[Interest Check] SoA: In God's Shadow

[Sutoratosu]

"In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos. At the heart of chaos, where all things became one, appeared an Egg. Having tumbled from the vortex, the Egg gave rise to Two..."

-The Original Canalave Papers, Circa 8643 YPA;Church of Arceus Archives

Alright, got your attention? good...good. It's been no secret fact that for quite a while now, these sub forums have been a glorified ghost town, what with fewer than... 3 or 4 RPs barely active at all. Yeah, hasn't been a pretty picture in a long time down here. But, I had myself an idea for a plot, and I had an old world setting lying around just waiting to be re-used, and so...Why-not?

Enough with introductions though, it's time for the pitch

What is SoA: In God's Shadow?

Originally planned to be the title of one of the SoA Anthologies narratives, SoA:iGS, is as some of you may already familiar with the base world, an RP set to take place in the universe created by myself for the Roleplay: Pokemon-Sins of Avalon, and it's subsequent related works intended to go hand and hand with it. Though the original RP and main story-line of the world ended up dying in the end due to lack of resources to continue, I've decided to give the World's History Arc and Setting another shot at some of the limelight again rather than let it sit and gather dust while I take forever to think of more stories for the Anthologies version.

Enter Sins of Avalon: In God's Shadow. Now, as some may recall, long ago, there was a PMD-Style RP on this forum. And as some may recall, I was the one who served as Co-host and day-to-day manager of that RP from nearly it's beginning stages all the way to it's end. Well, despite how it ended, I actually had quite a bit of fun with that RP, and I'm sure those few who stuck around as players did as well according to their feedback at the time. SoA:iGS is another RP in the same vein as that one- A Pokemon Mystery Dungeon styled adventure in which players each take on a player character who is an actual pokemon, rather than a human trainer operating a competitive team. Set after what would've made up the critical events and aftermath of my previous RP, SoA, iGS will see players forced to ban together or die in a post-armageddon world in which the likes of humanity and the gods of old are long since gone, leaving all but those few pokemon still uncorrupted to inherit what is left of the earth.

The Premise

It has been 27 long years since the fall of the human race. Torn apart by a conflict named the Holy War, the world of men was rent in twain and pitted against itself; those who supported the continued reign of the Church of Arceus, and those who sought what they presumed to be freedom, but in was truth merely chains of another guise, by joining the ranks of the clandestine organization known as The Brotherhood. Though the Church had the advantage of countless Arcane Secrets and trained Spectra Manipulators at it's fingers, the heretics within the brotherhood held one far greater still; the art of twisting and warping living creatures into shadow forms of themselves. Their battle was valiant and unflinching, but what they had in raw power, the church waxed ever greater in numbers. Every engagement lost, more and more souls turned their allegiance to the Shade. At every turn most critical, their stratagems countered the instant they were even deployed.

The crusade lasted a full year. In that time, humanity had easily driven itself to the brink of annihilation... until at long last... it was the brotherhood that triumphed- by virtue of sheer force of numbers and level of coordination, if naught else. For truly, despite their might, the church could not replicate a force anywhere near the size of their adversaries... men tossing the Rule of Six to the wind, commanding teams 8,12, even 20 strong at a time, all of them comprised of pokemon twisted and morphed passed the normal limits of their kind... stronger, faster, far more resilient, and with each one converted into darkness, one less for the Church's defenders to rely on.

The world was at last theirs. But the Architects of the Brotherhood truly knew nothing in the grand scheme of things. They were mere pawns in a plan greater than they could fathom, drawing upon a black power that as easily as it delivered them victory, turned it's ugly maw and tore them asunder. All those countless Shadowed Beasts, turning on their handlers, and soon enough, on the piddling remainder of the human race as well.

Until at last, there was nothing and no one... but those valiant pokemon allies of the fallen. Of course however, the gods could not turn a blind eye to this, not anymore... faced with the fact of the complete destruction of God's chosen race, and the consumption threatening to spread beyond the borders of the physical world, but to all of creation as well, they had little choice but to become involved. But too little, too late. They rallied those few uncorrupted who were left, forming enclaves within purified swaths of the wilderness, surrounded by the taint of God's Shadow... fought valiantly, unleashing their true forms and unbridled power... but still, they were not enough. One by one, the enclaves and the patron gods watching over them all fell...

Except for one:

The Enclave at Sky Pillar. Domain of Azauqyar, heavenly lord of the skies... watcher of the Primal Twins, guardian of the balance. One god, several angels, few soldiers... fighting a losing war against a foe greater than all of them.

