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Fire Emblem: The Ruined World OoC (Recruitment Complete)


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The Pitch:
Humanity is on the brink of extinction. Pouring forth from across the sea, masked soldiers have swept across the continent and pushed civilizations to a few small refuges. The cities and fields have been razed, the sun is veiled by ash, and the land has been reclaimed by the monsters of fable. Where did these monstrous forces come from? Have the goddesses abandoned the land? Can the world be saved?

The Maps:

This is a map of the continent of Weal as it once stood:

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This is a map of the continent of Weal as it stands now:

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The World as it Stands:

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The Masked:

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A8ILG0y.pngFeminoids wholly clad in black armor.
They never tire, or hunger, or thirst.
They take prisoners, even the dead and wounded of their raids, yet leave none of their own.
When mortally wounded or even when captured, Masked disintegrate to the reddish powder of dry clay. Even their armor turns to dust.
This has made is quite difficult to see what lies underneath their namesake ornaments.

The Masked do not fight alone. Their invasion is backed by monsters, supposed to have been purged by the four goddesses during the world's formative years. The ruin they leave in their wake is patrolled by these monsters and a few squadrons of their own.

Individual Masked can have vastly different combat abilities. Furthermore, hey appear to have organized into a martial hierarchy based on their intelligence.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Common Masked

Most of the Masked are only slightly smarter than monsters, which are themselves more mindless than most beasts. Their fighting prowess, even their ability to use magic, seems to derive more from an instinct which is not specialized for coordination. They are sometimes called the Low Masked or the Common Masked, but usually just the Masked.

  • High Masked

???

  • Grand Masked

???


The Survivors:

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The once great Cardinal and Auran Empires have been reduced to wastelands, always overcast and gray. After over a century of alternating between peace and war, it was a threat no one anticipated which brought about their ruin, proving too great even for their built up armies.

In a desperate, panicked maneuver, the Cardinal Empire protected a small section of its territory and abandoned the rest. Only this portion remains. Emperor Phillip, merely a figurehead, operates with the nobility from a seaside inn seized by the state. It's treasonously rumored that most of Cardinal was sacrificed while public and military officials saw to their own evacuation. However, these administrators argue that broader efforts would have spread defenses impotently thin.

The barbarians of the Highlands have likely been saved from the fate of the empires by their eternal shield: terrain so mountainous and heavily wooded that no army has been able to invade it. Not even the Masked seem like they are able to overcome this, nor the cunning of warriors so ferocious and familiar with the land and its many shadows.TAty5Ge.png

The Auran fortress of Palisade, built into a mountainside, manages to ward off the Masked and the monsters through their strategic position and the advanced technology of ballista.
Rumors circulate that the city of Haven has been partially preserved by the mythological warrior Tamerlane.

Scattered, nomadic remains of the original population persist. They scavenge the wastelands, hiding away from the Masked in remote fields and smoldering cities. Rings of criminals have repurposed their tactics and escape routes to meet these new challenges, and their protection rackets now face no competition from the state, yet they too live poverty and paranoia.

The Emperor of the Aurans, Mithradates V, is known to have died fighting against an early incursion of the Masked.

His young son Khosrau and his vizier Oborzos are unaccounted for. Another mystery is the whereabouts of the sacred treasure of the Auran Empire's ruling dynasty, a token of their proclaimed divine lineage, a relic said to be able to harness the power of the sun: the Fire Emblem.


The Faith:

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The world of Weal believes in a pantheon of goddess called "the four."

The first day of the first year is set to their awakening. Over the next four years, they were integral in the formation of the world. Famously, they defeated a terrible monster called the Clay Dragon, whose body become the terrestrial sphere (i.e the world), and they purged the remaining monsters from the land.

Each has appointed a human envoy, called a Patron.

The Masked arrived in the 889th year.

It is now the 897th year.

A man claiming to be Charlemagne, patron of Nortia, alleges that his former master is behind the invasion. To repel the Masked, he has performed a ritual to summon powerful warriors from across the continent.

He got you.

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The Mythos

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Cosmogony

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We should be content to never know what came before the four. Who may testify what came before them?

The universe at first held only aether, homogeneous and chaotic. The four determined that the universe be ordered, and so split the aether into the physical arche, light, and the mental arche, mind.

Light they split into mass and form, the ratios of which compose the elements, and set to govern them were Belladonna's strife and the Philotes's harmony.

Mind they split into instinct and reason. From instinct, Ceres formed the vital force which animated all living things, but among them only humans posses reason. As the universe could not exist without the boundary of the Celestial Sphere, so too could reason not exist without the boundary of Nortia's mysteries.

These elements were at first without balance, and from this chaos came the Clay Dragon to wage war against the four, and it cut their flesh; Yet the four overpowered it and slew it, and its body became the land, and its blood became the sea. Yet, still tainted, the remains of the Clay Dragon begat monsters, which lashed out against all other forms of creation. The blood of the four fell to the world, and begat humankind, and the four again waged war alongside humans, and drove out the monsters, and purified the waters and the soil.

By the first day of the fourth year were all these accomplished, and so began the reign of humankind on Weal.

***

Light, when formed, flowed endlessly from a single sphere, which was called by the four the sun. They set it between the edge of the universe and its center, to which Belladonna took, for its light was vigorous. Each day, the sun moves around the world, dragged across the sky behind the flying ship which Belladonna captained in the war against unbalance and monstrosity.

The four, having made the world safe for man, then retreated from the world. They built for themselves a great sphere of silver on which to live, and placed it between the sun and the world, and the realm of its placement was the Lunar Sphere, to which Philotes took, for it was a home and a light in the night, which family and friendship are as well.

-Selections from Empedocles's Divinities

Cosmology

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Untitled.png...the universe is divided into four spheres. In the center is the terrestrial sphere, which is the world on which we live, its seas and the land both...

...the lunar sphere was once empty, but leaving the terrestrial sphere to mortals, the goddesses built a great palace out of silver, that sphere which is the moon, and placed it within the lunar sphere, a realm in which to live and from which to look down and over us. This sphere rotates around the terrestrial sphere once in a period of 30 days...

...the solar sphere, where the sun, wellspring of the physical arche, which is light, is suspended...One full rotation of this sphere around the terrestrial sphere produces one full day...

...the celestial sphere is the boundary of all that is. It is on this sphere that small pieces of the sun have been placed, which are the stars. One full rotation of this sphere around the terrestrial sphere produces one full year...

-Selections from Empedocles's Divinities

Eschatology

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It is better for a man not to be born, for then he will never taste the excitement of life and yearn for it in the afterlife...

...upon death, the soul may wander the land, but may not speak with any other thing, living in total isolation, and frozen in time...

...those who die old are old in death, those who die in battle are pierced in death, but all are numb in death...

So it falls on Hanno, Patron of Philotes, to gather the souls of the dead onto the flying ship in the night, and then sail them to the moon...

...souls on the moon live no more fulfilling an existence, excepting that they may speak to one another when upon the silver surface...
...but a ghost is not an inconvenience to the living whilst there...

...those who, in life, show great valor and courage, sacrificing themselves for others, may enjoy a more splendorous life in the Silver Palace of the four, yet their afterlife is no less endless and repetitive than the common man's, and as is often said, "the dead trample upon silver"...

...a woman who dies in childbirth, deemed by Philotes as having made the greatest sacrifice of self, shall live in the Silver Palace as well...

-Selections from Empedocles's Divinities

Tetratheon

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Each has her own dominion, and it is in their own domain that they may influence the lives of humans...

-Selection from Empedocles's Divinities

The four are powerful beings credited with terraforming the barren world into a fertile realm and driving terrible monsters from it. Each is ascribed powers not only over a realm of human life, but also over one of the cosmological spheres, and is closely associated with a suite in a deck of cards.

Ceres

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Serene and generous, possessing dominion over all forms of weather- rain and wind, calm and storm, even over the power of thunder, blizzards and the tremors of the ground. These lifeless things are under her control, as are many living things. It is by Ceres that plants grow and by her blessing that crops prosper.

