|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:44 am
___________________INTRODUCTION___________________
WARNING: May contain mature themes like Drugs, Violence and Slavery
De Civitate Nocte, or more commonly known by the locals as the Eternal City of the Night, is a place where the nexus of parallel dimensions and timelines cross, where the inter-dimensional boundaries are paper thin. A city where humans, creatures of myth, Gods and demons all coexist together in something like harmony.
It is a dark and corrupt place, a city surrounded by the darkness of the Mysts, where the sun has never shone and never will. The only light that illuminates the City of Nocte comes from the two moons, one permanently in crescent phase called Lunacy and the other forever in full named Madness. So it is always midnight, the witching hour, the time when the monsters stir and the æther between worlds are at it's most vulnerable.
Gods and monsters walk openly along the shady streets, basking in the sleazy glow of hot neon, and every temptation you have ever lusted for in the darkest reaches of your heart is right there to be found, for a price. Most often, it is your soul that is at risk, or someone else's. Pleasure and horror are always on sale, marked down and only slightly stained.
You can find joy and terror, salvation and damnation, and even the answer to every question you have ever had. That is, if Nocte doesn't kill you first.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:50 pm
___________________THE WORLD___________________ work in progress //thanks for Hotarla for the beginning//Here in Nocte, human beings enter our world via randomly appearing portals in their home dimension or timeline. It is a one way portal where all things get sucked in…and nothing comes back out. The portals are unpredictable and stay open only long enough to suck a person into it. They could appear from right beside a human, or even directly under their feet and takes less than a minute to suck a human in. Since it is so rare for people to be able to see through the portal into Nocte, the legends and myths concerning the portal and Nocte are mostly considered false rumors and conjectures. And, as only one person may enter a specific portal, a portal that can appear anywhere and anywhen, the chances of catching a portal are slim to none.
Once sucked through a portal, the trip through it is highly disorienting (an example would be the use of Floo powder from Harry Potter). At the very end, the human is deposited in the Portal Centre, a large complex of glass walled buildings that contains the Nocte Orientation System. Characters are greeted by an NPC Portal Centre worker and be oriented on the basic facts of Nocte. After this, they are released into the world of Nocte to fend for themselves!
-- a human being enters the world of Nocte via a randomly appearing portal in their home dimension/timeline. It's a one way portal meaning all things are sucks in, and nothing comes back out. The portal is unpredictable and stays open only long enough to suck a person into it.
It could appear from right beside the human, or even directly under their feet as they are walking along somewhere. This usually takes less than a minute to suck a human in. So it's very rare for people to be able to see through the portal into Nocte. So the only legends/myths concerning the portal and Nocte are mostly false rumors and conjectures.
--- only a maximum of 1 person can enter a specific portal and since they can appear anywhen and anywhere, it's almost an impossibility to catch a portal knowingly.
-- when a person is sucked through a portal, it's a little like the Floo system in Harry Potter. Extremely disorienting, they are then spit out into the Portal Centre. A large complex of glass walled buildings that contains the Nocte Orientation System. Basically characters are greeted by an NPC Portal Centre workers (most likely Agnes) and be oriented on the basic facts of Nocte. (probably be a Beginner QUEST req to be done.) After which, they are released into the world of Nocte to fend for themselves!
-- Becoming a citizen of Nocte--and then the sub classes.
--should enter a blurb about the places in Nocte and stuff. Like a summary of the Map. XD And about the myst and the void that surrounds Nocte like a force field.
-- maybe a bit about the two moons: Lunacy and Madness as well as the Goddess that embodies them, she who also has a seat in The Council.
-- also should talk about the Central Portal which is where the humans come into Nocte from their timelines.
-- maybe a paragraph each about the 6 main areas of the city, The District, High Street, Adorant Platea, Educatium Vici, The Resdential Areas and The Slums.
-- almost forgot about the importance of The Council and how they generally manage the City of Nocte. Bit on the power dynamics and struggle between each.
-- Also a blurb about The Watcher, head of the Police forces in Nocte, called Lady Justice (Themis) as well as her rival, the angel Raguel who heads the Knights of the Order of Vienosti.
