The World is Our Playground
Per Annum is part of an ever-changing continuity that is affected by players' decisions. After years of developing the continuity through roleplay, points of history were established that remain unchanged -- yet there is still much of our history to be made, something only the players themselves can create.
Each character in the many series of games Code Red has enjoyed has had an important, even integral part in the overall storyline. But here in Per Annum, players will have a chance to decide whether or not their characters will want to help fashion history or just ride along with it.
Be anything you wish to be: an authoritarian leader, a benign diplomat, a cunning assassin, or just another citizen trying to get by in a constantly changing world in which history is being made by the doers... even the lowliest fishermen have some effect on the world - through unification of workers to oppose the higher castes or a romantic drama that may lead to children, and the continuation of the family line.
Anyone can make a name for themselves. But it's the truly illustrious that will make history theirs.
What is Per Annum?
'Per Annum' is a phrase that means 'each year'. It is so named after the roman goddess Anna Perenna, who controlled the circle of time itself, whose stretch reaches as far as a small planet in the Pinwheel Galaxy...
This new world is host to a race called 'furre'. A global flood destroyed much of their home, leaving them to fend for themselves in a network of underground caverns mysteriously built there long ago.
Elsewhere, on Earth, families and individuals say goodbye to friends and relatives on the planet as they prepare to take off on a voyage through the stars to colonize a small world: Gliese 581 e. This would be the last time they see Earth before they encounter an unstable wormhole... and then they awaken to find themselves among unfamiliar stars.
These two worlds - human and furre - will eventually meet, but much will happen beforehand... and this is where much of written history itself begins.
Overseer of these Lands...
Due to the fact that many of our roleplays in the past have already established some of our continuity, there will be times when it will become necessary to keep to the already-established facts in the Timeline. For this purpose, an invisible force known as the Overseer shall keep the timeline fixed for the purpose of this roleplay.
Our Overseer is an OOC GameMaster, although ICly he can be found as a leader of an organization that stretches throughout time itself. More on that later...
Feel free to contact the Overseer (OOCly) at ishtrem_hotmail.com.
The World of Drakor
Known as Kasuria in the earilest ages, Drakor is the world in which Per Annum takes place in. Originally covered by several continents, the Flood covered almost every land except for a large portion of a single continent in the west and a small portion of the continent to the east.
The original natives to the world are known as 'furres', or anthropomorphic animals that are shaped much like humans -- in this universe, however, they've developed so far from humans that their genetic coding and some aspects of their biology are radically different from humans themselves.
Magic covers the world of Drakor early on, but after two centuries it dies out. The magic in the very atmosphere can be harvested by anyone with knowledge of how to tap into the worlds' reserves via a focused mind - like a hacker tapping into a program by having advanced knowledge of the program in question.
Legends exist on the planet of a group of deities called 'Primes' that once ruled the planet. At one point long ago, they lived and walked among the other furres, but eventually they began to visit the planet less and less until - finally - they were never again seen by any mortal eyes. This was many centuries before the Flood, and many furres had begun to lose their beleifs in the ancient gods and goddesses.
As centuries pass, the island left over from the eastern continent would disappear, and the land to the west would become colonized and cultivated by the humans (called 'hyooman' by most furres, akin to the Ferengi in 'Star Trek'). These lands in the west would one day be host to many ecosystems due to human bioengineering...
Yesterday No Longer
He who rejects change is the architect of decay.
Centuries ago on Darkor, furres walked the planet alongside their gods, the Primes. But that privilege was long lost, even before the Flood began. Many changes occurred during the years between their disappearance and the Flood, which can be traced back over two centuries before the Flood itself.
Furres had to change and learn how to adapt without their Primes to guide them. A few in the Olde World continued to hold fiercely onto their beliefs that the Primes would return - it was this group that would gain control over the others, much as the Pope and catholicism gained control over much of Europe in the Middle Ages. But as time went by, more began to believe otherwise - and this became a catalyst for a war that would last for over a century before the Flood forced the furres to cooperate to survive.
The Flood changed a lot of things: All of Kasuria was wiped out, and the only surviving Kasurians had went to Drakoria or the Olde World either to fight for their people, or to simply settle down in a new land. Only 80,000 people would survive in the Olde World, while approximately 1,150,000 would survive in Drakoria. Magic itself seemed to be affected in some ways - instead of being evenly distributed throughout the world, most of it clumped around the eastern hemisphere, leaving the western land of Drakoria with very little magic.
Humans would end up settling the land left over from Drakoria, arriving at the planet shortly after the Flood had completed its march of desolation. Over 400,000 of an estimated 1,000,000 from the colonial star fleet would survive, with only a few colonial transports destroyed during the turmoil that would occur after the ships emerged from the wormhole in orbit of the planet...
