Riders Concept

[Magni Prime]

Idea for a game . . . biblically, the four horsemen of the apocalypse are not released all at once. No. The first seal releases Conquest, rider of the white horse. Second seal releases War upon the red horse, the third is for Famine on the black horse, and the fourth is for Death upon the pale horse. Different interpretations and games have given different horsemen and such, but the point being that there are always four. What if that was just a technicality? The seals do not need to be seven. What if there were only four seals, one for each of the horsemen locking their unstoppable power?

the horsemen were locked away, each behind a sigil. The one that finds and breaks such will be granted their powers and form. One becomes a horseman. The finding of the seals is not easy, and I wanna throw in something from an old game about maps in the forms of cursed tattoos passed down through magic in a bloodline . . . I wonder how well that would go over?  

[Magni Prime]

storyline

The world was endangered ages ago by a truly evil seal of unimaginable power. It was captured and the user caught- but the seal was too powerful to destroy. Unable to eliminate the seal, it was broken into six separate images, and taken into the skin of six voulenteers. It looked like a tattoo. The catch? not even death could destroy the image. When the bearer died, the youngest born in his bloodline inherited the mark. One bearer even died as the last of his line, so the skin it was in became like leather.

Mechanics

The game had use of the right analog stick to make like a radar sweep around your character. Different weapons could identify targets, so you button mashed to attack- but chose between targets by pressing different buttons. It worked rather well.

 

[Magni Prime]

Its difficult to deal with . . . because I really don't want to run, but this idea won't leave my mind as I want to see it come to fruition.  

[Ruined Horizon]

I have tried it on occasion, but when I try, I get a few pages in . . . and my motivation fizzles out. crying  

[Ruined Horizon]

Oh I have the passion, but it gets hard to maintain when you have nobody to listen to your work. That is why I love RP- it gives me new energy to respond to and integrate into my work in a constant fashion.  

[Magni Prime]

Miniboss concepts:

** All marked will have a seven-point star and a unique rune on their body. The unique rune will be in the center of the star.

You are not the first to answer this call. I wonder if you will be the last. Of all the guardians, only one has found the embrace of death. Long ago, the seals did more than alter their bearers. They continue to inbue the same eldrich sustenance that this place was given. Based off of the mass below, energies are harnessed into a form of immortality. Those given that gift do not eat. Do not sleep. Do not age. A blessing, and a curse. For one, the walking damnation was too much. His name was Farixin. Morose overcame his mind, and he dwelled in areas of the dead. One day he was lost in thought, and a carrion eater came upon him. The seals provide longevity, but not invulnerability. Farixin was destroyed by surprise, and finally given the gift he so longed for. The seal however . . . would not be destroyed. Like a virus, it found a new host. Now the beast is imbued with the power of eldrich. It no longer eats to live- but still it enjoys doing so.

Head to the northern areas of the city, a place where the dead are interred. Among the graves stalks one that ensures adventurers like yourselves are erased. No tragic end to your tale, only an final empty page. end the menace, and bring me it's still . . . beating . . . heart.

Liorenth

Gloom dragon. Large creature that walks on all-fours with a powerful serpentine tail. Head is on a short neck, sporting a large and powerful beak. Large yellow eyes are without pupils, and body is limned in tombstones. Has the ability to swim through earth. Carrion Eater, prefers to find battlegrounds and graveyards for sustenance. Buries fresh meat if not hungry to putrify. Non-sentient.

Locale: Found in Northern graveyard, nesting in mausoleum.

Core is pale green and still. Beats only once or twice in ten minutes. Soft, feels almost like saturated moss, seeps some clear near-gelatinous liquid

- earth swim
- bash
- tail whip
- peck
- noxious breath

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Assuming victory:

Well, it would appear you are promising candidates after all. I confess, I did not expect to see you again. Then again, perhaps you are more than you appear. Good. So, I ask you: What do you want? Money? Power? Fame? People are like fruits in a stall at market. Everybody has their price. Tell me, little souls . . . what are your prices? Consider me a facilitator of sorts. I can easily give you all you desire- but nothing in existence is free. You proved that you can pay the toll- all that remains is to ask if your avarice is strong enough to grasp your dreams.

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The Fury Stone / Helex

Long ago, the nations of Darkhawk and Kotal waged war. In the spine of the land, the allied armies of the emperor gathered for a difficult trek through the mountains. Attempting an incursion from the least likely route. The mountains are treacherous, but it was here that they chose for that very reason. unfortunately, the plan was not secret enough. The Kotal forces used their droves of slaves with the sadistic promise of freedom. Those that survived were promised to be freed- so the hordes fought for their lives. Battle was joined in a valley where Kotal was victorious- and the bodies laid open. Limned in the ancient corpses, it became known as the valley of bones.

