Balatro - the Last Race of Fools

[Hydra of Ages]

[b]Twenty-One Remain[/b]

[spoiler= Introduction]Saying that magic is a lost art would be redundant.

Every society of the planet earth has had them; shamans, magicians, warlocks or wizards, people who were able to come into contact with the hidden sides of the world and escape unscathed, if not unchanged. In the past they were considered mad, but revered; powerful masters of the elements who were as likely to destroy a nation as save it. The mystic arts were the domain of the powerful and foolhardy, those a bit too willing to risk their lives for the sake of strength but not content with mere political or martial clout. In any case, no mortal would ever claim to know what the magisters were thinking; their minds were simply too different, too changed, to [i]arcane [/i]for any being solely of the material plane to understand.

What they [i]didn't [/i]know was that, in all honesty, wielders of magic barely knew what they were doing either.

Some people are just born with a talent; others might develop it later in life, though it's rare. The ability to see the Fey, the beings of magic that inhabit our world, is all one needs to be a 'wizard' in truth; their is no great power or studies required. The Fey, though usually docile creatures who enact the will of the world far away from the domains of man, possess great supernatural powers born of a nebulous concept called 'Mana'.

With mana, wasp might cause sickness. A snake could turn men to stone. A dragon might summon a maelstrom.

And yet, despite its power, mana was limited; the Fey guarded it jealously, as a creature might guard precious food. The mere presence of mortal humans, even those with the ability to see mana, gradually erode away at mana, and thus the fey were pushed further and further from human societies. They became the things of legend, stories told between warriors of the exploits of amazing beasts beyond mortal ken, gods and demons and every other such being one might conceive of when told of a feverdream. To most, they were mere fables.

Of course, humans being human, those who could see the Fey wanted mana for themselves.

And thus came the first Binders; heroes who would seek out the most powerful foes and steal their scales, their feathers, their heads, and with it the mana that they controlled. Though their efforts were clumsy and lame, they managed to discover methods to use these talismans to control latent mana into formulas called 'Spells'- shadowy, unimpressive replicas of the feats that the fey could preform, but beyond normal mortal ability all the same. These people penned large grimoires of instruction, feet of scroll instructions about superstitious and entire libraries of pabulum based on what they had 'learned' from these tasks, but everyone in the know knew the truth- nobody was really certain how magic [i]worked[/i].

They could figure out how to trigger talismans, yes, and perhaps ways to better control the spells that they created, but that less science, and more mastery of a tool. Hundreds of false-alchemists attempted to study these rare artifacts, but came away only maddened; it seemed it was impossible to know, truly, what [i]mana [/i]was, and how these strange beings that only the gifted might see could control it.

As time marched on, it seemed that the question might be forever lost. As the fables ended and humanity grew critical of the foolish tales they had told in the past, mana itself felt the weight of disbelief; the Fey found themselves with even less power and drew back even farther, into lands long without human contact. Magicians, previously feared, were now ridiculed or slaughtered- what was previously holy service became deep sacrilege. It seemed that the study of mana and magic would now be forever lost, with naught a single breakthrough to any great sage's name.

Then came [i][b]the man[/b][/i].[/spoiler][spoiler= the Man] Credited as the father of modern magic, nobody is entirely certain who 'the man' is. Some claim that he was a woman, specifically a female pharaoh who used her great political clout to preform a thorough investigation of the nature of her gift and came up with actual answers; others believe he was an early French mystic, a brilliant nameless peasant who stumbled upon a breakthrough none before him had. A few people even have a name to place to the title, even if there is little to no historical evidence to support such a connection; some even claim that The Man was, in fact, a god in mortal skin who reincarnates within our society from time to time in order to bestow upon us great wisdom.

Whatever or whoever the man actually was, he left behind only a single record of his existence: the Akashic Record, the mightiest grimoire written in only twenty-two pages, including the index. Bound within the Record are all the secrets of magic, mana, and one might control each- perhaps even the secret to granting the Gift to all, rather than just the random few. There is but only a single problem with the book- it happens to be lost.

Or it was.[/spoiler][spoiler= The Twenty-Two] Lost in the seas of time long enough to be considered a myth, it is understandable that nobody paid much attention to where it might have gone- especially in modern society. In the digital era, the era of rationalism and science, magic is almost completely extinct.

What few gifted there are make due with old relics passed down from generations of Binders; few have even seen a Fey in their life, the beings having drawn back far enough from mortal residency to be essentially extinct themselves. There is almost no actual study; to many, magic is a burden they must hide from the rest of 'normal' society, rather than be outcast and ridiculed for claiming to have a power that literally weakens upon being examined critically.

But to these lost fragments, the final fools granted the ability to see beyond the normal- came a windfall.

The first page of the Grimoire, the "[i]Balatro[/i]" -and also the index- resurfaced in the hands of one prominent and eccentric magic weaver. Laced with magic itself, the page revealed the truth of the matter; during the following year, each fragment of the Grimoire will resurface somewhere along the world, accompanied by the mighty Fey woven into its ink. Whosoever receives one of the pages will themselves gain amazing magical powers- something far beyond the puny spells of most magicians, true power. And if one were to collect all of the pages together and once again complete the Record, then all the mysteries of mana -and of the world itself- would reveal themselves, granting true power upon the recipient.

