The Trauma of History OOC

The trauma of history!

IC

Characters so far:

Aufidius: Uys Krige (Dwarf)

Data: Ilyria Rowan (Elf / Cilmessë)

Calvin: Rhysvielen "Lin" Theanduil (Elf / Majirel)

Hank: Revelation (Human)

Rethel34: Gralan Vorent (Human)

Mammoth: Mammoth (Human Barbarian)

FantasyFan28: Crale Darkclaw (Half-Elf)

The World and its Races

This is a low fantasy world, where magic is rare, almost to the point of myth in the case of anything resembling powerful magic. The RP takes place on a continent called Tarimis, on a world known only as Eä.

Map of Tarmis (I know it's shoddy, but I'm far better at writing than making maps!) map link

The main body of Tarimis is made up of four main territories or nations. Three of these form the three 'playable' races, which are human, elf, and dwarf (H, E, and D on the map respectively). The more powerful magical creatures (dragons etc) found in fantasy have become legend - to all knowledge they have long since died out, and most people have forgotten they exist. Orcs, goblins, some barbarian humans and giants inhabit a wild zone, walled off from the 'civilised' lands by an ancient wall (similar to the wall that keeps out the wildlings in Game of Thrones, but not as massive).

A little more on the three playable races and their lands:

The humans (Nestori): The human kingdom operates under a feudal system where each noble house rules its territory in a somewhat devolved way. The nobles are not independent of the crown, but are loyal to the human king as per the feudal hierarchy. The crown is held by King Louen Nestor, of the house Nestor which has ruled for the last 500 years (hence humans are often called Nestori). Humans are a less harmonious race than the elves or dwarves, and so there is more scheming and political intrigue to clamber up the ladder. The noble houses should be around six to eight in number, who in turn have lesser or knightly houses which serve upon them. The make up of these houses will be something we generate throughout the RP, though human players may wish to make a start in their CS.

The human capital is a great fortress city named Diomos that sits on lake Diomede, and is named after the King who founded it, Diomedes Nestor (confusion, I know). Diomos is the greatest city ever built above land, in size and grandeur. It stands as a bastion of human growth and fortune, and from there the King and his council rule. Every other city, save one which I will introduce in the RP, will be subject to creation hereafter. Be imaginative.

As a race, humans are complex, having a multitude of different personalities and characters. Many are wealth hungry merchants, or violent warriors, whilst an equal number rival the elves in their desire for self improvement and aesthetic dispositions. Men are often seen by the other races as unpredictable, but strangely capable. They are determined people, who as a mass can achieve wondrous feats. Humans have come the furthest in the least amount of time, and although they cannot yet match the elves' ancient knowledge or the dwarves' skills in physical crafts, many think it won't be long until they catch up. They also hold the largest territory and are the most populous race.

The elves (Majirel, Sindaril, Cilmessë and Therindë). The elves have something akin to a fully devolved democracy. Each elven territory is independently governed, and its leaders elected. There are four elven territories: Majirel, Sindaril, Cilmessë and Therindë. These correspond to slightly different racial and cultural qualities that have evolved since the elven schism, over a thousand years ago. The elves are harmonious however, and these territories do often come together on account of their mutual history and mutual values, but there is no central government as such, just a council that can be called when issues that affect all independent elven territories arise. Again, much of the fluff can be filled in by you.

The greatest elven city belongs to the Cilmessë, who inhabit the great forest of Quesien. Thus the city is called Quessir, which is interwoven amongst the natural flora of the forest. Great trees support intricate, beautiful structures which house the elven population. It is said to be amongst the most beautiful creation of any living people.

The elves are a noble, sophisticated race, and yet appear to others as often beautifully simple in their graces and pleasures. Elves are usually a similar height to humans, but are more lithe and dexterous. They have long lives, around 500 years, which gives them a sense of aloofness as comes with seeing generations of other races come and go. They have superb hand eye coordination, and make up for a lack of strength with speed and agility.

The Dwarves Politically, the dwarves are half way house between feudal governance and the elves' full devolution. There is a Dwarven King - Úlfr, but his power is more ceremonial. Dwarves have city states that operate in isolation from each other as clans, ruled by clan-lords. The King and his council do set the core rules that govern all Dwarven kind, but the Clan-lords have ultimate sway in their city. Each Dwarven city is built down, either underground or more commonly, into a mountain.

The Dwarves' capital is the great underground city of Vánagandr. Sitting under the highest peak of Irthuk, in the white mountains, the city is truly vast. The architecture makes it, without doubt, the greatest feat of engineering ever undertaken. Having taken 700 years to become the city it is today, Vánagandr's caverns are awe inspiring and a monument to the power of the dwarven race.