But though Arceus himself has withdrawn from the world, turned inward in his despair, and his sole surviving son and servants well on the way to joining his siblings... the war is not lost yet. For somewhere in the world, there still shines brightly the 18 Plates of Arceus. Still intact, left by a foe unable to destroy them but sure that regardless, none would dare brave the countless miles of vast, corrupted territory and even vaster, hive-minded armies of The Shade to recover them...

and so our tale begins... or ends. Suicide mission or no... better to die on one's feet than on thy knees.

Specs/Features/Questions

• Set in the SoA universe, using many of the same mechanics and concepts present in other related works
• PCs are Pokemon descended from the uncorrupted partners that survived and fled into hiding after the Holy War
• Players will be allowed to select any member of a Non-legendary, Non-Ditto line of pokemon for their PC (be weary though... while stats won't matter as much here as in say, comp play, simply due to the vastly more inventive and outside-the-box nature of RPing a Pokemon narrative, if you choose a fully evolved form right off the bat, you WILL become the priority target for enemies in most situations as the strongest threat... you have been warned)
• Alpha Status- a Title given to those who overcome immense challenges and survive despite ungodly odds stacked against them, proving they truly are the best and brightest. ((some of you from surge story may be familiar with this mechanic already...))
• Rediscover the lost art of Mega Evolution, or perhaps something even greater...
• Players will be limited to 4 standard (IE; Common) moves, with a 5th "Signiture" move slot which will be unique to each character.
• Signature Move System (Such as those featured in Reborn and Rejuvenation); after a certain point in the story, players will be presented the opportunity to train their own signature attack or status move unlike any other before it (within reason, of course)
• Shadow Mons as enemies- like traditional shadows, they have access to the exclusive, "Shadow" type move pool which hits everything but other shadows for super effective damage... unlike traditional one's though, the raw power coursing in their veins makes them faster, more agile, and harder hitting than their purified counterparts... that Shadow Bidoof you mocked in your last post could well smack the everloving taste out of your mouth. Ya feeling lucky, punk?
• Leveling "Class" System with a Cap potentially exceeding 100 (Leveling rates will likely be accelerated due to the opposition...)

So yeah, there is a rough outline of what I plan for this... so uh... who wants it? anyone? any questions?

[K_H]

I think that, as per usual with your RPs, Ditto will be unusable.

I mean, think about it: the power to become any Pokemon is just too strong for any one Player to control.

In any case, count me in.

Edited July 5, 2016 by K_H

[IntSys]

I'm interested, count me in as well.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

I'll definitely keep my eye on this one. Playing a Pokemon has always been much more interesting to me than playing a trainer with them. LOL. Jsut personal pref and my love for palyign strange thing methinks.~

[Sutoratosu]

I think that, as per usual with your RPs, Ditto will be unusable.

I mean, think about it: the power to become any Pokemon is just too strong for any one Player to control.

In any case, count me in.

oh shit, that's right...

yeah, thanks for reminding me about that... though this time around, I'll honestly have far worse things to use than ditto-shenanigans :feelsgd:

[K_H]

I won't give you any Ideas.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

oh shit, that's right...

yeah, thanks for reminding me about that... though this time around, I'll honestly have far worse things to use than ditto-shenanigans :feelsgd:

I'll just remind you I'm used to evil and shenanigans. I am The Sensei after all~ Feel free to hit me up if you need any help torturing the masses~

[K_H]

oh shit, that's right...

yeah, thanks for reminding me about that... though this time around, I'll honestly have far worse things to use than ditto-shenanigans :feelsgd:

I'll just remind you I'm used to evil and shenanigans. I am The Sensei after all~ Feel free to hit me up if you need any help torturing the masses~

Seeing as I am a veteran of the Battle of Fort Bexley in one form, have survived the utter collapse of normal spacetime in another, have made a bomb threat to a god-like entity without breaking a sweat in a third, have been zapped into an alternate dimension and shapeshifted in a fourth, have both been involved in starting a rebellion and then joined said rebellion in a fifth and sixth respectively, and am currently facing temporal weirdness after getting a second chance in a seventh, I can confidently say that this RP is going to be VERY interesting.

Edited July 5, 2016 by K_H

[starkidcosmo]

This sounds super cool, count me in!

[Commander]

Interested? Hell yes! Will I be able to join? Maybe. Who knows? Gotta do something to at least hone some of my writing skills.

[Strider]

This sounds interesting, but what are the specifics of how this works with the members? I've never done this.

