•••{ • ІĿĿąran • advanced || ooc&Full }

[[Mr.] Snuggles]

••••• Illaran

An Advanced Final Fantasy Inspired Story

Between the open wonders of the blue sky above and the steamy hot melding of the core of every existing planet, there is a world called Illaran...

Welcome to Illaran, an Advanced roleplay created by [Mr.] Snuggles and Penguin [Cult!]. It was inspired by the series Final Fantasy, and we hope to have provided a satisfactory installment. So, go ahead and read on, and we apologize in advance for exactly how much there IS to read. We hope you like it. ;D *And please note that very little knowledge of the Final Fantasy games is required to participate in this roleplay.

[Penguin [Cult!]]

_________The Backstory

There is something coming from around the bend, my friends, and while we may be at our wit's end, we must also stand strong to face it with all the courage and endurance Illaran has to offer. Something is changing, where we cannot catch but a glimpse of it...something is coming.

For thirty years Illaran did not progress. No new creations, no new ideas, no way to bring forth anything technological that would lead them towards a new way of the world. For three long decades, no new discoveries were made, no new thoughts came to mind, and no one sought for a way to bring about something that they thought was impossible. You see, at this point of their existence, Illaran had become a world that had given up. For centuries, now, the speed at which they progressed had become slower and slower, their attempts and creation crashing and burning so utterly and completely that their hope fizzled out in the rain. The citizens settled into a quiet existence, living with the world that had already been created around them. Lives ran their course, in a place that was unchanging- slowly, the blandness of a never-changing course of events overtook each and every creature, Hume, Nu Mou and Moogles alike, and there were no thoughts of attempting yet again to push themselves onwards.

As I've said, it was a world that had given up.

This failed world, forsaken world, was ruled by a certain woman- a woman who was there to keep heads held high during the times where they could not boast to one accomplishment in over a generation. This woman's name was Thralla, an elderly (though, as is with the rest of her kind, did not look as such) Tarutaru mage. Thralla was, respectfully at the time, the most powerful mage in the world. As the ruler of Illaran, she held a distinct connection with the Strae; and her ability to see visions of the future kept her world in check. And, while sometimes drab, the world continued on in peace and harmony. As a ruler, Thralla was loved.

•••

Ah, but there is another side to the story. And this, my friends, is where it starts to get tricky.

Illaran is a world entwined with what we call the Strae. The Strae is the underlying power of world, what keeps it going- it encircles the world as a whole, and each living being or creature holds their own amount of Strae. It is, you might say, a type of life force. And through allowing this life force to attach to their inventions, creations, the people of Illaran created a piece of technology that would never cease to work. You see, even after once dies, their original Strae will remain contained within their creation, and keep them as a part of the world that they were once born into. Of course, there are certain levels of how powerful each person's Strae is- but that comes into play at a later time. For, now, I will indulge you- for you are surely wondering why, exactly, if within each person resides Strae, and if their machines work because of that Strae, their technology has ground to a hault.

Well, you see, with every side there must be a side to contrast.

And in the world of Illaran, there exists contrast to the Strae that runs through their world. And that contrast is an existence- no, not even so much as a being- that flows through the Strae, it's sole objective being to destroy Illaran, and everything in it; including itself. This existence is called Szoru. And, through the years since it first found itself in existence, it has had a single goal; to use the inventions, creations and technology that the citizens of Illaran make to absorb their Strae. Unable to pull it directly from humans, it has been using their attempts at technology to take their Strae for itself, building itself up. But then, the unthinkable happened; the citizens of Strae gave up. They surrendered to Szoru unknowingly, and thus began to weaken it. With no attempts to improve their world came no new technology. And with no new technology, Szoru had nothing to feed on. Lack of nourishment, you could say, is what drove it to do what it did next.

Without purpose, without point, Szoru attached itself, a symbiote of sorts, to a young man living in, though it is of no importance, the Orrah Vye desert. Szoru lived within him, feeding him the knowledge that was key not only to how the entire world of Illaran worked, but the way to harness it and use it for himself. And, of course, through this attempt to take his own world for himself, Szoru would be able to continue leeching Strae from Illaran, bringing it closer to his goal. It would not be long now, it found itself thinking, not long at all...

_________Two Years Later...

The end of the Illaran depression was marked by a single event- and that event was the arrival of a young man called Oedeffes.

From nowhere, he flew in with a mark of hope for the entirety of the world- a sky city, built to perfection, hovered briefly over every country before choosing to settle calmly over the Ven Sea. From this castle, Oedeffes emerged, a smile on his face and eyes twinkling in the sunlight. It was solely he who knew what would happen next.

