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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 16:39:09 GMT
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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 16:41:28 GMT
INTRODUCTION
"Whenever you see a world full of darkness and suffering, remember that the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows..." —Unknown Hunter, MIA
Welcome to Lantern, a great megalopolis of progress and industry that stands defiant in a world shrouded in darkness and suffering. You will be playing as a member of the Hunters' Order, a special military sect of Lantern that answers directly to the Crown. As a Hunter, it is your job to go beyond Lantern's walls and cull the monster populations so that they may not amass enough power to break Lantern's defenses. You will do this in the form of various bounties offered to you, and your payments will fuel your personal development so you can take on even greater jobs.
The monsters you face are far more powerful than a normal human, but luckily you are no normal human. Lantern's greatest technology will grant you advanced regenerative abilities, a unique form of magic, and powerful weapons at your disposal to level the playing field, though don't let that make you complacent. This job is dangerous, very dangerous. You will be tested, and if you are found lacking you will die. So... What do you say? Will you rise to the challenge?
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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 16:55:48 GMT
THE HUNTERS' CODE
As a Hunter you are bound to the laws of Lantern and the rules of the Hunter's Order. You will obey these rules, or suffer great consequences.
Rule 1 The mods have the right to bend the rules as they see fit. Rule 1a (The head mod (Giantfiredog) has the right to change the rules as they see fit. Changes to rules will be accompanied by an official announcement. People who didn't observe the new rules prior to them changed will not be retroactively punished, for obvious reasons.)
Rule 2 The mods have the final say in any situation— no ifs, ands, or buts. Rule 2a (The head mod (Giantfiredog) has the final final say, and their decisions take precedence over other mods— no ifs, ands, or buts.
Rule 3 Players and mods must both remain civil in all discussions, period.
Rule 4 If a player feels that they have been wrongly treated, they have the right to state their grievances (in a civil manner) in the Coloholics official Discord (If you are not already in the Discord you can PM an admin for a link), and the mods will work with the player in order to try and find a compromise.
Rule 5 Players are required to obey other rules not present in the Hunter's Code, and they must also follow Coloholic's guidelines.
Rule 6 Rule 6 dictates the etiquette and procedure for threads in order to keep them active and functioning. Rule 6a (In a thread with multiple players, they must follow the posting order established in the first round of posts.) Rule 6b (In a thread with multiple players, a given player has five days to respond, after which they will receive a notification. If they do not respond for another five more days, they will be skipped. This time may be adjusted in the event of real life circumstances getting in the way.) Rule 6c (If a given mod does not respond to a thread in ten days, another mod may intervene in their place. They may then decide whether to permanently mod the thread, or simply act temporarily until the original mod is available again.)
Rule 7 No power playing. This includes but is not limited to: God-modding; forcing your actions to be successful and/or others' actions to be unsuccessful; controlling other players' actions; using OOC information your character should not know; or using powers or tools your character does not have access to.
Rule 8 No overtly sexual or excessively gory content. This is a dark fantasy RP and you will see and experience horrific things, but there are limits. This goes for mods too, including the head mod (Giantfiredog).
Rule 9 Please observe some amount of quality in your posts. This means using proper grammar and formatting— If your post is hard to read, you probably need to change it. You must also have substance to your posts, please no one-sentence responses. This goes doubly for mods. The more you give the more you'll get.
Rule 10 Understand the limits of your character's abilities, specifically their Etchings. Etchings alone cannot accomplish huge flashy moves.
Rule 11 Your character has very limited plot armour. You have your vitality to heal you, and that's about it. If you take on an extremely difficult mission above your character's abilities you will probably die, and that's on you.
Rule 12 If you wish for your character to engage in a thread that isn't a mission, contact one of the mods and explain the specifics of the thread you want to do. With their approval they will create the thread. One of the predominant uses of this function is for Hunters to interact outside of the field.
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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 17:05:09 GMT
LANTERN & THE CROWNWelcome to the grand city of Lantern, the last light in a dying world. Our city is a megalopolis of incredible scope, housing many millions of people within the safety of its walls. Our city is a place of innovation, light, and progress, with Essence technology facilitating more possibilities than ever before. We have put in great effort to make our home sustainable, with extensive hydroponics to feed our people and subterranean construction to accommodate our housing needs. Our home is governed by the great King and Queen, collectively known as The Crown. Their word is law, and they work hard to ensure our home is as safe and orderly as possible. With the dedicated work of the City Watch protecting the walls and keeping the peace in the streets, our home is the last bastion of hope and joy, the last bastion of humanity.