-- there's also the sole transport system of Nocte, which is plainly called THE TRAIN, no one knows exactly what's it powered with, some surmise that it might be the souls of the damned or the blood of the pure but it's the best way to get around the entire world of Nocte.
--- also a little blurb about daily life in Nocte and the feel of trying to survive day to day in such a harsh place.
-- hmmm...note also to talk about Mar Osta where Denizens who are closer to nature (i.e. elves, sprites, dryards) tend to congregate since the island is the closest thing to nature there is in Nocte. Also people here are more tolerant of the races and hold a neutral and more peaceful outlook.
-- blurb about the Wildlands (large angry beasts and monsters roam) , the Badlands (where exiles are taken, it's nothing but deserts and arid mountains) and the farming island of Arvum where the majority of the food production in Nocte is done.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 7:17 am
___________________THE CONFLICT___________________ General Outline:
✧ -- The District sector and High Street cabal are always fighting to be more powerful, more influential and richer than the other. The District area of the City of Nocte is where the average joe can become a salary-man and work hard for a decent pay. Most businesses and corporations located here are legal. In comparison, High Street is the area where the average joe will most likely find addiction and pleasure all on sale. This area mostly contains all the malls, brothels, casinos and other less than legal commerce. It is also infamous for organized crime syndicates and black magic activities.
✧ -- The Adorant Platea faction wishes for the rest of Nocte to give up their sinful ways and pray to their gods and goddesses and to live in harmony with one another. This faction is presided over by the two-faced Goddess of the Moon: Lunacy (the kind and forgiving) and Madness (the insane and dangerous). Depending on who's in charge at a certain period of time, this secular faction may isolate themselves in worshipful prayer or incite a holy war against the unbelieving heathens.
✧ -- The majority of the population in Nocte are the Mundanes, although they are considered the most helpless and weakest out of all other citizens. They do not have either a Talent or a creature heritage since they failed to manifest the tattoo of a Denizen. Due to this they are often taken advantage of and made to do the worst jobs in Nocte. They are considered too useless for slavery and it is considered pathetic to have a weak human as a slave.
✧ -- Talents (aka Wizards/Sorcerers/Espers) still consider themselves as humans and are often trying their best to support their underpowered brethren. Yet, they aren't a large or strong enough faction to fight against all the other Denizens and Gods of Nocte. They do their best. Talents are mostly neutral when it comes to the status of Shifters. Some think of them as a sector that needs saving much like the mundane humans, while some of them are quite happy to own a Shifter-pet/slave.
✧ -- Shifters are often traded into slavery or serve as pets, most especially if they are found in a Feral State. They are prized among the elite of Nocte due to their strength, stamina and healing factor. They can be used and abused without breaking easily. It is considered quite wonderful for someone to own a Shifter as a personal servant or slave. Some of the more adventurous elite even pit their Shifters against one another in tournament style combat, much like Gladiators of old, in the Coliseum at High Street.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 11:49 am
___________________THE TRANSFORMATION___________________ work in progress || thanks to Hotarla for the organization and coherency! ||
Mundane Pathway
The Mundane pathway is when a person fails to either manifest a tattoo or a talent, nor gets infected by a shifter and has no plans on starting a religion. This is a pathway that is not RP required and does not grow. However it is RP-able with other characters. This can also work as a temporary stage when the character hasn't manifested a talent yet, or hasn't decided his pathway to life.
Shifter Pathway
The path to becoming a shifter requires the human to be bitten and infected by another shifter, and an Alpha shifter at that. However, being bitten by a certain type of shifter doesn't necessarily mean the character becomes the same animal as the one who bit him or her; rather they manifest as the inner animal within them. Shifters can only turn into non-magical animals, as based on reality and are not affected by the moon, so they have the ability to shift at any time. The longer they stay in their shifted form (their full animal form) the higher the risk of becoming less and less human and more animalistic, ruled by their instincts.
They often form groups (canines form packs, felines form pards, avians form flocks, hoofed animals form herds...and so forth), as this allows them to have a sense of belonging and form a pack bond (i.e. allows them to send have an awareness of each group member and a low form of empathy). The larger the group, the more power is given to the Alpha, giving the Alpha more strength, speed and stamina. However not all shifters want to be part of a group so they live alone. They are often called Thetas (or loners).