Oedeffes wasted no time- he created, within a time period that seemed astonishing even to those who had seen inventors at work before, four other miniature sky cities, and built hovering bridges between them and his own central station of Trindl. He sent out invitations to the citizens of Jhall, Cle Nria, Dezv and Leima, offering them the chance to visit his subcastles, to become a part of the future. He called an assembly in each point, and despite Thralla's insistence that her people not go, they found themselves bewitched by that which they thought could not exist.

Oedeffes' first step was the insistence that it was not them, nor their world that had caused them to live with the misery of no progression- no, it was to place the blame on Thralla herself, insisting calmly that it was her old fashioned ways and reliance on her supposed 'visions' that had led them astray.

It was surprising, even to themselves, how many people believed him.

Within a year, the sky cities became vastly populated, all sorts calming through. While the majority of the population continued to live on land, considering the lack of space on their high-altitude betters, regular visits became addicting. Slowly, the support of Illaran shifted from their beloved leader, Thralla, to a man who seemed to be able to promise so much more to them.

And it was from this mentality that caused Thralla to despair. She knew, quite certainly, that it was only a matter of time before Oedeffes chose to send mages and warriors after her, intent on taking full harness of her world. And so, in an attempt to not die in vain, the Tarutaru constructed her plan.

And she disappeared.

At the notice of her disappearance, all of Illaran became in uproar- those who supported her accused Oedeffes, those who were against insisted that she was a coward to leave her world behind to flee for her own life. For two weeks, that was the sole topic of conversation in Illaran- and then, on the final day of that second week, a voice whispered to every ear in Illaran, the familar whisper of the woman who had once been beloved in the hearts of every citizen of Illaran. She warned them, and warned them fiercely, of the danger that Oedeffes presented. It lingered for a moment, and then left.

Through the Strae, she had sent her final message.

Thralla's body was found the next day, centered in the Amne plains.

And Oedeffes found himself at the head of the entire world of Illaran.

_________A Decade Past

This roleplay takes place ten years after Oedeffes first managed to take control. Illaran has found itself technologically trigger happy, sprouting up with stuff here and there- the sky cities are thriving, becoming the trading capitals of the world. A few Ilarranians have gone so far as to live there, in one of the small housing districts. Oedeffes has created a flourishing world, one with much promise- and he has found himself at the head of it, a handsome, smiling, diplomatic man who does not seem to have a care but for the welfare of his world.

Of course, the man is an extraordinary liar.

Every so often, inventors disappear, those who have come onto something specifically amazing. They are, mostly, hermits- and who, exactly, could notice the absence of a hermit? They appear, as law dictates, before Oedeffes to present their creation in a miniature form.

And their bodies are shipped off within days, Szoru's hunger for Strae filled once again.

Not too long after, Oedeffes presents the creation to the world, and it is mass produced. It is the perfect lie- he has his subjects eating from the palm of his hand. What he does not realize, of course, is that he himself is eating from the palm of the (figurative) hand of the creature Szoru himself. It is always the most complicated plans that distract us from what is really happening, after all.

Meanwhile, not everyone is quite so happy with the way things are- while most of the world has become addicted to the increased progression that they hungered for for so long, there are those intent on forming a resistance. They know, quite solidly, what is going to happen- they trusted the words that were whispered in their ears so many years before. And it those words that spurred the most notorious of them onward.

Airship captain Plerrin and his comrades have been observing, for quite some time now, the citizens of Illaran. They have chosen eight people, one from each sky port and country, to group them together and save the world. Yes, potentially a lofty goal- but the have no doubts that their plan will work through. They know, Ippae having once been close to the lady Thralla herself, of Szoru, of it's meaning and it's plans. They know that if they send a group of people with a summoner to capture the espers of each race, that they should have a shot of preventing the ruin of Illaran.

Now, the question is, will you step in as a citizen of Illaran?

•••

You wake up, and lick your lips. The only thing you can see is darkness- the last thing you remember is being on board a sky city for an assembly. Lord Oedeffes, he gave assemblies every year on the same day, to celebrate the day he came to power...right. There had been a delay in the signal, so you'd had to stand there for a while. And then, when the screen flickered on and you'd seen his face for the tenth time in your life, everything had gone black...

And now you were here?

"You alright in there?"

The door opened, and you find yourself blinded for a moment. And there's a man standing there, tall, lean, and you register the grin on his face. Silently, you nod...

And then you register the soft whirr of the engines, and realize that out the window that you are being faced with, there is nothing but the pure blue of a cloudless sky. So caught up in shock, you have nothing to say.

