Adventurers seeking fame and fortune have always traveled the world in search of what they craved. Hidden deep within a labyrinth of caves full of gems and pure minerals was the heart of the world, the secret to all the magic and balance of life: the Grand Ark, a colossal mass of gems of many colors, holding magic and the elements of the world. Not willing to study and try to understand what they had truly found, these adventurers only saw the fortune they could make by selling the fragments of the beautiful stone.

What happened the second their tools struck the Grand Ark was a punishment fit for the greedy mortals, as well as a horrible curse upon the whole world. The Grand Ark exploded, disrupting the flow of magic throughout the lands, destroying most of the southern continents, leaving nothing but debris and heavily destroyed foliage, though some areas near bodies of water recovered somewhat. The massive explosion, however, was merely the start. With the magic of the lands disrupted, crops began to die, powerful mages went insane, novices failed to control their powers, technology ceased to work, and the appearance of monsters and natural disaster become much more frequent.

With the few nations remaining fighting over the few resources, it is your choice whether to find the fragments of the Grand Ark and attempt to rebuild it in order to return the balance of magic to the world, or keep these powerful fragments as a source of nearly unlimited energy to fuel whatever evil lies within.

Light Gray: These hold neutral energy in them that anyone can use for any purpose. The energy can also be converted to another energy if the holder knows how, which is a skill most learn at a young age. These Arks may appear slightly warm or tingly to the holder, but pose no physical or mental harm. These rank a 1.

Deep Blue: These possess water and ice energies. A user of ice or water will be able to make their powers much stronger, colder (for ice), and be able to summon more of either for the same amount of physical energy as without an Ark. People who do not naturally possess this power may be able to use it, but with difficulty. Touching one of these will also feel cool to cold enough to cause frostbite. These rank a 3.

Very Light Blue: These possess air energy. A user of this element will be able to create hurricane force wings, uproot trees, fling enemies far into the air and send them tumbling towards death, and so forth. When one who is not a user of this element reaches for one of these stones, they may be able to grab it if it is tiny, but most typically catch a small gust and roll just out of their reach, making capturing these stones quite annoying, or fun for kids. No harm comes from touching one. These rank a 2.

Yellow/Golden: These hold electrical/lightning energy in them. If someone who doesn't have the talent of manipulating lightning/electricity (naturally, not a machine), they will receive a painful shock, and larger Arks can deliver such a shock the unlucky fool may be knocked out. Young, weak, sick, and older people can also suffer brain/mental damage and even death from the largest of electrical/lightning Arks. Those who already possess electrical/lightning powers can use this kind of Ark to make their powers much more potent and dangerous. These rank a 4.

Red: These possess fire energy. A user of fire will be able to make their power increase, and those well trained in this element may even be able to summon or conjure magma and use it. Those not trained in this will typically have a mild to moderate burn inflicted upon them. These rank a 3.

Green: These possess energy that is connected with nature. As this is a simple and quite nonviolent element, users of the element will be granted amazing leaps in their power, and those that possess absolutely no powers can be given great powers of the like. Thousands of years ago, those who found one of these and used it to grow crops were made kings and honored like gods. Now, they are mainly considered a show of good luck. Occasionally, the instance of a stone seeming to seek someone out, using plants and the weather to move it along, has been recorded, both centuries ago and recently. These people are considered greatly in luck, occasionally worshiped, and are believed to be chosen for something. These instances also make some believe that good spirits or angels actually live as these stones, granting their energy to the users. These rank a 4, and oddly, only those with good intentions can use these.

Purple: These hold poison based energy. Quite the opposite of nature Arks, these are full of complex and violent energy, and are only usable by those with evil intentions or the will to harm others. Those that already have the ability to use poison, fire, or electricity/lightning can use this and gain huge amounts of power to their own and the actual poison energy. Similar to green Arks, these may seek out particular users, leading some to believe the spirits of demons are within these stones, and to see one is bad luck, and if someone lets it be known that a purple Ark came to them, they would often be killed, even during this time, or be wanted dead in every area that new of what happened. These rank a 4.

