The Sapphire Phoenix: Tales of a Mercenary Clan

[Vormund]

OOC + Sign Up Open
Posting Welcome

- - - - - -

An old tome sits upon a shelf hidden deep away in the old library, coated thick in dust with faded blue script that seems to still somehow shine out its title, ‘The Phoenix Saga’. However the dust is unsettled by a young man whose eyes seem to shine with the reflection of the chipped away words, and though he struggles he realizes what wonders must hide away in the book, and thus hurries it to the caretaker to have it read.

“Oh my, what is it you have brought me this time? ‘The Phoenix Saga,’ ah yes, that is quite an interesting choice. Why you ask? Well this book right here tells the story of the mercenary clan once known as the Sapphire Phoenix Clan. It is a wondrous tale that spans years, and has slept within the pages of this book for nearly hundreds more.

The librarian looks down at the book in her hands, the cover so old and dust coated it is practically falling apart itself. With clear fondness in her voice and a smile gently lying upon her face she continues.

“Ah yes, a story of long ago, a story of great warriors, camaraderie, and forces forged through fire—”

With but a moment’s pause she returns her gaze to her listeners.

“—are you sure, you wish to hear this story? The heroes in it are no longer around, and the story’s end is not for those who can only imagine the world bathed in the warmth of the sun. Well, if you are sure.”

Upon this warning the yellowed pages are opened, making a crisp noise as they are carefully moved.

Within these pages are held the exploits and the epic journey of the once vibrant and lively band of beings, known as the Sapphire Phoenix, a clan that was as mighty and brilliant as their name would suggest; however since the book’s recording, and the livelihood of the clan itself, millennia have passed, and the clan has since fallen into obscurity, and their story is remembered now in only legends and the few who the story has ever reached the ears or eyes of. But now it shall be spread to more as the librarian begins to read.

- - - - - -

The Sapphire Phoenix Mercenary Clan

There are many groups of interesting people in the world of Niverin, and many of them often group up in ragtag teams to go save the day. However, The Sapphire Phoenix Mercenaries are the band of misfits to top them all. Any native Niver is welcome to join, regardless of past or premise.

Lucas Montoya, retired knight of the Gold Coast, formed the band almost 16 years ago, after the wound to his knee and untimely action about it ruined most of the mobility in his left leg. He's still quite the warrior, but not fit for active service in any military.

So he made his own. Twenty warriors, rogues, and mages of differing talents and skill levels joined up, for reasons they may or may not have explained to Lucas or their comrades, and that was fine by Lucas. As long as his mercenaries were good people, he couldn't care less about their flaws or their fears.

For 16 years, The Sapphire Phoenix has lived relatively well, performing small missions here and there to keep the mercenaries paid enough to avoid mutiny or abandoning their comrades for more spare change. But they have never really had a big break. They never really got seen as anything more than a bunch of sellswords in blue cloaks.

But that changed the day Lucas Montoya received an unsigned letter, about a week before their story truly started. It was short, simple, and to the point. It pointed them in the direction of somthing huge happening in the Reach Province, and enclosed in the package with the letter was enough money to make any mercenary band charge headlong in the direction of their target.

Which is exactly what they did. And they didn't know, at the time, that most of them would not survive what came after.

This is that chapter of the story. This is a tale of war and peace, of life and sacrifice, and of death and what lies beyond.

This is the Phoenix Saga, and like the mythical creature of their namesake, they will rise from the dust of their ashes... Or be forever forgotten within the sands of time.

- - - - - -

[Vormund]

General Rules

- All Mangafox Rules apply
- I tolerate absolutely no disrespect of others in my threads. Good-natured trash talk is fine, malevolent disrepect will get you kicked out of this RP, and put a serious mark on you against joining any future RPs of mine.
- Be your own worst enemy in terms of critique. If you think something you are about to post sounds dumb, I'm probably going to think that too.
- One Character per person, unless you prove to me (or have proven to me) to be quite the capable roleplayer, in which case I'll let you play as two. Two is the maximum, ever.
- 3 strikes you're out. No exceptions.

