Rules of Avatai (updated 1/11/16)

[j.aimas]

The Rules

Players

• Obey the rules, they were written for a reason.
  
• Admin's word is final.
  
• All equines must be accepted before they are put into play.
  
• I have a no tolerance towards post/character stealing. This means that if you steal a post, a picture, character name or stats or both etc, you will be eaten alive by me and possibly have your account shut down. End of story.
  
• Cussing is tolerated, but keep it to a minimum. Cussing directed at another player (not character) will not be tolerated.
  
• You may have as many characters in one account as your little heart desires, just be sure to keep them active. Along with that you may also have as many accounts as you'd like if that's what you prefer, just keep them active or they will be deleted.
  
• All breeds of HORSE are welcomed (at this point, we are not doing ponies, zebras, mules, etc).
  
• Be realistic when creating horse stats. This goes for colors, markings, personality, etc. Apart from the undead, equines of Avatrai are normal (no horns, wings, magenta, blue, magic powers etc). Unique markings (a splotch shaped like a crescent moon or heart) is acceptable, just don't go crazy with it.
  
• Try for posts to be around 200 words. It's not difficult people, really. Describe the scenery, your characters thoughts, your characters emotions, anything. This is an advanced/intermediate rp, puny posts with no description will not be well liked.
  
• If you're going away, post an away message to avoid losing your territories/accounts.
  
• I leave the responsibility of aging characters up to the player, but please age your horses reasonably. No character is immortal. No character is invincible. (Except the Fates, read about them below)
  

Stags

• May claim one territory and hold only one territory at a time.
  
• To claim a terra if it's open, just make a post within it.
  
• You may challenge for someone's terra if you wish and if they do not reply in 3 days, the terra goes to you.
  
• Stags must be at least 3 to claim a terratory and hold a herd.
  
• Stags may force-claim a fae of their same alliance or any other alliance EXCEPT rebel.
  
• Stags may also steal faes (see stealing rules).
  
• Stags are stronger than faes.
  
• Respect the royal leads enough to know that they are stronger than you. Royal faes are not necessarily stronger, but they are to be respected.
  
• You may fight over land and faes, but all fights will be judged by staff.
  

Faes

• Cannot claim terratories.
  
• Faes are weaker than stags.
  
• Faes can only breed if they are at least 3.
  
• Fae must go with the first stag that nips her in claimance. This is how a forceclaim would work as well.
  
• To undo a forceclaim, another stag must challenge the holding stag for the fae.

Foals

• All stats (color, gender, and disabilities if any) are decided by the fate, Clotho. You can request different traits from her, but don't be so expectant.
  
• Foals are considered claimable at age 2, but cannot breed or claim lands until they are 3.

Breeding

• As per Proboards ToS, there is no graphic breeding allowed.
  
• All breeding is done in the breeding grounds, no exceptions!
  
• ^I've had my mind changed on this one. Breeding CAN take place anywhere, but Aphrodite's Creek is still an open breeding ground. Read rule below on open breeding.
  
• Faes who are not claimed can have a foal by posting in the breeding grounds requesting an open breeding. First stag to reply with intent to breed will be the sire of the foal.
  
• Force breeding is allowed. Aphrodite's Creek is an open breeding area, but faes taken by a stag to his territory can be bred as well as long as they are over 3.
  
• Sorry, no pleasure breeding. You breed, you get a foal.
  
• Hestia Meadow is reserved for foaling, but foaling can be done in any territory.

Fighting

• Fighting can occur over just about anything and is usually between two stags, but occasionally two faes.
  
• All fights take place in Morden Plains and can go on for as long or short as the two players would like.
  
• When fighting, there is absolutely no powerplaying. In other words, your equine isn't invincible. You must take hits and can't do actions for someone else's character. If you are caught powerplaying, it's an automatic loss.
  
• When you are finished fighting, contact Lachesis, the Fate of Journeys, and she will judge the fight and name the winner.

Thieving

• The first way to complete a steal is for the stag to post in Pan Woods with a riddle. The riddle has to contain the name of the fae somewhere, whether you say it straight or make a puzzle out it is up to you.
  Example:
  
  Everywhere you go, there I'll always be.
  Something about you has me going crazy.
  Once in a while you see me and I smile.
  Rest now, dark one, for you will soon be mine.
  
  If you look at the first letters of each line, the name spelled backwards is ROSE. If the stag who has the fae named Rose does not reply to block the steal after three days, the fae goes to the stag. Please note that royal faes cannot be stolen this way. If you're a stag and you suspect that the riddle is about your fae, but you're not sure, you have two tries to block whichever fae you suspect is in danger. Blockings don't have to be complicated, just reply like this:
  
  I block the steal of Rose.
  
  Not difficult. After your two guesses are up, you must wait til the three days are up for the stolen faes name to be revealed.
  
• The other way to steal is for a fae herself to wander into Pan Woods. If another stag replies to her post and nips her, a steal is complete and she must go with him. As long as another stag posts before the faes original stag does, the steal is valid. If however the faes first stags posts before anyone else, the steal is invalid and the fae must go back home.
  
• If you are a stag and your fae is stolen, you have some options, you can attempt a steal back or challenge the other stag to a fight (see rules for fighting).

Fates

• There are three fates in Avatrai, Clotho the fate of beginnings, Lachesis the fate of journeys, and Atropos the fate of endings. All must be respected.
  
• The fates are immortal and each control a different segment of the equines life as obviously stated.
  
• Clotho will decide all foal stats, whether it is born healthy or is stillborn (born dead). It is ill-advised to prod too much with Clotho to get the favored stats that you want.
  
