Application Primer

Requiem Act VI: Applicant Rules

Hail and well met, traveler. Upon this page, you will learn how to apply for a character within Requiem. Please read the instructions and stipulations carefully. If you have questions or concerns, please use our forums or Discord server to speak to a current player or a staff member.

Before you begin, we have a few rules for any player interested in applying to Requiem. They are as follows:

1) We require all players of Requiem to be 18 years of age or older. There are no exceptions to this rule.

2) All prospective players are required to read and understand the shard rules, located here. You must read, understand and choose to accept these rules before applying for an account.

3) Applicants require a working comprehension and ability to use the English language. We will do our best to help players who are not masters of the English language, but if you are not able to read or write with at least a decent level of English comprehension, we cannot subject other players to try and overcome a language barrier.

4) All prospective players are required to have a working understanding of the shard’s lore and storyline. Players who submit applications that include elements that clearly have no place in Requiem (for example, telling how your character slays dragons on the weekends) will have their applications denied.

5) Players who are known to be detrimental to the overall well-being of role-playing communities will not have their applications considered favorably, if at all.

6) Players are required to register a forum account on our forums with a sensible forum handle and a sensible avatar. Forum accounts with offensive or immersion-breaking handles or avatars will be deleted.

Character Rules: General

There are a few rules associated with the application of a new character. They are as follows:

1) Applying for characters from previous Acts must account for how they have survived within Eden from the time of their last playdate up until the current storyline. Players are allowed and encouraged to apply for previous characters from any prior Act, so long as they weren’t subjected to a perma-death during those times.

2) Characters must be of age 18 or older. There are no exceptions to this rule.

3) Characters must originate from Vitaveus or another pre-approved location as dictated by the staff. In addition, all characters are to be considered current or excommunicated Republic citizens.

4) It is allowable to incorporate elements of the shard’s plot or Factions when creating your character’s backstory, if they are practical. For instance, it is permissible to state that your character is a former member of a Faction or was present for a notable event in the shard’s story-line. It is not permissible to state that your character is the secret leader of a Faction or make any other fantastical statement. Please note, the staff and plot elements for Act V may or may not recognize your character’s history or importance in-game.

5) Characters must be created with realistic and plausible abilities; to state that your character has some sort of super-power or preternatural ability that cannot be portrayed using game mechanics will be looked upon unfavorably.

6) While we allow for players to apply and play characters related to one another (brothers, sisters, cousins) and share surnames, we would prefer that if you intend on collaborating with other players in order to make characters to play and live together, you come up with original and interesting applications and concepts as opposed to lumping everyone into the same surname. We have found that these situations often lead to large swaths of players being held responsible for the in-game actions of a single person within their “House” or “Family”, and often leads to negative sentiments; be creative.

7) Please keep in mind lore elements that might affect your player in-game. For example, the study and practice of arcane arts are considered blasphemous and illegal and may very well result in the incarceration and death of your character.

8) Players are not allowed to apply for characters that have knowledge of a character they recently played. This includes children, apprentices, siblings, etc. Children of previous characters may be played if they are over 18 years old (per our server rules).

Character Rules and Considerations: Advanced

As there are always some unique circumstances that can’t be addressed as blanket rules, we have incorporated the following “advanced” rules that must be considered when creating and apping for a character:

1) Children or dependents that your character may be written to be caring for or attempting to smuggle in to the First Province are forbidden. This furthermore applies to pregnancies. As a shard rule, we do not allow for any characters under the age of eighteen into the fiction created in-game – IE, there are no children in the First Province.

2) Characters may choose to originate from any walk of life or caste within the Republic (such as citizens or civilians, as explained here [Citizenship] , or as part of a Prelacy Parish, as explained here [The Prelacy] ). However, it should be made clear that the First Province is akin to the Wild Wild West; it is an untamed, largely unregulated Quarantine Zone of death and decay. Social norms and even laws are few and far between, and therefore the First Province should be considered an equalizer in terms of how NPCs and other players may regard any given PC character they interact with. As contact with the outside world is difficult if not impossible, NPCs do not have the ability (nor desire) to run a background check on a player character to see if they are of the Prelacy, a prior war hero, or even an escaped convict. To further expand upon this point, there are no mechanical or RP advantages or disadvantages to claiming heritage to any of the three castes of the Republic.