It was said by Archelaus that she nurtured from the spiritual arches the magic of Vitalism, that force which moves the living and distinguishes them from the non-living.

Ceres is most popular among farmers, the dominant occupation on the continent. Many mages also favor her due to her mastery of the elements. She is associated with the terrestrial sphere and the spade suite in a deck of cards, the spade being a tool for tilling the ground.

Philotes

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Committed and honest, possessing dominion over all human relationships and interactions. Friendship, the love between lovers, the love between members of the same family, even the common courtesy of strangers, every interaction between us and our fellow men is touched by her hand and improved by her favor.

Any breaker of oaths transgresses against Philotes, but the worst breaker of oaths, adulterers, do so especially, for it is Philotes who ordained for humans the practice of marriage.

Philotes is most popular among merchants, household servants, philosophers, and youths yearning for companionship. She is associated with the lunar sphere and the heard suite in a deck of cards.

Belladonna

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Utterly without cowardice or forethought, unmatched in ferocity or skill in battle. All strife falls under her domain, warfare primarily, but in truth any struggle or contest of strength or skill.

The Aurans believe in this, that Belladonna remained longer amidst mortals than her sisters, and beget with man four daughters of her own, the most favored daughter being named Aura. It is from all four of Belladonna's supposed daughters that the Aurans claim their descent, but it is from Aura alone they take their name.

Belladonna is most popular among among soldiers and mercenaries, but also among hunters and athletes. The majority of ethnic Aurans, regardless of occupation, are loyal to Belladonna. She is associated with the solar sphere and the club suite in a deck of cards, the club being a weapon of war which she is often depicted with.

Nortia

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An impartial and unknowable woman, the gatekeeper who maintains the boundaries of things, which are needful for their existence. Archelaus called her the great limit to mankind, who keeps humanity humble, who brings about the toppling of impervious empires and the rising of inconceivable heroes...

The limit of our reason produces this effect, that while all occurrences have some cause, we cannot know or influence the cause of many of them, and so they appear as random things over which we have no control. As the enforcer of this limit, Nortia is therefore sometimes called the goddess of chaos and luck.

Nortia is not particularly popular among any one occupation, Many see her impartiality as being unconcerned with whether they worship her or not. Though the only goddess to be less popular than her patron, she finds some followers among those who live from moment to moment, submissive to their destiny or limitations.

All depictions of her are veiled, and statues of her have no face underneath. She is associated with the celestial sphere and the diamond suite in a deck of cards.

Hagiography

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...as the histories were weaved, men of great character and talent arose from the race of mortals, and each goddess saw fit to appoint one such man to be an aid to her and their piers from mortality, and so these great men were further elevated, immortalized and empowered by a goddess as her patron...

-Selection from Empedocles's Divinities

Tamerlane
In what is now the city of Hearth, there was a farmer named Tamerlane who took up arms to defend his city against invasion. He demonstrated unparalleled skill as a warrior and tactician, such that he was asked to become king and form a great empire. However, Tamerlane refused and instead returned to his farm, wishing for his city to retain its republican governance and peaceful ways. So noble was he that the goddess Ceres favored him, and Tamerlane became the patron of Ceres in the 87th year.

He is considered the patron of the harvest, often depicted with a great scythe, and is sometimes associated with death, reaping those who have reached their time.

Hanno
There was once a messenger carrying mail by ship from what is now Bight to what is now Delta. A great storm ravaged the vessel he traveled on, and so Hanno pledged his unfailing allegiance to the goddesses should they rescue him. The sky soon cleared, and Hanno kept his promise, becoming a priest and religious scholar. As a reward for his integrity and commitment in keeping his oath, Philotes favored him, and Hanno became the patron of Philotes in the 174th year.

After becoming patron, Hanno took the flying ship and flew to the sun. He then took small pieces from it, which he placed on the edge of the celestial sphere, thus creating the stars so that sailors could use them to navigate at night. He is considered the patron of sailors, navigators, and messengers.

Theodoric
Originally a brilliant metallurgist from the city of Pool, Theodoric was the first to create steel. With Pool being a crossroad between both ends of the continent and not being governed by any strong state, the secret of his technology traveled fast and made him a very rich man. Being greatly impressed by his invention, its strength and its usefulness in warfare, Belladonna favored him, and Theodoric became the patron of Belladonna in the 261st year.

He is considered the patron of metal workers and craftsmen.

Charlemagne
The small city of Origin had a very esteemed academy, and among its minds was the mathematician Charlemagne. His work laid the foundation for game theory. He was also the inventor of card counting, but was almost beaten to death by the staff of the gambling den where he attempted to test his creation, being saved by the intervention of Nortia before he was first struck. For finding a way to "cheat" luck, Nortia favored him, and Charlemagne became the patron of Nortia in the 348th year.

He is considered the patron of good fortune. His popularity is fair among most groups, but mathematicians and gamblers seem to favor him more than most

 

The Nations, as They Once Were

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Geography

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Mount Night
A dormant volcano located within the Cardinal Empire. It last erupted in the 381st year, when it ejected so much smoke and ash that everything for miles was bathed in darkness.


The Ivory Mountains
A mountain range which divides the Cardinal Empire to the west and the Auran Empire to the east, named for the stunning white sides of its peaks. This natural fortification has never been pushed past by a power from the east until the invasion of the Masked. Though several passages exist through the mountains, the Cardinal Empire kept them well guarded, and it was by sailing around the mountains that the invasion of Cardinal began. While the Imperial Cardinal Navy would normally have prevented this, much of the nation's might was pulled back to guard the major cities. Afterwards, the Masked flooded the west and conquered the passages, allowing their numbers to pour through fully.


Ivory Lake
A lake which divides the Ivory Mountains into two. Invaders have tried to cross into Cardinal through this lake, though a small fleet long fended off such attempts. When it had the authority to do so, the Cardinal Empire taxed merchants who shipped goods across the lake. This tax was often paid, as it was easily the quickest trade route between the city of Pool and the Cardinal Empire. After the invasion of the Masked, their crude ships are most all that sails across this small sea. It is fed from the Ivory Mountains, for which it is named.


The Ivory River
A river which drains the Ivory Lake into the sea, passing by several major cities of the Cardinal Empire along the way. This granted it similar importance in shipping to its source lake.


Lake Quell
A massive lake in the center of the continent. It served an important role in trade, with ships delivering cargo from one end to the other, saving days and even weeks of travel time. Wars have been fought over control of the lake for this reason.


The Helices
A pair of mountain ranges which encompass a great river valley. It serves as an impending obstacle to those trying to move quickly along Lake Quell. In the north, its peaks eventually give way to the impenetrable mess of wood and mountain known as the Highlands.


The River Vale
A river located between the two ranges of the Helices. Fed by the melted snow of the mountains and feeding into Lake Quell, the river served an important role in the shipment of goods from the northeast before the invasion of the Masked ended almost all trade.

The Cardinal Empire

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The empire which held the lands west of the Ivory Mountains. Though it was ruled by an emperor, power gradually and long ago shifted to the Oligarchy, a council of statesmen appointed by the governors of major cities to represent their interests. Diverse in its religion and cultures, these territories were united primarily by military conscription and a vague body of imperial law.


Cardinal
The former capital of the Cardinal Empire and the city for which it was named. The city's own name derives from its city square, where a large fountain lies in the center of four gigantic temples, each dedicated to one of the four goddesses and pointed in a different cardinal direction. Nortia's lies to the south, Philotes's to the east, Ceres's to the north, and Belladonna's to the west. Folk tales say the temple of Belladonna is placed either so as to be as far from the Auran peoples as possible, or so that its entrance always faces them. In all likelihood, neither is true, as these temples predate extensive contact between Cardinal and the Aurans.
 

Origin
A small city whose academy, the University of Origin, has trained many of Weal's greatest scholars. In addition to holding an extensive library, the city once tried to conquer the lands west of the Ivory Mountains in the 357th year. Their assault was halted at Cardinal, who then adopted the idea as their own, eventually forming the Cardinal Empire. Despite their military failure, Origin would go on to produce some of the most influential statesman and advisers of the empire's history, and remained a prominent center of learning until the invasion of the Masked.
 

