[Interest Check] Lightgivers

[anethia]

LIGHTGIFTERS

"Before the universe as we know it came to be, there existed a force that even now is beyond anyone's true comprehension. Only scattered pieces of knowledge are known about the mysterious phenomenon; the mysterious thing we call Lumen.

Before the universe appeared, Lumen was bountiful. It existed in incomprehensible nothing; and then suddenly, there appeared three Gods.

They were incredible beings of beauty and power - and they fashioned reality itself from an outside view. As personifications of Lumen itself, they possessed unfathomable power. Galaxies and planets were created, life spurting onto a few - such as the planet Vaelia.

Aetas the God of Time, Caelus the God of Space and Rem the God of Matter, fashioned the world. Trees burst from the ground, deserts forming in the west. Mountainous regions came to be in the east, and unforgiving tundras exist in the north. The south was a beautiful place; filled with flowers and meadows. Plenty of grass and fields, clean air and beautiful sights. In its beginnings, Vaelia appeared to be a perfect place for life.

Content with the worlds they had created, the three Gods moved on. But before they left, they dared to try something new. Already animals had begin to flourish and develop. At the time, only twelve major species existed. The Gods chose the strongest and most powerful individual from these twelve species, and gave them fractions of Lumen itself. Bestowed with these powerful gifts, they became nigh immortal and blessed the land. Swearing to protect it as their payment for their powers, they became known as the Coerators.

This is how the world came to be."

- "Vealia's Prime"

Welcome. This is an interest check on a potential roleplay named Lightgivers. Above is a text outlining the basics of the history

of the world, such as how it came to be and key parts. The main parts the text shows is Lumen, the Coerators and the Gods.

Lumen is Vaelia - and the entire universe's - version of magic. It is the essence of what the original Gods are made out of -

in essence, Lumen is the power of Gods. In theory, if one had every bit of Lumen possible, they could make an entirely new reality

or universe like the Gods did. Well, if their mortal forms could handle the influx and instability of their newfound power.

The Coerators are guardians of the world in the Gods absence. Hidden in plain sight, these guardians can create human

disguises - developed ever since the increasing human dominance on the planet Vaelia. They are powerful beings who wield more

Lumen than the average Lightgiver - more on that later. The Coerators and their species are as follows -

Orochi the Snake, Aqui the Falcon, Marius the Orca, Laiak the Otter, Paria the Bat, Li the Dragon,

Paoi the Wolf, Taia the Lynx, Kitus the Deer, Maia the Rabbit, Alba the Polar Bear, Nahta the Fox.

Upon the usage of Lumen, it slowly regenerates over time whilst resting. As such, the Coerators gift fractions of their power onto

humans at a young age. There is no strict system - if a Coerator wishes to give their power, they can. As such, it is subject to their personal

bias and views. Li the Dragon, for example, is reserved with gifting their power and is more partial to those with high social standing

due to their own upbringing and royal status as a dragon. Nahta, on the other hand, favors those with less favorable positions and standings

in society - understanding their unfortunate situations and aiming to give them that little extra help. As they need to regenerate

their Lumen, and how picky some can be, Lumen bearers - known as Lightgivers - aren't as common as you'd initially think.

Lumen itself is mysterious. Existing even before reality as we know it, the embodiment of Lumen - the Gods - left the reality they made to

create more realities and more universes. As such, it can be assumed Lumen wishes to expand - but for unknown reasons. Either way,

Lumen in more tangible forms is much different. Lumen manifests itself in many, near uncountable ways. It often represents a person, and

speaks volumes about them as a person. For the purpose of this roleplay, you would create a type of Lumen that I would then approve - or

ask you to revise it due to any number of reasons, but the most likely being power scaling.

So - that's the world. What about the roleplay itself?

The maximum number of players I'd like for this is twelve, but as for a minimum, I'm not exactly sure.

The system would likely be split up by parts/episodes/volumes,

how many, I'm not sure.

You would play as young Lightgivers, brought into a system - something like a school, but not quite.

