Children of Aether
Premise
There are many stories of the past involving benevolent deities, ancient heroes, and supernatural powers. In this modern world we live in, many have been forgotten; discarded for more “reliable” texts that have withstood the passage of time, or for the discoveries made through science. However, just because mankind chooses to ignore the supernatural does not erase its existence, and there is still much that science and religion cannot explain, much that these texts answer…and much that they do not.
For untold centuries, the Horned King, an omnipotent figure who is not mentioned in any story of the past by name or even by deed, has taken young maidens for His own, bestowing upon them the powers of the elements and creating of them witches, for lack of a better term; certainly, this is the term that the rest of humanity has always used for their kind. He demands nothing in exchange, seemingly content with simply bestowing upon his chosen few these powers, yet he does offer this: if a witch were to defeat another of her ilk, and acquire her true name as her prize for victory, she would attain greater power still and, if she were to defeat all seven of her sisters, she would rise to godhood, and rule for eternity at his side. Thus those who have been chosen have ever competed for this right, battling one another with their very souls riding upon the outcome of the battle. So it has always been, yet always the sisters have found themselves evenly matched, and have thus spent their days locked in battle until they have passed away. None have been able to defeat another of their sisters.
Until now.
With the death of the Witch of Light, the balance of power has shifted in the favour of one witch, and suddenly the other sisters find themselves with a renewed sense of both hope and fear. It has been proven that one witch can indeed defeat another, for one has…and that one is now the single greatest threat to them all, for she possesses the power of two elements. Unable to trust their kin to form an alliance to defeat this witch, for they do not even know which of them has the power of two elements, the game between them grows ever tenser.
It is not just to their fellow sisters that they must watch for, either. The Order of the Grey Goddess, Knights with weapons imbued with the power of the elements, is tasked with a single purpose: to find, hunt and kill witches, to put an end to their existence once and for all, and in doing so save mankind from their unspeakable evil, and put their Goddess’ weary heart to rest. One of their own, the greatest of them all, is now dead at the hands of a witch, and they are out in greater force than ever, determined to exterminate them once and for all.
Thus begins what will be the final game between these two forces. Tradition dictates that the victor is decided by combat, but there may yet be other ways to win the game…
Setting
This RP is set in present-day England, although depending on how the story advances, the location may change. However, to begin with, all characters should be located in some part of the country.
True Names
What’s in a name? For Witches, to be forced to reveal their true name to another of their kind spells an end to their freedom, and possibly their life with it. A witch who possesses another’s true name holds her soul within her hands, to do with as she pleases. She may choose to take the witch as a slave, for she is bound to obey all commands. Alternatively, she may opt instead of absorb her soul, acquiring her powers and possibly even erasing her existence from every realm, be it living or dead.
A true name that is not your own cannot be told to another. To do so goes against the Higher Law that all, be they God, witch or mortal, are bound to follow, resulting in the erasure of your own existence before you can even speak the words. Traditionally, true names are acquired through besting the opponent in combat, but there are other ways to acquire an opponent’s true name...
To possess another’s true name whilst they in turn possess yours binds the two individuals together, and neither can exert an influence over the other. This is often why witches who win over their kin choose to kill the loser, rather than simply leaving them as a powerless mortal – should the loser somehow discover their true name, they can re-acquire their powers, and the only way to then acquire them would be in a battle to the death, the outcome of which may not be entirely certain.
The importance of true names applies only to witches, or those who possess some form of supernatural power within their very soul. For those who do not, possession of their true name grants but a minor influence, unless they comprehend the significance of their true name. Since the majority of humans use their true names in every day conversation, and they are known by several people, the significance for them is insignificant indeed. For others, however, there may be considerably more significance…
The Horned King and Witches
The Horned King is a mysterious deity, speculated to be a demon by those who are familiar with him, and presumably the heart of all evil. However, he is somewhat benign, and is seen only once by his followers: at the moment of their initiation, on the eve of their sixteenth birthday. The Horned King chooses mortal young women based on criteria he alone knows and makes of them witches, always with their consent, although he does not allow them to choose the element that they will wield. He will speak with them of how they can obtain greater power, as well as the nature of the power they have just obtained, and then he leaves, and he does not communicate in any fashion with them after this moment. The Horned King is indifferent to the Grey Goddess and her order and, seemingly, mortal affairs in general: he seems even indifferent to his witches once he has bestowed power upon them. At the end of their natural lives, their power returns to him if it has not been taken by another (which, up until recently, it never has been) and bestows it upon another.