Bight
An important trade hub and the makeshift capital of what remains of the Cardinal Empire. It lies next to Mount Night, whose volcanic soil has long produced rich harvests. As the destruction of Cardinal continued, more and more of its army retreated further and further, surrendering most of the land in fear. Bight now commands half of what Cardinal's army was before the invasion, a strong enough number to hold off the Masked along natural fortifications.


Lode
To the south of the mainland Cardinal Empire lies Red Clay Isle. Named for the red clay which most of its soil consists of, this island holds great mineral wealth. In the 820th year, Lode was established as a colony to oversee mining operations on the island.


Bastion
Located along the shores of Ivory Lake and against the side of the Ivory Mountains, Bastion served as a central component of the Cardinal Empire's border defense ever since said borders reached the mountains. In its prime, it was equal parts encampment and city. Its massive stone barracks held so many soldiers that supplying their needs was sufficient to generate a thriving economy, for both private enterprises and those hired by the state to supply equipment.

The Auran Empire

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A shared ethnic identity is not often a strong concept in Weal, found mainly among one group of peoples. These are the Aurans, native to the lands east of Lake Quell and south of the Helices. Their community is derived from a shared belief in their descent from Belladonna, goddess of war. The idea of a single Auran nation dates back to at least the 101st year, but this dream was only made a reality by the conquests of Medes I, who unified the various Auran city states into an empire, and whose own descendants would expand that empire to include "Vulgar Bloods," those who are not ethnically Auran and therefore have no divine blood.

The Auran Empire had more consistent governance than the Cardinal Empire, and a more consistent culture as a result. The empire's promotion of Belladonna throughout its lands made her popular even among non-Aurans. Centuries of conquests forged a diverse empire. Differing peoples and religions have traditionally been tolerated, even if not entirely advantaged. Though the empire's elite maintain that a descendant of Belladonna should be over all the people of Weal, it has been very common for vulgarbloods, especially conquered monarchs, to be brought into the imperial bureaucracy.

Even before the unification, Auran peoples banned slavery and animal sacrifices. The monarchy of these early city states, seeing themselves as divinely appointed due to their purer blood, engaged in an uncomfortable amount of incest to "preserve" the godliness in their bloodline. While slavery and blood sacrifices are still outlawed, the inbreeding was phased out a few generations after unification, and is now just something the Auran nobles would like you to forget about.

Vulgarblood was once a slur. It was phased out, and then brought back into the common lexicon as a generally inoffensive slang. It is rarely used or taken as seriously derogatory outside of a few small sects, respectively Auran ethno-nationalists or adamant anti-Aurans, who sometimes adopt it as a title of pride.
 

Burnish
The former capital of the Auran Empire. It was considered a small and insignificant city state of backwards idiots before Medes I, Twelfth King of Burnish, launched a military campaign which united the Auran peoples and declared himself the First Emperor of the Aurans. His descendants continued to rule, sometimes nominally, from his original palace until the invasion of the Masked. Patronage brought many great thinkers to the city, though it was always overshadowed by the cultural significance of Hearth.


Hearth
In the 101st year, a small tribal kingdom began raiding its neighbors, capturing their people as slaves, and throwing them into a great fire as a sacrifice to Belladonna. It is said that Belladonna found this so appalling that she descended from the heavens and commanded it to be stopped. The Auran peoples obliged her, and have not kept slaves or made blood sacrifices since that day, or so the story goes. As a symbol of their dedication, the people of Hearth have kept that great fire burning through the centuries. This is the hearth for which the city is named, and it was once guarded by over a hundred soldiers every hour of the day so that miscreant children would not throw rats or bugs into it.

During its prime, it was the undisputed capital of Auran culture, attracting many of its finest artists, scholars, and architects. Though many imperial building projects aimed to bring glory to Burnish, and did, Hearth always demanded the greatest attention and investment. Its strategic location at the mouth of the River Vale and on the shores of Lake Quell granted it extreme commercial importance, with numerous craftsman utilizing raw materials from upstream. Before the conquests of Medes I, it had been assumed that any attempt to unify the Aurans would spring forth from Hearth.


Haven
Named for its extremely defensible location, surrounded by the Helices and the River Vale. Its people lived primarily as farmers and shepherds, producing raw materials that were sent downstream to Hearth. However, it was much harder for finished goods to travel upstream to Haven, so only a small number of merchants truly reaped the benefits of this trade. Though a small city, Haven is larger than the numerous small villas which dot the River Vale's course, the security of its walls attracting many.


Delta
Formerly an important center of commerce located directly south of Lake Quell. Though mountains separate it from the heartland of the former Auran Empire, naval power allowed the unsuspecting city to be conquered early in the Empire's life, with its high hills and marshes keeping it a defensible asset up until the invasion of the Masked. Countless rivers drain from Lake Quell and the surrounding mountains, entering the sea in a delta which the city is built along and named for. Before the invasion, the upstream territories produces bountiful harvests which were exported across the continent, including absurd quantities of rice.


Pool
Pool existed as an independent city state until the 780th year, when it was forcibly turned into a client state of the Cardinal Empire. It was then conquered by the Aurans, taken by Cardinal, reconquered by the Auran Empire in the 861st year, and then overrun by the masked. Pool has always been pulled upon and influenced by numerous outside states, due to its location near the center of the continent. This has been a weakness as well as a strength, with the city becoming an important center for trade. Perhaps more important is how its central location brought together people from all nations, their ideas mixing together and the resulting innovations quickly spreading across the continent.


Palisade
Built into a cliff overlooking Ivory Lake, Palisade is a marvel of engineering and served as the Auran Empire's main defense on the Cardinal border. Not only beautifully decorated, it is so well defended that even the Masked could not overtake it, though its soldiers have been largely contained within the fortress by a ceaseless siege. It was famous for its ballista, which allowed the defenders to remain high above their enemies while still detracting from their numbers. It was commissioned during the third Auro-Cardinal War with the intention of intimidating the Cardinal Empire with both its invulnerability and the beauty of its statues and reliefs.


The Great Gate
Located on an island to the south of the former Auran Empire's heartland. The isle was conquered almost as an afterthought and was the most ignored province due to geographical separation and low strategic importance. The Masked now control it, but its population was always sparse, consisting mainly of native villagers, temporary pilgrims, and shrine keepers. The Gate has no ritual importance, but is still considered a sacred landmark, as it is said to be how the goddesses move between the moon and the terrestrial sphere.

The Highlands

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Writing and temples never took off in the Highlands- for every thousand Highlanders, maybe one will be able to read or write. Having produced very few records of themselves, Highlanders are seen as a mysterious people in a mysterious land. Though the Auran Empire completely surrounded the region, it was deemed too mountainous and too heavily wooded to conquer or administer, and so was left alone while nominally being claimed as a part of imperial territory. The most common speculation about them is perhaps the most truthful- the people live simple, traditional lives in small, isolated villages and tribes. Every ancient practice seems to be maintained by at least one group of Highlanders, including the primitive act of slave raids, though most towns have settled into a lazy peace with each other.

Criminals and anarchists often flee the state's punishment or overbearing authority and go to live in the Highlands, and are very often accepted if they are not too disruptive to the extremely traditional ways. Though full temples are uncommon, piety is still found among the Highlanders. Shrines can be found in the center of towns and at the top of hills, and most villagers are dedicated to a single goddess. Patrons, like temples and writing, never became very popular in the Highlands.

The Nations on Each Other

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The following is from a letter written by an Auran merchant who sold sold rice in Cardinal during a time of peace:

I know that mother has been very worried about the influence of these foreign customs on my well-being. Let her be assured that I remain strong in my faith to Mother Belladonna. These Cardinals are certainly an odd folk, though. Ask one what his people are, and he responds with his city or his family, few of the peasants even know the name of their emperor.

