GOD WARS V

The first was bad. The second was better. The third was dominated by an extremely skilled and powerful Menaphite Empire which slaughtered everything that stood in its path, except for its loyal ally, Zaros, even though it never conducted any real battles other than the slaying of Zamorak (which was extremely entertaining). The fourth is ongoing.

Gentlemen... I present to you... THE FIFTH INSTALLMENT OF THE WORLDWIDE SENSATION, GOD WARS! Let's all give a big hand for our resident evil citrus mastermind, who first conceived of this horrible game which has stolen so much of our free forum time.


Alright. Now that the horrid pleasantries have been adequately dealt with - don't check the bloody shed out back - it's time to get down to business.

1. Introduction | Lore | Rules
   
2. Factions
   
3. Map | Movement | Teleportation
   
4. Resources | Economy
   
5. Construction | Destruction & Repair
   
6. Military | Battles | Major Spells
   
7. Agents | Caravans
   
8. Diplomacy | NPC Factions | Espionage
   
9. Conversion | Dissent
   
10. Research
    
11. Paragons | Artifacts
    
12. Examples | Templates
    

LORE

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When Guthix was slain at the end of the Fifth Age, his protective Edicts were shattered and the world was open to the gods of the multiverse once more. Gielinor, the prized jewel of so many who had witnessed its beauty and perfection, descended into the chaos and devastation of the Second God Wars. Using silver-tongued emissaries, each of the gods recruited massive armies with which to wage war. Champions arose and battled for faith and glory; in several key battles, the gods themselves clashed with one another. Just as it had in the Third Age, Gielinor was suffering.

Hope for an end to the slaughter lay in one indomitable force: the World Guardian, a mysterious former adventurer who had been touched by the last of Guthix's immense power. Wielding this gift, the World Guardian confronted the invading deities head-on, but suffered defeat at their hands. While Guthix had tried to render the World Guardian immune to the strength of the other gods, they were still able to break his body and crush his spirit. Despite this, his stalwart dedication to expelling the gods from the world kept him going. Eventually, he decided he needed more power to accomplish his task.

The first Elder Artifact the World Guardian obtained was the Stone of Jas. However, he had witnessed what happened to those who abused the Stone's might, so he continued to seek other Artifacts. He visited the Elder Kiln and was consumed by it, compressing its primordial power into himself. With this newfound strength, he visited Guthix's resting place and subdued the crackling energy around Skargaroth's Blade, reforging it into a suitable god-slayer weapon. Armed with the Blade, the World Guardian then sought out the serpent, Sliske, and acquired the Staff of Armadyl after wresting it from the Mahjarrat's cold, dead hands. With four Artifacts in his possession, he was ready to obtain the fifth: Saradomin's Crown.

The World Guardian knew that to slay Saradomin on his own would necessitate the abuse of all of the Artifacts' power. This was something that he feared doing; each Artifact had repercussions that, besides the Stone of Jas, he could not anticipate. He turned to the highly militant, self-proclaimed Godless faction of Guthixians, who shared in the World Guardian's quest. The Godless had been severely crushed by the armies of the gods, yet they still had enough numbers to join in the World Guardian's assault upon Falador, from whence Saradomin ruled. As the Godless tore down the city walls and engaged the Saradominists within, the World Guardian confronted Saradomin himself with the Staff and the Blade. Though the God of Order put up a tremendous fight, pushing the World Guardian to the brink of death, he succumbed to the power of four Elder Artifacts.

He knelt before the World Guardian, broken and bleeding, and his Crown was torn from his skull. Before the World Guardian could strike a killing blow, however, Saradomin teleported away. This was of no concern; using the latent ability of the Crown, the World Guardian was able to locate and collect the other Artifacts, both on Gielinor and on other planes. Only when he possessed the Elder Twelve did the gods realize the threat he posed; he was the solitary enemy they had to vanquish, no matter what.

The World Guardian used this to his advantage. He summoned the remaining Godless to him and led them to the center of the Wilderness, to the crater in which the decrepit skeleton of the Edicts Sword stood. Bandos, Zamorak, Zaros, Tumeken, Armadyl, even Seren and a restrengthened Saradomin all came to him with their war-hosts, determined to destroy the World Guardian once and for all. The World Guardian called upon the power of the Elder Twelve, mixing it with his own blood pulsing with Guthix's gift and forging a resplendent amulet that shone like the sun. The World Guardian touched the Edicts Sword with this amulet, sending bolts of lightning racing along its engravings and generating shockwaves that shook the world.