Shifters are often affected by the instincts of their animal form, and this is one of the reasons why they're often seen as something lesser. Their human intellect is drowned by their animal instincts and sometimes, if they take on their animal form too long they can turn fully feral without an ounce of humanity left. It is these ferals, or more animalistic shifters, that are taken as gladiators to fight in the High St. Coliseum. These “blood sports” is one of the best forms of entertainment for the darker citizens of Nocte. Due to their lower caste in society, they are often only given jobs that befit their status, such as pets for the elites, servants, grunts, body guards, or even slaves.
-------------
✧ -- Mundane pathway:
-- pathway where a person fails to either manifest a tattoo or a talent. Doesn't get infected by a shifter and has no plans on starting a religion.
--this is a pathway that is not RP required and does not grow. However it is RP-able with other characters.
-- this can also work as a temporary stage when the character hasn't manifested a talent yet, or hasn't decided his pathway to life.
✧ -- Tattoo/Denizen pathway:
A Tattoo appears in their body, each one unique. This usually gives a clue to the creature they will turn into (i.e. if a character is turning into a mermaid, he/she could have a tattoo of a fish or a harpoon or something abstract involving water) . An active tattoo is always glowing slightly, however if the tattoo is rejected (i.e. the character cannot accept the change in himself) the tattoo will slowly loose it's glow and will eventually disappear. The character becomes a Mundane -- or boring normal human.
However if the character accepts and embraces the changes happening to himself, the tattoo will glow stronger as well as spread out a bit from the site of origin and plunging deeply into the skin around it like little veins-- eventually turning the character into a mythical/fantasy/supernatural creature, and labeled as a Denizen.
As time goes on ,small changes will first appear in both physical, emotional and mental planes. Like if a character was turning into a demon, they might gain little horns, pointed ears and clawed hands. They may also become a little bit more immoral than they normally would be. Eventually they will fully turn into a Demon and bring about more drastic changes.
Some transformations into scarier creatures can affect a character more deeply. An example would be: If a character who used to be a lazy, bum college student is slowly turning into a Wendigo..aside from obvious physical changes (turning into an ugly ever hungry beast), the character would obviously start getting more ravenous and less lazy in looking to feed himself. The hunger might even over come his basic humanity and turn him into a mad beast.
However some characters might have strong enough will to maintain to original personalities through a transformation into a Denizen or they were lucky enough to inherit a creature heritage with only minor personality quirks.
✧ -- Talent/Magic pathway:
A human upon entering Nocte can also manifest a magical potential, these individuals are then called Talents. Unlike the Denizen pathway, there are no outward signs of the Talent manifestation however what they do get is the feeling of a central core of power inside them.
When a human first manifests a Talent, it often goes undetected for days to about two weeks. It isn't until they feel the buzz or electricity under their skin and accidentally do something magical that they realize that they have become a Talent.
This magical potential within a Talent is merely energy waiting to be transformed. A Talent can decide whether he/she prefers to practice White, Black, Blood or even Voodoo magic. All branches of magic from the Natural to the Supernatural are available to them. Most Talents tend to attend the Universidad de Nocte at Educationem Vici, where they attend classes to master their branch of magic.
However, aside from their magic, they are still inherently human and therefore mortal. Talents tend to live a bit longer than the average humans with average talent lifespans reaching 200 years.
✧ -- Shifter pathway:
-- becomes a shifter through being bitten and infected by another shifter
-- being bitten by a certain type of shifter doesn't necessarily mean the character becomes the same animal as the one who him/her, rather they manifest the inner animal within them
-- you can only be infected from an Alpha's bite. (lower stages cannot infect others.)
--- can only turn into non-magical animals (based on reality)
-- not affected by the moon, have the ability to shift at any time
-- the longer they stay in their shifted form (full animal form) the higher the risk of them becoming less and less human and more animalistic, ruled by their instincts.
-- they often form groups (canines forms packs, felines forms pards, avians form flocks, hoofed animals form herds...and so forth), this allows them to have a sense of belonging and forms a pack bond. (i.e. allows them to send awareness of each group member and a low form of empathy.)
