Favored (demo introductory post, working title)
I am posting this now as something of a preview and I'll repost it when the actual demo itself is ready:
A few things: As I said in an ask the other day, the demo is entirely gender neutral aside from one odd reference I will be removing. So there is no gender selection, but there's also no over gender presentation that should prevent you from them being whoever you want.
Anyway, here's the basic premise and summary and a brief glimpse of the ROs (male for now, but that's subject to change, it just depends).
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The favored of the gods—those born with their powers and aspects—were once said to have been sent to help mankind flourish in the gods’ stead. Their existence was once a sign of the harmony and balance which thrived between the mortal and immortal.
But that balance was shattered long before you were born and you are living among what remains.
You are a Croneborn, a favored of the Crone—the unchanging goddess of cycles, death, the future, and the unknown. Marked by yellow eyes and the inherent power to mute the other chosens’ gifts, those like you are rumored to be omens of plague and death and are openly hunted by the Sun King’s Church in the lands of the North.
Sylla is one of the last remaining free city-states which exists outside the Sun King’s grasp. Known as the Crownless City, there is no central government or authority recognized in Sylla and each quarter is controlled and policed by those who live in it. It is a city given to chaos, violence, and corruption, but it is the only place where someone like you could thrive.
For twenty-six years, you have been trained and protected by an old healer and priest named Elwin, who keeps one of the few functioning temples alive in the Midden. Despite largely having to hide your identity as a Croneborn, you have found your place in Sylla as something of a jack-of-all trades. A fixer. Because of the many factions within Sylla and their many rivalries, you are rarely wanting for work and will take on just about any job, within reason.
However, one job brings you a little too close to the Church’s secrets and you stumble on their plans to take Sylla and make it theirs. Now you are hunted for more than just what you were born as and you might be the only one equipped to bring an end to it all.
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The Mob Boss
Grin is one of your oldest and only friends. A former militiaman of the Trade Guild who is now in charge of the most powerful gang in Sylla, Grin is brash, unapologetic, and feared as something of a madman. He is responsible for helping you build your reputation as a fixer and you work together frequently—though not exactly harmoniously.
Charismatic and experienced, Grin’s line of work is violent and bloody, but he is still one of the few truly good people you know.
“Some say the system’s broken. And those people are idiots. The system is workin’ exactly as intended. So, if I gotta spill a little blood to make sure me and mine get fed, then that’s what I’ll do.”
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The Templar
Irion is Sunborn, one of those cherished by the Church for their connection to the Father. Taken at a young age and groomed into the Templar order, Irion sees the world in black and white. In shades of sin and innocence. Sylla is the manifestation of every sordid rumor and horror story whispered about in the North. It is a lawless, godless place and its people suffer for it.
But while he believes in the Father’s ability to heal and in his own duty to protect, there are doubts that nag him. In Sylla, he meets those doubts made flesh. You.
“We are building a heaven we do not belong to.”
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“Nil”
The Unbroken are the Chosen born from the death of two gods and the birth of something new. Their presence is said to drive those around them insane and it is rare to find one outside their sheltered cloisters where they are waited on and catered to by their cult.
You know Nil is Unbroken—the mask he wears is a dead giveaway—but not much else. You don’t know what brought an Unbroken to Sylla of all places and you don’t know what he wants from you. And while you understand his apparent grudge against the Church, you’re not sure where it comes from.
“The Church took something from me. If I can’t have it back, then I’ll settle for burning it to the ground.”
