getting started

This page is a basic guide to navigating the guidebook.

Welcome to Astoria, dear traveler! We are a steampunk fantasy roleplaying forum taking place in the ruined town of Astoria, one of the last few strongholds in a recent and ongoing apocalyptic event called The Diablerie. Survivors in the nearby fields and hills have flocked to Astoria, whose history as a shelter of scholars has helped it stand strong in the face of the demon invasion. Together, they’ll attempt to ride out the coming waves of aggression - and perhaps solve the mystery at the heart of The Diablerie to save their world.

If this sounds like something up your alley, then we’re so glad to have you! This guidebook will contain all the information you need to know for a smooth transition onto our forum. Follow the links above - those listed under ‘Site Basics’, ‘Astorian Lore’, and ‘Miscellaneous’ - to view the different tabs on this webpage. Each tab will have a series of subsections that can be navigated using the anchor links found on the left for quick scrolling. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us in the #ask-staff channel in our Discord or through direct messaging with our staff accounts here on the site.

registering with us

This section explains how to create accounts, and what to include in usernames.

On Astoria, we use a combination of one out-of-character (OOC) account and as many in-character (IC) accounts as you have characters. Register your OOC account first, which must recognizably match your directory name and Discord name (if applicable). While just about anything goes, please refrain from using the following:

• Names that are inappropriate or offensive in nature.
• Names that are overly long; one to two words are appreciated.
• Names that include accented characters or unique unicode.

OOC accounts must be sorted into the appropriate member group after creation. To accomplish this, visit our site store, click on Account Setup, purchase the OOC Sorter item, then use it from your inventory. If done correctly, your main profile should only display one tab upon viewing.

After creating and filling out your OOC account, you should register a sub-account for each of your roleplaying characters, following the same naming restrictions as above. To do so, open the menu in the top right corner of the forum and follow the sub-accounts link. From here, you’ll be able to register a new linked account for easy swapping. For consistency, please register accounts as Firstname Lastname, unless there is an IC reason why your character only uses one name; letter casing will be taken care of for you, so no need to sweat it!

required reading

This is a list of quick links to the most important guidebook pages.

Every page in the guidebook has its uses, though some pages are more important than others when it comes to understanding and navigating the forum. To be directed to these ‘more important’ pages, please follow the links provided below - just remember to catch up on the rest of the reading when you can!

• Guidelines - Rules to abide by while on the forum or in our server.
• Premise - The general plot of the forum.
• Groups & Binding - A briefing on the magic of demon binding, as well as the member groups characters will be sorted into.
• Species & Subspecies - Species options that may affect the sort of character you wish to play.
• Application Guide - A helpful reference for filling out our profile application.

getting involved

Here's some suggestions on how to quickly get involved with the community.

Much of our member base can be found chatting and hanging out in our Discord server. Though joining is by no means mandatory, it’s the easiest way to get assistance from staff and get closer to the rest of our community. At any point during your stay, new or old, we welcome you to introduce yourself to your fellow members, either through the board on site or the #introduce-yourself channel.

Once your first character is approved and you’re looking for places to begin, we recommend trying out some of the following activities to get engaged:

• Character Introductions - The #character-introductions channel in our Discord allows for members to provide a brief blurb about their accepted characters for easy reference.
• Plotter Registry - Plotters are optional here on Astoria, but those who opt in to using them may have an easier time securing new plots. Start a plotter of your own, then peruse the others already hosted in the registry.
• Open Threads - The #open-threads channel in our Discord includes a list of open threads that other characters may jump into at any time.
• Side Quests - Missions that characters may complete for extra rewards. Some are serious, some are less so, but each of them will provide a prompt to get your ideas flowing.
• Wanted Ads - Start a new wanted ad, or make someone else’s day by taking their request.
• Awards List - Pixel icons that are claimable upon achieving certain milestones. Some are limited to event participation; some to OOC achievements; others to IC shenanigans. For our completionist friends, see how many you can get on a single account!
• Development Challenges - Our development board is generally open for all your miscellaneous character development needs, but for those who don’t know where to start, Astoria hosts monthly challenges that may be completed for additional rewards.

general guidelines

Rules pertaining to all aspects of the forum. They can ultimately be summarized with the golden rule of respect for your fellow roleplayers.

1. Harassment of other members is not tolerated on or off site. Members caught participating in deliberately malicious behavior will be banned from our forum and our discord server.
2. Plagiarism of writing, graphics, code, apps, characters, etc. is not allowed. Questions of theft vs. inspiration will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
3. All images used in character profiles must be appropriately credited before the app will be accepted.
4. The use of AI-generated writing or art is not permitted.

content rating

Rules pertaining to the type of content allowed (or disallowed) on the forum. We are a PG-13 forum with optional mature content gated behind age verification.

1. Members must be at least 13 years of age. Only members 18 or over may participate in mature threads on the forum.
2. Any content over a PG-13 rating must be marked as a mature thread (as explained in roleplaying guidelines below).
3. Members are requested to use content warnings when threading sensitive content (regardless of rating), so other members may be able to avoid content that makes them uncomfortable.
4. Mature swearing and violence are allowed, but not excessive gore, graphic sex, or anything that might veer into real life illegal territory.
5. The following themes may not be played out at all in threads (including “offscreen” implications): incest, pedophilia, and rape, "nonconsent", or other forms of sexual violence. They may be present in backstories, but may not be described in detail, and they must be tagged accordingly in character profiles/threads where they are referenced.

character guidelines

Rules pertaining to characters' in-character details, face claims, and limitations on the number of characters you're allowed to play at any given time.

1. Characters much be at least 13 years of age. Only characters 18 or over may participate in mature threads on the forum.
2. We are an illustrated face claims site, and photographs of real people may not be used as either face claims or moodboard aesthetic images.
3. Face claims are optional, and you may use an aesthetic image(s) to represent your character instead. The optional claims system does not permit circumventing claims, and accounts suspected of doing so will be asked to change their graphics.
4. Face claims that have been claimed may be used by other members with the permission of both staff and the existing claim holder(s).
5. Original art that you have created or commissioned may also be used for character profile images. When using this option, please leave the 'face claim' field blank and clearly indicate in the 'art credit' section that the art belongs to your own character.
6. You are allowed 3 'free' characters. From the 4th onward, you are required to have a minimum of 5 posts on all active characters before your application will be reviewed.
7. There is no upper limit of characters you're allowed to play at a time, but as your character count increases, so do the requirements of our activity checks (detailed in the 'Many Characters Clause' in the activity section).

roleplaying guidelines

Rules pertaining to roleplaying itself, covering both writing styles and formats; and general tone-setting for conflicts both in- and out-of-character.

1. Site time is not 1-to-1 with real-world time. Certain site events will cause IC time to progress to the next season, during which new threads can take place during any of the three corresponding months. To reference the current year and season, please refer to the terminology & timeline page.
2. Threads are assumed to operate on liquid time. Whatever system, if any, you wish to use to organize your character's IC timeline is up to you.
3. We have no word count minimum, only request that you give your thread partner enough to respond to. Posts that contain fewer than 50 words will not earn tribbles. Since this includes coding, such as text styling and templates, please do not abuse overly complex templates exclusively for the purpose of circumventing this.
4. Optional posting templates are provided for your convenience. Please do not use these templates outside of Astoria. A tool for testing template options can be found here.
5. Members are also welcome to use self-created or externally sourced templates, but please check in with staff before doing so and provide a link to a test post on the forum. Staff will ask you to change your template if it is unreadable or causes eye strain on either dark or light mode, or if it does not properly resize on smaller devices, due to accessibility concerns.
6. Please refrain from giving characters overly complex or 'broken' abilities. For bound characters, a guide to power creation can be found in the groups & binding page.
7. We are not a PvP-focused forum and do not tolerate members comparing the "power levels" of their characters for the sake of pride. Character vs. character conflicts will be handled in freeform, and squabbles over victors are not tolerated.
8. Threads may be tagged by including text within [] brackets. In order to tag a thread, include the bracketed text somewhere within your thread title or description. A number of short-hand tags have been included on the site for ease of use, including:
   
   
   • [m] - 'mature', indicates the thread includes mature content, required when applicable
   • [cw] - 'content warning', indicates the thread includes specific content warning(s) that may or may not fall under 'mature' content; please clearly indicate what the content warnings are at the start of the thread
   • [o] - 'open', indicates an open thread
   • [c] or [p] - 'private', indicates a thread is not open to unplanned characters
   • [au] - 'alternative universe', indicates a thread does not take place in canon
   • [past] - 'past', indicates a thread takes place in the past
   • [q] or [quest] - 'side quest', indicates a quest thread
     
     
     
9. Individual posts may additionally make use of the following tags:
   
   
   • [restricted] - requires age verification to view the contents therein; any post that goes over a PG-13 rating must be entirely surrounded in this tag
   • [cw] - will add a content warning section to the beginning of a post
   • [hidden] - may optionally be used to surround text within a post, redacting it until either it or [cw] is clicked on

activity requirements

Rules pertaining to our monthly activity checks and what's required to clear them.

Astoria will feature monthly activity checks, spanning the first week of each month, where interested members are expected to check in to keep the forum free of inactive accounts and clutter. Requirements for the checks, however, will stay relatively lax - just a little something to ensure that members are still engaging in some capacity with the site! Members whose OOC join date was within a week of the start of the activity check will be given an exemption from that check.

Members will be requested to provide one of the following:

• A tribble-earning (non-letter, 50 or more words) IC post from any of their characters.
• A drabble (personal, challenge, or event all allowed) featuring any of their approved characters.
• An application with one or more long-form fields substantially added to since the last check (freeform, timeline, or abilities; please indicate which field/s added to) or an app that was newly submitted and accepted since the last check.


• Many Characters Clause - If a member has more than 5 accepted, active characters, an additional IC submission (post or drabble) will be required per increment of 5 characters (so a member with 6-10 characters must provide 2 submissions, and so on). IC submissions may not be from the same character.
• Limited Roles Clause - If a member has a character holding a canon slot (such as a Town Councilor) or a limited subplot position, that character will be required to provide a submission every activity check that relates to their canon or subplot role. This is in addition to all other required submissions, although a duplicate from the same character is not required if their only active character(s) fall under this clause.

Submissions must come from the month prior to the check, or the week the check is active. A single IC submission may only be used for activity check purposes once, even if it falls within the timeframe of the following activity check (eg. a post made February 3rd that's submitted during the week of the February activity check cannot then be used during the following March activity check). An in-progress app may be submitted multiple times, as long as a substantial addition is made each time. For IC submissions, please remember to link directly to your post in the activity check, or staff may not be able to verify your submission!