But there is a catch. The following year is one of judgement- the final death scream of mana in a world that has forgotten it. If, by the following Winter Solstice of the Index's awakening, the secret of mana is not solved- then it and all forces of magic in our universe will be destroyed, forever lost.

The race is on. Either the last race of fools, or the first race of the new Masters. Who shall it be?[/spoiler]

[spoiler= Rules]
[b]1. [/b]As per our section's governing rules, all posts must contain 4 lines (or 100 words), follow standard literary construction rules (ie. not script-formatted), and must not be plagiarized neither internally (copy-pasting something you've already done) or externally (stealing from someone else).

[b]2.[/b] As per [b]my [/b]governing rules, you must average a post length of about three solid paragraphs, have at least passable grammar and spelling, and be able to weave your post in a way that adds something to the roleplay experience. This is completely subjective, and I can invoke it at basically any time if I think you're making the RP worse with your presence.

[b]3. [/b]Speaking of which, I am allowed to reject your application or eject you from the roleplay for any reason whatsoever, without necessarily giving you a warning first or explaining myself. I'll probably do both anyway, but I'd like to stress that I shouldn't see a gigantic argument stemming from my decision if I decide not to.

[b]4. [/b]Have fun with it. If the above rules seem restrictive, keep in mind that my only prime directive is to keep the roleplay interesting, active, and fun. If you can manage to do all three, then you'll do fine.
[/spoiler][spoiler= Application]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender/Sex:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b][i](a paragraph or greater.)[/i]
[b]Biography: [/b][i](Three paragraphs or greater. Include: How they discovered their gift, how they learned spells, how they learned of the Race.)[/i]
[b]Physical Appearance: [/b][i](a paragraph or greater.)[/i]


[b]Talismans: [/b][i](Talismans are remnants of Fey who have had their mana stolen by humans. They are used to cast spells. Describe each talisman, what it is from, what it looks like, and how it works. [u]1 Talisman minimum, 3 maximum[/u]. One talisman can power any number of Cantrips.)[/i]
[b]1:[/b]
[b]2:[/b]
[b]3:[/b]

[b]Cantrips: [/b][i](Cantrips are spells powered by Talismans, and are thus weaker copies of Fey creature abilities. Different Cantrips can be provided by the same Talisman, provided it is a strong enough Talisman, though they are usually thematically linked. Cantrips vary in power depending on how strong the mana around them is, but even at their strongest aren't ridiculously powerful, especially compared to the original version of the spell done by the Fey creature itself. [u]1 Cantrip minimum, 6 maximum[/u].)[/i]
[b]1:[/b]
[b]2:[/b]
[b]3:[/b]
[b]4:[/b]
[b]5:[/b]
[b]6:[/b]

[b]Familiars: [/b][i](Small fey creatures who survive based by sharing mana with their master. Familiars cannot interact with the non-gifted mortals, but can affect physical objects to a small degree and interact with other Binders. They are usually intelligent and loyal to their Binder, though exceptions exist. [u]For every Familiar bound to your Binder, decrease your maximum Cantrips by 2 and Talismans by 1.[/u] A Familiar can act as a Talisman for some Cantrips. Describe the physical shape of the Familiar, its name, whatever very small powers it has, and its basic presonality.)[/i]
[b]1:[/b]
[b]2:[/b]
[b]3:[/b][/spoiler][spoiler= Accepted Applications][b]Name: [/b]Salvador Marcus Tree, or Ace Forests
[b]Age: [/b]28
[b]Gender/Sex: [/b]Male

