Fantasy Taking Home- A fantasy Adventure with a twist

[WeaselThor]

Welcome to Ancelion A fairly old city that has been expanding since it’s beginning and thriving under the rule of the Ansem Royal family for nearly a thousand years. Mighty heroes and a powerful city guard that could compare to any full scale army have kept the city safe and sound for ages now. Yet the most important part of the cities linage is something only the royal family is aware of, The Crystal of Light nestled within the palace, whose aura supplies magic to the mighty knights of the royal guard and the Elite guards of the city. For years now the Bandits on the outskirts of Ancelion have made attempts to sac the city only to be turned away by the powerful mystic knights of the guard.

Unfortunately when it comes to kingdoms, the people thrive on the wisdom of their king, and suffer in the lack thereof. The death of the wise king Solan put his eldest son Merkith in the throne. Though a good hearted young man He was a bit naive and held a massive celebration to mourn his fathers loss. Meanwhile on the outskirts of the city a new leader rose to power in the bandit hordes and United them preparing for one powerful strike against the ancient kingdom. Unbeknownst to the bandits their new leader was not a normal man, rather a follower of the abysmal gods and a true energy to the Four gods of light the Ancient Crystal was said to hold.

The bandits would launch their raid on the city during the festivities, several of them having smuggled themselves into the city only to magically summon weapons to their sides and launch a vicious surprise attack against the legendary heroes of the city and the leaders of the guards. The swift assault destroyed any attempts at communication or leadership and disorganized the mighty city guard allowing the horde of bandits waiting for the gates to open to quickly overwhelm them once they were inside.

The royal family got the worst of it being publicly executed and humiliated. Finally the Dark Bandit lord named himself king, and with his first act shattered the hope of the nation by destroying the Crystal of light and cutting the kingdoms heroes off from their magic. With the Crystal destroyed, and the Royal family that could have repaired it broken, the Four gods of light fled out into the night sky and were never seen again. This new Dark King Named Balrog has spent the past nineteen years ruling unjustly and the once glorious kingdom has fallen into disarray and Turmoil.
~~~
After nearly two decades of struggling to survive the people are near their breaking point, many would rise up to fight if only they could find the power to do so. As if heeding the call four individuals, each a seemingly mundane individual, awaken one day to find the Symbols of one of the four gods of light on them, a powerful magic begins to well up in them. These four seem called to save the kingdom, and not a moment too soon it would seem. Hearing prophecies of the gods return, the wicked king Balrog has begun to call for aid from his infernal gods, fortifying his forces with monsters, demons, and dark Magic’s. The Final battle for the date of the city is about to unfold, and with the dark presence there growing restless and threatening to burst at the seems, it may well determine the fate of the world…
~~~
(Hi guys I’m going to be hosting this small group RP as a sort of fantasy quest storyline. You will be playing the role of One of the four Heroes of Light which is going to be a mixed bag. Each of the HoL were selected by one of the four elemental gods of light, Baha of the Flame, Unai of the Sea, Thraak of the Deep, and Kylus of the Storm. They represent Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind respectively. However the gods were limited in their choice as anyone who could potentially be a hero were under strict watch. Hunters, mercenaries, and other warrior class individuals being so strictly monitored that choosing one would only result in their death. Therefore the gods were forced to choose average everyday people, Bakers, farmers, lumberjacks, tanners, and the sort. And you will be filling the shoes of many legendary heroes before you.

this group will require commitment, fair play, and a lot of wit as it is designed to make the typical hack and slash nature of fantasy storytelling a bit more real and challenging. It is expected to be hard, but you will have a few benefits in your corner. First and foremost not having the eyes of Balrogs forces on you would allow for a bit of careful preparation, though it wouldn’t really have been to hopeful. The biggest advantage will be magic, The gift of the gods who chose the heroes. Basically you will gain access to spells of whatever element your god may be, they will start off small but as the story progresses more and more powerful spells will become available to you. The idea is we will be playing unsuspecting heroes in the kingdom. But don’t worry you won’t be dealing with this alone, there is an underground resistance hiding in the shadows of the city preparing to fight back with tooth and nail if need be. The presence of Four magical heroes may very well give them the edge they need, as they may well grant these heroes the help that they need as well. With the darkness growing thicker and more powerful in the city the only question that matters is, can a normal everyday person become a hero?)

((expect more lore on the gods and the abilities they bestow. Any questions will be answered as soon as is possible.))​

 

[WeaselThor]

The Four Gods of Light
Unlike most gods depicted in fantasy the four gods of light are bit higher on the food chain. They lack physical forms and are manifested as concepts, but they are ever present and psudo omnipotent. Every breeze that blows through the nations is a manifestation of Kylus, Each stone underfoot a manifestation of Thraak, Each raindrop a manifestation of Unai, which each burning coal being one of the many eyes of Baha. The four of them represent the entire universe and and when they are together in the Crystal of light it is said that darkness itself flees, evidenced by the fact that when the Crystal is active demons, monsters, and even evil spirits find it impossible to venture into the radius of its light. The following are the four gods.


