Interest Check



Gaia, the largest continent in the explored World and home to a population of almost three million people in the South (from the last Census). The North and South of Gaia are separated from each other by a great river, North of the river is where civilized land ends and the reign of Barbarian tribals begins. The Barbarians generally have stayed in their separate tribes for the last three-hundred years, never posing much of a threat to the South, killing each other as quickly as they'd kill a Southern straggler who wandered too far North. The peace that the South has known has allowed it to become a singular prosperous kingdom after the original five came together and unified.

However, in the North a storm is brewing. A great and powerful Tribe leader, Urtag Stromreign has raised a banner calling all men and women of the North to unify under it. For too long, he preaches, have the people of the North been forced to stay in the Highlands while the Highborn and Nobles of the South drink good wine, eat good food and get fat and greedy. Stromreign's cause has caught the hearts and adoration of many a brute warrior who fancies them self in need of vengeance against the South. His army stands already in the first few months at almost sixty-thousand armed men and women and they march from the farthest North point of the Continent towards the border bringing more and more under their wing. They plan to attack the South in one campaign to make it to Sanctuary, the capital and take it for their own.

Raven's have been flown from the border towns who have caught wind of Stromreign's declaration of war, to all the major cities in the South. They warn the Lords and Ladies of each county that the tide of war is sweeping through the North with great speed, it's beastly eyes set on the Gates of the Capital. As the South prepares for inevitable war our story begins in the small trading town of Aurora's End under the protection of a Vassal Knight by the name of Lord Merek.

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Note: This OOC will be added to over the coming days with much more. Examples of this include, Crime and Punishment, Cultural identities and all other important factors to the province of Gaia. This is hopefully enough to get you all satisfied and keep you all interested and happy. Feel free to message me with any questions and/or concerns.

Right after reading over this I have a few questions. First for the birthplace we are allowed to make our own places as it says, how in-depth do you want it? My other question is I notice that an inventory is required now, do you want every individual object listed, or can it be assumed that items like food and drink is granted?

Place holder :)

Name: "Sir" Giles Fortesque of Gallowmere

Age: 22

Race: Caucasian

Class: Peasant Conscript

Occupation: According to Giles, he is a Knight Errant. His "duties" include slaying fell beasts, hunting those who practice sorcery, preventing injustice, and protecting the people of Gaia from evil in whatever form it might take. What he actually does for a living is something of a mystery, but somehow he manages to scrape a living here and there.

Appearance: Giles is a slim man of average height, with a bit of a tan. Once you strip away the armor and the knightly ruse, he truly does look the part of an impoverished commoner, with thick calloused hands and a wiry frame that seems to have seen too many lean winters. His brown hair is a bit shaggy and often unkempt, but he is nonetheless clean shaven as he is unable to grow a beard beyond a few stray whiskers. Neither particularly handsome nor particularly ugly, Giles doesn't look the part of the dashing knight, wooer of maidens fair and fearless leader of men on the battlefield; he looks like he'd be more suited to toiling away in some mine or chopping wood in some hamlet in the middle of nowhere.


Weapon(s): Giles' primary weapon is a rather plain arming sword. As this was the very same sword he was issued after being conscripted, it has seen better days. After years of use and a lack of funds for proper upkeep, the blade has lost its luster and is even chipped in some places. Nonetheless, it is still sharp enough to get the job done in a pinch, although any respectable knight wouldn't be caught carrying such a plain and shoddy weapon into battle. It is sheathed at his left hip for a quick draw if need be. In addition, he keeps a simple iron dagger strapped to the small of his back (hidden beneath his tabard) for both utility purposes, and also as a concealed weapon if he's ever disarmed.

Armour: Giles has neither the funds nor the training to fight in a suit of plate armor like most knights, so he instead opts to wear a suit of light steel chainmail for protection. Under this he wears a blue arming doublet, some black cloth trousers, a pair of dark brown leather boots, and some black leather gloves. His blue tabard bears the crest of Gallowmere, a golden two-headed eagle.


Inventory: Because it would be unbecoming of a knight to be seen carrying around all of his possessions (such duties fall to the squire, a luxury Giles cannot afford), Giles keeps most of his items in the saddlebags of his "trusty" horse, Canderous. The only items Sir Giles Fortesque keeps on his person are his weapons and his wallet. In Canderous' saddlebags, Giles also has:
-A lockpicking set
-An extra iron dagger
-A small hammer
-A cloth bedroll
-A change of commoner's clothes
-Two spare arming doublets
-An armorer's hammer
-Spare armor parts
-Parchment, pens, envelopes
-Two full canteens
-A small set of pots, plates, and silverware
-His patents of nobility, verifying him as Sir Giles Fortesque of Gallowmere, third son of Sir Daniel Fortesque of Gallowmere. Knighted by Lord Peregrin of Gallowmere in honor of "deeds of outstanding courage, kindness, and bravery in service to Gallowmere."
-A manuscript entitled "A Knight Errant: The Triumphs of Sir Daniel Fortesque", bound in leather and wrapped in a thick cloth for protection.

Place of Birth: Giles was born in Gallowmere, which is not, as he claims, a powerful kingdom known for brave knights and a just, shrewd ruler in Lord Cecil Peregrin. Rather, Gallowmere is a colloquial name (known to very few) for the rather small and unremarkable hamlet located in the west of Southern Gaia. In truth this hamlet has no formal name, and only houses a handful of families and one measly, pitiful excuse for a grain mill. Although it used to be a common stop along a trade route for merchants on their way to the capital, a more direct and better protected route that circumvented this village was later established, and as such there was rarely any reason for people to pass through. The hamlet known as Gallowmere dissolved into nothing when the last of the families living there made the very shrewd decision to abandon it for good.

Marital Status: Unmarried

Brief History: Giles Dirtborn grew up in a small, one room cottage at the edge of the small hamlet of Gallowmere, a dirt road farmtown about two days ride from anything important. Giles never met his father, and his mother (Elizabeth) was a lowly peasant who worked long days in the village's grain mill. Giles had joined her at the mill by the time he was seven. A gentle boy who never asked for much, Giles' primary escape from a childhood of poverty and hardship were the stories his mother would tell him of his father, a righteous knight named Sir Daniel Fortesque. Sir Daniel traveled around all of Gaia, rescuing maidens, finding treasure, and most importantly, slaying mythical beasts. Giles' father felled such monsters as the Stained Glass Demon, the Guardians of the Graveyard, the Pumpkin King, and Lord Palethorn the Wicked. Sir Daniel met his end in battle with the evil sorceror Zarok only a year after Giles was born.

When Giles came of age he was conscripted to serve a five year tour of duty in the King's Army, like most young men of the peasant class. It quickly became apparent that Giles was not well suited for the military. After all, a gentle peasant boy with cowardly tendencies and a physique that would fail to intimidate most butterflies does not a mighty soldier make. Nevertheless, Giles survived his training and was assigned to a small, rather unremarkable fort near the eastern coast, as his superiors figured this the place where he would be the least likely to cause any significant damage.

On the second year of his conscription, Giles (now twenty) received an urgent letter from his mother. Apparently she had fallen seriously ill recently and could no longer work at the mill. With no money for medicine and her condition worsening every day, she begged Giles to return home so that he could take care of her. Unfortunately, if Giles were to leave his post and travel home, he would be charged with desertion, a crime that is punishable by death. Although at first he resisted the urge to return home, eventually the guilt of doing nothing to help his mother overcame his fear of being punished for desertion. One night, while out on patrol with his unit, Giles abandoned his post as watchman and stole away into the darkness, dead-set on returning to his mother's side even if it meant he would be executed if caught.

Although it took nearly two months, Giles eventually made his way back to Gallowmere, but his mother was not there waiting for him. His cabin was deserted, and according to the other townsfolk, no one had seen his mother for weeks. A letter from his fort commander found on his mother's nightstand revealed something very interesting; apparently, the night that Giles abandoned his post, his unit was ambushed by bandits. The brigands left no survivors and burned the camp to the ground afterwards. Giles, along with the rest of his unit, was presumed dead. Although he was relieved that he would not be considered a deserter, he was also overcome with a great deal of guilt as he knew that had he not deserted his post, he likely would have prevented the ambush and saved those men's lives.

It would seem as though Elizabeth, believing her son to be dead, no longer had any reason to stay in Gallowmere, and left town of her own accord. Searching through the cabin, Giles found no clues as to where she was going, or what it was she was planning to do. He did, however, find two items of particular interest. The first was a parcel of patents of nobility for the Fortesque family line, stretching all the way back to Solus Fortesque, Giles' great great grandfather. The most recent addition to the patents, written in his mother's handwriting, was a patent for Giles himself, proclaiming him a knight of Gallowmere by the decree of Lord Cecil Peregrin. The second was a manuscript titled "A Knight Errant: The Triumphs of Sir Daniel Fortesque." The book, unfinished and fairly haphazard, recounted all the stories Elizabeth had told her young son. The story ended abruptly, the last page of which being a new chapter entitled "Sir Giles Fortesque of Gallowmere", but containing no text beyond that.

For months Giles tenaciously searched for his mother, but to no avail. For all Giles knew she had already perished, and the answers to the many questions these two items had raised would remain unanswered. After much thought, Giles resolved to become a knight errant like his father before him, shedding his birth name of Giles Dirtborn and taking up the title of Sir Giles Fortesque of Gallowmere. He had always longed to be a renowned and respected knight, and although he lacked the martial prowess or noble upbringing usually required for the title, he believed that as long as he was willing to help others and protect the realm, his efforts would be recognized.

Two years of life on the road have left Giles a bit less optimistic about the life of a knight errant, but he still continues to try to make a name for himself in Gaia. Deep down he wishes to embark on an epic quest that will be remembered forever in song and legend, but at the moment he's more concerned with being able to find a safe, warm place to sleep at night. The world of Gaia is simply not as calamitous as the stories of his father led him to believe -- at least, for now.

Other: Giles' longest and most faithful companion is the Dirtborn family horse, Canderous. A former plow-horse, Canderous was purchased from a local farmer who had no need for such a lazy old thing. Just as Giles is far from a real knight, Canderous is similarly far from a real knight's warhorse; to say the "noble steed" had seen better days would be an understatement (if it had ever seen any good days at all). Skinny, short, and dirt-brown, Canderous always looks tired and walks with a crooked, almost stumbling gait. Giles never rides him into battle, as the old thing can barely break into a gallop anymore. The most noteworthy thing about Canderous is his staunch refusal to die -- despite living with the Dirtborns for nearly 20 years now, the aging, sickly horse seems dead set on outliving his master.

I'm very curious

Damiann47 said Right after reading over this I have a few questions. First for the birthplace we are allowed to make our own places as it says, how in-depth do you want it? My other question is I notice that an inventory is required now, do you want every individual object listed, or can it be assumed that items like food and drink is granted?

You don't need to write a book on your birthplace, don't worry. If it's within Gaia then just write as much as you feel like as long as it gives the basic idea. If it's a foreign land you'll have to ask me because I have set provinces in this persistent world. As for your inventory you don't need to list every individual object, no. Yes, items like food and drink are granted. Looking forward to seeing your CS!

Chanda, nice CS, looking forward to seeing it finished.

To everybody who has set a place holder feel free to take your time making your CS'. Also, anyone who has or will show interest, welcome aboard. I'm going to add more to the OOC today.

Name: Caelyn Bayles

Age: 23

Race: Caucasian

Class: Rogue

Occupation: Fence

Appearance: Caelyn

Weapon(s): Dual Kukris and Throwing knives. Crossbow.

Armour: Leather Armor

Inventory: Lock Pick Set, Book of Contacts, quiver of Bolts x10, bedroll % canteen, spare change of clothes, backpack with hidden compartments, Fake identity papers, a few wigs.

Place of Birth: Barreltown, but moved to Mournhold.

Sexuality: Untrusting of males, so stays with females.

Marital Status: Single

Brief History:
Caelyn grew up in Barreltown poor. Her parents never had a lot of money, and she never got a toy ever. Caelyn's father and inept gift of always getting food when they needed it, and Caelyn never knew how. He worked out on the boats fishing, but the economy was hard and the port has been sorely overfished. He would venture further and further out to sea to procure a haul for money. One day, a rough storm came in when she was 13, and her father never returned. It was assumed that he got swept out to sea. Caelyn's mother had to stay home and take care of her little brother whom was only 3. The responsibility for taking care of the family fell unto Caelyn. Unlike her father, she didn't have any skills at fishing, so she did what she needed to do to get food. Caelyn began selling her body to merchants that came from Mournhold to get supplies and fish. This was going well at first until a merchant got rough with her and liked choking. She barely survived the encounter. From then on, she practiced and trained so that she could defend herself when her clientele were too rough, hiding the dagger in the bun of her hair.

After years of surviving and doing what was necessary she began to build a pretty large clientele list. It had many people of power from Mournhold with families. She decided it was time to pack up and move to Mournhold so that she may use her influence. She had connections, and she intended on using them to get her life started. What she did not count on, was running into her father's new family. It shook her to the core. So much that she swore vengeance. When she was 17 years old, she snuck into her father's new home, and slit her father and the wench's throat. She thought it as a type of justice to leave these kids without any really parenting. When the 5 year old walked into the room and saw her she ran and panicked.

Six years have passed and she buried herself in her work. Her connections in the Mournhold underworld became expansive. If anyone in nobility needed something sold or something acquired, they came to Caelyn. She had her secrets, so she would keep theirs.

Other: Caelyn is very paranoid, she is not evil. However she will not be double-crossed.

in the process of making a character.

In!

Character Sheet.

Name: Sigismund the Griff

Age: 31

Race: Western

Class: Son of a minor noble

Occupation: Hired blade



Weapon(s): A war cleaver (seen holding in the picture below) a longbow, a quiver of arrows and a shield. His war cleaver is his personal favourite weapon, there aren't many to be seen in Gaia so when he spotted it at a weaponsmith's stand, he grew very curious. Even though the cleaver is a massive piece of flat steel, it was of good craftmanship and the balancing was excellent. It felt really comfortable for Sigismund to hold the weapon upright as the weight was well centred at his hands. He quickly learned many useful advantages of the Cleaver. The strange shapes at the end of the weapon were perfect to rip armour off with if handled properly, especially helmets.
The longbow he carries could be said to generally be a good bow, but it has nothing particularly special about it.



Inventory:
-Flint and steel
-Whetstone
-Small Knife
-His House's Banner

Place of Birth: He was born in a large, eastern fishing village, owned by his father. The village of Pearlshrine, which was called like this because of its beautiful white shrine on a small hill near the coast. The villagers lived peacefully and the lord had hardly any problems save for a few bandit parties that had to be vanquished. Even if prosperous, the village was relatively distant from market towns, making it harder to trade effectively. Instead, the villagers try to be self-sufficient with everything; breeding cattle and growing crops as well as fishing, which significantly made the place richer and safer. The fact that Pearlshrine is so isolated caused people to forget about it, even if many of the eldest villagers claim that Pearlshrine's shrine actually holds secrets.

Marital Status: Unmarried

Brief History: Sigismund trained all his life to be a knight. The life of the lord of Pearlshrine didn't fit him too much, nothing really happened. His father would tell him tales of heroic deeds of the first Griff, Gareth, who was the founder of the Griff house, which used to be, according to Sigismund's father, very renowned. However hardly anyone knew about Sigismund now. He wanted to be a knight, and restore his family name's long lost position amongst the heroes of Gaia. He trained since he was a kid, with all sorts of weapons, but as he grew he decided he like longer weapons that he could wield with two hands.
When Sigismund was around 21, his father passed away. This was, for the young noble, a sign. He took all of the money he could and set off, saying goodbye to his mother who was left at Pearlshrine to take care of the village. He set off to Mournhold with his horse where he bought what equpment he could with his money. That is where he bought his War cleaver and some of his armour.
Since then he has offered his services to all kinds of people; Farmers who wanted a bear killed, traders who's daughters were kidnapped when their caravan was ambushed, nobles needing body guards... No one knew he was a noble, but there was a Griffon on his armour so people just started to call him "the Griff". More recently, he's been hired into the King's army as a mercenary and before the Northen tribes presented any threat, he was sent with other mercenaries and conscripted soldiers alike, to deal with problematic outlaws like rogue knights and large pirate groups. Now that the Northern tribes have gathered together, Sigismund can find work anywhere he goes, however he decided to stay with the King's men, hoping he would one day get a chance to commit a heroic deed and become a true knight; noble, strong, defender of the weak.

Other: (ideas of what I could/should put here?)

If there's anything I could improve tell me

@Chandra; The Lord who presides over the westernmost region of Southern Gaia will be... Lord Geoffrey Barrister, a once noble king of the West who under the Acts of Kings was reduced to a Lord Vassal, presiding over the Westernmost lands in the name of the King in return for his undying loyalty. For some number of years after the union he served as the hand to the king until the king sent him away to the West when the Lord who had been put in place died in a hunting accident. This was a great relief to Geoffrey who had been aching to rule over the West again since the unification Southern Gaia. He is quite an elderly gentleman, having reached a ripe age of sixty-seven, many fear that he is coming close to death leaving rule of the West uncertain as he never sired any suitable heirs other than a single bastard son whom nobody knows the location of.

@Xzayler; A nice knightly character with a reputation as a sell-sword. Accepted. Congratulations on being the first fully finished character sheet of the roleplay!

Whoooo hooo!
Btw, if anyone is curious, I used mount and blade warband to create the character, then I just took screenshots of him. Theres large variety of weapons and armour.

Mount and Blade is great fun!

Would it be alright to have an NPC crew for my ship.
:P

Hello. May I try a strategist role? Rather than having a direct fighter, how about a planner and thinker?

There's no port in Aurora's End, I believe the closest one is Mournhold which we won't be visiting for a while However, no good pirate isn't surrounded by crew so go for it!

The Grey Dust said
Hello. May I try a strategist role? Rather than having a direct fighter, how about a and thinker?

A variety of roles is encouraged. A role such as that would be more than welcomed!

We actually need a ship I guess. Fastest way to travel, and we'll probably need it to cross the river. Nice idea LokiLeo!

Evershadow, are our chars gonna be more or less together? Cos they will probably have very different backgrounds so its hard to find a reason why they'd work together. Hower thats how best adventures start, a group of random people who seem to have nothing in common!

Edit: Strategist and pirate? This actual is getting together very nicely.

Xzayler said
We actually need a ship I guess. Fastest way to travel, and we'll probably need it to cross the river. Nice idea LokiLeo!Evershadow, are our chars gonna be more or less together? Cos they will probably have very different backgrounds so its hard to find a reason why they'd work together. Hower thats how best adventures start, a group of random people who seem to have nothing in common!

Thank you, I feel special....
And I would travel with random people
:P