Dwarves are short, stocky people. They usually stand between 4' to 4' 5'' but can easily weigh as much as a human two feet taller, having an incredible natural muscle mass. They are merry in song and drink, but stern in business; they are long term thinkers, who carry great stock in their clan above all else. Dwarves often live to be 160 years of age.

The wildlings, including orcs and goblins The wild zone is a race walled off from the rest of Tarimis by a great wall constructed by the combined effort of the dwarves, humans and elves some 400 years ago. The wall and its surrounding lands are neutral, manned by warriors of each race, sent on rotation every 5 years. There is a permanent guard, called the beacon holders. It is a vocation few still willingly take, and thus many are sent there to pay for their crimes (Game of Thrones rip off, I know).

The lands beyond the wall are often referred to simply as the wild. Orcs and goblins are the most numerous population, although giants and small villages of barbarian humans also live there. The lands, being towards the north of the continent, are much colder, and beyond a hundred or so miles north of the wall, very few maps exist of the lands thereon.

Plot

In the northern part of the continent (Tarimis) where the human kingdom and a dwarven clan-hold meet, a great discovery was made. Both the dwarves and humans claimed to have discovered it first, but eventually they put aside their differences to work together. The find was an archaeological wonder; a city from the first age (c.6000 years ago), of which records are extremely rare. After two years of painfully careful excavation, the elves were given a formal role on account of their vast lore and their status as the oldest civilisation among the three races. It was the first fully collaborative venture of all three races in decades. The most significant discovery was of a sarcophagus that seemed to pre-date even the city itself; sealed shut by powerful locks that the most skilled dwarven craftsmen couldn't unpick, the artefact was subject to intense study. The runes were in a language long forgotten, but from what could be established, it spoke of a great prophesy that was central to the faith of this ancient civilisation.

In the years that followed, other key discoveries were made, including several ancient scrolls, and crude pictorial evidence that hinted at a unified origin amongst the races of the earth, and the possibility of a 'master race' or 'creator race' lost to time. This theory caused an uproar amongst the various faiths of each race, but was unverified without the cryptic language of the ancients being broken. Just as scholars were making a breakthrough, an unthinkable event happened. The sarcophagus and several ancient texts and artefacts were being transported under guard from the ancient city to human territory where they were to undergo further study, when they were stolen by an unknown force. Immediately, the humans, dwarves and elves argued about what happened. Many blamed each other, others blamed secret clans of religious zealots; some looked to the orcs and goblins, who may also have a stake in the discovery; finally, a few dared to speculate at the return of a dark power, hinted at amongst the cryptic runes.

Whilst distrust has flared, groups have been formed to investigate and each race must continue to work together to arrive at the truth. What happens then, well, that depends...



Name:
Race:
Age:
Appearance:
Role / job / class:
Background / History:
Personality / interests / motivations:
Skills and talents:
Equipment:

Do we need everyone here to start writing IC posts? I was thinking of writing up an intro in Diomos just explaining what my character is up to.

I don't know how good you'll consider this, but it's an idea that came to me in the matter of a few minutes.

Name: Gralan Vorent

Race: Human

Age: Presumed to be 42

Appearance: Standing at 6'3" tall, Gralan is built fairly well for a man of his age. His deep-set chocolate-colored eyes can be both intimidating and friendly. Black, thinning hair covers his scalp, graying from years of wandering and storytelling. His skin is tanned from years in the sun, and his muscles, though not overly large, are well defined, appearing to have no fat. His square shouders show that even though he has wandered for years, he has still maintained pride. His garb is simple: a light, cream-colored tunic and brown breeches. Around his waist is a belt, holding his scabbard and scimitar. A quiver rests on his back, and in his hand is sometimes a small walking staff for long journeys. Beneath his tunic is a layer of chain mail, and beneath that is a padded leather tunic to give him the defense he needs without much restriction to movement.

Occupation: Gralan is a wandering bard and storyteller. When he is not doing this, he can be found training with his blade or at a tavern somewhere drinking ale and beer.

Background: Gralan is, for the most part, a mystery. Even he knows little of his own past, as he is an amnesiac. He knows nothing until his thirtieth year of life, or so he thinks, for could only remember one thing when he awoke all those years ago: a name. He didn't even know if the name was truly his, but he took it as his own anyway. Since then he has taken up travelling and storytelling as hobbies. It makes for little gold, but he doesn't believe that with wandering that anything other than food is needed.

