The sword gives way to the gun, technology replaces magic, and after a thousand years since its beginning, Camelot still stands strong... yet dark forces are rising and bad times are on horseback......
The current king of Camelot, Gunther Pendragon, and his son, Edgar, have gone to Avalon with a host of Gunslingers to aid Morgana in the fight against a rising warlord known only as the Goblin King.
The Merlin has been left behind to rule the kingdom in Gunther's stead as the refugees from Avalon arrive in droves, and troubles begin to arise in the land of Arthuria.
The war in Avalon has created an atmosphere of tension amongst the people, but in time it won't be the only thing to worry about, for dark days are ahead and too few will realize before it's too late. Where will you stand in all of this?
Rules
note that these are more like guidelines than actual rules
1. I'll allow some swearing, particularly if it's in a character's character to swear like a sailor, but try not to get too crazy.
2. No one-liners... just kidding, I'm actually okay with those, but do rub some funk into your posts from time to time at least.
3. Do check the spelling and grammar of your posts, and see to it that everything makes sense. Always a good thing to do.
4. Feel free to go at your own speed here, but try to post at least once a week before, well, read the actual rule at the bottom.
5. If you have questions or problems, pm me about it. I'll see what I can do.
6. Standard site rules I guess. No trolling, spamming, bumping, pornography, etc.
Now here's an actual rule: When the main story goes for a whole week without new posts, I make it fast forward a bit whilst keeping in mind what certain characters would do in certain situations, essentially making them NPC's until their owners tell me when they're ready to write again and make a post. The same rule applies for individual characters that're involved in current events. If you're unhappy with whatever I make your character do after a week of inactivity, tell me about it ASAP before it gets set in stone and what's done is done. Just know however, that I'll do my best to keep your character's actions in character. A decently fleshed out personality would really help out with that, otherwise we can talk about it though PM or Skype.
This rule does not apply for side stories, which only exist in the first place for characters that aren't currently involved in the main storyline. This rule also does not apply when I'm the one keeping everyone up.
Background
Okey dokes, first thing's first. Guns of Camelot. This term either refers to Gunslingers in general that are sworn to the king and kingdom of Camelot, or the legendary Caliburn Guns, or the Gunslingers who bear the aforementioned guns (aka Caliburn Knights). The special thing about the Caliburn Guns guns is that each of them is alloyed with a shard of Excalibur which allows them to harm just about anything due to the original enchantment of the sword. Even immortal beings become very mortal in the sights of these guns. The story behind this is that the Excalibur was melted down a long while back by Samantha Colt, the Merlin of that time, to create the Caliburn Guns. There was enough metal in the sword to create hundreds of fragments and so hundreds of the guns (all six-shot revolvers mind you) were made, but quite a few have been lost over time to the point where only the best Gunslingers are now permitted to carry them, as opposed to all Gunslingers the way it was originally meant to be. Finding lost Caliburn Guns is considered to be the only way other Gunslingers can prove themselves worthy of becoming a Gun of Camelot (aka Caliburn Knight when referring to the knights themselves), so they often go on quests to do exactly that, though there are sometimes other ways of earning them special guns. Great deeds or just simple inheritance for example. Being the equivalent of captains and royal guards, Caliburn Knights will have authority over other Gunslingers, though they may be challenged for their guns and status.
Gunslingers. Today's equivalents of the Knights of old and deadly crack shots, the lot of them. Though the six-shot revolver is their primary weapon, they might also train in the use of other guns such as rifles, shotguns, gatling guns (which qualify as pieces of artillery) and cannons, as well as grenades, combat knives, throwing knives, slings, slingshots, bows, crossbows, spears, quarterstaffs, barehanded fighting and the good old sword. Overall, you could say that the Gunslingers are a knowledgeable bunch in the way of violence, and this knowledge eventually gets passed down to squires, but their primary duty is the protection of their kingdom and its people. In function, they're more like guardsmen than elite soldiers, but when the chips are down, they can prove to be the most dangerous human beings in existence. They're also known for fostering rivalries between each other and going off on quests like searching for any lost Caliburn Guns (for the Gunslingers of Camelot), slaying some dangerous creature, travelling to distant lands and other such adventures. Also worthy of note, since the replacement of the sword with the gun, there is no reason why women cannot also be Gunslingers. Some of the very best are female after all.
The Merlin. It is both name and office, and from the first one of Arthur Pendragon's time to the current day, there must always be a Merlin in Camelot to advise the king and serve in matters of the mind. Way back when, it was magic, but now it's technology, though each Merlin has access to knowledge about magic and ancient lore should they wish to study it. In the Camelot of today, the Merlin's main duty is to maintain the Caliburn Guns, as well as making bullets (each hand crafted) for all the Gunslingers and their squires, as well as creating and maintaining their guns to keep everything in good working order, as well as keeping track of everything that's going on in Camelot and... you get the idea. Worst of all is having to teach an army of apprentices, of whom only one will become the next Merlin. The rest simply continue on as plain old Gunsmiths who will have their own apprentices to take over their jobs one day. It's never been easy for any Merlin of any time, but there has always been and must be one to help hold the kingdom together.
Gunsmiths. Folks skilled in the creation and maintenance of guns, as well as an assortment of other weapons and equipment, depending on what each individual Gunsmith is practised with. They are craftsmen, engineers, artisans and loremasters all in one who are as vitally important as Gunslingers. In Camelot, all Gunsmiths answer to the Merlin and have the potential to become a successor to that prestigious role. Gunsmiths may also have their own apprentices and be skilled in the use of magic, depending on what they learn from the Merlin. They often use their magic abilities to help them craft guns and special ammunition, but for the most part it's a matter of knowledge, experience and dexterity. As it is with the Gunslingers, there are also female Gunsmiths and several Merlins throughout time have been women, though not the current one.
Avalon is a magical island that's ruled by the immortal witch queen, Morgana, who is also the last of her sisters (gone now in some ways or other, including death). The reason why she's not with the refugees is because she's fighting against the Goblin King and his army. The people of Avalon usually have much longer lifespans than anyone from anywhere else, and fruits and vegetables grow of their own accord in abundance so there are no farmers nor any need for them. Before the Goblin King's arrival, life on Avalon was generally quite easy and happy. Not any more of course.
Camelot. It's big, it's got walls, streets, houses, markets and guns. Lots of guns. Even civilians are allowed to freely carry them, though none could hope to match the skill of a Gunslinger. Beyond the walls of the city are the farms, mines and towns, and sundry other dwellings as well as roads leading to places elsewhere. Away and in between all that is wilderness, as bare or as full as you like of animals, plants and dangerous monsters such as demons and man eating beasts.
As for the general setting, it's sort of like Old West mixed with medieval fantasy so the technology level ought to reflect that. None of them modern gadgetry here, it's all horses, wagons, guns and castles with the odd bit of magic here and there.
Characters
The sorts of characters in this RP, hmm... well let's see everything I've mentioned so far in the Intro and Background. There's the Guns of Camelot aka Caliburn Knights, other Gunslingers, squires, the Merlin's apprentices aka Gunsmiths and their apprentices, regular citizens of Camelot and the refugees from Avalon. There could also be foreigners from distant lands and countries. Where those particular folks come from and what they're called, you do not have to specify but do feel free to make something up.
Posting Permissions