It is in this pit of death and decay that Helex claimed a home. Countless treasures are rumored among the bodies, and Helex has patrolled up and down the valley for victims. He seeks to test his strength, and relishes in not only defeating enemies- he uses his sadistic power to do the impossible. From within a skin of stone he burns with rage, and nothing has been known to quench his fires.

Helex

Rock Golem. A great beast made of thick armor plating. Stone sheets cover his form, large arms on the typical location end in viciously powerful claws. Smaller arms that wrap around his midsection have elongated fingers with surprising grip. His chest cavity open diagonally upward and the abs move downward opening in a triple door. When a person is inside, bone-like bars come out and secure the prisoner tightly in place. the doors close as much as they can without crushing the occupant. Then the inside surfaces begin to heat rapidly to glowing yellow, just shy of molten rock to begin to burn/cook/scorch anything within the cage.

Locale: Meets on a rocky landscape, possible mountainside

His core has the chained heart that pulses with power. It glows softly red with heat.

* Aganos style attacks
- wall creation
- club attacks (3x per club)
- rolling attack
- stone rain
- petrification (once every 5 turns or so)

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The Wandering Storm / Kaon

Kaon, has spent his life searching for purpose. Comaraderie was never his strength, and when he broke away none wept. He is as much against life as thought, seeking a place where none could interrupt his existence. Along the edge of the northern wastes of Darkhawk , where the grass grows brittle from cold, he carved out an area free of life. A barren patch the size of a small village where only stone and fissure greets the world. This area is abandoned, but not uninhabited. Under this unforgiving earth he resides in a cave- waiting for an end that may never come. His apathy is so great, that he has yet to decide if that is truly what he wants.

Kaon

Humanoid sized, with metal protruding at every major joint. The metal is part of his skeleton, making him very resilient and any strikes against him with metal would shock the attacker. Plates on his back like godzilla glow when excited and provide one of two attacks. Every turn he can do a quick pulse to shock any in contact with him or along a few feet of conductive surface. Once every other turn a beam of electrical energy blasts from his chest. If he waits for two turns to charge, he can have a tesla field that shocks all within range for moderate damage. Uses a polearm that is solid metal. Despite his chilly demeanor (and his creepy, cold, dead, empty, lifeless, soulless, bottomless, horrifying black eyes), he can become almost giddy in the execution of his duties; gleefully ripping a victim to shreds.

Locale: Den is a rough-patterned stone with metal filling all the cracks making a network of metal through the floor, walls, and ceiling.

His core is a heart much like the others, though noticably heavy, pulsing fast with a blue light on each convulsion

- teleportation
- electric sparks
- area shock
- sensory web
- conduit strike

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The Maw / Tesarus

Tesarus is a monster that thirsts for carnage. Once thought of as a mythical creature, incapable of being defeated, the truth seems to be near to the legend. As the legend of the various seal bearers grew, and their personalities became as twisted as their titles, the maw began to quest into the world-spine. Seeking out Helex for a great battle, he instead stumbled across the pseudo-nation of the dwarves.

Not one to waste the opportunity, the stout people tricked him into a pit. For centuries, they have used the beast for sport, never realizing the true power within him. Tesarus, the maw, is a secretive gem for dwarvenkind. The pit has become the center of the arena complex, The greatest source of economy in their lives- betting on and spectating the most vicious creature ever known. The maw doesn't care. He continually is both challenged and fed by his opponents. Be aware, the Maw eats it's opponents, but prefers it's meat alive.

Tesarus

Ogre-sized creature. Humanoid with lumps from his shoulder blades down to his sides over his shoulders. A three-part maw in his gut opens and splits in a bloody way to reveal a large circular maw of alternating teeth. Known for bathing in the blood of his victims as he uses the tendrils that are those lumps to hold victims and his hands to catch the vitae. Tends to dismember/rip apart those that threaten to lose consciousness- one last scream of pain. Nicknamed the Maw. He only is fed his victims. Victory is life, victory is food. Failure is starvation and death.

Kept in a gladitorial pit, regularly feeds on victims.

Core is irregular, beating is not rhythmic and covered in decorative "teeth" marks

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The Emperor / Tarn

Not all those that bear these burdens have lost themselves over time. One has adopted many lives, many names. He has lived as an artist, a laborer, a doctor, a teacher, but most often as a conqueror. He has risen through the ranks of a country bent on the subjugation of those that are weak. Those that spend their lives being told their lives are without worth. In this environment, the one known now as Tarn not only survives, but thrives as the head of an empire. The human empire of Kotal was founded by a cadre of humans long ago. What so few understand is that a pair of them have existed for a millennium. The face of the empire is one that knows how to placate the right people. Time and again, he has posed as the offspring of his previous life, so few would ever question how the Emperor continues to live. Polite, malicious, adept, and manipulative. His silver tongue has led a kingdom of oppression for as long as any in his thrall can dare to remember.

