Kokuei FAQ Version 2.0 by Phoenixflame I. What is Kokuei? II. What's the Story So Far? III. What are the Rules? IV. What are Genomes? V. What are the Fae? VI. What is Dragon Unit? VII. How Do Special Abilities Affect My Character? VIII. What are 'Power Centers' and 'Ley Lines'? IX. Can I Play a Widow? X. The Politics of Schatten XI. Legends XII. General Schatten Knowledge XIII. Dating System XIV. Contact Information I. What is Kokuei? Kokuei is a freeform PBEM RPG set in a world different from ours... the world of Kokuei. The game specifically, takes place in the city of Schatten, which is ruled by the Widow Family. There are many inhuman and human creatures on Kokuei, and within Schatten, in the knowledge of the general public. Magic runs rampant, along with technology slightly higher than the technology of today. II. What's the Story So Far? Long ago, the Fae Wars were fought between the races of the fae, and the human colonists who came to establish the city of Schatten. The leader of the humans, the first Widow King, married the Queen of the Seelie fae, and were attacked at the altar by the Unseelie Queen, who was the Queen's sister. The Unseelie Queen was defeated and sealed away, and the races of the fae began a long descent into obscurity and fairy tale. Now, centuries later, in the city of Schatten, beneath the Shroud of poisons that have been contained by magic, the Widow family still rules the city. A new threat has risen to prominence again them. The mysterious Nox Corporation. Their motives are unknown, and with their coming, ancient powers stir, and new ones are born in the City of Shadows. Mortals. Fae. Altered humans called Genomes, vampires, demons, and gods come together. In Schatten, unbeknownst and unknown, and without guards to watch for her and defeat her, the Unseelie Queen has risen from her slumber. The Gods stir, meddling once more in the lives of mortals. Demon Hunters roam, Seers dream, and a paladin from times long ago searches for the last of the True Widows, and the Three of Swords. Meanwhile, the Widow Family searches for the daughter they lost: the famous Missing Widow Princess, heir to the throne, Leia Widow, presumed abducted by her bodyguard at fourteen. An explosion at a Nox research facility has sent waves through the city, driving some psychics insane, disrupting spells, and destroying wards. Tensions are on a rise as the werewolf packs become more bold, demons make nests in abandoned buildings, and the first moves in a covert war between Nox and the Widow Family are being played out in the dirty streets and the embassies of Schatten. In the wake of the Nox Disaster, as it is being called, a new power calling itself Queenscourt, is rallying around the Missing Princess, Leia Widow, who is forming her own court and making her claim to the throne of Schatten... independent of the Widow family. III. What are the Rules? 1. All members are expected to submit at least one persona sheet. Personas are nigh unlimited unless it starts to get ridiculous. 2. All ranking personas must be approved by me and Angel. This includes the Widow Family and Nox Board members. 3. P-sheets are required for every new character you intend to play regularly with. You may not play with that character until I and/or Angel approve that character. 4. This list is R rated. No explicit sexual material on-list. 5. All new races, genomes, etc, must be approved by one of the moderators. 6. No using material from TV shows, books or movies in Kokuei. Songs are fine, so are references to TV shows, just include a disclaimer. 7. OOC posts must be marked as such in the header. 8. A persona sheet can be obtained by e-mailing me at mrtrainor@att.net IV. What are Genomes? Altered humans, usually using some sort of splicing. For example, your generic furry would be a Genome... and so would a human enspelled to have superhuman strength, or who had fangs implanted. The general public regards most Genomes as freaks, except in the entertainment industry. V. What are the Fae? The fae... the fae are human sized, pointy-eared /menaces/ for the most part. They have abilities ranging from Glamourie, to kenning, to control of animals. Most still haven't gotten over the Fae Wars centuries before, and are usually best left alone. Fae raised centuries ago tend to think on slightly different terms than humans (for example, they value the land more than a human life, they see humans as not being totally 'sentient' in their terms, etc). The leaders of the fae are traditionally called The