Mystics Apprentice

Interestingly I was actually visualizing Ignis when you described the cane and blindness. I am very intrigued by Jerod's character, though; I look forward to seeing where you take this! Also @Vaude: I'd be ready to move forward whenever you are. Essentially I'm just killing time buddying around with Galla and Hektor, but my characters will be ready to go whenever you are ready to move forward.

I should also add that, unless there is a specific reason that your character is not with a court and you plan this to heavily impact your character, I would highly recommend an affiliation with a court, as it will make integration with the plot a bit smoother, whereas if they were solo we would have to find reasons to get them involved. Not that this isn't impossible, but it will be a lot easier if affiliated. I'll add this to the main description also. Welcome, Echofox! I am glad that you are deciding to give roleplaying a try. I am sure that you'll do great, but if you have any questions along the way I will happily be of help. This is a great character sheet, and Ephraim is indeed accepted. In terms of his background, many of the courts are actually trying to identify why Vivifica has done what they did and communicate with the court rather than prosecute them, so if you wanted Ephraim could still be within Ignis and is searching for answers. I should've mentioned earlier–and I'm going to add it to the OP–but unless you have a specific goal in making him independent, it's probably easiest to have him with a court. Especially with this being your first roleplay, as I intend to make most of the plot revolve around members of the courts, but it is entirely your choice. He can be free of all rule if you so wish. I just wanted to throw that out there!

