Assassination Academy: King of Killers! (OOC,Interest, Open)

[Atlannia]

Theme Song! starts at 2:17

IC

"Very few people can claim to have the ability to change history by themselves. Few have the fortune or else the determination to attain a position of real influence or power. Few are born with the ambition and resolve to even attempt change on a grand scale. Consequently the very rare individuals who display both power and the will to use it are exceptional, history records them and their deeds for their influence is etched into the very fabric of our present. Generals who conquer all that stands before them, prophets whose words enlighten for millennia after their death, fiery revolutionaries who bring ancient and powerful orders tumbling down at the hands of the common people. All of these exceptional people deserve the veneration and respect rendered to them. But there is one more kind of exceptional person, one who stands equal with, but apart from all the others.

The assassin.

The assassin too holds destiny within his hands. For if an exceptional person can change the course of history then their death can also, must inevitably, alter history as well. You have come from all over, some from the furthest reaches of the planet or even beyond, some were born and raised in this very city. Each of you is different. You carry different weapons, different experience and training. Some of you have begun to master powerful magic, others sophisticated technology and others still are the inheritors of ancient techniques and wisdom. Not all, or even half of you can be said to be fully human. Truly you are united in only one regard, a burning desire to attain the title of Assassin. This much is certain, otherwise you would not have come here, to this academy.

On that note I bid you welcome. However the path you have chosen is not an easy one or a simple one. Those who would alter history must be worthy of the honour. That is the purpose of Assassination Academy, to draw out the strength capable of changing the world and that is the reason that only one student graduates from our halls each year.

YOU WHO WOULD CALL YOURSELVES ASSASSINS! YOU MUST FIRST STRUGGLE! AGAISNT ALL OBSTACLES! AGAINST EACH OTHER AND AGAINST OTHER ENEMIES THAT APPEAR BEFOR YOU! YOU MUST RISE ABOVE ALL CHALLENGES! Only then will you able to claim the title "King of Killers" And only then will you be worthy of graduating and calling yourself an assassin. For only a King is worthy of ending the exceptional lives who would change history. An assassin must stand equal with those they hunt.

Once more I bid you welcome to this academy unlike any other. It is my sincere wish that your stay is not overly short."


Wow.

What a speech. To be honest you didn't really catch all of it, not for lack of trying you're just really excited. You’re finally here after all, you're really going to do it. Become an assassin.

Assassins are like nothing else in this world, they have power no one else can dream of, they take on the flashiest, most dangerous jobs, and their fame and infamy stretch across the globe. Hell some of them even have fan clubs. It seems almost unbelievable that you might be able to become one of these amazing people. Most assassins have unique backgrounds, they were raised in hidden ninja villages or classified research facilities, some are even interdimensional beings or mythical creatures like vampires or werewolves. It's not exactly something you can just sign up for.

At least it wasn't until the Assassination Academy opened. It was founded some thirty years ago by Abraham Richmond, the greatest assassin of his time, with an extraordinary claim. The Academy would accept any student and as long as they managed to graduate, they would be world class assassins, capable of competing with the legends of the time and becoming legends in their own right.

That's why you're here, obviously, to become an assassin. Up on stage the grand speech seems to have given way to more mundane matters of administration so you decide to instead flip through the student handbook you were given on the way in, you might learn something useful you reason and in this place you're going to need every edge you can get.

And now, a word from our sponsor OP!

Hey, hi there how's it going? So hopefully something about what you've read so far has caught your eye, I mean presumably it has or you wouldn't be reading this, so let me explain in plainer language what the plan is here. Nexus is a world that contains almost anything, from giant robots to dwarven pirates, to martial arts masters and occasionally they want to kill each other or, for various reasons, hire someone else to do it. So there's a lot of demand for assassins in this world and they have to be good ones if they want to take on the crazy inhabitants of this world. SO what's the best way to train assassins? Obviously you build an enormous, over the top anime high school for them all and tell them that in order to graduate they have to beat the snot out of each other. And that's basically the gist of it, everyone's characters will be joining as first years and attempting to rise to the top of the heap, improving their skills, making friends and maybe even getting in over their heads with some bad guys. There's a lot in the next couple of posts about extra dimensional beings and multiple realities type stuff but that's not really the focus of this rp, to be clear it's not a crossover type thing, all of the characters will be from this world (Nexus) that stuff is more a kind of excuse to jam in any sort of character people might want to play as.

In terms of scope the rp will largely be limited to the charming and well equipped Princip island (detailed below) with occasional outings as the plot demands. The plot itself is going to be fairly low-key if indeed we ever get around to it, I want this to be more of a freeform kind of deal, within reason you'll be able to go where you want and do what you want on the island and I'll work to make sure whatever you do actually results in interesting things happening but we can always transition into something more structured if we want.

Ah yes apologies. I really should compile a proper recap at some point, I may even just repost this in the thread so everyone knows where we're at.

Prior to the beginning of the RP everyone was flown to a nearby but much larger and more populated island and then boarded a boat headed for the Academy. We then opened as the boat pulled in to the port and everyone was greeted by a member of the welcoming committee, Eluette Hartville, a second year student.

Eluette explained that everyone's first objective was to make it from their current location at the docks to Richmond Hall on the Northern end of the island to attend the opening ceremony. The catch? Most of the not new first year students were spread out between those two points lying in ambush, the newcomers would have to fight or stealth their way to the hall if they wanted to get there in one piece.

For the most part people split into two groups, a larger group that followed Eluette along the main road despite the certain risk of a larger fight and a smaller group that took a more circuitous route through rougher terrain. There were also a few stragglers who decided to go it alone, most of them were attacked by groups and defeated but one managed to make it to the end by taking a surprising direct route at high speeds.

Both main groups were ambushed, once by nameless students who were defeated relatively easily and then by second group of mysterious and fairly powerful students. The smaller group actually outnumbered their attackers this time and although they lost quite a few people they defeated them barely and are limping to the finishing line presumably. The larger group was roughly even in number to their attackers and had a much harder time. Some were defeated and other were still fighting when the combat was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a heavily armoured, sword wielding student that Eluette had earlier warned the newcomers to watch out for, this was Klaus. The tougher attackers seemed to be subordinates of some kind to Klaus and stopped fighting when he arrived, he killed one of his own people, apparently for disobeying his orders and then left with the remaining attackers in tow, leaving the way to the hall more or less clear.

The motives of Klaus and his underlings remain unclear so far. Eluette speculates that since he himself was unable to pass his first year in one year. (An extremely rare feat in the Academy, it's more common to take two or three years to move up a grade) He is determined to make sure that no one else manages to do so but there may be more to it than that.

Meanwhile the defeated students have been recuperating in a temporary infirmary under the care of Kelsi Gefsa, another second year member of the welcoming committee.

Currently the survivors are finishng the last, relatively peaceful leg of their journey to the entrance of the Hall while the defeated students are being lead into the ceremony ahead of them.

A third member of the welcoming committee, the slightly mysterious Nathan Golde, took over for Eluette to lead the survivors up to a special private box to watch the opening ceremony while while the infirmary group was lead to more standard seating up the front of the large and impressively appointed auditorium. After a surprisingly blunt speech from the headmaster, the students observed as the graduating students where moved up a year or seen off and the the ceremony descended into an anarchic brawl when the headmaster threw a number of ceremonial rings into the crowd. Those who possess the rings at the end of the night will be able to start the year holding one of the titles necessary to move up a year level so competition is fierce.

What happens next? Find out on the next episode of… ASSASSINATION ACADEMY: KING OF KILLERS!

The rules

These are different from the in character rules further down which are more to do with how the IC will work, these are rules for you guys rather than your characters and pretty similar to the rules you'll see in most rps so hopefully they won't present any issues.

1. No godmodding: That is to say, don't determine what happens to other people's characters in your own posts, for example deciding that an attack lands and so writing the results of it in the same post as the attack occurs, deciding for someone else how much damage their character receives. You are welcome to discuss this sort of thing with other players and indeed a healthy amount of discussion is necessary to make these kinds of fights satisfying for everyone involved, if two players can't agree on an outcome together I or a Co-OP, should there be any Co-Ops in the future, will decide. You will also be going up against a lot of npcs and, broadly speaking, I will ask you to refrain from godmodding them either, some of these NPCs will be stronger than your characters and you will have to work together or use unconventional tactics. Other times you won't be able to beat certain npcs no matter what, remember this is the start of your character's journey, it wouldn't be realistic if they could do anything right from the start and it wouldn't be very interesting either, training and growth is going to be a big part of this rp.

2. No metagaming: THe way this rp is structured you guys will be fighting each other quite a bit I expect but the objective of those fights isn't to win, it's to use that conflict to create interesting stories and moments, so refrain from using knowledge that you have, but that your character would not have access to, to inform their decisions.

3. Be nice: I hope I don't have to explain this one too much, just be civil with each other, it's really far more pleasant on average.