At the end of the check period, members that are not checked in will have their accounts (ooc, active, and pending) archived from the member directory, and any threads or member-submitted content (dev boards, lore additions, etc.) they may have will also be archived. For those concerned, staff will never delete or completely lock rule-abiding content except at that writer's direct request, so if you ever want to come back to grab something, it will either be readily available, or staff will be more than happy to get it for you. Additionally, Discord members that miss two consecutive activity checks will be removed from the server, but are always welcome to return at a later time.

Members who are unable to check in are encouraged to reach out to staff on our Discord to indicate their continued interest in the site and request an exception to the activity check and/or Discord server removal. Staff may also choose to make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. However, members will not be permitted to sit idle on claims or limited roles for an extended period of time.

The story of Astoria is a post-apocalyptic steampunk fantasy centered around the town of Astoria, one of the lone holdouts against an ongoing invasion of demons from another plane. Below you'll find a summary of recent events, as well as suggestions for where player characters might go from here.

the diablerie

An ongoing apocalyptic event that has destroyed the country of Lestre.

In the year of 712 AE, humanity’s doom was sealed. On a cold Destruere night, from the deep of the woods came a horde of demonic creatures too sudden and too mighty for the people of the countryside to combat. As the night would pass into day, more and more enemies would appear, completely overwhelming villages, towns, and cities across the unsuspecting country of Lestre. By the end of the first day, more had fallen to the demon invasion than any recorded plague. By the end of the first week, just over half the population was gone.

Many months have gone by, and the apocalyptic event called The Diablerie has shown no signs of stopping. While the demonic army appears to attack in waves, slaughtering plants, animals, and people alike with wild abandon as they come, survivors have taken to bunkering down in whatever temporary safe havens they may find, hoping only to ride out the next onslaught. The scholar town of Astoria is one such safe haven. Lucky enough to have withstood the early days of The Diablerie, stranded countrymen have flocked to live within its stone walls, hoping it can continue to stand strong.

The wise claim the end of days has arrived. Even fools can no longer see a future stretching out before them, stained black by the rot of infinite death. And yet all effects have their cause. Out there, something happened that caused The Diablerie to occur - and if humanity is able to discover it, they just may be able to counteract it.

the demonic threat

Varied, powerful demons who have destroyed Lestre. Defeating them is no easy feat without the aid of a major demon.

Demons from a parallel plane have come to wreak havoc across Lestre, and just maybe the world beyond. Demons may come in many shapes, forms, and sizes, but even the weakest of all share something with the strongest: a near complete overwhelm over the might of a person. While a particularly dedicated person may be able to take down a demon with preparation and skill, the sheer number of demons who attack in waves is often too much for anyone to handle - anyone, that is, save for the bound. Those who bind themselves to a major demon receive the boon of its magic, granting abilities but also a level of resistance to lesser demons’ strength and magic. It is recommended that only a bound go toe-to-toe against demonkind, but even then to keep caution in their sails.

Beyond the immediate threat of battling a demon, there is also the unfortunate fact of the spread of their corruption. Any location where demons tarry too long becomes susceptible to their infernal influence, soiling the earth and transfiguring local flora and fauna into aggressive, disfigured beasts. Though not limited to the following, Astorians can expect corrupted soil to become infertile, corrupted water to become poisoned. and corrupted minerals such as rocks are susceptible to rapid corrosion. Man-made objects can also be corrupted, which will cause their usefulness to degrade, though the further from a 'natural object' the subject is - such as rare rudimentary plastics, as opposed to clay - the slower its rate of corruption. It is believed that nature will heal from this corruption on its own over time, though the process is a long one, and not one that anyone has witnessed substantial effects from firsthand. For the time, the only way to combat the corruption of the land is to cordon off ruined earth so that it may not spread to its neighbors.

astoria's future

Restoring the town to defend itself is the chief objective - and perhaps saving the world beyond.

In the canon of Astoria, characters’ main motivation is simply to survive. What survival looks like may vary depending on the character. Are they satisfied if only they make it out alive? Do they need to help reinforce the town walls to prevent waves of invaders breaching the perimeter? Furthermore, Astoria’s council believes that the demons did not simply come from nowhere, and that by discovering the inciting incident of The Diablerie, the surviving citizens can send the demons back to whence they came before the civilized realms are destroyed completely. In order to accomplish this, however, reconstruction must begin, and so those who want for more than just another sunrise must pick up their implements and set to work.

At the time of opening, much of the town of Astoria has been damaged, and no communication is able to be made with the neighboring towns and cities. To progress the site plot, certain IC milestones must be reached over the course of RP, usually through participation in site events or relevant side quests. As the town is repaired, more boards will be made available for play, and more options for character creation will become available. You can see a timeline of the town's progress, as well as check in on the current IC date, in our terminology and timeline tab.

Maybe your character will aid in rebuilding the library, where a forgotten tome found buried within holds some secret to demonkind’s nature; maybe your character will repair Astoria’s shining beacon, the Crown of Astoria airship, with which civilians will be able to visit other towns; maybe your character will research and develop new weapons that are more effective against the nigh-undefeatable demon hordes. The story lies within your hands!

On Astoria, your character's member group is determined by their binding: which supernatural entity they have chosen to bind themself to in exchange for a fraction of its power. Individuals who have not formed a binding are known as the unbound. Below you'll find lore about the twelve major demons and the two gods of the realm, as well as guidelines for designing your abilities.

demon binding

The easiest way to protect yourself from the end of the world is accepting infernal power from one of twelve major demons. However, this power comes at a terrible price.

In the midst of a demon invasion, certain high-ranking demons known as the twelve major demons have taken an interest in the goings-on of humanity. Drawn to particular individuals who exhibit behaviors they find entertaining, these demons have decided to cast their lot in with humanity - if only to watch them squirm a little longer beneath the claw of The Diablerie.

Unlike the lesser demons who have overtaken the country, the twelve do not appear physically before humanity, instead opting to draw 'visitors' through demonic portals into their own domains called binding planes. Each of these realms is unique, reflecting the nature of its master, and exists outside of time and space as we know it; 'visitors', once returned, find that no time has passed in the mortal realm at all. It is only within their binding planes that the major demons reveal their existence to mortals, disguising themselves with a false persona. The false personae, or false names, are ideas and concepts created by humanity that the demon uses to connect to mortal sensibilities. Were a person ever to discover a major demon’s true name, it would mean holding great power over that demon - something they simply would not allow. When dealing with their own kind, these protective measures go even further; while the major demons remain aware of each other's existence, they do not form alliances, exchange information, or reveal to each other the natures of their binding planes.

Through the process of binding, major demons offer their people a fraction of their magic, manifested through the concept of the demon’s false persona. However, in exchange for this magic, the bound must agree to a great price: all bound are doomed to a terrible fate whose nature is entwined with the very ideas they draw power from. Those who wield diabolic might are destined to burn at its stake, an end result that the twelve find great pleasure in watching play out; through their unfathomably vast magic power, they are capable of seeing all places and times inside the mortal realm - including the ultimate fates of those they bind. In addition to binding abilities, some negotiations may extract an additional form of payment, or instill an effect in the bound (such as the unburdening of terrible emotions) appropriate to that demon's theme and preferences. (OOCly, you may choose what best suits your character's narrative.) Once the binding is formed, there is no going back; the binding can never be severed, nor replaced with another demon's. It is an important distinction to make, for those who have never met a major demon: people do not bind a demon to themselves – it is the demon who binds the person.

Below is the full list of member groups, plus some information about the Dragon God of Chaos, who is Order's counterpart but not a selectable group. The false names of the demons, which their bound would be aware of, are the same as the names of the member groups; while their true names and the names of their binding planes are provided for your OOC reference, player characters do not start off knowing this information ICly, and will not be allowed to refer to it in the roleplay.

member groups

binding abilities

Guidelines and examples of the abilities characters may inherit from their demon.

In universe, abilities are the powers that bound manifest after binding to a major demon. Out of character, they exist as individual abilities that can be found in a bound’s application, and they are entirely up to you to decide what they are! Get creative with it, and have fun - but don’t forget the following guidelines.

1. All bound begin with only one ability, and must unlock further abilities through IC progression after acceptance. Additional abilities are granted through bartering with their demon for more power, whether in a demon interaction thread or off-screen. (OOCly, the second and third slots may be purchased from the site shop.) An unbound character who becomes bound through IC progression may receive their first ability without a purchase.
2. Abilities must relate to their demon’s false name. If your character is bound to Hope, then their abilities must reflect the concept of ‘hope’ in some way. How you interpret this is up to you, and where the bulk of diversity in bounds’ abilities will come from.
3. Passive versus active abilities. Passive abilities are those that are always in effect, while active abilities are those that must be consciously activated to have an effect. Characters with a more passive alignment are more likely to have passive abilities, and vice versa, though this isn’t a strict rule. In cases where the lines blur between passive or active, you’re welcome to choose whichever you prefer; the distinction between them is mostly for self-reference.
4. Brevity is appreciated. Please keep all ability descriptions to about one to two paragraphs in length, and it is unnecessary to provide specific numerical ranges or to-the-second cooldown times. Members are encouraged to limit the text in the ability box to only what is necessary to understand how the ability will function in roleplay. Tangential aspects or detailed examples may be included in other sections of the profile, or in a dev post.
5. We are not PvP, and while characters may at times come in conflict with one another and use their abilities to do harm, we ask that players stay respectful and recognize that all bound are, at least magically, quite equal in terms of their power.
6. Limitations are few, but there are a few topics that we ask you not base your abilities on. Powers that do not conform to the following rules will not be approved:
   
   
   • Abilities cannot cause large-scale reality bending (such as creating alternate timelines).
   • Abilities cannot interact with 'souls' or the afterlife (such as resurrecting the dead).
   • Abilities cannot cut off a bound's connection to their demon (including "ability negation").
   • If an ability is capable of controlling or predetermining the actions of other characters, you will be required to include a note in the ability section that using this power on other characters requires their players' OOC permission.
   • Abilities that are ten-powers-in-one will be required to be scaled back to a few core functions. 2nd and 3rd ability slots may build upon the powers of existing abilities.
   • Abilities will be required to be scaled down if they are capable of causing widespread destruction (e.g. property destruction, natural disasters, or defeating large numbers of enemies) or its opposite (e.g. creating, defending, or healing on a large scale) without a significant drawback, such as time/effort invested or severe risk to the user.
   • Abilities may not be used to circumvent our restrictions on creating new technology or discovering unknown lore (see the relevant sections in our FAQ).
   
   
7. Abilities need not be filled out right away. If you would like to roleplay as your character for a bit before deciding on their first ability, you’re welcome to leave it blank. If you decide to fill it out later, however, you must submit a ticket to staff so we may review the addition.