The Sword glowed brightly once again, binding the gods to its will and banishing them from Gielinor. This time, however, the World Guardian took it one step further: He commanded the Sword to expel creatures of great power he'd met in his adventures, especially the Mahjarrat and the Dragonkin. Springing from the Sword, a new Barrier was erected, shielding the world from the destruction of godly beings.

With his quest complete, and extreme weariness from wielding so much power, the World Guardian used the most enigmatic spells he knew to dismiss the Elder Artifacts to places where they would never be found. Although it would take time for the residual power of the Artifacts to drain from his body, the World Guardian felt freed from the unimaginable burden. He named the amulet he'd crafted the Pendant of Sealing; so long as it was intact, the Edicts Sword would maintain the new Barrier. Recognizing the importance of such an item, he kept the Pendant with him always.

The World Guardian declared that the world would be rebuilt as one united realm: the Kingdom of Gielinor. The followers of the banished gods were offered a place in the Kingdom, so long as they agreed to live peacefully. Most accepted the offer; those who didn't were put to the sword. Prolonged by the trace of Elder power in his blood, the World Guardian ruled Gielinor for nearly 200 years. Near the end of his life, he was tormented by increasing paranoia, doubting the duration of the Sealing Barrier and having nightmares that the gods would find a way to return. One day, the World Guardian simply left. Some believe he left to die a glorious death, battling the gods across the multiverse, and others say he simply went to pass away in secret. The World Guardian took the Pendant of Sealing with him, and none know where it rests.

The Second God Wars comprised the Sixth Age. When the World Guardian established the Sealing Barrier, it marked the beginning of the Seventh Age, in which the world recovered as the Kingdom of Gielinor. Once the World Guardian passed away, the Kingdom could not find a suitable replacement and naturally dissolved into independent sovereignties, as it had been in the Fourth Age. As time passed and these realms moved away from the ideals of the Kingdom of Gielinor, the people within them began to hear the whispers of the banished gods once more. It seemed Gielinor was bound to experience a cataclysmic war once more, and only one being smiled as it happened. The one who was thought long dead, the one who started it all...

RULES

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1. Promark - now known as Jasband, Jascertes, Proscertes, Ascertes, Jaseric, Jasbro, Certbro, or plain "Noob" - designed GW5. However, L.OR.D WILL.I.AM will be your Game Master (GM)/Hip Hop Superstar. In-character, he is perceived to take the role of Meantuyu and preserve balance amongst the factions, while also acting as the timepiece that moves the world forward. For the majority of the battles, he will also be your Battle Master (BM). As you might expect, this involves overseeing the battles. In cases where NPC Paragons are involved, another player may fulfill the role of said paragon.
   
   
2. The point of God Wars is to destroy the other factions - simple as that. How you do it is up to you, and as the game matures, you'll see politics and intrigue making just as much of an impact as the size of your armies. Thus, to emerge triumphant, a player must master many skills!
   
   
3. Each faction declares a capital that can always be changed (except when it is under siege!). If his capital is taken, the player is eliminated from the game. Note that if a faction leader - a Warlord - is killed in battle, his followers will be severely demoralized, but the player will not be eliminated. He will have to create a new Warlord, though.
   
   
4. This is a turn-based strategy game. Each turn ("season") will last 24 hours. The only circumstances where the season report is delayed is if there is a major battle that has taken longer than expected. For whatever reason, if a player cannot post in that time frame, he will be given small compensation the next turn. However 3+ missed turns in a row (without a reason) will not be compensated.
   
   
5. During a turn, players may manage their empires in any way they wish. However, they may only initiate actions; they cannot determine the success of those actions. For example, if a player sends his army from Point A to Point B, he can only say that the army is marching; he can't decide if they arrive at Point B safely or not. That will be up to Guthix!
   
   
6. Between 1pm-2pm BST/GMT every day, the GM will conduct a Seasonal Report. The report lists the success or failure of players' actions and is also the place for NPC activities and random events.
   
   
7. Each Warlord is tasked with his own bookkeeping. An example of proper bookkeeping can be found in Examples/Templates (Post 15). This game is fun, but unfortunately, there's a lot of adding/subtracting/multiplying involved! When the GM does Seasonal Reports, he'll check each post for glaring mathematical errors, but it will be mostly up to the player to keep things accurate. Mistakes will be pointed out and warned; continued "mistakes" will be considered cheating and will be punished accordingly.
   