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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 17:08:50 GMT
HUNTERS AND THE HUNTERS' ORDER
You are a Hunter, and you serve the Hunters' Order. The Hunters' Order is the fifth sect of the Lantern military (The others being the Undercity Enforcers, Civil Protection, Rampart Watch, and the Royal Guard). Unlike the prior four, the Hunters' Order has autonomy and answers only to the Crown. They have exclusive access to the imperial gates, allowing them and only them to leave and return to Lantern. They use this privilege to accomplish the Order's prime directive:
Cull the monster populations so that they cannot amass enough power to attack Lantern.
The various Hunters in the order are not forced to engage in a specific mission, but rather have access to the Bounty Board (Click HERE to go to the Bounty Board) where they can select missions available to them.
As a Hunter you have access to Lantern's best technology, and you have been trained and infused with magic to enhance you beyond the capabilities of a normal human. You are stronger, faster, and more resilient than a regular human; you have advanced regenerative abilities; you can use a unique form of magic through your Etchings; and you have access to a diverse arsenal of Essence-infused weaponry. All of these serve to aid you in defeating the horrors you face. Remember, however, that no matter how strong you become, there is always some monster out there that you cannot beat.
The Hunters' Order is a well known if a tad nebulous. The Hunters are seen as heroes, guardians of Lantern. Hunters themselves can come from all walks of life, and technically speaking anyone could try and sign up to be a Hunter. Any potential Hunter is vetted and analyzed to see if they can perform in the role. If the officials see potential, then they are brought before the Crown and sign their contract. Being a Hunter pays well, so some may find that alone to be a motivation. Others may want to dedicate their funds to their poor families in the undercity; they may be looking for glory or the thrill of combat; they may want to smite the evil from the world; they may want to save the unfortunate survivors outside of Lantern; or they possibly just want to spill blood and collect trophies to show themselves off as the greatest warrior of the current age. Those are just among a few potential reasons for your own character joining, and you are free to come up with any other motivations that may've brought your character to the Order.
Through difficult to explain processes, Hunters transcend their humanity in a sense. They possess superhuman strength, reflexes, dexterity, and most notably, an extremely potent regenerative ability. Hunters can regenerate entirely lost limbs in minutes or even seconds. These superhuman capabilities allow the Hunters to go toe to toe with the worst the world has to offer. Don't let that make you cocky though, however strong you become, the challenges will always be growing as well.
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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 17:13:37 GMT
REGIONS
The lands outside of Lantern's walls are divided into distinct regions that house unique horrors and challenges. The number of regions are nine in total, but at the start you should only focus on the three safest ones for missions:
The Ring (Manageable)
The land immediately around Lantern has been reduced to barren wastes from war and hunting long past. Few monsters wander here, and those that do aren't especially threatening. The Ring is a good place for a new Hunter to get their feet wet before stepping further out.
The Duskfall Groves (Risky)
These grim woods stretch out for many acres, the leaves dimmed and dying with some even adopting a wispy silver or deathly grey hue. Within the shadowed boughs lie many beastly foes and plantoid horrors.
Orant's Peaks (Risky)
A large range of mountains and rocky valleys that are named after the zealous warriors that live there. These mountains prove perilous in their own right with poor weather, dangerous terrain, and low supplies. Many mystical and eldritch foes stalk the hidden caves and corners in these mountains, though you might find assistance occasionally from Orant's Disciples.
