The Balance Saga, Chapter 1: The Great Mother ((OOC))

[Ethan Aldwin]

~Welcome~

Welcome my friends, to the OOC of my new elemental roleplay. Here characters will be posted, along with our plotting thoughts. If you have questions about the roleplay, please, post them here, whether you're in it or not. Need more information? Ask me. I'll be happy to answer.

To recieve your part, please send me a profile and an example of your ability to play your character. I will wait one week, until December 25th, to receive profiles for auditions. After that it is first come, first serve.

Here is a list of available character slots, along with the element and dragon representing each. Please note, there may only be one character per element. This is key to be noted. Thank you for your understanding.

Omega, Dragon of Light. Chosen One: Twain Solemnheart
Morrighan, Dragon of Shadows. Chosen One:
Gaia, Dragon of Earth. Chosen One:
Lethiana, Dragon of Water. Chosen One:
Shimshesh, Dragon of Fire. Chosen One:
Fujin, Dragon of Wind. Chosen One:

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~The Portal~

You may use this link to return to the main roleplaying page with haste to the wonderful adventure!

 

[Ethan Aldwin]

~The Cast~

Username: Twain Solemnheart
Character Name: Twain Solemnheart
Nicknames: Wolf Warrior, due to the fact that he fights with a pack of Dire Wolves, the only known pack in existance.
Parents: His father was James Aldwin, the smithy in the small village of Craven Meadows, nestled up in the north east end of An' Tir, near Craven Forest. His mother was Lilianna Aldwin, the town's only herbalist. Both died during the First War, when twain was twelve years old.
Siblings: Twain was an only child.
Friends: Twain wasn't exactly a socialite as a child, but did make some notable friends, one of them being Edwin Mountainsong, the young king of An' Tir, who is only a year older than he. Another would be A'alorn Strongjaw, High Chief of the Earthen Drakes. There is also Fenrir, the Dire Wolf alpha male, who has been with Twain for the past eleven years.

Race: Human
Age: 28
Height: 6' 3''
Weight: 250 pounds of trained muscle.
Social Class: Nobility, though he sure as hell doesn't act like it.
Physical Appearance: Tall and broad shouldered, Twain is a fairly handsome young man. He can generally be found with a smile or smirk on his face, depending on his mood. Long brown hair is generally tied back into a ponytail using a dark-green silk ribbon. A well trimmed beard sits on his face, and fiery silvery blue eyes shine out on his face. They do however, change color, dependant upon his mood. He has a decent sized scar on his chest, around the right peck. He got it durring his first mission as a special forces soldier. He had gotten a bit cocky and let his guard down. He makes sure not to now.

Occupation(s): Special Forces soldier and part time blacksmith.
Hobbies: Metal working, training, and spending times with his friends at the best pub in town (in his opinion), the Swine's Beard Tavern.
Property(s): He lives in a wing of the palace in Craven Hollow.
Personal Belongings: Wolf Fang is his sword and most prized possession. He forged it himself, placing a special diamond in at the base of the blade. It amplifies his magical abilities when needed, however rare the occurance. He also has some dress clothes for when Edwin decides he wants Twain to come to some of the fancier events.

Home Area: Northeastern An' Tir
Personality: Kind, Brutally honest, Understanding, Impulsive, Reckless, Unyielding, Playful
Biography: Twain lead a happy life until the First War, something that most people don't even know about. It was arguably the starting point of all the decay, and it all began some sixteen years ago. Once his town was erased off the map, that was the end of all open conflict. The rest of it was cloak and dagger tactics, something he has learned far too much about since joining the forces of An' Tir.

Before he got his training however, he showed natural skill with a blade and magic when he defended his home from an assault by tainted Forest Drakes. It was durring this battle that he met Fenrir and the pack, though his friend was only a pup at the time. Soon Twain, Fenrir, and the girl who would be his wife were moving away from the burning rubble that was their home, going to An' Tir to seek aid and revenge.

Over the years Twain has been to every country, sharing the adventure with several people. Lately however, he has returned home with a pull on his shoulders that wasn't there before. He returned one friend short. His wife and best friend, Theresa, died durring his last mission, and he blames himself. That was three years ago. He's slowly recovering, pulling himself free of the pain he had been in, learning to smile again, as he always used to. He won't let himself be kept down anymore. Whether it's because he's tired of being at the bottom or due to the strange itch in his gut is what he can't figure out.

Fighting Style: A calculated frenzy. He generally strikes quickly and brutally, ending it in one or two blows if he can. If he's fairly well matched he uses his gift of Light to confuse his enemy before moving in for the kill. He also utilizes the Pack, which could arguably be his secret weapon, if it weren't for the fact that the alpha male, Fenrir, is like his best friend and his battle mount.
Preferred Weapons: Sword and Augmentation Magic
Magical Abilities: Strong Augmentational abilities with slight alchemical and projection. He is skilled with placing light in his blade and at times, augmenting his own body with his element.

~The Beginnings of a Hero~

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[Ethan Aldwin]

~Magic System~

There has been some question as to the magic system within this roleplay. I will admit, I did not elaborate on a clear enough level here, as I suspected. I will now elaborate further on the classes of magic, and types that may be used.

