RPGTopia

The Earth was not created by God, nor was it made over billions of years as many believe. It was a short, violent process, initiated by the four original elements. Earth, water, air, and fire. Fire and air, and earth and water were the compatible elements - fire and water, and air and earth were not. Water sought to put out the flame, and earth refused to mold to the air's whims. Earth feared the fire would destroy everything and leave nothing unburned. There was balance, and yet there was not. Then, two more elements rose from the clashes between the four - darkness and light. The raw elements were too powerful for their own good - the six would have destroyed one another, and all would have been lost to chaos.

The Elementals - six different types of tribes of magic-wielders - were born from the warring elements. The originals were known as the Raw Powers. Their magic was pure, and they had abilities the Elementals of today can't even begin to dream of. They looked to the forces of nature, which they called Mother Earth, Brother Wind, Sister Moon, and Father Sun, to see if their creations would survive or not, and didn't step in to intervene if it seemed things were grim. After Man evolved, one of the Elementals fell in love with a Man female. One day they were caught while meeting, and they had to flee. But they came back, with a daughter. She was the first half-blood. Half magical, half not, she was still more powerful than any of the Elementals that exist now. And so the magic of the Elementals began to seep into the human population.

It is now the year 2200. Humans have destroyed their own societies through constant war, forcing them to revert to a primal way of life; hunting, gathering, farming, building their own shelters and making their own clothes to survive. The ones humans call Elementals now barely hold a fraction of the power of their ancestors. The reason for that is because the blood, and the magic, has become so mixed with non-magical blood, that the magic has been steadily spreading and decreasing every generation. Some places are nothing but magical, and these places are where the more powerful Elementals are attempting to build their power back up to the level it once was at; in others there is only the rare spark that generates fear among the humans, and causes the new Elemental to flee from the way they're treated there.

There are two races to choose from: human and Elemental.

Elementals are identified by special markings on their skin, specifically on their faces around the left eye. The markings are tribal in design, and their color and shape varies depending on the magic type the Elemental is born with. Deep red stands for fire. Deep blue for water. Blue-green stands for air, and dark green stands for earth. Black and white stand for dark and light respectively. The markings are faint at birth and only start to become apparent when the Elemental is in their mid- to late-teens. How dark (water, darkness, earth, fire) or bright (air, light) the color is is an indication of how powerful the Elemental is. When they're just learning to use their Elements, they look like ordinary humans with faint markings on their eyes. But as they get older and more experienced, more intricate designs appear on their arms and legs, and their irises and pupils gradually fade out to be replaced with the color that stands for their element. Their eye whites change color as well.

[The respective markings can be seen here.]

Each type of Elemental has a unique ability. It is difficult but not impossible for them to learn a little of the other elements as well, as long as the elements are compatible.

Earth Elementals: can mold the earth to their whims. They can grow young plants and add nutrients to the soil to keep their gardens healthy, and they can likewise kill plants by choking the nutrients out of the earth. They can shift rock as well, but this takes quite a bit of effort and concentration. If they so wish, they can learn a little of manipulating water as well, but often shrink away from those who use fire magic, having an instinctive fear of it.

Fire Elementals: can create fire and do with it whatever they wish; bend it into intricate shapes to tell a story, use it to heat a home, clear a field, or simply to burn things. The more powerful fire elementals often have a distinctive color to their flame, be it white, blue, or green. They can learn a little air magic if they so wish, but are vulnerable to water magic.

Water Elementals: can manipulate water as they like, be it by using it to douse a fire, squeezing it out of the earth, moving it into a glass, or freezing or melting it. They've been known to make beautiful ice sculptures. Water Elementals can learn some earth magic, but have a disadvantage against Air Elementals, as air has some ability to push hard enough against water that the water is forced to bend to its will.

Air Elementals: can manipulate the air as they want. They can use it to fan a flame, warm or cool the air in their homes, and often they're able to control the weather to a certain degree. While they can learn some fire magic, they are vulnerable to earth magic as their ability to control air does little against it.

Darkness Elementals: can manipulate the darkness around them to create shapes, which can be used to tell a story or terrify an enemy. They can also drag an enemy into the shadows, where their opponents are virtually helpless and at their mercy. They can learn some light magic, but not much, as they are also vulnerable to it. Darkness Elementals are also vulnerable to ice magic, as it has the potential to freeze them in place so they can't fight to the best of their ability.

Light Elementals: these are the only Elementals able to heal wounds. This is an ability much envied and sought after by humans and other Elemental types alike, and the skill is highly valued among magic-wielders of this type; the better a Light Elemental is at healing, the more respected they are. They are able to create small spheres of light for practical use, or make a blinding flash to stun and temporarily blind enemies. They can learn a little darkness magic, but not much, as they are also vulnerable to it. They also flinch away from fire magic; their ability to heal does little against very severe burns.