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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 17:15:56 GMT
ESSENCE AND ETCHINGSEssence is the magic system of Dark Essence (Fancy that), and functions differently than more conventional forms of magic. Essence is a glowing, liquid substance that is harvested from Essence Wells, or 'Leylines' as they are often called. It is used as a fuel source to power highly advanced machinery throughout Lantern, including Hunter weapons. Etching is the art of burning Essence into a person's skin in very precise patterns to facilitate the usage of a specific element, I.E. Fire or Ice or Darkness. The practice is almost unanimously performed on one or both arms. Etchings are limited in their power— If you have Fire Etchings you can sling fireballs, but don't expect to be unleashing any huge explosions. Later on you will be able to get Sigils burned into your arm as well, which are limited use but much more powerful abilities. They are further explained in the Advanced Guide. (Click HERE to learn more)
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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 17:29:47 GMT
WEAPONS OF THE ORDERNo Hunter would be complete without a suitable weapon. You will start with standard-issue ones, but later on if you are dissatisfied with your arsenal you can order a completely custom-made one. At the start of your career you will choose either one Dual-Hand option, or two One-Hand options. For hunters who wield ranged weapons that use ammunition, each weapon has an individual ammo allowance and capacity, as well as a price to pay for extra ammunition. Ammo Allowance effectively gives you that amount of ammo for free at the start of each mission. This ammo is not temporary for that mission, you have it permanently. So if you have an allowance of 10 and you complete a mission using only 5, you will start the next mission with 15. Ammo Capacity is self explanatory, it is the maximum number of rounds you can take into a mission. Note that you can own more ammo than the ammo capacity, and if you receive more ammunition during a mission you can also carry more than the cap. Ammo Capacity purely limits the maximum amount of ammunition you can start a mission with. Below is the list of all standard-issue weapons (Which is actually quite a large selection, I'm sure you'll find something that appeals to you) DUAL-HAND OPTIONS
Arborial Punisher (Ammo Allowance: 5) (Ammo Capacity: 25) (Extra Ammo Cost: 4 Imperial Mint) A brutal weapon designed to maximize the effectiveness of one's raw strength. Form One Form one of the Arborial Punisher is a massive quarterstaff, thick and resilient enough to weather incredible impacts. Form Two Form two of the Arborial Punisher is a massive crossbow that fires giant stakes to pierce even the toughest monster armour. Use the crossbow sparingly however, because you can only reasonably carry a handful of shots.
Glaivespinner A serrated weapon designed to rip apart foes with extended range. Form One Form one of the Glaivespinner is a large and razor-sharp glaive polearm. Form Two Form two of the Glaivespinner transforms the upper half of the shaft into a whip-like extension, allowing you to strike enemies from an even further range and crowd control at the cost of precision. The whip can also be used to hook around objects, allowing you to pull enemies or perhaps swing across gaps.
Kindred Blades A pair of longswords that have a unique affinity for one another through the clever application of Essence. Form One The twin blades are sharp enough to cleave straight through flesh like butter. The swords have a larger hilt than normal, which ties into form two... Form Two The blades can be attached at the hilt, joining their Essence together to project larger 'energy' blades from both ends, granting its wielder a brutally effective dual-blade weapon.
Judge and Executioner Lauded by some for its simplicity, this weapon also often holds symbolic importance to the more self-righteous Hunters. Form One Form one is a two-handed hamaxe that gives you plenty of leverage to chop and smash your way to victory. Form Two When needed, the weapon can be split off into a one-handed axe and warhammer respectively, for when speed is preferred over power.
Hordethinner (Ammo Allowance: 30) (Ammo Capacity: 150) (Extra Ammo Cost: 1 Imperial Mint) Few things bring greater satisfaction than bringing low your enemies with a powerful gun. Horderthinner fulfills that fantasy handsomely. Form One Form one is a very large triple-barrel shotgun that fires a shell from each barrel to create a massive spread of shrapnel. It's impossible to miss if you hit everywhere! Costs 3 Ammo per shot. Form Two The Horderthinner can transform into a rotating cannon, focusing shells into singular slug shots that are better at punching through armour. This mode fires at around 360 rounds per minute, or 6 rounds per second. Be mindful that this burns through ammo extremely fast.
Giants' Bane Only the strongest of men can boast the ability to wield the Giants' Bane. Form One Giants' Bane is a massive zweihander with its crossguard sharpened into thick points, allowing one to puncture armour through half-swording. Form Two The hilt of the blade can be greatly extended, turning Giants' Bane into a massive polearm that can cleave through swaths of enemies with ease, though be mindful that with such weight it is difficult to swing rapidly or with precision.
Dragonrend (Ammo Allowance: 15) (Ammo Capacity: 40) (Extra Ammo Cost: 2 Imperial Mint) Dragonrend is wielded by Hunters whom specialize in hybrid ranged and melee combat, seamlessly facilitating both styles. Form One Dragonrend is a pair of large kukri with Essence etchings along their blades. They are sharp and very light, allowing one to weave in impressive and skillful combos. Form Two The kukri can be attacked at the hilt to transform into a compound bow, the Essence in the blades activating to form a 'string' made of energy connecting the tips. Arrows fired from this weapon are propelled by Essence, flying with even greater speed and power. ONE-HAND OPTIONSThe 'Falconer' (Ammo Allowance: 10 Each) (Ammo Capacity: 40 Each) (Extra Ammo Cost: 2 Imperial Mint) A well-crafted falchion blade, with the barrel of a powerful revolver along the backside. This weapon earned its named from a legendary Hunter, whom wielded two of these and had a hawk companion.
