EDIT: Fixed the error with the point system in the basic layout now. Sorry for the confusion! :c

---

Hello and welcome dear fellow to this Roleplay Game!
You have now found the guide for making yourself a character for the Caspanas-RPG. If you have any questions after reading all this, feel free to ask them, I'm always here to help you the best I can. If you also are not sure about the design of your character you can send me a link to the WIP Reff Sheet (you can upload it in your Sta.sh) and I will comment on it, telling you what still needs improvement, until it is perfect.

You also have to know that this is NOT a pure equine RPG. Your character can be of nearly any species (equine, canine, feline, cervine (deer), etc.). What is not possible is to make a dragon character (at least not yet) because dragons are huge and would not fit in the cities. Also many habitants of Mereldia are scared of dragons, which would make it hard for owners of dragon characters to RP with other people. Maybe I will change this someday, but for now consider it impossible to make a dragon character. If you want to create a character which is not one of the species listed above please comment here and I will tell you how the community accepts the species you want and where they could best live.

---

There are a few Information and Lore Sheets, as well as journals which you have to read before continuing. After reading them you will have a better understanding of what this all is about, and how things are handled in this group.

Lore Sheets:
Koruna | Nordberg [comming soon] | Prologue of the Comic

Information Sheets:
bent logic (the age does apply to any species, not only horses) | Raccardis

Journals:
The Point System | Magic | FAQ | Sceneries

---

Currently there are 4 possebilities of what to choose:

Koruna

Koruna is the huge desert land of Mereldia which is reigned by a strict monarchic system. The society is devided in several classes: The Royals, the High Society, the Middle Class, the Low Society and the Offscourings.
Someone of the high society for example would for example be wealthy and therefore go to important events, throw festivals for the upper class or just enjoy their life while their slaves/serants serve them.
Someone from the middle class would have to work their job half of the day (or however long it is, it depends on the job) and earn money for their family. Usually the males are the working ones, since females are not considered as high as them. At home a girl will prepare food for either lunch or dinner and go shopping to the market from time to time. Children will have to go to school from age 2 (6 human years) up to the age of 7 (16 human years) and learn writing, calculating there, as well as the history of the land, the use of simple magic and their religion.
The members of the low classes usually do not even have a home. They are the poor and thieves, living from the earnings of others. They are looked down upon and often are vicims of crimes. They live in the slums, desperately trying to take on every job possible and earning money with that. Living a life in the low society is hard, but still some maybe have luck and suceed to ascent into an upper class.
Below everything are the so called offscourings. They are worth nothing in the eyes of society and also have no chances to ascent into an upper class. They are slaves who do not have any freedom and have to obey their owner's will. As low as the slaves are the outsiders who normally consist of creatures with strange features like for example unnatural colored markings or horns.
You can currently choose between two different cities in Koruna: Monabur (the capital) and Santugan (the second largest city). Keep in mind that everywhere in Koruna the habitants wear cloaks as a protection against the sunlight. In expensive cloaks magical fabrics are woven in that simutaniously have a cooling effect. Simple cloaks are made of simple fabric that does not prevent any heat, but in worst cases even supports it. They are worn as an everyday dress and you will not see anyone without a cloak walking outside of their homes. At home the cloak can be taken off though. Some have grown to see their cloak as a second skin though and feel naked without it, so many wear cloaks or dresses even at home.

Monabur

It is the capital city of Koruna. Most who are living there are highly religious and believe that the six high gods, the gods of the six elements, will profect them from harm and grant them blessings when they just worphip them enough. Since Monabur is the capital of the huge land, it also is the residence of the King of Koruna, as well as his family, who are all also worshipped as if they would be gods.
The daily life in Monabur depends on the rank a habitant has (described above). Not just in Koruna, but everywhere where it is known, the city of Monabur stands in high regard because of its wealth and knowlege. Though there also are many prejudies against the people of Monabur (or Koruna in gerneral). It is said that they are blindly following their religion instead of depending on science and logic. By some the city is even looked down upon because of that reason.

