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Realistic or Modern Zodiac: Rise of a King OOC

DoughGuy

I no longer dream
IC Here

I was a murderer. I killed for nothing but my own pleasure. And that was a poison in my veins. It drew me on, and I followed like an eager pup, unaware of my ignorance. And on the precipice of success I paid the price for that, and was consumed by the dark.


I was a murderer. Now I kill for a purpose.

This time, I will be a king.

Zodiacs
Zodiacs are powerful beings who possess incredible magical abilities. They live within a ‘spirit’ realm that exists alongside Earth, called Limbo. Despite their power they cannot directly cross into the human world in a corporeal body. Only by taking on a ghostly form, invisible to the human eye and lacking any of their abilities, can they visit Earth. This ethereal form can move freely back and forth between the two worlds at any time, and can teleport to any location on Earth.

While they cannot physically affect the world they can form a contract with a human, who then becomes their Host. Hosts can access a fraction of a Zodiacs powers to be used in the human world, as well as see Zodiacs and Hollows. Zodiacs can, if they choose to, limit or completely restrict the powers their Host can access for a time. This allows Zodiacs to influence events on Earth the way they wish, despite the limitations placed upon them. The main drawback is by forming a contract, a Zodiac can now only appear nearby their Host.

There’s no clearly identifying property that makes a person a good host. But all hosts contain a potential within them, ready to be tapped into by a contract. When a player receives a Zodiac they will also be given a list of their available powers (as they become more experienced characters will gain access to more abilities) and a short description of the Zodiac. From that point on, barring special circumstances, they will be in control of their Zodiac, essentially controlling a second character who can appear and disappear at will.

Forming a contract with a human imposes further limitations upon a Zodiac in return for their influence. These rules are enforced by the Jailor of Limbo. It is a brave, or perhaps foolish Zodiac who dares go against the immovable force of the law.

1. Zodiacs are not allowed to expose their existence to non-hosts.
2. If a Zodiac encounters Hollows while with their host, they must deal with them to safeguard their secrecy.
3. They cannot share how a contract is made or help create new hosts.
4. Zodiacs cannot share any more information about Limbo or its inhabitants than necessary.
5. Zodiacs cannot kill non-host humans, but aren’t under an obligation to save them.

Hollows
Hollows are animalistic spirits that primarily inhabit Limbo. While some possess minor magical abilities, they are far weaker than Zodiacs in their home realm and avoid them whenever possible. However, unlike Zodiacs, they are able to travel between the realms without issue, keeping their corporeal form and all their powers. Still invisible to the human eye they have the capability to wreak havoc if left unchecked. The majority of contracts formed between Zodiacs and humans are in response to out of control Hollows.

Evertine, Maine
A small city of fifteen thousand inhabitants in the north east of the state, it is well known for the oddly high number of paranormal occurrences throughout its history. It is also well known for its nationally acclaimed institution, Crowtree University, located on the north edge of the city. Despite a unique take on student acceptance and curious teaching curriculum it boasts some of the highest scores in the country and multiple famed alumni. In recent years the city has become a political hotbed thanks to Congressman Jonathon Strauss skyrocketing in popularity amongst voters.

Uoya’s Sushi Palace: If you’re looking for something a bit higher quality than the food the Square provides, Uoya’s is the place. Located half a kilometre to the south it’s a popular place for University students to visit in celebration of finishing a year, surviving midterms, or even just passing a single assignment. A bit too expensive to eat at on a regular basis unless you have a second source of income.

Evertree Library: Rather than squeeze in a small library on the campus, the President formed a deal with the city council to have the University library stored at the city’s largest library. Located closer to the centre of town, it’ll cost a bus ticket there and back, but is a necessary part of student life.

Nuclear Power Plant: Located five miles east of the city edge is the Evertine Nuclear Power Plant that supplies electricity to the city and the surrounding area. It is one of the city’s major employers and has been in operation for a little under a decade. President Ferrari invested heavily in the Power Plant’s construction. Offering a special Nuclear Engineering scholarship the Power Plant offers guaranteed paid training to any student taking the course.