Some examples of an ability from each of the twelve demons can be found below. If you are struggling to come up with abilities of your own, feel free to take one from the list, or just use them as a point of reference. Some abilities may overlap between demons, as well, so don’t worry about having to make something incredibly unique (Fate or Fortune could fix probabilities; Entropy or Time could rapidly age a target to dust; Passion or Unity could manipulate a person's emotions to being friendlier toward the bound; Hope or Vitality could give a surge of energy/strength; etc.).

• Hope - Believing that you can withstand an attack makes it so (active); people are more likely to think optimistically in your presence (passive).
• Fate - You can see five minutes into the future (active); you can always tell what choice others will make (passive).
• Unity - You and another person can see through each other's eyes (active); you emit an imposing aura that makes people hesitant to voice disagreement with you (passive).
• Liberty - You may summon gusts of wind on which to ‘fly’ (active); you cannot be held against your will in one place (passive).
• Fortune - You may curse another with bad luck (active); you always have exactly enough tribbles to buy whatever you need (passive).
• Entropy - Objects you touch may be made to wither away to ash (active); those who talk too long with you are overcome by a sense of nihilism (passive).
• Passion - Your shout can knock down and temporarily deafen others (active); you are immune to emotional abilities or manipulation (passive).
• Knowledge - When encountering something you don’t know about, you may gain one relevant fact from the depths of your mind (active); your memory becomes photographic (passive).
• Vitality - Your touch can heal the wounds of others (active); you never suffer from fatigue, even when not getting enough sleep (passive).
• Destruction - With a touch, you can set an object aflame (active); your blows always strike heavier than the weight you put behind them (passive).
• Time - You may rewind time up to five minutes in the past (active); your biological clock has stopped, keeping you from aging (passive).
• Space - You may grow/shrink to any size you wish (active); you have a perfect sense of direction, and can always tell the direction of true north (passive).

Here you will find a list of common terms unique to the site and setting, including unique names for the seasons, months, and days of the week. A timeline of the world's history also appears below.

terminology

Common terms and concepts used around Astoria.

DEMON BINDING & THE BOUND
Binding is the term used to describe colluding with a major demon. It refers to the way a demon ‘binds’ the person to itself, cementing that person’s future as a tragedy at the demon’s hand. A person does not ‘bind’ a demon, but rather is bound by the demon; it is only by the demon’s magnanimity that a person is granted boons for the binding. A bound is a person who has agreed to a binding.

DEMON HIERARCHY
Major demons and lesser demons refer to the distinction between more or less powerful demons, and more importantly for the sake of the RP, which demons are amenable to binding a person and which ones aren’t. Lesser demon refers to the demons that have invaded the mortal realm, who despite being considered rather weak in the infernal hierarchy are much stronger than an unbound person on account of their magic.

Major demons, on the other hand, are demons who are powerful enough to find the conquering of Lestre a bore, and as such have not crossed planes to invade. The twelve major demons who have taken an interest in humanity hide behind false personae, words and ideas born from humanity that the major demon seeks to embody. The false persona of a major demon is sometimes called its false name, opposite a demon’s true name, which can hold power over the demon if learned.

ORDER & CHAOS
Twin dragon gods who have lived longer than written history. The two are locked in an eternal battle that takes them all over the world, appearing before civilization only long enough to destroy homes or habitats in collateral of their conflict. Still, despite this destructive nature, people have worshiped one or the other for as long as they have flown, and will continue to do so long after one has struck the other down. Neither Order nor Chaos have been seen in Lestre for over one hundred years, but their followers pray still as though they had touched down just two mornings past.

PERSONHOOD & SPECIES
Collectively all playable species, in recognition of their personhood, are termed people, which sets them apart from demons. Human may also be used to refer to any naturally born sapient species (including humes, bestrals, drakete, and all their sub-variations). The term humanity, as with people, encompasses both humans and sapient beings of artificial origin, such as automatons and conjurations. Demographically speaking, humes take up about fifty percent of the current population, bestrals forty, and drakete another five. The remaining five percent are taken up by the more recently discovered and created species: demi-fiends, automatons, and conjurations.

TRIBBLES
Currency comes in the form of small bronze coins called tribbles, shortened to ‘tr’. Tribbles bear the face of the first Queen of Lestre on the front and a stylized rendering of Order on the back. 1 tr coins are square, with other denominations bearing an additional side per increasing power of 10 (a pentagonal coin equaling 10 tr, and so on). Within Lestre, 'tribble' is also a collective noun, equivalent to the English noun 'money'.

WORLD CYCLES
The world cycle is a scientific hypothetical intending to explain bizarre prehistoric records and humanity’s unnatural early advancement. Study of world cycles brought the scientific community into conflict with the Celebrants of the New World Order, whose leverage with the state caused a wave of anti-intellectualism and the persecution of scholars across the nation. These days, the Celebrants and scholars have made peace, though world cycles are still considered a taboo subject of research.

CROWN OF ASTORIA
A massive steam-powered airship created by the Academia Astoria: the biggest to ever fly, as well as one of the first ever created. After a grueling ten years of R&D followed by five years of construction, the airship finally launched in 694 AE for a three month round trip around Lestre, and made several cross-country flights in the following decades. When The Diablerie began, the Crown took off unexpectedly - it’s believed that some of the local nobility used it for their escape plan - and disappeared over the treeline.

While it was long thought vanished, at the start of 714 AE, a lone survivor of the Crown's destruction stumbled into Astoria, but perished shortly thereafter. Since then, expeditions have been sent to reclaim any surviving pieces of the Crown that litter the wilds north of Astoria.

calendar

Astoria's in-universe calendar names.

Below are the days of the week, named for Order, Chaos, and the first five iudacs, who founded the Celebrant religion; and the months of the year, named after the Old Lestrian words for the Celebrants' twelve cardinal virtues. In all other respects, the calendar follows the same date system as our own calendar (e.g. Hothe begins a new year, and has 31 days, just like January).

timeline

The current season is eostre 714. Time will regularly move forward as the site plot progresses.

This page describes our site's setting, as well as a history of the world Astoria takes place in. For specific dates of historical events, please reference our site timeline.

general setting

A victorian era steampunk world with a fantasy twist.

The world of Astoria exists in a time where steam rules supreme, gaslamps light the streets, and ships sail the skies. Inspired by mid-1800s Victorian England with a steampunk twist, our site takes place in a scholarly town surrounded on all sides by a forest that has turned on its people.

Do note, however, that while Lestre's aesthetics and technology are inspired by this time period, there are intentional and significant cultural differences from how it existed in our world. In particular, due to this setting's diversity of species and cultures that have lived alongside each other for generations, institutionalized racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry do not exist within Lestre. While there are certainly individuals who hold such beliefs, they are generally at odds with the country's overall attitude toward open-minded thinking, and virtually a death sentence to running for the Astorian Town Council or any other influential positions.

the shelter of scholars, astoria

The main setting of the site, an erudite town notable for housing the most reputable academia across the country of Lestre.

Deep in the Lestrian countryside lies the walled town of Astoria, whose reputation as the shelter of scholars precedes it. Originally settled by the Lord Riegan, its first history note of worth came when members of the scientific community studying world cycles arrived in search of asylum. Labeled heretics and blasphemers by the Celebrants of the New World Order, these scientists were cast out by the then-King of Lestre, who had capitulated to the faith. While the other lords were pleased to sell out these men and women to the Celebrants, Riegan saw an opportunity for personal gain in taking them in, and so it was that Astoria first became a safe haven.

The brightest minds of Lestre remained in Astoria long after tension with the Celebrants died down, and so it was that Astoria became a town of learning. Brilliance ushered in brilliance, with many coming from around the country to study with the Erudite Disciples scholars’ guild. Soon, the Academia Astoria would be constructed, cementing its home as Lestre’s capital of erudition.

Despite the reputation of the Academia Astoria, the town is not one of Lestre's bustling cities of activity and commerce. Its somewhat secluded location surrounded by the dense Riegan Woods makes it an out-of-the-way locale whose only main draw is the school itself. Considered to be the equivalent of a 'college town', most people who come to live here are either dedicated to their studies, or individuals and families looking for a quiet place to settle down. Organized crime has not managed to find any foothold here in the town's long history, largely because its small and peaceful population is considered to be too insignificant to be worth the effort. While individual bad actors still exist, Astoria was generally considered a safe place to live - prior to The Diablerie.

Because of its unusual number of scholars, Astoria boasted technological improvements beyond that of most settlements in Lestre. This steam-powered tech would help the town survive the initial wave of The Diablerie where many of its neighbors could not. These days, no word comes in and no word goes out. The shelter of scholars has been effectively cut off from the state, and the world at large, completely.

the land of steam, lestre

The nation to which Astoria owes its fealty. A peaceful, well-off country, now cut off from Astoria.

The land of steam, so named for its many fantastical steam-powered contraptions, Lestre is a parliamentary monarchy led by King Lestre II. Though not a theocracy, the state shares close ties with the Celebrants of the New World Order, whose religious practices are wide-spread across the nation. Many citizens worship the dragon god of Order and believe its nemesis, Chaos, to be the embodiment of evil. There are small sects, however, who view these roles in reverse, and it is not unheard of for some individuals to reject the divinity of the twin dragon gods outright.

The Celebrant religion has a history older than Lestre itself, with some of Lestre’s earliest inhabitants being zealots of the dragon god. For as long as Order has flown through the skies above, so too have the people below worshipped in its shadow, and this strong belief in Order colors much of Lestre’s modern laws and outlook. Celebrants value a high standard of personal conduct and a strict personal regimen. Law is morality, and morality stands above all. Self-discipline, controlled habits, personal responsibility, and gratuitous charity work are all highly valued within the faith, and to a lesser degree all citizens within Lestre.

This emphasis on morality led to friction with the scientific community, whose research into the cyclical nature of the world came at odds with the Celebrants’ preached history of Order. To this day, study into world cycles is prohibited within Lestre, though the ‘heretics’ who once investigated their mysteries are left be.

Lestre sports a temperate, if slightly cold climate, averaging -12°C (10°F) in winters and 16°C (60°F) in summers. More than half of its acreage is covered in flatland forests, particularly the dense Riegan Woods surrounding Astoria, and forestry accounts for most of the nation’s economic boons.

neighboring lands

Other countries that your characters may hail from.

To Lestre’s west lies the tumultuous Kingdom of Sila. Sila’s level of technological advancement and general quality of living have always lagged behind Lestre’s, something not at all helped by the paranoid reign of the last Silan queen. Her murder in Oynos 690 left behind an empty throne, sparking an ongoing civil war over the resulting power vacuum that has only worsened the lives of her former subjects. These days, Sila is considered a lost cause by its neighbors, and the closest to cross-nation relations they manage are their scuffles occasionally spilling over the Lestrian border. (Reach out to Freiheit for more information regarding Sila.)

