The Temple of Lakshmi (ToL): Battle & Story Hall

[BrokenTree]

NB: Hey & thanks for visiting, The Temple of Lakshmi! We are an RP FC that offers dice-based battle RP, Temple RP, Story Hall RP (mainly transcriptions from published novels) and a fun space to hang out! Weds. 7:30PM-2:00AM EST @ Mateus Mist W29 P14. For updates on scheduled and unscheduled openings join our discord (see a priest for link)!

Contents:

1) Background/Lore
2) RP Events Offered: A) Temple RP; B) Story Hall RP; C) Battle RP; D) Lounge

2-A: Temple RP; 1) Aetherfall; 2) Marid's Fortune; 3) The Riddle of the Myrga; 4) Lakshmi's Throne

2-B: Story Hall RP

2-C: Dice-based Battle RP; 1) Syrcus Shard; 2) Combat Rules: Casual & Advanced; 3) The Sacred Treasury

2-D: Lounge

3) Event Schedule
4) Notes & Hiring
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1) Background:

Many eons ago, the Ananta were an isolated all-female tribe dwelling high in the mountains of Gyr Abania. Within these barren windswept canyons the tribe supplicated themselves to the Lady of Despair, a fierce goddess who ruled over the land. The goddess demanded great sacrifices from them in return for her succor and mercy. To soothe her despair She required aether pure, untainted by the trials of mortality. And so it was the Ananta would sacrifice half of every clutch to Her.

For centuries the tribe cowered under the shelter of their goddess, until the sacrifice could be borne no longer. Within their sacred temples, the priestesses of Lakshmi rebelled. Aligning their aether as one they shed their bodies in sacrifice to become unconscious beings of pure energy. These being infused themselves into Her life-force, and though their minds were lost in the process their desire for mercy resounded through the aether. Once joined to her a new image of their goddess was born, the Lady of Bliss.

The Goddess' new face was one of pure beauty and peace, freeing them from the terrible might of her previous iteration. As the tribeswomen danced beneath the rain of Her benevolence, they soon realized it also had a price. No longer did the goddess demand untainted aether, but rather the total devotion of her subjects -- to live completely in service of their goddess, and to forgo all relations with other peoples forever. So it was until the land grew old, its aether dimming so the goddess could not sustain herself within our world passing into myth from the tribe's long-distant past.

2-A: Temple RP; 1) Aetherfall; 2) Marid's Fortune; 3) The Riddle of the Myrga; 4) Lakshmi's Throne

1) Aetherfall: Though it may appear as water, the falls which guard the temple's entrance are the result of residual aether from the goddess' altar. Any who pass through will be cleansed of undesired affliction & unable to harm others in the temple except in battle ordained by a priest.

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2) Marid's Fortune: A solid stone statue and fountain made in the shape of a beast sacred to the goddess Lakshmi, the marid, carved using the aetherical crafting techniques of the Ananta. It is said that the goddess will grant the prayer of those sincere of heart, if they offer a coin of pure gold to its waters.



3) The Riddle of the Myrga: To reach the realm of the goddess one must first solve the Riddle of the Myrga. Approach the sacred tome and read the inscription for more. If you have difficulty solving the riddle, please see a temple priest for assistance.

Just stand as close as possible to the crystal window while facing it, and jump!

4) Lakshmi's Throne: An altar dedicated to the goddess Lakshmi resplendent with offerings. The goddess favors all beautiful things, taking special delight in offerings of precious stones, crystals, and pure gold.


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2-B: Story Hall RP: Enjoy a story in our comfortable & spacious theater. Currently reciting chapters from the fantasy novel "Battleaxe" by Sara Douglass. Each chapter is ~10-20 minutes long. If you would like to recite your own story (published or original) seek out a temple priest to make arrangements.
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2-C: Battle Hall RP: The temple's main mission is to glorify the goddess by dedicating passionate combat in Her name. The energies produced from these battles are absorbed by the altar's crystal throne, and used to turn the Goddess' eye towards the temple, that we might receive Her blessing. Visitors to the temple may challenge the High Priest, or else dedicate battle between themselves and others to the goddess on the stage. Victors receive an offering from the altar. Champions will gain access & grant from the exclusive Sacred Treasury. See notes for how to become a champion. The stage may also be used to host pre-arranged duels, when not otherwise in use! We offer two battle styles: Casual & Advanced that allow you to jump into the fun regardless of your familiarity!


But first an important battle note:

1) Syrcus Shard: A powerful magick artifact used to invoke an ancient spell. The shard is activated once the combatants take their places. Once active the stage, altar, and duelists will be trapped within an extra-dimensional field, though it will simply appear as if they are on the stage. The results of this field are: 1) All damage done to the duelists, and stage will be dispelled along with the dimensional field at the end of battle, so fight as hard you'd like (please be mindful of your RP partner/if you are uncomfortable with the intensity of a battle /whisper to your partner); 2) All battle effects are contained to the stage and altar, so you can fight without concern for the audience.