Tarn

a nobleman. Benevolent tyrant, ruling with an iron fist but upholds a peaceful kingdom. Epitomizes the concept of security over freedom. Harsh laws for rule-breakers. Highly embellished armor of charcoal grey and limned in silver. Wears a purple cloak on his shoulder pauldrons. Long dark hair. Angular face. Highly educated, and keeps no sword at his side. spellbooks in 'holsters' on his hips, connected to the spine by silver chains. when in use, they float at 10 and 2 to him, allowing him to read and gesticulate fluidly. Throat glows softly violet before roaring, can send a cone of force, a piercing wail, "soothing chorus" and "mournful wail." Deathsong requires several turns (roll d6+1) to complete a detonation of life.

Locale: meets in a large royal hall with raised dais and throne as ornate as his armor

Core is swirled with embellishments of silver, a violet hue comes from his core. A faint song is heard by the one that holds it.

- summons dolls/thralls
- Master of all weapons
- wears collar that allows broad telepathy in place of speech
- can nullify magics, including his own, in a field

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The Artisan of Pain / Vos

The second, and more malicious of the pair that helped found the empire of Kotal. Some claim he is the power behind the throne. Others see him as the surgeon of shadows. All that is known is that he has not been heard to speak in a lifetime. In all that time, none have seen his face either. Brilliant and sadistic, none understand the melding of flesh like he does. It is his will that has turned the macabre art of Epurata into a way of life. Those that step out of line in a totalitarian society are mangled in a way to impede them from anything more or less than their prescribed duty. Some claim him to be inhuman, but the only proof is in his works. All know him, but none speak of him, for fear that he might turn to look. Where Vos looks . . . none are safe, perhaps not even Emperor Tarn.

Vos

"Royal Torturer" of Tarn. Apparently mute, but such is never said. Tarn speaks for him. He tends to stare in judgement. Tends to make noise in movement beneath pious robes (monk). Wears a mask that shows only whited-out eyes. Limbs are apparently armored in large scale, and when cloak is removed, he is an armored completely with such. At will, the arms and legs can separate creating 8 limbs from 4, the large scales becoming spiderlike drones. Body is a clockwork maze with only a cylinder and sphere being organic. Grevious concept. Combination of lich and wizard, brain, nerves, and heart are intact, the rest is gone. Clockwork mage gone to the extreme.

"Weapon has has either a springloaded weapon or reloading projectile, and the first section is thick holding some sort of liquid. As needed the legs hold different draughts injected into the body. 3x healing, 2x adrenaline booster, 1x speed boost, 1x blink infusion, 1x illusion. Blink infusion allows for 1d6 random teleports. Illusion can be used 1d6 times for either clone/copies of himself or to feign his own death. Magical abilities are not spells- but unlocked abilities through the alchemic solutions. " - needs reworked.

Practicer of Epurata- Tradition of removing hands and/or faces of victims and replacing them with non-descript faces and barely functional limbs as a form of social stigma.

Locale: Tarn's Throne room.

Core is pale, barely beats, and is held by several overarching "limb-like" pieces that start in the back and come together in a point on the front.

- Summons a horde of clockwork creations
----- spiders, insectoids, crabs, all no smaller than a baseball, no larger than a shield
- artificial limbs, interchangable
- sears a mirrored mask to hide face
- no facial features beneath mask.
- Mask can be put on others to put in coma of nightmares instantly
- intimate knowledge of clockworks and anatomy, adept at pressure points and precision strikes
- prefers piercing weapons and agility

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The Apostate Soul / Arafel

Arafel

~X~ Final guardian. Tall, approximately 15'. Clad in black armor. Several statues of him around a very large room (circular). He stands in the center. Similar runemarkings on the floor as in the prison. Eldrich magics do not bind him here, but sustain him without sleep, food, drink. Wields a sword that is capable of cutting through aether to allow it to deflect any energy as well as matter. Final survivor of ancient race, held stoic for centuries. Put into meditative state to remain sane through endless duty. Master swordsman, Paladin for his cause. Psionic to telepathically communicate. Capable of pulses of psi-energy to repel, cause vertigo, and use obtenebration to manipulate shadows into physical shapes/attacks.

Locale: Ley Line Temple, large raised dais in a room with an enchanted roof to look like a bright night, starlight bathing the room

core: Pitch black with swirling energy visible within the heart