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 Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:19 pm
You've found the Big Bad Book of Taurica - which is nothing more than a huge-arse collection of EEEverything you need to know about Taurica and how this breedable shop/RP works. It's still a bit under construction, but everything vital is listed in here already.  Subjects that have been updated recently have the wahmbulance symbol next to them. They are grouped into categories for your convenience. <3 [ Guild & Shop Rules ]
[ Role Play ][ Playable Characters ]Proposed Character Creation / Getting Your Character Approved
Kubri - Playing as One
Maintaining Flats (apartments)
Multiple Characters
[ The Island ]History
The Kubri
Island Climate and Geography [ Tickets ][ Art ]Becoming a Taurica Artist
Mailing Art Originals [ FAQ ]
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:22 pm
[Guild & Shop Rules]
Respect all players and visitors. Despite what you may think of someone, keep a friendly climate inside the guild AND shop thread. If someone has a tendency to cause repeated conflict, either OOC or while in role play, I can and will terminate their character, and halt any further progress of their character's transformation.
Abide by the Gaia Terms of Service while posting in the guild or shop.
Guild members who do not own a Taurian are ONLY allowed to post in the shop thread, and the Proposed Characters subforums!! omg. O__O; Non-owner posts in any other location will be promptly deleted.
Do NOT steal the art! If it was not drawn for you, you may not repost, alter, trace, "pose-copy", character-copy, sell, or otherwise rape the character art. If the art was made for you, you must link back to the Taurica Nesos shop thread or guild anywhere it is shared, and credit the artists where it is posted.
DO NOT take part in an auction or flat sale until your character and literacy is approved! See the "Playable Characters" section of the Big Bad Book for more information.
You may only own two Taurians maximum, or otherwise play as only two characters at a time.
Re-selling of tickets to other Gaians is forbidden. All sales are final, and there are no refunds.
Do NOT send unnecessary PMs to me or anyone else that seems to be "in charage", asking things that are explained in the Big Bad Book or the shop thread front page. Do, however, PM me if you're truly stumped because something seems unclear or is unexplained in those places. <3
Do not randomly change your approved character's profile, background, or description once they are "canonized" and are in the main RP. If you must do this to make a situation more fluent, PM me and I will work with you.
Keep intensely gory RP posts / RP of an overly sexual nature to PMs. ;; I'm totally cool with a little blood 'n' guts, as you can tell by the very procedure that someone becomes a Taurian. Flat-out sex, however, or overly sexual behavior on a character's part is against the Gaian TOS, and should be kept private.
Follow ALL procedures discussed in the other sections of the Big Bad Book (which is where you are). <3
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:26 pm
[Role Play] arrow Where to RPCanon RP - Canon RP is defined as anything that is part of the storyline of the Island and its transformations. To take place in these role plays, post or join topics in the "Island RP" subforum. Go to any island location in the stickies to join a group area role play, or post or join a titled role play in said subforum.
Non-canon RP - Non-canon RP is defined as any roleplay that does not coincide with the storyline of the island thus far, and is not recorded as actual happenings on the island. Generally, they are very freeform in style, and anything can happen - they're more or less "just for fun" role plays. To post or join a non-canon Roleplay, go to the "Non-canon RP" subforum.
Flat RP - Role plays can also take place in the character flats (apartments) themselves. To host a flat RP, post [open] or [priv] (open role play, or private role play, respectively) in your flat's thread title. If you are done with a role play in your flat and want no other role play activity to happen there for the time being, simply remove [open] or [priv] from your title.
DO NOT role play your character in the main Taurica Nesos thread, or any guild location that isn't listed above! arrow RP standardsTitling your role play - To host a role play thread, please post [open] or [priv] in your thread title, along with the name of the RP. For example, a correct role play title could look like "[open] The Sands of Time". When you are done with your RP, post [done] in your title. This will alert a mod to lock your RP so it can be saved and reviewed later.
Always post in 3rd person past tense - This keeps the posts consistent to one another, and is regarded the "standard" format for most literate RPs. 1st person posts may only be used in a flashback or "internal thoughts" style; they must be italicized, and are known only to the character thinking them.
Keep posts formal - This means the use of asterisks to designate actions is not allowed. For example, *goes to the bookshelf* would not be allowed. To make this action formal, it could be typed as this: "She stood from her chair, sauntering to the bookshelf to peruse the titles before her." That just sounds MUCH nicer, doesn't it? biggrin
Godmodding or like activities are not allowed - Characters may NOT be ridiculously powerful. For example, a godmodding post would be, '"You'll never win! Bahaha!" He jumped at his foe, pummeling him repeatedly with his tireless fists until he fell to a bloodied heap, dead on the ground for good.' WRONG. Furthermore, that takes me to the next point...
