mother of sorrows
𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑚.
♡design by low fidelity, coded by uxie♡
In a city that has been cut off, doomed, cast away to save the rest, there is a hole in the sky.
It has always been there. Before you were old enough to be aware that you have a brain and fingers and legs, before your oldest grandparent opened their then-fresh eyes, before your ancestors were scaly fish-things sitting contently in rich primordial waters. Before there was your city there was this hole in the sky, and it makes the world you live in a terrible one. Whether you mind or not is not the point, because you live here anyway. Smog rolls over the fog-riddled waters and the buildings rise up around you in wet, black stone. You hear scratching up in your ceiling and there was a body found behind an alley, not a week ago, with its head turned into a bird's. Carriages rattle down the pavement, their mechanical wheels stuttering and yowling.
Sometimes, you do not want to live here. And yet, everytime you think on it too hard, sit down and arrange plans, the idea slips out of your head like a parasite leaving behind an emptied skull; you are not aware of this.
Lately, the hole in the sky has grown larger. It has never been safe out at night, but now it is even worse. When you dream you see of symbols that look like upside-down hanged men and an open mouth. Awake, you sometimes stumble on steps you have walked over a thousand times over and you feel your hair stand up.
Of this, you are painfully aware. But you suppose it might be nothing.
You do live in Theodan, after all. And what is this city if not a mistake on earth?
INTRODUCTION - Hello! Welcome to Theodan, a dark fantasy partly-sandbox roleplay I've been hoping to make for a while now! The world is focused on the city of Theodan in an unnamed kingdom inspired partly by Fallen London and Dorohedoro. This world is cruel, senseless, falling apart at the so-called dimensional seams, but it is not entirely without hope.
If you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask - and if you are interested, feel free to dive into more of the lore!
HOW DOES THIS ROLEPLAY WORK? To make things more clear, I will explain just how this roleplay will work.
Theodan will be partly sandbox and partly a set narrative. This means that while characters will be free to do whatever they want and have their own stuff going on, there will also be the option of following 'storylines.' If you are familiar with Fallen London, you might know what I mean! If not, it means that I will create so called 'storylines' that characters can explore and that will reveal more of the world. Storylines might be something as basic as helping a neighbour get their fae-cat out of a tree, or as bone-crushingly enormous as murdering a god. Following a storyline is completely optional, but I hope it will make the sandbox elements less daunting!
There will also be slight tabletop elements, but not fully like in DnD for example. Theodan is home to many creatures, and only rarely are they friendly; there will be 'encounters' that operate like fights, but they won't be super complicated. There will also be four stats that are only needed to narratives, so to say - I will explain those in a minute!
There is also a secret or not so secret overarching main plot, one that will affect all characters.
STATS AND WHAT THEY WILL MEAN - Storylines or even taking a walk down the street might provide characters with chances to find out secrets, outsmart NPCs, gain information and more. These stats are only there for narrative reasons and skills such as lockpicking, fighting, etc. Will not be counted by these. Characters will get the chance to update these stats, and they will provide them with different ways to survive the harsh world they are living in.
PSYCHERUN // The ability to understand and manipulate other people (or, in many other cases, humanoids.)
BLOODTINGE // Knowledge on the workings of magic and artifacts.
BACKBONE // A stronger resistance to physical and mental corruption that seeps through Theodan.
PERCEPTION // An ability to notice details that others might pass by.
All of these are equally important! Which one a character will choose depends on their personality and their priorities.
WHAT IS THE WORLD LIKE? The city of Theodan is unkind and silently cold, and not even the natives truly know what kind of surface it is they are standing on.
Anything is possible here. Fortunately. Unfortunately. Humans live here and will continue to live, but the odd energy here attracts all kind of souls; fae with one too many tooth and with the legs of deer, spirits of widows drowned or of grief-mad orphans, man-eating horses, the somewhat walking undead, bull-gods from some barely remembered ancient cult, offensive pigeons. All of this is attributed to the presence of the Rift, a dimensional wound on the sky that pulses a dizzying red and sometimes spews out fluids of all textures and colors. What lies beyond the Rift is something most people are too busy to think about.
