BELIAL.
wanna bewitch you in the moonlight
The Vanguard - Lore
era
magic
technology
history
- era
social climate.
+ Britain is loud; loud with the roar of diesel engines and the throngs of crowds that parade the streets. The people, despite a longstanding war, have tried to remain as normal as possible.
+ The press is a big force, with newspapers and radio hosts dominating most of the entertainment industry.
+The world itself is in a tumultuous time, balancing between the new innovations and aged, mechanical inventions.
+ Fashion has, as it is, remained rather simple and timid. Ladies are often in simple frocks that highlight an empire silhouette, emphasizing their own natural figures beyond any tight corsets or structured underskirts of the past. It’s not beyond a woman to wear pants, however, usually when engaged in activities or in battle. Men are usually seen in simple suits as well, with high neck blouses and high cut suit jackets or vests.
+The elite deck themselves out in gems and crystals, glittering from head to toe in showcasing their wealth. The lower class, and the very poor, have little say in what they will wear. Whatever is around, whatever they can fit into (at the very least), and usually very versatile and work-friendly clothes. Shorter skirts, at about the calf, and button up shirts. It is rare to see someone living beneath city lines not covered in grease, soot, or dirt.
+ It’s not uncommon for men and women to be enlisted in the army, navy or air force. While men take the majority, and you’re more likely to see a woman among the medical tents or in the bustling hospitals, women are not turned away. They are not, however allowed to serve in infantry units, or to operate most of the heavy machinery. That being said, society still remains a bit sexist, although times are changing faster than one would think.
+ Suffragettes are active, vocal groups that live on the sidelines, occasionally having protests and being thrown in jail for misconduct. They’ve made some progress, but are considered radical by mainstream society, only being accepted slowly.
+ The wide difference between the upper class and lower class had bred a small revolution of sorts, inspired by the revolutions of Russia and France. The rebel group, nicknamed the Bols, have staged many violent demonstrations and painted the streets red. Literally, and metaphorically. They strive for ultimate freedom from the monarchy for the working class.
- magic
history of magic.
+ A rare ability and hard to harness. Magic has been in use since the early days of man and yet the bloodlines are thin due to culling over the centuries. Where mages have been found in recent years, they’ve either been shuffled off to institutions or euthanized. The Mundane are afraid of magic above all, and will go to whatever lengths to secure their safety in the face of real, or perceived, magical danger.
+ The Vanguard is a recent, groundbreaking initiative with it’s proposition to utilize magic in combat, due to dire straits of the long war, and committed to protecting their talents from the wider world in the form of ‘servitude’. Parliament has been in uproar ever since, remarking that magic defies the laws of wartime. Nevertheless, the project has received interest from the crown itself, lifting the participants to shrouded infamy-- until their debut.
+ Magic exists, at its bare bones, in an elemental form. Although there are nuances to most expressions of magic, it can be labeled into five separate 'niches'. A user may be able to manipulate one nuance that another may not be able to. (i.e: fire user A can actively summon flame from their fingertips, while fire user B can pull manifested energy and wield it as a weapon.)
+ It's believed that joining individual niches can result in a specialized advantage to the magic users, allowing them to tap into deeper levels of magic and abilities. This is through a ritual known as 'Soul Binding', where blood is shared between the two mages and their wrists are tied for thirteen minutes. After this, it is said they must remain with each other for twenty-four hours in order for the binding to take hold. After two souls are bound, they are able to feel each other's emotions and states of being, as well as share their magic reservoirs and abilities. ONLY when working together, however.
The elements are known as the following, with associated nuances.
** Fire; manipulation of heat, energy, and flame.
**Earth; manipulation of soil, rock, and minerals.
**Air; manipulation of gaseous matter and temperature.
**Water; manipulation of any state of matter that contains water, or water vapours.
**Spirit; manipulation and expression of chakras, spirit and soul energy, and illusions.
+ History of Magic:
+ Though quietly known throughout millennia, magic has never been so quiet since the last Great Cull of the 1700s. Witchfinders in Italy, Spain and Germany made do to extinguish any signs of magic, from any age of user, permanently. Magic has always existed, just beneath the noses of society, but many choose to look away or face logic and facts. The Enlightenment did a good job of turning many people from the idea of supernatural ideas being a reality, although religion manages to instill a bit of fear and practice in what many people believe are mundane acts-- but are actually little bits of worship and prayer to Magic.