More like a camp for gifted young Lightgivers to hone their skills, overseen by a band of master Lightgivers

who would monitor your training, protect you and help you. Upon being deemed ready, the collective

twelve of you would be sent off to the south of the world.

Why the south, a bountiful place?

War has torn the place apart. Greed for the beauty and bountiful harvest the south gave us, we took more and more.

Monsters swarmed in - stray Lumen grabbed by malevolent forces. In truth, no human knows where they came from. Only that,

like the Gods, they are incarnations of Lumen itself. The difference, however, is that these monsters have physical forms and are not

as powerful as Gods, making them significantly easier to kill. Training to fight off those, and bring an end to the war tearing our world apart.

Lightgivers shall once more intervene and break the darkness with their courage.

Once more, you ask? Has it happened before? Why, yes.

Many years ago, greed struck the heart of a woman. Infatuated with the spoils of war and power over others, she encouraged an uprising

against the Coerators themselves, coming dangerously close to slaying Maia the Rabbit. All out war between mortals and those who sided

with the Coerators began, ravishing the world. We swore to never repeat our mistakes, and yet in the present a group of Lightgivers have motives that are unclear, yet involve the south. Add this to the war between factions for resources, and then the monsters swarming in...

A dark age is coming.

We have but one hope.

Strike the match, light the flame.

A spark turns into a raging inferno.

Lightgivers,

our lives are in your hands.

HOW DOES LUMEN WORK?

I felt that this deserved it's own section - a bit more of a detailed look at my current plans and stance on Lumen.

Lumen is an essence that exists within Lightgivers, Coerators and the Gods. It is the power of Gods.

Lumen manifests itself in many different ways. Two people having the exact same type of Lumen is incredibly rare; some experts

doubt it can even happen. Lumen seems to be somewhat aware of its surroundings, almost sentient and yet not. Flexible, and unpredictable.

Every Lightgiver has their type of Lumen. For example, one Lightgiver may have fire based Lumen, in that it allows the conjuring and

manipulation of fire in all its forms. Others may be much more specific; for example, another type of Lumen you will encounter is super strength.

Experts are beginning to theorize about the Lumen matching up with the persons personality - the study is difficult and vague, but it appears to be on the right track. The quantity of Lumen in any Lightgiver varies. Some simply have more than others. Some question how fair this makes the Coerators; but every blessing can be a curse. Those who have much more Lumen are at risk. They cannot hide this Lumen as easily, they cannot control it nearly as well and it can leave them exposed if it gets out of hand. Those with less Lumen can have less overall power; not to say they're weak, just that it's not going to be as much as someone with more Lumen. In other words, it's usually enough. No matter the quantity of Lumen, upon being used it will gradually regenerate overtime as long as it is not used for anything more than simple tasks.

To give you a more outsiders perspective on Lumen, it's pretty much magic. It manifests in many different forms that vary per person.

As such, it's up to you (the players) to create your own type of Lumen under my guidance when the time comes. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Edited September 17, 2016 by Anethia

[anethia]

Taking this to write a few extra words - I'd put it in the post but I couldn't really make it fit so I'd rather put it here.

Any questions can be asked and I'll answer them to the best of my ability. I didn't answer anything, and if you DIDN'T have some questions, I'd be worried. Obviously there's a lot more work to be done, and things I didn't say in the IC that would become clear, but I'll save them for the OOC post. This is just to see if the general theme and such is... well, engaging or interesting enough for it to be worth doing.

[Chevaleresse]

Interesting. The amount of effort I've seen put in here is promising.

[Felicity]

How advanced is the society? We talking swords and staves, magitech revolution kinda dealing or , modern parallel? You mentioned briefly about Li the dragon favouring people in High social standing, is that like the very wealthy or aristocrats or wut?

I've seen so many iterations of fantasy and seeing something that piques my interest is so nice.

[Stalkerkain]

How involved are the Coerators? How come they aren't helping with the situation in the south?