[b]Personality:[/b]Salvador is bombastic and grand, the type of thing one might expect from a great TV personality. He doesn't talk loudly or at length but everything he does lets you know that it will be amazing; he is a master of melodrama, of holding tension, and of misdirection on stage, being able to enthral an audience with words as much as he might with his actions. Some people might deride him of being overtly fake or sleazy about the way that he hooks his audience, but anyone might know that he has a gift; no matter what he says, you kinda want to hear what else he has.
Off stage, however, Salvador is a bit different; he doesn't listen to others very much, and he's prone to talking to himself and mumbling a lot. When speaking with others, he often fails to actually give them the gist of what he's trying to say- he's not actually that good at constructing his words without a writing staff behind him. This can often lead to him getting frustrated and doing things on his own- at his core, Salvador is the type of person who would feel the best if he managed to do things on his own, and dislikes teaming up because it means that he has to share the eventual rewards.
That said, he's not a bad person. Salvador believes in fair play, and when it comes to the magical society, he is not willing to allow everything to become fake. He's always been enamoured with stories and fiction, and he is absolutely crushed when he discovers something that he believes in was, in fact, a lie. This is part of why he always faces things himself; if he goes in with someone else, he might have to accept his views when they're contradictory to his own.
[b]Biography:[/b] Famous stage magician and preformer Ace Forests was originally born in a small cottage in Louisiana; on his third birthday, he would accidentally convince a Will-o-the-Wisp to help light the candles on his birthday cake, and as a result convince his ultra-puritan parents that he had the soul of a demon somewhere in his body. A year later and after some incidents following a few botched exorcism attempts, he was taken by his aunt and uncle up north to Canada and isolated from the few Fey friends that he had managed to make in the American countryside.
His life in Canada was unremarkable; he specialized in the dramatic arts, and in his college years received numerous commendations for his roles in various plays. Magic was still part of his life, but it was lesser now; in the urban centers of the far North, even minor fey didn't tread very often, and the minor Cantrips he could pull off with Talismans he made unknowingly in his toddler years barely classified as a good magic trick.
Still, he was good at distracting others, slight of hand, and he had a little actual magic. Becoming a stage magician was no problem for the guy, especially once he got his acting chops in. Salvador Tree became Ace Forests, master arcanist and illusionist supreme touring the North American circuit. He became famous for his grand-scale illusions, including vanishing the entire White House on two separate occasions and seemingly levitating the Leaning Tower of Pisa on a trip to Italy. Among other stage magicians, he was infamous for his small card and match-tricks that, for the life of them, nobody else could possibly figure out... probably because those ones, unlike his large-scale "magic", were actually fueled by mana.
Salvador is important to the Race of Fools quite simply, for instigating it; one day, he got an anonymous letter in the mail from a fan containing a document that he thought he magician might find interesting. After consulting a number of experts available to him, Ace was shocked enough to note that he was [i]actually [/i]holding the index page of the Akashic Record- a small piece of what appeared to be cardboard, bearing text that shifted language depending on who was looking at it. Written on the card was a record of each other page in the book- as well as the consequences of failing to unite them all.
A fair and sporting man, Salvador decided to use his assets to their greatest effect, and issue out a demand on national TV that nobody but other true magicians might understand: The Akashic Record has been found. The other pages will appear soon. The race is on.
[b]Physical Appearance: [/b]Salvador is a stocky-looking man with strong shoulders and well-defined lean musculature, as one might expect of a professional actor. He is actually somewhat short, though he tries to disguise it with his clothing and shoes; it works only to a certain extent. He has bright, shining blond hair that verges on a platinum color, kept pristine at all times even when off camera; it reaches all the way partway down his back, luxuriously thick and flowing; he considers it to be his best feature. His eyes are a slightly off-blue, and his skin is a ruddy Italia colors, slightly pale from lack of outside work earlier in his life. He bears a couple scars on his body, most invisible except for a white line; these are reminders of some of the more unusual attempts at exorcising his inner demons.


[b]Talismans: [/b]
[b]1: [/b]Pendant of Will. A small black necklace containing a tiny black iron replica of a spherical lantern, which holds a tiny bog-light remnant of a Will-o-the-Wisp who died and transformed into a regular flame. The pendant is activated by a subconscious plea for help, and grows brighter if the user is fearful or lost.
[b]2: [/b]Witch's Wand. A length of gnarled yew wood once held by a witch burned at the stake in Salem, and before that probably carved from a fey creature born of the trees; Salvador received it as a souvenir during one show in the area. The wand focuses the power of the shadows and the earth so long as one maintains control over their own emotions, and doesn't allow themselves to be ruled by instinct. It is a weapon for healers and intellectuals.

[b]Cantrips: [/b]
[b]1: [/b]Wisp Flame (Pendant of Will): A gout of flame that burns even in water, but quickly burns itself out. The light given off by the flame never actually brightens up the darkness, only makes it more confusing.
[b]2: [/b]Renewal (Witch's Wand): Nutrients are drained from the soil and composition of nearby plantlife to refresh the body, purge poisons and relieve exhaustion. While it can heal blood loss, it cannot regenerate lost flesh.
[b]3: [/b]Guidance (Witch's Wand): Information is gleaned from a tree, using its connection to all sibling trees in a forest, to quickly relay information from all around them. This allows the caster to tell who is within a rather large area, and investigate changes quickly. To others, it can appear to be a kind of precognisence; trees can often predict patterns in the future, to an extent.
[b]4:[/b] Hare's Veil (Karol): The user is shrouded in invisibility, their entire body becoming entirely transparent for a short period of time. This doesn't remove any other aspect about them, simply make them invisible.

[b]Familiars:[/b]
[b]1: [/b]Karol, the Gray Rabbit. Technically a hare, Karol is a spirit of distraction and transformation that helped prey animals escape their pursuers long in the past. He met Salvador in the forests of Nova Scotia and bonded with him in order to replace his depleting source of mana, given that coyote infestation were destroying most of the beings that gave him the reason to be. Karol can disappear and make other small animals or objects temporarily invisible. He varies from rather quiet to lackadaisical but is usually rather sarcastic regardless of anything else. Above all, Karol doesn't give much a fig about anyone dumber than hum- which is basically everyone, in his view. [/spoiler]

[ListenToLife]

It doesn't seem to be getting much attention, does it? :/

Meh, I'll try and fix an app up sometime tomorrow. Hopefully more people'll join, cos it seems quite interesting.