Looking across Lestre's northern border reveals a different world, the neighboring nation of Yuan. Dominated by a mountainous landscape, arable valleys in the south give way to towering peaks and desolate fields as one heads farther north. Due to the unique geography surrounding Yuan, its denizens have developed a unique way of life that has allowed them to adapt to the icy tundra biome of Yuanese territory. Yuan still bears the scars of a natural disaster in 544 AE, a catastrophe nicknamed Terminus by historians. Terminus was a large scale earthquake that caused landslides and avalanches in the northeastern region of Yuan, resulting in numerous casualties and a nation still in the process of rebuilding to this very day. (Reach out to Lua for more information regarding Yuan.)

• As its name suggests, the Far North sits on the farthest reaches of the continent, nestled atop a series of mountains that tower high into the sky. These mountains eventually even out into deep tundra, frozen valleys, and sprawling, dark coniferous forests. A seemingly perpetual winter blankets the area no matter the time of year, and within the region presides vicious clans who fight over territory and resources. The remarkable phenomenon has been called several names throughout its history, though the moniker The Everlasting Winter has been by far the most popular. After the events of The Diablerie, the already hostile areas of the Far North became even more inhospitable, as the fearsome demons lurk within the snow and shadow of the lands. It is generally ill-advised to travel through due to the instability of the land and the Northerners' aggression toward outsiders. (Reach out to Kintsugi for more information regarding the Far North.)

Throughout the map are the territories of Lunaldi, a nomadic nation consisting of bestrals (and only bestrals) of all stripes. The Luna people move from place to place to take advantage of different climates, follow migratory herds of the animals they hunt, and to harvest various agroforests they have planted when the crops are in season. The Luna are known for their skilled metalworkers, and have traded frequently with Lestre, though the small trading caravans they send into Lestre's borders do not do the full scope of the nation's size justice. (Reach out to Rin for more information regarding Lunaldi.)

Parthissia, a kingdom to the southwest, is a bastion of opulence and gold. Though pride and wealth runs rampant in equal measure, the Parthissian culture is rich with diversity but lacking in fairness between the wealthy elite and the poor. The Council is made up of five Judges, all wearing golden masks unique to them. These five declare law and punishment for its citizens, yet those of the underground know that bribes, hush money, and political intrigue are a daily occurrence in those gilded halls. When The Diablerie struck, that land blessed by the golden sun rays and its gallant architecture now is a barren bed of demons and lives cut woefully short. Some say treasures remain of its people, but none have the gumption to tread these bloodstained marble halls and their columns. (Reach out to Gigi for more information regarding Parthissia.)

The kingdom of Valmere is one of the smaller temperate countries to the far northwest of Lestre, and is primarily known as a prosperous land of art, music, and architecture. The Chaine de Glace mountain range serves as its northern border, separating it from Yuan. Governed by an absolute monarchy, its rulers typically hail from a network of prominent families. Valmere profits heavily from mining precious metals and gemstones, and has become a busy trading hub for jewelry, paintings, sculptures, and other artisanal goods. Its population-dense capital, Aveline, boasts of beautiful theaters and art galleries, attracting visitors from all places of origin. While its leaders have traditionally held artistic endeavors in the highest regard, its technological landscape remains comparable to that of neighboring lands, if not only slightly behind. It has a decent military, with members of many noble houses considering joining the Valmerian Knights as a highly honorable undertaking. (Reach out to Kana for more information regarding Valmere.)

The Khagan Empire is a vast nation of various conquered states to the west of Lestre. Its neighbors are Sila to the east, Yuan to the north, and the small nation of Korvatunturi to the northeast. Within the Khagan Empire exists a dizzying number of different cultures and practices, with the richest and most historied embraced by the khaganate rulers. Over eighty years ago, the empire acquired the Kingdom of Astakhov, which itself was formed by several smaller principalities in a semi-equal coalition. Since then, it has been threatening the autonomy of Korvatunturi, though its conquering ambitions are somewhat tempered by the geographical difficulties of assaulting Korvatunturi’s primarily mountainous landscape. Although surrounding nations refer to the empire as the Khagan Empire (and its citizens as under "Khagan" rule), this is an exonym, and local citizenry would call themselves "Lakanians." (Reach out to Gravy for more information regarding Khagan and Korvatunturi.)

Far to the southwest of Lestre, the Free Cities of Sirokkar span a lawless stretch of dunes and scattered ocean islands, the primary landmass a sweep of sand rolling straight into the sea. Once a monarchy, Sirokkar's cities are now divided among merchant magnates and pirate warlords who constantly clash in bloody feuds. The old monarchy still remains within the walled city of Khassimar, serving as the neutral ground and the main gateway for trade: both the deserts and coastal islands have vast swathes of nitrate that make Sirokkar the primary exporter of black powder in the region. Because the nation straddles two oceans - sand and water - the Sirokkari devised skimmers, catamaran craft with replaceable sand-runners that let them glide across dunes as well as surf. While firearms shape Sirokkari society and warfare, the Free Cities’ perpetual conflict prevents exporting them in bulk. (Reach out to Anteka for more information regarding Sirokkar.)

NOTE: If you would like to expand on the surrounding nations, we encourage members to submit lore that will then be added to this section of the guidebook. Please note that submitted lore may need to be tweaked to fit with the existing setting, though all such tweaks will be run by the submitter first.

attitude towards bound

People making agreements with major demons during a demon invasion is not exactly the most respected decision.

From an outward glance, there is often little about a bound that would make them stand out from an unbound. In fact, most could live the rest of their doomed lives disguised as a perfectly ordinary person. It is only when their demon-granted abilities come into play that the differences between those that collude with major demons and those that don’t become apparent.

In the town of Astoria, bound are regarded as simultaneously helpful and suspicious. To most ordinary citizens - the unbound - making deals with demons is variously seen as foolish at best, to downright sinister at worst. Yet, thanks to their magic resistance, it can't be denied that the bound are some of Astoria’s greatest weapons, to the extent that the majority of the Mourning Knights, the town's sworn protectors, have agreed to such a binding. It is these individuals who are called upon to investigate complaints that bound may be misusing their abilities to disrupt the order of the town. Any criminals thus captured are not only prosecuted for their infractions against the law (see the relevant entry in our FAQ), but any information about their demon binding and known abilities is gathered and turned over to Town Hall for use at their discretion, including as a factor in the nature of their punishment.

Unless they are deemed to be behaving in a manner that threatens the stability of the town, bound (and demi-fiends) are not persecuted for their demonic influences. Though the majority might be wary of them, it is generally acknowledged there is a clear distinction between a demon and a person with demonic properties, who still possesses the free will to do either good or evil.

As it takes place in a fantasy world, Astoria's society includes a variety of sapient humanoid species. Below you'll find a list of all playable species, as well as lore about them and their sub-species. As a note, the species featured on site are distinct enough from one another that they do not correlate to race or nationality.

species options

In Astoria, not every character is your typical human being from our world. While all species are collectively referred to as ‘humanity’, several species exist with unique names and traits of their own. We encourage you to take these species descriptions as a baseline, and not an absolute - there is variation between individuals, and a character's appearance can also be altered through the effects of disability, magic, human experimentation, etc. If there's a particular concept you want to explore, please let staff know how it differs from the species baseline and we'll let you know if it's feasible to be accommodated! However, do keep in mind that that the town of Astoria is designed for beings roughly the same shape and size as the human beings of our world, and the more a character differs from that baseline, the more likely it is they will have a difficult time interacting within the town.

Each species includes a number of subspecies to represent the diversity within that group. While we have listed some subspecies beneath each species to get ideas flowing, you are not limited to these options when creating your own characters, and we encourage members to come up with their own - particularly in the case of bestrals, who are as varied as the animal kingdom. A form to submit lore for a specific member-created subspecies is included in our moderation request thread, so don’t be afraid to share the creativity with your fellow writers!

hume

Astoria's version of the typical human being.

The species most similar to our real-world idea of a ‘human’. The most abundant species of the Lestrian populace, humes alone took up more than seventy-five percent of the pre-Diablerie census. That number has fallen due to humes’ lack of natural defense, making them more susceptible to demon attack than their brethren, but statistically speaking, they still dominate at around fifty percent of survivors.

Humes are known for, above all, their tenacity. While naturally weaker and shorter-lived than the species they live alongside, determined not to be outdone, they make up for their weaknesses through technological advancement and sheer grit. Though obviously not every hume is the same, a general rule of thumb their neighbors keep is that a hume knocked down will always get back up once. Commoner humes tend to live in extended family units, with three generations sharing a roof. Nobility takes this a step further by sharing homes only with their nuclear family unit - wed individuals and their children. They have an average lifespan of around 60, regardless of their full or half-hume parentage.

• Halfling - Humes resulting from the union of a hume and bestral or drakete. Halflings will almost always closely resemble their hume lineage, lacking many of the distinctive features that separate bestrals and drakete from humes originally. Half-bestrals will only vaguely resemble the animal from which they borrow traits (pointed fangs, improved vision, etc., but rarely additional appendages), and a half-drakete will never be able to transform.

bestral

A humanoid species featuring the traits of various animals.

A species featuring degrees of animalistic traits. Some bestrals may appear as very similar to a hume with minimal defining traits, while others are far more animalistic - nearly an animal walking on two legs. Bestrals featuring more animalistic traits will often have offspring of the same nature, and vice versa, though nature is a wild and curious thing, and exceptions have been made. On average, bestrals tend to be stronger and more durable than a hume, though less so than a drakete.

Bestral culture is as varied as its subspecies, and even within those subspecies any individual group may have their own views on how life ought to look. Many subspecies find themselves at odds with one another, bestrals so similar yet so distant, though this rarely extends beyond a mild distaste for one another. More than each other, though, do bestrals tend to distrust humes, whose technological advancements have encroached on the more natural lands that bestrals prefer. Though it varies, generally bestrals keep to packs that may include multiple smaller family units. They have an average lifespan of around 90.

• Terrestrian - Bestrals featuring traits of quadrupedal land-locked animals, such as canines or felines. Tend to feature tails, animalistic ears, increased speed, and enhanced senses.
• Avian - Bestrals featuring traits of aerial animals, such as birds or bats. Tend to feature wings (vestigial or functional), feathers, the ability to hover or fly, and enhanced senses.
• Subnautian - Bestrals featuring traits of aquatic animals, such as fish, pinnipeds, or cetaceans. Tend to feature tails, the ability to breathe underwater, increased durability, and enhanced senses.
• Mythical - Bestrals featuring traits of mythological animals or creatures, such as unicorns, phoenixes, or fae.
• Many More - Though not as common as the humes, bestrals are far more varied, and more subspecies than have currently been classified exist across the world. If there is a particular animal you’d like to base your bestral on, it is almost certainly fair game.

drakete

A long-living species capable of transforming into mighty dragons.