[Sutoratosu]

Seeing as I am a veteran of the Battle of Fort Bexley in one form, have survived the utter collapse of normal spacetime in another, have made a bomb threat to a god-like entity without breaking a sweat in a third, have been zapped into an alternate dimension and shapeshifted in a fourth, have both been involved in starting a rebellion and then joined said rebellion in a fifth and sixth respectively, and am currently facing temporal weirdness after getting a second chance in a seventh, I can confidently say that this RP is going to be VERY interesting.

I literally have no recollection of half the scenarios you're describing... but uh, cool, cool.

So thats, what? 6 maybe? I'll leave this here a few more days to see if anyone else wants in. It's a first for me, but this time around getting the actual OOC thread will be the easiest and quickest part- it's simply getting enough folks interested is the leg work.

EDIT: oh, wait... yup, some of them are coming back now. Except the alt dimension and shapeshifting one...

This sounds interesting, but what are the specifics of how this works with the members? I've never done this.

Well, in an RP, the basic gist of how things is that

One goes to the OOC, or Out of Character Thread- where all the discussions outside of the Roleplays ongoing events take place (so things like questions and comments would go in here, as well as announcements from the host and such) and fills out a character application if they're interested in participating (Most hosts worth their salt will always provide a desired format for prospective players to use). The host then reveiws the app and either approves for play if everything's good and there are open spots, or points out what needs fixing or rejects it for other reasons such as conduct etc.

Once the application process is over, the Host sets up the IC threads, or In Character Threads. These threads are where all the actual plot progress and player interactions take place, using the respective characters created by them.

That's the basic gist of it in a nutshell. Right now though, we're in the Interest check phase still- before I even set up an OOC, I need to know that enough people are interested in the action to make it worth the effort. Once we have enough, I can go ahead and set it up, then start reviewing Applications

[K_H]

I literally have no recollection of half the scenarios you're describing... but uh, cool, cool.

So thats, what? 6 maybe? I'll leave this here a few more days to see if anyone else wants in. It's a first for me, but this time around getting the actual OOC thread will be the easiest and quickest part- it's simply getting enough folks interested is the leg work.

EDIT: oh, wait... yup, some of them are coming back now. Except the alt dimension and shapeshifting one...

I'll give you a hint: You played as a Druddigon who had a grudge against Electric Types in it.

[pbood2]

This sounds cool.

Does it matter if I would be a newbie at RPing? If it doesn't matter, I would love to take part in this since it's pokemon and sounds really cool. I really like the Shadow Pokemon concept and how it's related to XD and Colosseum.

Looks like you have lots of interested people too so I think this should be a successful endeavour so I wish you good luck.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

I realized this is the first time half of your will ahve the misfortune of palying with me as a PC. Mercy on your poor souls~

[Shadow Sketches]

This looks fun, count me in.

[Azeria]

I realized this is the first time half of your will ahve the misfortune of palying with me as a PC. Mercy on your poor souls~

It ain't that bad...or bad at all XD.

I have no idea how you got this done in like...half a day, but mad props to you Strat. Definitely interested.

[Ojama Yellow]

And he managed to pull it off after all, everyone.

When I heard you talk about a mystery dungeon RP in your status, I think this would be the last thing I'd have expected. Well done. I stay by my statement that I probably still won't join, but well done nonetheless.

I've got one question, though. You mentioned that stats 'don't matter as much as in comp play', but what does that mean for things like, say, physical and special moves. Are Pokémon with a higher physical attack in the games still better off using physical attacks? Or is this more anime-based, by which I mean that physical and special attack are merged into one stat, just like physical and special defense?

Also.

I have no idea how you got this done in like...half a day, but mad props to you Strat. Definitely interested.

Half a day.

[Sutoratosu]

It ain't that bad...or bad at all XD.

I have no idea how you got this done in like...half a day, but mad props to you Strat. Definitely interested.

Thanks... but honestly, when you've already got a world set up from previous escapades and an overarching global plotline which only needed to have a certain chunk filled in because it couldn't be written as originally intended... well, the rest of the groundwork just falls into place by itself. I didn't have to worldbuild so much for this one, as much as I had to just fill in the blanks in the timeline and alter the originally intended outcome of the war (Yes, originally, the church was supposed to win, players from the original SoA would've returned to the outside world from the isle of Avalon to find that in a few days on there, 6 months had passed in the outside world and an entire war had been fought, and won due to their actions on the isle...)

And he managed to pull it off after all, everyone.