~Augmentation~
This is my personal favorite and the one I understand best. Augmentation magic is just as it sounds, using your element to augment something connected to you. For instance, Twain Solemnheart, my character, uses his power of Light to augment his sword when the going gets rough. This causes the three and a half foot long edge of steel to gain attributes of the Light element. The metal may shimmer, glow, or shine of its own account, the apex of which will be the diamond in his sword, to which there is great significance to be explained at a later date.

Augmentation magic is not limited to just weaponry though. It can be employed to nearly anything touching your character's body. For instance, say you are the fire user. It is possible for you to be in a fight and grab hold of someone's weapon. Using your element you can quickly heat the weapon, causing your foe to drop it. This however would be considered godmodding against another player, unless permission is given. If we wind up in a brawl with a bunch of NPCs however, it's fair game. Just a few augmentation examples will follow.

Light: Twain's blade glowing brighter, causing more damage. Light is energy in its purest form. This will allow the blade to slice easier and perhaps even spark when clashing with another weapon or object.
Shadow: Coating a blade or self in shadow, becoming nearly invisible durring the night. Shadow can act as a type of poison when coating a blade.
Earth: Works better with weapons made of wood. Can create barbs that drip poison or acid.
Water: Ice a weapon, so that when it breaks the skin, instant freezing of local tissue occures.
Fire: Cause weaponry or self to catch fire, without harm to self or weapon. Extra damage here is self explanatory.
Wind: Guess who gets a slight electrical charge? Wind. Added weapon damage is easy to understand here.

~Alchemical~
The art of alchemy in this world is about the same as any other. An added feature in this world is that while in transmutation, the alchemist may put a bit of their element into the mix, changing the end product slightly to hold a bit of their own essence and element. Here's and example.

Twain needs to transmute a small ball of bronze into something else. He's out in the middle of no where, and it's dark. The sky is overcast. Little to no light is available. Durring the transmutation, he could easily invoke some of his magical power, causing the new end product, let's saw a staff or something, to glow lightly, giving him just enough light to see, and increasing damage if used as a weapon. It does however, take an extremely large toll on him, since the item will hold the enchantment by itself when away from him for up to a month. While touching him, it will leach from his magical energy, and thereby, his life force. In that one instant it was like he cast a very large spell. He might feel weak at the knees or even sick to his stomach. He may vomit. It's the price of magic. Alchemy also does take energy from the body normally, without elemental addatives. It is very risky to add your element. As stated before, the element will linger in the new item, where in augmentation magic, once you let it go, the object returns to normal.

~Projection~
This is what a lot of us think of when we think magic. It is, by my definition, projecting the element outwards, as in the case of a fire using throwing a fire ball, a water character throwing a spear of ice, earth hurling a boulder, wind causing a gust, you get the idea. This is the second most common class of magic in the world, with a close tail on Augmentation. This requires the caster to put in 100% of their own energy to create the spell. It can be instant or a build up. If you build up you can create larger spells at less of a cost, but if you work instantly, it's a higher cost for a weaker spell, at least in the ratio. Here is an example.

Let's say Twain is fighting against a spell user. The spell user is slowly building up a powerful spell. It is draining his magical ability at a slow and steady rate, but one he can measure. Twain uses only instant spells, which are weak in comparrison, but much faster. They do battle. Twain shoots out blades of light instantly, like throwing knives that fly in a straight line. This takes a quick toll on him, because it instantly saps his energy, without time to recharge. If he keeps this up, exhaustion will quickly overtake him, and he wouldn't get anywhere near the potency of the enemy mage, whose magical energy has the slightest ability to restore itself as he works on the spell. It is a net loss, but not as severe as an instant cast.

~Manipulation~
This is not only the rarest class of magic, but also the most difficult. Here, you literally manipulate the element. Low level spells are easy enough to do, such as taking a camp fire and molding the blaze. However, if your element is more one of spirit than one of a concrete matter, this is a particularly risky field. High level manipulation magic is the most lethal to use. It has strong ties into Augmentation magic at this stage, but you no longer need to be in contact with the object you are working with. For an example, high level Augmentation magic allows you to create high potency concentrations of elemental power in an object. Manipulation magic lets you make that same object out of pure element, right on the spot. This is going to be endgame stuff for the most part.

An example of this can be used in the history of the Three Drakes of Light. The first to come and rise as a Light Drake, Lucien, fought a great battle before his ascension. Durring this battle, he went from wearing only white robes, to becoming encased within reflective armor, made of concentrated element. Not only was there armor, but he also had a large array of weaponry made of pure light, as well as angelic wings. Normally, such a spell would consume nearly the entire body within minutes, leaving nothing but a dried husk. To achieve this form requires the aid of the elemental dragon your element corrisponds with directly, meaning without them there with you, this is not possible. There is no other way, since it simply requires far too much energy.

A forbidden field of this magic may be known as Necromancy, which is only available to the character of Shadows. If you want this power ((necromancy)), you and I will be talking. A lot.