Seelie and Unseelie Queens, who hold seperate courts. There are also bloodlines amongst the fae, which are considered valuable. NOTE: Fae are NOT susceptible to weres. They cannot become werewolves, etc. VI. What is Dragon Unit? Dragon Unit is a department of the Schatten Police Force which takes care of supernatural cases, and incidently, any other cases that get dumped on them. They're a mixed unit of humans and Genomes. To balance the high mortality rate, they have a higher budget, which includes some neat technological toys, bigger and more customized guns, and higher salaries. Their badges allow the average Dragon Unit detective leeway to go anywhere, do anything, as long as it fits within their job description. In some cases, the priviliges are abused. They have a psychic on staff, and keep a couple of mages and hedgewizards on retainer. VII. How Do Special Abilities Affect My Character? Depends on the character. For example, take the following scenario. A mage casts a sleep spell on an area. Most humans would be knocked out by it, aware or unaware. A few Genomes /might/ resist it if they don't see it coming. Otherwise, their nature allows it to shake it off if they see it coming, or, if they're unaware, it'll knock them out easily. Another mage could counter the spell... etcetera, etcetera. Of course, this varies on how powerful and/or experienced the mage and his target(s) are. As a rule, a large, local-area effect is /easy/ compared to more complicated things for mages. A simple quick-and-dirty glamour might not take much effort, but it wouldn't hold up under close inspection, and it would only be visual. A mage who took the trouble, though, could make it see and feel real, even under close examination, but it would be more effort, and more draining. VIII. What are 'Power Centers' and 'Ley Lines'? Lines of magical energy, or nodes, where mages or sensetives can recharge, or be burnt out, depending on how good or strong they are. Presently in Kokuei, there are nodes under the Widow Citadel, the Cathedral, and there's a weak one under the old Buddhist Temple outside of the city. IX. Can I Play a Widow? Not unless you're an experienced player, and can prove it. This goes for high-powered and ranking personas as well. X. Politics of Schatten At present, there are three major sides. The Widow Family, Nox Corporation, and Queenscourt. There are other powers which will choose up sides, some of which will be outlined in this section, others which will develop and be added eventually. Various historical events will be noted in this, and messages from previous months of playing will be referred to. Widow Family- They rule the city. They control the army, they run the courts, they make the laws. They founded the original formal schooling for magic users, sensitives, wizards, sorcerers, and what have you. They have a substantial amount of magic users, mages, etcetera, on their side, and one of the progeny of the King of Schatten (King is NPC) is Onyx Widow, who is also known as the Sorcerer Prince. He graduated from the Schatten Lyceum two years ago, and is publicly an expert in ritualistic magic. The Widow Citadel is set over a major power center. Also, the Widows have heavily warded the Cathedral of Lost Souls, an edifice dating back to founding-era Schatten, which is set over a power center, and has the highly protected crypt of the First King buried beneath it. The bones of the Widow Family are interred beneath the Cathedral, and are also guarded, as they can possibly be used for various rituals. Nox Corporation- A large corporation with factories, laboratories and offices throughout the world. Major producer of weapons and new technologies. Also researches into meldings of technology and magic. Publicly, they are major supporters of Genome Rights. Under the veneer of civility, they are seeking to overthrow the Widow Family and take control of Schatten, turning it into a corporate dictatorship. Queenscourt- The Court and followers of the Lost Princess, Leia Widow. Not much is known about Queenscourt, save that it has an alliance with the Manx Corporation and a goodly part of the noble Ares family, and that the Princess and some of her major supporters have large amounts of money. The heraldry of Queenscourt is a crown centered between two angel wings. Ares Family- A noble family dating back to founding-era Schatten. The founder of the line was a Knight of Schatten, and was awarded a dukedom for valor in battle. These days, the head of the Ares family runs the