E.D.E.N.

[Numinous]

[ooc]You know the rules, folks. No posting in the content thread.  All comments should be directed to the discussion thread.[/ooc]

E.D.E.N.

Dancing shadows, puppet strings,
The veil you wear hides your enemy.
Close your eyes, don the velvet glove,
Pretend the shadows aren't dancing.

Go to sleep, pull the covers tight,
As long as you dream, you can pass the night.
You hear the whispers, see the signs,
sometimes it's easier just to close your eyes...

Themes[/b]

Power corrupts even the most innocent*Knowledge is power, and as such is just as dangerous to the holder*There is something to fear in everything,

especially the darkness[/list]

Purpose: This world aims to examine humanity, and display it in it's most terrible aspects, all while creating an enjoyable playing environment.

[Numinous]

Gothica

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Themes: Corruption and human nature

Inspiration: Expedition to Castle Ravenloft and Cairhienin, from the Wheel of Time series

Synopsis: Gothica is a region of steep valleys and gloomy days.  Here, the people live every day in fear of the darkness.  Yet they struggle onward, despite the apparent futility of the situation.  In this land, they put their faith in the Lords Noctum to protect them, as they have promised too.  The presence of their soldiers is only more unsettling however, and many begin to wonder whether swearing allegiance to anyone but themselves was really a good idea...

The People: [spoiler=Gothicans]The people of Gothica live somewhat normal lives, in comparison to the other people of the world.  They farm, or trade, or smith, or whatever their occupation is.  They raise children, and alwayspay their taxes.  For you see, the people of Gothica are trapped between two enemies.  The lords of the realm demand great tribute in exchange for their protection, and sometimes this tribute is irrational in it's size.  However, the punishment for not paying the tithe of the realm is terrible, as none who have failed in this responsibility have ever been the same again.  The Knights walk the streets every day and every knight, serving the will of their lord and oppressing the common folk with no conflict in purpose.  Yet, one might wonder why the common folk put up with this.  The reason lies in the shadows, as terrible beasts rise from them to lend credence to the fear the people have at night.  Despite the general injustice of the Lords Noctum, they do battle against the savage beasts of the night and protect the people from this evil, as they have sworn to do.  And so, the Gothicans toil onward,a s they have in the past, and will always continue to do.  After all, they are not heroes, what might they even hope to accomplish?[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Vampires][ic=The Graveyard Buffet]The night winds whistle through the trees around you, the crescent moon in the sky above illuminating the scene.  Your breath grows ragged as the amount of running you have done begins to catch up with you.  Long strides have carried you down from the highest of the surrounding snow-covered peaks, where the ice never melts and the clouds float by like ships on a silent sea.

Now, your nostrils flare as you approach your destination.  Various stones, sculptures, crude wooden markers fly by your swiftly moving feet.  You come to a stop at a mound of freshly overturned earth, possessing a halo as the moon glimmers of it's soft contours.  Without hesitation, you kneel and thrust your arms deep into the soil, the sensation of cold lost on your bloodless limbs.  Long fingernails tear at the dirt, flinging it high and rapidly burrowing down towards an eagerly awaited prize.

Whump

A questing hand strikes wood, releasing an echo which rings across the valley you have come to.  now with great haste you clear this vault of it's earthen imprisonment, and proceed to pound it's covering to splinters.  Under your brutal assault, the letters R.I.P. are obliterated, leaving you with a view of a pale maiden, sleeping in the final and longest of dreams.  As you reach down and pull her out by the shoulders, and her limp body puts you off balance with it's unexpected weight, shouts fill the night, and torches can be seen coming up the road.

You abandon your work and seek the shadowed embrace of the pines nearby.  You faintly remember the pungent scent of the tree you now hide under, but your nostrils cannot find it now, all they detect is the warm and welcome scent of blood, and even, fear?  Oh yes, fear...

Two men bearing shovels and torches, hastily garbed in night-clothes have found your night's work.  They shuffle uneasily over the open grave, apparently unwilling to disturb the raucous cacophony of their feet and the crackling of the torches that they would deem silence.

Carefully placed steps lead you to the border of their lit circle, and another leap gives you purchase on the back of one of the foolish men.  A quick jerk, and a loud snap greets your ears as he falls to the ground for the last time.  You turn your feral eyes to the other man, and the  bitter smell of urine fills the air as his fear becomes apparent on his trousers.  He attempts to raise a trowel for defense, but you bound forward and place a pointed hand right through his throat.  

His dying gasps are music to your ears, and you catch him as he stumbles backwards.  Holding the small of his back and leaning forward as though the two of you are dancing a perverse waltz upon this sanguine night, your fangs sink deep into what remains of his devastated throat.  What little color was left in his face fades, and his life-blood goes with it.  Wiping the red from your lips on a tattered and grimy sleeve, you bend down and repeat the gruesome ceremony on the second man.

Finally, refreshed with the unexpected buffet you have received, you turn to behold the object of your quest.  The maiden remains in her grave, disturbed as she was, her face still belies her serenity.  Stooping down over the pit once again, you easily sweep her up over your shoulder.  The smell of fresh death lingers around her, and you can still sense the blood in her veins.

After a few minutes of easy running up the jagged faces of the peak you now call home, you enter a nondescript cavern and approach a rugged bed in the corner made from some hides most would squirm at the very thought of.  Laying the object of your affection down on the bed, her raven locks spread magnificently across the coarse furs she rests on.  Her lips lie open, as though at any moment she might gasp and resume living.

Removing the paltry vestiges of luxury you wear, a once-magnificent cloak, boots with more holes than satin, and a tunic with a intricate crest; you fold them and lay them upon a crude stone shelf in the wall.  Creeping slowly towards the bed, you climb upon it and lean over to kiss the girl next to you, the kiss leads downward, and your abnormally long canines sink into her cold flesh.  Now, as you drift off to sleep, a single thought fills your head, in rhythm with the faintly beating heart pressed to yours.  

"My love, even death cannot keep us apart."
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[/spoiler]

Organizations: [spoiler=The Lords Noctum]The Lords Noctum are a confederation of ancient noble houses who have inhabited the valleys for ages spanning back to the beginning of memory.  They each maintain a local militia which patrols the holdings of their respective Lord, and it is this same militia which fulfills their primary function of protecting the local populace.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Blue Star Rebels]The Blue Star Rebels, are as their name suggests, a rebel group seeking to remove the Lords Noctum from their position of power in Gothica.  Using such weapons as guerrilla warfare, terrorism, and banditry, they work extremely hard to make life for the Lords Noctum extremely difficult.  Due to their unsavory tactics, many bandits and other criminals are easily persuaded to aid in their endeavor, especially due to the nature of the Lords as the single most effective law enforcing agent in the region.

The Cerulean Maiden serves as the patroness of the Blue Star Rebels.  A lesser noble of Gothica, she is known for her magical expertise and her family's affiliation with the ...[/spoiler]