Hello all, EPK_M1N3CR4FTer here. About a year ago I posted something similar to this in regards to a project I wanted to start. Thanks to a few people, I was able to begin this huge project. Unfortunately, due to a lack of staff, I was forced to shut it down temporarily. Now I'm back, with renewed energy and excitement, and I'm eager to restart the project. Before I begin explaining what I have completed so far and what I hope to fully achieve, I must first say that this is a very large project, and if you are interested I will require your full devotion. Now I'll start with what the server is all about.

The Brethren Server Project:

The Brethren is an immersive role-play server, which puts the player into a universe where the world revolves around Catholic hierarchy. The server provides a huge system of leveling and ruling. Each player would have the ability to become the most powerful and important person in the universe. While the church and those in power would be the main focus of the server, there is also a giant open world to explore, complete with a main quest, many side quests, dungeons, bosses, hundreds of unique items and lore, a complete economy, and a unique Heaven/Hell/Purgatory death system (I'll go into detail about this later). In order to keep the church as the focal point of the server, almost all quests will have to do with the faith, and every town/city will have a church or cathedral as their center.
NOTE: The server and all its current plugins have been updated to 1.8.8

The Hierarchy:

The Hierarchy of The Brethren (The ranks) are unlocked from gaining experience from quests and slaying monsters. Every 10 levels, the player can progress 1 rank. Each rank gives the player more and more power over the world he is playing in, and also provides skill points to spend on a detailed skill system. Each rank unlocks a new tier of weapons and armor.

NOTE: The perks are undecided at this moment and will remain ambiguous.
NOTE 2: These ranks are not final and are subject to change.

Peasant: This is the starting rank. You have no special rights or privileges. You level up from this rank quickly. You go to Hell if you die.

Citizen: As a citizen, you are given the option to join a church and purchase a house. Being a member of a church requires you to pay a tithe every so often, however provides you with special perks. A house allows you to store your goods. You go to Hell if you die.

Deacon: As a deacon, you pay significantly less tithes, and gain extra perks. You now enter Purgatory if you die.

Bishop: As a bishop, you no longer pay tithes, and gain extra perks. You still enter Purgatory if you die.

Cardinal: As a cardinal, you now gain revenue from being a member of a church. A portion of other members' tithes goes to you. You gain extra perks. You still enter Purgatory if you die.

Arch Bishop: As an Arch Bishop, you gain even more revenue from being a member of a church, and gain extra perks. You may now also join one of the 3 Cathedrals, granting you special perks. You now go to heaven if you die.

Pope: The final rank of the hierarchy, the Pope, has access to every perk. The Pope can now become the head of a church or Cathedral, receiving a huge income. He can also purchase a Parish, where he can build (using pre made schematics) his very own city. The Pope's Parish is completely customizable and he can do whatever he pleases. A Pope can also go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory whenever he wants.

Heaven/Hell/Purgatory:

AGAIN: These descriptions are not final and are subject to change.

As shown above, each rank goes to a different place when they die. Each place is unique and offers ways to escape to get back to earth.

Heaven: Heaven is where only Arch Bishops and Popes go when they die. From there, you may explore anywhere you please. Heaven offers several special Angelic items, and also has in depth quests with Biblical references throughout. You may leave Heaven at any time to return to earth.

Hell: Hell is much like the nether in appearance, but with a much more defined landscape with towering mountains and fire/lava filled pits. Many dangers lurk in Hell, and the player must explore until he finds a way out. In Hell, a player can find demonic items, and there are also quests to be done.

Purgatory: Purgatory is the most interesting place. When sent to purgatory, a player must receive prayers to be freed. If he does not receive enough prayers in a given time, he is sent to Hell. Depending on your rank, it takes more or less prayers to be freed. Purgatory is like the end in appearance, but much more detailed. There are no special items or quests in Purgatory.

Skills and Items:

The skill system offers a variety of different paths to choose from. Each path you take will determine your play style throughout the game. Unfortunately, these have not been finished yet. As for items, so far I have created over 250 items all with carefully thought out drop rates. Each item has 3 tiers gaining power as it goes up the tier. I hope to also add magic to the server, with a wide variety of spells to choose from.

DISCLAIMER: Most of this has not been completed yet.

What We Have Completed:

I'm not going to lie. I haven't completed nearly as much as I hoped to, but that's where you guys come in. Here is what we HAVE done:

The current starting island (Just 1 of many I intend to build. Built with world painter.) I actually really dislike this island and am currently creating a much more detailed one.

http://i.imgur.com/4qlv93q.png

Tutorial Island which is currently under construction by our only builder and myself:

http://i.imgur.com/QuQD3JI.png
http://i.imgur.com/1ECDAFi.png

A small town we completed months ago:

http://i.imgur.com/azyOO7F.png
Some shots of the landscape:
http://i.imgur.com/E3L9XOq.png
http://i.imgur.com/chW62ge.png

Some buildings we constructed/schematics:

http://i.imgur.com/NYO32Uv.png
http://i.imgur.com/S8SP4k4.png
http://i.imgur.com/1BWZDE5.png

Unfortunately, that's all we've managed to complete. I left out a few things but these are the major ones. Keep in mind it has been only me and my friend working on this. Also, I have mostly been managing plugins and trying to find the perfect combinations. I only discussed some of my ideas for this server on this thread. It is much more complex than it looks. Again: none of this is final, and is subject to change.

If you are interested in joining this project, please fill out an application below. Please note that we are looking for very experienced architects and plugin developers who are willing to undertake challenging projects. The minimum age requirement is 14 years old.

The server IP is currently hamachi (my router is messed up and I cannot port forward, long story). I will purchase a host if we manage to get to open beta.

Network ID: thebrethren
Password: 123
IP: 25.17.112.163

Application Forms:

Builder:
Name:
IGN:
Age:
Time Zone:
Examples of Previous work (Pictures):
Expected hours of play time:

Plugin Developer/Manager:
Name:
IGN:
Age:
Time Zone:
Coding skill level:
Example of plugins (If available):

Well, I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you seriously consider joining this project. Even if you don't want to join, please tell your friends about this project. I hope we can make it a reality.