   
8. Since deception is a part of how God Wars V is played, there is a mechanic called the Misinformation Check (MC) that players may use when they think something's not quite right. When a player calls a MC on another player, he must specify why, exactly, he's calling the Check. If he's right, then the GM will reveal part or all of the deception; it's up to his discretion. If he's wrong, he will, of course, get no information. The player who called the MC will not be able to call another one for 4 seasons, while the player who was called out is also immune to further Checks for 4 seasons.
   
   
9. What happens in God Wars V stays in God Wars V. While it's fun to taunt and boast sometimes, keep it in this thread or in PMs so that if it becomes unwanted, it can be controlled. Taking it out of this forum is not acceptable.

EEZ GUD, keep going.

I can't, my Creative Battery is drained. I'll come back in an hour or two.

Tsk tsk tsk, Guthix is dead. I will be the evil sadistic malevolent mysterygod who just wants all the others to suffer.

Lord William wrote:

Tsk tsk tsk, Guthix is dead. I will be the evil sadistic malevolent mysterygod who just wants all the others to suffer.

Fixed that for ya.

Errr... you made some nice suggestions on how to tweak the Misinformation Check, and I could've sword they were in one of these threads, but I can't seem to find them. Mind refreshing my memory?

Basically, a player can use misinformation check on another player, causing the target player to be unable to use misinformation check himself and also invulnerable to further misinformation checks for a brief period. The one who issued the check cannot issue further checks for the same period of time, although he can still be used misinformation check on. It is up to the gamemaster's discretion to decide what information is revealed.

Right, so what's a good period, you think? Maybe 3 turns? I think 10 was a bit much, but I don't want to see MC-spam.

3 or 4 turns.

Make sure you guys click the links in the Table of Contents!

Backstory, courtesy of Siroki:

The Sixth age was nothing but turmoil. For years the gods tried to use their power and influence to shape the world as they please - They tried wars, espionage, anything to gain a foothold in Gielinor... But none of them could comprehend the immense power of the World Guardian.

People all knew of the World Guardian, yet no one seems to have recorded who or what this being was. Some say it was male; some say it was female; Some claim it was human; some theorize it was a god itself. No one to this day seems to know who the World Guardian was... All that they knew was it had the power to defy the gods - Granted by the great god Guthix himself.

There have been many plots by the gods in the fight to claim Gielinor; yet every one of them was foiled by the World Guardian. No matter how much the gods tried - no matter how futile it seemed - the World Guardian always pulled through and managed to cast the gods out of the world. Mortals finally had a chance to build their world the way they saw fit. The World Guardian was always there to protect them. It even started a sacred order, dedicated to defending the world.

Until one day... The Guardian disappeared, and the shadowy order crumbled without leadership.

Because there was no record of the World Guardian kept, no one could figure out how or why it left the mortals. Some say the gods finally killed it; some say it grew tired of its ever-present burden of protecting the world; some say it died of old age, as any other mortal does. There has been no proof of any of these allegations.

As the saying goes: “When the cat goes away, the mice come out to play.”

And so did the Gods, Saradomin, Zamorak, Seren, Bandos, Armadyl, Zaros, Quin, Marimbo, Sliske, The Menaphite Pantheon under Tumeken, the Fremennik, and the Shadowy Order of Apostes (sp?), took their avatars, their Paragons, their Warlords to the scarred world of Gielinor - Now the World Guardian is gone, so begins the God Wars anew.

Hmm... Nope, doesn't explain why the gods themselves aren't around. I guess I have nothing better to do right now, let me whip up what I had in mind...

We could add a line that said "The World Guardian even put new barriers in place to prevent the Gods from ever returning, and yet the Gods still tried to intervene, by assigning men and women to lead their armies while they watched from above."

Not bad, but it also doesn't explain things like why the NPC States are in decline (which is fine, sine Siroki just got here and may not know about that yet).

Ah, so the NPC lands are in decline... Hmmm... I'll think on this more and get back to you guys.

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...

Maybe the NPC states were destroyed BECAUSE of the conflicts between the WG and the gods? Like, at some point WG punches Bandos in the face, Bandos tips over and OOPS, there goes Varrock castle?

Or something. Lol.

