Backstory:

In a dimension many planes away from our own countless eons ago, there was an infinite emptiness filled with only the consciousness of a single being. This vast, formless intelligence lacked purpose and meaning; an omniscience in a plane of which there was nothing to know. The primordial mind grew restless with millennia passing by - eventually in one bold move - thundering into its plane the concept of reality at the cost of its own being. The psyche of the great intelligence shattered, its fragments forming into two new predominant entities.

The first new being to be formed from these fragments took upon itself the name of "Jaarus". Jaarus found within himself the powers to create and maintain, using this to create a beautiful utopia of order. This world he forged was coated in beautiful masses of snow, sand, trees, ocean and any other environment one could conceive. From here, Jaarus created mankind and animals.

For the first few centuries, all was at peace, until his younger brother, the second fragment "Kahn" came into existence. Kahn inherited the powers to change and destroy. For a short time, the two Gods shaped this planet in their likeness. Jaarus kept the principles of order and responsibility central to society, whilst Kahn brought mankind spontaneity and excitement. Unfortunately, eventually Kahn grew to resent his older brother. He was driven to envy, lacking the power to create his own desires. The two had come to an argument over the fate of Mankind and the world itself. Kahn decided he wished to forge his own world separate from Jaarus' vision as a result. They fell into rivalry, with Kahn eventually seeking to claim what Jaarus had created for himself.

The two began to lock in combat, relentlessly attempting to defeat each other - however they found themselves at a stalemate. To spite this, Kahn began to distort portions of the world, corrupting that which was beautiful into grotesque lands of decay, fire and inhospitably barren landscapes. He stole the men that lived in these lands and tainted their forms, creating vile Daemons to worship his image and wage war upon Jaarus and Mankind. If Kahn could not destroy Jaarus directly, he would simply claim all that he owned, and have his brother's name forgotten to time. Their exhausted powers from their initial conflict crystallised upon the planet, becoming the primary source of power for the Human and Daemon nations. In one final, desperate move, the Gods both tore open wormholes into other dimensions, bringing forth champions to aid them in their battle. Thus began the Great Cycle. When one of the Gods or their Crystals fell, everything would be undone and the victor would grow more powerful. Both sides exchanged victories for a countless measure of time, and so they shall continue to do so... until one brother becomes powerful enough to engulf the other, claiming all of creation for their own.

This is yet another cycle, and the warriors have been awakened. There is no escape until the cycle ends.

General rules:

It is preferable you use characters from any other RP thread on this site/to have ever existed in this community, dating as far back as AvD. Original characters may also be accepted too though - but it somewhat defeats the idea of the thread.

Characters will be branded with the mark of their God upon awakening. Inhabitants of the world will recognise this brand if it is shown to them/not concealed - provoking varying reactions.

It is understandable power scaling may be an issue, so if you wish to introduce an 'underpowered' character, you may buff them through empowerment from their respective God if you wish (within reason).

Characters in this RP will retain all knowledge & memories they had up until their current point in their respective RP to being introduced to this thread, OR can be given amnesia, essentially giving them a completely clean slate/no relationships to any other characters from the same universe.

This thread is a separate canon, and will not affect the plot of another RP.

The ultimate objective is to destroy the rival god/their Crystal, allowing the rival God to siphon some of the loser's power and close the cycle.

The alignment/morals of your character do not necessarily dictate their side in this RP if you do not wish it to. 'Heroic' characters are not forbidden from being chosen by Kahn for example. 

Infighting may or may not incur punishment by their managing God.

If a character falls, they will eventually be resurrected by their respective God. This serves purely to allow characters to fight more often if suited and die without penalty.

Any characters who have fought in more than one cycle likely will have had their memory wiped, forgetting the events of a previous cycle. (Unless you have some kinda cool plot point you want to do which requires recollection/partial recollection of previous cycles.)

Challenging a God 1v1 is suicide regardless of your character's innate power. This is out of the question, excluding if your intention is to have your character's ass handed to them. Unless properly prepared for the fight, they will literally wipe you out without leaving their throne - temporarily weakened or not they are the undisputed Mary Sues. If it ever comes to the defeat of a God/ending an arc it will be specified beforehand and require more than the efforts of just one character (Unless an approved plot point has determined otherwise).

World Guide:

The planet can very much be considered akin to modern/slightly more advanced than modern Earth. There is a fantasy twist however. Some magical/fantasy creatures exist on the planet, such as Ents and Wisps in the regions influenced by Jaarus, contrasted with creatures such as fierce Dragons and Balrogs in the wastelands tainted by Kahn. The lands under Jaarus worship tend to be home to kingdoms of Mankind, whereas the malformed, cruel Daemon Empire operates in regions under Kahn worship. Both opposing sides frequently waver between uneasy ceasefires and bitter conflict due to political unrest between the two races (on account of each culture demonising the other's God). Greater creatures such as Ents, Dragons and so on tend to go about their own business in their respective habitats, but have been known on occasion to operate as weapons of war.

In terms of technology and theme - the world is in a somewhat post modern blended with fantasy setting (I guess you could think of some degree akin to Final Fantasy). Guns and other instances of modern technology do exist and are used on occasion by both sides (primarily the Daemon side). Typical gear wielded by infantry can be a variation of swords, bows, plated armour, explosives, occasional firearms (including fully automatic and sniper variants) and even in some circumstances vehicles/robotics. Magic, science and small trivial aspects such as drugs and intoxicants exist in the world. Different lands may have different taboos or values on certain topics.