A species most closely associated with the dragon gods of Order and Chaos. Featuring pointed ears and a tendency toward brightly colored or iridescent hair and eyes, they tend to stand out amongst humanity for their unusual features. Each drakete boasts strength and durability above both hume and bestral, and pure-blooded drakete are unique for their ability to transform into a draconic form by channeling their lineage’s magic through an implement. This item, particular to each drakete, is chosen at a young age and spiritually imbued with a piece of their very essence. Most drakete are taught to protect their implement with their lives, for without it, they cannot transform; while it is sturdy, it is not unbreakable, and if lost or destroyed, it can never be replaced with another. Depending on subspecies, draconic forms may range in size from slightly larger than a human to dozens of meters long, and even within each subspecies, they come in a dizzying variety of colors and shapes. When transformed, a drakete cannot speak human language, but is able to communicate in a special language utilizing their draconic mouthparts that is understandable by non-transformed drakete.

Blessed - or cursed - with very long lifespans, the drakete find the much shorter-lived humes and bestrals to be somewhat of an oddity. What is only a small fraction of a drakete’s life could be more than half of another human’s, and as such, their priorities and way of going about things rarely line up. Moreover, drakete are comparatively quite rare, making up less than five percent of the total population. They shun the extended family structures of the humes and bestrals, typically only forming a family unit just long enough to raise their children, and go their separate ways again as soon as they determine the young are mature enough to care for themselves. This solitary lifestyle leaves drakete with nothing by way of lineage or inheritance, and a drakete being born into nobility is virtually unheard of. They have an average lifespan of around 500.

• Draco - Thought to be direct descendants of the dragon gods of Order and Chaos. Larger and bulkier on average than most of their drakete cousins. When transforming, their forms are quadrupedal, and include a pair of wings.
• Lung - Tall and lean when compared to the average drakete. When transforming, their forms are serpentine, with two pairs of legs and no wings.
• Wyverin - Slighter than a draco, though often still tall and imposing. When transforming, their forms are bipedal, with a pair of wings in place of arms.
• Drakin - The smallest of all drakete, shorter than even the average hume. When transforming, their forms are quadrupedal, but lack the characteristic wings of the draco.
• Amphin - Fragile by drakete standards, though still more durable than the average hume. When transforming, their forms lack legs, instead having one or more pairs of wings on which to fly.
• Wyrmrin - Considered outliers among most of the drakete community, there is some debate over whether the wyrmrin are truly connected to the dragon gods or if they are simply one of many bestral ancestries with the unique ability to transform. When transforming, their forms lack arms, legs, or wings, resulting in a more serpentine or worm-like appearance.

demi-fiend

Characters who have consumed demon flesh and been irrevocably changed as a result.

A species of humans who have been dramatically altered by the direct influence of demons. When the flesh of a demon is consumed or injected into a human, the demon’s magical properties overwrite parts of the human’s existence, creating a new creature not quite human, but not quite demon, either. For the first 24 hours after consumption, the person will feel nauseous and anxious, like they're about to fall ill. They will experience a flu-like illness for the next 24 hours, with additional soreness/itchiness in certain areas of the body. This is a sign that at the end of the two day period, those areas will rapidly and painfully sprout horns, tails, wings, and/or intricate markings overtaking the skin, at which point illness-like symptoms will cease. While every demi-fiend has a unique combination of demonic features, they are always identifiable by the change to their eyes: an unnatural iridescence that betrays their new infernal nature. The demi-fiend transformation also grants magic resistance equivalent to a bound.

Demi-fiends have no shared culture, as their existence is a rather recent affair, dating back only to the start of The Diablerie. Many are treated as defectors by humanity, who view their infernal traits as a sign of deference toward the demon invasion; conversely, demons are particularly disgusted by demi-fiends, viewing their half-and-half nature as an insult to ‘true’ demonkind. As such, demi-fiends are often ostracized, and either are drawn toward one another through their unexpected kinship or further seclude themselves from an uncaring society.

• Hume-Fiend - Demi-fiends who began as a hume. Most likely to sprout new appendages as a result of the change in their bodies.
• Beast-Fiend - Demi-fiends who began as a bestral. In extreme cases, beast-fiends may lose some of their animalistic features as they are replaced by demonic appendages, though in most cases, beast-fiends have the easiest time passing themselves for regular people.
• Draco-Fiend - Demi-fiends who began as a drakete. Most likely to bear new markings over their skin as a result of the change in their bodies.

Anyone of the above species will always undergo the demi-fiend transformation when consuming or being injected with demonic matter.

In the cases of the species below, their artificial nature may or may not give them a natural immunity to the process of fiendification. As inorganic beings, automatons cannot 'consume', and are therefore always immune. As incredibly varied beings, conjurations must be examined on a case-by-case basis, though the 'truer' to a natural species they are, the more likely they are to be susceptible to this kind of demonic corruption.

automaton

Sentient man-made creations coming in many shapes and sizes.

An inorganic form of life created by brilliant Lestrian scholars during a period of great intellectualism. Automatons are steam-powered machines that were built with or have somehow gained sentience, granting them an intellect equal to or greater than the average human. Automatons come in many different shapes and sizes and are not strictly humanoid in appearance - their form may be inspired by an animal, a structure, an instrument, or nothing in particular at all.

The first recorded automaton was recorded as having been built in 533 AE, though it lacked the same level of sentience as today’s more advanced models. Automatons these days do not age the way humans do, though are more fragile than their biological counterparts and require regular maintenance to keep up with their basic daily functions. While automatons were once considered the property of their owners, Lestre respects the autonomy of the automaton people, and they are treated with the same respect and individualism as any human. (NOTE: Regardless of the in-universe date of the automaton’s creation, automatons written as characters must mentally comply with our character age restriction; that is, they should at least mentally be at the level of a teenager or older.)

• Android - Designed to mimic a human's shape as nearly as possible. May appear similarly in form to humes, bestrals, drakete, or even demi-fiends, though they remain unmistakably mechanical in appearance.
• Musiloid - A popular form of automaton inspired by musical instruments. Many android-esque musiloids feature instruments in place of typical human body parts, replacing limbs, torsos, or even the head; others are more akin to locomotive music boxes.

conjuration

Sentient magic-made creations coming in many shapes and sizes.

With demonic bindings growing ever more available, on very rare occasions, a form of life previously unheard of can be introduced into the world. Sometimes intentionally, other times not, magic can be used to create sapient lifeforms that don’t fall into the categories listed above; these beings are collectively known as conjurations.

Because magic is varied, conjurations may take many different appearances, some more humanoid than others. Some may inherit magical properties from the magic that made them, though in those who are sentient enough to qualify, this is rare and limited in scope. A conjuration may perfectly resemble another species or be immediately identifiable as something beyond nature and manufacture, dependent on how they were created; some may age, or require sustenance, and others not. Their existence has sparked much intrigue in the academic community of Astoria, though rather than treated as test subjects, the town universally respects their autonomy as they would any other species.

(NOTE: Though in-lore magic can result in any number of creations, playable conjurations are held to the same standards as other playable species. This means conjurations cannot have a ‘mental age’ lower than our age minimum; must have a size/form that can reasonably interact with a town built for humans; and can only have minor magical properties that do not extend further than what a bestral or automaton could accomplish.)

• Replica - Conjurations that are functionally beings of another species, save for their origins as a creation of magic.
• Awakened - Non-sapient creatures or objects that have been gifted sapience. Some retain their original form before their 'awakening', while others experience a transformation alongside the birth of a new consciousness.
• Homunculus - Rather than a 'birth' or sudden appearance, homunculi are created through deliberate construction not unlike an automaton, though through infernal means rather than traditional engineering.

the next generation

Despite being labeled as separate species, the human species on our site generally have no difficulty forming families and having children together. Some characteristics predominate over others, however, and for quick reference when deciding on your character’s lineage, a general guide of what-pairings-result-in-what has been included below.

• Hume + Bestral or Drakete - Results in a halfling, a hume with slight features from their non-hume parent. Halflings reproduce as humes and do not pass their own non-hume features on to the next generation.
• Bestral + Bestral, Drakete + Drakete - Results in one subspecies from one parent or the other; rarely results in a mix of the two.
• Bestral + Drakete - Results in a reptilian bestral of the mythical subspecies, regardless of the bestral parent’s subspecies; never results in a drakete.
• Demi-Fiends - Treated as their base form (hume, bestral, or drakete) for means of reproduction.
• Automatons - Cannot reproduce with any other species. New automatons must be built by another party.
• Conjurations - On account of their very recent emergence, few if any cases of a conjuration with child have been noted, and whether they can reproduce at all is poorly understood. Out-of-character, this is dependent on the particular pairing, and any children will always be the species of the other parent if not a conjuration, or a hume if both parents are conjurations.

Astoria features optional player-led factions, called subplots, which help impact the overall narrative. Below are rules for playing limited roles in subplots, as well as a brief summary of the lore of each one.

subplots overview

A brief explanation of what subplots are, and our requirements for playing characters in limited roles.

Subplots are organizations of varying sizes that pursue certain goals within the town of Astoria. Below you will find a list of our site subplots, a brief history of each one, and its leadership structure. While our subplots are structured to have greater opportunities to impact the ongoing site plot of Astoria, engagement with them is completely optional, and any character may choose to join one, multiple, or none of them.

Each subplot includes one or more canon or limited roles, which are positions of authority within each subplot that have a greater influence on the setting. While any character can contribute to our narrative, these positions play important roles in the script and demand a higher level of investment and activity. If you intend to play a canon or limited subplot role (especially a subplot leader), staff expect that you will reach out to us with ideas to help shape the site plot. All ideas will be subject to staff approval, but the intent is to empower you to help us tell stories that will impact the world of Astoria in its totality.

Canon roles require a purchase from our site shop in order to be played, allowing the buyer to either create a new character or promote an existing character to the role. Canon roles cannot be applied for as a member's first character in their backstory (though a first character may be promoted to the role after IC development). Canon slots lost due to inactivity, or a reserve running out before the character is applied, will need to be re-purchased in the shop. Currently, our only canon roles are the five councilors on the town council.

Limited subplot roles are of lesser importance than canons, and as such can be applied for at any time without purchase of a shop item, including as a member's first character. Existing characters may also be added to, removed from, or promoted to subplot roles (both limited and unlimited) through showing appropriate IC development.