There was a man, a man in the heart of it, from when it began to the very end. He who was chosen by the god Guthix, shaper of Gielinor, god of balance and protector of the mortals. And the World Guardian was his champion. When Guthix ended the God Wars, he built walls around the world, forbidding any god from entering. But the peace was not to last, and indeed, in the year 169 of the Fifth Age, Guthix was killed by the Mahjarrat Sliske, and the World Guardian was there to witness it. On his last moments, when the walls around the world came crumbling down, Guthix gave the World Guardian the power to combat the gods who would be flocking into the realm.

Before being elevated, the World Guardian was an adventurer. These days were instrumental in his success. He built relations to the monarchs of the human kingdoms, and was revered by the common man. He gained incredible wealth through his trade with the mysterious Eastern Lands. He uncovered powerful artifacts from forgotten dungeons. He mastered many skills, there was no parallel to his smithing, none overshadowed his crafts, and no more skilled summoners existed. But Gielinor will always remember the World Guardian's superior strength, his impeccable accuracy, and powerful magic - he was a combatant of no match.

Guthix' death was heard by all the world. The trees themselves wept for him. But the only one who knew what it truly meant was the World Guardian. The humans kept about their lives for a while still, they did not recognize the threat when the gods sent their emissaries, but the World Guardian knew and silently prepared for the coming storm. He took the God Sword, wrestled from the hands of the four leaders of the most powerful gods - Commander Zilyana, K'ril Tsutsaroth, General Graardor and K'ree Arra. He reforged the blade, but the most important part was the hilt. Taking a shard of the sword in Guthix' dwelling, the very Elder Weapon that had granted Guthix his godhood, and fashioning it into a hilt gave the weapon the power to slay the Gods themselves.

The first one to fall was Sliske, the one who murdered Guthix and drained his power, making him a god in turn. Years of hunting for revenge paid off, as Sliske fell at the World Guardian's blade. The Elder Shard had proven its worth. But the death of Sliske was like a signal all the other gods had been waiting for. The World Guardian had now fully emerged and an invisible truce was off. The second God Wars had come.

Portals opened and the armies of the gods marched through. Like over six thousand years ago, Gielinor was thrown into turmoil. God fought god, mortal fought mortal. The one who stood above it all was the World Guardian, but alone even he could not defeat beings of such power. He assembled a team of adventurers, like Meg and Philippe, colleagues like mage Ariane and the rogue Ozan. For years they hindered the gods armies, striking where it hurt, sabotaging their plans and searching for long lost relics in foolish hopes for victory. But all they did seemed like insect bites in comparison to what the gods were doing. The World Guardian knew that they would be required to step up their game or lose the fight.

Over the course of a decade, the World Guardian managed to unite the humans. His wealth an influence funded him a great army, and with him and his trusted generals, the adventurers he had taught, the humans could catch the gods off guard, securing them a place in the grand stadium. Of course, the gods couldn't be beaten so easily, it took over twenty years of bloodshed, tragedy and chaos. The World Guardian would lead his men from a victory to another, always charging in the front lines at the enemy. He became a true legend. With his Godsword he slew powerful generals, obtained mythical artefacts and secured strategical locations all over the world. In twenty years, the World Guardian obtained the entire set of twelve Elder Artefacts, and the time came to get rid of the gods.

The last battle of the second God Wars was fought in the same place as the last time. In the middle of the land that was once the region of Forinthry, now a charred wasteland crater, the sword of Guthix was there still. All the gods participated, the full might of their armies participating in them. The World Guardian stepped up to meet the challenge. In the heart of the battle, he fought. Locked in combat with the strongest of the gods champions, and he prevailed. And at last he forced the gods themselves to make their appearance. With the power of the twelve Elder Artefacts, he commanded the gods to leave, and the gods could not resist his might. The gods were banished once more, bitter of how the events turned about. As long as the World Guardian's blood would flow, the gods could not return.

The armies of the gods had now been vanquished and the gods forced away. The World Guardian stood triumphantly as the leader of the united human kingdoms, and was crowned the king of the entire Gielinor. A pendant was shaped to hold a part of the World Guardian's blood and enchanted so the blood would never dry. The second edicts would hold as long as the pendant existed. This was the last great victory of the World Guardian. On his older days, the World Guardian, the greatest king Gielinor had ever seen, appointed a successor, Philippe Carnillean, and vanished. It is said he went to ensure the pendant would never be found again. With him he took the Elder Artefacts, for he knew that as long as they were around, a new god could rise from within, and enslave the land.

