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The gods have not abandoned us.

Armies from across the three great regions used to march with the favor of the divine – human soldiers fought alongside the gods' most fearsome monsters and most holy archons. The mortal ranks so bolstered were nigh unstoppable, but when one deity gained too much ground, another would retaliate by sending reinforcements of their own. In this way, a kind of balance was maintained for millennia.

Then the gods went quiet. Prayers were no longer answered. Archons across various battlefields became trapped there, unable to return to their patrons' sides in the heavens. Empires became unstable without their divine figureheads to keep them in order. While some faithfully awaited their return, most of humanity gave up hope. Now, missionaries from the west are spreading a new Word.

Headed by Pyr, Lord of Fire and Light, the Dysian Pantheon is filling the void left by the Old Gods. While this new religion is finding easy purchase among humans desperate for guidance, the monsters that have always lurked outside civilization are wisely left unproselytized. They remain largely untouched by the Dysian movement, but mankind's armies are beginning to rally around Pyr's ideals of purity, order, and human-centrism, and this brief age of peace seems to be nearing its end.

But it appears the Old Gods have not vanished entirely; they've got one last desperate ploy to return to their former glory: Ancient temples and seers of every race have suddenly become conduits for their power, tasking worthy champions with a quest, and granting these heroes with a measure of their divine might that they may succeed. While some undertake this holy mission gladly, the gods tempt the less-altruistic with rewards indescribable; untold riches, the command of armies, even immortality are promised.

You are such a champion. Be it the vision of a half-mad soothsayer or the direct words entering your mind as you stumble into a dusty, forgotten shrine, you have been chosen to save the very gods themselves. You find yourself transported to an unfamiliar temple, and burned into your mind is a singular command:

Protect Nyreaum at all costs.

The small human town is one of the few remaining in Gaios that is yet faithful to the Old Gods, but it won't hold out for long. The bearers of the new Word have been turned away too many times - Pyr's soldiers will inevitably try to bring His holy light to Nyraeum by force, as they have to so many other human cities. You're not sure what makes this one so special, but you won't take such a command lightly.

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General Information

After a few requests, I've decided to give this another try. This RP is intended as a sort of cross between Titan Quest and Age of Mythology, two of my favorite games, but it is not explicitly tied to either. You shouldn't need to have played either to join this.

You will play as mythological creatures tasked by the gods of the Greek, Norse, and Egyptian pantheons to restore them to power in the face of a new wave of gods spreading from foreign lands. Of course, the Old Gods do not expect you to do this alone; they have granted you amazing powers to fulfill your task.

While it's heavily drawn from games and real-world mythology, I've created a great deal of material for this RP to try to make this a fun setting in which to create a character and have an interesting world to explore. Below you will find links to background information that will be helpful, if not necessary to create your character. I've tried to keep a low word-count so as not to overwhelm you, and you can feel free to gloss over any information that does not pertain to your character.

• The World
• The Races
• The Masteries

And as a bonus, where it applies to this game:

• The Dysian Pantheon
  (Ignore Atheros and Velathar, as well as the gods filed under "Other"; they have yet to ascend to godhood.)

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Character Sheet

• Name:
• Race: A list of available races can be found here.
• Class: Class Name: Mastery 1/Mastery 2
  
  Your class is a combination of the two Masteries of your choice found here. Once those are chosen, come up with a class name that describes your role, or choose one from here. Note that some races have one Mastery preselected. For now, no two characters may have the same Mastery combination.
• Appearance: Write as much description as you like. I would prefer you don’t link pictures, unless you had a hand in creating the content of the image.
• Deity: Choose any one god from the Asgardian, Olympian, or Pharaonic pantheons. They must be thematically related to (and are probably responsible for) at least one of your Masteries.
  