Baha Divine of Fire- the divine spirit of Baha is representative of Righteous fury, Passion, Justice, And Faith. The followers of this god tend to be Guards, Judges, and those who seek vengeance. The hero blessed with this gods power will gain the ability to cast fireball spells at the beginning, which will eventually grow into being able to utilize the Pure Divine flame or the Corrupted Hell Fire, and all other forms of fire spells. It grants the use the gift of flames making them not only immune to fire damage but also allowing them to heal slightly faster when inside of flames, It also grants the User increased Strength tied to their emotions. They represent the Season of Summer


Thrakk Divine of the Deep- The Divine spirit of Thrakk is representative of Loyalty, Dedication, Perseverance, And Peace. The followers of this God tend to be craftsmen, Farmers, and Merchants. The hero blessed with this gods power will gain the ability to cast Stone Spike at the beginning, with Access to Tremor, Fissure, and Stoneport and all other forms of earth based spells. They gain access to the power Geofuel which rapidly replenishes stamina while in contact with the ground making them almost never grow tired, they gain a passive ability to never get lost in stone structures including dungeons and caves, and Finally gain a passive bonus to their toughness making it likely that foes will break their hands in unarmed attacks among other things. They represent the Season of Spring


Kylus Divine of the Storm- The Divine spirit of Kylus is representative of Change, Freedom, Creativity, and Invigoration. The followers of this god tend to be politicians, Artists, the young, and The Poor. The Hero Blessed by this gods power will gain the spell Air Burst at the beginning, with access to thunderstrike, Hurricane, Torrent, and all other wind and weather based spells. They gain the ability Gale Force, which makes ranged attacks almost always miss on them plus a passive boost to movement speed, Finally a third passive bonus increases their attack speed making their attacks harder to counter. They represent the Season of Fall.


Unai Divine of The Sea- The divine spirit of Knowledge, Travel, Medicine, and Parenthood. The followers of this god tend to be Doctors, Sailors, fishermen, and of course parents. The hero blessed by this gods power will gain the spell Hydrojet at the beginning, with access to Flood, Geyser, And the Feared Hydrocannon. Eventually they will gain access to all forms of water and ice based spells. They gain the ability of Water breathing, Pressure immunity, and a passive healing factor that allows them to recover from poisons toxins and wounds at over ten times the speed of a normal human which is further increased tenfold more if they are submerged. They Represent the Season of Winter.​

 

[WeaselThor]

The city and the Royals

Now normally the king is the ruler of all and their people are viewed as servants who exist for the convenience of the crown. Ancelion is nothing like that, their nobles are the servants, obligated to offer aide to their people where they see it needed even if it’s as simple as carrying an elderly woman’s groceries for her. When war is declared they will be on the front lines with their men, during peace time they will meet with local leaders and work together to solve the problems of their people be them the biggest or smallest of problems.

Unlike other “Pure” monarchy families the Royalty of Ancelion is encouraged to Marry the commoners so as to allow the ruling class to understand the class below them and prevent them from forgetting where they came from. Upon the marriage becoming a success there will be a ritual where the “lead” monarch will be selected by the gods branding them with a symbol that is a humblingly agonizing process and will forever remind them that the weight of the world is upon their shoulders.

