Hello everyone! I am known as Forge, Forgefist, or even Dan depending on who you ask, and I am here to gauge interest in my “Fantasy-Apocalyptic Survival” setting, a bit of a mouthful, I know. This is a setting I have put some time into already, but it is now the time that I really want to be able to share it with others.

    I am definitely intending on getting this project into a playable state sooner rather than later (hopefully within the next few weeks), and am working as hard as I can to make this a lasting collaborative venture with many of you out there. The following is as much information as I can cram into one post, but hopefully it gives you an idea of what I have in store for the setting and project, most of which has been set up already! Without further ado;


Basic Information

    Valorakh is set within a high fantasy world, full of magic, original races and vicious monsters. Emphasis has been put on trying to make an original immersive world that feels like it is on the verge of destruction.

Survival. The world that Valorakh is set within is extremely dangerous, life is a fragile thing and loss is a common experience, death is encountered almost every day.

Power. Power can mean everything in Valorakh, though this isn’t limited to physical strength, but a multitude of ways in which a person can excel within the City. Magical prowess, crafting skill, all are valued if they contribute to survival, and they are celebrated. Those who surpass others are often given more rewards, more opportunities, etc.

Magic. Magic is a large part of Valorakh, it pervades every aspect of the world and affects each being and object in different manners. There are four categories of magic, and almost every person can tap into some aspect if they are willing.

Intrigue. While people are encouraged to work together to fight off the beasts beyond the walls, there are always political and social machinations where others try to push themselves to the top of society or claim greater powers, whether for good or for ill. There are a number of factions that strive to reach the top.

Mating. Sex is considered not only natural, but is actively encouraged. The City survives only through the might of the people, but also by maintaining or growing their numbers. The strong are encouraged to mate and produce strong bloodlines, pass on their techniques and skills, raise and train new generations.

Joy. While there is an inherent darkness that comes with being on the edge of extinction, many adhere to the principles of living each day as if it were the last, engaging in hedonistic activities… provided they do not interfere with their required work. Alcohol, gambling, games, sex… you name it, and the City provides, all they ask is you do your part.

Crime. Crime exists within Valorakh, as it will anywhere else, but in such a harsh world, the penalties are harsh. Murder another citizen and you may find yourself standing outside the walls with a quota or time before you may return to the safety of the City.

Combat. Beyond the walls, and perhaps sometimes even within the walls, there exist beasts, beings that are seemingly possessed with the desire to kill, maim or devour you. You will be expected to fight for your life at some point, and you either rise to the challenge or you die like so many before you.

Setting Details
    Valorakh is the eighth of thirteen “Sanctuary Cities” built when the beasts first began to appear, utilising all the known techniques, skills and spells available to the mortal races at the time. Each one was connected by gateways, portals to the innermost hold of each City, and as time passed, as each City fell, refugees flooded in from the portals, or they just simply flickered and went out. Now the gateways stand as a reminder of the past, and a potential future. Three hundred years have passed since the last portal shut down, and now Valorakh stands as the last surviving bastion against the beasts, over-populated and under constant threat.

    The Gods still exist, though when the mortal races began to fall to the beasts, it took a great toll on them, damage inflicted upon them with the loss of each group of followers. It is for this reason that the Gods were forced to retreat into a sanctuary of their own, a different realm entirely; the Duskrealm. Now they give what they can from beyond the veil of another realm, trickling powers to those who can risk the God’s realm itself.

    There are six races playable within Valorakh, mostly original, designed for the setting, with a sprinkling of vanilla humanity thrown in there for comparison and familiarity, though the hope is that each race brings a little flavour to the characters that people make. My intention with Valorakh is to make a flavourful setting with enough substance that it tickles the creative juices of individuals and entices them to write together. We want to offer something that you can’t just find elsewhere.

    The core aspect of Valorakh is based around growth. You grow in power, you grow in influence. You ascend a ranking system until you reach the pinnacle within the City, often rising the ranks within your chosen faction at the same time. There are no barriers to your growth beyond those you place yourself.

Community & Site Details, Features
    One of the most important things to me is engagement, facilitating amazing collaborative stories between writers and trying to give everyone the tools to take a character along the path they desire. To that end I am seeking to have a system of events and quests, a calendar that runs parallel to inform you of upcoming story beats or happenings so that you may use that information to your own end, whether you take part or not, keeping people aware of everything that has happened around them. But taking part can prove lucrative, with characters gaining skills or even more tangible rewards!

    A system I am building to foster player engagement regards the beasts within the world. My intention is to have basic information given for each beast, or none at all if it’s a newly introduced creature, and have their details flesh out depending on player interaction and quests to dispatch them. The idea is that this engages and encourages player participation and interaction.

    Valorakh is a 21+ Adult (3-3-3) rated roleplay intended for mature players, with many themes that are not suitable for a younger audience. This can include graphic violent and sexual content, given the nature of the setting. It is expected that some rough and violent things can happen in day to day life, and as such, we fully endorse and encourage active use of content and trigger warnings on threads, but overall want people to be aware of what the RP may entail. Valorakh can be very dark and grim at the worst, juxtaposed by times of hedonism or lighthearted jaunts at best.

    Representation of your character’s appearance can be quite a tricky subject, considering the fact that our custom races won’t necessarily be represented by any imagery currently available out there. Face Claims might not accurately convey your character’s appearance, and I cannot expect everyone to be able to draw their own artwork either. To this end I am still in the process of discussing suitable methods, whether we allow a mix of imagery, or even more abstract images to represent a character.

    Community is definitely the most important factor for the roleplay, as it is built through the collaboration of people, whether they be writers or moderators, and we aim to be as transparent as possible with any decisions made, any discussions, any plans. As such, we set rules to protect everyone who joins us, as well as establishing a “Code of Conduct” which specifically refers to ways in which staff are expected to engage with others, whether they are staff themselves, writers, or brand new intrigued individuals.

    Activity checks, post length requirements, character systems and extensive lore dumps can be very overwhelming and cause a lot of anxiety in some, but our aim is to be as cooperative as possible, be as understanding as possible and be accommodating with the function of the site and writer time. Our aim is to take off the pressure of some of these functions and allow the site to work for you, rather than against you, and we will always try to work with you to solve any problems you have.

    Our overall plan with the roleplay setting is to have a healthy mix of options, and support the community in creative ventures. We will be utilising a discord thread system for the more active roleplay sessions, with intent to log on the forums and gain character progression in that manner. We want the community to feel like they can utilise their voice and be heard, and so any suggestions are appreciated.

Launch Window
    The idea is to launch this as soon as is humanly possible, provided the interest is there. Right now we are fleshing out the details and writing them up on the forum and guidebook itself, and have an open discord server that is free for individuals to join should they wish to be involved in the initial set up, tests and soft launch. This is a project that I have been quietly working on in the background for some time, but genuinely feel like now is the time I would like to get it going, meet some new writers, collaborate with them, and just see if I can make something intended to last. I hope to see you there!

    Discord: discord.com/invite/yQbAXWEUcV