War in Rodicia(Open//Accepting)

[Stefisgarden]

OOC Thread
Profile Thread

[Stefisgarden]

The continent of Rodicia is home to tens of thousands of people, spread across five countries. Surrounded by ocean on all sides, they are isolated from much of the rest of the world, and only the most fearless of traders brave the oceans. This isolation does not mean it is a utopia, however, for the continent has been embroiled in the flames of war for centuries uncounted, with but brief intervals of peace.

The countries of Faren and Gailor are bitter enemies and have been warring on and off for centuries. For the past hundred years or so, however, the fighting between them has been limited to minor border skirmishes, with few casualties, either soldier or civilian. That, however, changed abruptly when Gailor invaded.

The Faren army was ill-prepared for such an attack, and Gailor advanced quickly, meeting only token resistance on their way to the Faren capital of Sisnia. Once there, they laid siege to the city, a siege that lasted mere hours, for a traitor opened the gate and allowed the Gailor army into the city. Gailor stormed the castle, where King Emil of Gailor himself took the lives of all but one member of Faren’s royal family: the young Crown Prince, Aidan. A month later, King Gailor publicly announced Aidan’s death. Faren ceased to exist as we know it, for it was now under the rule of Gailor.

But that’s just the beginning. It has been two years since Faren’s fall, and Gailor does little to help its people. Bandits run amuck, wreaking havoc, and the King of Gailor does nothing to stop them. Taxes have been raised to support the suddenly enlarged country of Gailor, and it’s the Faren citizens paying the price, as the taxes take most of what they earn. On the fringes of Faren, one mercenary company is determined to help. Among them is a certain young man.

Prince Aidan Faren never died those two years ago, instead going into hiding and biding his time. He'd spent the past two years as a mercenary training, growing stronger, and now the time has almost arrived for him to fight back. Faren will once again be embroiled in the flames of war, and only the gods know if the country will rise out of the ashes…or be consumed for all eternity. Which side are you on?

[Stefisgarden]

Faren and Gailor: a Brief History Lesson

500 years ago, the region where Faren and Gailor exist was one country, but no one remembers what it was called, so it’s simply referred to as the Empire. The Empire was by far the strongest nation in Rodicia, and as such no other country on the continent wished to risk its ire, but would have loved its support. The Empire never got involved in foreign affairs, however, and thus formed no alliances.

They were once ruled by an emperor, but he was overthrown and replaced with a Council of five noblemen. As you might expect to happen, the noblemen became corrupt, caring more for lining their own pockets and their petty family rivalries than they did for the people of the Empire; while the noblemen lived ever-more lavishly, the people suffered in poverty.

A man from the southern half of the country grew sick of it, and decided to fight. His name was Dean Faren. After a long campaign, during which many people rallied to the cause, the Council finally grew tired of the civil war, allowing the half of the country south of the mountains to break away and form their own nation. At the people’s insistence, Dean became the first King of the new country of Faren. Meanwhile, Faren’s success stirred emotion in what remained of the Empire, and another man, Carver Gailor, brought it to a boil, igniting yet another civil war. This one ended with the Council – weakened and quickly losing supporters – being ousted and Carver becoming the first King of Gailor.

The two new countries were suspicious from the start, unsure of the motives of the other. It wasn’t surprising at all when the tension finally overflowed and war started. No one knows what started that first war, but it ended in Gailor’s favor. In one battle, the Faren army was decimated – though it’s unclear how – and victory seemed clear for Gailor. However, the King had lost his will to keep fighting, and the war ended in a truce. From then on, every hundred years or so was marked with yet more fighting, up to this day, though none of the remaining wars ended with as clear a victor as the first.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, catches you up on history.

[Stefisgarden]

Magic

When the gods walked in the mortal realm thousands of years ago, all mankind had the gift of magic. However, man’s abuse of it and the constant wars drove the gods to leave for their own plane of existence, and magic has slowly been declining since. These days, it’s commonplace, though only about half the population has the gift.

Magic can be divided into several categories, but I will only go into the three main ones. The main categories are healing magic, offensive magic, and Mysticism. The ability to use the first two is determined by the gods at birth, however the third can be taught.


Healing magic is the magic of healing, activated by verbal spells. This power is used to heal injuries and illnesses, but a spell’s potency depends on the strength of the caster. For example, a person is dying from a disease. A mage comes by to heal him. If said mage has enough power, the person is cured completely. If the mage is weak and lacking power, the most that could be done is expand the person’s life a little.

Offensive magic is used to harm your enemies, activated by verbal spells. The most common offensive spells are those that command the elements(fire, wind, water, earth, and lightning). The stronger mages can even summon the elements from nothing. The weaker mages have to find the elements already existing, or use the elements from another mage’s spells.

Mysticism is the rarest of all forms of magic. This area of magic uses the spiritual energy that all humans possess, allowing the user to manipulate the energy from their own body. It can be bended to form weapons, magic-like blasts, shields, or heal wounds. Unlike the other kinds, this ability is not something that is decided at birth; as it stems from one’s life force, anyone can learn to do it. Unfortunately, the learning process is long and takes most of one’s life. The average age of someone who has finished their training is thirty-five to forty, assuming they start learning at an early age. And even then, most find it difficult to use as an effective weapon.

[Stefisgarden]

The Gods


Aluminas – God of Light. He is the main deity, and the ruler of the other Gods.
Nochtien – God of Night. Also called the Keeper of Stars.
Shigam (Also referred to as Shigami) – God of Death. He watches over the souls of the dead in their eternal slumber. (He is not evil, despite players’ attempts to make him that way in the past. Quite the opposite, actually.)
Raiki – God of Lightning. Patron god of the Faren royal family.
Bevaita – Goddess of Water. Matron goddess of the Galdrar royal family.
Fugana – Goddess of Fire. Matron goddess of the Gailor royal family.
Vinidas – God of Wind. Patron god of the Aelonius royal family.
Tierna – Goddess of Earth. Matron goddess of the Ukan royal family.