Their names are formed in a peculiar way, to allow them to have more than one. Each person has a given name, but also a family name after that, which comes from their father. Some have yet more names following that- married women have the family name of their husbands, the wealthy have the name of their estate.

They treat drink as a sort of taboo among their children, but are exceedingly indulgent with it among their friends. They drink no beer and become drunk only from the vine. It is often mulled with spices or sweetened with honey- It escapes my mind how anyone can handle so much of such a rich drink, but perhaps they cannot, for many among them become so drunk during festivities as to throw up all they consume.
This lechery, I theorize, is why the men shave their faces, so they neither have to clean their beards nor refrain from such indulgence. Few have more than a week's growth, and some have taken such offense at my beard as to call me barbaric and dirty for having it.

Speaking of wine, I have seen in my travels people who pour wine as well as oil as a libation before every meal, and others who have never made an offering at a temple after many years of life. There seems to be only zealots or atheists among them, and all of them unfaithful in their worship. Even those who do not follow Philotes make their marriage vows under her moon, even if they are supposed followers of Belladonna, who gives them the sun under which to make contract.

Their meals are far too heavy, and lacking in spice or zest. A good lemon cannot be found in this place. Their citrus fruits are small, and hard, and bland.

 

The following journal entry was made by a Cardinal mercenary who fought for Auran monarchy during the Auran Civil War:

They are truly a quaint people, quite amusing in their dullness.

Each of them has a name ending in "S." They do not notice this. Point it out to one of them, and they will neither believe you nor be able to disprove you.

They only have one name, even in their census. Should that one name not be specific enough, as is often the case, they specify with the name of their father or husband or town- a proper family name would do them wonders, but they seem to think the idea an unnecessary and preposterous one.

Their appearances are in such disrepair, whatever attractiveness might be found in their faces is hidden by the dust they too rarely wash off and the hairs they never shave, only trim to what they hilariously call a "reasonable" length.

They manage to make drink boring- they sip at beer throughout the day, but never at wine, and even their young boys and girls do this, yet never do any of them seem to get drunk.

You would at least think such a number of such devout Belladons would have exciting wars, but they are so stoic about it that I'm surprised they don't fall asleep in battle! It is that, not Belladonna's favor, that I suspect is the reason they only fight during the day. Even the vigor of noble Belladonna they seem to forgo to emphasize her role as mother of their people, having her put away the club for the mother bird's perch.

Speaking of Belladonna and mothers, I find it novel that they hold their marriages during the day, under her sun, excepting those few Philoteans among them, who do so properly under the moon. How unfitting, since they seem incapable of having their blood boil enough to have a proper war between husband and wife- the women are so demure, no spunk! Even their dancers, talented beauties though they be, are as dry as boards left in the sun.

That reminds me of an odd quirk of their food, besides their eating so many damned lemons and limes and oranges. Instead of making a proper bread, the cooks for the army just make dough, and leave it to the soldiers to cook it by stretching it across an iron shield and placing it on the fire. It has a nice, chewy texture, but they often ruin it with an overabundance of toppings. Lamb and beef and beets and carrots and cheese and pineapples all at once, the one time something of theirs would benefit from their plainness!

No humor! Oh, my best jokes go over their heads like the arrows of the rebels!

Religious Practice

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In addition to spiritual responsibilities, priests serve as healers, and provide food to the poor and teaching to the illiterate.

Most temples are organized about a large, candlelit prayer chamber. Since temples are found primarily in cities, those living in rural areas make fewer visitations bearing larger offerings. They might also utilize wayside shrines or traveling priests.

Cardinal lets religious practice be handled at a local level. Priests live off of offerings, and the Cardinal army conscripts religious offices. They consider animal sacrifice the most sincere and sacred sort of offering.

The Auran Empire took a more active role in its peoples' religion. The emperor served as head of the church and had the oft-deferred power of appointing important positions within it, and all priests had to undergo standardized certification. Though tolerant of other creeds, the Aurans see themselves as descendants of Belladonna and thus promoted her worship especially. The state built temples to Belladonna and offered tax cuts to those who gave to them. Clergymen in her service received a fixed wage from the empire, though they could also accept offerings. Traveling priests were often paid to patrol certain routes, and martial priesthood was a viable profession.
The Auran Empire strictly prohibited animal sacrifice, though very few Auran priests are vegetarians.

Patrons do not have temples, only shrines, which are sometimes found in a temple of their associated goddess. Animal sacrifices are almost never made to a Patron.

Most people will follow one entity throughout their life, usually the one who most benefits their profession. As most people inherit their parents' trade, they also inherit their faith. To beseech multiple goddesses and patrons is not unheard of, but is considered improper and excessive, with one exception: servants of Ceres might also serve Tamerlane, seeing them as working together to produce and harvest bountiful crops. Shrines to Tamerlane are more commonly found in temples to Ceres compared with other patron-goddess pairs.

 

Additional Information:

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The Auro-Cardinal Wars and Related Historical Events Leading to the Present

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793rd Year-
The Auran Empire under Mithradates II, called "the Iron Emperor," completes its conquests of the lands north of Lake Quell and east of the Ivory Mountains. This is the inevitable moment in which their lands now border those of the Cardinal Empire, which controls the city of Pool and other lands west of the lake. Tensions immediately arise between the two expansionist powers.

796th Year-
The First Auro-Cardinal War breaks out after an attempt by the Auran Empire to enforce taxes on Cardinal vessels traveling Lake Quell.

801st Year-
A peace treaty is signed in which the Cardinal Empire gives up claims to the lands north of Ivory Lake.

827th Year-
The Second Auro-Cardinal War breaks out following the Cardinal Empire seizing control of plains settlements lost during the First Auro-Cardinal War.

834th Year-
A peace treaty is signed, granting the Cardinal Empire restored control over territory lost in the First Auro-Cardinal War, as well as all lands west of Lake Quell.

836th Year-
The embarrassment of the Auran Empire's defeat, combined with mounting taxes, drought, and an increasingly corrupt and obtuse aristocracy, lead to the outbreak of the Auran Civil War. With many of both the local nobles and the peasantry siding against the monarchy, the emperor is short on men, but refuses to higher mercenaries from Cardinal.

837th Year-
Emperor Arses dies in battle against the rebels and is usurped by his young son Mithradates IV the Great. His military and domestic reforms are countless, but included hiring Cardinal mercenaries who had fought against the emperor only a few short years ago. The young monarch manages to reestablish order and some semblance of prosperity.

860th Year-
An aging Mithradates IV takes advantage of a complacent Cardinal Empire and initiates the Third Auro-Cardinal War.

868th Year-
After five years of the front being frozen along the Azure Mountains, a worn down Cardinal Empire declares peace with the Auran Empire, surrendering all land east of said mountains.

Important Historical Figures

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Archelaus (???-???): Nothing is known about him what Empedocles quoted him as saying. He seems to have been a follower of Nortia and was likely contemporary to Empedocles, but it's hard to say for certain.
 

Empedocles (???-381): His birth year is unknown, but he was in his fifties when he died.

He was a young man when Charlemagne was appointed Patron of Nortia, and was inspired by this historic event to record the religious traditions of Weal. The result of years of travel and research was Divinities, a codex considered the definitive source of religious history. Though the original copy is lost, it is the oldest work whose text is preserved in Weal.

Empedocles was a follower of Philotes and a vegetarian, based on posthumous accounts which mocked him for these things and his death. He was a native of Bight, which was a mere town during his lifetime. He refused to evacuate when Mt. Night erupted, believing Philotes would protect him. He died on that day.

The traditional model of morality, as outlined in Divinities, includes four virtues, each associated with a specific goddess. Ceres is compassion, Belladonna is courage, Nortia is impartiality, and Philotes is loyalty. Only by having all four of these virtues, as well as the fifth virtue of piety, can one be considered moral.
 

Roswitha(505-566): A monk who lived near what is now Palisade. She codified many later religious traditions and popularized many theological stances, though her work is considered less definitive than Divinities.