Time Stays, We Go...
History must be written of, by and for the survivors.
While years were spent roleplaying to the point we're at now, there are still thousands of years yet to be explored. Unwritten and uncharted, these parts of history are open to the imagination of those who are willing to shape it.
Alas, there are times that have already been written in the history books - events that cannot be changed. Yet these events are far and few between, leaving much to be explained. How and why is up to the players as they roleplay their actions in a young world, still growing as the universe around them becomes more and more complex.
Our history begins a day before the global Flood that devastates much of the world. Furres everywhere will retreat underground, and eventually return to the surface where a world now alien to them is waiting... furres in the east will find themselves on a small, mountainous landmass, being forced to live together in close proximity despite their differing cultures.
Meanwhile, in the west, many changes were taking place. Primitive furre tribes managed to gain the favor of the Dark Primes a century before the Flood, and they used their magic to purge their lands of the Wyrmmes. The reptilians were forced to flee to the islands to the east, eventually building underground cities in the cold arctic north. Drakoria was mostly spared from the Flood, though most Drakorians fled underground all the same. While underground, they would further hone their dark magic in the hopes that they would be able to defend their land without the technology that would mysteriously turn to dust... but when they emerge, they would find their magic severely weakened and will have to learn to depend on technology...
The Song of Fate
The mad prophetic Sibyl you shall find,
Dark in a cave, and on a rock reclin'd.
She sings the fates, and, in her frantic fits,
The notes and names, inscrib'd, to leafs commits.
What she commits to leafs, in order laid,
Before the cavern's entrance are display'd:
...many not succeeding, most upbraid
The madness of the visionary maid,
And with loud curses leave the mystic shade.
A History After the Flood
Even after the Flood, there was much history to be made. Days became weeks, weeks become months, months became years, and years became centuries. Regardless of the wide-spread hope that the world would return to the way it was just before the Flood, people of both the humans and furres continued to progress into a new future, building a history that would come to replace ages-old myths and legends in the eyes of many.
There were nine eras after the flood, each split by various advancements both technologically and socially:
Some of this history has already been pre-ordained by the Overseer herself: Anna Perenna, as written in stone here. But despite this, much of this young world's history has been unwritten. Years between the major events that built the Code Red continuity into what it is today have yet to be explored.
This is where it begins. Anna Perenna has opened access to the entire history of this small part of the universe, allowing writers with big imaginations to shape her world into whatever they wish. Players will band together to write history via their roleplays, and the results will be recorded in the official Timeline, set in stone by the Overseer herself. Past eras will still have an effect on the future, as well as the future on the past...
The Foundations of the World - History That is Written
They should also work according to the laws of history
From what has already been established, one can imagine what each era must have been like. With so many similarities to the history of Earth, due in part to Anna Perenna's insistence that the humans should repeat their past, there is much that can be easily compared so that most writers wouldn't have to worry so much about what each era should be like. But where there are differences, they're primarily in history... Cultural differences that have already become concrete in this continuity occur early on, during the Post Flood Era. So where does that lead us?
While various tribes and kingdoms exist at various times, by the later half of the Post-Flood Era, a number of sovereign nations come into being, each with its own cultural oddities. Also, unlike Earth history, many of these countries continue to exist from such an early period of time into the more modern ages. Although changes in the form of government for each nation occur every few centuries or so, the nations retain their distinct identity and culture, only adding to what they've already established when possible.
But despite the few cultural changes, there were many social changes as time went by. Although major technological advancements came only every couple of centuries, social changes would occur all the time. For example, not all nations would remain a patriarchy with men in control - eventually, women are also given equal powers and abilities. Issues such as racism rarely occur, although they are not completely unknown. Other issues such as religion and marriage change many times over the centuries, especially during the major technological advancements that mark the period between each era.
For the exact specifics of Anna Perenna's written history, writers may reference this guide to compare what they think they know and what actually is. Knowledge of the past is key to creating the future!
Earth - The 31st Century
The future isn't what it used to be.
After many untold events, Earth became a place far unlike modern-day Earth. Having gone through numerous changes, the planet is more unified than ever, but only due to the efforts of one benevolent dictator whose mind continues to live on as an artificial intelligence. It has become a custom for many important scholars and leaders to do the same: they would transfer their minds into computers, leaving behind the body and the complexities of the human mind - such as emotion - with it.
Cryostasis has become common. Wormholes can be discovered in space with special sensors attached to various kinds of starships; these wormholes lead to other solar systems, having been formed by human technology. And on Earth... Many ancient beliefs have become a staple of the new global culture. Major religions exist even now, with only minor differences... But humanity remains basically unchanged.