There are a total of eight witches, each having their own unique powers based around an element of the natural world. No two witches can possess the same element at the same time, although witches can find their powers being interfered with by another, due to their conflicting nature. Each element has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages and, whilst some elements are more physically powerful than the others, their drawbacks have prevented their wielders from gaining victory over another, time and time again.
Whilst witches are capable of a great deal, the greater the feat, the more concentration that is required to attain it, and witches cannot unleash the full potential of their powers often for more than a minute without losing control of it, or passing out from the mental effort required of summoning the forces in the first place.
Below is a list of elements, as well as the abilities that they bestow upon the wielder:
Fire – The destructive power of the Fire Witch is unmatched. By drawing upon her own body heat, or heat from her surroundings, she can create destructive fireballs that she can manipulate at will, changing their direction, size, and even their shape. If she comes into physical contact with any flammable substance, she can force it to ignite, and then utilise it as a weapon, or simply sit back and watch it burn. All she requires is the smallest of flames to create an inferno, although fire spreads quickly once it has been started, and is difficult to control once it reaches a certain size. She can also control the intensity of the flames, making them produce thick, choking smoke, or white-hot and destructive. However, whilst her destructive power is unmatched, the Fire Witch has little else to do with her powers: fire destroys all it touches, she can merely control the extent, speed and direction of that damage.
Water – The Water Witch possesses absolute control over Water, able to manipulate it as she chooses. If sufficiently cloudy, she can make rain fall like bullets, or create a barrier of water that is difficult to penetrate. In the ocean, she possesses power unrivalled, for she has practically unlimited resources to draw upon, and can create extremely destructive tidal waves – although there is a limit to the amount of water that she can control at any one time, so if she starts such a force in motion, she will be unable to direct it how she desires, or stop it once it has begun, making such an act dangerous for herself as well as others. She can alter the temperature to whatever she desires, although she will lose the ability to control it if it hardens to ice or becomes steam. Physical contact with another allows her to even draw water from them, leaving them severely dehydrated and thereby unable to retaliate, or little more than a brittle, lifeless husk if she so wishes. She can also do this with any other object that contains water, although the smaller the amount of water within it, the higher the level of concentration needed to extract it. Water can be found everywhere, making the Water Witch an extremely dangerous foe. However, water’s inconsistent nature means that her powers are not entirely reliable in particular circumstances, or against particular foes.
Earth – The Earth Witch’s power is extensive and ever-present, for it lies within the very ground that she walks upon. She can raise the earth, flatten hills (and given time, mountains) and create earthquakes of cataclysmic force. She can force the earth apart to raise magma from the core to the surface, although she cannot control the flow of the magma, nor withstand the heat. Were she so inclined, the Earth Witch could split the very continents apart, or create an entirely new one by cracking the sea bed apart, to allow magma to rise to the surface. As long as she remains upon the ground, the Earth witch can bend the soil beneath her feet to her will. However, she can only set natural disasters in motion: she can control where and how the earth splits, yet she cannot control the amount of destruction this will unleash, nor is there any guarantee that she herself will not be caught up in the destruction. Whilst she remains its epicentre, it will spread outwards from her, yet she cannot control which way buildings fall…
Wind – The Wind Witch can control the disposition of the winds. She can raise currents of wind from dead air, making the gentlest of breezes into the most ferocious of gales in a matter of minutes. She can conjure destructive tornadoes and storms, or do the opposite and quell them entirely. She can also control the direction of the wind, allowing herself to be levitated up from the ground upon unseen currents, which she can ride naturally, or force her way through with her own currents. As well as increase the intensity of the wind, she can also slow it down, or stop it entirely, making the air stagnant and difficult (or even impossible, if she creates a vacuum, although this requires considerable effort and could backfire) to breathe. The wind witch has control over the winds only, however – if she brings with her rain, lightning or snow with a storm, she cannot control these forces, which could serve to an opponent’s advantage. Like many of her sisters who can tamper with the more violent forces, once these forces reach a certain level, she cannot control them either, and is just as vulnerable as others are to their effects.