Smaller contributions of hers include finalizing the associations between card suites and deities (which are not mentioned in Divinities) and determining the ship Hanno's ship to be Belladonna's. She also worked on a controversial ethical quandary, the Question of Perfection.

The Question of Perfection asks why the Four are to be venerated when they embody only one virtue and why piety is virtuous if none of them are pious. The idea behind the classical virtues was that they were good because their association with a goddess, so this question was of some importance. Roswitha put forward the idea that being moral meant displaying one virtue and venerating the goddess associated with it, which has achieved moderate popularity among progressive practitioners of hermeneutics.

Controversially among the Aurans, she argued that each daughter of Belladonna had a different father
 

Terrence the Atheist (547-607): A playwright from Cardinal. His heretical beliefs cost him a promising career in civil service, so he turned his education and writing talent to the stage. Despite his disbelief in religious traditions, Terrance was an arch-conservative who blamed religious reinterpretation for the the degradation he perceived in society.
 

Odes (750-797): A religious scholar and ambassador from the Auran Empire who produced the Standard Auran Texts. These are the most recent and comprehensive versions of religious history which were used by the Auran government. Though the events are largely the same as in Divinities, Odes felt it necessary to produce an account which properly credited Belladonna, unlike the Cardinal-derived texts that had been standard up to that point.

According to Odes, Belladonna best embodied each of the four classical virtues. Compassionate and impartial because she remained to aid humanity and could love a human. Loyal by her motherhood and devotion as a wife to one man. In writing the Standard Auran Texts, Odes made very clear that Belladonna's four daughters had one father. He named this man Oxin and standardized the naming of his daughters by Belladonna, the traditions of which varied from region to region.

  • Aura, the divine light (universally agreed upon)
  • Pyre, the light of fire (fairly common throughout the empire at that point)
  • Luster, the sheen of gold and silver (fairly common throughout the empire at that point)
  • Tempest, the light of lightning (still somewhat of a contested pick)

Odes was ambassador to the Cardinal Empire leading up the First Auro-Cardinal War. He was executed for failing to secure a peaceful arrangement between the two nations. Though the war would end up being successful for the Auran Empire, there initially great skepticism about fighting an equally powerful nation.

 

The Gameplay

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Ruined World features several exciting gameplay features. These include an RNG-manipulation mechanic and the ability to give your character a fully unique and customizable personal skill.

***

Charlemagne has no combat ability and does not appear on the map. However, he possesses the ability to manipulate probability, and will be able to operate a Turnwheel once such an item is obtained by the party.

Charlemagne can perform one manipulation each player phase. He may acquire additional manipulators as the campaign progresses.

  • Alteration: Switch between 1 RN and 2 RN (true hit) system
  • Favor: Luck +10 for all units

The Turnwheel can rewind to the beginning of the prior player phase or any previous point after then. It starts with 2 uses per map, which may be increased as the campaign progresses.

***

The equations are based on the GBA games, with a few changes:

Staff experience is no longer halved after promotion
A unit's full luck stat is used in calculating hit, rather than just half
Crit = Skill
Constitution is not present in the Ruined World, so its functions have been transferred to other stats
The weapon triangle provides +2/-2 Damage, rather than +1/-1
The Trinity of Magic has been removed, as there is only tome weapon type
Armored units have the same movement penalties as infantry units
Experience calculations are instead based on FE9

For more detailed information, please consult the spreadsheet.

***

Weapon weight penalties are now calculated using Strength, as in FE9.
Incurred weapon weight penalties reduce not only Speed, but Skill as well.

Rescue is now class-based:

  • Riders can rescue any other class, but cannot be rescued
  • Armors can rescue any class besides Riders
  • Infantry and Specialists can only rescue other infantry and specialists

***

Units who have an S rank in the weapon type they are currently using gain +1 Damage, +5 Hit, and +5 Crit.

Like in FE6, a unit can have multiple S ranks.

Critical Hits, much like Fatal hits, provide x2 wEXP. These effects combined give x3 (rather than x4) wEXP when killing an enemy with a crit.

***

Units now have individual special gauges, which begin at 20 and cap at 100. After a phase in which a unit attacks, their skill stat is added to their special gauge. Gauge points are spent to activate "proc skills", such as Luna and Adept, which are no longer triggered randomly.

***

Casual Mode is on, but may be turned off for your character at your discretion.

***

Support level increases when two characters have made major steps in their relationship. I'll grant them at my discretion, and players can ask if they feel their characters qualify for an additional rank.

  • Fire: +.5 Attack, +2.5 Hit
  • Wind: +.5 Attack, +2.5 Avoid
  • Thunder:  +.5 Defense, +2.5 Avoid
  • Light: +.5 Defense, +2.5 Hit
  • Dark: +2.5 Hit, +2.5 Avoid
  • Steel: +.5 Attack, +.5 Defense

***

The Well Being System:

Certain actions and consumables may benefit or penalize a unit's performance in the next battle. For example, eating a high class lobster dinner may provide +3 skill, +3 resistance, and +2 defense in the next battle. If you sleep in the rain, though, you have a chance of catching a cold, which might inflict penalties of -4 skill, -2 speed, and -2 luck until the character recovers.

***

Progression is chapter based. The actions of the party between maps are up you, the players. Each player has final say over their own character's actions, but coordinated strategy is naturally key to victory.

Character Creation:

Spoiler

Characters are built with base points and growth points.
Base points (BP) are traded for base stats at various exchange rates. Characters receive BP based on their movement class and special abilities.
GP are traded to enhance universal generic growths. 1 GP = +1% in any growth. All characters get 175 GP.
To better understand these points, you may want to look at Steps 4 and 5.

I'll individually assign starting inventories. You can expect a basic weapon suited to your weapon ranks and a Bitter Herb.
All characters start at level 1. Promotion does not reset your level, and the maximum level is 40.

STEP 1: SELECT WEAPON

Choose 1 of Sword, Lance, Axe, Bow, Tome, and Staff

  • If this unit can equip a Sword, Lance, Axe, or Bow, +4 Base Strength
  • If this unit can equip a Tome or Staff, +2 Base Magic

Initial weapon rank in this weapon is D

STEP 2: SELECT CLASS

Infantry: 5 Move, 60 Base Points, 1 Free Skill

Rider: 7 Move, 1 Free Skill. Pick one of the following mount types:

  • Horse
    • Mounted movement, mounted weakness
    • Canto
    • 56 Base Points
  • Pegasus
    • Flying movement, flying weakness, mounted weakness
    • Canto
    • 52 Base Points
    • Res +1
  • Wyvern
    • Flying movement, flying weakness, dragon weakness
    • Canto
    • 52 base points
    • HP +1

Armor: 4 Move, 68 Base Points, 2 Free Skills

Specialist: 6 Move, 48 Base Points, 2 Free Skills

STEP 3: SELECT FREE SKILLS

Vantage: Strike before the enemy when attacked
Positioning: Gain access to Swap, Shove, and Reposition commands
Discipline: +1 base weapon rank in all equipable weapon types
Fortune: Critical hit chance versus this unit is always 0

Spellblade: +7 Magic when using a magic Sword / Lance / Axe / Bow
Shadowgift: Tome users only, can use Dark Tomes
Bow Range +1: Bow-locked units only, +1 range with all bows.

Obstruct: Entering a tile adjacent to this unit costs an enemy unit all of its movement.
Escutcheon: For each allied unit adjacent to this unit, this unit and all adjacent allies receive -2 damage taken
Fury: This unit receives +2 Strength, +2 Magic, +2 Speed, +2 Defense, and +2 Resistance. However, they lose 3 HP after every round of combat.

Sharp Eyes: +5 vision in Fog of War, may provide additional benefits outside of maps
Thievery: This unit may Steal and use Lockpicks

  • Steal: May steal unequipped items from enemies who have a lower attack speed than the total speed of this unit. If stealing a weapon, the unit's speed minus the weight penalty they would incur from that weapon must exceed the enemy's attack speed.