OOC Rules

- All posts in this thread must have something to do with this RP. Questions, Comments, Concerns, Ideas or Plans... Anything. I don't mind normal conversation in the thread, as a matter of fact I welcome it, but at least one sentence has to do with the RP to avoid it being flagged as spam by myself, my SiCs, or a RP Mod.
- No arguments here, at all. I don't mind debates about which type of magic is superior or whether swords are better than axes, etc., but I will tolerate no arguments. I will give both sides a warning, regardless of who started it. If someone is giving you hell, PM me or one of my SiCs, and we will handle it, not you.
- Keep my thread PG-rated. The IC itself can be PG-13 with blood and guts and love and language, but I've got a decent record of having clean, polite OOCs. Please help me keep it that way.
- No crazy fonts, ridiculous colors, and mind your spelling and grammar. If I can't read it easily, I'm not going to read it. If my SiCs can't read it easily, they most likely aren't going to waste time trying to decode it.
- You will listen to my SiCs and I without question and without fail. If you feel we're being unfair, then tell us. Otherwise, just do what we ask and this thread will be fun. We're nice people when you get to know us.
- I require at least one OOC post per person per week. If you don't post within the week and you didn't tell me about your absence beforehand, you're gone. If you're going to be gone for a while, let me and my SiCs know beforehand if you want to keep your character. I will most likely kill him/her to add poignancy to the RP if you don't.

My Rules

- I cannot stand one liners, in OOC or IC. If you post, post 2-3 sentences at the very least in OOC, and a good 10 lines minimum in IC.
- God-Modding is even worse than One-lining in my eyes. You have been warned.
- If you want to introduce side-quests for your character, feel welcome to do so. However, if you want to do it during a main quest or the like, PM me and/or my SiCs to talk it out,
- I won't always announce new missions or events, and I may update the rules without warning. Check back here often.

Roleplay Staff

The Heartless Warlord Thread Owner - Soulstone Splinter
My Left Hand (SiC) - Hiring
My Right Hand (SiC) - Hiring

Announcements

OOC Open 3/28/13 @ 9:55 AM

[Vormund]

Niverin



There are many lands across the planet of Malius. Some are huge, like Ethmiru to the west, which takes up damn near a quarter of the planet. Some are tiny, like Shandevar to the southwest, a tiny country that is barely 50 square miles in diameter. There are rich countries, like Mavrefell, and poor lands like Varna.

However, none are more diverse, economically, geographically, racially, and so on, as Niverin. A land steeped in history. A land with soaring mountains and burning deserts, expansive seas of brilliant green grass and deep lakes of crystal blue water. A world of wilds dangerous and cities peaceful. A country covered in ruins of ancient times and relics of forgotten eras.

It is this amazing land in which the legend of the Sapphire Phoenix grew and died. This is the beautiful world that the Dread Empire tried to seize and rule almost five hundred years ago, stopped only by the strength of the Paladin King. This is the vast country that Kalanthas Qoral, the Legendary Sage, used magic unknown to the rest of mortals to stop one of the four moons from smashing into the planet, and send it back to it's proper place in orbit to stop the lich Anlagen.

This is the land heroes have been born and have died in.

This is home.

And now it's threatened.

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The Provinces of Niverin

The description for all the provinces (WIP) and the rulers of those provinces are in this google document, link below:

The Description of the World Around Us

The Heroes Plain
The Northvale Province
The Jonovah Province
The Gold Coast
The Southvale Province
The Vanerlyn Province
The Mir Province
The Winterfell Province
The Bjordred Province
The Jerall Province
The Reach Province
The Mulhorrin Province
The Matarion Province
The Ring of the Forgotten

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Pantheon of the Gods

By real life definition, Pantheon is the name of a circular temple in Rome dedicated to all of their ancient gods, such as Mars, Jupiter, Vulcan, Etc. The Pantheon, back in the day of these god's prime, was also dedicated to their worship. Back then, this was THE Church everyone went to on Sundays. Or whenever the Romans worshiped.

In Fantasy, Pantheon is often used as a grouping of Deities. For instance, all the Good Gods will be on one, while the Evil gods are part of another. Or they could be grouped by the realms they govern. For instance, there could be a Death Pantheon, Agriculture Pantheon, Sky Pantheon, etc. As long as it's a grouping of the divines, it could technically be a pantheon.

For the sake of a simple list, they will be grouped in Good, Evil, Or Neutral.

Good Gods

Bahamut the Platinum Dragon, The God of Good Dragons
Brom, The God of Lessons and Experience
Drameir, the Goddess of Innocence*
Evndir the Sword Saint, The God of Courage*
Halren, The God of Power*
Larethian, The God of the Elves
Marah, Goddess of the Hunt
Morin, The God of Dwarves
Suparna, the God of Honorable Combat
Terra, The God of Life*
Wiloss, The God of Knighthood and Chivalry

Neutral Gods

Aranea, The Goddess of Magic
Chaavryn, The God of Rogues
Crow, The God of Trials
Eronos, The God of the Afterlife
Malach HaMavet (The Angel of Light and Dark), the God of Death and Judgement*
Gaia, the Earth Goddess*
Halmyr, the God of Skill and Strategy
Rao, The Goddess of Peace and Serenity
Sylr, The Divine of the Elements (Sylr has no Gender)
Teraz, the God of Secrets*
Valkar, the God of Travels

Evil Gods

Anlagen De'thalmier, The God of Undeath
Durza, The God of Dark Magic
Heranoss, The God of Tyranny
Nocturne, The God of Evil
Tiamat the Five Headed Wyrm, The God of Evil Dragons
Umbra, the God of the Void*
Varna, the God of Slaughter
Vyl, The Goddess of Insanity

[Vormund]

Races of Niverin

(These are the most common races. If you have an idea, PM me. We'll sort it out.)

