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During the year following the events involving Ratatosk, the Lord of Monsters himself noticed that Niflheim was gradually distancing itself from the Ginnungagap. By what means, he did not know; neither did he understand why the demon world had begun to move. Believing that as long as he (and Richter) kept the gate sealed, it would never pose a threat again; thus he merely observed as he mulled over the development until one day he sensed it was completely gone.

Halfway into the next year, something drastic happened.

Once together due to the combined efforts of the Group of Regeneration, a comet approached world of Aselia and settled in the place Derris-Kharlan was once suspended. Its presence also delivered something strange and threatening. It split the world back into Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, a feat thought only possible with the abilities of the Eternal Sword.

Deeply concerned for the life on the two worlds but left with only so little time to act, the Spirit of the World Tree, Martel, willed for the life-supporting tree to divide in half. One remained in its spot in Tethe'alla in the Tower of Salvation ruins, while the other was sent to place its roots in the place the Tower of Salvation used to be in Sylvarant. This way, mana was still being fed into both the worlds, but both halves of the tree are in quite a weakened state. Additionally, Martel herself seemed to have disappeared.

The comet, named Zeal by the scientists observing it, hangs over the divided world of Aselia where Derris-Kharlan was once suspended.. At unpredictable times, it projects a shadow onto either one of them. It lingers upon the land for a time, and once it lifts, it leaves a blemish of desolation where it once was. This is because where the shadow lingers, a zone devoid of mana and full of an "evil energy" is created, and demonic creatures materialize. Any native monsters caught under this shadow mutate and go berserk, joining the demons. Any unfortunate people caught in the shadow are instead subject to poisoning by the evil energy, but can recover merely by prolonged exposure to mana.

By these observations, the scientists drew a conclusion---that the nature within these shadows bears a striking resemblance of the times spoken in legend, where Aselia was once incorporated with Niflheim, the realm of demons. Is the comet perhaps that world of demons itself, making one last desperate stand to assimilate Aselia back into it?

Ratatosk, having a strong conviction that this is so, released Richter from his role as the gate's seal so that he may travel the worlds to investigate the matter for him. The Lord of Monsters himself is unable to do so as he remains locked in his core form.

The "vain" attempts of the Regeneration Journey are being blamed for the cataclysm by some people, and even cities turn their judging eyes once again on the heroes that traveled it. Will the group reform in the hopes of averting this, or will they each work separately to cover more ground? With the world in chaos, many turn to their own devices, or pray to Martel to save them from this disaster. While Zeal slowly scars the land, who will fight the demons?

Perhaps new heroes will rise to the challenge as well...

Furthermore, though unbeknownst to the world, Ratatosk set off a sort of distress call and defense mechanism that comes from the world itself---using the distortions in time and space that the cataclysm created, beings from foreign worlds are being drawn into either Sylvarant or Tethe'alla via vortexes and portals.

However, as if in retaliation, the presence of Zeal exuded a strange effect so that whomever enters the realm of Aselia will have their own natures conformed to the world's. This means these foreigners will automatically draw from Aselia's mana to power their attacks and spells, which are also instantly adjusted to match the power of Artes. As a result, some will soon find that certain innate abilities and techniques of theirs are changed, nullified, and/or toned down from their usual power.

Surely, these foreigners shall seek a way home, unaware of the worlds' predicament...but will they end up getting caught in the chaos, joining our heroes' cause?

CHARACTER CATEGORIES

The characters you plan to play in this RP can fall into three roles:

Main - Simply put, characters in this cateory would be participating the most in the plot, traveling with a party, fighting battles and all.

Support - This kind would make recurring appearances (pretty much whenever you'd like), but most likely would not have too high of an impact on the main plot. If anything, they could be there to strengthen a Main Character's arc or serve as a side ally but not have that prominent of a presence. They wouldn't really be traveling with any parties (or they'd mostly be hidden away if they function like Summon Spirits).

They are allowed to participate in battles, but for this reason, you must provide a short profile for them. This is to keep powers in check.

Cameo - This kind would make a one-time appearance (or appear less frequently than a Support Character if they are to show up more than once). You do not need to make a profile for them, but for this reason, they are not allowed to make a big impact on the main plot or participate in battles. They're just there for fun.