Do not control others' characters - It is considered incredibly rude to take control of someone else's character and post their actions yourself. An example of this would be:
Person A (playing the male): He leaned in to kiss her, and she suddenly realized he was all she could ever want. She fell into his arms, kissing him passionately before marrying him and having 15 kittens the end. 8DDD
Person B (playing the female): ...WTF?!
To remedy this, post your character up to the point that the other character would be able to respond to your character's actions. Let them decide, and go with it.
Don't hog all the action - While certain situations can call for heroes or leaders to step up and take control, please let other characters have a chance to see some action of their own, and have their own moments to shine.
Always ask before you join an RP - Out-of-character posts asking for permission mid-RP can be posted in ((double parentheses)).
PM a guild Mod if you are facing any problems in your role play. They will sort it out.
Keep in mind, failure to follow the role play standards CAN result in banishment from the guild, and no further group role play rights. Don't make me do that, it sucks. ;;
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:45 pm
[ Playable Characters ] arrow [ Proposed Character Creation / Getting Your Character Approved ]Proposed characters, abbreviated as PCs, are your fist step in buying a ticket to get on the Island, and thus have a Taurian character or, in some cases, a Kubri character. We can't very well mutate you if we don't know who you are first, can we?
To make a PC, visit the "Proposed Characters" subforum, and post a thread for your PC. In that thread, you'll include everything you feel you need to make a well-established character. Here are things to include in your PC bio:
Human Appearance (yes, your character must be a normal, non-magical human to begin with. No "action movie star" life, no ex-convicts, and nobody on the run from supervillians. The Kubri would not want an incredibly at-risk personality on their island, because that would only further endanger their project and home.)
Personality
Background - Include their personal history; what made them who they are today? Previous job, childhood, would-be future goals...
Present life - what were they like right up to coming to the island?
Why they would be chosen to become a Taurian, or how they may stumble upon a ticket.
The species they would be spliced with, and a description of the "finished product". Feel free to include conceptual transformation sketches!
~Note: the artists are under NO obligation to follow your morph concepts exactly. They are merely conceptual steps; the finished product is far more important, and will be what is focused upon.
It is NOT required to have to have a preferred species listed in your PC bio! We will do some "mystery" events, in which we will sell tickets to people who will be spliced with an animal they don't know about beforehand. If you are approved with a preferred species listed, your character will be spliced with that animal if you buy a ticket. 3nodding
Keep all of your PC profiles in ONE thread. Yes, you are totally allowed to make more than one PC at a time! You can use separate posts to keep them apart. The characters WILL be approved separately, so it's possible to have one of your PCs approved, and the other turned back for revision.
After you have your PC bio complete, go to the "Proposed Characters Trial RP" subforum. Start up an RP featuring your proposed character; you can use any topic you want, although it must be set somewhere on earth, in the Taurica Nesos storyline. You could play out a snippet of their past or present life, or interact with some of the other PCs. Whatever you like, as long as it provides a good sample of your role play abilities. Please note: All these trial RPs are considered non-canon.
This is done so I or another mod can evaluate your RP abilities, and later approve you and your character (if your RP skills are up to par - we're not that harsh, just use your brain when you write). You can't buy a ticket unless you're approved~
Follow all RP standards listed in the post above. <3 If you want to role RP with someone, but not play as your character, you may - but it must be in THEIR hosted RP. You can't start an RP playing as, say, a random librarian, if your PC is a banker. XD
Character / Literacy approval:
Once you feel your character is perfected enough, post [char-approve] in your thread title! That way, a mod will know to check it out and give you feedback, and possibly character approval. <3
To get your literacy approved, post [lit-approve] in your PC thread title. You must provide links to guild trial RPs you have participated in at the BEGINNING of your PC thread! Mods won't be able to check your literacy otherwise. To be approved, you must follow all role play standards, use proper grammar, have minimal typos (it's okay to have some - they happen.), and write in a generally fluent manner.
Note: If you do not pass literacy approval, you are essentially dismissed from the guild shop, or ever buying a character. If, somehow, you can mend your writing abilities and try RP again, feel free. sweatdrop This community is pro-intelligence. Please don't feel too offended if you are not approved. arrow [ Kubri - Playing as One]Being allowed to play as a Kubri happens on a case-by-case basis, and is achieved by the same basic procedure of a proposed character. Here's how you go abut it:
Since there are far less Kubri than there are Taurians on Taurica Nesos, you MUST PM me before you create a proposed Kubri, to ask if I would even be accepting more Kubri roles.