When I heard you talk about a mystery dungeon RP in your status, I think this would be the last thing I'd have expected. Well done. I stay by my statement that I probably still won't join, but well done nonetheless.

I've got one question, though. You mentioned that stats 'don't matter as much as in comp play', but what does that mean for things like, say, physical and special moves. Are Pokémon with a higher physical attack in the games still better off using physical attacks? Or is this more anime-based, by which I mean that physical and special attack are merged into one stat, just like physical and special defense?

Also.

Half a day.

Oh yeah, that stuff is all still the same, I mean, some mons are just specialized for certain roles by their very natures. Aggrons are great for defense while Garchomps happen to be better at tearing shit apart. What I meant by stats won't matter as much is the rule of thumb I had running while SoA was still active. Here's an Exceprted Part from the old OOC and the mechanics explaining it:

Leveling and Strength Referencing:

We will be using a leveling system. However, like in the anime, it will be a lite system rather than an exact one, with three classes used to determine a pokemon's general power range, and then three sub classes within those classes to get a more specific reference. from time to time, the word "Experience" will be used instead of strength. That is because that both strength and experience increase in direct correlation to one another, and as such, the two essentially mean the same thing.

As a pokemon trains and gains experience through using it's abilities in battle and practicing (Or grows older, whichever comes first), the amount of spectra which surges throughout it's body increases, and for some pokemon, it is necessary for their bodies to take on new forms when a certain amount is reached in order to more efficiently handle the energy. This is the cause for the metamorphic process known as "Evolution".

As a Pokemon rises in strength and experience though, one should obviously note that it takes a greater amount of training and experience to allow it to grow even further along the path of development.

Weak

-The pokemon is weak in terms of overall strength (Equivalent to levels 1-33)

Sub Classes:

Beta Class- Levels 1-11

Delta Class-Levels 12-22

Alpha Class-Levels 23-33

Moderately Powerful

-The pokemon is moderately powerful, capable of feasibly participating in the league cup by the time it hits Alpha class. (equivalent to levels 34-66)

Sub Classes:

Beta-Levels 34-44

Delta-Levels 45-55

Alpha-Levels 56-66

Powerful

-The Pokemon is a powerful individual who should be both feared and respected. Grovel at their feet, you pathetic heathens. (equivalent to levels 67-100.)

Sub Classes:

Beta-Levels 67-77

Delta-Levels 78-88

Alpha-Levels 89-99

Omega Class- Level 100

[side Reference Note: Most Elite Four members' overall teams rank in power between levels in the early 60's to mid 60's ((basically lvl.60-66)Ranking from first to fourth place is determined by actual trainer skill, not level of their time) while most Champions' teams often place from levels 67-77]

[side Note2: Gym Leader, Elite Four Member, and Champion are all just titles given to signify a degree of Skill, as well as other certain virtues sought for by the league. Ergo, It is well within the realm of possibility for any ordinary individual not involved in the league to have a team of partners potentially as strong (or even stronger) as theirs... their actual level of comparative Skill as a trainer though, is another matter altogether though. Basically, possessing raw power is not the same as knowing how to most efficiently wield it.]

Again though, like the anime, this system will be used purely for reference reasons and only be used very loosely as an actual, active part of the plot.

"Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled Trainers should try to win with the Pokémon they love best."

-Karen, of the Indigo Elite Four

Base Statistics for each Pokemon species will have somewhat less significance here than in the games. As often portrayed in the anime, Fights will come down to skill, experience (which directly correlates to strength here), creativity, and strategy rather than just sending out something and having it OHKO everything in sight. What this means is that if 2 pokemon are at or near the same level of the above mentioned strength scale, and neither of them has an inherent type advantage or disadvantage to the opponent, then both sides should be able to stand at least a somewhat decent chance against the other. Sweeps are going to be borderline impossible unless the opponent is either at a far higher level or one's entire team is at a horrible, horrible typing disadvantage.

So... something like a pikachu beating a Dragonite? It can happen, if the two are equal in experience (strength)

Spectra, Spectracite, and Technology:

Spectra:

Spectra is the source of all life on the planet; it is the vast amount of energy and power constantly flowing through the world at all times, the planet's very own raw life force, which it lends to organisms in order to allow them to sustain their own functions. When living organisms are born, such as plants, pokemon, and even people, their soul enters the mortal world from the gates of the spirit world, and are infused with some of the planet's life force to use as their own. When they die, their souls return to the spirit world to be born again some day, and the life force they were given at birth returns to the earth, to be given to a new soul, thus completing the natural cycle.