Dwarf
Dwarves are tough, rowdy warriors with a knack for all things construction, from forging weapons and armor to crafting buildings and mines. They are grim and gruff, but what they lack in social graces they more than make up for in hardy endurance and brutish strength. Dwarves are between 4 to 5 feet tall, and weigh between 150 and 230 lbs. They become adults at age 30.

Combat based Dwarves are the stereotypical "heavy armor and bigass weapon". Stealth Based Dwarves tend to be more of the Thug archetype, using fear tactics and violence to get the loot. Magic Based Dwarves are extremely rare, but gifted ones tend to be Druids, whose powers are more earth and stone based than their non-dwarven counterparts.

Dragonkin
Not exactly common, but they are seen enough to not be written off as a figment of some blabbering idiot's imagination. Dragonkin are rarely seen in the civilized world, preferring their tribes and isolation from other people. The occasional one seen in the civilized parts of the world is usually an exile, a member who broke one of the Ten Essential Words of Torond (their patron deity). They are thick and brutish, even more so than dwarves. They are also not as socially graceful as the grumpy dwarves. Dragonkin stand anywhere between 6'6" and 8' tall and weigh from 300 to 500 lbs. They become adults at 30 years of age. Dragonkin also don't really have a set look, but all are reptilian humanoids.

Dragonkin Combatants are usually the barbarian type, light armor, big axes, and their only plan being the "beat up and leave" one. Dragonkin Stealthers are usually the Highwayman type, combining enough stealth expertise and combat skill to pull off a heist on some nobleman's wagon as it travels. Dragonkin Mages are always druids, without exception.

Elf
The Longest lived of the mortal races, Elves distance themselves from others. Inspired by the simple beauty of the world around them, Elves hate nothing more than war and wanton destruction. They are fair and graceful, but physically frail. Elves stand between 4'6" and 5'6" and weigh from 75 to 120 lbs. They become adults at 50 years of age.

Elven Warriors tend to be the "Wear light armor, wield a light weapon, and stay moving" type. Elven Rogues are the "sneak in the shadows, and kill them when they aren't looking... Or steal their valuables when they aren't looking" type, depending on their morals. Elf Mages tend to be the wizarding type, throwing lighting and conjuring beings to fight for them. Healers are common too. Dark Magic elves are extremely rare.

Halflings
Usually seen in big cities, Halfings are a peaceful people who prefer to avoid conflict if at all possible. Like humans, they don't really have a set moral standpoint, but in general they are good-hearted, if a bit lazy and carefree. Unfortunately, this stereotype is not at all helped by the not-lazy Halflings, who generally turn out to be thieves. While most people enjoy the creative, hearty Halflings, one eye is always trained on their valuables, lest it walk out of the tavern in the pocket of the wrong type of halfling. Despite all that's "bad" about them, there is much good with them too. With their small size, they are quick, nimble, and hard to catch, making them excellent scouts or messengers. They stand at 2'6" to 3'6", and generally don't weigh much more than 25 to 40 lbs at adulthood, which they reach at 30.

Halfling warriors are rare, even rarer than halfling mages, but those that chose to take up less subtle approaches to combat tend to be the lightly armored and lightly armed guerrilla types hamstringing opponents and getting one or two choice blows in before disappearing and doing it all over again. Stealth based halflings are the most common, and they are the ones to be feared. Able to hide where taller races can't, lighter-footed due to lighter weight, and powerful senses only bested by the elves, Halfling rogues are invisible unless they want to be seen. Halfling mages are exceedingly rare, almost as much as warriors, but they do make for good, tactical artillery, since they make much smaller targets than elves or humans against enemy spellcasters.

Humans
The most common of the common races. Humans are the innovators, the dreamers, and the destroyers. There are no limits to how much good a human with steadfast morals can do, and there is no telling how much damage an unscrupulous one can cause. They are the most widely varied of all the races in terms of body structure, but the average human stands from 5'0" to 6'0" and weighs from 130 to 200 lbs. They reach adulthood at 17 years of age.