Lotana – Goddess of Fate and Destiny. She’s believed to be the one who created humanity and, as such, is held in very high regard.

[Stefisgarden]

The Maps




These maps are so very lovely, aren't they? I have such talent for drawing. *Sarcasm*

Though we’re only going to be focusing on Faren and Gailor in this role play(the other three have their own story, but I won’t get into that here), I figured it wouldn’t be such a bad thing for you to know basic details about the remaining countries.


Ukan is, clearly, a desert country. Every year, the deserts expand more and they lose more of their precious grassland; they rely heavily on trade with Gailor and Galdrar. Much like Faren and Gailor, they’ve been at war with Aelonius consistently throughout history, though at the moment the two have a truce. They are ruled by a young monarch, who may or may not be a puppet ruler, depending on who you ask.

Aelonius is the mountain country. Their cities are built into the mountainside, many of them even possessing underground sections in the case of natural disaster or invasion. The mountains are rich in ores, especially mithril, and are the only known place in the world where you can find pegasi. The Aelonius Pegasus Knights are a force to be feared; though traditionally led directly by the Queen, they are currently commanded by Princess Elanna, the heir to the throne. They are a Queendom, the only country ruled by a Queen instead of a King; also due to being a Queendom, women soldiers are commonplace, unlike elsewhere. Aelonius and Faren are steadfast allies.

The island nation of Galdrar is neutral in all conflicts, preferring not to get involved. They trade with all countries in Rodicia, and favor none. They are also one of only a few to trade with lands across the seas. By all means, they are a trading country. They are also ruled by a monarch.

[Stefisgarden]

The Rules

Behavioral Expectations

You will follow the Gaia ToS; this thread is on Gaia, and is therefore not an exception to the rules of the site. No godmodding; this includes auto-hitting, auto-dodging, and controlling the actions and reactions of characters that are not yours. Romance is allowed, but there will be no cybering, anywhere, not on the thread, not in the PMs; cybering is forbidden on Gaia, and I will not take the heat for what you do on my thread. Don’t flame another player; your characters can fight and/or be a jerk, but keep it in character.

Character Expectations

Your characters should be believable; no Gary Stus who are all powerful and cannot be hit, no Mary Sues who are always vulnerable. DON’T kill other characters without the other’s explicit permission; you’re free to keep your plans secret -- I do enjoy a good twist every now and then -- just inform me that it was a mutual decision after it has happened. Insignificant NPCs are free game, however.

Posting Expectations

I expect a post at least once a week; I will give you a warning if you do not meet that requirement; you only get three. If you will be unable to make the timing requirement for any legitimate reasons, ie travelling or major changes at home, please inform me, and I will bend the rule for you; I won’t punish you for things beyond your control. As a side note, I am very lenient around national and religious holidays, as most people prefer spending them with family as compared to online; that said, I only know the dates of American and Christian holidays, so, if I give you a warning around different ones you celebrate, please inform me and I’ll retract it.
This is a literate role play, meaning I expect at least one well written paragraph per post, preferably more. Remember, though, quality over quantity; if nothing else, give us something to actually reply to. There will be no first person, no *text* for actions, and no txt talk. Writer’s block is not an appropriate excuse to post less than a paragraph.
Some people require you to have decorative posting styles; I am not one of them. However, if you want one and don’t mind making and/or ordering one(however you usually get yours), you are more than welcome to use them.

Profiles

Send your profiles to me via PM; do not, I repeat, do NOT post them either here or the profile thread before I give you the OK. Try to steer clear of the clichés, or at least a lot of them; if your profile is filled with them, I’m going to have a hard time taking your character seriously, if I accept them at all.

HAVE FUN~!

[Stefisgarden]

Profile Skelly

[align=center][size=11][color=your choice][b]Username:[/b] [u]Enter Gaia username here.[/u]
[b]Name:[/b] [u]Enter Character’s real name here.[/u]
[b]Alias/Nickname:[/b] [u]Enter the name the Character goes by here; this is optional and can be removed if unnecessary; this can also be a nickname.[/u]
[b]Gender:[/b] [u]Enter Character’s gender here.[/u]
[b]Age:[/b] [u]Enter Character’s age here.[/u]
[b]Weapon:[/b] [u]Enter Character’s weapon of choice here; must be a physical weapon. There is another section for magic.[/u]
[b]Armor:[/b] [u]Enter Character’s armor here; if they don’t wear any, specify so.[/u]
[b]Magic:[/b] [u]Enter the kind of magic the character uses, if any. Remember, though, that not all people can use magic.[/u]
[b]Side:[/b] [u]Enter either Faren or Gailor. I will not accept neutral characters.[/u]
[b]Bio:[/b] [u]Enter Character’s past here. Must be at least a paragraph.[/u]
[b]Other:[/b] [u]Enter any other important info here; this is optional and can be removed if unnecessary.[/u]
[b]Appearance:[/b] [u]Enter Character’s appearance here; must be anime picture or written description. If a written description, must be a paragraph long and provide a clear image.[/u][/color][/size][/align]

**Note that the level of technology of Rodicia is that of medieval Europe. As a result, the most modern weapon allowed will be a crossbow. Just figured I'd make that clear.

[Stefisgarden]

[Stefisgarden]

[Stefisgarden]

[Stefisgarden]

[Stefisgarden]

[Stefisgarden]

[Stefisgarden]