In a steampunk era of an alternate 19th century, order within the land of Regalia has been ordained by the power of the four courts all following a unified law: Ignis, Somnum, Vivifica, and Umbra. The high priestess, Mabel, acts as an intermediary between them, passing upon her blessings and represents the non-magical folk of Regalia. These four courts are run by mages: individuals gifted with the forbidden art of magic that is both a mystery and a curse to those within Regalia. A mage either lives a life of success and luxury, exalted by the masses within one of the courts, or must struggle to survive in the world on their own, unpracticed and unwieldy. The courts aid a mage in harnessing their raw magic and potential. An untrained mage is both useless and dangerous, and it is very hard for a mage to thrive on their own without a court to affiliate with. If one is found with a lot of magical potential, a court may come and present an offer to the mage, or this individual may go to one of the courts and prove themselves worthy of joining their ranks. For centuries the land of Regalia has known naught but peace and prosperity, thanks to the order driven by the four courts, but what happens when one of them goes rogue? The Vivifica court has cut ties with the other three courts, and has been abandoning the laws and teachings that all the courts have vowed to uphold to. Further, Vivifica has been found dealing with Itika, raw mana found within the Valley of Magic that has been banned from Regalia. What reason could they have for doing this, and will the court have to be abolished? As you dig to answer this question, more questions may begin to unravel, causing you to question the very foundation that you have always known. Technology abounds in Regalia, though it is powered via steam, and it is within the limitations of the 19th century. Guns (and gun blades) are present, as well as electricity, trains, and telephone booths, though cars are yet to be invented. You can be a mage from one of the courts, or perhaps you are a mage who has decided to try to fight the odds and remain independent in the world. You may also not even be gifted with magic, living a normal life in Regalia until something about the courts causes you to change your mode of living for a bit more excitement. Each mage court has its own set of characteristics. Depending on what sort of a mage you are and your morals, you would be best suited for one of the following. While one mage court may specialize in a certain type of magic, it is not required that you be in that court. If your personality, say, fits Umbra but you have healing magic, you could choose Vivifica and not fit int, or you could choose to stay in Umbra because it suits your nature, yet you will not be proficient in healing magic because you are untrained in it. If you are uncertain where your character would best fit you are welcome to leave this field blank and I’d happily choose a good fit. Descriptions for each court are as follows: Ignis: The only court that believes in balance and actively teaches the art of the sword. The Ignis court is among the most duty bound, desirous to bring justice to the world and always do the right thing. Mages in the Ignis court specialize in fire and earth magic, often used to enhance their physical abilities and strength. Umbra: Well-versed in necromancy and dark arts, the Umbra Court believes in living life to the fullest. These mages tend to be more self-centered and cater to their own needs as opposed to helping others. They tend to focus on the pleasures of life rather than have ambitious goals to aid in their society. Vivifica: The mages in this court specialize in white and holy magic, though have skillsets in wind, lightning, and earth magic as well. Their slogan is to bring life to the world through love, and many mages within these houses will go above and beyond to help society, even if it bends or breaks tradition. Somnum: A group that is calm and believes in a life of beauty and restoration. Some believe the Somnum court to be lazy, though this is not particularly true. Somnum possesses some of the most potent mages, specializing in lightning, water, and ice magic and have mastered the art of hypnosis. Status ailments come ready to these mages, making them unseeming yet deadly adversaries. While it is not required that you are affiliated with a court, I would recommend that, unless you have a specific reason why your character isn't in one of the courts, you are apart of one. The reason for this is the central plot will revolve around members of these courts, and it may take a bit of additional work to get your character into the thick of the main plot without an affiliation. Special note: You are welcome to affiliate yourself with Vivifica, and you do not have to be an antagonist to do so. I will be providing additional information to players who are choosing this court, so that they know what your character knows concerning the court's decisions. Below is a character sheet for you to fill to tell me more about your character(s). There is no character limit at this point, though please only create as many characters as you feel that you can handle. Quick note: I am hoping to get characters affiliated with each court. If it seems that too many characters are in one court and not enough in others, I may close out the possibility to join a specific court. Name: Age: Gender: Appearance: Court affiliation (if any): Weapons: Magic: Personality: Background: And last but not least, here are the rules for this game. Please review them, and if you have questions or are uncertain about something feel free to ask. 1.) No god-modding. 2.) No auto-hitting or mass slaughter. This means if you are battling someone don't make your hit automatically meet its target, but rather have it aimed at a player and they choose whether the attack hits or misses. No mass slaughter means don't kill off a bunch of NPCs without permission. 3.) No meta-gaming. This is particularly important for the layout of The Four Courts. Essentially the players and characters know different things from each other, and it is important for the knowledge of the player not to cross over to the character. Having a character possess knowledge of the player and/or make assumptions based on the player's knowledge is considered meta-gaming, for example. 4.) Go with the plot, and please choose a character that fits well with the world and setting. 5.) Original characters only. If you would like to use a canon character please modify them until they are your own creation, and rather inspired by a canon character. 6.) When in a group of other people, please post after everyone in your group has posted, or within one week from your last post. I don't want anyone to fall too far behind. 7.) Keep everything PG-13, please. 8.) Romance is permitted, but again please remember rating restrictions. 9.) Please don't have invincible characters. While you get to choose whether your character is hit by an attack, don't make them avoid everything or else it seems like god-modding. 10.) Some overpowered characters are acceptable in some circumstances. If you have specific questions please ask. I intend for there to be very powerful characters, along with weaker ones, though if your character is too powerful in a fight I may ask you to tone it down. 11.) All KH13 rules apply. 12.) Please try to post at least once a week, though if you will be away please let me know and we will make arrangements for your characters. Should you remain absent for an extended length of time, I reserve the right to utilize your characters as I deem fit for the RP’s progression. 13.) Have fun! If you know me you will know that I love roleplaying, and that I really enjoy seeing stories unfold and characters grow. I try to find ways to incorporate the entire cast into the plot, though you are also welcome to get creative and build your own story as you go along. I have long-term plans for this roleplay and hope to see it flourish, so please expect a long journey should you come aboard The Four Courts. I will draft up some maps, but I want to make them look nicer than the others that I’ve lazily thrown together for previous adventures. I will try to get these up prior to the start of the game. Current players: High Priestess Mabel (Mystics Apprentice) Ignis Maester: Daruk Mordem (Vaude) Ephraim Myrei (EchoFox23*) Vincent S. Watson (Stardustblade358) - non-magic user Arun Roshan (Stardustblade358) Lev Noirtier (Endless Thundaga) Soren Monroe (Nero Kunivas) Henry Heid (Scrapmaster) Shiroo Chickori (NPC - Mystics) Somnum Maestra: Thea Nero Leviathan (Elrandir) Jari Coriander (Vaude) Mellark Crowe (Mystics Apprentice) Kagura Sumeragi (Saber Lily) Luka Rabbi (Heart of Ferria) Mako Koyle (rikunobodyxiii) Vivifica Maestra: Aislinn Nosferi (Mystics Apprentice) Jynn Venas (Endless Thundaga) Zion (Saber Lily) Richter Vanis (Scrapmaster) Elliot Luxmore (Nero Kunivas) Vallery (rikunobodyxiii) Umbra Maester: Gerik Lockford (rikunobodyxiii) Eclaire De Wynter (Saber Lily) Pali Noirtier (Vaude) Eleanor Le Doux, Fierce Shadow (Nero Kunivas) Arkane Gravemore (Stardustblade358) Morpha Gallant (Endless Thundaga) Indies: Arno Cross (Scrapmaster) Gabriel Woods (Nero Kunivas) Tibarn Llang (Mystics Apprentice) Saffron (HeartofFerria) World Map

