Heres something I thought of that will most likely fail but I think it could be interesting. The point of this is not to just deliver a story. I want you to create a character, put him in a strange world and then get someone completely different. I want the characters to establish a life in this new world, working for the king, or doing their own thing. But I don't want it to be one track. I want the world to be deep and have many things occurring at once, even if the characters are not there. The purpose is to find the Dark Tower and stop it being used for the wrong reasons, and maybe even find a way home, if that is where you want to go.
A group of strangers all die on the same day, from random events that they were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. They are thrust into darkness and when it clears in the morning they awake to a frightening scene. They lay in a meadow of soft, luscious grass that rises to the knees. Tall, thick trees surround the meadow, and through them the strangers catch glimpses of small buildings clustered in an untidy bunch.
This is Midland. A land beyond ours and home to many strange things, but this is not a fairy tale. This is a nightmare. The land is dying. Time is unraveling, the land is falling into the sea, and radiation is poisoning the very earth.
The land however, is not the worst threat to the strangers. The fallen ones walk again. Humans and animals warped by radiation, deformed by evil and consumed by it.
Gilead is the last surviving nation in Midland. Its rulers hang on by a thread to a country plagued on all sides. Pirates and bandits wage an ever escalating war with the Gunslingers and Riders. Demons slowly destroy the frontier. Through all of this the a hidden group is trying to find the Dark Tower and destroy it, causing time and space to unravel.
Will you search the land for a way home? or will you accept your fate and make a life for yourself here, in this strange new world?
MIDLAND
Midland has one continent that is slowly falling in on itself. The environment has divided itself into distinct environments, each strange and unique in its own way.
Rising above the green shag of the jungle, like the spires of some eroding castle, the mountainous spine of the Island runs its crooked length. Ancient volcanic eruptions created the mountains, now as the Island falls apart beneath it, the mountains stand grim and resolute. The harsh, rocky landscape is predominantly occupied by shrubs, and lichen but the forest is creeping it’s way up the mountain. Large winged beasts roam the mountains. The Wyrms are mystical beasts of legend that range in appearance. Some are even rumored to appear as giant wolves with feathered wings and multiple tails.
The jungles of Midland consist of gnarled trees the size of skyscrapers erupting in knotted root jumbles from the volcanic earth. Entire ecosystems exist within the great arms of a single tree. Undergrowth, taller and denser than many trees in our world choke the ground hundreds of feet below the shrouded canopy. Snake like vines and creepers crisscross in the trees, struggling with one another in a battle for water and light. Beasts of all shapes and sizes inhabit the shadowed depths of the jungle. Bears twelve feet tall, and insects the size of dogs are all common.
On the eastern side of the mountains a network of rivers, fed by runoff and springs weaved through a wide lay of gentle country swathed in low shrubs and patchy grassland. Over time as the Island shrank the plains receded into the jungle.
The Island’s coast is a savage battlefront between land and sea. Heavy oceanic swells buffet the coast, leaving a jagged shoreline like a jaw of broken teeth.
THE DARK TOWER
The Dark Tower is a hub of mystical energy. It binds the universe together as well as all planes of existence. No one knows where it is, or really everything about it except that it is surrounded by a field of roses and that its top can not be seen through the clouds. It is beautiful to behold, and almost resembles a large obsidian castle with many towers circling around one large spire. It is rumored in the ancient texts that the castle does not lie on this earth. The tower can only be accessed with the use of four keys, each one guarded by humongous beasts at the four most extreme locations on the Island (far north, south, etc.). In order to find your way home, you must reach the Dark Tower, and access its power.
CHARACTERS
Upon entering this world you find many new options open to you, that before would be unimaginable. Your characters will have to learn a trade to help them on their road to the Tower.
Gunslinger- The gunslingers and the Riders protect Gilead from threats. Gunslingers combine the weapons of the new era with that of the old. They carry revolvers as well as swords that allow them to function in all situations. They are extremely versatile soldiers thats power is not altogether human. It is a closely guarded secret (I.E. if you want to become one PM me).
Riders and Warders- Riders ride the great Wyrms. Warders are the Wyrms. Warders are humans that have developed a strong bond with a Rider, and the change, into the Riders weapons. Both human and Wyrm at once. They have an extremely strong bond that is not easily broken. They always know what the other is feeling and where the other is.
Mage- Magic is an art practiced by few, but it is old beyond belief and very powerful.
Death Dealers- Death Dealers are necromancers of a sort, but they have a different agenda. Their power comes not from rising the dead, but from guiding them. Using intricate spells they guide lost souls to the underworld. They are especially harmful against demons and other cursed beings. Their magic is just as effective on normal humans.
These are merely suggestions. If you have ideas run them by me.
RULES
- Technology. This is set in a medieval fantasy universe. Most soldiers will use swords, spears, bows etc. The most advanced pieces of equipment are the revolvers used by gunslingers and the long rifles carried by the Riders.
- There are no alternate races. Only human.
- No god modding. Your characters are new to this way of life. Keep that in mind.
- I want this to move and be deep. Try and do long posts if at all possible. If its not write a sentence or two, we'll all understand. I want everyone to get involved in the world as well, choose your own way to do this.
- Be courteous to other writers. Pay attention to what the other characters do, and don't write about them doing something they wouldn't normally do.
- Relationships are allowed. No sex scenes. Your characters may have it, but no description
- Go easy on the language
- Any other rules that need to be upheld by YWS
CHARACTER TEMPLATE
Only six strangers please. Any other characters must be from Midland
Name:
Age: older than 18 please
Gender:
Personality:
Appearance: picture is not required
History: include how they died. You may also want to include what they will do after they are settled.
Likes/Dislikes:
Other:
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