NOTE: You may forfeit a free skill for +2 base points. Armor and Specialist units may forgo both free skills for +4 base points. This is probably not optimal; do so if you don't care for any of the skills.

STEP 4: ENHANCE BASES AND ACQUIRE ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Generic Bases: Everyone starts with these, they are enhanced by spending base points

HP: 16
Str: 0
Mgc: 0
Skl: 3
Spd: 2
Lck: 0
Def: 0
Res: 0

Base Stat Exchange Rates:

1 HP → 1 point
1 Strength → 2 points
1 Magic → 2 points
1 Skill → 1 point
1 Speed → 3 points
1 Luck → 1 point
1 Defense → 3 points
1 Resistance → 2 points

Cost of Skills: Base Points may also be spent to acquire additional abilities

  • Side Arm (4 points): May choose an additional weapon type, starting at E rank.
    • If your primary weapon type is physical and you choose a magical side arm, +2 Magic
    • If your primary weapon type is magical and you choose a physical side arm, +4 strength
  • Wrath (8 points): When this unit's HP is less than half, this unit receives +50 critical hit
  • Adept (5 points): Costs 30 SP to use. Strike one additional time immediately after your first attack.
  • Cancel (5 points): Costs 30 SP to use. The enemy may not counter-attack this battle.
  • Miracle (3 points): The first two battles of each map where this unit would take lethal damage, this unit survives with 1 HP or dodges if already at 1 HP
  • Special Fighter (6 points): Special Gauge begins at 30 at the start of each map
  • SPECIAL SKILL: Refresh
  • Available by request. Gain access to the Dance or an equivalent function. To prevent bard trains, there can only be one. Refresher stats and skill costs will be determined individually, so if you want to play one please let me know.

NOTE: Base Points can also be expended to acquire additional Free Skills at a cost of 3 base points each

STEP 5: ENHANCE GROWTHS

Generic Growths: Everyone starts with these, they are enhanced by spending growth points

HP: 50%
Str: 10%
Mgc: 10%
Skl: 20%
Spd: 20%
Lck: 0%
Def: 15%
Res: 15%

Growth Rate Exchange Rates: Unlike with bases, conversion to growth rates is 1-1, meaning X growth points translates to +X% growth in any stat

STEP 6: DESIGN A PERSONAL SKILL

In addition to free and paid skills, you may design one skill yourself. It can be borrowed from an official game, a special map command, a passive benefit, a unique weapon, or whatever else you feel like. The skill must be approved to ensure it is balanced.

STEP 7: THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT

Write a short biography / description of your character.

NOTE: A character's affinity is chosen by the player from a list of the three affinities which I think best fit their personality.

The Spreadsheet: 

Spoiler

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vfQRpfUEblKHt7l4drvuHbaOD0zN_mE-KHGQj0xOPwI/edit?usp=sharing

This spreadsheet contains information on the weapons and items in the Ruined World. It also contains the combat calculators (and thus the combat formulas).

There will also be a Discord server for planning and coordination, but joining it is optional.

***

So, who wants to save the world?

 

 

@SoulWeaver and @Acacia Sgt have already joined (though their characters aren't yet in the spreadsheet), but we still need 3-4 more players. Post applications here or pm them to me, and I'll pick the ones which work best and we'll start in the next week or so.

If you're interested in joining, you'll need to be able to make at least three short posts a week. These don't need to be long posts- less than one paragraph is plenty and preferable.

Edited by AnonymousSpeed
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I guess I'll give this a shot. I've never really done this before, but no better teacher than experience!

Do I choose a type of magic, (I.E anima, light, dark,) or magic in general? The character I have below will be a dark magic user, but I will correct that if it's wrong. I will be having Shadowgift as my free skill, though.

Also, if we don't have enogh peeps, can I make a second unit? (That seems fairly ambitious for now, but t's worth an ask.)

My character will be an armored dark magic/tome user!

My character's name is Cantus.

Free skills: Shadowgift, Fortune

Affinity: Thunder

Bases:

 HP: 19
Str: 5
Mgc: 8
Skl: 7
Spd: 8
Lck: 3
Def: 4
Res: 3

Growths:

HP: 60%
Str: 15%
Mgc: 75%
Skl: 40%
Spd: 50%
Lck: 0%
Def: 40%
Res: 35%

PERSONAL SKILL: Celerity: Increases mov. by one point, gives users cool boots with fancy designs.

 

My character's biography.

Cantus was born into a middle-class family in Hearth, where he built a close relationship with his family. He was his paren'ts second child, with a sister who was six years older. From a young age, he loved reading, often forgetting to eat or drink while engrossed in his books. He had no friends because of his sheer strageness. He was so engrossed in his reading that he didn't even notice all of the calamities caused by the Masked, only surviving because of the library's remote location. Because of this, he left to study "Fascinating" geological formations of pebbles found in Burnish, never noticing that he was the only living creature he saw or that the villages were all burning. Along the way, while examining the structure of a boulder, he chanced upon a beautiful woman being chased by some Masked, although he only noticed the woman once she ran into him. Her beauty shook him from his aloofness and he realized that he knew little, despite his vast knowledge. Armed with his knowledge of the elder magics, he defeated the Masked with the support of the woman, who was a dancer. In the aftermath of the battle, Cantus realized the woman was close to death, so he journeyed  to the safety of the highlands, where he nursed the woman back to health. The two fell in love and later married while they were both 19, knowing their time was likely short. Cantus's parents survived the Calamity by sheer chance, visiting Cantus's cousins in the highlands. The broken family was brought great joy when they saw that their son had survived, while still mourning the loss of Cantus's sister. They attended his marriage. Cantus and his wife, Scherzo, wanted to make something out of their lives, so they left the highlands once more to attempt to aid the survivors of the calamity.

In short, Cantus is a strong-willed, calm and kind individual, but he is extremely oblivious to other people's social cues. He loves his wife dearly and would do almost anything to protect her. He will often accidentally insult people or talk of things that shouldn't be spoken about in public.

He is about 20, has short, slightly curly hair the color of a crow's feathers. He usually wears a deep green and purple robe given to him by his sister, whose wherabouts are unknown. The last time the family saw her was at her son's first birthday. She was known to be in Lode for her honeymoon when the masked struck. 

Cantus likes reading, non-fiction, fine art, tea, peace and quiet, waltzing and his wife. He dislikes poorly tuned orchestras, lemons, (as in the food,) fanfiction, people who try to hurt his wife and chaotic environments.

Critical quotes:

"Did you know that when Queen Agnes VI was pregnant with Folos II, she had a craving for apples?"

"Not on my watch!"

"For peace! So I can finally study the molecular structure of sodium chloride..."

"I will protect my wife!"

Edited by Benice
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Noelle von Altyna

Noelle was born into a blue blood family in the forests, Noelle's parents sent her and her brother to the church for their own protection(their house was destroyed by the masked). So she swore to the Pantheon that she would get revenge and restore her house. However before she could her and her brother were separated. Noelle would defeat the masked that swarmed her house. She was aided by a knight that she knew when she was a child, after defeating the Masked; the two were married and had two children Aelin and Mako. Her husband stayed behind with their kids while she went to aid those whose houses had fallen.

Noelle is a Wyvern, Staff, Tome Unit

 HP: 20
Str: 6
Mgc: 8
Skl: 8
Spd: 8
Lck: 3
Def: 4
Res: 4

Mov: 4

Affinity: Ice

Personal Skill: Lady of Status ( grants all allies near her +2 damage)

HP: 54%

Str: 60%

Mag: 70%

Skill: 40%

Spd: 60%

Def: 30%

Res: 60%

Free Skills: Vantage, and Spellblade

Edited by PeonyofLeosa Dreamworld
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2 hours ago, PeonyofLeosa Dreamworld said:

HP: 54%

Str: 60%

Mag: 70%

Skill: 40%

Spd: 60%

Def: 30%

Res: 60%

It appears that you missed Luck. If that was intentional, apoligies for bringing that up.