The mention of blood magic immediately arrested Kolm's attention. He brought his aqua gaze to hers, startled. "How did you know that I use blood magic?" he demanded. His palms were suddenly clammy in his lap, and he instinctively reached for his bandaged arm. "I . . . resolved not to use it. It is dark magic, tainted, and I would not desire to use it upon someone whom I consider a friend." A friend . . . is that what Galla was to him now? Kolm, who had no friends for about as long as he could remember, and even then he regarded Galla cautiously. He clenched his soda can tightly, the metal having given way long ago, and it could not be compacted much more tightly. "If you could go back, and choose whatever form of magic that you could, would necromancy still be your calling?" he asked, voice soft. -------- The apothecary shopkeeper swore under his breath as Rhiannon picked up a particularly expensive brew, plucked off its cork, and gave it a hearty sniff. "No, no, no! no opening the bottles!" He waved his arms frantically at her, sighing as he took note of Hektor and his apologetic nature. "These brews are sensitive. Even opening them and allowing them to permeate can give effects off to the user. Too much liability." "Oh," Rhiannon said, disappointed. She smiled sheepishly toward Hektor, placing the cork back into a bottle and setting it back on the shelf. It was labeled "shrinking." The young woman was rather engrossed in the shelving that she did not even notice the newcomer standing a short distance away, until he addressed them in his question. Would we be? Rhiannon thought to herself, glancing toward Hektor with skepticism. She indeed had never seen him in the Haven before, yet there was something about the man that disconcerted her. She brushed her bangs from her face and offered her gloved hand out before Jerod. "Pleased to meet you! My name is Rhiannon, and this is my, uh, friend, Hektor"–why did she pause?–"I don't think I've seen you around, so welcome to the Haven! May I ask your name?"

@rikunobodyxiii I just took a look at Jerod's appearance, and I think I just realized who I saw: is that dear Noct in his aged state?

I honestly tried to avoid watching trailers, because I was quite concerned that too much would be revealed. I also like to be surprised about most of the content in the game, so I don't even like knowing which worlds are coming. I think their marketing tactic was to get people hooked on the game by feeding tidbits of information over the span of years, growing hype so that people would definitely get the game at release. However, I entirely agree and think too much was revealed–and I haven't even seen all of the trailers!

Kolm's gaze fell to where Galla's traveled: the new combatants entering the arena. He was ashamed to admit that he hadn't even noticed them approach until then. Henry and Lucia appeared with a man he scarcely knew, though he did recall seeing him that morning in the cafeteria, as well as lingering around the Haven every now and again. He returned his attention back onto the necromancer, trying to come to terms with what she'd just said. "So you would have preferred death," Kolm repeated, as though difficult to ascertain. "Forgive me for being blunt, but I do not see how one could look forward to eternal rest, unless you really have a life that is so terrible." Which she might've, Kolm thought, but it was too late: the words had already escaped his lips before he could put a shackle on them. It was a terrible trait of his: speaking his mind before having the chance to fully consider the consequence of being blunt. "I'm sorry," he murmured, turning his face away. "That was inconsiderate. I just . . . have never met someone who would actually be willing to embrace death." (Sorry for the delay; I've been a bit busy)

While Terra from FF6 was not a biological mother, she did care for a good number of children that called her "Mama," and I think she was quite good at it. I think I may have to opt for her (as well as the fact that I cannot think of many video game mothers worthy of recognition, besides Jenova for all the wrong reasons ).

