Apocrypha: Ascension of the Seven Saints
Premise
Many are the prophecies that speak of the Apocalypse, that most dreadful event that will spell mankind’s doom, as the creatures of Hell rise to take the planet for themselves, whilst the righteous ascend to paradise. Many times has the event been foretold incorrectly; so many times, in fact, that many no longer give credit to these prophecies: the old ways of religion have become obsolete in the face of scientific discovery, and the end of the world occurring due to some paranormal force is simply impossible. If it were going to happen, it would have happened by now. Yet still, the prophecies persisted, their dates coming and going without a warning, or to be so far into the future that they escaped the notice of all but the few who believed them. It was, to the minds of some, only a matter of time before the Apocalypse happened…Premise
And on the 12th of December 2012, at the stroke of midnight, it finally came to pass: the beginning of the end. Fire rained from a sky split apart by lightning, and the ground shook with unrivalled fury as the legions of the damned rose up from the depths of Hell to claim the human world for their own; their time finally at hand after untold millennia of waiting. Led by the Four Horsemen – Conquest, War, Famine and Death – they have swept across the world, ravaging cities and leaving naught by ruin in their wake.
The Apocalypse, feared by humankind throughout the ages, has come to claim the souls of the living, so that they may writhe in eternal damnation for their sins. The way to Heaven is closed, and now there can be nothing but suffering in mankind’s future. Once the Seven Seals are broken, the Lord of Hell will rise to walk amongst the ashes of civilisation, and despair shall reign until time itself ceases.
However, hope still remains for humanity, the faintest of glimmers in the darkness. Guided by the Archangel Lucifer, seven maidens of pure heart and spirit have been chosen to become mankind’s last, greatest hope, and their one defence between their species and extinction at the hands of the Four Horseman and the hordes of the damned, as guardians of the Seven Seals. By the Light of the Morning Star, they are the Seven Saints, and the fate of the world is in their hands.
Key Terminology and Personnel
The World Barrier
With the beginning of the Apocalypse, the World Barrier, that which was put into place by God at the moment of Creation, has come into view. Once a pure white, it is now a sickly yellow and blankets the sky, plunging the world into a state of perpetual twilight. As the World Barrier weakens, it becomes darker and more transparent until, finally, it will shatter, staining the sky a deep shade of crimson and allowing the legion of the damned – and ultimately the King of Hell himself – access to the mortal world. Already the legions of the damned have begun to cross where the Barrier is at its weakest and, whilst it is capable of sealing the gaps seconds after they are made, seconds are often enough for something to slip through the cracks…
Lucifer
First amongst the Archangels and second only to the Creator himself, Lucifer is the patron of The Seven Saints. Whilst not without considerable power of his own, Lucifer is forbidden from interfering in the affairs of the lower planes directly – after all, such a power force of good acting in the mortal world would allow an equally powerful force of evil to do the same; in everything there must be balance - yet he may still act as a guide of sorts for the Seven Saints he has chosen to guard the Seals and act as humanity’s saviours.
The Seven Saints and the Seven Seals
Those who have been chosen by Lucifer to do the will of God, the Seven Saints are the guardians of the Seven Seals, those which protect the world from the full force of the Apocalypse. As these seals must first be broken in order for the Ruler of Hell to manifest himself in the mortal world – an event which would culminate in the extinction of all life on the planet – the Seven Saints are all that stands between the world and destruction. By speaking the Words of Pact - “By the light of the Morning Star!” – one who has been chosen as a Guardian may ascend for a brief time, becoming a Saint.
Saints are each gifted with their own unique powers reflective of their own inner strength and personality; in combat, this makes them a terrifying force to be reckoned with for the Legion. All Saints possess the natural ability to repair rifts in the World Barrier and, whilst their power is weaker than that of the Four Horsemen, acting in harmony they are more than capable of banishing them back to the Hell from whence they came. This is their primary goal: removal of the Four Horsemen will result in a complete healing of the World Barrier, and those lesser demons which have broken through, cut off from their own source of power, will be instantly destroyed.
Saints draw upon the power of the Seals they guard for their strength and, as such, they have finite limits to their capabilities: drawing upon the Seals too much or too fast would result in their breaking, and thus render the Saint just a normal girl once again. Seals will deactivate automatically if too much power has been drawn or if the wielder has been in Saint Form for too long, so great care – yet a modest amount of haste – must be exercised. Seals take the form most convenient for the Saint that guards them, although this is normally in the form of an accessory, such as a locket or a wristwatch. The destruction of the Seal would result in the Saint becoming an ordinary human once more, and a weakening of the World Barrier.
Samael
Supreme Commander of the Legion, and right-hand man to the King of Hell, Samael, also known as the Angel of Death, The Seducer and The Destroyer, is very much Lucifer’s opposite: so long as his Archangel counterpart does not get directly involved in the affairs of mortals, neither can he. He can, however, direct his armies in the way that he deems necessary. His primary goal, of course, is the destruction of the Seven Seals, so that his master, the King of Hell, can break through the World Barrier and claim the mortal realm for his own.