Then there are the humans. Humans have very little technology even though it's the year 2200. Their homes and almost all technology has been destroyed by constant wars and bombings which made their previous homes in cities and towns uninhabitable. They split into a few main categories; hunters, farmers, gatherers, seamstresses and builders. Hunters, obviously, are in charge of hunting the local fauna. Farmers grow their own produce and trade some of it for other things such as clothing, herbs, and meat. Gatherers go into the wilds in search of precious herbs that can be used to flavor food, help wounds heal or cure illness, as most medicines have also been destroyed. Builders are the ones who build homes and make sure they are secure enough to live in. And seamstresses are the ones who make the clothing. Children are in no short supply, and most teens begin working at the jobs they like or excel in as soon as they hit their mid-teens.

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Le Rules:

1 ) No player is allowed to kill off another player's character.

2 ) No single sentence posts will be allowed unless they are useful to another player [Such as conversations that need the player being talked to to respond].

3 ) When writing in OOC, you HAVE to include a some writing about your character.

4 ) Powerplaying will not be tolerated.

5 ) No personalities like "Kills everything in his/her path" will be tolerated.

6 ) No arguments will be tolerated.

7 ) No human vs. Elemental wars. Small fights maybe, but remember humans don't have tanks, jets, nukes, etc. anymore, and supplies with which to heal injuries are limited.

8 ) No members participating in the RPG are allowed to have pre-made history with other members' characters without the owner of said character's permission

9 ) If you join as a human, your character CANNOT learn Elemental magic unless one or both of their parents have dormant Elemental blood.

10 ) Post profiles in the profile topic only.

11 ) So long as it is a familiar of an Elemental, there is no reason you cannot have an element-wielding animal for a character. It has to make sense though. [Ex. cat = fire, snake = water, a bird of some type = air, horse = earth, crow = darkness, dove= light.] Firebreathing chickens and rabbits that spit water like llamas, and the like, are not allowed.

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Profiles should be submitted like this:

Name:
Age:
Height:
Gender:
Race: (human or Elemental)
Magic Type: (if an Elemental)
Job: (if a human)
Description:
Personality:

And with that out of the way; let's get started.

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"Again, Ivy." Stryker tucked her black hair behind one ear as she spoke the quiet order. "You're still smothering your flame. Spread your fingers and lift up, moving them a little, like you're playing with a puppet." She demonstrated, moving her fingers as if she were a puppeteer putting on a show, and the small fire in front of her flared a bit. Ivy watched her and tried to imitate her actions. The fire wavered, and rose in height a tiny bit more. "Good. Keep it up." Stryker kept her unusual golden eyes on her student, watching Ivy's progress. Ivy was still a new Elemental; she had a long way to go yet. But she was making slow, steady progress, which was how the best Fire Elementals had gotten started generations before her. Ivy's brow was furrowed with concentration. She was determined to get this right.

Balthazar hung against the wall, still in shackles. He had been here for over a year. This... prison... this dungeon, had been abandoned after he had used his shadow magic to create the images of demons and scare off the old fort's inhabitants. But it used so much of his strength, he had been surviving on bits of dried bread a day, and now, he fed of the shadows himself. But now he felt power in himself again. Now he felt strong. Now, he would be free. Balthazar lifted his head, looked directly at the ceiling, and melted out of the shackles, into the shadows. He was free.

Andrew sat down in his home, his eyes shut, as he slowly rose water from the earth below, bringing it up to his glass. Jared bursted into the room his father was in, making him lose his focus, the water spilling back down onto the ground. "What is it this time, son?" Andrew said, trying to look towards Jared. "Well, I just wanted to show you this new ice sculpture I had created. I'm sorry if I disturbed you, father," Jared replied, his head lowered in dissappointment, looking down at the newly created sculpture of his.

Ivy lowered her hands after a minute. "Are you sure I'm doing this right, Stryker?" She drew the back of her hand across her forehead and let out a sigh. "It feels like the fire's fighting me." Stryker considered that as she summoned a little gust of air to fan the flames, which were beginning to flicker. She added a few dry sticks to their fire and said, "It's fighting you because you're trying to control it. You don't want it to get out of control, because you're afraid you'll hurt someone. So you're fighting the fire and the fire is fighting you." She blinked. Her Elemental markings, much darker and more developed than Ivy's, made her look like something not of Earth with the firelight casting a golden glow over her skin. "Now, try again. Relax your muscles. Feel the fire breathe...and help it grow." Ivy took a deep breath and readied herself to try again.