Cloud in a dress It will be interesting to see the entire cast in the new graphics, but personally I am very much looking forward to Tifa. She is perhaps my favorite character from the game, and I will be curious to see how she has changed from the original to suit the new game and graphics.

This might be a rather silly suggestion, and not the most professional, but what about drawing on graph paper and inserting the image here via scan or photo? It might be rudimentary, but it would be a very practical option. As for departure: I am good for it whenever you are ready.

That's an interesting point that you make about it looking a little like Versus XIII's trailers. I don't really remember them, but that's interesting to note that they might be pulling on some older FF content for inspiration. As for switching characters: I really hope that's a possibility. Controlling other characters in one's party is something that I really miss which has been lacking in the more recent FF installments.

Ah, gotcha. I think my imagination of 8+ floors with an escalator was a bit excessive, then. Sorry about that. I can either edit my post, or we can just retcon it if that works for you as well. Thanks for the description! Where do you envision the shop/shopping district to be, and is there a particular layout that Scrap and I should be following for it?

Quick question, and I might've missed it earlier, but is there a particular layout for the Haven that you've designated, or are we free to make things up as we go along?

He watched Galla maintain her distance, though didn't say anything on the matter. It did indeed seem difficult for her to open up, but he wasn't particularly exuding with warmth, either. It seemed they made quite the excellent pair. "You told me once that you hated the Haven," Kolm murmured lowly. "Or something like it. May I ask why it is that you begrudge the higher-ups so, when they did save you from the brink of death?" He blinked, glancing her way before lowering his head. "I'm . . . sorry if this is to sensitive a topic. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." ------ "Most certainly!" Rhiannon beamed, grasping Hektor's arm and tugging him along. Her gaze fell upon Reksis with Ghost at a nearby table, alone, to which she felt obliged to extend an invitation to as well. "Say, Reksis, if you're wanting to kill some time feel free to join us. We'll be in the shopping alley on the eighth floor." Still gripping Hektor's arm, Rhiannon led the gentleman to the descending escalator, releasing him as she stepped upon one of the moving platforms. "If you've never seen the shop I think you'll love it," she stated, leaning an arm casually against the railing as they glided down. "All kinds of weapons and gadgets. There is also an apothecary where there's all sorts of brews for sale that have unique effects during combat. I think I'll get some things with phoenix feathers for our next mission, just in case." Upon their arrival Rhiannon beckoned toward the shop, busying herself with poking through bottles and, much to the dismay of the shopkeeper, cracking open vials to sniff at the contents.

I'm glad that we're finally getting some news on this! It does indeed look lovely, and I'm very excited to learn more. I wonder if the game is still going to come out in installments or if they're planning to release the full game at once. Hopefully the latter, especially with the game taking its sweet time to release. As for the combat system: I kind of feel that it is a mix between Crisis Core and XV, though I agree with @Tails and really hope that they smoothed out the real time combat system from XV. It did feel clunky.

For a moment I got excited thinking that life size Keyblade replicas were being offered. :D. This, though, is seriously not worth it for me. I don't like DLC in general, though, so I'm not sure if my opinion is valid. There's just no way that I could justify spending $4 on one Keyblade.

You should!

I would probably rate the game 7 out of 10. I certainly didn't hate it, and it was fun to play, but it was definitely not my favorite KH game, and not in my top favorite games of all time, either. Gameplay: fun, interesting, and the worlds were more expansive than before with more to do. I honestly loved the addition of Lucky Emblems, because I felt that it rewarded exploration and gave an incentive to truly study and appreciate each world. I really enjoyed the combat system as well, though the attractions were very much overkill in my opinion. Story: was poor, in my opinion, and this is chiefly why I am giving KH3 such a low rating. There was so much potential for so many plots and characters and I feel that they failed in many areas. My main qualms are Kairi falling into the damsel in distress cliche AGAIN, time travel, alternate realities, and Xehanort suddenly becoming the victim. I felt that much of the reunions between characters was also weak and rushed. Overall, there was nothing memorable about KH3's plot for me, and I felt that they undid some of the strong writing that existed in the earlier games. Graphics: Gorgeous. I loved the visuals of each world, and the cutscenes were just amazing. Definitely have no complaints here. In sum, it was really the story that disappointed me. I wasn't expecting anything amazing, but I feel that, despite KH3 being in development for so many years, the game was still rushed and it stood out.