4. Quality and Quantity: I'm not really one to enforce arbitrary post lengths, three line minimums or anything like that, but I will talk to you if I think your posts aren't up to scratch and discuss how to improve. Generally it's important to have a certain amount of detail as it fleshes out your character and gives other rpers something to work with.

5.If you're unsure of anything, ask: Seriously, I love the attention and it's better to clear things up right away, if you're wondering about it probably it's because something I set up was just confusing and other people are wondering about it too.

6. If you have ideas, share them: I can't promise that I'll be able to implement everything but you guys are the stars of this show so if you want to go in a particular direction let me know! Want a figure from your mysterious past come back to haunt your character? Want them to face a heart wrenching moral quandary that will leave them forever scarred? Want an opportunity to show off their wicked sousaphone skills? I’ll try and work personal arcs and moments in where I can.

7. Have fun!

[Atlannia]

ASSASSINATION ACADEMY
STUDENT HANDBOOK
(*For best viewing experience use Nation State's default theme)

Welcome! To the most unique educational institute in the world. This handbook has been produced with the intention of being a one stop shop for everything you will need to know during your time at Assassination Academy, in consideration of those students who are extradimensional beings, time travellers, have been raised in total isolation to become a perfect killing machine or for any other reason lack experience with Nexus a basic overview of the world we inhabit has also been included to ease a disorientating transition into society.

Nexus. A world between worlds. This world has born many different names in many different ages but in the modern day Nexus is the most commonly used one for it is widely considered the most fitting. The boundaries of reality surrounding Nexus are weak in many places. While they are ordinarily enough to keep Nexus separated from other worlds and universes, a being, will or force of sufficient power can sometimes force its way through. Because of this phenomenon, powerful things tend to gather in this world. Monsters, aliens, magic, advanced technology, ancient martial arts. They may exist alone in their own worlds but in Nexus almost all of them exist alongside each other, struggling against one another for supremacy.

The natural consequence of this is that the residents of Nexus are strong. They have to be, in a world where your house might be trampled by dinosaurs the day after your daughter has been abducted by aliens while your significant other is ambushed by ninjas you other get strong or die out. The average Nexan is therefore incredibly difficult to kill so no matter what you think of them morally one can't help but grudgingly admire those who choose killing as a profession. In this world where only the strong survive it isn't enough to be merely cunning or opportunistic, to take lives in the Nexus you must surpass strong and become truly powerful. In this world Assassins are almost celebrities, they sign autographs, sell merchandise and have fan clubs who argue about who would win in a fight, they publicise their next targets in order to generate more buzz. More than anything else, children grow up in Nexus dreaming of becoming assassins one day.

Generally speaking the various unnatural forces and beings of the Nexus are related to three forces: Magic, Technology and Technique, which are explained in further detail below.

Magic: As mentioned above, the barriers separating Nexus from other worlds are unusually thin, allowing entities to pass into Nexus from other worlds. Typically, once these entities enter Nexus they are bound by its laws of physics and reality, however in some circumstances the laws of other worlds and planes can temporarily assert themselves over Nexus, this phenomenon is known as Magic. All magic was originally extra dimensional however many, such as pyromancy or alchemy, were brought to the Nexus centuries or even millennia ago and are considered as much a part of the world as anything else. While magic sometimes occurs naturally to purposefully cast a spell two ingredients are needed, precise knowledge and willpower. The spell caster must perfectly understand both the laws of the other world that they are invoking and the laws of this world that they intend to 'overwrite' the less precise the overwrite the more taxing it is to perform and so a novice mage will tire far more quickly than an expert mage performing the same spells. While magic can be learned by almost anyone those with extra dimensional heritage, beings such as elves and dwarfs for example, often find they have an affinity for magic’s from their home plane and difficulty mastering magic from other planes. It is also important to note that branches of magic originating from different planes often mix poorly, producing unstable and dangerous effects and for this reason the vast majority of mages specialise in one branch only.

Technology: The state of science is quite advanced in Nexus and technology derived from it can be quite powerful. The foundation of Nexus technology is nexite, a mysterious, crystalline resource that seems to form around the edges of interdimensional rifts. Nexite is beautiful and extremely hard, but most interestingly it produces a kind of field, similar to radiation. On it's own a nexite field is completely harmless and in fact seems to have no effect whatsoever on the environment around it. (The only way to detect a neutral nexite field is with other nexite crystals which will be repulsed to the edges of the field) However upon subjecting the crystal to various phenomenon such as heat, kinetic energy, electricity or more exotic effects such as magical energy, the crystal's field is altered and may emit any number of useful or dangerous effects. Notably a charged Nexite field is a source of powerful and efficient energy with almost no environmental waste but nexite fields can also be used as repulsor shields or be focused down into laser like beams for weaponry or industrial equipment. Emitting a non-neutral field steadily degrades a nexite crystal, a baseball sized crystal can usually be used for up to a year however at the end of their lifespan nexite crystals explode violently, releasing a wave of poorly understood energy. This energy is highly dangerous and has been linked to number of debilitating illnesses and mental instability however in some rare cases those exposed to a nexite explosion gain unusual abilities or powers seemingly linked to mutations in their genetic structure.

In addition to native technology, scattered throughout the world are examples of extra dimensional technology, brought over by beings from outside Nexus. Though extremely rare, these artefacts can be extremely advanced and very powerful, if poorly understood, some have even been modified to use nexite crystals as a power source.

Technique: Ironically technique is perhaps the least understood of the three groups despite being the only one that is completely native to Nexus. It refers to the ability of sentient beings to evolve their capacity through rigorous training and the mastery of certain techniques. Although traditionally associated with hand to hand combat, particularly eastern styles, techniques can refer to any style of fighting that relies chiefly or partly on the abilities of the fighter rather than solely that of their equipment or other outside factors such as magic. Examples include hand to hand styles such as karate, boxing or kung fu, weapon disciplines such as kendo, elven fencing or dwarven axe brawling and even modern combat styles such as military marksmanship or Brigundish grenade arts are considered martial arts. With sufficient training, technicians are capable of amazing feats such as hardening their bodies to withstand attacks even from modern weaponry, wielding the destructive natural energy known as ki, or heightening their sense and reflexes to superhuman levels. The mechanism through which certain techniques and mental states unlock such power is unknown. One popular theory is that constant, low level exposure to nexite radiations has induced in the populace a kind of latent ability to mutate that can be brought out and harnessed with training. Regardless of their origins martial arts are extremely effective and widely spread, almost all of the students at this academy have some kind of experience with martial arts to round out or enhance their other skill sets.

Nexus is home to an incredible amount of biodiversity, both in terms of plant and wildlife and sentient species afforded full rights. The most authoritative body for determining sentience and the one most nations defer to is the International Centre for Sentient Rights and Welfare (ICSRW) who employ a sophisticated analysis of factors such as cultural output, language or other communication methods and nonlinear thinking to determine if a given species is intelligent. If the result is at all ambiguous the ICSRW affords the given species full rights until such time as a conclusive answer can be determined. The vast majority of sentient beings on Nexus, some 70%, are human, with Miraverans making up another 20% and all other sentient beings comprising the final 10%. Below is a list of the most common sentient races, it is by no means exhaustive, most years there are students at the academy who do not appear on this list.

Humans: By far the most populous and the race to have inhabited Nexus the longest. Opinion is divided in the scientific community on whether humans originated on Nexus or somehow migrated here from another dimension however there is no denying they have flourished here. Humans inhabit every continent to some degree and are the majority in almost every nation. In terms of natural ability humans are normally used as a baseline and so appear average in all respects however as other races are fond of pointing out this is only if you consider the matter from a human perspective. Of note, humans tend to struggle less with adapting new techniques, magic or technology from other dimensions whereas species originating from elsewhere tend to have an affinity with things from their home dimension and can struggle to utilise things from elsewhere, making humans more versatile by comparison.

Miraverans: When taken as a whole, Miraverans are the second largest population on Nexus however they are actually several races hailing from the same planet of Miravere. Miravere lies in another dimensions and was at one point conquered in its entirety by the sorcerer Nergal, who then embarked on an invasion of Nexus via an interdimensional portal, triggering the largest war in Nexus history. Although incredibly powerful, Nergal was eventually assassinated, destroying the portal he had created and stranding a sizeable portion of his army in Nexus. After peacefully surrendering the Miraverans were allowed to settle in Nexus and these days are a common site in many areas. The Miraveran races are:

Elves: The most populous of the Miraverans on Nexus, it seems as though Elvish nations were the last to be conquered by Nergal and so vast swathes of them were conscripted into his invasion forces to prevent them from rebelling at home. Elves appear similar to humans, but are distinguished by lobe less, triangular ears that tend to sweep backwards. Cultural wisdom holds that elves are lither and more agile than humans but most biologists attribute these to cultural factors, namely the importance elven cultures place on dance. Investigations into the rare instances of human children have been raised by elves reported that the children in question exhibited similarly heightened agility. Elves had a long history of practising magic on Miravere and were considered by many to be superior mages to Nexus practitioners at the time of the first great invasion. These days the gap between other forms of magic and Miraveran magic is less pronounced but Miraveran disciplines remain highly effective and elves tend to be the most capable of wielding them.