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5 hours ago, PeonyofLeosa Dreamworld said:

Noelle is a Wyvern, Staff, Tome Unit

 HP: 20
Str: 6
Mgc: 8
Skl: 8
Spd: 8
Lck: 3
Def: 4
Res: 4

Mov: 4

Affinity: Ice

Personal Skill: Lady of Status ( grants all allies near her +2 damage)

HP: 54%

Str: 60%

Mag: 70%

Skill: 40%

Spd: 60%

Def: 30%

Res: 60%

Free Skills: Vantage, and Spellblade

 

There's a few small issues that I can see from Noelle's bases and growths. 

  • First, you say she is a wyvern unit but she uses armour movement, so I'm going to assume you meant to have her as an armoured unit. 
  • Second from the bases you gave her you used 70 BP, 2 over the armours limit (if you did intend to use wyvern you used 72 BP (minus 1 HP point from the wyvern skill hp+1 for 69 (nice) BP but +3 BP for using an extra free skill (you selected 2 whereas wyvern only allows for 1, so you get charged the 3 extra BP))) 
  • From my understanding Anon will give you a list of 3 affinities to take based on character personality, which you then pick from (I could be wrong on this one sorry)
  • A characters total growths should equal 315 or less ( 175 from the GP and 140 from the generic growths) but Noelle has 374 total growth (59 more than the limit). You also neglected to mention luck, so I assume it's at 0%
  • Noelle uses two weapon types (staff and tome) yet does not possess the sidearm free skill
  • Noelle has the spellblade free skill despite not being able to wield any weapons capable of activating spellblade (sword, lance, axe or bow), at this moment (which may be something you didn't notice or something you are planning for later, in which case sorry about bringing it up). 

 

Edited by Pengaius
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Wasn't sure if I was supposed to DM this, but unless people object, @AnonymousSpeed, can I try making a refresher unit? (I really shouldn't post on impulse like this.) I don't have intense feelings about it, so if anyone else wanted to make one, I have no problem at all letting my character go.

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6 minutes ago, Benice said:

Wasn't sure if I was supposed to DM this, but unless people object, @AnonymousSpeed, can I try making a refresher unit? (I really shouldn't post on impulse like this.) I don't have intense feelings about it, so if anyone else wanted to make one, I have no problem at all letting my character go.

I suppose I should've mentioned this before; but I already made a Refresher unit.

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35 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

I suppose I should've mentioned this before; but I already made a Refresher unit.

Golly. I guess my above comment was useless. I guess Cantus' waifu will remain an NPC.

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On 2/3/2020 at 2:01 AM, Benice said:

I guess I'll give this a shot. I've never really done this before, but no better teacher than experience!

Straight facts.

On 2/3/2020 at 2:01 AM, Benice said:

Do I choose a type of magic, (I.E anima, light, dark,) or magic in general?

Magic in general. The Ruined World runs off fateswakening tome classifications, so there's one weapon type with a select few tomes that require Shadowgift to use.

***
Some more Bernice specific feedback:

Spoiler
On 2/3/2020 at 2:01 AM, Benice said:

PERSONAL SKILL: Celerity: Increases mov. by two points. (Ths might qualify as broken.)

It is perhaps a bit broken for an armor unit. +1 movement might be fine, but +2 is like taking the disadvantage of an armored unit and instantaneously crushing it into dust.

On 2/3/2020 at 2:01 AM, Benice said:

My character's biography.

Now, I'm always a sucker for seeing more married people in Fire Emblem, but there's a bit of dissonance between this:

On 2/3/2020 at 2:01 AM, Benice said:

Cantus was born into a middle-class family in the highlands. From a young age, he loved reading, often forgetting to eat or drink while engrossed in his books.

And this:

On 2/2/2020 at 5:06 PM, AnonymousSpeed said:

Writing and temples never took off in the Highlands- for every thousand Highlanders, maybe one will be able to read or write.

I'm not saying a Highlander can't know anything about reading or writing, but I want to make sure it's understood that the Highlands aren't a place that's conducive to reading as a hobby.

***

On 2/3/2020 at 12:49 PM, PeonyofLeosa Dreamworld said:

Noelle von Altyna

Personal Skill: Lady of Status ( grants all allies near her +2 damage)

Now, I like this vengeance angle, and I like this personal skill. That said, there are a few problems with the stats and affinity which @Pengaius mentioned (thank you by the way). Ice affinity is not actually present in the Ruined World. Why are her bases the same as Cantus's? I'd also need to know what counts as "near" for Lady of Status. It doesn't seem like it'd be a particularly broken skill regardless, but I would still need to know.

***

23 hours ago, Benice said:

Golly. I guess my above comment was useless. I guess Cantus' waifu will remain an NPC.

I mean unless somebody dies but that won't happen.

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17 minutes ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

but there's a bit of dissonance between this:

On 2/2/2020 at 11:01 PM, Benice said:

Cantus was born into a middle-class family in the highlands. From a young age, he loved reading, often forgetting to eat or drink while engrossed in his books.

And this:

On 2/2/2020 at 2:06 PM, AnonymousSpeed said:

Writing and temples never took off in the Highlands- for every thousand Highlanders, maybe one will be able to read or write.

I'm not saying a Highlander can't know anything about reading or writing, but I want to make sure it's understood that the Highlands aren't a place that's conducive to reading as a hobby.

I was essentially making him a total weirdo whose hunger for knowledge was further fueled by the lack of literacy in the highlands.. I suppose it was a bit of a long shot either way. I don't object to changing it to a different location, though. If you think that it's too far of a long-shot to go for the highlands, I'll change his backstory in my initial post and move it to a different city.

Could I possibly change Celerity to either +1 mov or + 1 mov,  not slowed by forests?

Also, @PeonyofLeosa Dreamworld, since our characters have the literal same bases, do you want me to change mine? It looks like I have renos to do on my character anyway.

(Also, wow, I'm really good at stomping all over everyone else's stuff, aren't I?)

Edited by Benice
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6 minutes ago, Benice said:

Could I possibly change Celerity to either +1 mov or + 1 mov,  not slowed by forests?

No move-penalty in forests sounds like a good alternative, in my opinion. Though without the +1 mov, perhaps.

Unless you are indeed changing him to not be form the Highlands anymore.

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2 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

No move-penalty in forests sounds like a good alternative, in my opinion. Though without the +1 mov, perhaps.

Unless you are indeed changing him to not be form the Highlands anymore.

That would make Celerity a very Meh skill. Of course, it's up to Anon to decide. If that's the case, I'll find another skill for Cantus. Also not entirely sure what that has to do with him currently being from the highlands.

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1 minute ago, Benice said:

That would make Celerity a very Meh skill. Of course, it's up to Anon to decide. If that's the case, I'll find another skill for Cantus. Also not entirely sure what that has to do with him currently being from the highlands.

Well, wouldn't be called Celerity, in that case. It's more akin to Acrobat, though the name might not quite fit.

It's terrain based. The Highlands are a huge patch of harsh terrain. So, basically, those living there would be more knowledgeable about traversing terrain. Basically.

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1 minute ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Well, wouldn't be called Celerity, in that case. It's more akin to Acrobat, though the name might not quite fit.

It's terrain based. The Highlands are a huge patch of harsh terrain. So, basically, those living there would be more knowledgeable about traversing terrain. Basically.

Ooh, that makes sense.I'm not really sure why I didn't think of that. I was thinking perhaps the replacement skill would be something amongst the lines of E"xpeditious learner: Wexp gains are increased by X amount."

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17 minutes ago, Benice said:

Ooh, that makes sense.I'm not really sure why I didn't think of that. I was thinking perhaps the replacement skill would be something amongst the lines of E"xpeditious learner: Wexp gains are increased by X amount."

Well, it was a suggestion.

Your idea also sounds good.

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On 2/3/2020 at 6:39 PM, Pengaius said:

There's a few small issues that I can see from Noelle's bases and growths. 