Kolm crushed the can of soda in his hand, musing over Galla's words. "You're very wise," he informed her. "To see things in that way. I'm sure that you'll go far in the Haven with your frame of mind." Strength was not something that he struggled with. True, there was always room to grow, but Kolm's chief concern was the duration of one's stay in the Haven. It seemed that people did not reside there for long, Winona being among the eldest there. But what happened to those who disappeared? No one seemed to quite know the answer, and yet it seemed all too imminent for all of them; one day it would be him, too. He wished to ask Galla more about what she knew concerning the higher ups, but he didn't wish to make her uncomfortable. She had seemed open enough with him back in the Aquafolk village, but he thought too much prying may seem like a red flag. "You did well in our fight," he instead proffered. "I must say, this is the first time that I have fought a necromancer. Your magic is interesting, far different from that of my own." He considered the lengthy bench beside him, before turning to Galla and proffering: "Would you, er, care to sit? Not near me, necessarily, but near enough to speak further, if you wish. I don't believe we're supposed to be leaving the premises just yet, and I've nothing else better to do. I don't precisely make good company for the fellow patrons here." (Will post for Rhiannon after Hektor's post)

I'll be sad to see you go, but I understand. It was fun while it lasted!

Thank you everyone who has participated and joined on this adventure. All of your characters have made great contributions, and none of it would have been the same without each and every one of your characters. Even those who did not finish with us made an impact on the story, which I am very grateful for. I hope that we all RP together again in the near future, whether it be in Elrandir's upcoming sequel, or someone else's RP entirely. You all are the best, and it has been my pleasure weaving this story with you all. Until next time!

Thanks for letting me know, guys. : ). Since this is the official end of the RP I'm not in a huge hurry to wrap things up, so I am okay with waiting for a bit for you guys to finish writing your scenes if everyone agrees that this is the best course of action. I am thinking about possibilities for a future project, though I am not sure when I would start it up (and I don't think Overworld's closure will affect anything) I am, however, going to mark this RP as complete since it is essentially just pending final epilogues from characters. I can't believe that it is actually happening after all of this time. *sniff*. Goodbye, role-play.

I'm writing this out to update you on what Rhiannon's purchasing, but this is also for my reference so I can keep track of their wallets and inventory. Kolm's current wallet: 3500 GP Rhiannon's current wallet: 2900 1400 GP I'll have her purchase: Adamant Weave (bless the weapon with mercury, making the weapon indestructible by normal means) - 1000 coins Phoenix Feather (revives a dead ally, or one's self upon death) - 500 coins

Once the draw had been declared, Kolm's ice dissipated, as did the wounds which troubled him. The mage was left feeling weak, though no longer was he in pain. The memory of pain as all too fresh, however, and he would need to unwind for a bit before he'd be ready to tackle a dragon. He cocked an eyebrow at the necromancer. "Oh, I'm not so sure. I could have gone on for much longer," he bragged, offering her a hand though withdrawing it upon remembering that Galla did not like human contact. Instead he led himself out of the arena, grabbing his trench coat up off the ground as he went. Thankfully it fully mended itself, as had he and the clothing on his back. How the arena managed this, he would likely never know. His drink remained where he'd left it in the stands, to which he polished off the rest of it. The cool liquid did wonders at combating the mental flames that still tormented his body. Dark hair clung to his forehead from having worked up a sweat in combat, getting in his eyes and causing them to sting. "Are you alright?" he asked Galla if/when she approached. "I am sorry that I hurt you. That is something that I loathe about these arena matches. It does not bring me pleasure to see a friend in pain." Especially after my dream, he thought, but he was not going to tell her about that.