The Four Horsemen
Commanders of the Legion who serve Samael, the Four Horsemen are all forces to be reckoned with, and are easily a match for the Seven Saints despised their smaller number. Whilst they had names of their own long ago, each has long been discarded, and have come to embody the concepts they have been re-named after. They are as follows:
Conquest, who rides a steed of purest white, is the youngest of the Four, having only recently ascended to the position. It is Conquest that led the charge into the mortal realm, and who has destroyed most of mankind’s cities. Wielding a bow of flames, whilst Conquest is the weakest of the Four, his power is not inconsiderable.
War, who rids a steed of burning red, is the second oldest of the Four, even though Famine stands above him. War is physically the most powerful of the Four: the more you attack him, the stronger he becomes. Wielding an impressive array of weaponry, War is the master of that which he has been named for, and as a tactician he is second to none.
Famine, who rides a rotting horse that has been charred black, is given a wide berth by the other three Horsemen, even Death, who stands above him. Famine’s very presence weakens all those around him, even others of his kind. Famine’s very touch is enough to kill, and it is no great surprise that he often rides alone.
Death, who rides a steed of iron grey, is the most infamous and the most deadly of the Four, and has seniority amongst them. A cloaked figure who wields a scythe as the legends tell, Death can call upon the full power of Hades, a pocket dimension within Hell where only the most twisted of souls end up; those whose crimes go beyond even the nine circles. Death commands soul energy of truly immense proportions which is unaffected by the strength of the World Barrier; Death has always had a presence in the mortal realm, which has only strengthened with the increased number of souls that have passed recently.
The Legion of the Damned
The collective name for the denizens of Hell, the Legion is a force of seemingly limitless numbers. They have but one mission: destruction. They are, for the most part, weaker demons, easily destroyed by the Seven Saints, as the World Barrier will not yet permit the stronger from crossing. The Legion does have a noticeable hierarchy, however, and some of those who wait within the depths of Hell rival even the Four in strength, and command legions of their own…
Notes
- This RP will be set in a city ravaged by the Apocalypse…we’ll say Tokyo, because it’s always Japan that gets hit first by monster attacks and whatnot, and American cities are boring. This RP will start at around 1am on 12/12/12, and will continue on from there as we need it to. Your character may come from anywhere you wish, however they should have arrived in the city prior to the start of the Apocalypse.
- At the start of the RP, only the First Saint will have her powers. Lucifer will find each of you in turn and bestow upon you your powers; please keep this in mind before you go transforming or trying to tackle demons. xD
- The majority of demons will be NPCs; I’ll not object to you making cannon fodder or even stronger demons to battle, just as long as you don’t make something all-powerful and then kill it with ease. The Four Horsemen, if nobody takes them, will act as NPC bosses I’ll bring in when appropriate. Both Lucifer and Sammael will be NPCs regardless.
- This is a magical girl inspired RP, which is why the premise is so painfully straightforward. But keep this in mind when designing your characters. I want to see flashy names for things! This will be as dark as Madoka Magica, with all the dramatic flair of Sailor Moon…and the cheesy one-liners of the dub of Tokyo Mew Mew. Let us have FUN~
- There will be an Information thread for this RP at some point, which I shall construct as and when I get bios and make NPCs.
Rules
- All that stuff about godmodding, metagaming etc. goes here.
- If you’re going to participate in this RP, it shall be active participation. Expect to have to plan things out with others; I don’t allow cruising in my RPs.
- Please do try and be active. One post every three days isn’t too much to ask for, is it? Unless your internet cuts out or something, anyway. But do try and give prior notice. Keep in mind that I have no problem having Death harvest your soul and giving your Seal to someone else.
- Due to limited spaces, one Saint apiece unless I say otherwise. Unlimited number of villains if you want them, but there will be no Fallen Angels or Archangels in this RP, other than Samael and Lucifer respectively. Unless you have a VERY good idea, and then you can plead your case.
- As always, one strike and you're out. I don't let people screw around three times.
Application Template
Name:
Alias: [Your character’s Saint alias, e.g. “The Saint of Heaven’s Blossoms”]
Age: [between 15 and 19]
Place of birth: [where your character was born]
Power: [your character’s power; i.e. fire control, etc]
Abilities: [the passive abilities your character gains as a result of that power. Nothing too crazy]
Attacks: [the names of your attacks, and what they do. Be creative! Maximum of five]
Diviner: [the weapon your character wields in battle. Give it a catchy name.]
Seal Form: [the form your Seal takes]
Transformation sequence: [what happens when your character transforms]
Civilian appearance: [what your character looks like in their civilian form]
Saint appearance: [what your character looks like in their Saint form. Note: all Saints have retractable wings]
Personality:
History:
Character theme:
Battle theme:
Cast
TBA
Number of Saint slots open: 2TBA
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