Once you get the OK, go about making a PC thread in the "Proposed Characters" subforum. Make a bio including the following:
Appearance
Personality
Background - explain whether they were born or married into the Kubri clan, who they are related to, etc.
Role - what do they do for the clan?
After you've done that, mark your thread title for awaiting approval, and I'll let you know if you're in.
To be allowed to play as a Kubri character, your role play abilities have to be exemplary, and your character has to be well-established, since I'll have to be interacting with it as I play Adella. :'D After that, you're in! <3
arrow [ Maintaining Flats (apartments) ]A character's flat is the place they live on Taurica Nesos. When they arrive on the island, it is a well-furnished, studio apartment, without anything out-of-the ordinary. Once they are spliced with their species, they are moved out of their first flat and placed in a flat of the same door number on the opposite side of the island, beyond the barbed wire fence. Their second flat is still well-furnished and nearly identical to the last, although it has been modified to better suit their species (for example, an aquatic character may have most of their flat converted into a pool, or a hoofed species may have the wood floor replaced with softer turf).
In RP terms, your character's flat is your own personal RP location, as well as a journal and profile for your character. Your character's profile in your flat should be identical in content to your approved PC's profile. While you're not allowed to change your character's post-approval information, you're welcome to update your flat often with new character pictures, or anything you want to make it fancy.
Here are some more flat tips:
Journals are optional, but profiles and bios are required
Every character has a permanent number assigned to them, which is displayed on the flat's door. Even when relocated to the second flat, their number is displayed on their door. This should be posted in your flat thread's title, too.
Expect RP activity in your flat; any character is able to come by and knock whenever they want. If you don't want RP activity in your flat, you may place a "don't disturb" sign on your door - post [DD] in your thread's title if you want this.
arrow [ Multiple Characters ]Muy importante! To keep people from being bogged down with too many characters to handle, you are ONLY allowed to play as two characters max, be it Taurian or Kubri. By becoming a Kubri, you would only be allowed to buy and play as one Taurian. If you have two Kubri characters, you will not have a Taurian character. (I'm a bit lenient on this rule - if you can prove your ability to handle a lot, we can work something out.)
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:01 pm
[ The Island ] arrow [ History ]The Tauric Peninsula – or, as it is sometimes known, the Chersonesus Taurica – is a quiet place, in modern times. A small jut of land located on the coast of Ukraine, it is now called Crimea. In the island's past and mythology, however, it was known as Taurica. Once a mysterious portion of Ancient Greece, it was home to glorious temples and fantastic myths. One of these stories, Iphigeneia in Tauris, described how any foreigners who would stumble upon the island's shore were instantly condemned to human sacrifice. All of this was an infamous display to the Gods of Greece, in attempt to appease them and bring the mortals good fortune.
Or, perhaps... It wasn't that simple.
Welcome to reality. Those "human sacrifices", while appearing to have been presented to the Greek gods, were not what they seemed. In truth, they were the first step of bizarre, ancient human experiments conducted by a collective of priests known as the Kubri. These ancients had long ago tapped into an odd combination of science and magic, and were borne of those Egyptian priests who first developed the process of embalming for mummification. While mummification can be explained by science, however, the Kubri experiments were far more elusive.
Let us go back to the birth of the Kubri. Back when civilization was new, and the now well-known Gods of Egypt were first envisioned, they were nothing but forces - powerful ideas, if you will. The sun was the God Sun, and death was the God Death. They did not have visual symbol-forms to speak of. Embalming was developed, as a means of giving the Soul a place to live before the body decayed. It was then that a small number of the priests of mummification began to delve into more mystical forces. The rogue priests' discoveries terrified the other members of their clan, and so they were shunned from their practice. Exiled, yet together, the Kubri had begun.
They continued to practice the very thing that banished them from their previous art. This magic that was bestowed upon them included splicing the wild force of animals with the souls and form of humans. It took many years, but eventually the Kubri perfected their work. In one evening, in a grand display of magic and power, the gods were finally given faces and names – in living, breathing form. By techniques as mysterious as the outcomes, the head of a jackal and the body of a man became the living god, Anubis. By merging animal and human, new, fantastic creatures were proclaimed to be the source of previously unexplained forces. Suddenly, gods such as Horus, Bast, Thoth, Sekhmet, and Sobek reigned on high in a secretly man-made immortality. Where the gods went, or if their bodies were actually mortal, is unknown. Their personalities and images obviously continued throughout the eons.