Since humans are so creative and unique from one another, there really isn't a "typical" style of human warrior, rogue, or mage.

Orcs

One of the hardiest races, but also one of the most short lived. These people can range from 5'10 to 6'6 in height, weighing over 200lbs and bound in natural muscle. Their tough skin and natural strength makes them mighty warriors. They mature quickly to at the age 15, but their lifespans are as short as fifty to sixty years old even at their healthiest. The types most commonly seen are roving bands of marauders and bandits, and their savagery and strength makes them a menace to all. However, this reflects badly on actual orcs, though they have their own problems. Orcs live in cities dividing into clans, and mostly are highly xenophobic to other races; they will be told to leave before they are executed. When they aren't fighting others, orcs are fighting each other over clan values. Orc can very from green-skins to ash-skinned, but very rarely do they naturally have a skin done like that of light skinned humans. They eat more then most races in order to maintain their bodies, making practices like cannibalism and being extreme omnivores a regular occurrence to them. They excel at textiles and enchanting, and rival dwarfs in the art of making protective armors.

Orc warriors can come in two flavors; medium armored brutes who hew down everything in their path, and heavily armored knights that stop for nothing. The former typically forgo two-handed weapons or shields in favor of dual-wielding, while the latter focus on being able to survive all and any onslaught they will face. Orc rogue are similar to rangers or hunters; as rangers, they do more then adapt to the environment, they become one with it, able to hide in plain sight and strike with wild fury. The hunter's idea of stealth is "Leave no survivors", making them great at eliminating multiple foes without alarm. Orc mages are shamans, controlling nature and it's creatures to it's will, or they become mythical enchanters, giving power to weapons, armors, and other trinkets at the cost of their lives.

(Note: Height and Weight Figures are given for male specimens. Females tend to be shorter and lighter.)

[Vormund]

The Character Sheet Explained

(Appearance Picture)

I hope I don't have to explain this. Anyway, I want something more serious and realistic. No cutesy magical anime girl with big eyes and glitter and blah blah. I will ask you to change it if it's not up to par. Again, be you're own worst enemy critiquing your character, so I don't have to be. Large pics under spoilers, please.

Name

If I have to explain this, of all the things, I will rage.

Age

See above.

Height/Weight

How tall and how heavy/light your character is. This can be in standard or metric, I have no issue with either, so don't worry about doing the conversions if you don't want to. If I need to know what 100 kg is in pounds, I'll punch it into google. Otherwise, fairly obvious.

Place of Birth

Where in Niverin are you from? And yes, every member of the Phoenix is a native Niver. I'd suggest reading the information on the Provinces to find what place suits your character best. And by suggest I mean god damn do it.

Until I finish the province info (that much writing this quickly... blargh :P) just ask me about provinces for your character, if yours isn't up there.

Race

What race is your character? See the list in the above post.

Personality

How your character acts, both in and out of combat. Are you a cheeky, sarcastic SOB that pisses off friends and foes alike? Or a quiet, contemplative person with a heart of gold, buried under shyness caused by years of emotional scarring? Tell us about how your character sees and interacts with the world around him.

Biography

Your character's life story. I want to hear it. I want a good 5-10 paragraphs here. Get detailed. Get poetic. I don't care, but make it good and long. I want a word wall here, if nowhere else.

Reasons for Joining the Phoenix

Why did your character decide that the Phoenix was worth his/her time? Did a member of the Phoenix find you in the gutter and took you under his/her wing? Did you actively seek them out? Even if it's a secret in the IC, it isn't here.

Length of Service in the Phoenix

How long have you been one of the talons of the mighty phoenix? This can be anywhere from sixteen years (the day it started) to the day before this RP starts. The clan is a family of brothers and sisters in arms, not a military of superiors and subordinates, so your length of service doesn't affect how the others see you (mostly).

Location of Phoenix Emblem

Where is your character's emblem located? Is it a tattoo on your shoulder? A patch on the back of your glove, or an engraving on the chest of your breastplate? Let us know where we have to look to identify you as a comrade.

Weaponry

What sort of weapons do your character use? Swords? Spears? Bow and Arrows? Descriptions (and pics under spoilers) here. If you use only magic, just say magic and get on with it.

Armor

Do your character have a second skin? If so, what is it? Heavy platemail? Fine elven chainmail? Thick but light leather with small spikes on the joints? Again, give us under-spoiler pics and descriptions.

Fighting Style

How do your character implement the weapons and armor he wields and wears into combat? Does he/she prefer graceful leaps and flips while gutting enemies? Or is he/she the stalwart defender who hunkers down in one spot, and doesn't give up that spot, regardless of the amount of foes trying to shove him off it? Give me a good paragraph about this.