New Moon A chakram stylized with Essence runes, it is designed with a central handle used to control its two modes. Form One While held, the chakram revolves around the handle rapidly, working similar to a sawblade to enhance its cutting ability. Form Two The blade can be thrown by detaching itself from the handle. The blade flies like a frisbee as the Essence activates to project its blades in a much larger radius around itself, fantastic for crowd control. After a few moments its Essence deactivates and it flies back to reattach itself to the central handle.
Blood Moon A brutal weapon for a brutal Hunter, this weapon empowers itself by the blood it spills, temporarily growing larger and sharper with each hit that lands. Form One At a baseline, Blood Moon is a large stylized kama, adept for hooking weapons and rapidly cleaving enemies. Form Two The blade of the kama can straighten out into a short sword that is particularly effective for thrusting to pierce armour.
Sunset (Ammo Allowance: 5 Each) (Ammo Capacity: 25 Each) (Extra Ammo Cost: 3 Imperial Mint) A large and powerful hand cannon that can blast enemies with devastating power and range. It is also capable of firing without using ammunition; the 'essence bullets' are a lot less powerful, but because they don't cost anything you can use them rapidly and on demand.
Shadeheart Shadeheart is a large and elegant rapier with Essence runes along its blade. It is in itself a sharp and powerful sword, but it can activate its Essence to leave a searing aftertrail in the wake of its slashes. While empowered any thrusts performed will also perform an energy 'blade' forward, granting it significantly increased range.
Assassin's Bracer (Ammo Allowance: 25) (Ammo Capacity: 100) (Extra Ammo Cost: 1 Imperial Mint) This bracer is a wrist-mounted weapon that compensates for its relatively low individual power by not taking up your hands, allowing you to potentially hold more weapons alongside it, or allowing you to attack enemies while, say, climbing a cliff. Form One The first use of the Assassin's Bracer extends a thick blade out past your fist, bringing a whole new level of pain to your punches. Form Two The Assasin's Bracer can also transform into a small wrist-mounted crossbow that can fire rapidly and on-demand.
Duskrazor A stylized tonfa with Essence runes weaved into its construction, its ends are shaped into wicked points to puncture armour. Its Essence can be activated to project an energy shield out from its long side, allowing this weapon to be a fantastic mix of offense and defense.
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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 17:36:34 GMT
CASH AND EXHAUSTION(AKA The Numbers)Ahhh numbers. Numbers, numbers, numbers, I advertised this RP to have as little numbers as possible. That is still mostly true but alas, some numbers were simply necessary. I assure you the one stat this RP has is very strongly to your benefit. But first... Imperial MintMoney, it makes the world go round. Completing bounties will earn you cash, which you can then invest into upgrades to your equipment, adding to your etchings, and other various things in the shop. There's not gonna be too much complicated here— Prices won't randomly change, you'll know exactly how much money you get from a bounty, and there are no upkeep costs you have to worry about. Any money you have won't be going anywhere unless you choose it to. Regeneration and ExhaustionAll Hunters possess an inhuman ability to heal from wounds. They can regenerate a severed limb in moments, and survive even grievous wounds. However, your regeneration will not keep you going forever. The more beat up you get, the slower you will heal from wounds. This is measured with Exhaustion, the one and only 'stat' Dark Essence has. Using your Sigils and healing from wounds generates Exhaustion. Your ability to heal from wounds becomes slower the more Exhaustion you have, though there is no specific value where 'X Exhaustion means X reduced healing'. Generally speaking once you are reaching the Exhaustion thresholds of your Sigils you can expect your healing to be slower as well. The Exhaustion gained from healing varies greatly depending on how severe the injury was. In contrast, your Sigils have specific Exhaustion measurements. (Click HERE to learn more about Sigils) Lesser Sigils generate Exhaustion and have two Exhaustion thresholds. Once the first threshold is reached the Sigil becomes weaker, and once the second threshold is reached the Lesser Sigil cannot be used at all. Unlike Lesser Sigils, Greater Sigils neither generate Exhaustion nor have Exhaustion thresholds, however they have a very limited number of times they can be used each mission. Now for a few important notes: •~~~~Very small injuries, like scrapes, bruises, or small lacerations, do not generate Exhaustion. This effectively makes your character immune to 'death by a thousand cuts'. You're welcome~~~~•