Theodan itself is a large city, one that might change when it feels like it. Cobblestone streets convulse into badly-paved veins, the walk to your house is five minutes longer than you remember, the trees might not actually be alive... Well. It is quite alright if you are wealthy, less so if you are poor, and just okay if you are in the middle. It resembles 19th century London, with a central river called Gamarina that might have a consciousness and a clock tower that is oddly enough spared the constant changes and never moves.
The city - and the kingdom - is ruled by the Queen. It is the year 1846 of her reign and she is doing just well. Some antimonarchists will tell you she is not a woman at all, but actually a bulbous larvae god that has buried itself under the foundations of Theodan, and that her moving in her sleep is what causes the frequent earthquakes. Spreading this inflammatory lie can end in a prison term.
Magic is uncertain and hard to put into rules. It is explained as such; whatever you can think of can happen, but chances are it will not.
EXPECTACTIONS - While the world is a dark fantasy setting, this won't actually be a dark roleplay. I'd love for chances for both angst and fluff, as well as affection, hope and genuine happiness. Please don't join expecting this to be a grimdark story of gloom and doom where characters will die left and right!
Another thing is - please don't join if you're not going to lost or you know you will lose interest. I understand things sometimes come in the way, though!
Also, please don't expect me to do every single thing! I will try my best to provide stuff to interact with and I know sandboxes can be daunting, but I'd love to hear ideas on what to happen and a willingness to also reach out to other writers to plot.
RULES -
1. Please be 18+ and have a discord, since OOC chatter will happen there.
2. Be able to post at least bi-weekly and be able to write at least 2 paragraphs - though, obviously, it depends on the scene.
3. Have respect for your fellow writers and let other characters also have the spotlight now and then.
4. While I'm not opposed to loner characters, please do consider how they will interact with the plot!
5. I don't believe I have to say this, but don't be rude. LBGT phobia, racism, etc will not be tolerated.
6. This will not be first come first serve.
CHARACTER CREATION - Your character can be anything, from a flower shop owner to a fae on a search for secrets to a sacrifical bride to an elder being. They can be human or not! I'm open to most ideas, as long as they are not too overpowered or don't fit the setting. To make things easier however, I have thought of roles! These are completely optional and you can think of your own.
It has always been there. Before you were old enough to be aware that you have a brain and fingers and legs, before your oldest grandparent opened their then-fresh eyes, before your ancestors were scaly fish-things sitting contently in rich primordial waters. Before there was your city there was this hole in the sky, and it makes the world you live in a terrible one. Whether you mind or not is not the point, because you live here anyway. Smog rolls over the fog-riddled waters and the buildings rise up around you in wet, black stone. You hear scratching up in your ceiling and there was a body found behind an alley, not a week ago, with its head turned into a bird's. Carriages rattle down the pavement, their mechanical wheels stuttering and yowling.
Sometimes, you do not want to live here. And yet, everytime you think on it too hard, sit down and arrange plans, the idea slips out of your head like a parasite leaving behind an emptied skull; you are not aware of this.
Lately, the hole in the sky has grown larger. It has never been safe out at night, but now it is even worse. When you dream you see of symbols that look like upside-down hanged men and an open mouth. Awake, you sometimes stumble on steps you have walked over a thousand times over and you feel your hair stand up.
Of this, you are painfully aware. But you suppose it might be nothing.
You do live in Theodan, after all. And what is this city if not a mistake on earth?
INTRODUCTION - Hello! Welcome to Theodan, a dark fantasy partly-sandbox roleplay I've been hoping to make for a while now! The world is focused on the city of Theodan in an unnamed kingdom inspired partly by Fallen London and Dorohedoro. This world is cruel, senseless, falling apart at the so-called dimensional seams, but it is not entirely without hope.
If you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask - and if you are interested, feel free to dive into more of the lore!
HOW DOES THIS ROLEPLAY WORK? To make things more clear, I will explain just how this roleplay will work.
Theodan will be partly sandbox and partly a set narrative. This means that while characters will be free to do whatever they want and have their own stuff going on, there will also be the option of following 'storylines.' If you are familiar with Fallen London, you might know what I mean! If not, it means that I will create so called 'storylines' that characters can explore and that will reveal more of the world. Storylines might be something as basic as helping a neighbour get their fae-cat out of a tree, or as bone-crushingly enormous as murdering a god. Following a storyline is completely optional, but I hope it will make the sandbox elements less daunting!
