[aeyn]

WHAT?
What it says on the tin! An Animanga Fantasy/Sci-fi futuristic RP based on the Norse mythology. Influenced by Marvel's Thor (the movies, and only very, very mildly), and A Fairytale For The Demon Lord (a manhwa; the influence of this one is a bit stronger). Knowledge of the mythology is not required, but will help very, very much.

PLOT!
Not extremely heavily plot-based, and the idea of a central plot isn't cemented yet; there is peace in the nine realms at the moment, though it is a restless peace (much more active is the trade and the travel between them); the gods of Asgard make sure that this peace is kept. With Loki's imprisoning, there's not too much obstructing it, either; however, the peace is getting more and more unstable, and signs are pointing at the situation going straight to Hel - people even talk to Ragnarok behind closed doors.

SETTING!
The Nine Realms, connected by the World Tree Yggrdasil, which is, rather than a tree in the literal sense of the word, a collection of intertwined cosmic passageways, allowing for much faster travel between the worlds. The realms are Asgard (the most technologically advanced, but also the most off-limits level, on which the Aesir, gods, reside, and which is their sole property. A beautiful place to live in, it's also probably the safest. The next stop is Alfheim (the haven of the Elves; more natural than Asgard, though not as heavily guarded, it's one of the prime capitals of trade and one of the most peaceful and tolerant worlds. A very good place to live.). Followed by Vanaheim (the home of the Vanir, gods, easily described as close to what humans imagine as paradise, it is very advanced, and also very pacifistic) is Midgard (aka Earth, the home planet of humans, not as rich as one of the upper realms, but in heavy traffic). The realms that follow aren't as open to trade and travel - Múspelheim is a realm of untamed fire, and Niflheim is the domain of ice, both of them being completely uninhabitable; Jotunheim (the homeland of the giants, a rather cold place in which most non-giants aren't exactly welcome) is merely refusing towards trade and travel. The heavy tech capitals are Svartalfheim (the home of the dark elves) and Nidavellir (the home of the dwarves). The last world, Hel, is completely off-limits for the living, as it is the domain of the dead.

The setting itself is futuristic, happening a few thousands of years in an alternate universe in which the Norse mythology is real, and the Aesir and Vanir had always accompanied humankind. There were wars between them and the giants in the past, though recently, those had been forcefully suppressed; the technology is on a high level now. Travel and trade between the realms is frequent and beneficial to all of them, to the point that the gods themselves are no longer necessary to monitor all the realms on a nigh-daily basis.
However, there are dystopian elements; the society, especially in Asgard, Midgard, and Vanaheim, is ruled more strictly than it would seem, with questionable laws and the kind, the gods still holding a heavy hand over the worlds; in the meantime, there is unrest especially in Jotunheim.

The central focus would be on the first four worlds; however, there would be locations available on all of them.

PLAYABLE RACES AND CHARACTERS!
Aesir and Vanir - the Gods. They are unaging, compared to all the other races, their power (and wisdom) is vast; they have access to technology far surpassing that of humans and elves alike, and also runes, which function as a form of magic. Very high regenerative abilities, strength, and speed. Originally, the Vanir were a separate group of gods, and together, the two clans were at war; however, this dispute was eventually settled. Those from the ranks of the Aesir are much more inclined to war and battle, however. Canons only; characters adapted from the original Norse mythology. The only exception to that is the Valkyrie, who however need to be approved and of which there is a limited number.

Einherjar - deceased warriors that go to Valhalla. Their primary residence is Asgard; however, they often accompany the gods to battle, and when not training and preparing for Ragnarok, they are often left to roam free through Asgard, on rare occasions visiting even the higher-positioned worlds; however, their interaction with the living is limited. They often fulfill the positions of guards. They are much alike to what they were like when human, with the exception of not aging; they retain the memory of their human life. Every time an Einherjar dies, their memories from their post-mortem life are erased; they return to Valhalla merely with a few fractions of memories and the full account of memories from their actual life. Deceased human characters automatically become Einherjar. They have abilities slightly better than those of humans, especially when it comes to durability and regeneration. Only characters that died in combat/due to combat/by a weapon can become Einherjar.

Light Elves - primarily inhabiting Alfheim, they are humanoid, with a culture much alike to human; they are closest to the Vanir in relations. They have extremely long lifespans (up to 2000 years), and an affinity to runes and fine technology; they're frequent travelers. Most of them are very attractive to humans; though they differ only slightly from humans in abilities, being faster, but not as durable, they are regarded as very attractive, almost to an enchantment-like point; they tend to appear more androgynous, and there are smaller differences between males and females than between the genders of humans. They have a highly organized society, and have tight political and social bonds with the gods, often working for them.