Dwarves: After Elves Dwarves are the most common Miraveran race on Nexus, although it is not always apparent. Whereas Elves have for the most part integrated into society at large, Dwarves have tended to settle together and form new, entirely dwarven townships. Although these townships submit to the laws of the nations they fall within they are in many other respects autonomous but tend to be highly economically productive. Compared to humans dwarves are shorter and squatter but tend to be densely muscled. They prefer smaller, enclosed spaces and sometimes even exhibit tendencies that would be considered agoraphobic in other cultures. Popular culture has long associated dwarves with mining and other underground activities however this has historical roots, dwarven culture places a profound importance on the ability to earn wealth and provide a comfortable life for one's family (typically dwarven families are much larger than other races and multiple generations tend to share a roof.) When the first dwarves settled after the war they found their economic opportunities severely limited by mistrust. One avenue that was open to them was the dangerous but relatively high paying industry of mining and so many young dwarves left home to work for human mining companies. Because the townships these dwarves came from remained isolated, for many humans the only dwarves they ever met were miners and thus the association. These days there remains a high proportion of dwarves in the mining industry as earlier generations rose to managerial and administrative positions and then encouraged younger generations from their villages to move out and follow their footsteps however the proportion is steadily dwindling, in part due to a general decline in many key mineral exports and due to modern generations of dwarves being more likely to have other aspirations. The traditional weapons of most dwarven cultures are axes and battle hammers, usually accompanied by heavy plate armour but in the modern era many dwarves have successfully adapted other styles of fighting.

Orcs: TBA

Halflings: TBA

Other races: Though a full list of other sentient races is beyond the scope of this hand book her are some of the most common.

Vampires: One of the earliest races apart from humans to appear on Nexus, various apocryphal stories and accounts exist of the first vampire however in truth it is completely unknown how long they have dwelled among humans. The earliest known vampire was discovered some 175 years ago when a Boronese count was thrown out of the window of his townhouse around noon and promptly burst into flames however accounts that were previously dismissed as fanciful but which match vampire characteristics date back tens of thousands of years. Opinion is sharply divided on whether vampires should be considered a separate species or a condition that afflicts other species, with vampire and non-vampire proponents on both sides. In general vampires are distinct enough in terms of their capabilities and requirements that it is expedient to consider them a different species.

Wereanimals: Another very old race, wereanimals are sentient beings that, under certain conditions transform into a particular animal, most commonly a wolf although many other variants have been recorded. While transformed wereanimals are highly dangerous and resistant to damage however diminished cognitive abilities are usually observed, especially in less experienced weres. Were transformations are often triggered by moon phases but other conditions such as a heightened emotional state or physical pain can prompt the transformation and with experience and training most weres are capable of purposefully bringing about their own transformation.

Demis: The result of military experiments with were animal DNA in order to create super soldiers. Demihumans, or more commonly simply Demis, appear as humans with some animal features such as eyes, ears or tails and often share traits like increased strength or sharpened senses with the animals they share DNA with. When the partial experiments became public knowledge several nations had already bred sizable populations of partials to use as soldiers and subjects, resulting in a firestorm of controversy. To this day human demi relations in those countries remain somewhat strained, with some radical members of the partial community advocating secession or rebellion from human society.

AIs: One of the more recent kind of being to emerge on Nexus, AIs were only made possible after technology recovered in the aftermath of the Second Great Invasion was analysed and reverse engineered. As this technology is classified and restricted to the member nations of EXTIRG AIs themselves are extremely rare and exclusively militaristic in design although rumours persist of other nations or even corporations developing their own AI research in secret. Despite popular fear of AIs “escaping onto the network” and growing out of control all current AI designs require specialised hardware and are thusly limited to a single system existence.

Golems: Although they can in some ways be thought of as the magical equivalent of AIs Golems are much older, the art of golemancy dates back almost six thousand years. Despite this examples of truly sentient golems are extremely rare, the product of exceptional skill and experience on the part of their creators. The majority of golems are therefore automatons of varying degrees of complexity but even these simple golems have a wide variety of applications especially for manual labour and combat as they tend to be highly resistant to damage.

Fae: A mysterious race, besides incredibly powerful magic Fae possess the troubling ability to pass through interdimensional walls almost at will, or at least with far greater ease than any other race. Fortunately they appear content to use this powerful ability to deceive, harass and generally act like pests rather than true threats however they have been known to carry of beings that catch their eye back to the Fae realm to act as slaves in their hedonistic, loosely feudal society. The Fae appear as exceedingly beautiful humans, at least to humans while other races report them as bearing their own appearance suggesting that the Fae project an extremely sophisticated illusion either by technique or some kind of evolved survival mechanism. No Fae currently reside permanently in Nexus although infrequent sightings persist.

Half Fae: Possibly even rarer than their full blooded cousins, half fae are naturally enough the product of interbreeding between the fae and some other race. They tend to be naturally beautiful and usually possess some insect-like features, often butterfly wings or antennas leading some to speculate that the Fae’s true appearance is some kind of highly intelligent bug like species. Half fae are often quite frail but have a natural aptitude for magic

Demons: [i](written by shadowell) just this word alone conjures up all sorts of thoughts and images usually unpleasant ones. It is the same within many worlds, and Nexus is no different. What humans know about demons is true to an extent, they do indeed have a great capacity for cruelty and maliciousness, but mostly they stay within their realm. This does not apply to all demons however, as many demons unlike most beings that dwell within separate realms, can cross over to our world, by using any of several ways. The first option is that they must be extremely powerful, though demons this powerful tend to stay in their realm where they are strongest unless something really catches their eye, Option two is they can possess someone, though usually only extremely weak demons do this, most use the third option, Option three is they can be summoned or make a contract with a human, and enter our realm using the humans life energy, though this only applies if the human doesnt possess magic. Unfortunately those that summon demons tend to bring and draw the worst of their kind. What is not well known is that demons have been in this world since long before the Great invasions, they were rare but they were still here, and demons were and sometimes still are responsible for many of those who become targets for assassination. Demons are rather diverse in their abilities and appearances, while in their home realm they can change their appearances at will. Most demons possess the ability to manipulate hellfire, though this only applies to those that dont represent an Element. Elemental demons are monstrously powerful though they have equal weaknesses in the form of their elemental counterpart, ie darkness and Shadow demons are weak to Light, fire demons to water, etc, They can pass through realms regardless of power, though if they arent strong enough they will be severely injured and their power weakened.

Early History
Like many others, the history of Nexus is one drenched in violence and death. The first race to inhabit Nexus was undoubtedly humans, traces of human settlements stretch back for hundreds of thousands of years and well predate evidence of other sentient species. Most experts agree that humans evolved on Nexus and are native to it however a more controversial theory holds that humans migrated to Nexus from another dimension in the same manner as most other sapient species. Whatever the case, early human settlements gradually evolved in terms of size and sophistication however the frequent arrival of extra dimensional entities and threats both encouraged a natural inclination towards war like pursuits and also the means to do so. Reverse engineered weaponry or carefully replicated new styles of magic ensured that the pace of military advancement always remained breakneck. However these new advancements could appear almost anywhere, the country that was weak and insignificant one day could the next develop some new weapon or else acquire the services of some powerful mage, all of a sudden becoming a rival for even the mightiest of nations.
This turbulence lead to many bloody conflicts, as nations struggled to prove their newfound supremacy and others sought to maintain their superiority. In order to o counter these sudden developments almost every country began to develop some expertise in and reliance on the field of assassination. If a rival nation was close to developing some new superweapon or had acquired some new ally with unheard of abilities than it was often safer and more effective to quietly assassinate them rather than face them head on.

The age of shadow wars
As time marched on, wars began to be waged more and more in the shadows as assassination became more developed. Gradually public opinion of the traditionally ill-regarded art began to shift. To the common person who could expect to be conscripted and have their lives at risk in the case of a general war it made more sense that those in power should put their own lives on the line by risking assassination if they felt strongly enough about going to war with one of their neighbours. Although countries continued to maintain armies as safeguards, constant warfare was no longer the norm and the technological innovations of the military world gradually began to be turned to civilian purposes, spurring on rapid improvements in technology and living standards.

There was very little changes in borders during this time, the rulers of larger nations were less inclined to launch unnecessary wars of conquest when it was their own necks on the line. There were some exceptions, the Yokotai Shanate expanded rapidly during this era by targeting key leaders prior to their invasions, reducing the chances of retaliation, the Yokotai Shans were also all formidable warriors and stories abound of them fighting off hordes of assassins singlehandedly. In general however, nations tended to be much less fluid, allowing relations to normalise and trade to flourish, further spurring the pace of development and allowing much of the resentment stemming from previous to fade. This new mood of international cooperation would prove to be vital for the upheaval that was to signal the end of this era.