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And now for the battle rules!

2) Combat Rules; Casual: Casual rules for dice-based combat are(tl;dr if you are familiar these are essentially Grindstone rules):

a) A maximum of 4 fighters can take the stage. Fights must be 1v1, 2v2, or 2v1. In 2v1 soloist receives +200 attack, and +200 defense for each roll, and 5 hp total.

b) The duelists will make all posts in their designated channel(/shout, /yell, /em, etc.)

c) The first to three hits wins. In an extended duel the first to five hits wins.

d) No killing/attacking after a yield.

e) You must wait for the activation of the Syrcus Shard before beginning battle. Not doing so on purpose will be dealt with;

f) If tied roll, then reroll.

g) FLOW OF BATTLE: A battle has four parts: Initiative, attack, defence, and end phase. Once the initiative is determined the duelists will alternate their attack/defence rolls based on the outcome. Being struck 3 times triggers the end phase.

Initiative Phase:
Once the shard is activated, and the temple bell rings 6 times (accompanied by text-based countdown) duelists make an initiative post then /random. The battle order begins with the highest roller, and so forth. ex: /shout "Ramza readied his blade for the coming battle." /random; ex 2: /shout "The summoner called out to the other, 'Are you ready for this?'" /random

Attack Phase:
The highest roller starts off by posting their attack, then using /random. The target will then also /random to determine if the attack is effective or not. A higher attack roll will mean the attack is effective. An effective attack counts as 1 point for the initiator. Ex: /shout "The monk raised his fists before unleashing a combo of punches and kicks!" /random

Ex. 2: /shout "The black mage summoned a portal of inky darkness around his feet channeling aether into his staff as he unleashed a continuous blast of levin at his foe punctuated by the sound of a loud *CRRACK* and booming thunder." /random

(While there is no time limit, we prefer if duels are kept under 40 mins, so we encourage rich detail, but please refrain from writing an epic saga. That said posts may span more than one message, but please use the + symbol at the end as an indicator that you intend to write more.)

Defense Phase: Defender will respond to the attack based on the outcome of the rolls, and then supply their own attack, ending with a /random.

ex: "She barely had time to react as the dagger sliced into her arm. With a grunt she twisted her body to launch a spinning kick against him!" /random. Here the defender failed their roll, so they RP the attack as effective/landing, then follow up with their attack and a roll.

ex 2: "Asha had spent years training her body to perform feats of great dexterity. She dodged the first slash before catching the wrist of her opponent's other hand. She twisted it as she pivoted her hip and launched her opponent over her shoulder into a ground slam!" /random. Here the defence roll was successful so the duelist RPs a successful defence, and follows with their attack.

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End Phase: Once a player has been struck 3 times they have lost the duel. In this case they will post their response to the last attack, but instead of following with their own attack they will end the battle either by yielding, or succumbing to the attack. (The defender can let the attacker RP this phase. Arrange between yourselves via /tell).

ex.: /shout "As the blast approached the paladin did his best to deflect the blow, but it took all of his strength. Falling to one knee he shouted reluctantly, 'I yield.'"

ex. 2: /shout "The blast crashed with full-force sending her hard into the wall behind with a loud thud. As her body slumped down to the ground it was clear the battle was over."

Combat Rules; Advanced:

a) All rules from Basic combat apply except as modified by these rules;

b) A maximum of 4 players may take the stage including as 3v1. In a 3v1 only the soloist is eligible for rewards.

c) Team Battles: Battles with 2+ duelists. Fighters may choose the target of their attack regardless of whether that person follows them in the turn order. In a 3v1 the soloist will have a bonus of +200 to attack & +300 points to defence rolls, and 6hp total. Also in a 3v1 the soloist is entitled to one aoe attack per battle. They must add the the following at the end of their attack post, "(aoe)" (without the parenthesis) for it to be counted as such.

d) Critical Attack: An attack roll which is 600 points or more than the defence roll is a critical attack. This scores two points. Defender should add the "critical" nature into their RP as appropriate for their desired intensity level.

e) Critical Defense: A defense roll that is 600 points or more than the attack roll is a critical defense/counter. The duelists will roll again. If the defender's roll is higher this time then it will count as a strike against the attacker. The defender should then modify their RP accordingly, to include the counter, before proceeding as normal with their own attack.

ex. /shout "The mage unleashed a blast of aether at his foe, but the witch held out a hand stopping the blast in front of her before sending it back into him. As the mage stood dazzled by the force of his own attack the witch summoned a cloud of freezing fog, blowing it towards her foe with a kiss." /random

f) 666: If you roll a 666 you gain the status effect, Lady of Despair. 500 points are added to your next roll.

g) 777: If you roll 777 you gain the status effect, Lady of Bliss. 500 points are subtracted from your opponent's next roll.