Santugan

This city also lays in the desert land Koruna. It is the second largest city, though it is known for its high number of thieves and criminals. The social order and stadarts for the classes are the same as in Monabur, though Santugan is not the residence of the king of Monabur. It is also reigned by a Monarchy though. The city has an own king, Madjel, who stands under the command of the King of Koruna though. Even if that is so, he has the full power on how to rule his city, the high number of crimes is mostly caused by him and his way to see things. The city lives in poverty, only around 40% of the habitants actually are part of the middle and high social class, the rest consists of thieves, the poor and criminals. Discrimination is a daily routine and very often members of the lowest social class, the offscourings, are murdered. Despite that all, it is also possible to live a completely normal life in Santugan. Just the possebility of any sort of harm or catastrophy happening is higher. This city is made for wicked minds and for the ones who want to have a challenge in their life.
Even thought the horrible conditions in the city, everyone is nearly as religious as in Monabur and also follows the practices and traditions that comes with this religion.

Nordberg

It is the biggest city in the Northern Lands and differenitates highly from what the cities in Koruna are like. The habitants of Nordberg are all omnivorous, which means that they can eat everything, and live in peace together. They are ruled by six kings, one of every kind living there, and live peaceful lives. A social structure as in Koruna does not exist here. The habitants are always helpful and try to get the poor ones out of their misery. Often they even let them live at their homes, since the change of dying in the cold outside is rather high most time of the year. Sure, also in Nordberg exist the wealthy ones, the middle class and the poor, but other than in Koruna, they are not strictly seperated from each other. In Nordberg, most do not care about heritage or wealth and simply do get along. This does not mean though that Nordberg is a completely safe city. It's the trading metropole of the north and with that lures the strangest individuums there. Mostly vendors from other countries and cities, who do not always have the best behavior or personality. These wandering loners are living by their own rules and sometimes even not fear of commiting crimes. This is a reason why the habitants of Nordberg are usually highly suspicious towards strangers from outside their city.
Also here, the children are going to school, though they are doing so from the age of 2 (6 human years) to 8 (18 human years). It depends on their education which job they can take on after this.
The city is known for its wise elders, its excellent teachers for magic and the good hunters. The forests around the city are full of game and therfore the hunts are usually bringing good results. The prey is then either sold on the market or used for own consumption.

Independents

The Independents are all individuums who are not living in a city and some even despise the idea of it.
The life as a loner is free and disengaged. They travel alone around Mereldia, prefering the life without much company and do what they desire to do. Some of them are vendors who are travelling around the world with their wares to sell them in the very few cities that are existing. Most do not care about the material wealthness of the cities though, because Mother Nature is giving them everything they need to live a happy life. The personality differs from Loner to Loner, but all of them have one thing in common: they prefer to be independent and free.
Most of the land in Mereldia is wild land. It is unlikely to just reach a city and therefore most Independents don't even know abou the existence of them. The ones who are not loners usually live in natural communities (packs, herds groups, etc.) which are having their own rules and rituals.

I do not have many ideas for herds or packs, so if you want to form one, I will allow you to do so. The first person comming up with a good idea will have the permission to create the leader of the group (surely several groups/herds/packs are allowed). I will give you that freedom, so that you are not completely bound by rules and restrictions I give you in this case. c:

It is completely up to you which place you want to join, but keep in mind that there are resticted numbers of available positions. Be sure to read the journal about ranks [see below] and claim one in advance, so that you will not have to completely redo your character. Also it would be great if some people could take on some lower ranks. This is not meant as an insult to you guys or your characters, but as a logical allocation of populations.

---

You will have to claim a position for your character (social rank) in order to design it (it's easier then). Also Loners have to claim a rank. Here is a list of the ranks that are available. Go to this journal to find out which ranks are available at the moment and claim the one you want to have. If the rank you want to have is not available anymore and you are unsure of what other rank of the available ones to choose, then you can always come to me and ask for advice.

---

You have now overcome the hardest part of the joining process. The only thing that is left now is to design your character. There are a few restructions and rules for that too.