The First Great Invasion
For much of history it was believed that crossing into Nexus from another realm was impossible to intentionally achieve. The few interdimensional beings who could be asked about it described the experience as accidental, the result of a catastrophic error during an experiment or commonly after unleashing too much power during a battle. It was widely held amongst the scientific community of the time that intentionally crossing over dimensions was impossible and beyond that establishing some kind of permanent gateway or portal between worlds was a complete pipe dream.

The First Great Invasion proved otherwise.

The first indications that an entire world was about to be invaded were rather small scale. In the country on Elterna, the small standing national army encountered an unfamiliar scouting party, sparking a brief battle. Despite being heavily outnumbered and armed with primitive looking bows and arrows the foreign scouts put up a fierce resistance, wielding sophisticated martial arts techniques and unfamiliar magic to inflict heavy losses on the Elternans. None of the scouts surrendered but the post action investigation and autopsy concluded that they were neither human nor of any other species known to inhabit Nexus. Although it was only later that they received the name, these were the first elves to stand on Nexus. The Elternan government concluded that the scouts were from another dimension, however they dismissed the possibility that they were an early vanguard of a much larger invasion and few if any pre-emptive measures were taken so when the portal first opened Elterna was completely unprepared.

The scouts were from a realm known as Miravere, although far less technologically advanced than Nexus it was gifted with powerful and advanced magic, magic powerful enough that one particularly talented mage was able to conquer the entire planet. However having learned of the existence of other dimensions through his research, the sorcerer known as Nergal immediately began planning to expand his territory beyond even the bounds of his own world. The precise workings of the portal Nergal created are unknown, not even to those few of his high ranking officers who surrendered knew much more than that it required an immense number of souls to power it and it was linked directly to Nergal's own magic and could not be maintained without him. The portal allowed for thousands or even millions of beings to be transported from Miravere to Nexus at once, paving the way from an invasion of unprecedented scale. A significant portion of Miravere's entire population had been drafted into Nergal's army and the first invasion wave completely dwarfed any standing army on Nexus and appeared without warning in the heart of Elterna. The nation was overrun within days, with its leaders barely able to escape to allied countries even as the invaders turned their attention to neighbouring areas. Nation after nation fell to an unceasing wave of all sorts of unknown races and creatures. Elves, dwarves, Halflings, orcs and enormous monsters such as trolls, ogres and dragons all were first introduced to Nexus as soldiers or living weapons in Nergal's army. As the scale of the invasion became apparent other nations began to build up their forces and form hastily concluded alliances. The allied forces succeeded in halting the momentum of the invaders at the battle of the Iron Ring Mountains. After fighting a desperate retreat for several days, what was left of the Elternan army and its allies was finally joined by other armies from further away that were able to encircle the Miraveran vanguard and force the rest of the invaders to fall back. Although in terms of raw number the victory was a mere drop in the bucket it provided a vital boost to the flagging moral of the defenders and, just as vitally, provided them with their first high ranking prisoners and therefore vital intelligence.

For the invaders however the battle of the Iron Ring was a minor setback for with the next offensive Nergal himself joined the battle. His magical ability was on a completely different scale to anything the world had ever seen, questioning of captured Miraverans after the war ended revealed that his abilities were powered by constantly draining the souls of thousands of slaves at a time, requiring a constant influx of new victims. Singlehandedly he destroyed entire national armies, calling down unimaginable destructive power on firmly entrenched defensive positions, obliterating everything before him and forcing the scattered remnants of the defenders to flee from the mountain pass they had hoped to bottle up the defenders behind. However as powerful as he was, Nergal had also undone himself by crossing over to take the field himself. Realising that they could never hope to defeat Nergal and his army in open battle, the remnants of the Nexus armies hatched a desperate plan to assassinate him. The elite soldiers of the armies, special forces veterans who would have been the best suited to take on this task had largely been wiped out however, in desperation the governments turned to mercenaries, putting out an open call for anyone willing to take on the sorcerer. Veteran killers from across the globe answered the call, mercenaries and hitmen of every stripe driven by the promise of incredible rewards should they succeed assembled but in the end only ten were deemed to have even a chance of taking on Nergal. While these ten prepared to infiltrate the enemy lines the remnants of the armies as well as many of the mercenaries who elected to join them created a distraction by launching a suicidal night time offensive into the enemy's centre.

The ensuing chaos had the intended effect of luring out Nergal, who joined the battle and was subsequently engaged by the ten assassins. The showdown lasted for several hours and nine of the ten assassins were killed but finally Nergal was slain, the effects of which were immediately obvious. Almost all of the monsters in the Miraveran army went berserk and started attacking the soldiers around them, apparently having been controlled by Nergal's magic rather than any training. This combined with the confusion wrought by the sudden lack of leadership was enough to rout the invading army and they retreated back to the portal only to find it destroyed by Nergal's death. The Miraverans were surrounded and after a tense standoff of three days called for a ceasefire and surrendered peacefully. With no way to get home the Miraverans were allowed to settle on Nexus, split up between several of the nations within the region and with that another age of peace was ushered in.

Modern era

The first great invasion had a profound impact on the world of Nexus. Many of the formerly powerful regions in the area around Elterna were devastated and depopulated and almost every nations sent soldiers to fight the invaders and suffered significant losses, especially Elterna and its neighbours where the fighting largely took place. At the same time various destabilising influences meant the depleted armies of these nations were needed more than ever. While the majority of the Miraverans surrendered peacefully a significant percentage escaped into the wilderness to wage a long lasting guerrilla war, in fact even though the last nations to formally end suppression campaigns did so at least thirty years ago rumours and urban legends persist of diehard holdouts sequestered deep in the mountains. At the same time almost all of the magical creatures that were part of Nergal’s army ran amok and were never rounded up. Some of Nexus' most dangerous and troublesome creatures. Dire wolves, Horse spiders (so named not because they appear near or feed on horses but because they are roughly the size of a large horse), ogres and even giants and dragons trace their origins back to the first great invasion. Their populations in the present day have been much reduced but consistent effort but for many years they required the intervention of the armed forces or increasingly the hiring of mercenaries. In fact the modern era saw increasing reliance on hired mercenaries and assassins. The shadow wars of previous eras returned but, in light of the depletion of their own special forces and the mood of international goodwill in populations all over the globe due to cooperation during the war governments began to rely on hired assassins to insure plausible deniability and to allow their own forces to rebuild. The intention must have been to rely only temporarily on private assassins but as they grew in wealth and experience the gap in capability between hired assassins and government forces only wider and eventually it became too much of a disadvantage for any one nation to return to the previous model.

Assassins began to grow in both importance and infamy throughout the modern era, the general public saw them as a necessary evil who ended wars before they started and left ordinary people alone while in between assassinations they were often hired to take on dangerous criminals and monsters that no one else could handle. These sorts of mission increased the spotlight on assassins and some of the most successful began to acquire a kind of celebrity status, it was during this period that the first assassin fan groups began surfacing in online chat groups and forums and it was during the this period that the International Assassin's Guild made its move.

The guild, or the IAG as it prefers to be known was originally a shadow organisation comprised of some five hundred members, both assassins and other professionals that worked with them, brokers, suppliers and those that covered up their tracks and the like. The guild was originally formed to share information and pool resources and to settle issues such as price undercutting or oversaturation of assassins in any one area but in the modern era it emerged from the shadows to present its case to the governments of the world.

Assassins, the IAG argued, had become indispensable to the current world order. High level and freely available assassins allowed nations to maintain their interests and security with the minimum expenditure of public good will and resources however the industry was currently held back by the necessity of working in the shadows making it difficult to recruit and develop new assassins and leaving the market vulnerable to wild fluctuations in price. It was in the best interests, not just of assassins everywhere but for the nations of the world as well to legalise assassination in certain circumstances and allow the IAG to oversee and regulate assassins the world over.

The issue was initially controversial but public support was high and one by one nations began passing laws to these effects and today assassination is respected as a legitimate and important career path.

The second Great Invasion

Something of a misnomer as the Second Great Invasion was nowhere near the scale of the first it did, however, mark the second occasion on which a large scale force purposefully crossed into Nexus from another dimension with hostile intent.
Some fifteen years ago an immense object appeared in space just out of orbit above Nexus, which closer examination revealed to be unquestioningly artificial in nature. In fact it was a ship, belonging to a race known as the Firaxons and codenamed by Nexus governments as Harbinger and shortly after arriving it began probing national defences with small raids and scouting parties.
Fortunately unlike the First Great Invasion the governments of the world were much more prepared and a taskforce was rapidly assembled to deal with the threat as had been agreed upon in secret treaties signed not long after the end of the First Invasion. Named Taskforce Omega and comprised of some of the finest researchers, engineers, commandos and assassins in the world, this taskforce immediately began taking the fight to the Firaxons. Although they themselves were limited in number, the Firaxons’ ship had the capacity to manufacture a seemingly unlimited number of sophisticated and highly dangerous robotic drones. In order to secure a final victory the taskforce launched a daring raid on Harbinger by means of a captured alien landing craft that culminated in the alien ship crashing into the Chexan desert of Culao. None of the aliens are thought to have survived the crash but the wreckage was recovered for further study. While none of the raid team survived the impact either the rest of Taskforce Omega was reformed into EXTIRG (Extra-dimensional Threat International Response Group) to permanently remain vigilant against the possibility of extra dimensional invaders.

a political map of Nexus

The Continents of Nexus

Prominent Nations

The following, while no means exhaustive, is a brief introduction to the most powerful and influential nations on the planet.