The secret society of god-creating priests, however, continued on - undetected. Through the ages, their clan traveled to all the great empires of history, introducing new, half-animal, half-human deities and creatures to whatever area they dwelt in. Eventually, the travels of their lineage brought them to Greece, and the peninsula of Taurica. In the flood of Greek myths and stories of the time, Taurica became known for its story of Iphigeneia in Tauris, which, actually, was partially true - that of the human sacrifices of foreigners. This island in particular became a hub for the Kubri, in which many of their rituals took place. The "sacrifices", all of which were promptly cleared away from the public, were actually the first incisions in the experiments of the priests. It was on Taurica that legendary creatures such as satyrs and centaurs came to be, the "taur" in centaur being a little-known allusion to the island.
Eventually, Greece and the later empire of Rome fell from power; the priests realized that they were reaching an age that did not as readily accept their creations as gods. It was this that caused their permanent inhabitance of the Tauric Peninsula - always living in secret, conducting their experimentations underground and hidden from the public.
Perhaps it is imbedded into the modern human’s nature, but the priests’ fascination with the marvels of ancient Greece never truly died out. Two of the Kubri's previous successes in particular - those of the centaur and satyr - continued in theme in their later experiments. The concept of combining the strong upper half of a human - the half containing the unmatched intelligence of the human brain, dexterous arms and artistic hands, and the Greek-worshiped features of the human torso - with the strong, wildly powerful, hunter-half of the wild beast, fascinated them greatly. Their endeavors continued on, this time with the goal of not creating gods, but of creating a perfect human. They were, in essence, aiming for a being that had all the intelligence and progressive abilities that modern man possessed, combined with the instincts and powerful body of the wild animal. Ideally, this "neo-sapiens" would contain as much "beast" in the subject as possible, while still keeping the essence of "man". This goal was, they believed, the only thing that would ensure the further success of the human race.
Time wore on, as the Kubri reached closer and closer to attaining their perfect species. As modern human expansion progressed around them at what seemed the speed of light, the clan realized they needed a place of their own. Luckily, they were not without locations – Greece alone contains 1400 islands, of which only 227 are inhabited today. Of these, only 78 actually have a population of over 100. With the massive amounts of money they had collected by being in the business of creating gods for centuries, the Kubri traveled back to their old country of Greece, and bought a small island far from the shores of Crete. There, they established the state-of the art facilities they use today, and named the place Taurica Nesos (for it means Taurica Island in Greek). The island is enclosed, guarded, and armed to the teeth. The numbers of those who enter are few, and those who leave are even fewer... for anyone who enters the new island of Taurica is destined to be a Taurian forever... arrow [ The Kubri ]The Kubri clan originated in Ancient Egypt - because of this, they still hold dearly to their Ancient roots. In the past, they would always work to blend in with the people of whatever land they settled in. However, when working their rituals, experiments, and traditions, the essence of Egypt still remains.
The ritualistic costume of a Kubri consist of a wrapped linnen "skirt" tunic for the lower half, accompanied with a cloth-bound chest. This applies to both women and men. Various other jewelry adornments accompany this garb; the higher the status and splicing abilities of the Kubri, the less they are adorned. This is representative of their "freedom" from reality, and their need to remain unbound from earthly clutter in their work. At the highest level of distinction, a jeweled neck piece is all that is worn along with the tunic and chest-wrap. Modern Kubri jewelry is ancient, having been passed down through the generations. Granted, none of it is not identical to how it appeared when it was made - repairs are often made to the jewelry, to maintain their condition.
In the Kubri clan, the gender-based caste system of Ancient Egypt and other countries does not apply. A priestess is thusly just as powerful as a priest, if she has the same status (Keep in mind that all members of the clan are titled "priest" or "priestess"). Status is not raised according to any set rubric, but instead, Kubri members are promoted by merit, according to accomplishments the head priest or priestess claims deserves a status raise. After a status raise, a ceremony is held to remove an article of jewelry from the Kubri member. Age also has nothing to do with status - if a Kubri member is incredibly talented, they may have a much higher rank than someone twice their age.
The Kubri clan itself is a small group, yet it has many descendants. On Taurica Nesos, the clan is made of exactly 12 persons, all of which take part in the splicing procedures. Kubri members who do not express interest in the Kubri experiments by age 17, or simply wish to leave, are given the option to leave the clan and move wherever they wish. Many do, for the constantly secret life of a Kubri member is incredibly tiring.