Both canon and limited subplot roles are subject to higher activity requirements (please see the Limited Roles Clause in our guidelines), and a character that fails to be checked in automatically loses their slot, though the slot can be requested again if the writer chooses to renew that account. To see which positions are claimed, please refer to our claims masterlist. All subplot roles are limited unless marked as unlimited in the claims list. Once all slots for a canon or limited subplot role are filled, no more characters may be added to the role (including an inactive character that formerly held the role returning to play) unless an existing character goes inactive or is otherwise removed.

Member-submitted subplots are also encouraged, and may be submitted for staff approval in our moderation request thread or a ticket in our server. Subplots require at least three relevant character applications (pending or approved) from different members before they may be submitted.

list of subplots

Factions and organizations within Astoria.

Below is a list of each active site subplot, its general history, its membership structure, and a link to its development board, if one is available. While not required reading for all members, if you are writing a character profile that is heavily involved in a subplot, we encourage you to review the extra lore contained within that subplot's dedicated thread, as it will be taken into consideration when reviewing that character's app for lore compliance.

Astoria is governed by the five members of the town council, who are considered canon roles. The councilors are a small group of elected officials who ran the general goings-on around Astoria prior to The Diablerie. After the start of The Diablerie, with many survivors from surrounding areas flocking to Astoria’s promise of safety, the council was suddenly looked to as an organization that would lead and protect citizens new and old of their town. Some acknowledged they were not up to the task and stepped down. Those who remain are dedicated, if severely underprepared, to seeing their town survive the end of times. Currently, the councilors meet on a weekly basis to discuss the ongoing events within and around Astoria, largely to create a plan of action for the coming week or for larger-scale projects. In order for the council to act on a suggestion in an official capacity, there must be a majority vote (minimum three of five).

Original members of the town council were elected by citizens of Astoria, though those who came to replace the councilors who died or stepped down were recommended and approved by the remaining members. Should any current or future councilor meet a similar fate (or for OOC purposes, go inactive), new councilors will be selected in a similar way. In order to be one of the original town councilors, a character must be a minimum of 25 years of age; in light of the pressures on the population, this rule was removed for councilors approved by existing members after The Diablerie. Additionally, all town councilors must be citizens of Lestre (either by birth or by acquired nationality) and not hold a high-ranking position in any other country that would lead to a conflict of interest.

Other members of town hall are considered subplot roles and may be applied for without a purchase. They include the secretary, who takes notes at meetings, issues official press releases, and compiles the townsfolk's legal records; the treasurer, who manages town hall's finances, gives recommendations on the budget, and organizes fundraising efforts; and the civil servants, ordinary employees who perform the day-to-day functions that keep town hall running.

A religious sect, often shortened simply to Celebrants, that worships the dragon god of Order. Celebrants pray for Order’s victory over its sworn nemesis, the dragon god of Chaos, whom they believe seeks to destroy the world. To remain in Order's favor, they swear to embody the ideals of tidiness, lawfulness, and orderliness in their everyday lives. They believe that without order, life would be consumed by the random violence of the universe - best exemplified by death being a chaotic end to an ordered existence, and therefore not to be dwelled upon. The Celebrant faith as known today was founded by the first five Order-bound, given the power to interpret Order's will, and with few exceptions it is the predominant religion across the lands. While the largest chapel and center of the Lestrian faith is located within the capital, most Order-honoring cities, towns, and villages have one or more chapels of their own.

Astoria's local Celebrant Chapel is managed by the ordant, who leads worship ceremonies. Their followers include two cervants, who assist the ordant and organize activities within the chapel; munacs, who live on chapel grounds and engage members of the community in Order-honoring activities and lifestyles; and the congregation, ordinary folk who come to worship at their leisure. Most Celebrants, if bound to anyone, are bound to Order instead of the twelve major demons. The Celebrant Faith development board can be found here.

A religious sect, often shortened simply to the Creed, that worships the dragon god of Chaos. Creed members view Chaos as a hero fighting against the tyranny of Order, as the victory of Order over Chaos would spell the end of individuality across humanity. They believe existence naturally bends toward chaos, life and death cannot exist without the other, and reject rigidity and routine in myriad ways. Often viewed as heretics within the country of Lestre, worshippers of Chaos - already few in number - have been forced to keep their groups small and their meetings hidden in shadow, but will likely forever persist despite the Celebrants’ efforts to snuff them out. Some rare individuals believe The Diablerie is Chaos’s radical gambit against Order, and they celebrate the coming of the demons, though they are generally considered outliers even by the Creed.

As it has never been able to shape itself into a formal organization, Creed members within Astoria are more of a ragtag group of Chaos-worshippers who secretly hold gatherings at the Fiendish Fern. Though this particular group has no formal leader, the most respected senior member is termed venerable elder and generally regarded as having the final say in cases of conflict. (NOTE: The elder is determined by a combination of age and length of time spent with the Creed. To play the elder, your character must be a minimum of 100 years of age and have been with the Creed for at least 10 years.) The Pandemonic Creed development board can be found here.

Boasting only a small guard contingent of its own, Astoria was left vulnerable after most of its defenders succumbed to the initial attacks of The Diablerie. Discontent to roll over for subsequent attacks, many picked up their weapons and gathered together to form their own militia, dedicated to fighting the demons until their last breath. The Mourning Knights have since been recognized by Town Hall in an official capacity, and now serve the town council’s will as a non-profit, volunteer defense force. For the most part, Knights patrol the outer wall to pick off stray demons and alert the citizens of oncoming waves, though some are stationed throughout the town to help control domestic squabbles. They are headquartered at the Knight Barracks on the outskirts of town.

The marshal leads the Knights, with their deputy serving as second-in-command and speaking for the marshal when they are unavailable. Bound make up the majority of its vanguard, with the diabolic squadron led by four captains. However, particularly tenacious unbound still have their uses in the construction of traps and defending the people, and serve in the smaller mundane squadron, led by two captains. The trainees comprise those would-be knights, both bound and unbound, who have yet to prove their competency as full squadron members. The Mourning Knights development board can be found here.

A guild of scholars originating from the time of Astoria’s founding, when the learned were labeled as heretical and forced into hiding within Astoria’s fledgling walls. Though its members no longer have to fear for their safety or hide in the shadows, they continue operating under the old banner of the Erudite Disciples as a way to immortalize their troubled history in the town’s memory. These days, the Disciples are mostly alumni of the Academia Astoria; their Guild Hall borders the campus grounds, and the university is happy to loan its equipment and studies to guild members. However, independent researchers who lack interest in the school still participate in group meetings and throw their findings in the pot.

The Erudite Disciples are led by the disciple superior, a descendant of one of the original guild members. At their aid are three adjutant disciples, who enforce the disciple superior’s policies, and the various researchers affiliated with the guild. To foster an environment of erudition, the Superior works closely with the dean of the Academy, who oversees the school's professors and students. The campus' on-site library, Museon, also employs a head librarian, lead archivist, and various library staff in supporting roles. While there is no dev board dedicated to the Disciples as of yet, The Academia development board can be found here.

Information about the demons who have flooded Lestre has been collected here, including basics and the sorts of demons your characters will encounter in and around Astoria.

demonkind

General information that the public knows about demonkind.

Demons, sometimes referred to as lesser demons to differentiate from the twelve major demons that have chosen to assist humanity, are the primary enemies that the denizens of Astoria will face in combat as they attempt to restore their world from the ashes of the apocalypse. As varied as humanity is, demons are even more so, coming in a great variety of shapes and sizes: some are as small as insects, while others are large enough to dwarf buildings. Some are weak and easily dispatched, relying on numbers to pose significant threat, while other individuals are powerful enough to combat a squad of knights on their lonesome. Some are even capable of wielding their own demonic magic. Whether they operate on pure animalistic instinct, driven to destruction without cause, or are capable of thought and reason completely incongruous with humanity is currently unknown.

What little unifying information humanity has been able to gather about demonkind as a whole, is thus: Communication with lesser demons is a hopeless cause, and any semblance of human speech they may exhibit is but a cruel mockery of it. It is clear that the demons’ plan, such as it can be called one, involves an apocalyptic level of carnage and the mass death of humanity. Whether that is to simply destroy or to pave the way for something else, even Astoria’s brightest minds can only guess.

categorizing demons

Examples of demons your characters may combat.

Demons are as varied as they are violent. Though some appear to share a species with others of their kin, more often than not a demon will possess an appearance unique to itself, and almost never one that can be mistaken for the humans of this world. Most appear to share a resemblance with plants, creatures, constructs, or even mystical iconography. As such, the Town Hall has taken to classifying the demons Astoria has encountered and recorded into seven categories. These categories are fluid in that any one demon may fit into one, many, or none, and largely exist to stir ideas for members including demon interactions in their personal threads; if you have an idea for a demon that doesn't neatly fit this categorization, don't let us stifle your creativity!

• Infernal - Demons that resemble classic depictions of demons and devils in fringe occultic circles and creative fiction across history. They may have horns, caprine features, fiery motifs, or lawful evil dispositions.
• Divine - Demons that blaspheme the image of what is considered virtuous or sacred by humanity. Most are draconic in appearance, though radiance, scales, wings, and other themes of chaos and order are classified here.
• Feral - Demons that mimic the appearance of real-world plants or animals, though incorrectly in details small or numerous. These are sometimes considered the most heinous, if only for the ones able to camoflage themselves as denizens of the natural world.
• Carnal - Demons who appear as ruinous variations of humanity's image. They take the form of beasts of corrupted flesh constructed from too many eyes, too few limbs, skin pulled taut over bubbling entrails. Would-be feral demons that are sufficiently deformed fall into this category instead.
• Mechanicum - Living works of all things inorganic. These demons' bodies are built from valves, gears, and all things distinctly machine. While the most common resemble modern day's steampunk technology, others are constructed truer to the real world, if not outright works of futuristic fiction; these are considered particularly unusual to Lestrian sensibilities.
• Aberrant - Demons whose make and meaning exist beyond humanity's comprehension. Without heeding any sensibilities of life and its aesthetics, they may take any form, or sometimes no form at all, ever-shifting and always uncanny.
• Sycophantic - Unlike the other categories, these demons are not classified based on properties unique to themselves. Rather, sycophantic demons are those who mimic the appearance and themes of one of the twelve major demons on top of falling into one of the previous six categories. These similarities are believed to not be mere coincidence, though one can only speculate as to why certain lesser demons would fashion themselves after the major twelve.

research results

Secrets revealed over the course of the roleplay.

Since the start of The Diablerie, curious minds have set about trying to better understand the nature of demons and their arrival that their war might better be combatted. As the plot progresses and through the efforts of characters across the site, discoveries about demonology and related topics will be collected and reported here, as well as the dates in-universe that they were discovered.