Alterra
The most economically and militarily powerful nation on Nexus, Alterra was formed when a large wave of Staldrish settlers set out to reach the resource rich Tooralia by way of an untested new route in order to stake a claim on its then unexplored eastern sea board. Instead the settlers made land on the undiscovered continent of Arcos. Thinking they had reached their goal, they settled down in a favourable location and founded the city of Newralia. Newralia was quickly conquered by a regionally powerful tribe of native Arcosians but allowed to maintain much of its independence and eventually became an important centre of trade and technological development. Much later, Newralia would become the birthplace of the federation movement, a move to unite all the tribes of the Alterran region under one banner in response to aggressive colonisation attempts by the Staldrish Crown. A war in which the seemingly outgunned federation forces squared off against the might of the Staldrish Empire saw Alterra achieve an unexpected victory and assert its independence.
During the first great invasion Alterra remained relatively unscathed as the Miraverans never made it to Arcos in significant numbers and the widespread devastation allowed the fledgling Alterran manufacturing sector to expand rapidly to fill the need for reconstruction.
Alterra used its newfound economic strength to expand its military strength and take on an increasingly prominent role in global politics. Alterra was pivotal during the second great invasion, proposing and supplying the majority of funding for EXTIRG (Extra dimensional Threat Response Group) the international team that defended Nexus from Firaxon attacks and eventually infiltrated and scuttled the alien ship code named Harbinger, resolving the crisis.
Presently Alterra maintains actively involved in world affairs, using its influence to push for greater international cooperation on security and economic matters. Alterra enjoys a varied natural ecosystem and some of the largest cities in the pleasant and its citizens have some of the greatest civil and political freedoms of any populace in the world, especially in regards to their unrivalled freedom to own and exercise highly dangerous weaponry.

I____.Population: XXXX_ I
I_____.Economy: XXXXX I
I_Military Power: XXXXX I
I___.Civil Rights: XXXX_ I
I___.Technology: XXXXX I
I_Magical Power: XX___ I
I__Martial Arts: XXX__ I



Yokotai
Second only to Alterra in terms of overall power, Yokotai has been the largest and most populous nation on the planet for over two centuries. Yokotai was formed when the wealthy and advanced empire of Shai Tan was conquered by a tribe of fierce horse people from the Yakan plains. The combination of hardy nomadic warriors and the economic and logistical prowess of the Shai Tan peoples proved exceptionally powerful and the new empire expanded rapidly. Fearing the corrupting influence of Shai Tan decadence, the Yokotai Shan mandated that both the core of his army and his nobles alternated their time between residing in Shai Tan, overseeing their profitable holdings and returning to the plains to live in privation and hone the skills that made them so deadly. This also had the effect of making sure difficult nobles did not have the time to solidify their power bases and rebel, keeping the central power of the emperor strong. Although Yokotai had periods of decline as well as ascension it remained a power throughout much of history. However by the beginning of the age of Shadows the empire had been in a long period of decline, fostered by weakening imperial power, widespread corruption and effective control by the officials and servants of the court. Finding the situation intolerable, a small group of military officers marched on the capital with popular support, ostensibly to restore true power to the emperor but effectively installing an efficient military dictatorship. Although nominally Yokotai remains a monarchy to this day it is in truth run by high ranking military officers although the emperor remains an important symbolic figure.
The military government reversed many of the court faction’s isolationist policies, allowing Yokotai to benefit from the aftermath of the first great invasion and develop its economy as Alterra had. Although it has been historically reluctant to engage in joint operations the Yokotai Command recognised the threat of the second great invasion and contributed heavily to EXTIRG, earning it much of the international good will it enjoys to this day. Presently Yokotai is struggling with a general economic downturn and several separatist and secessionist factions which the government has responded to with harsh use of military force however it remains a significant and influential world power.

I____.Population: XXXXX I
I_____.Economy: XXX__ I
I_Military Power: XXXXX I
I___.Civil Rights: X____ I
I___.Technology: XXX__ I
I_Magical Power: XXXX_ I
I__Martial Arts: XXXXX I


The Council of Seven
The Council was formed in the aftermath of the First Great Invasion, the seven nations most affected by the invasion who had been notable powers before the war were afterwards were left shadows of their former selves and struggled to fend off old rivals. Out of desperation these seven nations entered into a multi-lateral alliance, although they are technically separate nations, in defence and international matters they act as a single political entity. Although they struggled to recoup their losses, the newly formed council had one great advantage. The vast majority of the captured Miraverans chose to settle within these seven nations and to this day the Council of Seven is home to the vast majority of the world’s Miraveran peoples. These new arrivals were happy to contribute their knowledge of the powerful magic of their home world in return for fair treatment and this allowed the Council to far outstrip other nations in terms of magical research, an advantage it maintains to this day. Like Alterra, the Council is strongly in favour of international cooperation and the two are good allies although the Council is somewhat infamous for being secretive and conducting espionage on other nations to maintain its magical advantage.
The member nations of the Council of Seven are: Cerias, Belendania, Fanice, Jernea, Lupo, Lusignan, Merrous. Information about the member nations can be found in the supplementary section under Council of Seven information.



I____.Population: XXX__ I
I_____.Economy: XXXX_ I
I_Military Power: XX___ I
I___.Civil Rights: XXX__ I
I___.Technology: XXX__ I
I_Magical Power: XXXXX I
I__Martial Arts: XXXX_ I


Byzena
The historic and present day rival of Yokotai, prior to that nation’s rise Byzena was far and away the largest and most powerful empire the world had ever seen and even during Yokotai’s heights Byzena presented a stubborn barrier to westward expansion. Ancient Byzena was originally centred on the Green Sea, the large body of water surrounded in modern times by the Council of Seven to the West, Yokotai to the East and the Bysakion coast to the south. In fact the majority of Byzena’s modern territory was only incorporated at the very height of its power after which the empire entered into a steep decline that saw the conquest or secession of most of its key territories. Originally a small city state on the coast of the Green Sea, Byzena expanded at a steady pace through conflict and careful diplomatic manoeuvrings until it controlled the entirety of the southern and western coasts of the green sea, bringing it into conflict with Yokotai as the two empires battled for naval dominance.
The conflict was a drawn out stalemate for long periods of history but eventually ended with Yokotai superiority. The resulting deficiency in Byzenan naval strength allowed many important cities and territories to be conquered or rebel and the imperial family was forced to flee south into the cold and sparse Laksana region where it managed to cement a new, if weaker power base. Although it never regained its full imperial glory, the new Byzena remained a powerful entity and would even colonise significant overseas holdings, including large swathes of the distant continent of Tooralia. However the modern age saw Byzena struggle to keep pace with modernising rivals as longstanding social problems related to the inequality between the transplanted northern nobility and the much poorer native Laksanans, culminating in the Red and White war, a vicious civil conflict between the royalist white faction and the populist, socialist red faction. The war was bloody but inconclusive and after twelve years of exhausting hostilities the two factions agreed to a truce and Byzena transitioned into an uneasy democratic government in which both sides had equal rights to appeal to the populace for election. Presently Byzena remains politically tense, the white faction has held power for four straight election cycles amidst swirling accusations of vote rigging and endemic corruption while protests and media reporting on these issues have been suppressed.


I____.Population: XXXXX I
I_____.Economy: XXX__ I
I_Military Power: XXXX_ I
I___.Civil Rights: XX___ I
I___.Technology: XXX__ I
I_Magical Power: XXX__ I
I__Martial Arts: XXXX_ I

Tooralia

TBA

Kai Nen

A far off and remote archipelago, Kai Nen is shrouded in mystery even to its neighbours and that is exactly the way the secretive nation prefers it. Separated from the powerful and expansionistic Yokotai Shanate by only a short channel, the Kai Neni have had to struggle to maintain their independence by any means necessary. By far their most powerful weapon in this fight has been the clans, secretive organisations bound to each other by blood and tradition, training in seclusion to master the traditional arts of assassination and sworn to defend the nation from all threats. In fact Kai Nen has grown to rely so much on the clans that most acknowledge the national government, a decentralised constitutional monarchy, to be little more than a figurehead for the Kage the heads of the clans to wield true power from behind. It is certain that the Kage hold a great deal of influence but the true extent of their power is not fully known, many suspect that they have made inroads into other nations through shell companies and branch organisations acting on behalf of the major clans. Whatever the truth is Kai Nen is an undeniably beautiful country, if rugged, known for snowy mountains and misty forests. The standard of living seems high and technology is widely available but in many respects the Kai Neni way of life holds onto the traditions of centuries past.