  You may choose cross-pantheon, for example, a Minotaur champion of Thor. Non-god figures important in the mythologies of those pantheons can be chosen instead, such as Fenrir or Arachne. Your Deity is not necessarily a god your character was faithful to, or even aware of prior to being made their champion.
• Abilities: Choose three spells, extraordinary abilities, or pieces of magical equipment related to your Masteries. Abilities can include extraordinary combat techniques, supreme mastery with one weapon type, elemental bolts, charms, holy auras, even summons. Be forewarned that I will be fairly strict here, in the name of balance and possibly style. Expect to do some revision. All races have a free inborn ability, which need not be listed here.
  • Name: Description
  • Name: Description
  • Name: Description
• Equipment: Any mundane gear your character has. This may include weapons, armor, clothing, or various accessories. Try to keep to period- or civilization-appropriate gear, though I may allow exceptions. Your character is proficient with any weapons they carry.
  Even mundane equipment will matter; the ordinary mace-wielder will still have a considerable edge over the paladin with a blessed Xiphos when fighting skeleton warriors. Choose wisely.
• Personality/Backstory: Your backstory is helpful for me to make the game feel personal to your character. Try to answer at least some of the following questions:
  • Who was your character prior to being chosen?
  • What mundane skills do they have as a result of their upbringing or profession?
  • How has the gods' absence affected them?
  • Are either of their Masteries simply learned (such as arcane sorcery or martial discipline) and not divinely fueled?
  • What boon was promised them in return for their help?
  • Are they serving their patron simply because of the reward, or for more noble purposes?

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The Champions:

• Glaukon, a Merman Seaguard (Water/Defense)
• Zhycios, a Centaur Harvester (Nature/Defense)
• Aesalon, an Aaracokra Stormcaller (Storm/Nature)
• Cossolith, a Golem Geomancer (Earth/Spirit)
• Hermia, the Hallowed Dead (Spirit/Storm)
• Katarin, a Lampad Torchbearer (Spirit/Fire)
• Draven, a Werewolf Predator (Hunting/Nature)

edited 5th Feb '15 9:37:09 AM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

I'm gonna make a Soothsayer Centaur healer with a bow, I think.

Ooh, this is interesting. And that is some lovely worldbuilding.

Exist, pursued by bear

I think I've got this. Let me know if anything's wrong with this signup.

• Name: Glaukon
• Race: Merman
• Class: Seaguard: Water/Defense
• Appearance: Glaukon has silvery-blue skin lightly dotted with scales closer to his lower-half and embedded on his arms. His hair is long and black, reaching down to his shoulders. His eyes are also entirely black, reflecting a bit of light. His nose is small and barely protrudes off the face. He has lightly webbed hands [and feet when he has them], and fins protruding off his forearms and shins [again, when he has them]. He has a chiseled figure and a smooth face with no facial hair. His tail is long, and his fins have spikes on the outsides of them.
• Deity: Poseidon
• Abilities:
  • Force of the Waves: Glaukon has the ability to summon and control strong waves of ocean water around him, smashing into and knocking over foes.
  • Orichalcum Arms Training: Glaukon is proficient in the use of orichalcum armor and weapons. Orichalcum is a rare and valuable metal that is stronger than iron. In addition, it moves as easily through water as normal metal moves through air. Because of this, he uses an orichalcum chestplate, helmet, and trident, as well as carries an orichalcum shortsword as a side-arm. Finally, he carries a set of orichalcum daggers that he can use as melee weapons or throw at will.
  • Unshaking Resolve: Glaukon has a supernatural force of will and will not back down from a confrontation. He is immune to being influenced into fear, magically or otherwise, and his morale is more difficult to shake in adversity. He is in fact immune to all powers that influence his mind.
• Equipment: In addition to his orichalcum arms, he also has a net for ensnaring his enemies. He also carries a pendant, signifying his position as captain of the guard in Orichalpolis. This also reminds him of his brothers back in the city.
• Personality/Backstory: Glaukon was the captain of the guard of Orichalpolis before being chosen. Because of this, he has been training nearly his whole life in the Orichalpolitan military. He is a fierce fighter and noble defender of the sunken city-state, with a strong heart and a strong sense of justice and honor. However, when Poseidon, the lord of Orichalpolis, vanished, he was left nearly without a purpose. The merfolk's new home was now in mortal danger, and due to multiple incursions by Icthian tribes, the kingdom almost fell entirely. Glaukon blamed himself for being unable to save the city from invasion. Thus, when he was contacted by Poseidon, his purpose felt renewed. In return for his services, was promised that he would be at Poseidon's side as the head of the Ocean Lord's armies. When Glaukon agreed, he was given the ability to control the seas like his patron does. Glaukon promised that he would use his newfound power to bring Orichalpolis to glory once again.