Pokemon are creatures which are naturally imbued with a far higher level of Spectra in their bodies than ordinary organisms, and as such, this grants them not only a far higher vitality, but also the capability and power to preform feats which seem to defy reality itself and that are utterly impossible for lesser beings to mimic.

Though humans too were once imbued with higher levels of Spectra, making them and pokemon one in the same, over the Eons, mankind evolved away from his brethren, relying less and less on his natural gift and instead on his mind and technology alone, thus leading to him forgetting the way, forgetting his power, and falling from his lofty perch.

As a result, modern humans now only have access to abilities and feats that are but a dim shadow of what his ancestors were once capable of.

Spectracite:

Though somewhat rare, there are instances in which Spectra, while flowing through the planet, pools and become traps in pockets within the planet. Over time, said pockets, exposed to the pressure of the planet's innards, condenses itself and takes on a physical manifestation in the form of Crystals and Gems. These crystals come in many unique varieties, with a variety of unique properties and powers, given that a number of variables affects the process of how they form, such as the amount of metals and other periodic elements present in the surrounding crust, the amount of pressure, moisture, heat, etc. and are known by many individual names varying for type to type, however, They are collectively referred to simply as "Spectracite".

Items such as Evolution Stones, Mega Stones, and Key Stones are all simply examples of Spectracite Peices that have been cut and polished.

There are many pieces of technology which function thanks to Spectracite in some way or form, making the strange stones a virtual cornerstone of all advancement in the world.

Perhaps the most well know of which being Pokeballs; spherical capsule systems consisting of a trigger button, a sphererical, insulated housing, and a series of Spectracite Lenses. When the button is depressed, an electrical current is generated by the spring system, which then proceeds to circulate through the inside of the capsule. The Lenses inside, when exposed to the electrical current, generate a massive amount of energy. As the capsule opens from the trigger being pressed, said energy forces it's way out before proceeding to seek out the nearest target pokemon and condensing it down into a raw "essense form"; a form where Pokemon lack physical bodies, but are instead constituted only of their combined spirit and their spectra; what one might call the pokemon's soul in a way. The Energy is then stored inside the capsule as the power rushes back to the source, and the pokemon caught by the beam officially captured if it cannot manage to fight against the power of the device to keep it restrained within.

Little people realize it, but it is actually because of how Pokeballs function that Trainers and people are able to instantly known which member of their party is held within which ball. The Pokemon's restrained Essence in the ball reacts to the essence of the person, allowing for subconscious exchanges of information in the mind of the trainer.

As an aside though, let it be known that Spectra Energy will also be referred to as Azoth in this setting...or Infinity Energy in some cases, but mostly Azoth

[Chim]

Yo, activity down here? It's been forever!

That being said when do you plan to start this? I'm on holiday at the end of the month and me signing up or not depends on how much I'll miss from the beginning.

[Sutoratosu]

Yo, activity down here? It's been forever!

That being said when do you plan to start this? I'm on holiday at the end of the month and me signing up or not depends on how much I'll miss from the beginning.

I'm probably gonna leave it up a few more days to let it get a bit more exposure, draw some more fresh blood into these parts.

Like I said though, all the groundwork and stuff was already laid out, so making an OOC will take no time, I'll probably have one up in a week or so... I just recently came into a lot of very...interesting reading material, let's just say.

Knowing how busy you are though, we can talk in private about reserving a spot for ya though and getting you started a bit later on than the initial group, I'm sure I could work something out plot wise... I don't think we'd be too far ahead by the end of this month, realistically... (Cause let's face it, the days where folks get as excited for an RP here as they did for PSS or PA/Ymora where there were like, 50 posts in a single day are long since gone...)

[Aurorix]

Yes, finally some more action! Count me interested! :3

[GotWala]

Sounds awesome! I'll say I'm interested now at least, and be back later on if I've got any general questions to ask. Be warned that I tend to bug the GM a lot for setting info, haha.

[Sutoratosu]

Sounds awesome! I'll say I'm interested now at least, and be back later on if I've got any general questions to ask. Be warned that I tend to bug the GM a lot for setting info, haha.

Bug away friend, I honestly got more than I know what to do with...

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Sounds awesome! I'll say I'm interested now at least, and be back later on if I've got any general questions to ask. Be warned that I tend to bug the GM a lot for setting info, haha.

Trust me Strat will be fine. After all he's gone through my bullshit a few times I'm pretty sure he can handle anyone at this rate LOL>