Does being granted Lumen from a particular species matter? (E.g., my tutor Lightgiver received their Lumen from Maia, and thus has her unique traits?)

Why us twelve (or however many people you get)? Are we the "Chosen Ones"?

How sentient are they monsters, that they pose a threat?

Beep?

[Swampellow]

I will reiterate on what Dobby said, perhaps if we could get a little bit more info on what the society/people are like it would make it better.

Otherwise, i do like the concept, a few new things i haven't really seen before.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Damn... you got this out quick... definitely didn't expect it already LOL. ((But I'm glad to.))

I'm currently winding down to go to bed and you've definitely got my first impressions already so I'll let the folks around here poke around and what not for awhile lol. I do hope something comes of this and I really do dig your ideas here as I've already mentioned. Good luck Shiri~ ((I may post tomorrow sometime if I remember though... we'll see.))

[krim]

I'm interested. The questions I can think of to ask have been already asked above.

[Sutoratosu]

I've skimmed the thing, still need to read a bit more indepth, but for the moment, you've got my attention.

I may have some questions later on, like the others...

[Code: PIRULUK]

Aqui the Falcon

:^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^)

Jokes aside, you've got my attention. I don't really have any questions to ask for now, at least until I see more of it, but it does seem like an interesting world concept.

[K_H]

Laiak the Otter

Count me in! You certainly have my attention now.

Edited September 17, 2016 by K_H

[Noir]

Okay, first elephant in the room:

Rem, God Goddess of Matter Anime Girls

Fixed.

Jokes aside, in terms of species, I'm looking at two reptiles, nine mammals, and an aquatic mammal that, by no means should be able to live on land, and which, by circumstance is most idiosyncratic from the rest. The Zodiac-esque concept is very intriguing and interesting, but I'd like to see more -- particularly on the strengths they are bestowed from these respective species.

How will the division/distribution of roles be decided? It's evident that you want one from each respective Lumen and species, but it'll inevitably come to a point where people might be interested in the same faction.

Anyways, I'm definitely going to be in this.

[K_H]

Seeing Noir's change actually showed me a fault in the grammar.

Aetas, God of Time,; Caelus, God of Space; and Rem, God of Matter,;

That's how it should be, since you're introducing three individuals by name and then what they are, not six individuals.

In any case, you can count on me signing up for this when it comes out.

[anethia]

Seeing Noir's change actually showed me a fault in the grammar.

That's how it should be, since you're introducing three individuals by name and then what they are, not six individuals.

In any case, you can count on me signing up for this when it comes out.

As I am a selfish bastard who can admit no wrong, I'll just say that I wrote this at 3am last night - which is also actually true SO DON'T JUDGE ME ALRIGHT KIDS

Okay, first elephant in the room:

Fixed.

Jokes aside, in terms of species, I'm looking at two reptiles, nine mammals, and an aquatic mammal that, by no means should be able to live on land, and which, by circumstance is most idiosyncratic from the rest. The Zodiac-esque concept is very intriguing and interesting, but I'd like to see more -- particularly on the strengths they are bestowed from these respective species.

How will the division/distribution of roles be decided? It's evident that you want one from each respective Lumen and species, but it'll inevitably come to a point where people might be interested in the same faction.

Anyways, I'm definitely going to be in this.

I'm actually not super fussed about who everyone is gifted by, but obviously in an ideal world one each would be pretty neat. I'd think something of a max of two per Coerator.

How involved are the Coerators? How come they aren't helping with the situation in the south?

Does being granted Lumen from a particular species matter? (E.g., my tutor Lightgiver received their Lumen from Maia, and thus has her unique traits?)

Why us twelve (or however many people you get)? Are we the "Chosen Ones"?

How sentient are they monsters, that they pose a threat?

Beep?

The Coerators are very divided.

Some ARE helping with the situation in the south... but the problem is I didn't exactly say they were all on the same page, if you catch my drift. Without giving away too much, the war started due to inequality of the peoples inhabiting the south in terms of resources - one side was getting far more than the other, for - roughly - the same amount of work or interactions. Naturally if all twelve Coerators were on the same side, the war would never have been a problem - but when some got involved, others didn't, and every single one had differing views?