Gear

Anything your character carries that isn't swords or shoulder-pads. Rope for climbing? Tent for camping? Mementos of the past? If it's on your character's person, and it's more noteworthy than just change of underwear, it's gear.

Other

Anything you might have not been able to fit under other categories can go here, or if I didn't put a category you needed just use this. If you don't need this section, just delete this from your final character sheet.

[Vormund]

Character Sheet

Well, here's the actual character sheet template. Feel free to add your own coding or template, any whatever you want, as long as you get each and every one of these bullet points. Also, feel free to do whatever you want with colors and fonts, but if I can't read it, I'm not going to accept it, so no cyan and yellow, please. Also, not 1337 sp34k or anything like that. I won't bother to decode it, even thought I do know how to translate leet.

[img]Appearance[/img]

Name:
Age:
Height:
Weight:
Homeland:
Race:
Personality:
Bio:
Why are you a Phoenix:
Years as a Phoenix:
Location of Phoenix emblem:
Weaponry:
Armor:
Fighting Styles:
Gear:
Other:

[Vormund]

Name
Faceless (True Name Unknown)
Age
Physically late twenties, exact age unknown
Height
6'1"
Weight
168 lbs.

Homeland
Unknown, Currently resides in Jenovah in Kaiser's home when not traveling with the Clan.
Race
Human
Personality
Faceless is proud. Not necessarily arrogant, but he is definitely a confident individual who has no qualms about being proud of who he is. He never has a plan, simply because he prefers to push his body to the limit, to feel his muscles burn as he pushes them to their breaking point and beyond. This does not mean he is reckless, no, he always seems to know at least most of what he is doing.
When not beating the life out of things, Faceless is a carefree, happy-go-lucky gambler who seems to

Bio

(I want to redo it. WIP)

Why are you a Phoenix
Kaiser York sought him out after hearing about him. See, Kaiser is a bit of a collector when it comes to Unusual People.

Years as a Phoenix
16
Location of Phoenix Emblem
On a large amulet he wears tucked in his armor. When not in armor, it's tucked into whatever clothing he is wearing.
Weaponry
Other than the gauntlets that are part of his armor, he has an executioner's style hand-and-a-half sword he blends with his martial arts seamlessly.

Spoiler

Armor
A completely custom conglomeration of heavy cloth, soft and hard leather, and thin steel plates, as seen in his picture. When not in combat, he generally wears a simple set of clothing consisting of a tunic, knee-high boots, heavy pants, and fingerless gloves.

Spoiler

Fighting Style
Faceless is able to fight in any scenario, and fight well, but his true genius lies in mobile combat. Not hit-and-run, but mobile. Dirge needs room to counter, to dodge, to shape the battlefield to his advantage. While he could be ordered to hold a hallway, and that hallway would soon be blockaded by several corpses, his true genius lies in actual battlefields, or at least large rooms that give him the chance to use the speed and agility that carved his legend.
Gear
A small blue stuffed bear, tucked into a pouch on his hip (significance unknown), A silver ribbon woven into his hair (significance unknown), A ring on a chain around his neck (significance unknown), A signet ring on his left middle finger that indicates he is a member of the prestigious Doucard Family. Basic Adventuring gear, such as rope, travel rations, climbing gear, and the like. A hefty wallet of money for bribes and supplies. And an flute that he plays to focus his mind when he needs it.
Other
Doesn't use magic, but is one of the extremely few people on the planet that has a Mana Stone. The Mana Stone keeps him immortal as long as the flow of magic exists in this world. He can be wounded like a normal man, and doesn't heal any faster. It just keeps him perpetually 28. Also, he can sense magic when it's nearby and active.

[Jack Rinner]

Hey I hate to be a pain in the tail, but the links to the magnafox thread does not seem to work for me. It just goes to a white page. Will that pose a major problem for me in terms of story and/or background creation?

[Vormund]

Ah shit, you have to be a Mangafox Member to even view the links? God dammit.

I'll put all that stuff on a Google Document now, so just hold up a bit.

[dreamshell]

Hey, guys, I was thinking that since it's very likely none of us have played together before, we might model our PCs as likewise unfamiliar with each other. I don't know what the particulars might be; maybe we're a new batch of recruits after the Sapphire Phoenix has suffered some heavy losses or something like that (I'm sure Vormund can help us out). Anyway, I just thought I'd throw the idea out there since I personally find it difficult to establish a shared history with the PCs of players I don't myself know. This way their relationships and group dynamic can grow organically.