Lightning – Whilst the element of lightning sounds somewhat limited, since lightning is found only during storms, due to the modern world we live in, the Lightning Witch has become a particularly dangerous opponent. She is able to manipulate electrical currents and, since power lines run throughout every city, and the earth itself has its own electrical current, she possesses a nearly limitless supply of energy to play with. She can create and control lightning bolts, whether she uses her own body as a conduit or not is up to her. She can alter her body’s own electrical current, turning herself into a battery of sorts (although there is a limit to how much energy she can store) and making physical contact with her painful, if not deadly. Physical contact with another allows her to distort their body’s electrical current, paralysing them, sending electrical signals to the brain allowing her a limited form of mind control (she can implant strong suggestions, but with sufficient strength of will these can be ignored and overridden) or even stopping their heart if she so chooses…although, unless she is concentrating on paralysis, this is often the effect that she has even if she does not intend to do it. She possesses the power of flight, able to distort the earth’s electromagnetic field to a degree. By doing this, she can also create storm clouds, further fuelling her powers. However, not everything conducts electricity, and gathering sufficient energy to send destructive lightning flying from her fingertips takes time.
Nature – At first glance, the Nature Witch appears to share many similarities in her abilities with the Earth Witch, but her source of power lies within that which flourishes on the planet, rather than the planet itself. The Nature Witch can freely manipulate any and all types of plant, accelerating their growth to turn them into a destructive force that little can stop. She can alter plants to suit her needs, able to survive off as little water and sunlight as possible, or make their pollen deadly to inhale and then force them to bloom. If there exists a single living seed in an area, she can force that seed to grow to maturity how she pleases, create of it more seeds, and have an entire forest around her in a matter of hours. She can also communicate with animals to a degree, manipulating them into doing her bidding, whether that be coming to her defence and acting as a shield, or spying upon her sisters. The Nature Witch is extremely seductive, and can alter her pheromones to enchant humans as easily as she can other forms of life, although her charms only work on men, and women attracted to other women. Nature exists everywhere, even in densely urban areas, making the Nature Witch extremely dangerous. However, plants are reliant upon sunlight and water, and she cannot substitute their need for these things entirely, and if there is an insufficient amount of either, she will need to use her own life force to fuel their growth, which could prove fatal.
Darkness – The Witch of Darkness is the strongest of the sisters at night. Her powers are extremely versatile; she can conjure upon creatures or objects from the shadows, giving them physical substance if she so wishes, although she must continuously maintain these forms through concentration, lest they lose their substance and become the intangible shadows they once were. She can draw upon the darkness and increase it, blanketing the entire area and making it impossible to see. She can travel at will through shadows, be it at day or night, allowing her to disappear in one area and re-appear in another seconds later, travelling through a pocket dimension of sorts. She can take others with her into this dimension however, she cannot leave them there – if she attempts to, they will simply be thrown out of it, and there is no predicting where they will end up. She can also widen the influence of shadows to a degree during daylight, connecting them together if they are close and, if the weather is cloudy, raise them to cover a much larger area. However, during the day, the Witch of Darkness must stick to the shadows if she wishes to utilise her powers, and any shadow that she gives physical substance will lose it the moment it steps into the sunlight, unless she pours her will into keeping its form – difficult, and likely costly.
Light – During the day, the Witch of Light is arguably the strongest of the sisters. Harnessing the power of the Sun, she can rain down destruction through deadly beams of light, literally incinerating anything that stands in her path. She can also harness the Sun’s radiation to a degree, reducing its effects to nothing, or making the levels deadly for a confined space. By bending and refracting light, she can create illusions indistinguishable from reality unless someone comes into physical contact with one, giving her a distinct edge in combat. She can adjust the intensity of light, making it strong enough to blind any who look directly at it – this effect is temporary for witches and knights, but often permanent for mortals, who may find their eyes burned out by the intensity. If it emits light, no matter how faint, the Witch of Light can manipulate it, although smaller, weaker light sources, such as bulbs or torches or even the energy emitted from fire and electricity, are good for little more than illusions. The Witch of Light also finds herself severely underpowered at night, or in darkened spaces. Her powers are at their peak when the Sun is shining; if it disappears behind a cloud, she will find herself significantly weaker for it.