A few hours later, you find yourself with seven other kidnapped individuals, and set for a quest.

You should have stayed home today, maybe.

[[Mr.] Snuggles]

Details post coming soon to a roleplay near you . . .

[Penguin [Cult!]]

*Click for enlarged version

Jhall

_____• Sky Port; Aerth; North Point
_____• 1. Kjorla Mountain Range
_____• 2. Peza [Capital]
_____• 3. Weln [City]

Dezv

_____• Sky Port; Saulmin; West Point
_____• 4. dRee Forest
_____• 5. Ostrella [Capital]
_____• 6. Rastrebin [Town]

Leima

_____• Sky Port; Guanf; South Point
_____• 7. Orrah Vya Desert
_____• 8. Bronke [Capital]
_____• 9. Yahn [Town]

Cle Nria

_____• Sky Port; Lyndrll; East Point
_____• 10. Amne Plains
_____• 11. Bezvalen [Capital]
_____• 12. Huivn [City]
_____• 13. Florette [Town]

In The Center

_____• Trindl; main sky city & castle
_____• Ven Sea

[Penguin [Cult!]]

These are the espers that have already been collected- at the start of the roleplay, the summoner will only have the very first Esper. And that will be the one that Plerrin gave her- the Hume Esper, Pavrayl. As the roleplay goes on, and more espers are collected, their identities will show themselves in this post. You'll find out just a little bit more about who they are and how their powers will help you on your way. Now, carry on.

The Hume Esper


___Name: Pavrayl
___Age: 33
___Gender: Female
___Class: White Mage;; &Water Magic

[Penguin [Cult!]]

An 'Advanced' Roleplayer...
♥ Knows the quality is over quantity, but quantity should still have a minimum of three good sized paragraphs. For this roleplay, I want goodsized, normal sized intros, but shorter responses- it should be choppier, with more interaction than most, I think.
♥ Keeps their font sizes to ten or eleven
♥ Respects the PG13 limitations of Gaia
♥ Knows how to paint a picture with their words without droning on about a blade of grass for extended periods of time. And, most of all, can keep interest in their writing. Keep me interested, and you're in. Entertain me while you're at it, and you've got a fan.
♥ Should be able to keep things at least minorly pretty- at the very lowest, a justified alignment and a pretty font color.
♥ Should be responsible about this roleplay and give us warning at least a week before disappearance or quitting, unless it is an emergency such as family issues.

A Profile/Character...
♥ Should not resemble a million other characters that have been created before it
♥ Should not be the most amazing person to ever grace the planet. Unless they have a superiority complex. And then it's just them.
♥ Should have quirks and faults that make them human
♥ Should be posted in the OOC thread when they are finished
♥ Should be able to fit into the storyline and mesh with other characters
♥ Should be original enough to not bore us

Otherwise...
♥ We, [Mr.] Snuggles and Penguin [Cult!], claim credit for the idea of this roleplay.
♥ I, [Mr.] Snuggles, claim credit for the graphics used in this layout
♥ The OOC should be a friendly, welcoming environment. There will be no 'scaring' each other or some such things. If there's a problem, take it to PMs- roleplays with OOC drama Do. Not. Sell. And I will not be held responsible for 'issues'
♥ All resumes will be PMed to [Mr.] Snuggles
♥ Have fun!

Some Hints and Pet Peeves...
♥ I expect ALL characters to have nameless, otherwise unpersonified models as their appearances. I don't like using celebrities, because they're generally recognizable, and underground actors/singers are also have more of a feeling of identity to them. And I'd really appreciate it if you didn't use pictures of yourself- that's you, not your character : ) Thanks, guys. (If you need help finding a model site, PM me and I'll send one back)
♥ No Facians. I don't want a horde of wannabe asian kids in here- it drives me mad when all I get is a bunch of caucasian/spanish/etc. kids who want to be asian, but also makes that character into an anime character. If you ARE asian, I have no problem with it. xD I consider this tchy topic, so I won't comment if you do do this, but your chances at getting in are lowered.
♥ This is a Final Fantasy roleplay. The chances of there being scene kids is less than one percent.
♥ Don't be obnoxious until I can love you enough to stand it! Pleeease!
♥ That's about it. <3 Rules are subject to change, by sending a resume you are agreeing to abide by them.

