Thar Shaddin

Hello. My name is Paul. Excepting the last year or so, I've been freeform RPing for approximately ten years. Since 'retiring' from my previous realm, the itch to return to writing has come and gone pretty regularly, but this last time it seems to have stuck, so I began searching for a new place to get my RP on. I can't tell you how happy I was to stumble upon Thar Shaddin. It looks to be just the kind of community I've been looking for.

I have a character in mind already. His name is Thorian Dioscuri (obviously). However, I have a few questions that I'm hoping you can help me with before I write my application. First of all, Thorian is a typical human for the most part. He doesn't have any skills in the use of magic, per se, but he does possess a psionic ability that I call "Psychokinesis". Is that something that would be allowed? I can provide a detailed explanation of this ability if you would like.

I also wonder if there is any sort of canonized religion and/or pantheon of gods in Thar Shaddin. I’ve read the website info and see that there is clerical magic and that the religion, or a religion, is actually running the show, but I can’t find any reference to the gods themselves.

In regards to Thorian’s back-story, would it be possible that his adopted father received the equivalent of government aid for taking on the responsibility of raising him? I want him to have grown up a specific way in order to explain his current ethics and values system.

Thanks in advance for any help you can send my way. I really like to know what I’m doing before I get started, which means, of course, that any answers I receive will most likely lead to more questions. Heh.

Welcome aboard Paul. I am Rail, otherwise known as Starfish. I am one of the moderators here, and glad to help in any way I can (except financial). Pleased for you to join us. *offers handshake*

Psychokinesis can be detailed when you write your character application. What I can say now is that psionics are just another form of magic - still subject to the magic control laws and everything which affects magic applies equally to psychic powers.

Marn & Shim worship a single god, Teodinus, who was once ruler of the Western Empire until he sacrificed himself to create the Seal (a world-wide barrier limiting magic) and stop magical wars from destroying the planet. Because of this, Teodinus is a strictly non-interventionist diety - because for a god to influence the world involves breaching the Seal.

"What is bought with magic
is stolen
What is learned by magic
is falsehood
What is gained through magic
is damnation
What is lost through magic
is everything."

Sums up Marnian attitude towards magic.

As you can guess, clerical magic is only for other religions - either foreign or underground (typically pro-magic cults more than developed faiths). Other religions are left for us to create and develop, so long as it doesn't conflict with the rest of the setting.

What Marn does have, are the Battlemages, government controlled sorcerers who are considered to have lost their souls for the good of the city. People see them as martyrs, and dangerous psychopaths to be avoided. Most of the battlemages are scary scary people, regarded as a necessary evil because they have no other way to fight magic.

I am not sure about government aid. There is a shantytown which suggests most people don't get government aid. However, the equivalent form of aid could be arranged by some source inside the government for whatever reason. IE: Someone could arrange the aid for you. Maybe a government official could provide aid to much the same effect? But they need to be given a reason.

Hope this helps.

Hey and welcome.

You can read up more on the religion of Marn, which is known as Puradynic (or Puradyne, or whatever) on the still unfinished new setting here: http://www.tharshaddin.com/setting/shad ... igion.html

Most of the other links there also lead to additional information that isn't posted live yet because it's not finished.

Government aid is possible. As Rail points out, a lot of people don't get much government help, but there's a lot of reasons why they don't (criminals, outsiders, non-humans, and crazy people). If, for example, your character could trace his blood to one of the first settlers, I'm sure the government would take care of him.

Okay, great. Thank you. I understand completely now. I'll work on my character application and get it posted within the next few days. I look forward to getting back into some good old fashioned roleplaying.

Welcome to Thar! I'm also staff for no conceivable reason beyond I look pretty and have boobs. I guess it works, right?!

Ok, more seriously, I am what you might call "public relations," AKA "The Charming One." Or at least that's what I have written over my mirror in lipstick.

And blood.

If you need any (additional) assistance with your app, contact either of our male staffers. They're smart and stuff, I'm just here to bake cookies.

*eats cookies*

Jess is who you tell if I'm being an ass or if Rail is being too anal.

Or if you want (any one or combination of the following):

To be molested

To have your character molested

To have your very own stalker

To be visited by a psycho axe murderer

Seriously, I think Rail is the only one who calls Rail "starfish".

In any case, welcome. I am the man to speak to if you need seven feet tall muscle-bound freaks with glowing eyes charging into locations for you.

Or a guitarist, for some reason. Hmm.

Oh, good! I was worried this place was going to be full of lunatics. It's nice to see everyone is so serious and reserved.

My character application is still forthcoming, but I've tossed out the original (which was half written) and started over. I'll have it up by the weekend. In the meantime, I'll be around now and then getting up to speed on the current stories.

Maybe I'll hop into the chat some evening if anyone is around.

Hey, don't alienate the lunatic population man.
We make the wheels turn round these part.
No, the wheels don't power anything but they do turn.
Just not very quickly... and not always in the same direction.
...I forget where I was going with this.

But anyways, hello new person!
You're a person and new!
Awesome.

Anyways, you won't need me or anything.
But by God will you want me for everything.
...
This entire post was a set up for that.
Regret nothing.

To have your character molested

It was for the purposes of plot! Plot!

As a way of giving your character angst that keeps on giving, I highly recommend this method. Sit back and reap the dramatic rewards.

So I'm not funny like Theo and Drake and all the others, but I'm the resident werewolf, which makes me amazing. There's probably going to be lots of sarcastic comebacks to that.

Anyways, welcome to the wonderful world of Thar Shaddin. We're all pretty awesome.

Rollick liked it. Anga just fed off his pleasure.

*bumbles*