The regions governed by Jaarus are referred to as Arrendar whilst the lands twisted by Kahn are referred to as Oslana. Arrendar tends to contain lush green fields, forests, jungles and most other natural climates. Oslana however is bordered by scorching hot deserts, and further inland becomes very rocky, mountainous and volcanic. At the centre of the domain it is known of having rivers and pools of lava, many volcanoes and a deep choking cloud of ash that blocks the sky out most of the time. Snowy/Tundra terrain is widely regarded as neutral, as it is constantly being seized by either nation and then forfeit due to fighting to a standstill.

A God's field of influence is reduced the further you get from their Crystal.

Notable Figures/Mythos:

Jaarus -

Jaarus is the older of the two Gods and values the principles of order, security and good virtue. Those kingdoms pledged to Jaarus value strict, orderly laws and codes of honour. He is largely followed by Mankind and promotes cultured society. Jaarus often chooses to wear the form of a large armour-clad knight with an impossible to see through glow from any holes in his armour (i.e. his helmet). He wields a large sword burning with an intense righteous energy that smites those that would try to harm him or his creations. Jaarus is very protective over Mankind and proactive in their activities, offering guidance and aid to them where he can.

Kahn -

Kahn is the younger of the two Gods and rules Oslana and its Daemons. Kahn values the principles of raw energy, carnal desires and freedom. The Oslanian Empire of Daemons in turn has laws in place for its own survival, but is a much tougher, crueler place to live and try to thrive in due to the environment. Oslana's laws are more lenient than Arrendar's, but punishments are more severe. He takes a less active role in the Daemon's activities, rarely having an audience, which is exclusively with the Daemon sovereign. Kahn's visage is that of a large, crimson beast with large, gnarled horns, fierce red eyes and an incredibly sharp toothed maw. He often appears to have two sets of large, webbed wings, a barbed tail and four arms. Kahn has a huge burning claymore he wields with one hand to reduce those who defy his will to cinders, and annihilates those who would try to escape with terrible hellfire.

Mankind -

Mankind are traditional Humans in the sense that you and I would understand them. Most live in organised society worshiping Jaarus and looking after their homelands. Humans typically in terms of military load out are equipped with sturdy armour and either occasionally rifles or most often melee equipment. Humans frequently employ sorcery as a military tactic, having OMU's (Offensive Magical Units - mages) in their armies to combat more severe threats. Humans have at times branched out and formed their own nations (albeit sharing worship for Jaarus) in contrast to all Daemons flying the banner of Oslana under a single sovereign. Humans are lead by a council similar to the United Nations, with each kingdom having its own monarch in this council. This has on very rare occasion lead to minor quarrels, but Mankind recognises Daemons as the prime enemy/threat.

Humans do also employ military technology to a respectable degree, making them far from being behind the Daemons, but favour looking to faith and magic to bolster their war efforts. Jaarus tends to be more attentive to his people than Kahn with his, making worship and magical assistance much more potent in Arrendar. Humans believe themselves superior to Daemons in every right on account of their 'purity' - viewing Daemons as tainted versions of themselves. This does not help diplomatic relations. Humans, if given the chance would rather invade Oslana and destroy Kahn or his Crystal directly (albeit this is impossible. Kahn would obliterate them and their weapons would barely scratch his Crystal) - as they would not stoop to inhabiting Oslana's environments.

Daemons -

Daemons look much like humans but with either jet black or grey skin, black eyes with typically orange or red pupils. Their hair tends to only be jet black or occasionally greyed (even from a young age). They are on average slightly larger and more physically imposing than Humans. Some may also have small horns/bumps protruding from their forehead. They are much more free spirited and confrontational than their Human counterparts. They often believe in survival of the fittest with a large piece of their culture being gladiator battles (often done between convicts). Their military is largely conscripted and they often equip themselves with weaponry that could be considered inhumane. Seeing as Kahn himself lacked the power to create from scratch, he bestowed Daemons with an incredible passion for innovation and mechanical ingenuity at the cost of some of their faith. As a result, Daemons focus much more on the technological side of warfare than their rivals. Daemons often refrain from employing magic except for unleashing their most devastating attacks or desperate defences - as Kahn does not involve himself as much with Daemon political affairs as Jaarus does with Mankind's.

Kahn is more interested in converting more of the actual world to his liking and seeing the downfall of his brother than helping his people thrive and expand. In spite of this, Daemons still hold a respect for Kahn and build shrines in his likeness to pay tribute to thank him for their existence and giving them their proficiency in creating. They have been known to deploy mindless, autonomous Warforged Drones in their battles as front line troopers, and devote much of their R&D towards military advancements and genetic engineering. Daemons often indoctrinate the local savage lesser beasts into their war effort too, such as Dire Wolves and the widely-feared winged Razormaws, bat-like mini-draconids that prey on the unwary and function as aerial hounds.

The Undead -

Deep below the earth in an infinitely sprawling mass of catacombs, the King of the Dead sleeps. Whenever a Human or Daemon falls, they are added to his fold of countless servants. The King of the Dead is not a God like Kahn or Jaarus, rather he is a separate deity who manifested from all of the death and bloodshed of the first conflict. The King is much like a machine - he only functions for his purpose, lacking his own desires or ideals. He is in agreement with the two Gods to refuse their champions entry into his kingdom until a cycle ends, granting them loaned reincarnation. At the end of a cycle, once a God falls, the King will awaken with his armies and overrun the world above. All lives will be extinguished in this apocalypse - as you cannot stop that which is already dead. Once all has been reaped, the world will stale and crumble - and all shall reset in preparation for the new cycle.

Notes:

I guess you could say this RP is meant to have a slightly dark/sombre undertone to it, although nothing is prohibited i.e. comic relief, horror/fear, romance etc. 

I'm not sure how well this could work practically, so I'm going to go and guess it'd work best if everyone had at least 1 character on each side. There is no dictation over what character has to be on what 'team'. Assign them whichever you think would be the most fun/interesting to write about.