3) The Sacred Treasury: Victors from either rule-set will earn a gift from the holy altar, as well as 1x badge of the Scale Templar, entitling them to challenge the High Priest for access to the exclusive Sacred Treasury, and a grant from its glimmering vault! Once a champion, each battle thereafter may allow access to the treasury.

[BrokenTree]

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2-D: Lounge: Cheer on your friends as they battle, assess your competitors as you weigh joining the fray yourself, or sit back and enjoy a tale of a world far, far away as you enjoy a refreshment from our open bar: all from the comfort of our wonderful lounge area. If something more quiet is to your liking, then the temple floor on the ground level also provides a small library, and inviting cushioned nooks in which to laze away your time.




3) Event Schedule: When the High Priest is in residence the temple will post a notice in all major cities (check PF). In addition to unscheduled events, every Windsday (Weds. from 7:30 p.m. [19:30] EST until 1:00 a.m. [1:00] EST) the High Priest will preside over the temple and accept challengers. Should it be necessary, to summon a priest to the temple during this, or any other time stand before the Marid's Fortune and focus your mind.. (/t Broken Tree@Mateus).

4: Notes and Hiring:

THANK YOU: To all the awesome combat RP clubs that have inspired this (although not officially xD). These rules are a riff on those I've seen in so many of the really immersive venues people have created. There are so many and I'll update this as more come to mind but: Grindstone, Dark Crimson Tavern, the Scrapyard, the Lion's Maw, the Champions of Hydaelyn, the Dueling Otters, Echo's End, Harlequin, the Gillion Gambit, Bloodsands, and so many more (please remind me!).

HIRING: A performance bard to add some flavor during official open nights. Needs to be available for at least one hour during the time listed in Event Schedule. Currently all 1-hour slots are open. Minimum 500k gil/performance. More depending on experience. For an audition contact BrokenTree@Mateus (or reply to this post!).

MAJOR NOTICE: The most important thing is have fun, and give others the same respect you expect! RP beginners welcome! ooc chat when necessary is totally okay. spelling mistakes HAPPEN! Feel free to come by and add your own piece to the story of the Temple of Lakshmi! Subscribe to this post for updates & hope to see you soon for a chance to test your mettle and earn fame & fortune!

Temple Bell: The end of the temple bell will cue the initiative emote/roll, please have the necessary settings to hear estate music activated. If a sound-based cue is not perceivable for you, then roll for initiative after your partner, or else feel free to disregard the cue and began as soon as both fighters have taken their places, and the Syrcus Shard is activated.

Exiting the Altar Room: To exit the altar room use the move to front door command from the housing menu.

To Become a Champion/Access the Sacred Treasury: You must trade the High Priest 1x badge of the Scale Templar, and defeat him in his divine form (WHM). To earn a badge of the Scale Templar you must defeat the High Priest in his emissary's (dancer's) garb. Should you not succeed, then the priest will keep your badge, and you must earn another.

[BrokenTree]

Temple of Lakshmi (ToL): Battle & Story Hall pt 4-a

Combat Rules; Advanced: More Team Battle Rules

2v2 Battles may take 2 forms:
a) All out: the same as a 2v2 under the basic rules, 4 players face off in teams of two until one team is left standing;

b) Tag Battle: Each team of two will decide who is up first, with the other member awaiting on the stage beside/behind them. Once per battle per duelist: a duelist may (dodge)/(break free) from an attack phase by "tagging" their other teammate in before they have rolled for defense. In this case they will RP the tag instead of their defense+attack, and the players will switch places. The teammate switching in will then roll for defense and receive +300 points to the roll. They will RP the defense outcome (i.e. were they struck during the switch or not), plus their attack response, and the match will flow normally from there.

Targeting in Team Battles: Be sure to make it clear who you are targeting when you emote/shout your attack. Failing to make the target clear may result in a failed attack if it happens several times! The person who is targeted will then roll for defense, and rp the outcome WITHOUT a follow up attack (unless it is their turn in the order). Then the next person in the order will attack their target, and so on.

Turn Order Details for ?v1 Battles: After the initiative phase the turn order for team battles can take two forms: 1) staggered i.e. one player from each team after the other; or 2) non-staggered, i.e. the players from each team follow each other in the turn order without interruption in all or some part of the turn order. In the first case there is not much to consider, as the staggered nature allows for more intuitive rolling. In the second case, however the following order will apply: The players who follow each other in the turn order from the side with multiple members (ex the 2 in a 2v1) will rp their attack, and roll (this is a great opportunity to come up with team strikes!). Once they have done so the soloist will roll for defense ONCE. If any of the attack rolls were higher than this roll it will be considered a point against the soloist! The soloist should rp the portions of the attack that succeeded if any, and then follow up with their own attack TARGETING a member of the enemy team clearly by including some indication in their post to avoid a missed attack!