BAELDE 713 AE, IN THIS TRAIL WE BLAZE

• While not all those who believed in and wrote of demons were accurate in their fantastical ravings, the wealthy Mr. Crowley from the nearby town of Ashburg is discovered to have written a number of journals whose contents suspiciously reflect the reality of the present demon threat.

BAELDE 713 AE, IN THE PATH OF SWORDS

• It is believed that lesser demons arrive in the human world through spatial rifts connecting their plane of reality with ours. This was first theorized through the limited information major demons have been willing to share with their bound, and confirmed when an expedition to Ashburg discovers a demonic portal in Crowley's basement.
• Following the instructions of one of Crowley’s journals - and a live demonstration - it is discovered that these portals can be temporarily shut through the sacrifice of living flesh. This knowledge is kept secret from all but the town council and the Mourning Knights’ leadership.
• Though this portal has been sealed, there are no doubt still countless numbers in the surrounding forest. Astorians have been formally warned to avoid going near any portal they may encounter, and to bring them to the attention of the Mourning Knights immediately.

FULLAE 713 AE, IN PLAYING WITH PORTALS

• Cultists are caught while attempting to expand their collection of journals penned by Crowley and open the portal that was temporarily sealed in Ashburg. They reveal they are all that remain of a larger group hoping to appeal to demonkind that they may be spared for their fealty; to do so, they have been attempting to maintain and open new portals. Their group is determined too small and ineffective to be of particular import or threat to Astoria, though before being exiled to the wilds, the cultists warn that others will come to see their way and turn against humanity, if they haven’t already.
• The journal details several means to permanently close portals, which have, alongside the Crowley journals themselves, been given to the Academia and can be accessed by anyone through the Museon Library. So far, only one of the suggested rituals has appeared to work, involving the sacrifice of a corpse amalgamation. For more details, refer to the following.
• It is discovered that portals can additionally be sealed in the long-term - albeit not permanently closed - using slabs made primarily of alloys. These may be made more resistant to the long-term effects of demonic corruption when mixed with the properties of precious metals.

application guide

Astoria features a profile application, meaning that all required forms can be filled through the user control panel (UCP). The UCP is broken up into sections for easy navigation, but for those who are still a bit confused, we’ll go over each section and fields of note here.

• Avatar & Account Type - The first two dropdowns you’ll see will determine your account’s avatar style and which fields - IC or OOC - will appear in the UCP. For avatar styles, we feature the option between a large square image (with a recommended size of 300x300 or larger) or four smaller square images (with a recommended size of 150x150 or larger), the comparison between the two seen here. Both styles will utilize an uploaded avatar, so remember to upload an image for best effect!
• OOC Information - The first section will appear for either IC or OOC accounts, and on IC accounts applies to the last tab of the main profile. The ‘please tag’ field is for topics that you would like to avoid seeing when threading with other members. The art credits field must credit each piece of art included in your profile that is not open source; either the artist's name or a direct link to their webpage is acceptable. When using an original character design owned by you (whether your own art or a commission), please indicate such in the art credits as well. These fields, except art credits when inapplicable, are all required.
• Character Basics - IC fields that will largely appear in the first tab of the main profile. All fields are required except where indicated below; for any that may be inapplicable to your character, please fill them in with ‘n/a’. Pronouns, species, and occupation will also appear in the member list and post row; keep it short, or they will not display properly. ‘Face Claims’ are optional; if using a face claim, please reference our naming conventions so the auto-claims code will display it correctly in the list. The ‘Quote’ field is also optional, and the ‘Plotter and Development Links’ may optionally be filled in after acceptance.
• Alignments - Slider bars that indicate your character’s alignments, with the defaulting 50 as a ‘neutral’ value. These fields are all required.
• Dossier - The bulk of the application, where you will describe your character and their backstory. Our profile application features a modular dossier, meaning that you may choose which kinds of fields you'd like to include from the dossier style dropdown. A detailed guide to filling out the dossier can be found below, as well as a style reference for pre-styled tags.
• Abilities - Fields pertaining to bound abilities and miscellaneous skills, talents, and tricks. Every bound character may begin with one ability granted to them by their demon. In the UCP, you may select how many abilities your character currently has unlocked and fill out the forms accordingly. More details on how abilities function can be found in the Groups & Binding page. These fields are all optional.
• Template Auto Fill - Astoria features pre-made templates for use on the forum, and these templates will pull information from your UCP to generate default lyrics and images. Just as using our templates, these fields are all optional. More information on how to utilize our auto-fill templates can be found in our template archive.

dossier breakdown

For the dossier, we require that something pertaining to your character be included that shows evidence of how your character has come to exist as they are in the present day. Please recognize that staff are human, and keep your dossier to a reasonable length: 2,000 words or less is preferred, with a hard cap of 3,000 words, shared among all character-relevant sections of the dossier (freeform, timeline, and miscellaneous other information like appearance). When reviewing character applications, we look for a number of things to be explained somewhere in the dossier before processing a pending character, which include the following:

• For all characters, we ask to see why your character is currently residing in Astoria after The Diablerie (even if it was just that they were born here and have nowhere else to go) and what they are currently doing to aid (or not) the town in these challenging times. Please note that while characters are permitted to have unpleasant personalities or selfish motives, the overall theme of Astoria is one of community-building, and characters indicating a tendency to cause noticeable disruption to town objectives will not be approved.
• If your character is bound, we ask to see why they chose to bind to their demon.
• If your character fills a limited role (ie. canon or certain subplot positions), we ask to see how and why they qualified for that role.
• If you are not using a face claim or your character's appearance differs significantly from their face claim (such as by having extra limbs), please also include an explanation of such appearance.

The dossier includes multiple sections that you can mix and match to style your application to your liking. All formats include a required freeform section, but are all otherwise optional. Previews of each selection can be found here, and the sections you can choose from are as follows:

REQUIRED SECTION

• Freeform - Large text area. This section cannot be removed.

BOTTOM ROW OPTIONS choose one or none

• Palette - Area for a 5-color palette.
• Quote - Area for a quote (separate from the 'quote' field in basics).

RIGHT SIDE OPTIONS choose one or none

• Two_Freeform - A smaller secondary text area.
• Timeline - A timeline area with optional built-in styling.
• Image - A large image. Will automatically scale to size, but we recommend it be taller than it is wide if used alone (flipped if using a top right option).

TOP RIGHT OPTIONS choose one or none, must be combined with both a right side and a bottom row option if chosen

• Song - A spot for a single song Spotify embed.
• Playlist - A spot for a Spotify playlist embed.
• Moodboard - A 4-image moodboard. Images will automatically scale to size, but we recommend the first and fourth be taller than they are wide; the second and third be wider than they are tall.

profile styling

Here is a guide on how to style the freeform sections of your profile. Jcink uses HTML for most of its features, so remember to use the "less than" and "greater than" symbols when inputting code. Important to note is that break tags are unnecessary for additional spacing. You are more than welcome to style the long-form sections (freeforms and timeline) however you choose, but please use readable formatting. Staff will ask you to edit your dossier, including purely aesthetic elements, if it is unreadable or causes eye strain on either dark or light mode, or if it does not properly resize on smaller devices, due to accessibility concerns.

submitting for approval

Upon completing all required fields and as many optional fields as you desire, your character is ready for approval! If you are a member of our Discord, please open a moderation ticket in the application review panel; if not, you may get in contact with staff using the moderation request thread. Please fill out the appropriate form, and staff will review your application at their earliest convenience.

If you would like to make changes to your character's backstory or their abilities section (including an unbound character choosing to become bound and changing their membergroup through RP progression), we ask that you inform staff through the above mentioned channels for re-review of the new content. However, minor edits, such as to spelling/grammar, purely aesthetic elements, or miscellaneous trivia like aliases, do not need staff approval. Face claim changes also do not require staff approval (as long as the face is unreserved), but we request that you do not do it too often.

frequently asked

For questions that crop up more than once, or those that are particularly beneficial for the rest of the community to know. As more questions are asked, more may be added to this list, so please be sure to check in every so often to make sure your burning question hasn’t already been answered!

It's mentioned that bound and demi-fiends have 'resistance' against lesser demons. What does that mean?
The curious phenomenon commonly termed 'magic resistance' has only been observed, never systematically studied, but it appears to provide bound people and demi-fiends with additional resilience when fighting demons. Specifically, when directly attacked by a demon's physical body or magic attack, the level of harm is reduced by one degree of severity (e.g. a claw swipe that would slice off a limb only produces a deep laceration; a fireball that would reduce a person to ash only results in a disfiguring burn). This protection does not apply to purely mental effects like illusions, harm from indirect sources (such as a demon picking up a large boulder and throwing it at a bound), nor does it apply when bound and/or demi-fiends fight each other. Whether this is the major demons using their magic to 'shield' their bound; an inherent property of being altered by demonic contact that repulses and weakens lesser demons; or something else entirely still remains to be discovered.

Can an unbound person defeat a demon?
Yes, though only through careful preparation and a great deal of effort. The trouble is that demons rarely appear alone, and while dealing with one demon, a person lacking magic resistance could easily fall to a second. Unbound people tend to fight either by ganging up on small pods of demons with huge patrols, but more often by using technology to do the heavy lifting: walls to keep enemies out, traps to catch the unsuspecting, diversions where confrontation would be a death sentence, and so on.

Can people tell a bound from an unbound, or different demons' bound from each other?
No, at least not outwardly. The only thing separating a bound from an unbound are the abilities they gain from binding; that means that unless their ability is passive and visible, or they’re caught in the midst of using an ability, a bound could very easily pass as unbound. Additionally, because there is thematic overlap between bindings, there is no way to tell which entity a person is bound to, other than asking them to self-report and determining if they're lying. Major demons are the exception, being able to innately know this information, and a bound will never be invited to the binding plane of a demon other than the one they’ve bound themself to.

Can a person become bound without their knowledge/against their will?
No, while the demons are generally devious creatures, they see no reason to lie when offering a deal. A binding can only be formed after the person willingly accepts, being informed of the demon's false name, the nature of their binding ability/any other boons granted (though all the details may not be fully explained), and what price they will pay (including that they are doomed to a 'terrible fate') in exchange. A person who refuses the deal is simply let go and may become bound to a different demon (or even the same demon) at a later time. Despite this, it is possible for a character to become bound without properly understanding what they agreed to if they were a young child, mentally compromised, suffered amnesia after, etc.

Speaking of amnesia! Can my character have it?
Yes, but an amnesiac character is still subject to the backstory requirements in our application guide. That means that if they are bound, the reason they chose to bind must be indicated; any positions of authority or exceptionally rare skills must be justified; and it must be explained why they are currently living in Astoria. This is the case even if the character themself does not remember these things and they are not intended to ever recover these memories.

