However, if you do not like your character or find your character getting dull after awhile, it makes it very difficult to back out of (you can't exactly repair a severed arm). I was just using the above examples as food for thought for myself at least, and at least sharing them with everyone else here. Sharing is caring, they always say.

[Peregrine]

Might as well, I suppose. Expect a character here tonight.


And the Hellbird agrees on "expert marksman". It goes quite nicely with the character I have in mind.

edit: to add to that, subtle things are better than character-defining ones. Expert marksman is about as far as I'd go for significance, since something like that can be added to any character, just give them an unusual accuracy with weapons. Or something like instinctive skill with picking locks. And a skill thing gives a lot of room for roleplaying. That expert marksman could simply be someone who can pick up any gun and shoot it proficiently. Or maybe someone whose spray and pray shooting is a bit more effective than normal. Or you could make it more significant to your individual character and have them be a true expert, and making near-impossible shots.

If you're going for something non-skill related, make it a very small feature. Eye/hair color, for example. Something like that is a common feature, but doesn't affect the character at all. Any character can have gray eyes. All it does is add an occasional roleplaying reference to the character. On the other hand, using drug addiction/physical disability/etc means you're defining the character around that. And that's nearly always a bad thing.

[MDRud216]

personality is actually not such a good idea as pointed out to me, it would be best if it was something that did not actually influence our behavior or manipulation of the world around us. (e.i. strength)

for my character I am leaning towards a sharpshooter as well. his possible weapon. V

Attached Files

•  Rifle.jpg   13.02KB   14 downloads

[Shadow of the Fallen]

I told Vao to post that up, because while I doubted it would be approved by everyone else, it also helped you define boundries for the type of characteristic you are all looking at. You can see this in Peregrine's edit.

Further more, I agree entirely with Peregrine's idea, being an expert marks man could range from being 'lucky' to having incredible precision and aim, depending on how you wish to play you character. Its all up to you. Dont let this characteristic define your character, but make it at sophistication and some mysterious form of depth.

Originally, your characters would have all had a strange tatoo on the back of their hands. That idea is still a possibility if you would like.

This afternoon, I hope to post more on the world, as much as I can without filling in all the blanks. I KNOW this seems a bit sparse, when compared to other games that have started. The first post in this thread was big, but there was a lot of repetition. Right now, I'll stop talking about the matter before I reveal something more to you...

One last thing, be wary of my DMing style. :wink2:

[mrpyromania]

One last thing, be wary of my DMing style

I remeber all too well in Best of Xeterous contest! :wink2:

Anywho,I would like to join. I have a fair idea of what my character is going to be,and tattoed back of hands sounds like a good common trait,or they could have eyes that shift tint.

[Shadow of the Fallen]

Information (continued):

I dont think I went into the structure of the common man's society enough last night. First of all, besides the criminal aspect, there are two sides of the fence to sit on. You are either an outcast, or a member of a clan.

Clans
The clans are large families that can trace their bloodlines back to individuals that survived the fall. Being able to do such a thing is a symbol of status in Darkoor. Clans often share most of what they have with other members in the clan. They would live together on a large estates, eat from a common storehouse, and purchase things from a pool of wealth. Each clan is self governing, with most relying on the eldest male of the family to make decisions. While clans have their own social ranking, they still do not associate with outcasts, even wealthy ones. A few lower class clans have little to no money to support themselves, but still carry a certain respect despite the fact.

Wealth is power to a clan. Almost more then that, however, is size. Some of the larger clans have an upwards of a thousand offspring. Having many children is encouraged, and often, a man will not take a wife. Instead, he, and the women, will play 'musical chairs' with their parters. It is a practice that ensures the survival and diversity of the clan, and has originated from the ideals of their forfathers.

Clans, as I have said, do not think very highly of intermixing. They abhor it. Violation of the tradition of keeping ties within the clan means certain death, the means to be determined. However, mixing with an outcast will be sure to leave you as an example to the rest of the clan... Perhaps a fate worse than death.

Outcasts
Outcasts are those who cannot trace their family ties to a survivor of The Fall. For example, an outcast may have somehow lost his memory (maybe too much drinking, maybe a good hit to the head), in which case, when prompted to state his clan, he is unable to... Henceforth, he is banished. The poor soul becomes an outcast, and his children, and his children's children, untill you end up with a 'clan' of outcasts. The same thing might happen if one relocated. They might be deemed an outcast if their clan is unknown, or if they cannot prove their tie to the clan in some way.

Another type of outcast results from the marriage of two members of a different clan. The child is protected by the council of clans (see below) as an outcast. That means that no clan can activly kill the child. But they CAN put them in a place where they will likely die. For instance, on the doorstep of The Citadel (see below). If the child does manage to survive, it grows up to become an outcast.