[[Mr.] Snuggles]

We're going to run things a little differently this time. We want a vast amount of characters, and we're letting you have complete and total free reign. Yeah, that's right, there absolutely no requirements for the characters positions in the slightest. There are eight open slots, and we'll accept profiles until the deadline (which has yet to be set). Then, we'll choose our six favorite applicants (since me and Pen'll have taken up two spots) and start the roleplay. Simple, isn't it? Well, except for the place of the summoner. You ARE going to have to compete for that position- because it's special. ;D But if we find a character that we love completely, with a roleplayer who's fantastic, we'll accept automatically- that'll be rare, though, so work hard!

The Summoner
Applicants: Glitter - Zatsuei ;; Grace - Eury

The Rest of the Party
Applicants: Mishi - Quynh ;; Tenume - Cecylia ;;
Edel - Loks ;; Jam - Bropht

Thank you everyone, for your submissions! <33

Total Spots Taken: 8/8

[Penguin [Cult!]]

When you apply for this roleplay, you have a choice for what type of character that you wish to have. You can choose the race of your character and the class that they have- I suggest looking up both before you choose, though. And I'd make sure that the class fits who they are as a person first!

Classes


___• Archer
___• Gunner
___• Warrior
___• Lancer
___• Thieves
___• Berserkers
___• White Mages
___• Black Mages
___• Summoners

Races

___• Hume; Extremely similar to humans, good in any class. Well-rounded.
___• Esztra; Summoner race, resemble Hume almost completely except for their connection to the Strae.
___• Elvaan; Resemble fantasy elves. Fighters; no black magic, slight potential for white magic.
___• Mithra; Resemble Humes, tiger ears and tails. Mostly female, mostly thieves. Agile.
___• Tarutaru; Resembles Hume children with Elven ears. Mages.
___• Viera; Mostly female, resmble Humes with the exception of bunny ears. Long range fighters, mostly archers.
___• Nu Mou; Otter-Gorilla-People. Non-playable.
___• Bangaa; Reptile people. Non-playable.
___• Moogles; Teddy bears with antennae. Non-playable.

[[Mr.] Snuggles]

Finally, oh, so finally, you've gotten to the part that you've been aiming for all along! The application process, whoo-hoo. Well, first, as usual, we'd like you to send in a background check- but, UNLIKE most of our roleplays, we aren't going to accept or decline you. You can go straight from the background check to the profile, without waiting for a response. It's just an easier way for us to have samples and know what you write like 'n stuff. : ) Less stress, or so we hope! So, have fun, and be INVENTIVE with your characters. Please note that:

1. Pretty layouts are a plus
2. It's Final Fantasy. There are no Final Fantasy scene kids.
3. We want real-life pictures ONLY. Need a model site? PM [Mr.] Snuggles.
4. We're looking for EXTREMELY creative characters! Make us love 'em. ;D

Okay, go.

[b]Username:[/b]
[b]How Often You Post:[/b]
[b]What You Think of the Roleplay:[/b]
[b]Samples:[/b] At least three, preferably linked.

[img]INSERT URL HERE[/img]

[size=10]{{ [b]Title Me[/b] ;; Name
{{ [b]Fingers&Toes[/b] ;; Age
{{ [b]Gender[/b] ;; Duh
{{ [b]Liking[/b] ;; Sexuality
{{ [b]Originate[/b] ;; Birthplace
{{ [b]Sweet Home[/b] ;; Where they live now.
{{ [b]Celebrate![/b] ;; Birthday
{{ [b]Race[/b] ;;

{{ [b]Build Me UP[/b] ;; Likes
{{ [b]Tear Me down[/b] ;; Dislikes

{{ [b]Class[/b] ;; Duh.
{{ [b]Magic[/b] ;; Do they have magic? What kind? What (Final Fantasy) spells (ex. Cure, Firaga...)?
{{ [b]Techniques[/b] ;; Other than magic, what they do.
{{ [b]Equipment[/b] ;; The type of equipment they wear- accessories, weapons...
{{ [b]Clothing[/b] ;; Their basic outfit. It's important in every FF game, and this one too!

{{ [b]Tell a Tale[/b] ;; Brief biography- 3+ paragraphs. Their past and/or current lives.
{{ [b]Hold a Mirror[/b] ;; Personality. 3+ paragraphs.
{{ [b]Political Standpoint[/b] ;; Who's side are they on mostly? (Most of them should mostly be on the Thralla side, considering they're a resistance, but confusion is nice too. : ) ) If you can make it work, do it.

{{ [b]Theme Song[/b] ;; Optional
{{ [b]Username[/b] ;; Duh.[/size]

[Penguin [Cult!]]

[[Mr.] Snuggles]

[[Mr.] Snuggles]

I like your body not so much I like your mind

lykeomg.
We're open.

[Grammar Time!]

ROAR.