I____.Population: XXX__ I
I_____.Economy: XXX__ I
I_Military Power: X____ I
I___.Civil Rights: XXX__ I
I___.Technology: XXX__ I
I_Magical Power: XXX__ I
I__Martial Arts: XXXX_ I

[Atlannia]

Part Two: The Academy!

Founded in the early stages of the modern era, Assassination Academy was created with exactly one purpose. Creating world class assassins. The academy is located on Princip Island in the Varos Ocean, roughly equidistant between the continents of Varona and Arcos. The island is not a part of any nation and is owned entirely by the Academy itself, though there are private enterprises and residents who are neither students nor staff present the entire island is technically academy grounds. Students can travel to the academy by their own means at any time if they wish to study there but promising potential students, particularly those that do not have the resources to reach the island themselves, are extended invitations and should they accept their travel expense are covered. Naturally, world class assassins are exceptional people and to produce them reliably the academy must employ some exceptional means, as detailed in the rules below.

One: The academy accepts no upfront payment of fees nor does it accept student loans. In fact, enrolment in the academy is completely free and subject to know restrictions whatsoever. Once enrolled students must pay for everything else, board, utilities, school books and equipment, extracurricular activities, even the classes they wish to attend. However none of these things can be paid for with typical currency, instead students must earn Academy points, an internal currency issued for scoring highly on tests, winning various competitions and, most importantly, accepting and completing job requests, mercenary work offered by various outside groups and people. Once a job request is complete the client pays directly to the school in normal currency, which goes towards teacher salaries, maintenance and other costs associated with running a school. Meanwhile the student receives a proportionate amount of Academy points that they can spend on everything from better accommodation and food to more lessons, more powerful weaponry, or even outlandish items like robot servants or personal vehicles.

Two: Students may, at any time and any place within the academy grounds attempt to assassinate other students. This isn't a strictly accurate term, advanced (and highly classified) technology within the academy's off-limits lower levels somehow prevents any students from dying within the grounds (fighting other students outside the academy is grounds for immediate expulsion). Upon defeating another student in this fashion the victor receives a certain percentage of their aced my points as a reward, dependent upon the relative ranks of the two students, defeating someone higher ranked grants a larger percentage while someone lower down will naturally be less (Higher ranked students also tend to have more academy points at any given time.) There also special privileges which can only be earned by defeating particular students.

Three: In order to graduate, students must earn and retain a title. Students to do not progress from year to year and then graduate from the Assassination Academy by simply attending class or by meeting a certain academic standard. Instead students must earn and retain until the end of the year a special title: in order for first years to graduate to second year they must become a Count, for second years to graduate to third year they must become Dukes and in order for third years to graduate fully from the academy they must become King.

A title can be earned by placing high enough during the assassination tournaments held at the start off every school year, there are always 100 count titles, 20 duke titles and one kingship up for grabs. However, at any point after that a title can be stolen by assassinating its current holder, whoever holds the title at the end of the year graduation ceremony is the one who graduates. It should also be noted that a title can be held by any year levels below the one it is intended for, i.e a first year may hold a dukeship or the kingship, a second year can also hold the kingship but not a countship and third years can only hold the kingship. Holding a title above one's year level will allow one to graduate and award a hefty bonus in academy points however it is exceedingly rare for lower year students to retain a title in this fashion until the end of the year, they are often the target of coordinated assaults by their seniors who consider it a point of pride not to let their precious titles languish in the hands of less experienced students for very long.

Four: Apart from these rules there are no other rules. The only way to be expelled from the academy is to attempt to fight and kill another student outside of the academy. There are no lesser penalties either, there are no consequences for failing to pass a year except that it will take a year longer to graduate (some students have taken as long as thirty years to graduate). There are no consequences for failing to earn enough academy points except that anything students cannot pay for will be rescinded, even with zero points students can sleep in the Academy Park and receive a subsistence diet. Teachers may expel students who they consider disruptive from their own classes (students may appeal these decisions to have their points refunded if they feel the teacher's decision was unfair) Every consequence unfolds naturally as a result of one's actions, most students who fail to earn points and pass years simply drop out, those who fail but stick it out and remain often improve and go on to become some of the academy's finest students. Nothing at Assassination Academy is given freely but nothing is taken unfairly either.

Unlike in most educational institutes, the student of Assassination Academy are free to do as they please with their time, in general however to be successful students must acquire Academy points and invest them wisely in lessons that will be beneficial to their style of assassination and so in practice the lives of most students tend to revolve around those.

Classes: It is exceptionally rare for a student to enter into the academy already possessing the skills and experience sufficient to see them through to the end of their third year. Therefore if a student wishes to graduate they must spend some of their precious Academy points on classes. While not cheap, the classes at Assassination Academy are taught by some of the finest assassins in the world and there is no substitute for the expertise and experience they bring to the table. The Academy has experts on a wide array of disciplines, both those directly related to assassination and other more esoteric subjects for those students wishing to round out their education. If it happens that a student wishes to study something that no one already on staff is able to teach to the Academy's stringent standards then a teacher will be located and temporarily hired through the Academy's contacts at the IAG, although this requires the payment of an additional fee of Academy points. Students can register for an upcoming class at any time and most teachers structure their classes in such a way that each lesson is beneficial even without attending the others. Some teachers do offer more structured, long term courses and in these cases it is recommended that students save up and book all of the subsequent classes at the same time. Naturally these classes are not cheap and so most students devote a certain amount of time to the task of earning Academy points to finance them.

Jobs: Certain individuals, companies and even governments are authorised to offer mercenary contracts to the student body of the academy. Compared to hiring a fully-fledged IAG assassin hiring academy students and the students gain invaluable, on the job experience so the situation is one of mutual benefits. The fees from these jobs go towards maintaining the Academy and paying staff wages while the students themselves are reimbursed with Academy points to spend on lessons, board, food or luxuries. Jobs are ranked in difficulty from F through to A and above that are restricted S rank jobs. To ensure the academy's reputation remains intact students must prove themselves capable before undertaking higher ranked jobs, usually be earning a certain number of Academy points from assassinating other students or excelling in various tournaments or other competitions. Jobs can be viewed and accepted at the notice board in the centre of Port Bonnier.

Assassination: At any time students may engage their fellow students in combat, the highly advanced and classified technology at the heart of the academy prevents these engagements from ever being lethal but they are a good way of earning experience and academy points. It is important to note that before an assassination can be attempted one must normally register their intended target at the admin desk, defeating unregistered targets will be counted as collateral damage and result in a point deduction except for under special circumstances however students may register anyone as their target at any time and register multiple targets at the same time, students can even ask for a random target to be assigned to them or for staff to select a target of roughly equal strength. A registration fee of points must be payed when preparing an assassination and in the event that the assassin is defeated this fee is forfeited. However after a successful assassination the fee is not only refunded but a percentage of the target's academy points are deducted and given to the victor as a reward, the percentage depending upon the relative strength of the target and assassin, attacking a lower ranked student will result in a smaller payout while punching above one's weight is rewarded with more risk but a greater reward.

Tournaments: Although infrequent, tournaments are an important part of the academy's culture and a useful source of points and experience as well as being fun. The academy hosts all sorts of tournaments throughout the year, some are focused on assassination in the normal manner, participants are organised into a bracket with opponents simultaneously registered with each other as targets, the victor moving on and the defeated dropping out until only one assassin is left standing. Many tournaments have different rules however, some are focused around particular disciplines, such as the Winter magic league or the Spring festival of swords, although the goal is still to defeat one's target participation is restricted to those who practice the relevant art, making them suitable for students who wish to test their skills against similar opponents, often times these tournaments have more stringent rules than the more freeform assassination tournaments, frequently focusing on an honest, head to head fight inside a ring, making them popular spectator events. It should also be noted that student organised tournaments are becoming more common, these typically involve paying an entry fee, with the winner taking the combined fees as a prize and are usually organised through the standard registration fee. The academy does not discourage students from these sorts of activities although it does warn these can sometimes be traps for inexperienced students.

Extracurricular clubs: By paying a small fee, students can register an extracurricular club and invite other students to join. The academy does not oversee clubs in any fashion, instead leaving such matters to the club president but they can be an excellent way of meeting like-minded students. Typically most clubs have a membership fee, with the proceeds going towards purchasing or renting equipment or renting out space to use to pursue club activities however plenty of clubs don't charge membership fees and either come up with creative ways to perform club activities for free or else centre their club around something free, a few clubs are actually paid for largely by the generosity of a few wealthy students while others still organise fundraisers such as bake sales or maid cafes.
Academy clubs are frequently tight knit, targeting a club member for assassination can result in being hunted for retribution by all of its members and many clubs have fierce rivalries with other clubs that occupy a similar niche, the weekly skirmishes between the pastry club and the baking club for example, while exceptionally bloody, have been accepted as a part of daily life by most students.