3) A wealth of knowledge and lore can be referenced about the major territories within Vitaveus ( to include [Lore: The Eastern Baronies] , [Lore: Western Territories], and [Lore: The Midlands] ). To further extrapolate on this point, the estimated population of Vitaveus at or around the unleashing of the Torment was in the hundreds of millions (more than twice the times the population density of the United States). Vitaveus is similarly a huge, massive continent. We encourage players to take advantage of the staggering scope of the Republic and to come up with their own towns, settlements or villages they may come from if they feel as though the provided examples in the Regional Lore is unsuited for their purposes (another great resource for this is the [The Foundry] ).

4) Naming convention examples have been provided in each of the Territorial Lore write-ups provided, however a simple and easy rule of thumb that will serve your character well is as follows: Central-Eurpoean Middle-Ages names constitute a large portion of Republic citizenry belonging to lower castes, while formal sounding Latin-based names are fairly safe to use for more prominent citizenry, Prelacy Parishes, or career/family military service members with lineages in service to the Republic. When in doubt, using these two rules of thumb will help you name your character with ease.

5) The First Province is inhabited by many different NPC Factions, all with their own goals, desires and outlooks on the Republic and its’ people. NPC Factions follow similar rules to that of Player Factions, and are wholly involved in the Conquest system – thus, they survive and thrive depending on what resources they may control within the First Province. Considering the effect players may have upon NPC Factions through stifling their supplies and potentially even routing them from the Province, the inverse must also be recognized – NPC Factions can impose laws within their territories that may negatively affect your character, up to and including imposing imprisonment and execution upon them. Committing crimes of violence or theft against NPC Factions, randomly casting spells around NPCs whom view Magic as blasphemous, or any other type of reckless behavior can lead to character death.

6) Permanent death of a character is a very real possibility within the world of Requiem. While taking certain precautions can greatly reduce the chances of your character ever being put into a circumstance where they may experience a “PD” from a player, NPC or game mechanic, the chance of permanent death is ever-present. Players are encouraged to consider their actions and backgrounds with care, as RP-PVP can occur at any time, and outside of Sanctuary zones, other players can elect to murder your character.

7) The community of Requiem are by and large a group of mature and respectful players of whom look out for one another and stray from meta-gaming information gleaned from applications or role-playing posts. However, if there are pieces of lore or background you may not feel comfortable sharing in your public application despite this assurance, such as a character being a clandestine magic-user, we encourage you to omit it for now. Character concepts and by extension applications are not intended to be a blueprint or script as to how your character will forever be role-played in-game – characters along with their players evolve over time as more mechanics and elements of the game world become unlocked and understood, and this is a fact we understand and embrace. Applications are used mostly by the staff of Requiem to ensure that the quality of the players we choose to allow into the game world with our community meets a clear standard as to ensure a fun, fair and enjoyable gaming experience for everyone that chooses to call our shard home.

Character Application: Primer Material

It is required that, at the very least, you familiarize yourself with the Requiem story primer, located here. This primer briefly summarizes the events of the plot from 2005 until present, and sets the stage for the current Requiem story-line in a brief, in-character perspective that should give you a very rudimentary version of what has been going on with the story-line. It is recommended that you read as much of the material located on the website as you possibly can, as the staff of Requiem is very hands-on in their approach of portraying and playing NPC elements within the game world. Thus, you may encounter scenarios where your ignorance of a particular topic (IE: disobeying a key faction in-game, the use of magic as witnessed by certain elements, etc.) may lead to your character ending up in unforeseen circumstances, or even death.

To help out newer players that may not be too familiar with the ins and outs of Requiem’s plot and story, we have written a few primer scenarios that may assist you in coming up for a reason why your character is seeking entry into the quarantined First Province. These scenarios are by no means an exhaustive list covering every reason why a character may possibly be seeking entry into the First Province – they are simply here to help give you some ideas and inspiration.

Provincial Treasure Hunter

You are a hardy type of folk, having survived the horrors of the Torment and the proceeding civil collapse of the Republic nearly unscathed. In fact, ever since the Apocalypse has shown signs of its impending arrival, you have done quite well for yourself by scouring the lands for discarded treasures and valuables among the ruins of cities and villages unfortunate enough to have gone unprotected by the Legion and Church.

With the recent fall of Tor, you have now set your eyes upon the First Province as your next big score. While nowhere as near large as some of the mega-cities that litter the Eastern Baronies, you know firsthand that Tor is not without its treasures to be pillaged – from the administrative headquarters for the four factions of the Republic, to the sprawling Residential District, to even the Republic Senate itself, there is sure to be had some coin to be made from sifting through the abandoned former capital. So long as you can avoid the Afflicted, that is.