•~~~~Regeneration will also cure any poisons and disease afflicted to you, generating additional Exhaustion based on severity~~~~•
•~~~~Regeneration does not prevent damage, it just heals it back, so it will not save you from injuries that are immediately fatal (I.E. beheading, stabbed through the heart, etc.)~~~~•
•~~~~Under specific circumstances you may be able to reduce your Exhaustion, such as setting up camp and resting during a long mission. This will be a very case-by-case thing however~~~~•
•~~~~Your current Exhaustion will always be listed at the end of a given post, along with a generalized expectation for your regeneration (Very Fast, Fast, Slow, etc.)~~~~•
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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 17:38:37 GMT
THE BOUNTY BOARD & IMPERIAL MARKETThe Bounty Board(Click HERE to go to the Bounty Board) The Bounty Board is where you will see and select your missions. When you see a mission you want to do, post in the thread what character you are using (You should probably only have one character to start off with, but it's principle) and what mission you are selecting. The way the Bounty Board works is explained in more detail in that thread. The Imperial Market(Click HERE to go to the Imperial Market) The Imperial Market is where you will go to purchase... Well, everything. You can buy equipment, armour, weapon/armour upgrades, and a few others. To buy something, post in the thread what you want to buy, and which character is buying it. It's pretty much that simple, just be sure to double check you have the funds for what you're buying. Once the mod confirms your purchase, they'll edit it into your Contract Profile.
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Post by giantfiredog on Feb 8, 2023 17:48:51 GMT
CHARACTER CREATION
IMPORTANT NOTE (PLEASE READ)
Character creation in Dark Essence is done a little differently than other RPs. First you will fill in this Personal File which holds most of the things you'd normally see in a profile (Name, age, appearance, personality, history, etc.). You will notice that there is no listing for equipment, powers, or other various things like that. That's because, after your Personal File is complete and approved, you will be directed to your Induction Thread. There you will meet the Crown, sign your contract, and choose your etchings/weapon(s). This thread doubles as an RP sample and lets you get a feel for your character before thrusting them into the field. Once the Induction Thread is finished, the mods will make a new profile specifically to contain the rest of the information for easy access, called your 'Contract'. When your Contract is done, you're good to go and can sign up for missions.
With that out of the way, below you will see the Personal File template (Including a code copy at the bottom). CORE INFO( Required) Name: Your character's name. Full name is not required but would be a nice touch. ( Optional) Alias(es): Any nicknames or even titles? ( Required) Gender: Just biological gender please, if they have some other identity put it in the personality section. ( Required) Age: How old is your character? APPEARANCE( Optional) Picture: Have an image you fancy to match your character? ( Required) Physical Traits: How tall is your character? Are they thin or bulky? What is their eye and hair colour? Etc. ( Optional) Clothes/Style: What kind of clothes does your character like to wear? Any piercings or tattoos? Do they have a specific style or favored colour scheme they like to have? PERSONALITY( Required) Outer Persona: What is your character like on the surface? This is the way your character acts around most people and generally reflects what your character acts like most often. ( Optional) Inner Persona: What is your character like below the skin? This is the way your character acts either around the people they trust most, or only when they are alone. ( Required) Core: What is your character like deep down? These are the most essential aspects of who your character is, their values and morals and cares and motivations, what rests beneath their outer and inner personas. BACKGROUND( Required) Summary: A very brief summary of what your character's background is. It could be as simple as "Street Rat' or "Blacksmith Apprentice", or you could make it a sentence or two. ( Optional) History: The specific details of how your character grew up in Lantern are not particularly important to the Crown, but if you feel that your character's past must be described in detail you may do so here. You can reference more in-depth info about Lantern in the Advanced Guide. (Click HERE to learn more) [u]CORE INFO[/u] [b]Name:[/b] [b]Alias(es):[/b] [b]Gender:[/b] [b]Age:[/b]
[u]APPEARANCE[/u] [b]Picture:[/b] [b]Physical Traits:[/b] [b]Clothes/Style:[/b]
[u]PERSONALITY[/u] [b]Outer Persona:[/b] [b]Inner Persona:[/b] [b]Core:[/b]
[u]BACKGROUND[/u] [b]Summary:[/b] [b]History:[/b]
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