This symbol grants no additional abilities or curses, rather it proves that the leader has in fact been chosen by the gods as the magic in the symbol cannot be replicated nor mistaken. Aside from that it is said that the symbol makes them an object of focus in the judgements of the afterlife. A good king wearing the gods mark of the universe will go to become the new king of the afterlife, while a bad king will be sent to the deepest and darkest parts of the abyss to forever suffer for their corruption. Reminding them that the feared Sword of Damocles hangs over them even in death. Due to all of the obstacles and responsibilities a king of Ancelion must overcome and carry the position is not sought after as much as many would think. Perhaps the greatest burden is that the king must maintain the Crystal of light and distribute its magic to those they trust.
~~~

947 years ago the Fort Ancelion was constructed upon a Mesa making it nearly impregnable to outside attack and siege. Impressed by the ingenuity of the structure the four divine spirits came to the first leader and forged the contract of the Universe with him. He became the first to bear the symbol of the king and rumor began to spread of a kind king who would risk his own safety and comfort for the lowest of commoners. Over the decades that followed many settlers would come forming several small towns around the Mesa which would eventually merge becoming a sprawling cityscape. The grandson of the first king crafted the four temples of the divine spirits and the Faith of the Divine began. This religion spread like wildfire and was an easy pill to swallow. Be loving and kind to others, Seek justice, better yourself, and support the crown that toils for the people. The young king even added to the duties of the king by making it the kings responsibility to handle disputes of dogma.

About four hundred years into the cities existence the neighboring seven kingdoms were suffering from a pestilence of monsters, and a famine of resources. Seeing the prosperity and safety of Ancelion they vowed to take the Light for themselves that they would be able to cast out the darkness in their lands. An army nearly a Million strong was mustered and staring down at the soldiers who outnumbered the entire cities population the ninth monarch of Ancelion, Queen Rae, decreed the formation of the Divine Lions. A military force infused with the magic of the light crystal and the four divines. Using elemental magic and enhanced attributes these soldiers were able to turn the tide in the single most bloody battle in recorded history. All seven kingdoms were broken with the vast majority of their soldiers slain, and their leaders executed for not allowing their people to surrender and costing many lives on both sides. Ancelion would grow to absorb the surrounding territories driving those who would not conform to their way of peaceful coexistence further out into the harsher lands.

After such a decisive victory no nation has ever risen up against the great nation, its expanded borders protecting them from most threats. however those who were driven out of the seven kingdoms would persist in their hatred forming countless barbarian tribes and bandit groups who would keep the military of Ancelion on its toes always. The very same bandits and barbarians would eventually make due on their vow and sack the city to take the Crystal. As they cut down the king bearing the mark of the universe the Crystal was shattered and the four gods fled. At once the Divine lions lost their magic and the greatest heroes of the kingdom fell in one bloody night. As Balrog took the throne the streets ran red with the blood of those who would not accept his rule.

For twenty years he has reigned, now he nears his twilight years and rumors have spread that his son will take the throne, a young monster of a man who is said to be crueler than his father with no care for the future. As if that weren’t bad enough the thugs have driven the nation into poverty with regular extortion on top of insane taxes, the dark gods he worships made a twisted effigy of the light Crystal of pure darkness allowing the king to power his enforcers by allowing demons to possess them. The Crystal also seems to have the opposite effects of the light Crystal in other regards as well, even increasing the spawn rate of monsters.

Those few who survive that resist Balrog have formed a resistance, but the monsters, their lack of magic, and the presence of the powerful possessed soldiers has forced them to hide underground and use hit and run tactics that have still caused their numbers to continue to decline. However hope tends to come in like the rain, and when it rains it pours. First the Four gods of light have made themselves known to the rebels striking their leader with prophetic dreams of the four chosen. As if adding a second layer of hope, the return of the Royal guard Edmond and with him the Young son of the king slain by Balrog…and he bears the mark of the universe.

The resistance now begins to get its pieces in place for the purpose of raiding the palace and using the four elemental heroes to slay the dark king, then using the Marked Heir they intend to rebuild the Crystal of light and save the kingdom. Unfortunately for them the Infernal gods of Balrog have informed him of the very same things vaguely enough to make him have to work, but still sufficient for him to justify to himself the bolstering of his forces and preparations for battle, he to feels hope, hope that by emerging victorious here he will forever destroy the light that threatens his infernal gods. So begins the Ultimate clash of the light and dark, and the wills of those who claim to follow each.​

 

[WeaselThor]

The playable roles

First all characters must be between ages 16-50. No children and no immortals.

now it may be disappointing to know that I am only allowing Humans for this story but sadly this is not a world with Orcs and elves, nor is is one with playable monsters. I know it’s rough, but I’ve got two factions with armies getting ready to clash, random encounters to set up, and ample side quests. Adding racial dynamics and the special abilities each species can have to the mix will quickly overwhelm me. Again sorry but it’s important to know your own limits right?

That said I will have plenty of juicy roles to fill that you can make your own and add whatever creative flair you can.

The Four Heroes- These four heroes will have a bit of a mixed bag in the early game. They are all expected to be “Normal.” People, no soldiers, hunters, or badasses here. You are the common folk the gods love so much, finally getting a taste of that love. It’s a plus if you are devout in following them, but not required. You will start with One spell of low level, and the mentioned additional abilities. However your combat skill is expected to be lacking.