Edit: Removed one of his abilities.

edited 26th Jan '15 5:00:25 AM by AllHailThrall

I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.

Glaukon is back. If you want, so long as it all has the same effect, you could give him more Orichalcum armor, like bracers, greaves, a helmet, even a shield.

Approved.

Edit: Actually, I'm going to add that his Unshaking Resolve makes Glaukon at least resistant if not immune to all powers that directly adversely affect the mind.

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Edit: Sorry, we're dropping back down to three chosen powers per character. Lose the one you want the least.

edited 26th Jan '15 12:07:25 AM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

I'm working on a... I'm not quite sure what to call her. Lich with Spirit/Mind masteries.

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.

Cool, but that reminds me I didn't mention Liches' phylacteries. I have detailed how they work in the races list, but if you want to bypass that rule, just say your phylactery is your skull or ribcage or something.

edited 26th Jan '15 12:02:59 AM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Alrighty, here I go.

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• Name: Zhycios
• Gender: Male
• Age: 27
• Race: Centaur
• Class - Harvester: Nature/Defense
• Appearance: Tan olive skin, thick black beard, green eyes, and no shirt. His hair is cut short, ending just above his shoulders. His horse half is white.
• Deity: Idunn
• Abilities:
  • Regrowth: A wave of healing energy rapidly restores lost life to the target.
  • Rally: A rallying cry that instantly restores lost life and stamina to all nearby allies, and restores their morale by shaking them out of any fear or confusion they are in.
  • Briar Wood: Creates a thick, protective grove of briars with stinging nettles that injures enemies that attempt to force their way through. The briar is formed out of apple trees filled with fruit that provide the main strength, while the nettles grow between the trees to fill gaps.
• Equipment: Bow, two filled quivers, sidebags that have room for a considerable amount of items but are currently filled with around a hundred fresh apples.
• Personality/Backstory: The son of his clan's chieftain, Zhycios was effectively a prince among his people, serving as a scout and hunter for most of his life. It was there that he learned how to inspire fellow soldiers so that they could fight on. While challenging, it was a rewarding life that left him feeling fulfilled. He enjoyed being able to lay in the open fields of Gaios, or in the shade of a tree, watching the clouds sail by during the day and the stars shine at night.
  Until the followers of Pyr came. They defeated most of the warriors and enslaved his tribe, putting them to work in the quarries, mines, and mills for their own gain. While once a proud race, centaurs were now seen as nothing more than faster-learning versions of horses.
  Despite countless pleas, no help came from the gods. Feeling anger at Ixion and Poseidon for turning their backs on his people, he turned from the old gods to Iðunn, who to his surprise actually responded, promising to free them and give them enormous tracts of land if he became her champion and succeeded in saving the gods first. Accepting the offer, she granted him mastery over nature.

edited 27th Jan '15 1:38:15 AM by nman

What the hell is a grovedigger?

Flesh is a design flaw.

One who digs groves? Possibly a pun on gravedigger?

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.

The Titan Quest name for that class is "Guardian", but that seems redundant with us already having a "Sea Guard".