• Lachesis is the fate that will reward and punish you in life for your deeds. Disrespectful talk to the fates will result in a visit from her. She is also responsible for the random disasters: floods, wolves etc.
  
• Atropos is the notorious fate of death. She will not at random spring on your characters and kill them off, don't worry. But once your equine is 20+ years old, Atropos can decide after that how long your character lives. If you character dies before then, she is also present at the point of their dying to lead their spirit away.
  
• Feel free to PM the fates or staff if you want to plan a plot and require the fates help.

The Living Dead

[/b]
[li]The Living Dead, typically, are demented Dark equines who, after death, chose to return to their mortal forms. This cursed form is weaker and slower than their previous living form, but it's a price that they are willing to pay to return to this world.
[/li][li]The Living Dead live in the Underground with the Queen of the Living Dead. They can come out of the Underground, but usually avoid sunlight and can roam most anywhere with the exception of the Silent Lay as it is hallowed ground. Although the Forgotten Lore still emits a holiness that they cannot tolerate long. The Haunted Hollow is their favorite mortal ground to wander.
[/li][li]They cannot have foals. They're dead, no offspring.
[/li][li]Living Dead are decaying corpses and have lost a lot of their strength during death. If they are many in number, they can take down a full grown equine and drag it to the Underground to perish. A single Living Dead can take down a foal which is the most common prey of the twisted creatures.
[/li][li]Whatever age your character dies at in their mortal life is the age they will appear in their Undead life.
[/li][li]Please note the that Living Dead are NOT zombies that can infect others. The most demented of Darks chose to become a living dead and they cannot force that existence on anyone else.
[/li][li]A living dead could be "killed" if their bodies were destroyed, best method being by fire. Remember, these are not zombies (sorry, no need to blow their brains out).[/li][/ul]

Rebels

• Rebels are faes who have no desire to be tied down by a herd with a stag reigning above them. They whisk away to Illusion Island to live a life among their common sisters and obey by their own commandments there under a Queen.
  
• Rebels do not typically take mates. And stags are not allowed into Illusion Island. Colts may follow their mothers onto Illusion Island, but upon maturing at 2 years, they leave to return to the mainland.
  
• Rebels can breed as said earlier in the breeding rules.
  
• Even though rebels are separate from others, they still must respect the leads and fates and are still weaker than stags.

Ano Lani Realm

[/b]
[li]Ano Lani Island (means Celestial Island) is a secluded island distant from the mainland shore and from Illusion Island.
[/li][li]The equines here are all multi pallid in color. In other words, no solid coats. All equines here are multicolored in some way, shape, or form.
[/li][li]They are not light, dark, neutral or rebel etc. They are a religion on their own. They follow the Sun and the Moon. The Sun represents stags and the Moon represents the faes. During the day then when the sun is high, the stags are the dominant. During the night when the moon is visible, faes are the dominant. Dawn and dusk and twilight are heightened times, the islanders are almost always awake during these times of transition.
[/li][li]There are no territories within Ano Lani that can be "claimed" by stags though. The nature of the Ano Lani's is very down to earth, very close knit and spiritual. They have the philosophy that "What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine." -The key you seek to begin your journey is "promise".
[/li][li]There is one island ruler who leads them and the other stags are able to take up mates and have families, but the lands are everyone's. Only the ruler has their own terra, but even their home is open to anyone to enter.
[/li][li]You may notice some of the Ano Lani characters using different vocab from the mainland Avatrai. See the RPG Dictionary under Ano Lani vocab to see some of these words. One example: La is sun. The Ano Lani vocab is not known my most of the mainland Avatrai so it is unique to Ano Lani.
[/li][li] Can horses cross between Ano Lani and the mainland? Mainland Avatrai equines don't know about the existence of Ano Lani... yet. The Ano Lani equines have mixed feelings about another "world" being out there. Some believe it's possible, but you'll die before you get there. Others believe it's just a rumor. It is possible for equines to go from mainland Avatrai to Ano Lani, but it is rare beyond rare.
[/li][li]Which is bigger, Illusion Island or Ano Lani? Ano Lani by a looooong shot. Illusion Island is within sight of mainland Avatrai and only has a few territories within it, unlike Ano Lani which holds much more.
[/li][li]Can I have a solid-colored equine character on Ano Lani?
While it is possible to have a solid colored equine on Ano Lani, the character would be considered a freak on Ano Lani. So, I would highly discourage creating solid color characters for Ano Lani, but if you were absolutely attached to the idea, please contact staff first.
[/li][li]Chosen leaders? As I mentioned, the rulers of Ano Lani are believed to be chosen by the god/goddess (sun and moon). Being an offspring of the King/Queen does not make you an heir unlike in mainland Avatrai. The true heir is "chosen" by the time of their birth and conception. Faes would prefer to conceive under a full moon and would pray to birth beneath a full moon, this is a double sign of luck and one of the most common signs used to find the "chosen heir". Common signs to be born beneath are the crescent moon, quarter moons etc. A new moon (moonless night) is a fearful time for all equines on Ano Lani.
[/li][li]Can there be challenges for the Island King or Queen? No. Unheard of. Understand that these rulers are believed to be hand chosen by the god/goddess of the islanders. To challenge them and remove them from power is asking for ill wishing.
[/li][li]Rules for foal life? Until a foal is of the age of three, they are considered a part of their family (sire and dam). For example, a colten can enter Akau Sands with his dam up until his third year when he is only allowed Hema Sands for a beach. At the age of three, a foal is considered mature and independent and will search for their one, lifetime mate.
[/li][li] Have any more questions? PM Jaimas and ask away.[/li][/ul]

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