At first to the simple drawing part:

► Both traditional and digital art is accepted. There are no basic reference sheets available in order to keep an equality between traditional and digital artist. You will have to invent your own Reference Sheet.
► A Refernce Sheet has to show the character from both sides, as well as drawing small details bigger so that they can be recognized. An example would be this.
► Only your own art is accepted. This means that linearts, bases, photomanipulations, etc. are not allowed. We want to see your own creativity.
► Sketches are not accepted aswell. The character has to be in full color, so that we can see that you put effort in it.

Now we come to the rules for the design itself:

► Unnatural formed markings are allowed!
► Unnatural colored characters are only allowed with restrictions. They are the ones who count as outsiders in the cities of Koruna, so if you think of placing your character there, you might want to go with a natural design.
► Horns, Wings, etc. are allowed, but also here you meet restictions. For example are pegasi (winged horses) seen as quite high beings in Koruna because they are good messengers. You might even get away with some little spots of unnatural colors in the design here and there if your character is a pegasus. Horned fellas are seen as outscourings in Koruna though, so also there you might think twice. Nordberg is neutral towards those things though, so you can go with nearly any design and be accepted there.
► A natural design gives you higher chances of being accepted.
► Unnatural eye colors are accepted everywhere, as long as the eyes do not glow (problems in Koruna).
► Caspana designs are not allowed. They are a privilege to get after you reach a certain amount of points and also there you meet many restrictions, but more about that another time.
► You are not allowed to use a character that you already had before finding out about this group. The character you apply with has to be of a completely new design! Also better look through the character's of others before designing one, so that your design does not coincidential look too similar to the one of another person's character.
► If your character is from Koruna, he/she HAS TO wear a cloak. You do not have to pay anything for those, but keep in mind that only characters of high society can start off with cloaks that are made of expensive fabric. Every other character starts off with a normal brown cloak. The cloaks have the use to shield the character from the sunlight and the heat.
► A character in Nordberg also usually has to wear a cloak though. It can really get cold up there, so a cloak keeps your character cozy and warm. c:

The personal information:

► Your Character has to have an outweighed personality. Give them as many flaws as good traits, so that there won't be a chance of you creating a Mary Sue.
► Follow this basic layout. You surely also can add some information to it if you like.
► Your character has to at least be 5 years (12 human years) old so that the mistake of creating a way too smart child is prevented (it happens a lot, really).

---

Step 5 - Summary: Requirements

These are the things you need in order to join. If your character does not have one of those things when you apply, or if there are mistakes in it, your application will not be accepted. Therefore read everything carefully.

Monabur

• personal information [EXAMPLE]
  
• Application Sheet [FOLLBODY PICTURE OF YOUR CHARACTER FROM BOTH SIDES ]
• a cloak
• a desert Raccardi

Santugan

• personal information [EXAMPLE]
• Application Sheet [FOLLBODY PICTURE OF YOUR CHARACTER FROM BOTH SIDES ]
• a cloak
• a desert Raccardi

Nordberg

• personal information [EXAMPLE]
• Application Sheet [FOLLBODY PICTURE OF YOUR CHARACTER FROM BOTH SIDES ]
• a warm cloak

Independents / Loners

• personal information [EXAMPLE]
• Application Sheet [FOLLBODY PICTURE OF YOUR CHARACTER FROM BOTH SIDES ]
• Vendors must have a wagon (or something similar) to transport their wares in.
  
• If you also want to have a desert Raccardi or a cloak for your Loner you can go ahead and design them one, but they are not necessary requirements.
  

---

If you do have questions about something, just ask me. If you want me to review your work, just do what I said earlier (sending me a link to the WIP sheet) and I will help you when needed.

You can now officially start to design your character. As you can see, many things are still in work though. I will try to get all that done as soon as possible, so that this group can open for applications on June 20th. You will be able to start claiming ranks at the end of next week (13th June). Don't worry, claiming is an ongoing process and it will last as long as applications are open. You might wanna make yourself thoughts about the personality and story of your character first though, so it will be easier foor you to claim a rank.