Manx Corporation, which among other things, does research and development, and has a recording label of its own. Weres- The werecats are headed up by Elena Ares, and are loosely affiliated with the Ares family. The werewolves are an independent power, headed by Aja Hunter, who can usually be found by searching nightclubs. Other Powers- Various cities outside of Schatten are reached by flight from various airports, by ocean travel, by road, or by rail. A nearby city-state, Orealis, is notorious for requiring all people with supernatural/extrasensory abilities (such as mages, telepaths) to register their abilities at the Orealis Supernatural Affairs Bureau. XI. Legends (Urban and otherwise) (Open for players to contribute to!) The First Widow King- History has it that the first Widow King came from the east with an army and some settles for unknown reasons. Colonists settled in various places. Then the fae came, and a great war commenced. Towards the end of it, the Widow King supposedly released an ancient weapon (sources differ on whether it was a dragon or some sort of magical effect via artifact). A few days later, the war was over, and it was declared that the Widow King would marry the Queen of the Fae (the Seelie Queen). The Paladin- Minnea of Serrasin, a mage-paladin, and general of the armies, is a historical figure also, but legend has it that she was the lover of the First Widow King, who stepped aside to let the King marry the Seelie Queen, and later killed herself pining for him. Dragon- The old legend has it that the Widows have some sort of power over the city at their command. This ranges from them being immensely powerful mages, to having control over all the technology in the city, to them possessing a dragon, which is given further likelihood due to the histories. The Huntsman- Supposedly the assassin and secret right hand of the Widows. Legends have him or er being everything from a demon, to a cyborg, to a human being, to a mage. XII. General Schatten Knowledge (to be added to as needed) The Widows- They rule the city. They control the police, the courts, etc. There are noble families who own corporations and look to the Widows. Nox- Powerful corporation, their technology is advanced, and they provide specialized magical services. In secret, they can buy and sell people, and don't give a damn about what they want to happen. They have 'security forces' who are trained like soldiers, and treated as such. Loyalists, who owe everything to the corporation, laud them as the next and rightful rulers of Schatten who need to replace the corrupt Widow regime. The Missing Princess- Kidnapped at fourteen, most everyone but the Widows think that she's dead by now, used in a blood sacrifice. Called Leia Widow formally, also the Missing Heir. The Screw- A sex club, literally, hires out prostitutes. Also a nuetral ground for creatures of the night, and most recently Dragon Unit. Not a place to start a fight in by any means. The Shroud- Poison, magic, and pollutants hold this large cloud-like feature over main Schatten, allowing no sunlight through. Schatten truly is a 'city of shadows'. Rain tends to be poisonous, and snow an odd greenish-grey color. Holds in place due to containing magic, so the air in the city is breathable. The suburbs of Schatten are not under the Shroud. Truce Park Neighborhood- Peaceful suburban neighborhood. City Surroundings- Suburbs aren't under the Shroud, the main city itself is. There is a minor spaceport, but as the only thing in orbit are resource sattelites and a resort hotel, there's not much point to it. Ocean is quite thoroughly polluted. XIII. Dating System Normal subject format is date, then title of post. For example: 1.03: Beginning Where 1 is the month, 03 indicates the third day of that month. Month first, then day, and if applicable (it shouldn't be, but you never know), year after day as such: 1.03.2999 Year at present is 2999 Present Era. XIV. Contact Information? If you have more questions, or something to add to the FAQ, you can contact me at mrtrainor@att.net. I'm usually online, but if not, I'll get to it as soon as possible! Questions about the Screw should be tended to Angel at angelstv@bentcom.net. Main list is hosted at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kokuei_rpg Website is http://www.geocities.com/phoenixflame3/kokuei AIM Listings: Angel: wyrdchild Leeann: CannibalPoet Mystic: BlackShadowSong1 Phoenixflame: Phoenixflame666 New images are always welcome for new layouts-of-the-month. Fnord. ^_^