~Added Information~
Most everyone should see this one coming. Crystals play a large part in magic use in this roleplay. Are they required for magic? No. But, they do amplify it. Think about the sun and a magnifying glass. It's the same concept here. Your magical power is the sun and the crystal is the magnifying glass. The higher quality crystal, the more amplification. Crystals can amplify magic up to five times, but most only add a little bit to someone's base power. Quality can be measured in the size and clarity of the crystal. If they are cut, so is the power. Naturally occuring wonders are what make this magical world go round. Crystal types for the elements are as follows.

Light: Diamond
Shadow: Jet
Earth: Emerald
Water: Sapphire
Fire: Ruby
Wind: Topaz
 

[Ethan Aldwin]

~Races~

There are two playable races in this roleplay, the Drakes and the Humans. Human cultures differ from country to country, and Drake cultures from tribe to tribe. Here are some examples. Most of you can probably understand the human culture from the main page, so I will not elaborate further unlessed asked to do so. However, a question has come up about the Drakes. What are they? Well, I'll tell you about my little brain children.

Drakes are a type of mix between Humans and Dragons. They stand on two legs, have a tail, claws, scales, a snout, and fangs. Only the Fire tribes inherently breathe any form of element. Their scales often act as a type of natural armor, rivalling sturdy leather. Clothing is more for the sake of being decent in public than protection. The males are generally the ones who look a bit rougher around the edges, gaining much large spines and crests. The crests of their heads are generally just horns or something of that nature. They aren't too overboard, considering how helmets are indeed a part of their armory. Females tend to be a bit shorter and of lighter build than the males, and have no spikes. They are the only ones who possess the ability to control magic outside of Augmentation and Manipulation. Drake Chieftains however, are gifted by their Dragon, and are allowed to possess both the physical prowess of the males and the magical ability of the females. Outside of the Wind Drakes, they are the only ones who may also grow wings, which they can retract at will, and fly. Fire Drake Chieftains are exclusively male, and Naga Chieftains are exclusively female. Wind, Earth, and Shadow are all equal opportunity employers. There is no Chieftain with the Three Drakes of Light.

~The Map~

Here is a horribly hand drawn map by myself. It is meant more for the book that I am writing than this roleplay, but it will do until I can make a revised copy. There are some things that I ask you to ignore, as they are not in this roleplay. Please ignore all skull marks, claw marks, falcon marks, and fin marks. You'll see them, trust me. The key to the map shall follow.

.... : Dotted Lines - Roads
___ : Solid Lines - Rivers
--- : Dashed Lines - National Borders ((now color coded!))
Crowns - Capital Cities
Hollow Circles - Large Settlements. Small ones are not marked.
Ships - Ports and Port Cities
Diamond Shapes with Cross in Them - Drake Tribes ((long symbal explanation, huh?))
Flat Line with Three Lines Sticking Out of It - Marsh Land
Upside down V's - Mountains
Fuzzy Lines - Forest Areas
Temple Looking Symbols - Temples
Symbol that Looks Kind of Like This, /oI - Ruins ((you'll figure it out...))  

[Ethan Aldwin]

~Weapons System~

There are traditional weapons in this roleplay, but don't let that limit you. Your character is free to use whatever they please, though certain things may amplify your elemental ability or have more cultural significance to your character. Here are some examples.

Earth: The Earth tends to be an overwhelming element when in battle, choosing raw power over speed or accuracy. Suggested weapons here are clubs, maces, warhammers, and staves. Earthen swords tend to be a bit shorter and broader than normal, as well as fairly heavy. Bows are generally kept to the short bow area. Throwing weapons are seen here quite a bit, though it is generally in the form of axes, which tend to get a bit bulky, limiting the number you can carry. Shields are also a large part of the armory, some of them being specially crafted to double as weaponry. Tower shields are not a rare sight.

Fire: Fire tends to be something that is fast and brutal. Weapons in this country are generally light, fast, and sharp. Daggers, swords, and axes are the preffered weapons here. Archery is also a large pastime here. Their bows are second only to that of the Wind nation. Weapons here are made to be held in one hand, and generally come in pairs. Shields are rarely seen, unless made of wicker or some light metal.

Water: The Water nation uses momentum as their weapon, and as such, their fighting styles reflect that. Spears, tridents, chains, and short swords are the traditional weapons here. Nets are also employed, though more in the arenas. They also enjoy using dart weaponry, such as blow dart guns and throwing darts. Shields are used in moderation, and are generally of fair to large size. Think small versions of the Roman shields.

Wind: The Wind nation tends to stick more to a distance, using long bows that can be up to six feet tall. They are master archers. When in close quarters they tend to use metal fans, knives that can be used hand to hand or thrown. Swords tend to be longer and single edged. Shields are a rare thing to see, though when they are, they tend to be more like bucklers, small things that barely cover the forearm.

Light and Shadow: These two elements don't really have any traditional weaponry. Lucien used a sword, and the two after him used a mace and staff, respectively. So, for Light, there is no defined, traditional weaponry. The same can be said for Shadow. The only hint towards weaponry here is that they like being subtle. Hidden things are their love, but it isn't like they don't know how to use a sword or a mace or bow or something. They just prefer to stay hidden, where as those of the Light are much more frontal.