Each year, every firstborn child is sent to the Armasseum to train for Koragnier, the battle between gods and demons, and each year only a fraction survive the process. Life is idyllic in Valaheim, home of the gods, but for the Firstborn, only blood and tears await. That is their fate and this is their story.......
100 years ago, a hole opened in the sky above Earth and colossal demons spilled out from it, cleansing all life from the planet. Those that were spared by the gods from the initial destruction were brought to Valaheim, home of the gods, and so the age of Koragnier had begun.
As war raged on Earth, the remnants of humankind lived on in prosperity for the soil of Valaheim was always fruitful and the game plentiful, but all of it came at a cost. Each year, upon turning the age of 18 or 19, the firstborn child of every family must go to the Armasseum, to train to become soldiers in Koragnier and each year, only a handful survive the process.
At the start of the year, the firstborn are gathered at the Armasseum where they will be trained in arms and tactics for fighting in Koragnier and at the end of the month, all are pitted against a single captured demon let loose into the Armasseum. Thousands will die and the process continues on like so for each month of the year until only the strongest remain.
Only these remaining survivors are deemed worthy of drinking the blood of the God-king, then going on to fight in Koragnier; not as humans, but as demigods, empowered by the blood to greater limits of strength, yet cursed to never beget any children and live less than half their natural lifespan... and this is only the beginning of their trials.
Rules
1. Thou shalt not control other people's characters without permission.
2. Thou shalt not cause strife.
3. Thou shalt write coherently and intelligibly.
Background
For the Firstborn, life in Valaheim is but a gilded cage, doomed to end in violent horror either in the trials of the Armasseum or in the midst of Koragnier, and all are brought up in different ways to prepare for this. Some are sent to the Armasseum at birth to train in the cities around it, learning how to fight as soon as they are able to walk and knowing nothing but the way of the blade. Others are taught at home, given the best quality of life as well as training, weapons and armour, to instill a strong sense of purpose in what they are fighting for. Others still are merely tossed into the wilds and taught to fend for themselves, pitted against the elements and beasts far stronger than them.
With such diverse backgrounds, all of the Firstborn are guaranteed to bring many different styles of combat and tactics to the battlefield, which are distilled through the trials of the Armasseum. Those who survive the trials and drink the blood of the God-king become Ascended, gaining the strength of a hundred men and able to manifest wings for flight, but at the cost of infertility and a drastically shortened lifespan. Additionally, one who is Ascended never stops growing, even past the age of 30, making them imposing figures among regular human beings.
Although rare, a few of the Ascended have been known to produce children and these are invariably born as mages, but never as a result of both parents being ascended. Mages may also be born from perfectly ordinary parents, though only due to one of their ancestors being an Ascended one or also a mage. In the Armasseum, Firstborn mages are taught how best to destroy their intended target or support their allies, but those that are not Firstborn often serve as instructors for firstborn children, if only to teach how to even use their gifts.
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Though incredibly rare, those born with the ability to use magic fall into two categories: elementalists and revivalists.
Elementalists are able to summon the forces of ice, lightning and fire, and traditionally serve as artillery on the battlefield, thus they are often kept at range to maximize damage potential whilst minimizing the risk of harm. Most of these mages specialize in a single element to master every aspect of it, increasing their destructive power, though some may choose versatility over potency. Either way, an elementalist is a force to be reckoned with.
Revivalists on the other hand are expected to serve on the frontlines, to resurrect any warrior that may fall in battle. The condition for their type of magic is that the body of the fallen should remain sufficiently intact and the revivalist must apply their magic through direct contact, otherwise resurrection is quite impossible. Revivalists cannot resurrect themselves, though they may be revived by others.
Every mage is a vital component in battling against demons in Koragnier and while protecting the gods is the highest priority, these mighty beings are generally strong enough to lay waste to scores of demons, but just one is enough to slaughter a cadre of mages, thus any and all capable of wielding magic must be protected at all cost.
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For those who fight in Koragnier and live until the age of 30, they are allowed to retire and return to Valaheim as the empowering effects of the God-king's blood begins to wear off and the half-life curse takes hold. As veteran demon slayers, these survivors have seen what the future Firstborn will see and fought the battles that have and will claim the lives of so many companions. Some veterans go on to become instructors in the Armasseum, but many more seek to live out the rest of their short lives in peace. As few as they are, it is these battle hardened beings that ensure the best chances of survival for any under their tutelage at the Armasseum.
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Even the most minor of demons is colossal in size, standing tall as a mountain and always fighting as a horde. It seems difficult to believe that humans can play any kind of role in a war against such beings, but as powerful as the gods are, they cannot defend themselves from every angle of attack. So it falls to the Firstborn to kill any demon that makes it past the front lines of battle. At least ten are expected to be a match for a single demon, but all demons vary in size, shape, strength and abilities.
Some demons vaguely resemble certain animals and some may even have humanoid forms, but most are an incoherent mess of bone and chitin, or blood and flesh, and a composite of other organic substances and appendages. Likewise variable, some may be relatively small, but lightning fast and aggressive, and some may be absolutely gargantuan yet be able to fly.
Should demons take any notice of humans, if at all, it's only because they are being attacked by one, but their primary targets are the gods. For the Firstborn training in the Armasseum, most deaths can be attributed to the demons simply thrashing around, looking for an exit whilst crushing scores of humans underfoot.
There are two sure ways of killing a demon: striking a vital organ or bleeding them out. One may be more preferable than the other depending on the situation and the demon, though there are a myriad tactics that must be employed beforehand. Even so much as getting close to a demon may prove a difficult and perilous task.
Characters
Firstborn characters should be 18 to 19 in the first arc of the RP and histories are not necessary but would be appreciated. Humans only. As all of humanity in Valaheim are the condensed remnants of Earth's entire population, you are free to make up your own locations, cultures and even languages. Do bear in mind however that the current setting will take place strictly in the Armasseum. Once admitted, no Firstborn can leave, though they will be able to send and receive letters.
If you wish to make an instructor character, let me know. There's a lot of super secret stuff not written here that I'll have to share and no one without an instructor character must know as it'll technically count as spoilers for the next arc. Only talk to me about it if you're okay with that.
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