There will also be slight tabletop elements, but not fully like in DnD for example. Theodan is home to many creatures, and only rarely are they friendly; there will be 'encounters' that operate like fights, but they won't be super complicated. There will also be four stats that are only needed to narratives, so to say - I will explain those in a minute!
There is also a secret or not so secret overarching main plot, one that will affect all characters.
STATS AND WHAT THEY WILL MEAN - Storylines or even taking a walk down the street might provide characters with chances to find out secrets, outsmart NPCs, gain information and more. These stats are only there for narrative reasons and skills such as lockpicking, fighting, etc. Will not be counted by these. Characters will get the chance to update these stats, and they will provide them with different ways to survive the harsh world they are living in.
PSYCHERUN // The ability to understand and manipulate other people (or, in many other cases, humanoids.)
BLOODTINGE // Knowledge on the workings of magic and artifacts.
BACKBONE // A stronger resistance to physical and mental corruption that seeps through Theodan.
PERCEPTION // An ability to notice details that others might pass by.
All of these are equally important! Which one a character will choose depends on their personality and their priorities.
WHAT IS THE WORLD LIKE? The city of Theodan is unkind and silently cold, and not even the natives truly know what kind of surface it is they are standing on.
Anything is possible here. Fortunately. Unfortunately. Humans live here and will continue to live, but the odd energy here attracts all kind of souls; fae with one too many tooth and with the legs of deer, spirits of widows drowned or of grief-mad orphans, man-eating horses, the somewhat walking undead, bull-gods from some barely remembered ancient cult, offensive pigeons. All of this is attributed to the presence of the Rift, a dimensional wound on the sky that pulses a dizzying red and sometimes spews out fluids of all textures and colors. What lies beyond the Rift is something most people are too busy to think about.
Theodan itself is a large city, one that might change when it feels like it. Cobblestone streets convulse into badly-paved veins, the walk to your house is five minutes longer than you remember, the trees might not actually be alive... Well. It is quite alright if you are wealthy, less so if you are poor, and just okay if you are in the middle. It resembles 19th century London, with a central river called Gamarina that might have a consciousness and a clock tower that is oddly enough spared the constant changes and never moves.
The city - and the kingdom - is ruled by the Queen. It is the year 1846 of her reign and she is doing just well. Some antimonarchists will tell you she is not a woman at all, but actually a bulbous larvae god that has buried itself under the foundations of Theodan, and that her moving in her sleep is what causes the frequent earthquakes. Spreading this inflammatory lie can end in a prison term.
Magic is uncertain and hard to put into rules. It is explained as such; whatever you can think of can happen, but chances are it will not.
EXPECTACTIONS - While the world is a dark fantasy setting, this won't actually be a dark roleplay. I'd love for chances for both angst and fluff, as well as affection, hope and genuine happiness. Please don't join expecting this to be a grimdark story of gloom and doom where characters will die left and right!
Another thing is - please don't join if you're not going to lost or you know you will lose interest. I understand things sometimes come in the way, though!
Also, please don't expect me to do every single thing! I will try my best to provide stuff to interact with and I know sandboxes can be daunting, but I'd love to hear ideas on what to happen and a willingness to also reach out to other writers to plot.
RULES -
1. Please be 18+ and have a discord, since OOC chatter will happen there.
2. Be able to post at least bi-weekly and be able to write at least 2 paragraphs - though, obviously, it depends on the scene.
3. Have respect for your fellow writers and let other characters also have the spotlight now and then.
4. While I'm not opposed to loner characters, please do consider how they will interact with the plot!
5. I don't believe I have to say this, but don't be rude. LBGT phobia, racism, etc will not be tolerated.
6. This will not be first come first serve.
CHARACTER CREATION - Your character can be anything, from a flower shop owner to a fae on a search for secrets to a sacrifical bride to an elder being. They can be human or not! I'm open to most ideas, as long as they are not too overpowered or don't fit the setting. To make things easier however, I have thought of roles! These are completely optional and you can think of your own.
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