-- the larger the group the more power is given to the Alpha (group leader only at stage 4), giving the Alpha more strength, speed, stamina.
--however not all shifter want to be in a group and can still live as loners. They are often called Thetas (or loners).
-- shifter are often affected by the instincts of their animal form however, and this is one of the reasons why they're often seen as something lesser. Their human intellect is drowned by animal's and sometimes if they take on their animal form too long they can turn fully feral without an ounce of humanity left.
-- it is these ferals, or more animalistic shifters that are taken as gladiators to fight in the High St. Coliseum. Blood sports being one of the best forms of entertainment for the darker citizens of Nocte.
-- Shifters, due to their lower caste in society are often only given jobs that befit their status, these being: Pets for the elites, servants, grunts, body guards, or even slaves.
More about Shifter Ranks: HERE
Hotarla Celestial Pathway
The last and final pathway is known as the Celestial Pathway. This pathway becomes possible when a concept or belief is personified and given godhood. The character would shed all other worldly concerns both physical and mental, and subsequently pledge themselves to a concept or belief instead. There are several stages before achieving godhood. The first stage would be to become a cultist (or a cult leader) in Adorant Platea (where the other gods and religions reside), and gather themselves a following. In Nocte, the way to becoming a Celestial is not by myth or inheriting it from someone else, but rather in the amount of belief and followers one has. As more people or followers believe in a certain concept to which a character embodies, the more power they gain until such a time that (like RL cults) their followers worship the cult leader so blindly that to them he or she is a virtual god. In Nocte, the character actually does become a god and their church eventually becomes their own subspace, where they rule supreme with powers based on their abstract concept manifesting. Deity is the next step up from Cultist. This happens when the character has gained enough followers to form a small church or just a plain altar where he or she can receive prayers, worship and sacrifices from his or her followers. Finally, once the character has gained enough followers (and has therefore become a “belief”) to be able to fashion a large church and religion that almost everyone in Nocte knows about, they would have achieved Godhood, the final stage to becoming a Celestial. Please be advised that only minor gods and goddesses are allowed to be made. There will be no Jesuses or Allahs or the Almighties. Also, it would be best if players made their own gods and goddesses, rather than basing it on an existing religion. Prayers or pledges might be considered as part of a requirement before attaining godhood.
✧ -- Celestial pathway:
-- personification of a concept or belief given godhood.
-- mental notes: The celestial pathway is a rare pathway only available through auctions. (customs not allowed unless there's an auction for a customs slot of a Celestial which will be very rare.)
-- Basically starts out as a Mundane or from any other pathway. They then have to stop in their pathway and pledge themselves to a concept or belief instead.
-- Next would be to become a cultist (or a cult leader) in Adorant Platea (where the other gods and religions reside), and gather themselves a following.
-- In Nocte, what makes a Celestial is not the myth or inheritance, but rather in belief and followers. The more people/followers believe in a certain concept to which a character embodies, the more power they gain until such a time that (like RL cults) their followers worship the cult leader so blindly that to them he/she is a virtual god. In Nocte, the character actually does become a god.
-- Diety is the next step up from Cultist. Basically the character has gained enough follows to form a small church or just a plain altar where he/she can receive prayers, worship and sacrifices from his/her followers.
--Next step to Diety is attaining Godhood. This is achieved when the character has gained enough followers and therefore belief, to be able to fashion a large church and religion that almost everyone in Nocte knows about.
--- note to self: RP reqs may require having either NPCs or other shop character write a prayer or pledge their loyalty to a particular character before they attain godhood. *__* Y/N?
-- Also only minor gods and goddesses are allowed to be made. Guide would be -- "God/Goddes of *insert concept or noun here* " So no one will be making Jesus or Allah or the Almighties. OvO Just the minor folk. Also best if you actually make your own god/goddess concept rather than basing on an existing religion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:11 am
_________________TIMELINES & TECHNOLOGY_________________ TIMELINE what TIMELINE?
There is a linear timeline that runs within Nocte: meaning there is a past and a future within the world of Nocte and the City of Nocte itself.