White: These Arks hold energy of one of the purest and powerful energies, rivaled only by the black Arks. Much like green Arks, the energy is simple, nonviolent, and the purest. A user can possess no powers, yet be granted the strongest air, water/ice, and nature powers, rivaling even masters and experts in each element. A user who already has a power will have it multiplied almost infinitely, becoming the strongest ally one could have. The only instance of a white Ark becoming unusable was in a battle that lasted days. These rank a 5+, and not one has ever become useless except in the one instance.

Black: These Arks hold energy of the darkest and one of the most powerful energies, rivaled only by white Arks. Much like purple Arks, the energy is complex, violent, and plain out black in nature. If the user possesses no powers, they'll be granted the ability to summon anything of dark nature and use it. Those with any power that obtain a black Ark will be able to multiply their powers almost infinitely, becoming a hugely devastating enemy and opponent. These rank a 5+, and not one has ever become useless except in the one instance.

Back in ancient times, to civilizations fought against each other for resources for years. One harsh winter, resources were extremely hard to come by, and not much had been grown in the previous summer, so storages were too low to last the whole season. As a truce and trade were both out of the question, the two civilizations gathered everyone who was able bodied to fight and sent them into battle.

In the dead plains between the cities, the two armies clashed. One civilization favored darker powered Arks, the other Arks of good natures. Each captain had one large Ark; one had a white Ark, and his highest ranking soldiers carried green Arks; the other a black, with soldiers carrying purple Arks. At the climax of the battle, the dark captain launched a wave of dark energy toward the other army, and moments later the black Ark he carried exploded into a fine dust while sending a wave of energy out, killing everyone on the plains.

Moments later, the white Ark pulsed, and went dim as everyone of good nature was revived. As the captain that held the Ark went to pick it up, the Ark fell through his fingers, now a fine dust.

(Not sure if this will be a plot element yet. e_e)

1. I. AM. GOD.
But my characters aren't. So kick me in the butt if I do that (except for crystalwings; they're supposed to be a little god moddy, but I won't be killing characters off without an okay from the character(s)'s owner.
Whatever I say goes, goes (for the most part), but do not be afraid to suggest ideas. I have the basic idea for the RP, but most of the details of the plot are going to happen based on what you and others do.

2. Ask for permission to join and wait for an okay before jumping into the RP.
This should be common sense. It's in case I see something wrong with any bio you might submit.

3. No character limit
Since there's so many things you could end up doing in this RP, you're allowed as many characters as you feel you can handle. Don't be afraid to experiment a bit; we can always kill off any character you made that you end up hating.
However, try to avoid making characters that are paired up; I find that these characters tend to not interact well. I'm not saying it's against the rules, but try to balance any pairs you submit with other peoples' characters.

4. Keep the language mild
If you're character loses an Ark or a collection of them, s/he's probably wanna kill someone with their language. Try to just describe it instead of posting what they say.

5. Romance
You and another RPer may notice that your characters get along well, or one might want to seduce the other to steal their Ark or something, but we don't really want or need to know the details. Take it to PM/email or agree on what happens behind the scenes without being descriptive or explicit.

6. Be active
I know everyone has other things besides online life, but try to post at least once a day so the RP stays relatively active.

7. Post sizes
While this is in the advanced RP section, I'm not looking for posts with 3 paragraphs each that greatly describe what just one character is doing, but rather I expect the story to be moved along with a short paragraph, about 3 lines/sentences. One to two medium paragraphs (about 5 sentences each) is probably idea.
Obviously this will differ depending on the situation and how many characters you have. Basically, move the story along without writing a book.