The next five hundred years were that of both decay. No new leader was as strong as the World Guardian had been. Voices of dissent spread across the great human kingdom of Gielinor. Magic and science was practically stagnant, and without advancement, the humans lost their strength in relation to the other races. The great human kingdom was broken, the people reverting to old traditions. Kingdoms of Mishalin, Asgarnia and Kandarin rose again, the Fremennik people went back to their territories, the desert people took their independence and seclusion again, and so the world was broken once more, like it was in the start of the Fifth Age. Scholars had decided the Fifth and Sixth ages were so short that they were collectively the Fifth Age. The breakdown of the Great Human Kingdom of Gielinor marked the true beginning of the Sixth Age.

But now, something the World Guardian had not anticipated happened. As the humans were no longer united as they were under his rulership, mystical gems emerged. These gems contained the last bits of magic of each god, bearing understanding and knowledge of their philosophies, and knowledge of the World Guardian's pendant. The gems ended up in the hands of carefully selected people, and they meant the emergence of new warlords of the gods. Powerful leaders who would start up the God Wars once again and not rest until their god could once more return to the world. How the gems came to existence is unknown to all but one individual. An individual thought slain. An individual who now will watch from the shadows as the world is brought down in fire for the third time.

The God Wars have ignited once more!

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I know, it's really bad. Sorry for causing pain to your eyes.

Sirok wrote:

Ah, so the NPC lands are in decline... Hmmm... I'll think on this more and get back to you guys.

...
...

Maybe the NPC states were destroyed BECAUSE of the conflicts between the WG and the gods? Like, at some point WG punches Bandos in the face, Bandos tips over and OOPS, there goes Varrock castle?

Or something. Lol.

Well.

This is sort of the original idea with it: We can come up with backstories for each major NPC State that describe why it has begun to decline. For instance... *ahem*:

Jasband wrote:

One specific example I was imagining was Misthalin. Let's say they only own Varrock itself (their capital), Varrock North, Varrock West, Varrock Fields, and Varrock Lumberyard. We can say that the former glory of Misthalin was ruined by the horrible reign of King Carolus, who squandered so much of the realm's prosperity and military might on pointless wars with Asgarnia that many regions, including important towns like Draynor Village and Lumbridge, have seceded and are independent sovereignties.

So,it doesn't necessarily have to be tied into the game's main lore, but I personally think it'd be better if it did.

I don't feel like Sliske should've died, and the God Wars should've chronicled the rise of minor Deities swell, followed by their swift beating-down by the World Guardian. I'll give a shot trying to merge William's and Siroki's, if that's alright.

Ah, are you so sure that Sliske died? Consider, Sliske was "killed" through the use of an Elder Weapon (sorta), how come the World Guardian didn't become a god?

Well, I mean that you basically wrote off Sliske right at the beginning, right before any of the action happened.

Since when did Sliske even have an army? He couldn't have participated in the events anyway, other than being some dude in the background. If it calms you at all, Sliske was the third most important character in that story. (After the World Guardian and Guthix).

Lord William wrote:

some dude in the background.

But he killed Guthix.

And?

The more I think about it, the more I like an alternative reality/history setting. If we move away from the lore in-game, we'll be isolated from any questionable decisions Jagex (or the community) makes. In other words, we'll have total control. Keeping Guthix alive, as strange as it may seem to do so now, will keep the Edicts intact and the gods out of Gielinor.

I vote for William's original idea. Somehow (whether we incorporate GW4 or not is up to us), a supremely powerful being - Meantuyu, or maybe Jas himself, being the Elder God of Time - destroys or "resets" Gielinor to an earlier time in the 5th Age, and we can customize the fluff from there (such as how the NPC kingdoms became weaker than their game counterparts).

...You're not telling me you want the draining of what little bits of creativity I had to be for nothing? You've got to be kidding with me.

Now, this sort of is our little alternative reality. We can say that everything up to the point of Guthix' death is shared with our story and theirs, but after that our own canon takes precedence.

Lord William wrote:

...You're not telling me you want the draining of what little bits of creativity I had to be for nothing? You've got to be kidding with me.

Now, this sort of is our little alternative reality. We can say that everything up to the point of Guthix' death is shared with our story and theirs, but after that our own canon takes precedence.

But... Why? I drained the miniscule amounts of creativity I had on my "Great Extermination" setting, but it wasn't the best fit.