Blood - The power of Blood has long been seen as an evil thing, used in the blackest arts to raise demons and worse. The Blood Witch possesses the ability to manipulate this liquid, both in herself and others - physical contact with another allows her to control the flow of blood in their body, shutting it off in some places to leave limbs as little more than dead weights, create clots, or extract it from the individual and make of it a weapon. The Blood Witch can also make use of her own blood in this fashion, laying open her wrists and spilling out her life force, which she can then use as a destructive weapon, boiling it to burn like acid through most substances. However, the most dangerous of her abilities lies in her powers of absorption: a single drop of blood from one of her kin allows her, for a short period, to make use of their abilities. Whilst the scale is dramatically reduced, it also renders her immune to her opponent's element for a few minutes, something that could easily turn the tide of battle. The power of the Blood Witch, however, must be used sparingly: the fastest way to draw blood effectively is to slit your wrists, and if there are no others around for her to make use of, the Blood Witch must rely on the blood in her own body for a weapon, and it is not infinite in amount...
Spirit – The power of the spirit is seen by many religions to be the greatest power there is, and the Spirit Witch, who can harness the power of her own life force, as well as those around her, possesses considerable power indeed. Utilising her own spirit, or the spirit of another conscious person, she can unleash destructive energy that is very difficult to defend against, and harder still to penetrate if she instead uses it to defend against enemy attacks. She is also capable of astral-projection, allowing her to travel outside of her body, unseen by all but the Gods themselves, for up to an hour at a time – after this time, the spiritual anchor that ties her to her body will gradually begin to fade away before disappearing completely, and she will remain trapped in spirit form, whilst her mortal body dies. If the Spirit Witch should come into contact with someone, she may also choose to link her spirit to theirs – for normal mortals, this allows her to discover anything she wishes to about them. For her fellow sisters, this means something much more – it allows her to discover their true names. However, they in turn can penetrate her magical defences, and discover her innermost secrets, her true name included. Whilst this affords the Spirit Witch a certain measure of protection, for her kin will be unable to control her, she in turn will be unable to control them, and the only way for her to then acquire their powers will be to kill them…and, after such a spirit link, she will be considerably weaker than they. Whilst she can draw upon another’s spirit to aid her if she is touching that person, she can only drain a certain amount – she cannot kill them, and once they reach unconsciousness, the flow of power will cease. Some spirits are stronger than others, as well – some may provide her with but a trickle of power, barely noticeable. No mortal spirit is as strong as her own, so they are limited secondary power supplies. However, with each attack she saps at her very life force: after a continued assault, she will pass out from exhaustion, and if she abuses her spirit with excessively powerful attacks, she risks her own death.
Metal – The Metal Witch is a unique creature with an immense amount of potential in this technological age. She can manipulate metal with ease; bending it to suit her every whim, whether that be to raise a powerful physical barrier against enemy attacks – a barrier she can, if she maintains direct contact with it, prevent from rusting, buckling or melting (although the greater the assault, the more taxing it will be to do this) - or use it as a destructive, physical attack, by hurling it at foes, creating metallic monstrosities (although the larger the creature, the more of her attention it will require to control) or shaping it around them, crushing them. She can alter metal density and structure, causing it to rust at her very touch or even melt. She can even control liquid metal, directing it to flow where she wills, shape how she chooses (if she so chooses) and cause metal that has become brittle to regain its strength. The Metal Witch is a great deal like a magnet; she can pull any metal – even the enchanted weaponry of the Knights - towards her, or push it away with the force of a bullet. She also possesses a form of flight through this attraction and repulsion, although this requires a significant amount of concentration, for she must keep her magnetism constant. Through touch, she can even extract the iron from a person’s bloodstream; and even utilise her own, should she choose. Metal is extremely versatile, and can be found nearly everywhere, making the Metal Witch an extremely dangerous foe. However, her powers are perhaps more limited than the other witches, in terms of the scale of destruction she is capable of unleashing: she could create behemoths of metal that would be nearly impossible to take down, yet in order to guarantee her own safety she would need to build them up around herself, for the larger the body of metal she seeks to control, the more effort it requires, and she would be wide open to an assault if she controlled such a large body of metal externally. There is a limit to what she can lift, as well: she could not, for example, uproot an entire skyscraper and throw it at an enemy. Metal resists, and unless the metal witch has direct contact with it, she would find that tearing out a portion of a building would require some effort.
