Paradigm Shift - A Fantasy RP (Interest Call)

[Inumo]

   The crumbling ruins were silent as an old archaeologist wandered among the seamless gray stone. The fallen walls were unlike anything of modern manufacture, but common as ruins went. Still, as the first person to step on this forgotten isle, miles from the Archipelago, he had to be the one to explore it completely. An easy task, as the isle measured no longer than one hundred meters; the sole feature was a small domed structure.
   Inside the building, it was rather barren. Long-forgotten furniture lay collapsed on the floor. A skeleton lay on a pile of rotting wood, presumably what was once a bed. A trapdoor by its foot led down into a tunnel network, and, being curious as archaeologists are, he descended the carved ladder with a chunk of Loxcite to light his way. Below, a short stretch of tunnel, made from the same material as the rest of the ruins, opened up into a large chamber. A cage full of the skeletons of small animals rested in one corner, while in another a patch of dirt was lit by a flickering overhead lamp.
   What drew his attention, however, was a metal table set in the center of the room, where a magical tablet rested. Though they were somewhat common, they always had different texts in Old English upon them. With a light tap, the tablet lit up with black text on a white field. The archaeologist, versed decently in the language, was able to gather enough information to get the meaning of the text... and what it said shocked him.
   The archaeologist stuffed the tablet into an inner coat pocket as he made his way back to the surface. Pausing to drop his archaeologist's marker in the doorway, he walked down the dirt path back to his boat. A small thing, it consisted of a shallow hull with a small cabin towards the aft and a motor. With the refined oil in the engine, he only had to send a small amount of energy into the Card pasted on the block, lighting it on fire and starting the engine. Taking the helm, he aimed back towards the Archipelago, thinking about what the tablet had said.
   According to the ancient literature, there was a world of land farther than the eye could see, of a sky filled with floating white bundles of water, of more animals than could possibly exist. And, most shocking of all, this world was, supposedly, the surface. But that's silly; after all, you're on the surface... aren't you?
   Let's hope the pirates don't get their hands on this, or no one will ever know.



And with that, we have our story. Now, on to the rest of the world!

World

To begin, we have Loxcite. Loxcite is a magical crystal that comes from falling stars. It is used as both an emission-less light and power source, though it is also rare as those stars that do fall often fall far from the Archipelago. The Archipelago is a collection of ten islands a fair distance apart, and the only known location of civilization in the Great Sea, which takes up most of the space outside the Archipelago. Since Loxcite is such a rare item, oil is often used as a replacement light, heat, and energy source.

"Magic"

Next, we have life force channeling, or LFC. LFC is the expenditure or absorption of  life energy to summon fire or ice, respectively. Immediately usable life energy is stored inside a person's soul, though life energy in general can be drawn from close to anywhere into the soul. However, if a person expends too much life energy, on average to the point they only have 65% their normal energy amount, their soul lacks the energy to keep life functions going, and they die. If, on the other hand, a person absorbs too much life energy, on average to the point that they have 1.25 times the normal amount, their soul will explode and wipe them of emotion and drive. Luckily, the soul naturally balances itself out over time. LFC is available to anyone, and can also be used to activate Cards.

Cards are the closest things to magic in this world. They are spells written in ink on slips of paper that are pasted onto other objects to imbue them with magical powers. As such, any person with the proper knowledge of magic runes can make Cards. These powers can range from hardening metal to conjuring fireballs, depending on what is written on the Card. The lengthier (and, usually, more powerful) a card, the more life energy it takes. The effects can also be temporary, where they last as long as the Card isn't deactivated, or permanent, where they last until another Card or factor deactivates the effect, depending on how the Card is written. Cards and also self-deactivate if written as such. When a Card is active, it looks as though the Card's corner is burning, though the Card is never truly burned. A Card is deactivated by the smothering, dousing, or absorption of the not-really-flame.

So, who's interested in joining in? EDIT: Forgot to mention, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[Chairtastic]

Hell to the yes.

[AmberCross]

I am most definitely interested in this. In particular I like the very flexible magic system.

[Inumo]

Glad to see there's some interest. I'll put up a character template if enough people say so too.

[Chairtastic]

Awesome.   Will there be room for factions?

[Inumo]

Er, I'm not too sure I quite follow your question, so I'll answer a couple versions...

"Will there be room for factions on the character sheet?"
Likely not a dedicated location, as they will be less important in this RP compared to Lush Wasteland.

"Will there be room for factions in the world?"
Of course! It's not like living on islands stops society, so factions, interest groups, etc will have arisen by now.

[Chairtastic]

I was actually referring to both, so yay on both counts.

[LionHeart]

What kind of races/species live in this world? (In other words, what races/species are we allowed for characters?)

[Inumo]

There are three races in the world, humans, halfies (singular halfie), and beastlings. Humans are pretty self-explanatory, and beastlings are anthro characters. Halfies are a mixture of the two, similar to catgirls in many animes, though they are open to any animal/gender pairing. Hope that makes sense!