Balthazar stood looking over seemingly endlass grassy plains, the sun high in the distance. He looked around, hideing his eyes from the bright glare of the sun. He could not longer sustain himself on shadows alone. He needed a meal to replenish his strength. Seing smoke over the horizion, he mounted his shadowsteed and headed in the smoke's direction.

Fraiser side stepped along a leafy branch, his chest puffed out and his head held high. He looked down at the cracked asphalt and concrete that was below him- the ruined husk of what used to be New York city. Its jagged metal and drab gray spires stood in the distance, slightly obscured by a fog that lingered over the city. The eagle Elemental cocked his head as he saw a black cat stalk out from under the ruined remains of a car, holding its body close to the ground, as if it was trying not to be seen. Fraiser blinked a few times and let out a low clicking noise by snapping his beak. The cat's head shot about, its dark gaze locked onto his form. It let out a loud hiss, shadowy tendrils whipping up from its back and flaring like dark flames. A Dark Elemental. Fraiser widened his eyes and let out a loud screech in response, flapping his wings. A breeze blew through the tree and ruffled his feathers, the rustling leaves and his ruffling feathers being a grand display. The cat shot off, disappearing into the shadow of a building. The air became still again and the noise died down, save for the sound of fluttering wings as Fraiser took to the skies...

"So what do you think, eh? Sound like a good plan?" Randy asked his friend. Nabonidus stared up at the Fire Elemental, who was crouching in his tree branch a little above his head. "Since when have your plans ever been good?" he hissed, his voice echoing slightly. Randy glowered at Nabonidus in response. "Look, do you want to get enough money to pay for food or not? Actually, you know what, don't answer that..." Leaping down from the tree, Randy landed in a crouch, before straightening. "Come on, let's go already. Don't worry, I'm sure you won't get TOO many weird stares this time." Nabonidus groaned inwardly, but nonetheless followed Randy into the Fire Elemental village, small wisps of darkness trailing behind him...

Fuhrer Earthrender scanned his area, looking across the beautiful rocky landscape where he lived. What a beautiful place, the elemental thought. The mountainous area was jsut perfect for him: plenty of water, small patches of forest for him to look for food in...... and, to top it off, plenty of earth for him to enjoy. The way he liked it. However, it seemed rather quiet on this day. Fuhrer looked over his shoulder.

"This silence is rather unnerving. It's almsot as quiet as my folk's hut."

Fuhrer chuckled to himself before falling into silence. His parents had been dead for a long time. they were ambushed by some spiteful humans, and he was sent into the wild so they would not find him. He was saddened when he thought of them, but he always remembered what his father said:

"There's never a wrong time to crack a joke."

And did he RULE upon that policy.

Balthazar arrived at a human home, the primitive chimney smokeing furiously. He slowly approached the the shack door, using darkness to pick the lock. He stepped in to see a young woman about his age stareing at him with an expression of pure fear.

Fuhrer stood up after a long period of silence.

"Well, I guess I should go get something to eat... don't wanna lose weight or something. That'd be bad for my intimidating image!"

The bulky man snorts and heads off into a nearby stretch of forest to go and catch himself something to eat...

As the pair moved through the village, Randy glanced around at his surroundings. Most of the people outside seemed to ignore him, and why not? It was obvious he was a Fire Elemental. Nabonidus, however, was a different story. His ghostly form, which seemed to change with even a slight breeze, trailing pure darkness, elicited more than a few curious, and slightly, apprehensive, glances. If Nabonidus noticed, however, he made no sign of it, and followed Randy up to a small hut. The Fire Elemental confidently rapped on the door, saying to Nabonidus, "Let me handle this." If Nabonidus had pupils, he would've rolled them, and he hissed, "Of course, great Randy..."

Balthazar lashed out with his claws, spilling the womans blood across the flood and walls. He smiled wickedly as she fell to the ground, dead. He turned to leave. "Mom?" He spun around to see a little boy standing in the hallway kneeling by his mothers body. The body looked up at him, his face covered in tears and screaming, "What have you done!"
Balthazar Noticed the fire elemental symbowl, clear as day above the boys eye. He took a step towards the boy and wispered "Because, you see, I can do whatever I choose, I am free." And with that, he kicked the boy into the wall with his Runeic boots and watched the boy slump over as he died. Balthazar walked into their kitchen, grab a few dead chickens, mounted his shadowsteed, and went on hisi way back down the plains, leaving the family dead in their little shack.