After he awoke in a forest, without remembering anything but the name, there was a small hummingbird that flew down beside him, and he saw that it was marked by a single scratch on its chest. It left him shortly after, as a traveller chanced across him, and asked him of his name. Gralan could only answer with the only name in his head, and he was brought with the traveller to a town, he began to ask questions about where he was and began to weave stories from what he heard.

When his travelling began, he started down the road, and a gentle buzz sounded directly behind his head, and wouldn't stop. He turned and found the hummingbird hovering there, staring at him. It was the same as the one that had come to him in the forest. He didn't attack it or force it to leave. He merely allowed it to continue flying at his side. He enjoyed the company, as he had felt alone after he had forgotten everything. In travelling, his hope was to uncover his past, but it didn't help. Luckily, the small bird would come to his side whenever he was on the road, but it would never enter a town or city.

He has learned lore, songs, and stories from every race, travelling between the different territories merely to share knowledge and myths, and to gain any new knowledge from the communities he comes across. His personal favorite is the story of the legend known as Revelation. Although the man is still living, it is still a lengthy and interesting tale.

On his travels, Gralan has fended off numbers of bandits, the reason for his carrying of weapons. He also possessed them when he awoke that day in the forest, so he believes them to be some sort of tie to his lost past. He knows his odds of truly understanding himself are slim, but he attempts to make the best of what he has.

Eventually, he heard of an ancient sarcophagus that had been stolen. Using it as another excuse to travel and to gain another tale under his belt, Gralan took immediate interest, and decided to aid in the finding of the lost artifact.

Motivations: Gralan is motivated by two key points. The first is his desire to learn about the world and all of its cultures and the various races, at the same time gaining new tales and songs to share with those who will listen, as he believes knowledge is of high importance. The other key motivator is his want to uncover his mysterious past.

Skills: Gralan is an exceptional singer, and can play the lute well. He is fast on his feet, prefering to keep speed a higher priority than power. He also can wield his scimitar with incredibly swift finesse, a skill he assumes he had before his loss of memory. He is not by anymeans quick enough to outdo an elf, but he is faster than most warriors, and has been able to avoid the axes of many bandits in his travels.

Equipment: Gralan favors his silver-erected scimitar, whose steel hilt is wrapped in a sky blue cloth. His longbow is crafted of ebony wood and is decorated with a few animal fangs near the ends. He has a map to guide him along the paths of the land, and he carries a wineskin at his belt. A silver ring with an odd insignia on its face has never left his middle finger as long as he can remember.

Rethel, I like it! I wouldn't amend it as such, but consider that the group is going to be put together via 'official invitation', i.e. a government / noble or some other power (a faith) puts you forward for the mission. It could be that your lore is important, or one of the works that went missing along with the sarcophagus was an epic verse, which was especially difficult to translate on account of both the language and context specific metaphor from contexts long since forgotten. As an expert in literature and history both, your character might be volunteered. But, you can't just wander in per se.

Anyway, that's an example. You're accepted, I just need a reason IC.

Calvin, you can start drafting one if you like, but I'll post first to kick off, obviously. Then you can tweak it. I'll reply to your message soon, I'm just still stuck doing a shit load of real life work!

Glad you're happy with it. It was kind of rushed, so I didn't know if it would be worth much. I'll take that bit of advice on that, though. c:

Name: Mammoth
Race: Human - Barbarian
Age: 26

Appearance: Mammoth is a towering man, standing 6 foot, three inches tall, and weighing 325 pounds. While extremely muscular, he has the frame of a northern man: thick and barrel chested and prepared to handle the harsh northern winters, which last most of the year. Bald, with a very strong jaw line and deep blue eyes, Mammoth has a long thick blonde beard. He wears a scaled armor with interlocking iron plates, covered on the left by a shoulder plate and on the right by a white wolf's hide (a smaller, less imposing plate is below the hide). The hide is lined so that the head stares off of his right shoulder and the hide wraps around his back and down the plate, acting as a cloak of sorts. It is attached to the armor so as to not be easily grabbed, and can be removed rather easily in battle. Wearing heavy metal plate greaves and similar interlocking iron legplates, Mammoth is extremely well-armed for a "northman", as they are known to the south. His waist has a mammoth hide wrapped around it for warmth.

On his back, slung in two slings, one on his right shoulder and one near his waist on the left side, hang his weapons: Two double-sided axes each about 3 feet in length. The work that goes into creating the weapons is so great, that only a certain few are presented with them. Cold Steel, aptly named for its far northern origins, is an almost unbreakable weapon cast from the ore found below the ice shelf far to the north. The work and effort that it takes to craft it reserves the weapons only for the elite warriors of the barbarian tribes.