This was something I was considering, and I am still not decided on. On one side, it adds a flair to everyone's Lumen and would provide interesting dynamics between people (i.e. those gifted Lumen by Maia being given priority in places that worship / praise Maia) but would add competition to the making of characters - like if everyone wanted Li because Li's traits were just simply better than the rest.

Frankly, there's nothing super special about the players at first. They're actually just being trained to go fight in the south as they need more Lightgivers. As time goes on, however, the natural talent evident in the players (or perhaps more than average Lumen) quickly shows promise. Basically it's a case of "they aren't super special myths or legends in the flesh, but they could be legends in the making if they don't stop fucking around".

The monsters communicate in ways humans don't understand. Certain Lightgivers are making strides in understanding them, but it's got a long way to go. We are aware, however, that there are distinct monsters that are clearly superior to the others and are as such considered 'Alpha' monsters. They lead the pack and some have been shown to communicate in English. There are rumors, however, that there are monsters above even that - and maybe a Coerator... but thus far they are, seemingly, unfounded.

Boop.

How advanced is the society? We talking swords and staves, magitech revolution kinda dealing or , modern parallel? You mentioned briefly about Li the dragon favouring people in High social standing, is that like the very wealthy or aristocrats or wut?

I've seen so many iterations of fantasy and seeing something that piques my interest is so nice.

The society is... awkward to explain so bare with me.

Weapons are incredibly varied. Some wield scythes, some wield swords, some wield only their Lumen. The world uses a mix of scientific and mechanical approaches, and more spiritual Lumen-based approaches. For example, some cities use Lightgivers as energy sources - willingly, they say. As Lumen regenerates over time after usage, with enough Lumen they have enough to power their city. It's not a very well respected profession in other places - some places say that mixing the scientific and magical is against the natural law, and as such refuse to do so.

Li favours those who are the aristocrats, the rich and - in some other Coerators words - the snobs.

[K_H]

Speaking of Lumen, I've actually got an "8-aspect" system for the mechanics of Lumen ready. I'm good to go for posting it up if anyone wants me to.

[Felicity]

Hold your horses man, Shiri only put up an interest check lmao

[Code: PIRULUK]

Speaking of Lumen, I've actually got an "8-aspect" system for the mechanics of Lumen ready. I'm good to go for posting it up if anyone wants me to.

...

......

..........

We know pretty much absolutely nothing about how Lumen works. How could you possibly have enough information to come up with a system with regards to it?

Also, you may not realise it, but a statement/claim like this bears an implicit assumption that you somehow know the host's world better and have a system superior to their own, which is disrespectful at best and a metaphorical spittoon in the face at worst, depending on how the host takes it.

I find a statement like this to be rather disrespectful, and I'm inclined to believe I'm not alone in this conviction. I urge you to please restrain yourself and give the host the due respect they deserve by not trying to superimpose arbitrary systems of your own creation on the world they built; it's the literary equivalent of attempting to forcefully name another person's newborn baby.

[K_H]

*is embarrassed*

I... I did not realize that. I will refrain from this kind of behavior in the future.

[anethia]

*is embarrassed*

I... I did not realize that. I will refrain from this kind of behavior in the future.

Ayy, it's all good. No hard feelings. Thanks to the others, of course. I'm grateful.

[K_H]

Good to see that the more specific details on Lumen have been revealed.

*Puts pre-made idea into storage for different RPs*

Edited September 17, 2016 by K_H

[Felicity]

You say Lumen is almost sentient and also very personalised to each Lightgivers, would it be fair to say that it looks at the person and determines what they might want or need in their life and, if so, should the person really want a friend the Lumen can manifest in a very rudimentary imitation of a being? I've already got an idea for a character with this kind of intertwined into it.

