A New RP Idea I came up with... it's a bit of a doozy, but it'll be a good one.
The world of Altaria is a very strange and mystical place. Imagine for a moment a world where continents float and fly over the land and seas. However because they are so far apart, the different continents are drastically different, in both culture, skills, and people.
In the ancient past, Altaria was once a single mighty mighty planet. However there was a great cataclysm, causing an event known only as the sundering. Many strange beliefs exist about what had caused this, ranging the gamut from too much technology, to magic did it. The truth lies buried in the history of the land.
Somehow a sort of stability has occurred on the floating islands. There are three main bodies of land, each hosting one giant Empire (These span thousands of miles however, and are by no means “small”) while cultures vary across them. These are Estovara, Galandrel, and Cerona and while smaller islands exist most are owned by the other empires.
Estovara is home to a mighty hardy race of people. These people live in a nomadic lifestyle, as the land they live off is poor for farming. However, recent developments have made cities possible. Though there are few of these, and they are small. However from these lands come the mighty shamans, who wield the elements. Each typically specializes in one particular element, with enough knowledge in the other to perform basic rituals (such as a rain bringing, or fertility ritual). Shamans are undoubtedly the most powerful magic wielders, and despite their names many are quite cultured and intelligent.
Galandrel is the more “civilized” of the two, though their people are much weaker in forms of physical prowess. Their land received an over abundance of coal, and as such have developed impressive steam based technologies. Some of their technologies have spilled over to the Estovara, though most Estovarans distrust the more complex machines, using only guns and the most primitive technologies. Magic users are rare in Galandrel, as most of the populace believes that the sundering was caused by magic, and thus distrusts it. As such, Estovara and Galandrel are often at odds, with a few wars erupting between them. Though a few wizards do practice magics, their scientific approach is nowhere near as effective as the passionate casting of the shamans.
Cerona is a rarely visited uncharted wasteland. Once the seat of a mighty empire that wielded unimaginable magics, and technologies. The Ceronian empire once ruled the entirety of the world, and many artifacts of their time lie scattered throughout all continents. It is widely believed that the Ceronians were the cause of the sundering, though the Estovarans blame technology, while the Galandrelites blame magic. Only one gatekey has been found that leads “to” Cerona, though it leads in actuality to a small rock that floats over it.
The surface of the planet is one giant forest. It is constantly dark for little light breaks through the thick foliage. Many weird and horrible monsters prowl these lands, and few people who go there ever return. There are no Gatekeys leading to the surface, as once they are found they are typically destroyed.
After that wall of text... a little more on the world and then mechanics:
Transportation: Getting between the continents is a big task, and hardly heard of before an ancient bit of Ceronian technology was found. Not even the sages know what really makes it work, but the Gatekeys allow transportation to and from other places. A few of these are charted as intercontinental, though many are left unexplored for fear of where they might lead. Some people travel by airship or special magics between the continents and smaller islands, though this is dangerous at best, and distances as great as those between the continents is all but unheard of.
Magic: Magic in this system is largely reliant on elements. Shamans must cast spells that use these elements (Though some advanced shamans can “weave” elements together). Wizards have access to a special school of magic that is not element reliant, but it is weak and virtually all they can control. In addition, magic is hardly ever a “in combat” tool, and spellsword types are unheard of. Magic drains energy from the wielder, and even the most advanced user can only hurt one or two “big spells”. (E.G. a Shaman who is 70+ years old and has dedicated most of her life to learning how to weave and control fire, could cast one big firestorm (the size of a city block if they only have it last a minute or so) and then need to sleep for eight hours or so. However “overcasting” exists, where a character may reach so far beyond their skill or stamina that disastrous results are almost inevitable. Usually it only results in a coma for a few days, but the fear that a caster might blow themselves up is usually enough to dissuade most from doing it.
The Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit.
The first four are fairly self explanatory, though spirit usually involves divining, communing with ancestors, and abilities that draw on the users own spirit energy as a weapon. (Some evil Shamans can steal others spirit energy, though this is barred from character play)
Technology: Tech is standard Victorian era, though everything is powered either by steam or gunpowder. Trains are prominent in Galandrel and most armies have guns. Be imaginative, though any “extreme” tech such as computers that run on steam or other such things do not exist. Additionally, drastic things that might be feasible should be checked with me. Swords are still common, as guns take time to reload, and have a chance to backfire.
Rules
1)No godmoding. Do not make your character automatically hit and/or dodge everything that is thrown at them. It is understandable if you don't want your character to die, but some realistic amount of damage would not be unappreciated. Also, you are NOT omnipotent. If your character has no way of directly knowing something, or that something is occurring he/she doesn't. (E.G Instead of “Kaloth hit Alsek with his sword, easily decapitating him” Try, “Kaloth swung his sword at Alsek's neck hoping to decapitate him”) There is a difference between having a powerful character and playing a character above his own power.
2)No Character Hijacking. If it's not yours, don't use it.
3)Use proper capitalization and punctuation. (As well as other grammar conventions) It makes your posts easier to read, and if we can read your post, we can respond to it. Additionally, this RP will be taking place in third person past tense. I know it seems small, but if everyone uses the same tense, it makes the whole thing flow a lot better.
4)Have Fun!!!!
((Character template will be in next post with a bit of the beginning scenario))