The resistance- The underground rebel faction, they are skilled and well coordinated but under equipped and unfortunately lacking any spell casting or Magic. They make up for this with guerrilla warfare skills, stealthy skills, and a grit and determination to do anything needed to win. Here you can certainly be a soldier or a hunter even a surviving divine lion knight, however you have no magic even if you once did as a divine lion, you have shoddy gear, but man are you a deceptive and dangerous person.

Cutthroats- The new city guard and common soldier of Ancelion and her new corrupt king. If you are this you are likely a big strong warrior, or a particularly cunning rogue. Either way you will have free reign throughout the city and will basically be untouchable as you are the law. Don’t piss off the king or any possessed knights and you can basically do what you want. Unlike the rebels you are very well equipped, have a lot of backup and are probably almost as skilled as a rebel. That said you like them cannot access magic.

Possessed- The commanders and leaders of Balrogs forces. These beings are hardly considered human anymore though they will look it. They posses no ability to cast spells but they do have supernatural powers such as limited mind altering effects, emotional manipulations, and physical enhancements among others. Some have been seen walking on walls, others have been seen fighting with spears piercing their chests. Usually their abilities will coincide with their role but it’s important to not if you play this role you are not playing a human using a demons power, you are playing a demon trapped in a humans body and forced by the infernal gods to obey Balrog. While most foes would be wise to flee from you, the magic of the four heroes may be a bit dangerous for you.

Undecided- this is basically the average person in the city. You keep your head down and just try to make it the best you can. You can slowly convert to Balrogs side becoming a cutthroat or even a possessed of your able to impress him. Or you can join the rebels and perhaps gain magic later from one of the four (spoilers.) there is one particular role in this category that is rather important. Royal guard Edmund (Willing to let you make him with different name,gender, or class.) who the only requirements for are that they are at least 36years of age and took the infant heir and fled the land to return 20 years later after the Heirs mark showed up.​

 

[WeaselThor]

Magic

so magic in this world has a slightly different dynamic than normal. I would personally categorize it as a mid magic story. The biggest change from Normal fantasy media is that Magic is not natural, it doesn’t originate from the individual or from the world. The only source of magic comes from gods of any pantheon. Though one needn’t be a devout follower of any god to use that power. While at the start the magic will be really heavily limited as we progress that will be less the case. So far we have Three kinds of magic in the story.

Elemental- the four elemental gods and their Magic’s seem to be the strongest and most pure as they can literally spawn matter and energy, influence the body, mind, and spirit, and even persists into other realms like how a gods blessing can carry you to a lofty afterlife. However it is the most exclusive.

Infernal- While not as powerful as the elementals the infernal powers are a bit more easy to access and can actually be something that grows exponentially as the more it is used the more one can use altogether. Unlike the elementals the infernal powers are limited in our world hence why they must possess people, however scarily enough the dark Crystal seems to be slowly changing that.

Universal- The rarest and arguably the weakest of the three Magic’s. Though initially bestowed by the four elementals they claim it comes from something beyond them. So far only a few abilities have been displayed from this with none being personally useful to the user. Firstly the User is put into an afterlife contract that can grant them godlike power…after they die and only in the afterlife. Secondly it allows the user to inspire others to be their best…regardless of wether they want to and without discriminating between friend or for. Thirdly they can borrow power from the four elemental spirits and even the infernal gods…but only to grant it to others as it has no benefit to them (spoilers)​

 

[WeaselThor]

Phew that’s enough lore for today. If anyone has questions I’ll ask but the rest I think will come tomorrow. I’ll be condensing this into a lore tab at some point tomorrow with a Cs going up shortly afterwards and likely in the same day.

 

[WeaselThor]

Culture & Technology

Ancelion is a nation of a mixture of several peoples however after the destruction and absorption of the seven kingdoms their borders reached the sea and new kinds of people because few and far between as oceans are 99% likely to kill you as you cross them, be it destructive storms, or Horrible sea creatures. As such the cultures intermingled into a strange blend of Nordic, Orientatal, Mediterranean, and Gothic Mediaeval. The blend has created a diverse and rich culture that is surprisingly suspicious of other cultures as most are far more seclusionary. The religion of the four divine spirits, also known as Universalism helps to tie the differences together or rather it used to. Nowadays under the rule of Balrog all non-infernal worship is not only banned but punishable by death. The culture of kindness encouraged by the divines is currently dying out as the world has begun to reward an Everyman for themselves mentality. Those who still practice the cultural norms of the old Ancelion must do so in secret. Still the faith remains strong in the Resistance, though it is not mandatory.
~~~
Technology in Ancelion is a century or two above the nations to the south and north. The Advent of Krak Powder changed the way many things are done. Forges became capable of incredibly diverse temperatures allowing for finer metalwork and smaller parts, thus increased the technology behind everything from the lantern to the Crossbow, the development of Krak Powder firearms all but eliminated the need for thick armor, thus prompting the development of lighter and more effective armor designs such as scale mails and Chainmailed Gambisons, the Spawning of giant spiders in the subterranean chambers that dotted the land allowed the development of incredibly durable fibers and stronger than normal ropes and cables allowing the simple machines of old like ballista and pulls systems to become far more effective to the point where the very idea of a rope snapping has become a freak occurrence that hardly needs preparation for. All of this has combined to make the Average Ancelion civilian a threat in their own right as they may be wearing a spider silk shirt that can stop arrows and carrying a easily concealable Krak pistol that can punch a hold in plate armor. This knowledge has contributed an attitude of respect to the average man that even the cutthroats must be careful to mind.
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