Time travel is not permitted in Per Annum - for the moment. The Circle themselves will still make appearances and conduct operations, but they will not attempt to change anything. Circle agents that do try would not have been able to join the Circle in the first place, due to the Circle's ability to foresee events. They are also not permitted to use future technology in the past.
Who are the Circle?
It's important to realize that the Circle are not a 'what' but a 'who'. Not merely an immovable force in the universe controlled by Anna Perenna, the Circle is an oath - a cabal composed of people from many eras, all bound by one purpose: to protect and repair time where neccessary. Through the use of time machines and other advanced forms of technology, they more directly defend the sanctity of time than Anna, whom some consider merely a mythological figure -- though a few in the Circle believe their Overseer is actually Anna Perenna in the flesh.
Few truly know of the Circle, whose existance and true purpose are hidden in a veil of mystery. In each era, they pretend to be a variety of groups - from a small village to a country in its own right -- whatever is needed to get the job done. And just what this job is remains a secret so fiercely defended that people who discover it mysteriously disappear throughout history.
Led by an Overseer, six founders, and a myriad of leaders throughout history, the Circle is well organized to take on any threat to the natural flow of time. Their technology allows them to catch even the most notorious of time travellers, and their reach is widespread, making them an almost invincible group - foreseeing events, existing in multiple realities, tied together from a point in the distant future... they are a force to be reckoned with.
If history has been illegally changed by any time travelling, the Circle are also there to get history back on track toward a natural course of development.
Cardinal Rules of Time Travel
In the future, time machines have been discovered, though they are only accessible by people cunning enough to keep them hidden and use them correctly - misuse can lead to immediate death due to mechanical failure.
There are some natural laws put down by Anna Perenna herself, which make some things impossible:
1. There IS a multiverse. Many realities exist at once, each somewhat different from the other. There is a near infinite number of them, but some realities cannot exist: realities that can destroy others, realities that lie outside the laws of time Anna set down, and realities where chroniton signatures do not exist.
2. Time is fixed as a result of the 'near infinite' clause above. Timelines cannot be 'created' or 'erased' as they all already exist. Still, almost anything can happen in any one reality.
3. Everyone has a chroniton signature - or 'soul' - that acts as a 'stamp' detailing the time stream one is a part of -- time streams are groups of realities that exist for over 5 years with no major differences between them.
The Circle follows several precepts of time travel, which they expect to be followed by anyone time travelling for any reason:
1. Meddling in events past or future is forbidden.
2. Meddling in other realities' pasts. presents, or futures is forbidden.
3. Based on your chroniton signature, every Circle agent must try to keep history from diverting from a set time stream - whenever it does, they are replaced by a new unit of officers.
4. Never reveal yourself, the Circle, or your time period unless you are in a future in which that knowledge is already common.
Before Joining...
Various eras are roleplayable for those that would enjoy a taste of their own genres. There is the earliest post-Flood eras where magic and high fantasy reign. Then there is the other eras: one in which the furres first arrive on Drakor to discover primitive humans (how they became primitive is described in the timeline), another in which the world is trapped in a medieval conflict over the resource-rich territories of Imaginaria, and so on... There are numerous eras to pick from, so you can just start up a thread in your favorite and get a roleplay going with friends and other players! If you have a suggestion, there's a place on the board to express yourself!
Threads in a roleplay can consist of a multitude of things: from a scene of a character's personal life to a major event, both of which may include other players if their characters happen to be in the same vicinity as the other(s). The sky's the limit! Just keep in mind the following rules (a few more located here):
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1) No godmodding -- taking control of another character for your own purpose unless said character is an NPC. This also includes cheating in any way, such as creating an invincible character - you will be notified if found godmodding first, and banned if continued.
2) No scenes of a sexual nature beyond what one would find in most PG-13 movies - think the early Sean Connery 'James Bond' movies and the 60s American definition of PG-13. It's fine to roleplay them in private or to say they happened (with consent from both players), but do not post it for all to see.
3) Keep OOC and IC separate - that includes OOC and IC conflicts of interest. Shouldn't have to explain this one.
4) Consent Rule on death/permanent injury to characters. This avoids a lot of unnecessary OOC conflicts, so it WILL be enforced.
Stepping into the World
One's character may start out in the world as an infant with anonymous NPC parents. Or... they may start fully grown. The choice is up to you. Note that each species has a special ethnicity (race is not necessary, though do note your exact species if you are furre - feline, canine, etc.). Your posiition/occupation is what your character does for a living.
Copy-paste this form to the email box below and fill it out to get started! All information is IC-only; do not share real-life information about yourself. You may also fill this out on Notepad or some other text editor, then post it to the message board.
Name:
Era of Choice:
Species:
Ethnicity:
Occupation/Position:
Physical Description:
Example (First) Post:
Your email: (or some other way to contact you - register on the forum!)