8. Crystalwings
Crystalwings are beings that are ancient (thousands upon thousands of years of age), and are actually, to some degree, part of the Grand Ark, so they are basically like semi (demi? I was never good at Greek mythology) gods; they're supposed to be powerful. I WILL, however, make sure I don't break the no-godmodding rule. Basically, they are supposed to have really powerful powers and abilities that normal characters probably shouldn't (or at least not have with other abilities or be able to perform nearly as well as crystalwings).
Also, in OOC, or a character speaking, they may be called "CWs" for short, but don't use it when writing description in RP posts just in case someone gets confused.

Life Stealers: A vampire-like being. These are breeds quite in-tune with magic, so much that if they store enough of the energy, they can change their appearance slightly, or completely. Most can also harness the power at least one element without an Ark to some degree. They do not die of typical old age, only dying of 'natural causes' once they reach perhaps 5 thousand years of age, but even those of over ~300 years of age are rare. They live off the blood of any animal organism, preferring blood with raw flesh (kidneys and the heart are favorites for taste, while livers are fought over for their nutritional values). Their civilizations are often violent. One is a life stealer either by being born from a parent(s) of such heritage, or by being bitten and injected with a venom. They typically find warewolves repulsive, but live well with vampires and other beings of magic.


Warewolves: Similar to the werewolves of stories, these beings take the form of a large wolf every night, and can take this form at any point once they learn how to. Other than this, they have no real traits, species wide or not. One is only a warewolf if bitten and injected with the venom, and this guys are very bad at controlling their venom glands. They are fully aware of what they are doing when in wolf form.


Dragons: There are many species of dragons in this world, and all are sentient. Many cities have soldiers that ride upon the back of large species, while there are also dwarfs that are from the size of a cat to a horse, and are often kept in homes as magical companions or protectors, there are also wild ones, and also 'dragonoids' (think anthro-dragons). There are virtually no limits as to what dragons can be.
(Would like to note that it's possible for a character to be both a life stealer AND warewolf. It's possible for a dragon to be a life stealer, but not a warewolf.)


Crystalwings: There are a few variations of crystalwings. The most common are dull yellow, dull purple, faded blue, muddy brown, and grassy green ones with lightly sparkling gems all over their body and feathered wings that average about 5 feet tall when standing upright with three points on their tail tip. The second most common bright golden and deep purple, both with dragon-like wings, beautiful gems, two tips on their tails, and averaging 12 feet when standing upright; these are often called 'Ancient Crystalwings'. The most uncommon is the crystalwings with two sets of large, feathered wings, blinding gems, and a tail with no extra tips, but instead covered with sharp gems, and these range in size from the small ~5 feet to over 15 feet tall.
Little is known about crystalwings except that they fly very high, very fast, and once a year, they molt their gems, leaving the discarded ones laying about for adventurers to find. They are sold for high prices for jewelry, and hold no powers like Arks, though the gems look very much like Arks. It is unknown if crystalwings are sentient or not. (Would like to note that NO ONE will be controlling any crystalwings but me unless approved prior.)


Regulars: Either humans or anthros/furs, these are typical fan characters. They can have an elemental power or not. Not much to say.

This may be updated as we go along. *shrug*

Name :: Shrazor Cylo
Age & Gender :: ~1500 years ; male
Height & Weight :: 7' 5" ; ~300lb
Species :: Life stealer
Personality :: I'm not sure yet... I'm basing this version of Shrazor off another version of this RP on another forum, but haven't even gotten to use him there. We'll see what happens here and how he acts.
Appearance :: Appears as a black hedgehog with tan eyes and some porcupine spines, has long quills. Semi-heavily built body; (proportionally) small wings, long tail with a double sided blade on the tip.
Clothing :: Just some pants.
Powers :: Elemental electricity, some control over fire. Subconsciously can use Light energy (mainly in near death situations).
Weapons :: Carries a knife in a holster wrapped around his left ankle.
Physical Weapons :: ~3 inch claws, teeth (also has two fangs in the place of one), tail blade; Shrazor's pure, raw physical strength is also great due to his muscle mass
Any Arks? :: None (feels too confident to carry any)
History :: Maybe later. Like I said, basing this guy off another RP and haven't even been able to use him. xD
Other Details :: Brother to Eclipse; 2 years younger than him.


