"In the beginning, humanity was whole. Those days are gone."
Anaphora (created by Athena Lionheart) is a Low Fantasy Play-by-Post Game on Creativity Center. The first roleplay
started in September 2014, and came to an end in July 2015. Its sequel, Anaphora: Entropy, started that same month and then fizzled out in 2017.
In Anaphora, humans can possess certain 'Traits'. They are described as '...the traits that made them who they were… that made them set apart from animals...' They are the things that make humans... well, human. When a human has one of these Traits, they are known as a Trait Bearer. There are ten good and three evil traits.
Anaphora is a world formed by the Traits. It has four major continents, three of which are home to the nations and the fourth of which is the world’s battleground in the center of the ocean, rich in history and resources, and stained with blood. Long ago, these battles were over morality, freedom, and religion, but in this age Cruore is a place to sacrifice lives for gain and power… and the place where the Trait Bearers unite.
Most of this world’s citizens have lost all sense of purpose and quietly follow the governments, even as they grow more and more corrupt. They fight off despair with alcohol and entertainment. They know no other way to live, and have no motivation to find one. Most of them don’t know how to read or write, and history had been destroyed and rewritten by the nations. The people of this world have sold their freedom for food and entertainment long ago, and now they are unknowingly paying the price.
Anaphora contains examples of:
- All There in the Manual: The wiki. A lot of information about the world and characters that’s not talked about in the roleplay can be found there.
- Alternate Techline: The technology in Anaphora is mostly around what it is in modern-day earth, if a bit dated. Guns and ammunition are fairly scarce and very carefully controlled by the governments. Weapons in general are solely under their control, but guns are saved for the very best of marksmen. Swords, spears, and the like are a viable weapon in battle and are used by the majority of soldiers in war. No technological advances have been made in the past 500 years.
- Alternative Calendar: Currently it is the year 9,995. Anaphora has no BC or AD. Their years are divided by the seasons, 91 days each, with the New Year beginning on the first day of Spring. Different names are used for the seasons. Nivalis is winter, Ver is spring, Aestas is summer, and Cadere is fall. They use military time.
- Bad Powers, Bad People:
- The Bearers of Greed have the power of trickery. They are the perfect liars, and can convince people to do their bidding, part with the things they love, and even lay down their lives in battle for them.
- Cruelty Bearers have the ability to inflict pain and agony on any living thing. They also have the power to control metal, and by extension, most weapons.
- Hate Bearers can twist emotions and radiate fear and doubt. Some of the most powerful of them can drive a person insane.
- Big Brother Is Watching: All sorts of communications are monitored 24/7 and all broadcasts are strictly controlled by the leaders of each nation.
- Conlang: Anaphoran is a language the roleplay's creator, Athena, created. It is based off of Latin.
- Constructed World: Anaphora is the world in which the RPG takes place. It has four major continents; Avaditas , Acritudo, and Aspernor, and Cruore.
- Crapsack World: Anaphora is really not a fun place to live. The world is divided into three nations, each ruled by a controlling government. They are called Avaditas, Acritudo, and Aspernor. Each of these is led by humans who still possess something that differentiates them from their average citizens, but not in a good way. The worst of humanity. Greed, Cruelty, and Hate.
- Emotional Powers: Certain states of mind are necessary for their abilities to work. For instance, if a Passion Bearer becomes extremely angry about something, flames can appear without warning, and Joy Bearers need to be at peace internally to be able to use their powers.
- The Empire: Anaphora has 3 examples of this:
- Avaditas is ruled by a family of Greed Trait Bearers. The people of this county have nothing to their name except just enough food and their assigned apartments. Avaditas is by far the richest nation in the world, especially since they have the largest foothold in Cruore currently.
- The nation of Acritudo is headed by Cruelty. Notorious for the heartless torture and murder of prisoner of wars, citizens who disobey the slightest, and Trait Bearers, Acritudo has a large, ruthless army class of citizens above the regular workers. They were the strongest influence in Cruore until a battle ten years ago. The leading family has been known to kill their children who were not born Cruelty Bearers.
- Aspernor, the nation of Hate. From the outside, this may look like a better nation then Acritudo. Never be deceived. The people in this country have no freedoms whatsoever and are ruled by fear. Any citizen can be chosen to fight in their wars at any given moment. The old or sick are killed off, and the entire country is composed of only one race.
- Fantasy World Map: The map is located on the application thread and the wiki.
- Fun with Acronyms: ENTROPY. Each letter stands for the name/alias of its members. (End Never Therese Raze Oblivion Purgatory Yin)
- Government Conspiracy: The citizens of each nation are taught about Trait Bearers to the point that they know what it is, but couldn't actually give any real facts about them. They only know enough so that they can turn them in to the government. Anyone who knew too much or helped out the Trait Bearers would be killed.
- La Résistance: Anaphora's Redemption (AR) is an organized rebellion group, which was founded with one goal: To abolish the governments and all the evil they have come to represent and encourage. They believe in the use of force to achieve this end, seeing as reasoning attempts end in prison or execution. Their ideology is based heavily on the Traits , which they believe are the one thing that humanity has left to cling to and draw true goodness from.
- Personality Powers: Tends to overlap with Emotional Powers. Each Trait Bearer has a power that corresponds with their trait. For example, Passion Bearers can control fire, Sorrow Bearers control shadows and darkness, Imagination Bearers control illusions, and Compassion Bearers can heal wounds of the living.
- Public Execution: This would be the fate of any Trait Bearer if they are found and captured by any of the Nations.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified: The whole point of Anaphora's Redemption is to go against the corrupt governments and fight for the good of the world.
- Secret War: The war between the Governments and Anaphora's Redemption is kept hidden from public knowledge.
- Switching P.O.V.: As a play by post game with many different characters, it easily fits into this trope.
- Take Over the World:
- Subverted. The goal of Anaphora’s Redemption is to abolish the governments and rule over the Nations themselves. Only, they don’t want to cause any harm. They just want to fix the world and put an end to all of the horrible acts that the nation leaders have been doing.
- ENTROPY also wants to take over the Nations, but for their own agenda.
- Team Pet: Callie, the wolf pup Axel rescued.
- There Are No Therapists: Many characters have suffered through a mental trauma of some sort, but there isn't any way to get professional help because none of the nations put any value into that kind of thing.
- Webcomic Time: Over the period of 10 real-life months, only 17 days pass in the roleplay.
- World of Badass: Almost every character that’s introduced is a capable fighter.
- Young and in Charge:
- After Anaphora’s Redemption successfully takes over Acritudo, they’re the ones that are now leading the Nation despite the fact that all of them, except for one, are teenagers.
- Two of the Zeidan children were in charge of Acritudo for a while after their father was killed.