Princip Island


Key

Brown: Richmond Hall: The academy's main building and the heart of the island. Richmond Hall is host to a sizeable auditorium for presentations and assemblies as well as dormitory accommodation for beginner students, classrooms for theoretical lessons and general purpose use, administrative buildings, staff living quarters and state of the art medical facilities. While typically only beginner students reside there, all students must frequently return their to attend important classes, to formally make appeals against staff decisions or register a new club, to simply admire the beautiful and well maintained gardens or most importantly to register their intent to assassinate another student, meaning it is almost always busy. The hall is also home to a rather impressive library, boasting volumes on a wide array of subjects.

Yellow: Brutus athletic and fitness centre: A state of the art facility including both indoor and outdoor provisions for almost any activity imaginable, including a running track, sports field, indoor pool, gym, firing range, indoor courts and many others. A great deal of practical lessons are held in the athletic centre and it is a popular recreational destination for students in their free time, especially those belonging to one of the academy's many sports clubs. Students should note that using most of the centre's facilities outside of class requires paying a small fee of academy points.

Blue: Lugovoy Science and Technology wing: Every bit as advanced, some would say even more advanced, as the athletic centre, the Lugovoy building is home to a variety of specialised equipment for the use of students attempting to further their understanding of science in the name of assassination. The wing also includes facilities for the modifying and construction of weapons and other equipment as well as an observatory for astronomy. Many student clubs take advantage of the advanced facilities on offer in their spare time and the wing also has digital access to the Academy's extensive library.

Red: Sukesada Dojo: Lovingly constructed with traditional techniques, the dojo is a tranquil sanctuary ideal for mastering one's body and mind. Although as its name suggests the dojo is primarily used for instruction in martial arts, of both western and eastern variants it is also used for many other purposes, it is home to a rather elegant Zen garden where magical oriented students typically report that the mental focus and inner calm necessary for improving ones magic is easy to find. Unlike most facilities on the island the dojo is completely free to use although receiving instruction from one of the Academy's many masters is typically quite expensive.

Teal: Port Bonnier: A small, seaside town. Port Bonnier includes Docking and Immigration facilities so is naturally the first destination for any visitor to the island however it also includes a rather pleasant shopping district where students, teachers and civilians alike can purchase all sorts of items through a number of approved vendors or dine out at one of the many eateries and restaurants dotting the district. Port Bennier also has a small residential district where most of the civilians on the island elect to live as well as some staff. Students can also rent accommodation here with Academy points if they wish to invest them in privacy and comfort, this is a particularly popular option with second years who do not wish to share dorm space with first years but are not yet eligible for residence in Artabanus Manor.

Purple: Artabanus manor: Located on a smaller nearby island, Artabanus manor is a small but well-appointed residence exclusively available to third year students to ensure they can complete their final and most challenging ordeal in comfort, the isolated location of the dorm also minimises the risk of less experienced students getting caught up in the destructive battles of their veteran seniors.

[Atlannia]

Student Bulletin Board

This handy message board is your one stop shop for all news, updates and announcements relevant to your student life here at the academy, please refer back to it frequently.

Student Enrolment Forms

Would all new students please take and fill out one of the following forms for administrative purposes. If you are uncertain about any section of the form please refer to your student handbook or ask a member of staff.

Code: Select all

(Please delete everything in parentheses)
[u]Personal Information[/u]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b] (Pics are usually best but you can describe them in detail if you prefer)
[b]Age:[/b] (The academy typically does not accept students younger than fourteen)
[b]Birthplace:[/b](Where was your character born, obviously this can refer to a country on the world map but you cna go into greater detail if you feel it relevant to your character.)
[b]Nationality:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b](What sort of person is your character? What do they like? dislike? What motivates them, what are some traits unique to them, that kind of jazz.)
[b]Biography:[/b](Hopefully fairly self-explanatory, what has shaped your character into the person they are today? Where did they come from and how did they acquire the skills, traits or equipment that gives them the potential to be an assassin? You can go into as much detail as you like but at least one or two paragraphs is probably necessary
[b]Theme Song:[/b] (Possibly the single most important completely optional part of the application, those who elect not to choose a theme song will be randomly assigned one from the shortlist for SBS popasia's weekly top eight.)

[u]Combat Information[/u]
[b]Equipment:[/b] (Anything that your character habitually carries into battle including weapons, armour, familiars, consumables and utility items and basically anything else you might think is relevant. You may wish to provide pictures or write descriptions for especially important pieces of equipment.)
[b]Fighting style:[/b] (How does your character actually go about fighting? What kind of weapons or abilities do they use and what's their approach? Are they patient and methodical? An all-out berserker? Do they focus on extreme range or prefer to close in with stealth? Importantly you should consider the advantages and disadvantages that your character's approach has? What kind of situations would do they excel in opponents would they struggle against?)
[b]Special moves:[/b] (Look this is a heavily shonen inspired RP okay? Your an assassin. You gotta have a special move. Your special moves should be powerful but come with drawbacks and limited use. You can have more than one special move if you wish but that's going to entail a trade-off between flexibility and power. Bonus OP points if your special move requires thirty seconds of immobilised charging up to use and is occupied with words to the effect of "No one has witnessed this technique and survived!" For bad guys or "This is the technique I trained with my master to complete! In his name I will defeat you!" You guys know how it is. *Note OP points are not recognised legal tender in any countries and are not redeemable for tangible rewards of any kind.)

[u]Combat Statistics[/u]
(Assassination Academy uses a letter scale from F through to A to rate attributes considered relevant to assassination. E rank is a kind of baseline, essentially what an average person is capable of with F rank being below average and the rest of the ranks being increasingly more powerful. D and C ranks are comparable to amateur and pro level athletes or experts in a particular field while B and A ranks are essentially superhuman. There is also a special S rank awarded to the student with the highest value for a particular attribute, none of you will be dealing with this for some time however. The attributes are measured with equipment and unnatural abilities taken into consideration, essentially they are a measure of student's peak combat potential.)

[b]Power:[/b] (The raw ability to deal damage, both to enemy combatants and inanimate objects or even fortifications. This can include physical strength or skill with weaponry or raw magical power. A certain amount of power is usually necessary to assassinate any significant targets but should be balanced with other abilities.

[b]Endurance:[/b] Sort of the opposite of Power but not quite. Endurance is the measure of well one is able to keep fighting efficiently as a difficult fight rages. This can mean having high defensive capabilities to minimise incoming damage but someone who has high tolerance will also rate better in endurance as the damage they receive will impact their ability to fight less or at least take longer to do so. Endurance also factors in energy levels, assassins with high endurance are able to keep fighting for longer, whether through stamina or high levels of mental fortitude or mana.

[b]Agility:[/b] Explained most broadly, agility is a measure of one's ability to be where you want when you want to be there. It takes into consideration speed naturally but also acceleration, deceleration, reflexes, turning speed, flexibility and capabilities such as controlled flight or teleportation that allow one to freely move around the battlefield.

[b]Intelligence:[/b] As measured by the academy Intelligence is the product of one's ability to effectively and rapidly use one's intellectual resources to alter the course of a battle. Someone who is highly knowledgeable in chemistry or even the theory of assassination but unable to think on their feet and bring that knowledge to bear against an enemy would not score highly in intelligence whereas someone with little formal education but a talent for reading opponents and quickly settling on a strategy that exploits enemy weaknesses and plays to their own strengths would score highly. Thusly Intelligence can refer to many different sorts of cognitive abilities but the common theme is that they are of use on the battlefield.

[b]Special Moves:[/b] An assessment of the capability of one's special techniques to alter or even end outright a battle as well as the ability of one to employ them multiple times and execute them well. Students who score highly might be able to end an otherwise equal encounter in one strike under favourable conditions while those that score poorly tend to focus on more consistent abilities and strategies.

[u]Odds and Ends[/u]
[b]RP example:[/b] Link me to a SPECIFIC POST that showcases your L33T rp skillz. If you don't have a good example to link to for whatever reason just write a couple of paragraphs about ninjas that shows off your writing ability. If I have rped with you before you can probably skip this, you might have to remind me though.

[b]I Read the rules and am a cool person who agrees to abide by them:[/b](Say yes here, humour me.)

#NUMBAT (This is so I can easily search for apps that I missed, don't delete it. The numbat thing, not this text. This text you can delete and in fact you should do so. It isn't to be trusted this text. It contains dangerous secrets, why are you still reading it!? Quickly! Delete it now! Before you doom us all!)

(Allocating Statistic Points: So you can't just run wild here, the ranks go from F through to A with F being 0 and A being 5. As a baseline, all of your attributes start at E or 1 and on top of that you have eight more points to allocate as you wish, with the exception that you may not have any A rank stats unless I grant an exception. You don't have to use all of your points and may even remove points to drop down to an F rank. So for example:

Here is a baseline stat grid:

P: 1
E: 1
A: 1
I: 1
S: 1

From here we can add up to eight points wherever we like:

P: 2
E: 2
A: 2
I: 4
S: 3

The final step is to translate them to letter grades since this is a school and all.