  • First, you say she is a wyvern unit but she uses armour movement, so I'm going to assume you meant to have her as an armoured unit. 
  • Second from the bases you gave her you used 70 BP, 2 over the armours limit (if you did intend to use wyvern you used 72 BP (minus 1 HP point from the wyvern skill hp+1 for 69 (nice) BP but +3 BP for using an extra free skill (you selected 2 whereas wyvern only allows for 1, so you get charged the 3 extra BP))) 
  • From my understanding Anon will give you a list of 3 affinities to take based on character personality, which you then pick from (I could be wrong on this one sorry)
  • A characters total growths should equal 315 or less ( 175 from the GP and 140 from the generic growths) but Noelle has 374 total growth (59 more than the limit). You also neglected to mention luck, so I assume it's at 0%
  • Noelle uses two weapon types (staff and tome) yet does not possess the sidearm free skill
  • Noelle has the spellblade free skill despite not being able to wield any weapons capable of activating spellblade (sword, lance, axe or bow), at this moment (which may be something you didn't notice or something you are planning for later, in which case sorry about bringing it up). 

 

I don't really know how to do it exactly could someone do it for me?

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3 hours ago, PeonyofLeosa Dreamworld said:

I don't really know how to do it exactly could someone do it for me?

I can, but I'll change it later if you dislike it.

Bases: 

HP: 20
Str: 5
Mgc: 8
Skl: 8
Spd: 8
Lck: 3
Def: 4
Res: 4

Mov: 4

Free skills: Vantage, Obstruct. (I chose obstruct arbitrairily.)

Growths:

 

HP: 50%

Str: 30%

Mag: 60%

Skill: 40%

Spd: 50%

Lck: 0%

Def: 25%

Res: 40%

 

If you want a good Lck growth, your character would look more like this:

 

HP: 50%

Str: 25%

Mag: 60%

Skill: 35%

Spd: 45%

Lck: 35%

Def: 25%

Res: 40%

If you'd prefer for me to make another variation, just let me know and I'll get on it ASAP.

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So. I decided to run some numbers.

On 2/3/2020 at 2:01 AM, Benice said:

HP: 20
Str: 6
Mgc: 8
Skl: 8
Spd: 8
Lck: 3
Def: 4
Res: 4

Unless I'm wrong, this totals up to 70 some base points (4 for HP + 12 for Strength + 16 for Magic + 5 for Skill + 18 for Speed + 3 for Luck + 12 for Defense + 8 for Resistance), which is a bit over the limit.

21 hours ago, Benice said:

I was essentially making him a total weirdo whose hunger for knowledge was further fueled by the lack of literacy in the highlands.. I suppose it was a bit of a long shot either way. I don't object to changing it to a different location, though. If you think that it's too far of a long-shot to go for the highlands, I'll change his backstory in my initial post and move it to a different city.

He seems more Cardinal in character to me. If he's an educated man than an Originite background would fit him.

Have you decided which direction you'd like to take Celerity?

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28 minutes ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

So. I decided to run some numbers.

Unless I'm wrong, this totals up to 70 some base points (4 for HP + 12 for Strength + 16 for Magic + 5 for Skill + 18 for Speed + 3 for Luck + 12 for Defense + 8 for Resistance), which is a bit over the limit.

He seems more Cardinal in character to me. If he's an educated man than an Originite background would fit him.

Have you decided which direction you'd like to take Celerity?

I will fix my bases. I think I'll take Celerity the +1 mov route. If it's not too much, I'll tack on a no movement penalty from forests, but that might be pushing it.

I will change cantus's backstory now.

EDIT: Bases fixes, backstory fixed, Celerity will be fixed when you decide wether the extra "No mov penalty from forests" is broken or no.

I'll make a backstory for his wife if I have time.

 

Edited by Benice
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1 hour ago, Benice said:

EDIT: Bases fixes, backstory fixed, Celerity will be fixed when you decide wether the extra "No mov penalty from forests" is broken or no.

It's an interesting feature, but +1 move is already pretty powerful and I don't think the movement bonus makes as much sense for him when he's not a Highlander anymore.

There are just a couple things I'd like to discuss with you about Cantus and his backstory, if that'd be alright with you. Does the thread or a private message work best for you?

On 2/3/2020 at 2:01 AM, Benice said:

HP: 20
Str: 6
Mgc: 8
Skl: 8
Spd: 8
Lck: 3
Def: 4
Res: 3

Growths:

HP: 60%
Str: 15%
Mgc: 75%
Skl: 40%
Spd: 50%
Lck: 0%
Def: 40%
Res: 35%

That's still 76 BP used, I'm afraid.

Growths check out, though.

On 2/3/2020 at 2:01 AM, Benice said:

He dislikes lemons

What a poor excuse for an Auran.

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11 hours ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

It's an interesting feature, but +1 move is already pretty powerful and I don't think the movement bonus makes as much sense for him when he's not a Highlander anymore.

There are just a couple things I'd like to discuss with you about Cantus and his backstory, if that'd be alright with you. Does the thread or a private message work best for you?

That's still 76 BP used, I'm afraid.

Growths check out, though.

What a poor excuse for an Auran.

Whichever you prefer in terms of contacting me, I'm up for either. I suppose PMs just to avoid cluttering up the thread.

Edit: Bases have been fixed, as has Celerity.

Edited by Benice
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On 2/3/2020 at 2:01 AM, Benice said:

HP: 20
Str: 5
Mgc: 8
Skl: 7
Spd: 7
Lck: 3
Def: 4
Res: 3

BP here works out to 70, which is just two points too high. Celerity is much more acceptable now though.

14 hours ago, Benice said:

Whichever you prefer in terms of contacting me, I'm up for either. I suppose PMs just to avoid cluttering up the thread.

The message has been sent.

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Speaking of Anon's above comment, I have finished your character's build, @PeonyofLeosa Dreamworld

BASES, (this is for an armor, not a wyvern. Let me know if you want to change thta.)

HP: 19
Str: 3
Mgc: 8
Skl: 7
Spd: 6
Lck: 6
Def: 4
Res: 4

Mov: 4

PERSONAL SKILLS: Obstruct, Vantage. (Vantage doesn't really have a point since your character can't wield combat weapons, but it's what you had listed, so I'll keep it for now.)

 

GROWTHS

 

HP: 50%

Str: 20%

Mag: 60%

Skill: 30%

Spd: 50%

Lck: 40%

Def: 20%

Res: 45%

PERSONAL SKILL: Lady of status: Increases damage dealt by allies within three spaces of unit.

I think that about covers it! Let me know if you would like anything changed.

Edited by Benice
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16 hours ago, Benice said:

 

BASES, (this is for an armor, not a wyvern. Let me know if you want to change thta.)

HP: 19
Str: 3
Mgc: 8
Skl: 7
Spd: 6
Lck: 6
Def: 4
Res: 4

 

Since Noelle Has both tome and staff, she MUST have the sidearm skill, (either sidearm: staff or sidearm tome (the weapon chosen as sidearm will hè at E rank, the other will be at D rank) you should probably list that, as it takes up 4 base points, this gives her 64 base points to work from instead of 68

HP cost is 3. Str cost is 6. Mgc cost is 12. Skl cost is 4. Spd cost is 12. Lck cost is 6. Def cost is 12. Res cost is 8. Total cost is 63

Armor base = 68 minus 4 from necessary sidearm = 64 minus 63 from the stat total leaves one BP left over which can be used for one extra HP Skl or Lck point. 

16 hours ago, Benice said:

PERSONAL SKILLS: Obstruct, Vantage. (Vantage doesn't really have a point since your character can't wield combat weapons, but it's what you had listed, so I'll keep it for now.)

@PeonyofLeosa Dreamworld wanted Spellblade + Vantage (also  vantage works on tomes, so it does have practical function straight away, the confusing skill is Spellblade, but I assume that Noelle will get a physical weapon at some point, and spellblade is there for levin weapon synergy.)

16 hours ago, Benice said:

PERSONAL SKILL: Lady of status: Increases damage dealt by allies within three spaces of unit.

Lady of status grants +2 damage as PeonyofLeosaDreamworld said but I do think that 3 range for it works well (ultimately thats up to Anon though) 

 

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