+ Within the Union of Great Britain and the rest of Europe, there are strict rules and hierarchies of lawmakers who keep magic users from harming the balance of power. Parliament in itself has ruled over the years that all arcane and bewitchery is unchristian and devilry. The Vanguard is heavily under scrutiny by the Ministry of Malefica who believes it to be a gross violation of the status quo. Before this though, the Ministry of Malefica was merely a last resort, should anything suspicious arise.
+ In Germany, and a few countries, Witchfinders are much more of a harsh police force. They will raid homes on the slightest whisper of witchcraft or heresy, with Spain and Italy being the most severe. Although they keep their witch-hunting weapons and teams private, there’s rumours that they’ve begun to craft magic nulling tanks; JUST rumours, for now.
+ Baron Bishop’s Vanguard has taken to declaring they will be recruiting any magic user, so long as they have allied status. They will not be persecuted, but immediately inducted into the Vanguard ranks.
- technology
technology.
+ Technology has vastly changed in the last sixty years, where old machines that powered the world with coal and steam have been replaced for cost-efficient and innovative diesel. Flight is achievable in ships and planes, though there are rumours of an old society that exists on the fringes and still relies solely on natural power. Automobiles are very basic and more early twentieth century in style and safety, most people relying on the train to jump between locations. Cities are built on top of themselves, with intricate mazes of piping and metal used to seal off old passageways, create new levels, and lead straight to the high-ranking officials that live at the very top of things.
+ The air is cleaner at the top of the cities, with layers of grime and smog covering the lower layers, effectively shielding the two ‘worlds’ from each other. This is why the elite seek to build their homes and factories taller and taller, evading the poverty that exists below them to fuel their very expenses. Gas masks and air purifiers are available on the market, but are very expensive. It’s more likely that lower class people have made their own.
+ War is what brings the strongest of advancements. Mech suits, metal zeppelins and automatic weapons change and adapt every year. The government seeks to be on top of all weapon developments, in hopes of maintaining their dominance over the other nations.
+Most people rely on radios and telegrams for fast communication, but telephones do exist. They are in their most primitive form, with switchboard operators and rotary telephones being the standard in all households that can afford it, or community lots in poorer neighborhoods.
- history
nations + politics.
Politics:
+ The world is fairly consumed with manufacturing, consuming profit, and structuring society. Those who lack in any of the three threaten to crumble, all in different ways. Instability in the Union with the class divide in most of Britain has led to a resistance. The Bols make up a small number of the lower class, occasionally endorsed by quiet upper class supporters, but are well known as vicious whispers on the street.
+ World War I has been raging for twenty years now, spurred on by the immediate assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by the Serbian extremists, following the death of his father. Pointing fingers, missing blueprints for technology and unstable nation relations snowballed to the war that we know now. In the beginning, it was presumed that Russia and Tsar Nicholas had some hand in organizing the Archduke’s death, though nothing has been publicly confirmed.
+ The rise of the Bolsheviks have caused Russia to drop out of the war, accepting a treaty with Germany to end the fighting. Activists in some Russian units in France have been spreading word of the revolution underway in Russia and encouraging other Russians and Frenchmen to join them.
+ French soldiers continue to mutiny in large numbers and have taken to waiting out head to head engagements with unpredictable troops. Instead they continue their stalemates with the use of shelling and automatons. Among the soldiers they have taken to a false hope in saying 'attends les chars et les américains.' ("I am waiting for the tanks and the Americans")
+ New Columbia has yet to make a stance on the war, not openly supporting any one side. They have been flamed by the other countries for their neutrality.
WORLD WAR ONE PLAYERS (as of now):
The Union
United Kingdom
Russia
France
Japan
Germany and her Allies
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Ottoman Empire
Bulgaria
Nations:
+ Great Britain remains as it was in the 20th century, with King George V as reigning monarch.
+ North America exists as a sole entity ‘New Columbia’, after Canada declared independence from Britain in 1867, choosing to join the United States. As a superpower, New Columbia remains neutral in most wars across the ocean, furthering their own development instead. The nation is fairly advanced, but their borders are rather tight. They accept those seeking asylum and a new life, but it’s rare that people emigrate out of New Columbia. They are incredibly nationalist, isolationist, and have yet to make a stake in the war.
+World War one has been raging on for 20 years, with each country excelling in industry and continuing to stalemate each other in advancing technologies.
+ Tsar Nicholas II has abdicated as Emperor and is being held, with his family, at Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, and unbeknownst them awaiting their executions.
+ Georges Clemenceau, the Prime Minister of France, is fighting to keep the army and people under control, more and more have mutinied due to awful conditions and lack of supplies.
coded by weldherwings.
Last edited:
