What's In a Name?- OOC

[Guru Gloin]

The melody of life ever is, but at a time I did not exist. All that there was, was nothingness. Time and space and matter had not yet been born; not even chaos reigned in the blackness, for neither the chaos nor the darkness had yet come to be. Simply put, it was nothing.

And then there was the voice. A voice beyond all else, a voice from the nothingness itself that seemed to rise simply from the will to exist echoed out. It spoke only two words, and was heard no more, but the echo has continued to this very day.

“I am.”

From the words themselves were born the gods, who stepped forward to shape reality, and so the nothingness was no more. Darkness and light were wrought, chaos and order, good, evil, and neutrality were brought out, and so came creation. And as the god's looked out on what they had wrought, they turned to each other, and they each spoke in a whisper. Each god spoke their name, weaving themselves into their creation, forever binding themselves to it, and it to them.

It was not long before the gods sent forth messengers, agents of their will on the earth to weave wild creation into a thing of beauty. Life sprang forth, and slowly, the rocks and plants, and every creature that crawled or flew or ran was given a name. The song grew ever longer as the races had children, and parents gave their newborns their own names, sealing their fate and binding them into their own verse of the song. The agents of creation raised their voices to join in the melody, and the stars and worlds and all else danced around them to the tune that had become everything that was.

Five thousand years passed, and the nothingness returned.

The people had woven the world into a shape that pleased them; had wrought mighty kingdoms that ruled the four corners of the globe and all was well, until at last, the uneasy truce was broken. Flain and Farn have always seemed to be rivals, each trying to out do the other in some fashion. At first it seemed a friendly competition between them, degrading into warfare, a yet unknown concept. Such had not yet reached a scale we have seen in these days; more just petty battles between them. True evil seemed to occur when Tiershna had declared war upon Albien. The fighting was brutal; much blood had been shed so that Lucara, the High Lord of Tiershna, had found the True Name of King of Albien, Demitre. Thus, Lucara had bound Demitre to his will, uniting both nations in an attempt to quell the petty conflict between Farn and Flain. Farn and Flain remaind separate, yet even they knew that action would lead to the downfall of both of their nations. They were pushed to the breaking point, their capitols were sieged, their armies decimated, and the peasantry suffered greatly. King Demitre had found some mercy given by the gods of good, for he found the strength to break his name, ending the control Lucara had and putting an end to Albien's alliance with Tiershna, ending the conflict. Unfortunately for the effort, Lucara had vanished during the final loses his side was taking. Battered and beaten, his generals surrendered, beginning a time of de-militarization for Tiershna. Demitre had formed a loose alliance with Farn and Flain that day, ensuring the three would bind their strength together if Lucara showed his face again. Peace had come again for the nations, but the war had left a terrible scar; a new race had arisen. During the war, many parents had gone to war, or been killed in the sieges and raids on their homes. Countless children had been left behind, orphaned, unnamed, and without a place in life’s melody these. King Demitre had begun a decent into madness and darkness, becoming more cynical, losing his temper, and isolating himself from his family and friends. Physically he seemed fine, save for a bluish tint coming to his fingertips, lips, and eyes. The loss of his true name had driven him over the edge, stripped him of everything that he was or knew, or loved. He was no longer human; he had become a Nameless by his own choice, a being that had lost or never had a True Name. Demitre began searches for a way to restore his name and relieve himself of such torments as he had in his mind. Though after years of finding nothing that could ease his suffering, he changed his search, and begun a private looking into far darker things. Demitre had begun looking for the name of nothing, the words that would end existence and even put an end to the Gods. An unfortunate servant had found out and began to spread the tale of their King Demitre trying to destroy the world.

Demitre has since disappeared, as had Lucara. Both are presumed to be dead, seeing as the world still turns. But the recent seeing of Nameless men has begun to stir the people, wanting to find an answer to why there seem to be more of them and if Demitre and Lucara are still alive. Those born without names have also joined the ranks of the Nameless, calling themselves the Benefice. Every day, it seems the world itself wastes away at the touch of the creatures of discord. Existence itself has begun to fade, leaving nothing in its wake. Nothing but the silence.

Character Template:

Name:
Age:
Race:
Racial Abilities:
Appearance:
Class:
Weapons:
Equipment:
Bio:
Home City/Faction:

Bestiary (so far):

Nameless: A person who has lost their name. At first glance, they may seem human, but have a deathly blue tinge around their eyes and extremities. These beings have been stripped of all they are. As they are barely human, they no longer experience pain or pity, only destroying everything they come into contact with in their madness and grief.

Benefice: When a person is born, they are given two names, a common name and a true name that seals their destiny. A Benefice is a person who was never given a true name, either due to being orphaned, or being seized by soldiers in the war. These creatures (they are no longer human) are left impressionable to the world around them. For exmple, a Benefice bathed in flame becomes a part of the fire, or one holding a sword could easily assimilate the sword into their arm. They beleive that to make themselves whole, they must create a name for themselves, taking fractions of the names of their dispatched enemies.

[Izael Lightheart]

And the Co-Creator puts up the first character. Woo!

Name: Jaime Stormborn
Personal Titles: Lord of the Lute, Captivator of All, High Bard Jaime of the Quick Travels.
Age: 54
Race: Half-Elf
Racial Abilities: Limited Infravision (ability to see in darkness through heat signatures instead of the visible spectrum), Longevity, & Improved Dexterity
Appearance: (Sorry everyone, got lazy and went with a picture)

Class: Bard
Weapons: Throwing Knives & Saber
Equipment: Lute, Wineskin, Whetstone, Backpack, Tuning Fork, and a box of shiny things.
Bio: Born to a single mother in a human city, Jaime felt alone sometimes. Often picked on for not being a human, he stuck to private talents he had, playing and singing songs. His song entwined with another had always seemed to lift his spirits, and he had enjoyed that till The War came.

When Albien's army came to recruit from his home, Jaime was selected due to his natural ability with songs to be trained by SongWeavers. He had a low talent for it, but enough to be of use. After his first taste of the War, he deserted and began wandering around, trying to find some way to escape the whole thing. He naturally fell into the Bardic Lore during his travels, and he came to become more and more famous in his own sense of it.

So his travels carried him to all the four kingdoms, during and after the War (though mostly afterwards) playing for Kings, Queens, and even in taverns, preferring the latter for they have far less demand. Though Jaime has been known to be run out of a town or two, he has the oddest habit of being a womanizer, and being very effective at it.
Home City: Karhold, Albien.

[Red Nail]

Name: Artur Penderghast (Rozenfield)

Age: 29

Race: Human

Racial Abilities: A knack for picking up new talents and skills and the ability to draw on the resources and knowledge of those that came before him.

Appearance:I got lazy too.

Class: Somaturge, better known as a golemist.

Weapons: His golems and the minor amount of self defense training he gained as part of the army.

Equipment: Bottles containing his for humors and a trip wire (for a golem trap), coins enough to earn some food and bed, a change of clothes, and the long coat that signifies his profession as a golemist.

Bio: Artur Rozenfield was born to the Rozenfield Horse Lords of Flain. He spent his youth riding with his brothers and learning how to be knights like them. It was a good life and one Artur enjoyed until the war came. His father was killed and control of the family went to his eldest brother, Versi. Versi, never having liked his willful younger brother all that much, found or fabricated the proof that Artur was a bastard and not a true heir of the Rozenfields.
Artur was cast out with his only defender being his other brother Ary. Alone, Artur went to join the army as it was the only place for a bastard like him to find acceptance. While he couldn’t find a place among the knights, even with some noble blood, he caught the attention of Dru Penderghast when he showed an aptitude for songweaving.
Dru took Artur under his wing and taught him everything he knew about somaturgy. It was quick and dirty songweaving and it forced Artur to push part of himself into every golem that he made, but in war there is rarely time to teach more than just the basics. This time in Artur’s life, while dirty and bloody, were some of Artur’s fondest memories as he learned from the older man that the lowest places and things are sometimes the most powerful. Dru died in the closing days of the war and Artur took his name out of respect.
After the war Artur found himself welcomed back into the fringes of his family. Versi was dead and now Ary was the head of the line. But true acceptance eluded him as the thoughts of the common folk turned against the golemists and how their ways were born as part of the first true war. Artur, like the rest, was forced to become a mercenary and puppeteer to earn coin. But he had his family and that was enough. Recently his neice announced her engagement to Solomon Turvest of the River Kings of Farn.
Artur is best described as an eccentric observer. He watches people and interjects himself into the lives of others much like he interjects his name into his songweaves. He has no patience for courtly behavior or politics when the “right thing to do” is obvious. Most often he takes it upon himself to change things, something that will likely get him killed one of these days.

Home City/Faction: The Rozenfield Plain/Flain

[Izael Lightheart]

And woot, our first volunteer!

Let me be the first to say, accepted.