Fuhrer wanders into the woods, whistling beethoven's 9th symphony to himself as he enters the woods. Using his claw gauntlets, he slices through some shurbbery and collects a few berries along the way. The elemental did not come for just some berries, however: he came for meat. He stopped whistling and walked silently along the thick shrubs. He dove into some bushes, and peeked out of them. There, within his line of sight, was a lone deer. It was eating the plants skewn across the floor, ignorant to the danger nearby. Perfect for Fuhrer's intentions. The elemental began to prepare something on the dumb animal, which was happily munching away at the plants before it....

Andrew soon got up, sighing as he walks past his son, Jared, knowing his way in and out of their home. Jared looks up and turns his head, saying, "father, forgive me for disturbing you. I, forgot you were blind, and thought you wanted to see this," before throwing the sculpture down, breaking it. His father turned his head, sighing again, before speaking up, replying, "Jared, your works have been beautiful since the day you started making them. I watched and helped you all the time, and I know what your works are like. I don't need to see them to know what they are, as long as you can do them, and do make them, I'm proud of you," Jared glaced back over his shoulder, cheering up.

The large eagle swerved over the gray waters of the East river, flapping his wings occasionally as he approached the tower of stone standing in the water, gentle waves bobbing up and down around its base. The tower was a clearly worn structure. Jagged cracks along one side showed that at one time, it was a lot wider, but now it was just a narrow column with bits of metal sticking out where the concrete had been worn away- or blasted away. There was a large platform that looked like the roads on both sides of the tower, facing the two cities across the river, but they were just as damaged as the tower. Rusty metal cables hung down from the spire, disappearing into the water below. Fraiser's taloned feet swung out from underneath him as he reared up, powerful flaps of his wings slowing him down and letting him touch down lightly on the tower's top. It would be hard to believe this tower would have been part of the Brooklyn bridge. Once a spanning icon was now ruins, most of the bridge underneath the waves. The suspension cables of the second, land based tower laid on the ground, trailing the road structure into the river. Along the river, there were ships, rusty metal that rolled with the water. Some had sank, with bits of their bows and sterns breaking the surface. This urban decay was the place Fraiser called home, and he was happy here. Nature started to reclaim the land. Trees had overgrown the city, starting with Central Park, and prey was abundant. Some animals sped up the process, such as the rock bearers, the fire breathers, water wielders and the fellow Air walkers like Fraiser

The earth weilder raises his hands up, a small mound of earth rising up in front of him, maybe standing a foot or so high. He moves his hand back before pushing it forward, sending a ripple of earth towards the deer's legs. The wave slams into the creature like a hammer and it falls onto its side, squealing in pain. Fuhrer lets out a mighty bellow and slams into it before punching it in the head with his clawed gauntlets. The blow peirces its skull and kills it instantly. Fuhrer snorts.

"Looks like he's got a little headache. Hehe....."

the elemental lifts the creature up and flings him over his shoulder, picking up the berries he collected, and heads back to his shack in the mountains...

Stryker looked up, startled at the sudden knock. She stood. "Ivy, stay there," she ordered, walking to the door and adding over her shoulder, "Practice for a bit." She started to reach for the dead bolt, then stopped herself and opened the door as far as she could with the restricting chain, standing in a way that her body blocked their view into the hut. Seeing the Fire Elemental and the Darkness Elemental, she let out a quiet sound of surprise. "Um...what can I do for you gentlemen?" she asked, her unusual golden eyes flicking from one to the other.

Balthazar stood over the body of the human that had just ambushed him. "Pathetic little thing arent you?"
Shocked by the reply the human sat up and screamed "This is for my wife and child you monster!" He slashed out with a steel blade, but Balthazar batted it aside with is claws, smiled evily and said, "Ahh, fulish humans and their silly little emotions." and with that he slit the mans throat.

Randy leaned against the doorframe, smoothing his frazzled-looking hair back and smiling politely at Stryker. "Hey there beautiful! You don't mind if I--" A wisp of darkness suddenly wrapped around the Fire Elemental's mouth, cutting him short. As a shocked Randy struggled madly trying to tear off the muzzle, mumblnig something incoherently, Nabonidus stepped forward. "I apologize for my friend's crude behavior. I am Nabonidus, and that is Randy Crowley," he hissed, dipping his head respectfully. "I couldn't help but overhear something about practice? Perhaps you could elaborate?" Randy stopped struggling by this point, glaring at Nabonidus in irritation, but listening nonetheless. He obviously had an idea...

Fraiser's head perked up at the feeling of water hitting him. It started out randomly, he'd feel droplets hit his back, then splatter on his beak, then he'd hear the pattering of water hitting the tower. He spread his wings and started flapping as the rain fell from the gray clouds looming overhead, lifting off from his perch and soaring back across the river. The creatures of the water would have their fun today, and if this was a storm, so would the creatures of light and darkness.