Monster Hunter

You spent much of your childhood reading of the Old and of the wicked accounts of monsters it spoke of. While the majority of your peers dismissed you as juvenile for embracing such stories of aberrations and the paranormal as true accounts, your resolve could never be swayed. This lust for knowledge of the Ill and the stories of the ancient times carried on through your adolescent and even adult years, lending itself to a near obsession at times.

With the revival of magic across the Republic came with it a sense of vindication; for if such a thing as casting spells had proven to be real, what else from the old texts had been? Then, when the first reports of the Afflicted became widespread across the Republic, your hobby of monster research became a full-fledged profession. You have spent a large portion of your adult life preparing for this day and age, one in which the realm of Men would once again do battle with paranormal and unnatural forces. Recent accounts from refugees of the First Province have spoken of horrible creatures straight of the clerical accounts of the early ages of man, and after having taken account of as many of these tales as you could, you have set off to the fallen city of Tor to take on these beasts head-on.

Apostate Slayer

The damnation of Humanity is clad in robes and hoods, and upon their tongue the words of Armageddon are spoken.

You’ve poured over every scrap of information you could concerning the Purge of the Witchkin – that glorious time in which the Republic united to strike down those whom would dare keep those of the Faithful from achieving Ascension. By the thousands did mage and arcanist alike get cut down like the dogs they were, their bodies stacked five feet high in the alleys and streets of the Republic. That time is now long-past, and the damnable Consortium has worked it’s claws into the fabric of society so far as to allow Witches and Warlocks to once again roam the lands without fear of pyre. With the fall of Tor, and the quarantine of the First Province, rumors have spread across the Republic about entire cabals of magi whom have taken to the ruined territory – no doubt to organize and plan insurrection and further misfortune. You, however, won’t allow those rats to fester and risk spilling forth to spread plague and pestilence again. The First Province is your hunting grounds, and your prey, the Apostate.

Decusian Pilgrim

When news of the Fall of Tor reached the Baronies, the faithful, including yourself, wept, for the First Province has forever been recognized as the birthplace of the Church and Creed.

You had kept your faith through it all – the Torment, the famine, the riots and even the Purge. But when news arrived that the First Province had fallen, that was the last draw. Tor, in her magnificence and beauty, was once a city of history and culture. A historical city, it was no where near the largest or most extravagant Municipalities in the Republic, but it’s significance to those faithful to the true teachings of the Church and Faith was momentous beyond words. The great cathedrals, the Torian Senate, and the First Coast – all sites of holy significance to a true Child of Decus. You have chosen to embark on a holy pilgrimage to the fallen Province, to lend whatever aid you may to reclaiming the fallen city of Tor, in so that the One True God may be honored and revered properly, and His favored city restored to greatness.

Occultist

Many of days have you spent pouring over the Old Texts to garner some insight into the days of old. Grimoires, lexicons and decrepit journals have long been your companions for as long as you can recall. Piecing together what you could from not only Decusian works of ancient history, but that of many of the cultures and peoples it had assimilated early in the Republic’s quest to dominate Vitaveus, you have come to the conclusion that the world is not what it entirely seems.

Driven to discover this unseen narrative of the universe, you have found yourself embarking across the ruined countrysides of Vitaveus since the outbreak of the Torment, desperate to garner more knowledge about the re-discovery of magic, the origins of the Resolve, and the truth behind the dreaded plague. Upon hearing word of the fall of Tor and the quarantine of the First Province, you wasted no time attempting to infiltrate the forsaken territory, confident that that last pieces of the cosmic puzzle you’ve dedicated your life to solving lies within.

Character Application

The following constitutes an application for a character in Requiem. Please copy the below fields, fill them out using a word processor, and then post the completed application to our Character Application Board, located here. The staff will the review the application, and upon approval, your character will be granted a Quarantine Visa in-game, allowing them to leave the Rumbling Pass Quarantine Checkpoint and enter the world of Eden.

PLEASE NOTE: TO EXPEDIATE THE PROCESS PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE REQIUEM CLIENT AND FINISH CHARACTER CREATION BEFORE APPLYING

PLAYER QUESTIONS: By applying, you are signaling to staff you have read the application, character and shard rules.

Do you have any prior experience with Requiem? If so, please detail when (and what characters, if desired) you previously played:

How did you hear about Requiem?

CHARACTER QUESTIONS

(Please note: Staff is looking for at least three lore references in your application when reviewing.)

What will your character’s name be?