• Name: Aesalon
• Race: Aarakocra
• Class: Stormcaller: Storm/Nature
• Appearance: Aesalon has navy blue feathers all over his body, which are most concentrated higher up. He has a top-heavy frame, his muscle concentrated in his upper body, with two massive wings protruding from under his arms. He possesses sharp talons on both his hands, which extend a little way beyond his wings and larger ones at his feet. His head is entirely bird-like, possessing a wide beak and beady black eyes. He normally wears very light leather armor which protects his torso but leaves his limbs unimpeded for flight.
• Deity: Zeus
• Abilities:
  • Raging Storm: Aesalon can control the weather, creating rain and summoning bolts of lightning.
  • Swift Agility: Aesalon's flight outperforms most other beings capable of it, as he is capable of incredible speed and agility and can use his weather manipulation to create wind currents to support him. He is also able to use it in combat, weaving through the sky to dodge enemy blows before diving in to deal his own attacks.
  • Bird Kin: Aesalon has a natural affinity with birds and can communicate with them in simple feral terms or call upon them for assistance.
• Equipment: Aesalon wears light leather armor and carries four daggers which he can hold in his talons, with a sheath for each attached to his armor.
• Personality/Backstory: Aesalon was once an archon of Horus, a reasonable warrior among the god's troops but more exceptional in his flight than in his combat abilities and thus more often in the role of a scout or messenger when everyone of his kind was called upon. He, among others that once served Horus, was stranded when the gods disappeared but he quickly gave up the idea of returning. Now wandering the earth and skies, the Aarakocra changed, becoming wiser and more philosophical, if rather prone to showmanship and shirking of responsibility. When contacted, and by a completely new god who had been but a passing face before, he was intrigued. Arcane abilities to augment his natural aptitude for the sky enticed him but he accepted the task gracefully with little thought; he had started to enjoy the low skies, with the people below him and thought it wise to help them and their old gods.

edited 26th Jan '15 3:08:31 PM by TenebrousGaze

So his boon would just be keeping his powers? Looks good, approved.

Flesh is a design flaw.

So if I'm doing an Einherjar, could I make it an established norse warrior, like Sigurd the dragonslayer?

edited 26th Jan '15 6:06:02 PM by HazzyHaz

No, although I'd let you use him as your patron in place of a deity.

Flesh is a design flaw.

Weird, he's not a god, but alright.

Neither are Fenrir or Arachne, but like I mentioned in the template, they're available.

Flesh is a design flaw.

I changed the class name to Harvester, I hope that's sufficiently cool now

Sorry it's taking so long. I'm loving the way that this character is shaping up, though. Hermia the Defiler is coming fast.

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.

Sorry this is incomplete, but I wanted to get something, even this little, posted. I'll expand it soon, I promise.

---

• Name: Katarin
• Race: Lampad
• Class: Torchbearer: Fire/Spirit

• Appearance: Katarin's skin is ash-grey, and she has a small scar over the corner of her mouth. Her hair is white and rather long (falling to the middle of her back) and is typically in a braided-crown style. Her eyes are the ghost-blue color of the base of a candle flame. She's rather tall.
• Deity: Loki

• Abilities:
  • Name: Wings of Fire: Creates a pair of birdlike wings made of torchfire that can carry Katarin.
  • Name: Dire Spirit: Summons a fiery ghost-wolf named Phoebe.
  • Name: Bone Mines: A devious trap made from bone; should an enemy approach, these formations of ribs and skulls will erupt from the ground and skitter toward their victim, exploding in a burst of astral magic.
• Equipment: Torch-halberd, a set of knives (two long knives, 6 throwing knives,) magical or very potent herbs (poisons, healing plants.) Her armor is rather like this◊, with a mask modeled after a bird's skull.
• Personality/Backstory: About 20 years ago, Loki decided to leave Asgard and visit the warmer lands of Gaios. There, he met Hecate, and became very close with her. Katarin was born some time later, and Loki then returned to Asgard. Katarin was raised as one of Hecate's Lampades, learning the ways of magic and the mind from a young age. After the disappearance of the gods, she mostly stuck with the Lampades clans, travelling between various ones and learning about their ways. This continued until she suddenly recieved a dream-message from her father (she'd known Loki was her father, but had never met him) wherein she had the situation very quickly explained to her and an unspecified boon offered.