Name :: Eclipse Cylo
Age & Gender :: ~1500 years ; male
Height & Weight :: 5' 10" ; ~160lb
Species :: Life stealer; warewolf
Personality :: Will figure it out later.
Appearance :: Mainly hedgehog-looking, he's a deep yellow with red eyes, making him albino. Somewhat long quills, medium length tail.
Clothing :: Dresses somewhat nicely but still casually with jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes.
Powers :: Elemental Water/Ice; gets the occasional vision of what's happening right then or soon in the future, can't control it though.
Weapons :: None
Physical Weapons :: Mainly claws
Any Arks? :: Carries around a deep blue Ark about half the size of a golfball.
History :: N/A on this too
Other Details :: Brother to Shrazor; 2 years older than him.
Due to being albino, Eclipse is colorblind and sees in pure black and white (like an old movie).


Name :: Tevera
Age & Gender :: ~20 ; male
Height & Weight :: 3' 9" crouched/standing normally, 5' 1" standing upright (such as to look around like a bear) ; ~130lb
Species :: dwarf *Plains Dragon
Personality :: While generally stands up for those who can't, believing it's right, Tevera can be a bit of a jerk, often making sarcastic comments; he's also eager to fight if he can.
Appearance :: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gB92aVDDgYE/SP0Bv1vjl-I/AAAAAAAAAFU/cZEaHQ_-sAM/s1600-h/Lair_DragonPlains_Tav01.jpg
Clothing :: Tends to wear a sort of harness with small bags on the sides to carry things, leaving his hands free to either be used while walking or to grab items.
Powers :: Fire (by natural means of a fire bladder)
Weapons :: none
Physical Weapons :: Claws, teeth, tail
Any Arks? :: none
History :: Born in the forest part of Belvictoria, Tevera spent the first few years of his life with a wild group of dragons, mainly older Plains dragons that had retired from the nearby city's army, he later entered the city while exploring one day and stayed for the most part, only leaving to visit the family he was born to. He's shown no interest in joining the army (not that they'd have any use for a tiny dragon), and instead enjoys the comforts of living in a city with protection, leaving every now and then to hunt for Arks to rebuild the Grand Ark.
Other Details :: *The large/normal sized version of this is the species mainly used in Belvictoria's army.


Name :: Morpheus
Age & Gender :: ? ; male
Height & Weight :: ~12' ; ~600lb
Species :: Crystalwing (Ancient)
Personality :: ?
Appearance :: Gems along his body are bright purple, main body is bright gold. Eyes change color seemingly at random but are typically bright blue or pitch black all over.
Clothing :: none
Powers :: Warping (either distance or dimensional)
Weapons :: None?
Physical Weapons :: Heavy tail
Any Arks? :: Maybe?
History :: ?
Other Details :: ?'s show either hidden or unknown things that should be explained later on through the RP; crystalwings ARE mystical!
Also, this guy shouldn't pop up too much and actually interact, he'll mainly be in a tree or on a building stalking watching characters.

Name :: Chain Nobody
Age & Gender :: male, 15
Height & weight :: tall and skinny, too light for his length
Species :: lemur
Personality :: loner, dislikes people
Appearance :: grey fur, white mouth-thingy, black hands, big fluffyblack-and-white striped tail. Large yellow eyes
Clothing :: old, thorn clothes. (chain lives on the streets)
Powers :: just the regular lightning
Any Arks? :: a 2-3 sized yellow ark. He doesn't know anything about arks though. He refers to it as his 'glowstone'
Other Details :: Chain does not know a thing about the arks, and refers to them a 'glowstones'.