Outcasts dont worry about who they mix with, but they no better then to involve themselves in clan affairs. Many cannot make a living for themselves past doing odd jobs for the clans, acting as serfs. In response to this, the Clans have overshadowed the outcasts for well over a century. Thus, the peasent-nobility structure of civil organization.

---

The Council of Clans
Aha! So they do speak to each other! Yes, this Council meets every so often to decide on matters of judgment that involve more then just a single clan. It consists only of the leaders of the most powerful clans, men with great experience in matters of leadership. And while they speak, it is not always on good terms.

The heirarchy of the Council is determined by the size of the clan. The largest clans have the better spots. The head coucilman, for instance, is also the leader of the largest clan in the land of Darkoor.

---

The Citadel
The Emperor's own castle. The outer walls stretch into the upper atmosphere and encompass an area much vaster than any city still in existance today. Even greater then the city that is clustered around it. No commoner, clan or no clan, has ever seen the inside of the structure and lived to tell about it. Gaurds watch from behind cameras embedded into the outerwall itself, and hold no hesitation of annialating any intruders brave enough to step too close.

Within the walls however, is a building... The single great surviving achievment of the lost civilization that lived before the fall. It is one of the massive spires that peirced the sky back in the days of happiness... Now, instead of the good it once represented, the peak of the tower holds the Daemon's court, the emperors own throne room. It has become the epitome of evil, and all the darkness in the world today... It is The Citadel.



------------------

Character Creation Update
I have come to a decision, because an idea struck me that I thought would be good to implement. I am going to use my original idea for the simmilar trait, you will all have a tattoo on your right hand (unless your character is left handed... Then it will be on the left, of course. PM me if you just HAVE to have that lefty). The design of the tattoo will be posted shortly, as soon as I can trasfer the mental concept into a .png file.

You can, however, still have whatever special traits for your character you want. Dont worry about this whole deal that I started--I should have gone with this from step 1. Now your focus should be on fleshing out your character. Before I go into detail on what I want from you on that, I want to explain why I changed my mind.

1) It is easily recognizable. Being a good marksman, having strength that surpasses others, proficient mastery of some weapon, eye color, hair color, the list goes on... They're all things that ANYONE could have. Its not really a specific trait.

2) It was causing a lot of trouble. People were constantly looking to me to help them with their characters because they couldn't come up with anything. I wanted it to be a smooth, quick process so that we can get the characters up and get the RP going. It has turned into a hectic, painful experience with all the restrictions I have placed on you. For that also, I apologize.

3) I have my own reasons which I cannot currently tell you about. Leave it to say that its just another level of plot depth... Hope you all have your life jackets, the water is getting deep.

---

With all that said, here's the new plan. All I want from you is summerized in this form:

Name:
Age:  (Maximum should be in the mid thirties. I hope you all do not plan on playing "old" characters...)

Appearance: (Just a physical appearance, nothing fancy. Tell me how you look, but dont go overboard. Being an outcast, you probably dont have a whole lot of money to get all those cool clothes that we so love to wear. A rule of thumb for me would be to keep it simple.)

BREIF History: (ie. Occupations before the events of the story, people you've met in recent years, things that have bothered your character lately. Assume you don't remember the first 10-15 years of your life. In fact, you don't... Any thing after this period is ok, but I may ask you to change certain details if they conflict with the plot. It is my intention to not have to do that... But this thing is like a delicate peice of art. If you rub the surface in the wrong way, you'll break it, making it worthless... Properly displayed, however, it shows true mastery of form and design. Just be careful what you write.)

Personality: (we'll know more about this when you start roleplaying, but its good to have a general basis to work from. Not everyone should be that dark wanderer always looking for a fight. You wont always be fighting, and while I wouldn't take that element away, this RP involves more wit than combat prowess.)

Other: (This includes, but is not limited to, equipment the character commonly has on their person, misc. facts of relative importance, etc. Anything you have on your character that didn't fit above is welcome to go here, as well as foot notes and ideas. Use this however you wish.)

I have also updated a few things about characters. Some restrictions and new information, etc.:

1. No known relatives. Your character assumes that their parents died before their recollection.

2. Not exactly a restriction, but try to even out the characters. Lets not have everyone fighting with ranged weapons. Melee is still VERY prominant in this world. Ammunition is sparse, and those who use ranged weapons on a regular basis may find they are out of ammo very quickly. Also, as I said with personality, we dont want everyone to be the dark hero, the lone wanderer. We need diversity.

3. Your characters are human, and you may even be able to DIE. Thats right, I am considering a system of death, which means you should not just assume that you will always survive an encounter... Keep that in mind as you roleplay.

---

Thats all for now, more is likely on the way. Feel free, as always, to PM me with questions, or find me on AIM if you need a more immediate answer. My name on AIM is shadowotfallen, and send me a PM even if it doesn't look like I'm online, sometimes I'm just invisible.

Shadows be with you, Live life or Die!
Shadow of the Fallen