Everclear National Park: Located just north of the University the national park is small but beautiful region, filled with a lush forest that rings the edge of a nearby Appalachian mountain. The park is open to the public for free, with a single man made path (made up of ropes weaved through the trees) allowing visitors to roam without interfering with the flora and fauna. A good place to visit if you need to unwind. For a small fee visitors can take the mountain road and get a wonderful view of the park and city.

A Raven’s Nest: A small shop a block north of the dorms owned by a deaf shopkeeper. The store sells a variety of knick knacks, including small plants, good luck charms and a large number of Japanese inspired decorations. It also carries a small variety of obscure anime and manga. You might not expect it to do too well with the university crowd but when you’ve got one day and five pages left you’ll take any luck you can get.

Strauss Election Headquarters: A politician that rose out of nowhere to suddenly take a congressional seat in the 2008 Election, and has retained the seat through the following two elections. Strauss is a loud voice in the political circuit, heavily criticising both major parties and taking no prisoners. Despite being rather isolated in the north east political pundits already suspect he will be a powerful player in the 2020 elections. He is currently funding a project in Evertine to get more young adults interested in politics.
Disclaimer: Zodiac takes place on an alternate Earth. Strauss’ political affiliation is irrelevant to the plot and will never be confirmed.

Crowtree University
The Clinic: Crowtree has a large number of students interested in the sciences and engineering. With an entire building dedicated to labs, it’s inevitable some injuries occur. Fortunately the university has a clinic on site, adjoined to the Prac Building’s south edge, which is staffed from nine till five on weekdays, though the Doctor is known to stay late just in case. Dr Mari Belle is a playful and outgoing physician with a deep love of mushrooms, happy to help with any kind of injury. More than one eager uni student has summoned their courage and tried to ask her out. So far none of them have been successful.

Crowtree Security: Despite being in a low crime area, the Crowtree administration does not ignore the safety of its students. Near the front of the school is the university’s security office. A total of twelve officers work in rotating shifts of six. Local police sergeant Sam Sarith works a dual role as both the chief of the CTS and their liaison with the Evertine Police Department. Any security issues should be reported to him. Firearms are forbidden on campus, and the only weapons are kept in a locked safe inside the security office in case of emergency. Sam and the captain of the second shift, Peter Grain, both have keys.

Main Building: The Main Building is the home of the University’s administration and classrooms. The lower two levels of the eastern block contain the staff offices as well as the school’s IT support office, which can be accessed from a door on the eastern side. The northern block contains two amphitheatres used for large lectures, heavily soundproofed so they do not interfere with the rest of the building. The upper 3 floors of the eastern block and entirety of the western block are given over to classrooms. There is a large garden on top of the building taken care of by a gardener and volunteer students.

Dorms: Due to issues with space caused by the University’s humble origins as a high school, the University dorms are located two blocks to the southwest. While the rooms are small they contain all the modern amenities, including a cramped kitchen. Underground is a parking lot and the laundry facilities.

The Square: Located in the centre of the university The Square is a large, open space where students can hang out and local businesses can set up in temporary stalls. The central grass area is perfect for picnics and meetups while the stalls ringing around offer a variety of goods and foods.

Prac Building: Situated on the east side of the campus the Prac Building contains all of the University’s labs over five floors, with a basement computer lab below.

Exercise Building: As part of its student health policy, Crowtree has a free gym on the western edge. Most of the first floor is dedicated to an Olympic sized swimming pool while the remainder contains two saunas and multiple showers to aid recovery after a workout. The second floor is outfitted with dozens of exercise machines. Only students and staff have access to the building.