Since The Diablerie started in Destruere, 712 AE, is that the earliest a person can bind to a demon? What about studying demonology, or becoming a demi-fiend?
For the most part, yes! Under normal circumstances, a person wouldn’t willingly condemn their future to a demon promising such a terrible fate, and for the most part the major demons refrained from offering contracts until The Diablerie made it an easier sell. However, some rare cases of bindings exist across time, right up to the start of human history. These early bound had to keep their nature secret, while scarcely understanding it themselves; prior to The Diablerie, it was widely believed that demons, magic, and mythical creatures did not exist at all, and those rare individuals who claimed to believe in demons were generally dismissed as conspiracy theorists or even persecuted as heretics. Additionally, while there were rare sightings of conjurations created by binding magic - akin to "cryptids" in our world - lesser demons, and by extension demi-fiends, did not exist in the mortal world before The Diablerie.

Can my character have a magical ability tied to their sub/species?
No, characters cannot gain magical abilities outside of bindings. The following species-specific characteristics are allowed, albeit as a function of the species's biology or creation, rather than the ability to wield magic:

• A bestral's (including mythical) animal features may only be those that would normally be found in extant, real-world animals.
• Drakete can use their implement to transform, and their dragon form may have abilities appropriate to that creature's depiction in folklore or fantasy media, like a draco's fire-breathing or a lung's ability to fly without wings.
• When undergoing a demi-fiend transformation, a character keeps their existing sub/species abilities and gains magic resistance equivalent to a bound, but does not gain anything more except the possibility of additional, non-magical body parts.
• Automatons are able to have sentience due to a unique form of steam-powered technology. Aside from that, their capabilities should be limited to the type of technology available to regular humans of the time period.
• Conjurations, on account of their rarity, will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. However, any supernatural properties they have should be minor, and no greater than what a bestral or automaton would be capable of.

Is my character required to be from the country of Lestre?
Not at all! The world comprises many countries great and small, and you're welcome to invent a home country for your character. You may also submit a small blurb to the world of astoria section of the guidebook if you wish to allow other members to use it for backstory inspiration. However, please keep in mind that since the site plot will be focused around the town of Astoria, and to a lesser extent Lestre as a whole, we ask that you carefully consider how and why your character would have arrived in Astoria if they are originally from elsewhere. If you are heavily basing your character on another member's nation, please be sure to check in with that member for any lore questions.

What naming conventions are used in the site setting?
While Lestre is inspired by Victorian England, the country is cosmopolitan enough that you're free to use any real-world cultural inspiration for a Lestrian character's name, or invent a fantasy name of your own. If your character hails from one of the neighboring lands, please check in with that nation's creator.

What is the education system like in Lestre?
In Lestre, and by extension Astoria, the school system loosely follows that of Victorian England in the mid-1800s. Young children attend grammar schools for basic literacy, math, and religious instruction. Past that, private schools are available to those who can pay the fees to attend, or who have existing connections to the Academia; poorer children would be expected to work under their parents, or apprentice to learn a trade. To enroll in Astoria's local university, the Academia Astoria, one must be of age to be a legal adult (18) in their starting year, pass a test displaying at least moderate academic proficiency, and pay schooling fees. Gifted students can qualify for scholarships if they are unable to pay and particularly prodigious children might even be able to enroll at younger ages. The school term begins in early Vatilus and ends in late Fortus. It typically takes 4-6 years to graduate, depending on one's focus of study.

What does crime within Astoria look like pre- and post-Diablerie? Lestre?
Astoria was generally considered a safe place to live prior to The Diablerie. Individual crime still exists, but organized crime has not found its way into Astoria. Characters who were part of a criminal organization prior to The Diablerie would not have been based out of Astoria itself, but could have been located elsewhere - typically larger, more sprawling cities - within the country of Lestre.

Post-Diablerie, crime is rare and difficult to hide on account of the small, tight-knit community - to say nothing of that community's watchful eye. Astoria has neither a dedicated prison nor the means to maintain one even in a makeshift capacity. Citizens may be detained at a small jailhouse overseen by the Mourning Knights for petty crimes (a drunken brawl, theft), though temporarily. Citizens who are a recurrent threat to the safety of the town are removed - with force, if necessary - from the town, left to fend for themselves out in the wilds. Fortunately, such cases have been rare.

Do guns exist in this setting?
Yes, they do! The types of guns that would be available in Lestre correspond roughly to the 1830s-1860s in our world; however, due to the way society turned to steam powered technology rather than early stages of electricity, they are rarer, more expensive, and more temperamental than they were in our world at the time, having a high chance of backfiring against an unskilled wielder. In Astoria the town council has elected to direct resources to aid the townspeople in daily life, rather than continue developing and manufacturing a type of tech that is already volatile. Therefore a Lestrian would typically only own a gun if they had both the money to purchase it, and a significant time investment to master the safe handling of it - largely restricting them to the idle rich, the dedicated enthusiasts, or professional killers.

Do prosthetics exist in this setting?
Yes, they do as well! However, much like guns, they aren’t the most advanced technology, and they can’t completely replicate the body part which they aim to replace. Astorian scholars have researched more advanced prostheses, however, so someone with a great deal of wealth or a lucky connection may have access to something that runs on steam and can emulate the original bodily function a bit better than your standard fare.

How much does [XYZ] cost? How much money would my character make for [XYZ]?
Our site does not have an extensively detailed conworld, and the economic system is not something that staff will be developing - especially since it was thrown into shambles following The Diablerie. These days, the Town Council does not have the resources to allocate to tax and bill collection, and most people - if they were not already wealthy - have resorted to bartering their labor and what goods they can source on their own, in order to make ends meet. For those few interactions that do involve tribbles, you can assume that 1 tr = 1 dollar in the currency of your choice, with any inconsistencies between threads explainable as fluctuating supply and demand.

Can my character invent a new form of technology?
Yes, within reason. You can purchase the custom contraption item in our site shop to create a progress bar for a new form of technology, which will come into existence when the bar is filled. Please note that our thematic and power level limitations on demon binding powers apply to new forms of technology as well.

Are characters allowed to research and investigate world cycles/the dragon gods/the nature of major demons/et cetera? Can they make important discoveries regarding these topics?
Yes, absolutely. Knowledge is half a battle won, after all. However, if you intend for your character to solve these mysteries of the world, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

The mysteries of the world remain mysteries despite the people who have come and gone looking into them. That doesn't mean they're impossible to solve, but it also means that looking into them is a journey that will not reveal results overnight. Characters are not allowed to make any grand lore revelations in threads without first running the ideas by staff and getting the stamp of approval. Furthermore, since research takes time both in and out of character, we ask that members be patient with the staff team when asking for more detailed elaboration of existing lore, proposing new ideas, and/or requesting the results of a character's research. Characters who are newly accepted should also not expect to immediately make discoveries, even if their app establishes that they have been researching the particular topic in their past; we'd like to see in-thread efforts which will be rewarded accordingly.

We fully intend to drip-feed new revelations as the site progresses, particularly if certain characters are putting in the effort to find those revelations. If you are curious about what these rules apply to or what aspects of the lore you can dig further into, feel free to get in contact with staff!

How does the afterlife work, if at all, in the setting?
The concept of the afterlife, and by extension 'the soul' has been highly contested over the centuries, largely because it is something that cannot be definitively proven or disproven. Celebrant doctrine makes no argument for or against it, preferring to focus on maintaining orderly conduct during one's life and viewing death as a concept as chaotic and not worth speaking on. The academic community, and so Astoria through affiliation, has generally concluded that both 'the soul' and the afterlife are fictitious. Of note, though, demon bindings have brought up questions of the validity of at least 'the soul'. Demons are not shy in referring to the 'souls' of humanity, specifically in regards to their promised terrible fate, though it is unclear if this confirms 'the soul's' existence or simply a matter of communicating an idea of 'the self'. Do the souls of the dead haunt the earth in the form of ghosts? No one has ever seen - but then, no one had seen demons in the world before The Diablerie, either.

With no major factions in Lestre painting a specific image of what a life beyond would look like, individuals may believe or disbelieve in their own ways, and those who believe that death is not the end tend to have highly personalized and wildly different interpretations of what that entails. Out of character, because such speculation can be neither proven nor disproven, this means characters will not be able to discover it in research.

Can my character be killed off on this site?
The world of Astoria is a dangerous place, and death is an ever-present specter that looms over the town - so the answer is yes, but with caveats. You are always allowed to kill your own character when you feel their narrative arc has reached a satisfying conclusion, but you are required to obtain OOC permission to kill another person's character. Additionally, while staff will never kill a player's character without warning, some site events will be injury-enabled, and we will clearly signpost when taking certain foolish actions will result in unavoidably fatal consequences!

Awards are optional, small badges that appear on your character's profile. You can use awards to show off who your character is, as well as commemorate certain milestones or in-character achievements accomplished through roleplay.

claimable awards

Awards you can earn through RP and claim through the IBStore to display in your profile.

Below is a list of awards that we hand out here on the site. Some may be earned immediately on acceptance, but most will have to be claimed when certain criteria are met. Awards are broken up into a few categories: event awards, which can only be earned by participating in certain events; ooc awards, which are intended exclusively for out-of-character accounts; basic awards, which are claimable immediately upon acceptance or when joining a new group; milestone awards, which relate to reaching milestones for things like post count or number of completed threads; relationship awards, which are earned between two or more characters with a particular dynamic; and miscellaneous awards, which can be earned for all sorts of things!

To claim a reward, you can visit the site store to ‘purchase’ any award you qualify for, with the exception of relationship awards, which must be claimed from the site shop. When acquiring awards from the store, please remember to go to your inventory to ‘use’ them, otherwise they will not appear on your profile!

event awards

ooc awards

basic awards

milestone awards

relationship awards

Awards that involve another character on the site. These awards are not claimed through the site store, though they may be viewed there, and instead are claimed through the site shop. Relationship awards will include the name of another character and can be claimed multiple times if the award relates to more than one other character at a time.

miscellaneous awards

full credits

• Fizzyelf - auto claims, UCP updates, and thread tracker scripts.
• Athena Codes - UCP drop down toggle script.
• Lux - UCP slider bar script.
• Selkie - Custom fields in post template script.
• Coding Camp & CSSquad - troubleshooting help.
• Iconsax & Freepik - font icons.
• Freiheit - skin design, with conversion assistance from Lua.
• Lua & Freiheit - template designs.
• Chuzenji - artwork used around the forum.
• Fire Emblem & Shin Megami Tensei - story and lore inspirations.
• Case Study of Vanitas & Radiant Historia - aesthetic inspirations.
• Viewers Like You - thank you.