Name :: Lone Wolf
Age & Gender :: 20, Male
Species :: Human, Regular
Personality :: To himself, but kind hearted and willing to help
Appearance :: Brown hair, dull grey-ish eyes (he's blind) but you rarely see them. (That's all I can think of...)
Clothing :: Trench coat( Always done up so you can't see his shirt), Fedora hat (tilted over his eyes) , Black jeans, tee-shirt.
Any Arks? :: Red Ark, Softball size

There's one and...

Name :: Marié
Age & Gender :: 20, Female
Species :: Human, Regular
Personality :: Kind, a real sweetheart.
Appearance :: Blue eyes, Short brown hair, (same as Lone wolf, all I can think of...)
Clothing :: Black skin tight pants, Hot pink-mud stained tee-shirt, Combat boots.
Any Arks? :: Light blue, Golfball size

Name :: Elias Val Chesterfield (aka Spin)
Age & Gender :: 20, male
Height & Weight :: 5' 8", 170 lbs
Species :: Monkey
Personality :: =Will be revealed through RP=
Appearance :: A white furred monkey with grey hair and brown eyes. He is normally seen with a smile on his face.
Clothing :: Wears a red coat that's left open at the front, leaving his torso bare. Has on a pair of red pants with white one the inside of the legs, his tail going through a tailor-made hole for comfort. His feet are normally bare, having a disliking for closed-toe footwear. Wears an uncut jewel around his neck, a small green Ark he often passes off as 'just plain jade'.
Powers :: Heightened strength, senses, and reflexes naturally developed in the wild; natural skill with yo-yos
Weapons :: Sonic Yo-Yos: 10 indestructible yo-yos that Elias carries with him. When they make a hard enough impact with whatever they are thrown at, a powerful sonic blast comes forth from the base of the 'toy'. When not in use, Elias keeps each yo-yo in hidden pockets sewn on the inside of his coat, acting as hidden armor from attacks.
Any Arks? :: Size 2-3 green Ark. Was bought as a necklace by his younger sister for his 20th birthday. A golden clasp holds it to the chain.
History :: Born into a rich family, Elias was raised and groomed from birth to be a proper heir to his family's fortune. His father was very strict on him, not even allowing Elias to play with what few friends he managed to make in between studies. At the age of 8 however, he finally grew sick of not having any freedom, only getting to rest when he slept. Despite the dangers that lay waiting in the world, he ran away from home one night, wanting to have the freedom to decide what he wanted to do. He faced many hardships, and risked his life numerous times to protect others in danger, even becoming number one on a global mob's hit-list, but he grew up healthy, strong, and calm of mind, able to take on the fiercest of foes without batting an eyelash.

At the age of 19, he returned home after finding out that his mother and father had another child, a girl they named Jasmine. His mother was surprised at how her son had turned out, while his dad viewed Elias with disdain, looking bitter about his son leaving home for his own wants. When the brother and sister met, they quickly bonded, both happy to have a sibling they could love. To Elias, his sister would become more important to him than his own life, even his own freedom, deciding that if he had to, he'd even go into captivity if it meant that his sister would be safe.

Six months later, on the eve of Elias' 20th birthday, Jasmine would unwittingly purchase the Ark Elias has now while out shopping with one of the family butlers, simply thinking it as something that would be a great gift for her brother. He received it, smiling and thanking her sister while saying he'd never remove it. It would only be after surviving a near death situation with the organization he's made enemies of that he would discover that his sister's gift wasn't just a jewel store trinket, but one of the Arks he had heard of in his travels. After his wounds healed several days later, he told his family he was going on another journey, not mentioning the Ark that his sister had given him. He left, full well knowing that as long as he had that Ark around his neck, he'd only put his family in danger by staying should anyone from the same organization or those searching for Arks come to find him. He is now in Belvictoria, taking time to rest and take in the sights as he traveled.