The Grey Goddess and Her Order of Knights
The Grey Goddess stands in opposition to The Horned King, ever ready to thwart his every move. Like her counterpart, the Grey Goddess is not mentioned in any literature – at least, not by that name – and, like him, she has never been seen by her followers, although she communicates with them more frequently. Unlike the Horned King, she leaves recruitment to her existing knights and, once new recruits have been deemed worthy, she allows them to choose the element they wish to wield in their fight against evil. The Grey Goddess is concerned, primarily, with the elimination of witches, but she allows her followers a free reign in much the same way as her counterpart does.
Much like the witches, each knight has the ability to manipulate an element. However, unlike witches, their weapon is the focal point of their power, rather than themselves. This gives them one crucial advantage over witches: their power is consistent. It takes witches time to build up energy for powerful attacks, and they find themselves hindered by certain conditions. The same cannot be said of Knights, who are able to use their strongest attacks immediately, regardless of the conditions of their surroundings. However, their power is marginal when compared to a witch’s, and a knight would stand absolutely no chance against a witch at full strength, even if they possessed an elemental advantage. In addition, as a knight’s focal point is his weapon, if he is separated from that weapon, he becomes an ordinary man. Any who pick up a knight’s weapon can use the power contained within it for their own, also.
Knights are encouraged by the Goddess to work together, but they are not required to do so. A knight can add to his strength much as a witch adds to hers; by defeating a fellow knight in combat. Victory, if that knight so desires, earns him his opponent’s weapon, which he can choose to wield in addition to his own, allowing it to retain its elemental properties, or he can destroy it, adding its elemental abilities to his own weapon. Knights are not required to disclose their true names if defeated by one of their kin. If they defeat and slay a witch, a knight is rewarded with a portion of her elemental powers, channelled through either their existing weapon, or a new one of their choice. There is no absolute hierarchy amongst the Order, beyond that which they choose for themselves. Respect is earned by combat skills, and combat skills are often determined through private duels.
There are multiple temples across the globe dedicated to the Grey Goddess, each with its own order of Knights, for whilst the primary goal of the Knights is to destroy witches, they are not aversed to getting rid of other evils either, and the migratory nature of witches means that those pursuing them need somewhere sanctified that they can stay. The temple of the Grey Goddess in England is located in central London.
Knight Elemental Weaponry
Fire – Fire Knights possess the ability to ignite their weapons in flames, increasing the power and resilience of their weapon considerably. They cannot launch fireballs or draw upon the body heat of others as the Fire Witch can, but they can extend the flames surrounding their weapons to surround themselves, in a protective shield that also serves as a destructive aura.
Water – Water Knights can draw water into their weapons, which they can then unleash in jets at will. The direction and velocity of these jets can be controlled for greater effect, as can their temperature: although, like the Water Witch, Water Knights cannot control steam or ice. Alternately, they can raise stored water around themselves in a protective shield.
Earth – Earth Knights carry larger weapons such as axes and hammers, allowing them to split the earth asunder. Their abilities represent the Earth Witch’s, but on a considerably smaller scale and, as a result, they have greater control over the destruction they can cause. However, immense physical strength is required to split the earth, and even the most hardened of Knights will find themselves quickly tiring after a few blows.
Wind – Wind Knights carry either longbows or crossbows; their power lies within the arrows or quarrels themselves, and these can be fired from any weapon of that type, or even thrown – this gives them a distinct advantage over their brothers, for they can carry backup weapons if necessary. Wind Knights possess the ability to control the speed and direction of their projectiles at will, and little can stop them. However, they are limited in supply: they carry up to ten, and if a Wind Knight does not retrieve their projectiles after they have been fired, they must petition to the Grey Goddess for more.