Please briefly describe the physical attributes of your character, including age, looks, height, weight and any notable features:

Briefly state your character’s intentions or motivations for entering the First Province:

Please provide a few short paragraphs with pertinent details or notable qualities of your character’s history. This does not have to be exhaustive nor revealing of any information you wish to keep secret:

Please write a few short paragraphs of an in-character response to the following scenario:

You have finally arrived at your destination; the Rumbling Pass train-yards. Before you stands a massive outpost, looking to have been erected within the past few years, of which is patrolled by numerous Legionnaires and Church Templar. The outpost guards the only viable entrance to the recently quarantined First Province; the home of Tor, the fallen capital of the Republic. Sitting at the foot of the massive mountain range that effectively contains the First Province within, the outpost serves as the last obstacle you must overcome before entering the quarantined territory.

You and others like you assemble outside of the palisades of the outpost, awaiting the opportunity to speak your case to the presiding Legion officiant who is processing admittance to the Province. Behind him, a passenger train, a marvel of technological advancement, sits idling on its’ tracks, dozens of persons filling it’s numerous passenger cars. A true rarity within the Republic, you can hardly believe your eyes (and ears) as the locomotive releases a massive plume of steam from its’  smokestack. You overhear many a bewildered citizen around you gossip as to how the only truly safe way into the Province is now by rail, for the Rumbling Pass’ mountains are nigh impassible and miles long, with the only safe navigable tunnels being those traveled in the safety of locomotives and rail-cars. You shudder for a moment, pondering how many forsaken souls attempted to flee the cloistered Province through the Pass’ winding, dark tunnels, hordes of Afflicted upon their heels, only to be cut down in the pitch-black darkness.

It strikes you as peculiar that so much effort has been made in securing a means of logistical supply and personnel transportation into the fallen First Province. You’ve heard rumors before of Quarantine Zones; entire Municipalities and even Territories being cut-off from access due to the blight of the Torment and the over-abundance of the walking dead – but in most instances, no one is ever trying to get into to those forsaken places. Yet here, mere miles from the ruins of Tor, masses congregate in order to make their way into the First Province Quarantine Zone. If you hadn’t known any better, the entire scene – the Outpost, the mass of military personnel, the throngs of citizens and the hissing locomotive – resembles more of an evacuation rather than a one-way ticket into anarchy and lawlessness. As you make your way closer to the train-yard outpost, you can’t help but recall all of the wild and crazy stories concerning all manners of rumors about the First Province since it’s fall two years ago. Some say that the treasures awaiting the bold are beyond measure – others swear that Salvation and Ascension is guaranteed for those who would follow their Faith and help reclaim the First Coast.

Where the truth lies, you’ve no idea – you only know that you’re here, at the precipice of it all, and your destination is within reach.

You watch, somewhat defeated, as but a scant few of the hundreds that approach the outpost officiant, who stands at the outer gates of the outpost flanked by a few heavily armored Legionnaires, are actually allowed to pass through the man-door and into the outpost and train-yards proper. You see some  swarthy fellows slip pieces of gold to the officiant, while others plead their cases and rationale as to why they should be allowed to enter the recently fallen territory. Some appear to provide some sort of paperwork to the officiant, flashing official looking papers from a Faction or influential Prelacy house, who promptly waves them through. While watching and eavesdropping, you manage to overhear the well-rehearsed speech the officiant provides to those whom don’t provide paperwork or grease his palm, the words monotone and nasally.

“By decree of the Venerated Church, the First Province is a mortal health hazard, and as such, is quarantined under Article Eighteen of the Republic Treatise of Health Act of 1320. Citizens who do not possess a Quarantine Visa issued by one of the recognized Factions of the Republic are considered non-essential to the reclamation of the First Province. Under Article Eighteen, non-essentials seeking entry into an official quarantine zone must petition for entry into a said zone, and state just cause for the issuing of a Quarantine Visa by the perimeter authority.”

The officiant snorts in disdain, then adds the last line to the rehearsed monologue:

“State your business and make it quick, citizen; we’ve enough bodies in there to keep us busy for years without adding yours to the pile, and those VIC are stirring up problems something fierce as of late.”

You ponder the situation for a moment, evaluating your options. It is well known that with the right connections and the right amount of coin, one can get their hands on a Quarantine Visa from any one of the major Factions or Prelacy Families of the Republic, or even a passable counterfeit from more nefarious sources. At the same time, it would appear that the officiant doesn’t appear to be above some simple bribery – although his price may be hefty. However, despite it all, you’re sure that some of those let in appeared to have made a convincing case with the officiant without resorting to subterfuge or immorality. Gathering your wits, you step forward towards the officiant, and make your decision as to how to gain access to the First Province.

Once you have completed this application, please post your responses within the Character Application Board, located here. Thank you!