However for people going into Nocte they can come from any timeline or parallel dimension. This is illustrated by the fact that a character that may have come from a future timeline where there are flying cars, aliens and robots may be transported into the past of Nocte and at present time where the shop timeline is situated could be thousands of years old shop-time.
The opposite can also be true, where a character that might have come from ancient Greece be transported into present day Nocte where cars and cellphones are just common everyday objects.
Nonetheless, because so many people from different timelines are always being brought into Nocte at any one point of time, this is also reflected in the daily living environment around the world. Where it is not odd to look at one street and see robots while another street has cavemen strolling by.
TECHNOLOGY LEVEL
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:08 pm
_________________TRANSPORTATION_________________ The Daily Commute
Transportation within Nocte is generally a bit unconventional. While automotive vehicles are available, they are not often what people usually associate with when one says “automobile”. A simple “car” may actually be a demon in disguise, waiting on the streets of Nocte to snatch the unwary Denizen crossing the lane. Some “carriages” may be drawn by something as normal as a horse to even ghost dragons that feed on mortal souls.
Traffic rules are also more like “guidelines” rather than actual rules, so driving around the streets of Nocte can be as treacherous as fighting for survival in the jungle with nothing but a single machete. Most citizens often avoid walking in the streets unless they are powerful and quick enough to avoid most of the city’s transportation killing them off. Flying within the boundaries of the city is often more safer than walking but not entirely without harm as the City’s airspace can also be occupied with lurking denizens waiting to catch their next meal.
The safest mode of travel citizens usually rely on is the City Train System which provides a stop for nearly every single place in the city and beyond. It is run by The Council, normally under the protective wing of The District which ensures maximum efficiency and safety for a reasonable cost. For a few Nox, one can travel to the different districts and streets of the city in the relative safety of a train carriage.
The City Train System interconnects the entire realm of Nocte with its individual train carriages heavily warded, sealed and protected by innumerable kinds of magics and physical barriers against anything outside their boundaries, such as “things” living in and slightly outside of the Mysts. This is the only way most citizens can travel to the other islands connecting to the City of Nocte as the Mysts shroud everything in between the floating land masses. And, as everyone knows, travelling the Mysts is a risky business, often resulting in missing citizens or death.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:09 pm
_________________CRIME & PUNISHMENT_________________ The Prison
Situated beneath the city, in the cavernous levels of the Catacombs, the prison rests on level two, harboring some of Nocte’s slightly-less-than-petty criminals. Utilitarian cubic spaces house inmates serving their sentences, much like the prison-cells in most worlds. However, there are also isolation cells in the Nocte Catacombs that are heavily reinforced and warded to suppress their occupants abilities and talents.This is done in order to prevent escape since the majority of Nocte’s prisoners are extremely clever and used to finding loopholes to escape.
There are many levels of punishments for criminals sentenced to the prison. If a crime does not merit full incarceration, it is often served out by taking on community service tasks in the city's sewer levels and even on the streets of Nocte. Tasks can range from cleaning up the heavily monster infested and sludge covered sewers of Nocte, to the retrieval of unknown dead and almost-dead bodies in the many hidden alleyways of Nocte. Those with infractions that are deemed too severe for community service, but not enough for banishment, are given time within the prison for all eternity.
Another level of punishment, which is not handled in the Prison, are those that are not harsh enough to deserve eternal incarceration and are not deemed heinous enough to be rectified with just simple community service. Such prisoners are often given to the Coliseum where they may literally fight their way to freedom and serve their sentences with blood, sweat and tears.
When an infraction is deemed too abhorrent, these prisoners are generally set before a Council Tribunal for banishment to The Badlands. All the Council Members usually meet once every few weeks in order to decide on the cases of Banishment. Most often those sent to The Badlands are often never heard of again.
The length of penalty for any given offense is typically decided by Lady Justice and her Police Force. They are given jurisdiction for most of Nocte, patrolling and surveying for any offenses that are found to be disruptive to the standard daily life within the City’s borders.
If there is a crime deemed too complicated to be handled by the usual means, the Knights of Vienosti may be asked to step in. These Special Forces, typically made up of Angels and the occasional hand-picked Denizens, are led by the Archangel Raguel who deal with these troubling situations with a scorch land first, ask questions later policy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