Lightning – Lightning Knights’ weapons can act as batteries, storing large amounts of electricity – more, perhaps, than the Lightning Witch is capable of storing her own body – until they choose to discharge it as lightning bolts. Unlike the other Knights, who run the risk of having their weapons taken by another and used against them, Lightning Knights can avoid such a risk by either simply calling their weapon back to their hand if they lose it, or activating its electrical current to electrocute anyone else that touches it.
Nature – Nature Knights carry wooden weaponry, putting at them at a slight disadvantage over their brethren, who can possess steel weapons. However, as organic matter, their weapons can expand and grow however they desire and, whilst they cannot reproduce, their growth can be controlled and, if there are sufficient natural resources, the weapon can grow to colossal size, and can also grow around the Knight and serve as a barrier against attacks. Much like the Nature Witch, Nature Knights can fuel the growth of their weapon utilising their own life force, if there is a lack of water and sunlight available. If the weapon becomes separated from the Knight, it will return to its original state, as well.
Darkness – Knights of Darkness possess the ability to draw shadows into their weapon and unleash them at will, creating an area of pitch blackness within a small area. Alternately, they can bring force projectiles or forms of pure darkness in physical substance, which will remain so as long as they remain in contact with the weapon: if they are separated from the weapon, they literally dissolve into nothingness. Naturally, Knights of Darkness are more powerful at night, for they can draw upon far more from their surroundings, although unlike Knights of Light, they cannot store energy within their blades: they must rely upon what their surroundings provide for their power.
Light – Light Knights, much like Lightning Knights, can store power within their weapons, for later use. They can discharge it from their weapons in scorching beams, although these are considerably narrower and less intense than the Light Witch’s. If they have sufficient light energy stored within their weapons, Light Knights can illuminate their surroundings in the darkness, driving back even the shadows. However, the energy must first be stored before it can be released, leaving Light Knights vulnerable to assault to begin with.
Blood – Blood Knights wield the greatest power of all the Knights, yet run the greatest risk: in order to utilise the power that lies within their weapon, they must offer in exchange their own blood; the blood of others will not fuel their blades, so their power is limited by how much blood they can lose before losing consciousness, or worse.
Spirit - TO BE ADDED
Rules
1) Godmodding and metagaming is forbidden.
2) Please, use a decent level of spelling, grammar and punctuation in RP posts. Fail in this and I WILL kick you out of the RP.
3) Please try to keep your RP posts to a minimum of a paragraph (three to five sentences)
4) Be polite. If you’ve got a problem with another member, take it to PM, and don’t clutter up the OC thread with it.
5) If you need something clarified, just ask!
6) Exercise restraint when using witch powers, and use your common sense – the bigger the feat, the more it takes out of you.
7) Maximum of three characters per person, and only one of these can be a witch, due to limited slots.
Application template
Alias: (the name you will use throughout the RP)
True Name: (the True Name of your character)
Age: (no younger than 16)
Gender:
Affiliation: (To start with, men will be affiliated with the Order, and females will be affiliated with the Witches)
Weapon: (Knights only. No guns.)
Element: (One element, unless stated otherwise)
Appearance:
Personality:
Bio:
Character theme:
Battle theme:
Characters
Witches
Fire Witch - [Crimson] - Squid
Water Witch - RESERVED [Meddy]
Earth Witch - RESERVED [Ami]
Wind Witch - [Desiree] - Ravness
Lightning Witch [Alyss Scarlet] - Ringo
Nature/Light Witch - [Poppy] - Martel
Darkness Witch [Lily] - Martel
Blood Witch - [Tristana] - Diar
Spirit Witch - [Tatheria] - Jess
Knights
Heath [Spirit] - Martel
Ardis [Lightning] - Soul
Aldra [Earth] - Galmski
The RP will begin…somewhen. It depends on how much interest is shown and how many bios I get. My own bios will be up this week somewhen.
I have blueprints for three other elements for witches, so if all the witch positions are taken and other players want a witch, I will include these in the RP as well.
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