Rules
1. No god modding etc
2. The GM’s ruling on any matter is final
3. 2 posts per week is ideal, 1 per week is the minimum. If a month passes without a post and the GM was not informed of the absence prior you will be removed from the RP
4. 2 paragraphs is the desired post length but not a requirement. However one liners are never acceptable.
5. Posting will occur in two modes. During time between plot events (Free Mode) players may post freely and as often as they wish. During combat and plot events (Turn Mode) posts will be restricted to one per round i.e. one post between GM posts.
6. Character maiming and death are possible but will be rare. Character death will never be used as a punishment for failure.
7. All posts must be made in 3rd person. However as a special exception the CS may be written from the 1st or 3rd person perspective.
8. Players are only allowed one character but may create their own NPCs to assist in personal storylines.

The Roleplay
All characters will begin as recently accepted university students who have been living in the dorms for one to two weeks. The roleplay will begin on the first day of the new term with an orientation lecture for the new students. I encourage you to talk with the other players and form links (good or bad) with their characters. To help with that you can find the RP’s discord here: Discord - Free voice and text chat for gamers. Even if you don’t have a CS up yet feel free to join and ask questions. Whenever I’m online I’ll be happy to answer questions. The discord server will serve as the primary OOC chat during the RP.

The RP will be semi open world. Characters are free to do as they wish most of the time, and it is even possible to avoid some plot points by ignoring information or willing disregarding it. However the plot will keep moving as time passes and there may be undesirable consequences for a character’s absence.

As part of Crowtree’s curriculum all students must join and participate in at least one club per year. Whether due to personal interest, looking for an easy pass, or finding no other better alternatives, all characters will be members of the University’s photography club during the first year. This does not mean characters are forced to participate in club activities or attend meetings (though it is recommended).

Active Zodiacs
Power: Heaven and Hell. Description Withheld.

Rank 1 – Sky and Earth. ???. From the light of Heaven they draw forth the ability to fly with poor manoeuvrability. From the depths of Hell they draw forth a thin skin of stone to cover their body, adding some protection against attacks and some additional power to their own.

Appearance: An oval of stone containing a molten core, surrounded by a humanoid wind spirit.

Power: The World is my Plaything. Self explanatory

Rank 1 – A little touch of it all. If you want to try everything you have to start at the bottom. The Host steals energy, the base of any activity, from the world through their movement. The energy appears as golden sparkles that float around their wrists and arms. The energy can be expended as a whip attack or as a defensive shield that explodes when broken. All energy on an arm is expended when an attack or shield is used.

Appearance: Hood is covered by a black cloak that reaches down to their waist. The front is always buttoned up so nothing beneath it can be seen. Whether they actually have arms or just swing their sleeves around is an unknown. Their legs are covered by grey bandages wrapped so tightly around the skin they may as well be the skin. They wear quite elvish looking white shoes that have an upturned point at the tip. Their face is obscured by a flap of fabric hanging from the hood. They have stuck two white circles as eyes and a crescent moon as a mouth into the fabric.

Power: Control of Perfection. Allows the user to bring the true power of things within, out.

Rank 1 – Control of the Self. In order to find the beauty in the world, the host must first find the beauty within themselves. They are capable of looking into their own genetic code and temporarily rewriting it. This effectively gives them an optimised body i.e. the host becomes Captain America.

Appearance: Nellen is a being of immaculate beauty. Their appearance changes depending on who looks upon them, turning into that person’s idea of true, human beauty.

Power: ???

Appearance: Gohortzky appears as an enormous human being. Their chest and arms are bulging with muscles but their lower body is quite thin. Their hands are covered in dripping clay and waterskins are strapped around their waist. They always carry a pottery wheel with them and work upon it while conversing with their host, putting it away for battles. They remain bare chested with dirty work pants. A strikingly large grey handlebar moustache completes their form.

Power: ???

Appearance: Oomloof has the appearance of a fat man with a pig’s head. A very fat man. He resembles a ball. He wears a torn military uniform that basically only covers his shoulders and groin. A rather puny looking sword is strapped to his hip

Please post all characters in the CS thread found here - Zodiac: Rise of a King Characters
 
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To clarify something in the OP, combat is not the only way for a host to become more experienced. Character and Zodiac growth plays an important factor in the RP and influences when you will gain access to new powers. This is especially true for Zodiacs who have less combat orientated powers.
 

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