Dark Elves - almost identical in appearance to Light Elves, they differ merely in the fact that they tend to look paler, and are slightly less peaceful. Their residence is Svartalfheim; they are more industrial than Light Elves. Other than that, both their culture and physiology is almost identical. They are the same species, merely adapted to different conditions. The Dark Elves are more likely to rebel and cause uprisings than the Light Elves, however, and have a higher likeness to be hostile.

Dwarves - primarily underground-dwelling, they are small of stature, but have long life cycles, of approximately 400 to 600 years each, maturing only slowly. They are master smiths and very skilled with technology. They tend to be proud; their primary homeland is Nidavellir; however, since they are good traders and excel at business, they can often be found in other realms as well. Unlike the other races, their relationship with the gods is neither outright antagonistic, nor exactly tight. If something, they were collaborated for the creation of numerous very powerful artifacts; however, they rarely found themselves in the need of the interference of the gods.

Humans - you know those! Just humans. They primarily reside in Midgard, or Earth; for a long time, they needed the interference of the gods to protect them, primarily from the giants, but have become more self-reliant in the close past, taking a lot of technology from the dwarves and elves. They excel in trade, but not in craftsmanship.

Jötnar - the Giants, or Ice Giants. They have a very complex relationship with the gods, often waging wars with them, but also intermarrying and having non-hostile relations. They vary largely in appearance; most of them are larger than humans and gods, but distinctly humanoid in shape. There are some for which the height difference is minor, and also some that differ greatly from humans by their appearance, having some monster-like signs; they are closely associated with rocks, and their technology is underdeveloped when compared to the other worlds. They are denied access to Asgard except for special occasions, primarily weddings. Sage Mimir was originally a Jotun (but is currently a disembodied head).

Others - including the Norns, the children of Loki, and various other monsters like Nidhogg, the sentient ravens Huginn and Muninn or wolves Geri and Freki. Most of them are canons.

Intermarrying between different species is allowed, cross-breeds are allowed (within reason only). Cross-breeds of canon characters and gods need to be consulted first.

TECHNOLOGY!
Technology is very advanced, especially in the higher-positioned worlds. Self-repairing and wearer-repairing armor along with weapons that are capable of affecting the weather (Mjollnir) or manipulating energy (Gungnir) are available mostly to the inhabitants of the higher-positioned realms. Guns are, due to the regeneration factor and advanced armor of most combatants, obsolete; the most used weapons are swords, spears, and blunt melee weapons which are, in most cases, capable of self-repair and charging themselves with energy, channelled through runes, that they then use to magnify the destruction scale or utilize other special abilities.

Runes - while magic in itself doesn't exist in this universe, runes partly supplement for it. They grant objects they are inscribed upon special properties depending on the runes used, or allow for these special properties to be bestowed; they can be used also for healing, communication, and are an integral part of most technology developed by the gods. They require lengthy study, but are able to be used to an incredible extent in combat.

Communication and travel - communication and technologies are not all that unfamiliar; computers as means of communication, mobile devices and interactive interfaces are a daily part of life and on an advanced level. Travel is done by common means of vehicles (most of those are on a highly advanced level as well, but differ from world to world) in realms; between realms there are passageways through the roots and branches of Yggdrasil, one of the most well-known being Bifröst between Asgard and Midgard. The passageways usually require a guardian (the prime guardian being Heimdall) to activate them.

OOC MECHANICS AND SPECS!
Heavily combat-based. Specific death mechanics, which do not allow the gods to fully die until Ragnarok, and allow for the reincarnation of humans and elves allow for the actual death and reincarnation of characters, especially of humans.
Animanga FC. Advanced/intermediate with word count (100+), plot-based without a great emphasis on the application. Site-specific canons from actual Norse mythology; however, the mythology is merely the basis for the setting, and is not needed to be followed meticulously. However, straying off mythology too much is unacceptable. Using races not mentioned above (with the exception of canons listed under Others) without prior is unacceptable; using other races in itself is not unacceptable with approval given first, and there has to be some evidence of said races in original Norse mythology. No stats, no turn-based fights (this is NOT D&D or any such campaign!).
Preferred host: Proboards.

A lot of stuff is still in the works even for me; this is nowhere near complete!

If there is anything you are curious about or that doesn't make sense to you, don't be afraid to ask! Info will be updated based on other members' questions, which I promise to answer. Please, heart or comment if you're interested! Also, write if you have any extra ideas of things you'd like to see!

EMMIE