He wears no helmet, preferring vision to the protection it offers. He also prefers to stare his enemies in the face, and is known for his ferocious war cry.

Background / History: The northern barbarian tribes are known for being fierce and ferocious warriors, often attributed to their harsh climate and deadly wildlife that they share the wild lands with. There exist three northern human tribes, in addition to the dozens or orc tribes and other vile creatures: The Deldor, the Castian, and the Galian, each named after the mythical man whom they claim to have bound together each tribe long before the wall was built. The Galian, which Mammoth belongs to, is the northern-most tribe, located near the uncharted ice shelf. The hardy Galian are the only group that attempted to settle that far north, and they did so because they knew that the orcs and other Barbarian tribes were not tough enough to ever conquer their homeland, should it come to that.

Most of those south of the wall don't understand or know of the tribes and their customs, but a few are aware of their culture. Each tribe has a designated warrior class, the ones who survive a specific set of trials that culminates with the Great Hunt. The Great Hunt involves sending a warrior out unarmored and unarmed, set to task of hunting one of the many dangerous animals of the wild. Despite holding to different alliances, the barbarian tribes are remarkably similar. The Deldor and Castian prefer to designate what animal must be hunted, the Galian leave the decision to the hunter. If they return, the are reborn as Death Riders, cast with the task of being the elite warrior class of their tribe, and re-named as the beast that they had slain with their bare hands. Once a Death Rider claims a beast, it cannot be taken until his death as he "rides the strength of the soul of the hunted beast to his grave". The more deadly the beast, the more prestige the Death Rider receives upon his return.

Mammoth, clearly, hunted down and slaughtered one of the great roaming mammoth of the north, known for being intensely short tempered and deadly with their massive tusks. He still carries the scars from his hunt, which mark his body in numerous places, none more apparent than the one that runs from the left side of his neck to just below his eye. While the story of how the beast comes to be slain belongs to the Death Rider, it is considered a great honor if he shares it with someone.

Mammoth currently acts as the Gal'thronir, the Galian title for the Vanguard, the man who is first into the battle and last to leave. In non war-time, he is the head scout for the Galian, and is often out in the snowy wilderness alone. He prefers the solitude and feels he works better when nobody is there to slow him down.

Personality / interests / motivations: The Galian are known for their ferocity, and how they will have no mercy for their enemies. While the other two barbarian tribes are largely honor-driven, not fighting unless given reason, the Galian have been known to hunt orcs or settlements of other tribes that have grown to close just because they've grown bored. Mammoth is not afraid to dirty his hands. As such, He is one of the most highly regarded warriors the Galian have to offer as he will do what most will not or can not. He can read, albeit not well, and is quite the tactician. He was born for the battlefield and he thrives in battle, enjoying the chance to slay his foes. When the Galian need something nasty done, he is trusted with the task. Mammoth has no qualms with burning down an entire village and everyone in it. That's not to say he enjoys slaughtering innocents, but in the wild lands you tend not to have many options.

As one of the few Galian who can read, he is often sent as an emissary when other tribes or the southerners beyond the wall would prefer to talk than to die.

Skills and talents: Can read and write, but struggles with advanced words of the southern nobility. Expert tactician and fearless warrior. Adept at scouting and tracking in the wild lands. Can withstand incredible punishment. Overpowering in battle, even if he lacks speed.

Equipment: Dual Cold Steel axes, etched with the insignia of his Hunt. Plate armor.

Fucking beast! I'm gonna have to come up with some hard as nails antagonists to keep you lot challenged.

Very well written CS Mammoth, accepted of course. Some nice background lore we can work with there! I'll keep picking your brains on that, if you don't mind. The 'world' is coming together nicely.

- - - Updated - - -

Right, just FantasyFan to write his, but no drama - he can catch up.

I'll start work on the IC. May be a day, may be tonight. I've worked my ass off today and just fancy a beer and watching the NFL (you wouldn't think I'm british would you?).

That said, I can do 2 things at once.

Write it now! Take your time. :)

Awesome. Sounds good. I had a lot of ideas for the Barbarians. It doesn't make sense for the guys living alongside orcs and monsters and deadly animals to be anything but tough as nails. That said, I would gladly help out with building the lore, as we always do :P

It also is hard to write a CS that touches on the weaknesses of a character, so everyone looks like a badass, lol.

I am excited, but I can wait for you to have your beer and NFL time. XD