The people of the Kubri clan all look very similar. Every one has a hair color something close to mahogany, accompanied by pale skin, deep slate-gray eyes, and occasionally a smattering of freckles. This phenomenon is yet another of the Kubri's many unexplained aspects; while they traditionally always marry outside of their clan with the local people they are living amongst, the offspring usually always carry these traits. The Kubri themselves claim that these features are caused by the mystical salts and poultices they use in their splicing experiments. This could very well be true - but it is yet to be proven.
 Adella Kubri is the current High Priestess of the Kubri clan, with no other high priest or priestess members by her side (Notice that all Kubri members have the last name of, simply, "Kubri"). While she is still quite young, 25 to be exact, she displayed such great interest in animal-man splicing in her youth, that she was promoted to the highest status possible in only eleven years of constant training. The average time span of reaching the high priest or priestess status is around 32 years. In her first year of reaching high priestess status, her fellow high priest who initially promoted her died of old age - who, actually, happened to be her own grandfather. From there, she took it upon herself to bring the Kubri clan to meet the modern age's standard of living. One year later, the Kubri were living on Taurica Nesos, in the state-of-the-art conditions they do now. Adella believed that this was the only way the clan could reach their current goal of creating the "next human", using centaur-like creatures as their focus.
As an individual, Adella would be considered less-than-normal. Because she was mostly raised by her grandfather, who had been a high priest since she was born, she had witnessed many more human experiments than the average Kubri child. Traditionally, Kubri children aren't allowed to witness a human experiment until they are 13. Adella, however, had been watching them since she could walk - all because of her close relationship with her grandfather. Because of all she had witnessed in her childhood, she tends to see everything around her as one big experiment. To her, every life and creature is just another bizarre organism that inhabits the infested sphere known as Earth, just another thing for her to mentally dissect and feed upon. This outlook leaves her with an introverted, obsessive, quiet, and overly inquisitive personality. Nevertheless, it does make her perfect for the role she currently assumes.
The first of the taur experiments that was conducted under the leadership of Adella was Emrys. Before meeting Adella, Emrys was a Welsh-born boy who moved to Russia with his parents when he was 7. He first met Adella when he was 19, and she was of the same age, traveling with her grandfather. At the time, Emrys was living on his own, studying independently to be a professional scientific illustrator. Adella related to his fascination with the natural world, and invited him to come back with her to Crimea, if only for a short while. From a lack of anything restraining him at the time, Emrys followed Adella back to the Tauric Peninsula. He moved into a small village a short distance away from the Kubri clan's location, visiting Adella often as he was left completely unaware of the clan's past and tendencies. Adella and Emrys admired each other for years, often getting together so Adella could dissect local wild animals, as Emrys sketched the proceedings. It was, to say the least, a twisted relationship.
Perhaps it was due to Adella's twisted mind and early corruption, but as soon as she began to see Emrys as a love interest, ideas of splicing him raced through her thoughts like a wild creature. As she was already an incredibly powerful member of her clan, her dreams inevitably became a reality. Directly proceeding the ritual appointing her High Priestess, Adella lured Emrys into the village, had him bound, and spliced him with and imported Nile crocodile from the Kubri's home land. For Emrys, it was the beginning of something terrible, mystical, and amazing.
The rest of their story is yet to be determined... arrow [ Island Climate and Geography ]Being a Mediterranean island, Taurica displays the same climate found on the islands around it, and the Greek mainland itself. For two thirds of the year, Taurica heralds clear, sunny skies. Summer temperatures can climb to 37°C (99°F), making the yearly mean temperature about 17°C (63°F). The rainy season begins in Mid-October, and the weather stays cold and wet until February, although there are also occasional winter days with clear blue skies and sunshine. The mountainous areas in the center of the island offer some respite from the heat, as they tend to receive more rain in summer, and even collect some snow in the winter months.
Most of Taurica's geography is rocky and somewhat barren, like most of the Islands of Greece. Nevertheless, the island still sports a wide variety of heat-loving greenery that have managed to thrive in the rocky soil. Most of the land of the island is considered unfertile for agricultural uses, although the coast does support more nutrient-rich soil. As the island is largely self-sustained, staple crops are tended by a small body of workers along the coast and in greenhouses further inland. Wild olive trees can be found growing throughout the island, offering at least a nutritional supply to any lost, wandering resident.
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 3:22 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 2:36 pm
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