[EwokSpecOps]

Character Template

Name: Kurun *Shadow of the Mist, by the locals*
Age: 200
Race: Wood Elf
Racial Abilities: Longevity, Vereor Coma (The ability to see fear like a glowing orb in the mind's eye), heightened senses (sight, hearing, ect.)
Appearance: This but shorter, clothed in armor, and without the huge ass ax. Kurun is adorned in tribal tattoos all over his body (like the ones you get on your arm.) His clean shaved head highlights his raw, unrefined muscle.
Class: Dark Knight/Berserker
Weapons: Ragged black wood bow with a 400 lbs pull, short heavily serrated, almost to the point of looking like a lightning bolt, sword comprised of dark iron and edged with mythril.
Equipment: Heavy black leather vest with large rings of Thorium strewn over its exterior in random rag-tag order. And a tattered black cloak.
Bio: Kurun was the mastery creation of pure evil. Before the war between Tiershna and Albien a Dark Spellweaver by the name of Drugorki rose to power in the kingdom of Tiershna, though he was not as powerful as the High Lord, Drugorki still commanded a massive amount of recourses. Drugorki became possessed in his bid to overthrow the High Lord and claim the throne for his own, so he began to craft an assassin for the purpose, one with out compassion or fear. Kurun was fashioned in the damp dark confines of Tiershna. He was brought into life by the work of spellweavers and dark sorcerers; originally he was a Wood Elf captured from the land of Albien during a raid but the crafting and torment that took place in order to sculpt the true embodiment of death had changed the figure of that young boy into a demon built for one purpose, to kill. The process was long and grueling, approximately 113 years before the process could be deemed complete, but in the end the final result was the epiphany of death. Drugorki now had an asset that could carry out death with no second guessing, no questioning of orders, and best of all, no pity. But, drunk with the prospect of his impending power Drugorki went mad and attempted to kill Lucara by means of a spell. The demonic poem was too much foe Drugorki to handle though, it tore Drugorki from the natural world and he disappeared from existence. Though Kurun could have wrecked havoc on the High Lord of Tiershna, but Drugorki disappeared and there for released Kurun’s true name, leaving Kurun free to do with him self as he pleased. But, this freedom was not truly freedom; Kurun knew nothing but how to create death. Leaving him purposless in life. 83 years later, grief still haunts him like smog of hate surrounding his soul. Even to this day he roams the birch forests of Tiershna and Flain haunting the souls of the lost in order to stifle the pain in his own soul. His sanity was broken long, long ago. He still remains a creature crafted from hate, designed to be an icy blade in the night.
Home City/Faction: Thastire, Albien

[Izael Lightheart]

*Looks back in his notes* Yup forgot to mention the passage of time for the war and the now...oh well. Can have Guru get that posted in there soon.

I like the design of the character Ewok, if not the cold killing machine itself. Though it will be fun adding him into the world and seeing how similar he would be to the Nameless and Benefice.
And if you couldn't tell, accepted, if needing to change the time frame in his bio once thats hammered out and put up.

[EwokSpecOps]

What exactly are the geograpghic locations of the countries? I always pictured them as; Albien in the South West, Tiershna in the North West, Flain in the North East, and Farn in the South East. Correct me if Im wrong.

[Izael Lightheart]

You know, that really hasn't crossed either of our minds (as far as I know).

I though I think we may have thought it was:
- Albien: North West
- Tiershna: North East
- Flain: South East
- Farn: South West

Though don't quote me on that, I'll pass the thought of that pass Guru to ensure its decided upon.

[EwokSpecOps]

That sounds good with me.

And if you noticed, I didn't ever state when the war was or when it ended. I just said that Drugorki came to power before the war,
and Kurun was released 83 years after his creation.
It's completely interpritable. I hope it didn't screw up any time line you guys had going on, I just wanted to make a credable story to introduce my juggernaut into an RPG of this quality. And don't worry, I won't go crazy ass god modd on you guys, I just find it fun to RP a methodical killing machine because the social confrontations are so interesting.

[Guru Gloin]

Let's see... The war lasted about 3 years and it's been nearly 20 years since it ended. So yeah, since elves are nigh immortal, the creation date is entirely plausible. And as to the storyline, it's kind of a work in progress right now, so you haven't screwed up anything.

In other words, accepted.

As to the geography, Izael was right about the general areas of the kingdoms. As far as terrain, Tiershna is mostly desert, Albien is heavily wooded with one or two mountains, Flarn controls the coastline, and Flain is built into a mountainside, letting out onto plains and rolling hills. I'll draw a map later, I think that'd make things a lot easier.