edited 31st Jan '15 4:01:42 PM by KarrinBlue

Exist, pursued by bear

• Name: Cossolith
• Race: Golem
• Class: Geomancer: Earth/Spirit
• Appearance: A stone automaton held together by eldritch forces. The body is made of hewn stone that once appears to have been a large, stocky humanoid figure. The remaining details on the body are human enough, but time and nature have taken their toll. Cracks and moss cover the stone hide of the golem, though the face remains mostly intact.
• Deity: Hades
• Abilities:
  • Cairn: Raises an earthy formation that can be used as a shield or cover, or even a way to immobilize enemies. Due to the single minded nature of Cossolith, the creation of a new stone wall causes the previous one to crumble.
  • Precipice Spears: Impales an enemy on stalagmites that erupt under their feet.
  • Tenebrous Tendrils: Enemies who strike Cossolith in melee are attacked by black tendrils that come out of the cracks and gaps in Cossolith's body, dealing necrotic damage to them.
• Equipment: N/A
• Personality/Backstory:
  • Long before the days of Pyr, the cult of Hades was strong, though few. Those who revered their lord so deeply created stone automaton, as adamant and unyielding as death, to guard over those sacred temples.
  • When the god’s power began to fade, those golems merely collapsed and looked no different than the rubble of a column.
  • Now that Hades has returned for one final gambit, he has chosen one of these ancient golems to be his champion. With purpose did those ancient bones of the Earth rise up to form Cossolith, a mighty golem of Hades who has been granted few, though quite powerful, magical abilities befitting a champion of the underworld.
  • There is no reward for Cossolith whenever its task is complete, only the continuation of eternal service for its master.
  • Cossolith marches to Nyreaum as instructed by Hades, simply awaiting its next order whenever it arrives at its destination.

edited 28th Jan '15 6:50:49 PM by Crimsanotikku

grup we please

Character Sheet

• Name: Drake Nan
• Race: Human
• Class: Assassin: Rogue/Warfare
• Appearance: Pale skin, red hair, and green eyes.
• Deity: Athena
• Abilities:
  • Stealth: Drake has the supernatural ability to avoid notice. When he uses this ability, you must be looking directly at him to see him, and he is invisible to peripheral vision. He also makes no noise.
  • Name: Description
  • Name: Description
• Equipment: A bow and arrows, rope and grappling hook, poison, blow darts, throwing knives. Also, rations and water.
• Personality/Backstory:
  • Who was your character prior to being chosen? A field commander (I know nothing of ancient Greek military rankings, all I know is that he commanded his men in battle)
  • What mundane skills do they have as a result of their upbringing or profession? Archery
  • How has the gods' absence affected them? He was once a devout follower of the gods, but their disappearance left him feeling betrayed. He now has nothing but disdain for them and would love nothing more than for humanity to be its own ruler.
  • Are either of their Masteries simply learned (such as arcane sorcery or martial discipline) and not divinely fueled? Warfare
  • What boon was promised them in return for their help? Immortality
  • Are they serving their patron simply because of the reward, or for more noble purposes? He has nothing but disdain for the gods and just wants his reward.

Any other ideas for abilities?

@ Deadpool 616: Athena is a goddess of defense more than anything, so that doesn't really make sense for an assassin. Mainly though, your bio needs to be much longer than one-word responses to each question. It doesn't look like you put any thought into the character at all.

edited 28th Jan '15 3:43:15 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

I can see where deadpool's coming from. Athena is also goddess of strategic war, which makes sense- hit-and-run, ambushes, and the like would all fall under that banner, and are the sorts of things you'd expect an assassin to engage in if he's not infiltrating a fortress to slit someone's throat.

Also, Hermia is taking a bit longer than expected. I was going to go Spirit/Mind, but I couldn't figure out how to make the mind part work. I was going to go for a sort of mind control thing along the lines of branding in Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, but I couldn't figure out how to keep that balanced. I'm looking into using Earth as her second mastery, now.

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.

Dragon, when do we get our lich?