P: D
E: D
A: D
I: B
S: C

The stats themselves are explained below, please delete all of this before posting your app)

Enrolment Process Feedback Forms

What do you guys think of the app? Want something added? Removed? Just need something explained? Let me know what you think. Also if you happen to spot any typos or grammar errors, a lot of this was typed up late at night on very little sleep.

2016 Welcoming Committee
The welcoming committee was formed with the intention of helping new students integrate into the academy. New students are encouraged to direct questions towards and seek advice from any welcoming committee member.

Atlannia / Eluette Hartville

Drakmah / Kelsusatunacor Gefsa - or - Kelsi for short

2016 New student intake.
Would all current students please give a warm welcome to our new arrivals. If you are a new student and your details are not listed below lease contact administration.

MightyQuinn / Sobolan de Oțel

MightyQuinn / Hoozon Phurst

Drakmah / Desorath “Des or Desi” Mathior

Kingdom of Irhk / Connor Fawkes

Sindrya / Rikimaru

Sindrya / Dokuhebi

Shadowwell / James Blakely

Shadowwell / Frederick BlackThorne

Penguinia-Tempor / Catherine "Catie" Hewitt

Penguinia-Tempor / Sawyer Pierce

The Burning Sun / Hiroari Hata

The Burning Sun / Celeste d'Penthièvre

Hank J Wimbleton / Agatha Benson

Hank J Wimbleton /Frances Calliwell

The GAmeTopians / Rose Scarlett

Sonitusia / B.I.O. Model 1960

The Landfish Colonies / Anthony Kovalenko

Taigawa / Nari Masuomoto

Wilderam / Felix Rowan

Antesa / Edwin Darnell

Ameriganastan / "Voodoo" Vincent Bordeaux

Republic of Hasgriu / Hej Ljangnyin (奚良仁)

Nature-Spirits / Annis Blackwood

Arana / Yetsun Xin

Wombocombo / Adrian

Palmyrion / Elizabeth "Elli" K. Lastimosa

Dramatis Npcae

Code: Select all

 
[b]Name:[/b]

[b]Age:[/b]

[b]Year level:[/b]

[b]Appearance:[/b][spoiler]put the picture in here, for standardisation purposes use spoiler tags even for a text description.[/spoiler]

[b]Personality:[/b]

[b]Known history:[/b]

[b]Known abilities and fighting style[/b]


Staff

Alexander Summer

Students

Nathan Golde

Jimmy

Neevil

Ricky

Quinn

Kasey

Xavier

Goza

Rebecca

Shironoya

Klaus

Lekert Horst

Mani Saida

Atzerodt Clove

Ootsu Museikaze

Applications now open for Prefect and Disciplinary Committee positions

I need Co-ops, cause I'm lazy and wanna delegate stuff. If you are not lazy and wanna be delegated to let me know. I guess you can be lazy as well as long as you help out occasionally. Note that I will give preference to people I already know for these positions.

UPDATE: Currently Drakmah has kindly volunteered for the position of Co-OP and I've taken them up on it, so everybody be sure to listen to them as well. THey're in charge if I'm not around.

The History and Geography Club Wants You!

current members

Hank J Wimbleton

Sonitusia

The Burning Sun

You may have noticed that there are some gaps in the world building, I prefer to think of these as opportunities rather than gaps, if you want your character to have a background that isn't really covered by what's already here or you just have some cool ideas feel free to come up with some stuff and we can work it in probably. Lots of these countries on the world map don't even have names so there's plenty of room.

[Atlannia]

Handbook Supplementaries

The following information, while not included in the base student hand book, has been identified as potentially useful to students and thus included in this supplementary section

Technology, weaponry and equipment of Nexus


a list of prominent firearms manufacturing companies

Council of Seven information

Author: Hank J WImbleton

Britannian Institute of Ordnance Technologies

Author: Sonitusia

Yokotaian political structure

Author: Burning Sun

[url][/url]

[Saleon]

It's not like I tagged you or anything!!!!! ~BAAAAAAAKAAAA!

also, I think you messed the bbcode up slightly

The last line of bbcode you have backwards.

Code: Select all

[align=center][box][/align][/box]

You need to do it backwards from how you created it.

Code: Select all

[align=center][box][/box][/align]

[Sindrya]

So this is why Position Vacant had been "vacant" for a while.

Tags deployed.

[Shyluz]

Tag.

Who broke the thread?

[Saleon]

Tag.

Who broke the thread?

a flipped box and align code

[Atlannia]

(Image)
It's not like I tagged you or anything!!!!! ~BAAAAAAAKAAAA!

also, I think you messed the bbcode up slightly

The last line of bbcode you have backwards.

Code: Select all

[align=center][box][/align][/box]

You need to do it backwards from how you created it.

Code: Select all

[align=center][box][/box][/align]

Heh. That's what I get for finishing it up at 3a.m I'll have to fix it when I get home.

[Saleon]

(Image)
It's not like I tagged you or anything!!!!! ~BAAAAAAAKAAAA!

also, I think you messed the bbcode up slightly

The last line of bbcode you have backwards.

Code: Select all

[align=center][box][/align][/box]

You need to do it backwards from how you created it.

Code: Select all

[align=center][box][/box][/align]

Heh. That's what I get for finishing it up at 3a.m I'll have to fix it when I get home.

nah probs.

[Videssos]

Well, looks like I'm going to be having a bit of trouble narrowing down character ideas (and getting a particular concrete character concept formed accordingly)....
A trap assassin of some kind, obviously, but I'm a bit indecisive other than that, with all the potential options available.

[Drakmah]

*Leaves a small, nicely wrapped box containing a tag with your name on it on your doorstep.*

[Atlannia]

Oh a mod came and fixed my broken tags. That's certainly convenient although I feel a little bad not fixing it myself.

So this is why Position Vacant had been "vacant" for a while.

Tags deployed.

Guilty, Position Vacant isn't going to close because of this but it might go a little slower at times.

Tag.

Who broke the thread?

Oh hey.

Well, looks like I'm going to be having a bit of trouble narrowing down character ideas (and getting a particular concrete character concept formed accordingly)....
A trap assassin of some kind, obviously, but I'm a bit indecisive other than that, with all the potential options available.

We could always Ijust start brainstorming random concepts until one jumps out at you.

*Leaves a small, nicely wrapped box containing a tag with your name on it on your doorstep.*

Hey I remember you, 'sup?

[Drakmah]

*Leaves a small, nicely wrapped box containing a tag with your name on it on your doorstep.*

Hey I remember you, 'sup?

Not too much, just wandering the wast wastelands of P2TM looking for a nice oasis to RP in. The usual!

[Penguinia-Tempor]

*drops a bomb full of tags from a plane*

[Videssos]

Well, looks like I'm going to be having a bit of trouble narrowing down character ideas (and getting a particular concrete character concept formed accordingly)....
A trap assassin of some kind, obviously, but I'm a bit indecisive other than that, with all the potential options available.

We could always Ijust start brainstorming random concepts until one jumps out at you.

Seems like a good idea.

[Sindrya]

Oh a mod came and fixed my broken tags. That's certainly convenient although I feel a little bad not fixing it myself.

So this is why Position Vacant had been "vacant" for a while.

Tags deployed.

Guilty, Position Vacant isn't going to close because of this but it might go a little slower at times.

'tis okay.

*suddenly changes into a serious expression*

As long as you don't forget it. Or else.

[Finsternia]

Taaaaaag

[Atlannia]

Well I'm certainly no trap expert but a magic user might work well, some kind of priest type character so you can work in those confusing, flowing robes. Or maybe a witch? Some family has taught their daughters witchcraft for generations but what do they do if they only have a son?

Beyond magic some kind of firearms user, pogo ssibly even a sniper? You could go for something like, assassin kills boys parents then adopts boy and trains him as a protege and also makes him wear female clothes for reasons.

Or you could go for nexite exposure, which is the way to get comic book style super powers but can run the risk of turning you Insane.

I dunno, that's a couple of ideas anyway

[Penguinia-Tempor]

I'll see if I can get an app up this weekend.

Was thinking of a teleporting character.

[Shadowwell]

Heck yeah, the idea in and of itself is amazing. I look forward to this and will help if need be.

[Atlannia]

I'll see if I can get an app up this weekend.

Was thinking of a teleporting character.

Sounds good, although we'll have to make sure it's balanced.

Heck yeah, the idea in and of itself is amazing. I look forward to this and will help if need be.

Glad to hear it!

[Shadowwell]

Could i make a blind guy who uses shadow and darkness magic?
He may or may not be connected to some ninja's.

[Atlannia]

Could i make a blind guy who uses shadow and darkness magic?
He may or may not be connected to some ninja's.

That sounds perfectly reasonable.