[anethia]

You say Lumen is almost sentient and also very personalised to each Lightgivers, would it be fair to say that it looks at the person and determines what they might want or need in their life and, if so, should the person really want a friend the Lumen can manifest in a very rudimentary imitation of a being? I've already got an idea for a character with this kind of intertwined into it.

Hm... I suppose this does make sense as a potential iteration of Lumen. If companionship was incredibly important and vital to them, or a fear of being alone / loneliness, this would make more sense.

Think of Lumen as untapped potential. It's powerful. Very much so. But it needs the human host / form to manifest into different ways and actually become useful. Yes, power alone is useful and good, but it needs something to be become and be used for. Does that make sense?

[Sutoratosu]

Alright so to make sure I get the basic gist of how lumen: it is basically like the force in that it is a living, quasi/possibly sentient permaneance present in all things, and like it, some users are just naturally stronger in it than others. Unlike the force though, lumen nigh always manifest itself in a unique way depending on the user, rather than there just being bog standard abilities and techniques common amoung all users, with just a few unique and rare abilities (ex battle meditation, shatter point) popping up.

Is this right? Cause already, I'm getting some ideas on what I wanna run...

[anethia]

Alright so to make sure I get the basic gist of how lumen: it is basically like the force in that it is a living, quasi/possibly sentient permaneance present in all things, and like it, some users are just naturally stronger in it than others. Unlike the force though, lumen nigh always manifest itself in a unique way depending on the user, rather than there just being bog standard abilities and techniques common amoung all users, with just a few unique and rare abilities (ex battle meditation, shatter point) popping up.

Is this right? Cause already, I'm getting some ideas on what I wanna run...

That's the basic gist, yes. I'm happy I was able to explain it enough without it becoming confusing.

The idea was that I wanted some form of magic that would run in this world that wasn't set spells to cast or set ways to tackle a scenario. I didn't want a spell that would unlock doors or a spell that could kill people. There's NOTHING wrong with magic like that in roleplays, but it didn't fit the roleplay I wanted. I wanted a way of making it unique, and so that people could use it many different ways and actually think about what they're doing. It's not looking for the answer to a problem, it's making it.

Also - some naturally have more Lumen in their bodies thanks to the Coerators. This by no means makes them completely stronger or assured of winning a fight. Disadvantages of high amounts of Lumen have been touched upon - instability, marks you out due to it being hard to mask - and advantages of less Lumen - easier to control, less noticeable - have been outlined. Most people fit somewhere in the average, with few extremities.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Hm... I suppose this does make sense as a potential iteration of Lumen. If companionship was incredibly important and vital to them, or a fear of being alone / loneliness, this would make more sense.

Think of Lumen as untapped potential. It's powerful. Very much so. But it needs the human host / form to manifest into different ways and actually become useful. Yes, power alone is useful and good, but it needs something to be become and be used for. Does that make sense?

I does almost feel like a living spirit in a way or that at least... in some iterations or people they will see it that way. So I imagine that some folks would see Lumen as a sentient being and others may see it as just a tool. And this may effect the manifestation of such. Sorta like the ol' Sorcerer's/Wizard divide. Where some would think due to their magi being natural it's a talent and art form. A means of self-expression, emotinal release etc... while for others it'd be more of a tool. It'd be more like science... something you apply to an issue to make said problem go away. ((thought the other way could use it for that it would be more solely task orientated for those that think of it in this way.))

It feels like that might be a good idea for conflict within the world whether Lumen is "sentiment" or not. I feel like it could be rather intersting to see that play out ((though I probably only like it becuase I made my magic like... literally alive in the world I was writing lol. It was made of living beings.)) I think it certainly adds to even the ethics of using it since it's it's jsut a tool there's definitely not issue but, if one views them as living... it might encroach on the "is this enslavement?" kinda of deal. Dunno, Lumen feels like a really interesting combination of a lot of things. like the Semblances in RWBY it's unique to the person and no ones works quite the same ((other than the hereditary ones.)) It feels unique and certainly organic... because it kinda takes something like that and fleshes it out to the natural conclusion and makes it more robust by adding the possibility for more to it.