APPLICATION RULES & GUIDELINES

1. If you wish to join, please post your character's profile in the Roleplay Resources Subforum, then PM the link to either Azura Cantarella or Fedora Warrior for review and approval. (**Heads up: there is no need to make a profile for for any Tales main character. It is a must, however, for minor characters whom we've never really seen the battle prowess of (for example, the Wonder Chef),**)

Here is the profile format for a Main Character:



This is the format for a Support Character:



2. This probably goes without saying, but we will only accept ONE version of ANY canon character. For example, if someone claims Sonic the Hedgehog from the games' universe, we won't allow someone else to play Sonic from the comics' universe. Reason being, we don't want duplicates running around, that would kind of get too confusing.

3. We will only allow purely canon versions of canon characters from all fandoms. Reason being, if we allow one to play an AU of a canon and another to play a purely canon version, and they're BOTH from the same canon, there is the issue of clashing background details. Canon characters that may have character relationships with OCs are iffy, however, and will be discussed with you via PM.

4. We will not accept Pre-Kharlan War Mithos, Martel, Kratos, and Yuan on the premise that keeping them from meeting would undo the events of Tales of Symphonia, thus we can't be where we are today. Pre-Kharlan War OCs, however, are eligible as long as there is no implication that they did something significant regarding events leading up to or within the Kharlan War, especially anything that would affect the mentioned four. OCs from the future are eligible as well.

5. We will certainly not accept characters that are practically godmoddy by default, like Flandre Scarlet from Touhou or Jack Noir from Homestuck. This should be self-explanatory.

6. To keep to a level of fairness for everyone, as reflected in the plot, it is mandatory for characters who are overpowered (or very close) to be modified to conform to the nature of the ToS universe and be on par with everyone else's characters. If you do not want to agree with that, then we cannot accept your character(s). We are aware that not everyone has the same perception of what's overpowered and what isn't, so the general RPing mods will correspond with you via PM regarding feedback on your character's abilities.

7. When it comes to making OCs, do beware of making Mary Sues or Gary Stus. It's a good idea have a look at the Guild Guide to Original RP Characters for tips on keeping yourself from doing so and building your characters in general. If you're going to stretch things a bit (like race, etc.), be ready to back it up well. Pitch your ideas in the OOC thread, and build your characters based on the feedback.

[1:] Raven has recently been dropped by Cinkel Anon. If you're interested in taking him up, please review his interactions on pages 1 through 13 of the Tethe'alla thread. (That's not as much as it sounds, it's just that the posts are very spaced out. lol ) Cinkel had written an exit, but if Raven is to return, I think it only makes sense he would remember the previous characters he's interacted with.

Lee had landed somewhere in the Triet Desert from the sky. Luckily for him, he spotted something in the distance. However, he wasn't sure what it was, though he decided to head in that direction. Along the way, he meets Luka Irving, who had also landed in the desert from the sky. Luka told Lee where they are and agreed to lead him to Triet. They soon a distant 'PONG!' sound as well as the sound of scorpions. Deciding to check it out, they encountered Aeris Gainsborough fighting two scorpions, and they joined in the fight to help her.

At the Palmacosta Region, Ashton Anchors arrived in the House of Salvation through a mysterious portal. The elderly priest, who had witnessed Ashton's arrival, welcomed the young man and the two dragon heads and made some tea. Soon afterward, they meet Youmu Konpaku.

Meanwhile, closer to the Port City itself, Rief awakened on a shore after getting sucked in by a vortex from his home world of Weyard. Lost and confused, he made his way toward Palmacosta although he was pestered by insect monsters in the region along the way. Once he explored the city, he came to the realization that he was no longer in his home world.

Yuu Takahashi found himself at the ruins of the Iselia Human Ranch. He summoned Silva, his dog-like companion, to aid him on finding an exit. Along the way, he encountered robot things and an injured Hope Estheim. He aided the boy with battling the robots along with Lloyd Irving, whom had just arrived at the scene.

Just outside the Windy City of Asgard, Krystal arrived through a mysterious vortex. At first she had the impression that she was in an unexplored area of the Dinosaur Planet. She entered Asgard in hopes that the inhabitants could help her, though the townspeople were looking at her strangely due to her appearance. That and they couldn't understand the language she was speaking in. However, Zaul Oleander managed to convince the crowd that Krystal was only wearing a costume. Soon afterward, they met Jordan Sofia and Ryu Hayabusa.

At the Martel Temple, Sheena Fujibayashi visited with Verius, the Summon Spirit of Heart, and enlisted his help. As the two made their leave from the temple, they meet Sio Fon and Christopher Fechter.

Reserved