Hidden 10 yrs ago 10 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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IC - OOC - Accepting New Players!
Totem
Setting
Welcome to Verloren, a fantasy world with vast forests, bustling cities, rural townships, imposing castles, forgotten ruins, looming mountain ranges, and dangerous seas populated by many nations, races, and ethnicities. This is a time of relative peace. While some spy networks and assassins may be consorting in the shadows, there is no open warfare between recognized nations. Citizens and merchants are free to travel across borders as long as they adhere to generally reasonable regulations. A magic based on patterns has brought the world to the cusp of an industrial age as a few rudimentary machines powered by totemic energies have been recently invented.
Magic System
Over the last few centuries, scholars, wisemen, and tinkerers all over the world have discovered that there are certain patterns capable of creating energetic reactions. They call these patterns totems. Certain rudimentary totems are merely two dimensional patterns that can be created with simple lines in dirt or paint on a wall. Other totems are three-dimensional shapes; perhaps knots of copper wire in intricate weaves, or a complex spiral of blown glass with a precise volume. Some totems seem to work with nearly any material. Others only work with one. Still others only work with several materials coming together. Generally, the more complex the pattern and rarer the material, the more powerful the effect, though this is not always true. While some cultures reserve their totems for political, religious, or military use, other cultures share their knowledge with the populace. The magical effects of totems are not usually spectacular or grandiose; often they are practical. Some totems may produce a soft light. Others may ward away mosquitoes. Perhaps the most widely used totemic arrangement in southern Verloren is an intricate hatchwork that produces heat several hundred degrees just above it. Those that have learned this totem most often use it to heat their home or start fires. Some cultures view totems as some sort of anchor or umbilical line connecting the physical world to gods or spirits, and that using the totems is perhaps a form of prayer. Others see it as disrespectful or a display of blasphemous arrogance towards the gods, like a child yanking at the hem of its parent demanding attention. Others view it as an extension of the natural world without any being or consciousness behind it, and that it is to be viewed in the way a lightning rod attracts lightning, the way water and sunlight give life to plants, the way iron rusts when exposed to water and air. Still others suppose that there is no real difference between the different schools of thought. Knowledge of totems has dispersed and spread throughout the world as several ancient Caiteran Empire trade routes have been reconstructed and reopened; the degree of cultural dissemination has risen as a result.
The White Guard
Character Creation
Just about any fantasy humanoid race is playable. I will allow original races, but be sure to keep it grounded in a grittier fantasy setting. Nothing immortal. Nothing that doesn't have a body. Nothing extra-dimensional. Nothing undead. No vampires, sentient golems, demons, angels, elemental spirits... That said, if you tweak an archetype enough so that it fits into this world, I'll consider it. For example: werewolf is a no, but potentially I could be talked into a wolfman.
  • Name
  • Description Include your appearance, apparent age, anything we need to imagine your character.
  • Backstory Be sure to include any keystone moments in your character's history. If you are using an original race, be sure to include your cultural norms and whether or not your character fits into them.
  • Goals/Fears What does you character want both now and in the future? What is your character afraid of? I don’t mean a fear of spiders, though feel free to include those sorts of fears in here too. Fear of dying alone, fear of love or commitment, fear of insignificance, fear of being discovered?
  • Mastery What is your character good at?
  • Equipment Tell me what your character has on their person.
  • Personality How does you character interact with others? What does you character think about itself?
  • Totem A magical item unique to you. I would like a description, a backstory (where you found or learned it), as well as its magical properties. This shouldn’t be viewed as your ticket to OPness, but rather as a way of making your character unique. I will veto outrageous totems. If your character has mastery in totemic magic, you may include more than one, though I may need to pare down your list.
Expectations
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Chapatrap
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Chapatrap Arr-Pee

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Interested.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Dragonbud
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Dragonbud SPACE ACE

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Interested!
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Blackbeard
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Blackbeard But why is the rum gone?

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Interested
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Chromane
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Chromane

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Interested!
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Nightbringer
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Nightbringer Boss

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Totally interested.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by OneEyedChurro
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OneEyedChurro Pam Grier's Fro

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Very interested.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Dead Cruiser
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Dead Cruiser Dishonour Before Death / Better You Than Me

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I'm down. Already planning a character. How would you feel about hand-crafted totems, say objects that imbue magical power? I'm planning a sort of shamanistic character who makes/uses totems from animal skins.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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Awesome: [OOC is now open for business!](http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/75496/posts/ooc)
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by redrout
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redrout

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I am very interested.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Tira the Tyrant
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Tira the Tyrant

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question: If the world is in an industrial age, what is the limit of technology? As in, are their firearms? Engines? Flying vehicles? "Steampunk" is very broad and sometimes does and doesn't encompass these elements. Outside of totems, what is the limit of characters tech.?
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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The concept of firearms is within the realm of possibility, but the common people never have heard of such a thing. Engines, yes, there will be engines. Flying vehicles do not exist in this corner of the world. The capability of all these technologies is there. But most of what you mentioned, if they exist at all, are still in the workshop phase.
Hidden 10 yrs ago 10 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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Slot has opened for Totem! Because the party is just about the leave the starting city, not only is this is a perfect jumping on point, but you also have a great deal of freedom in choosing your characters background. You could be one of the White Guard mercenaries, a member of Gaivus Hemming's caravan, or something else entirely. Character sheets can be submitted here.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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While the game has been going for a few weeks, don't let that dissuade you from joining: I will let you know anything you need to know. It will not be necessary for you to have read every post to know what's going on. Don't feel restricted by where the party is on what kind of character you may have. Let me figure out how to work you in. Feel free to be creative!
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Harbringer
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Harbringer Death to Asgard!

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Well, I'm interested. I should have a CS up soon.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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Looking forward to it!
Hidden 10 yrs ago 10 yrs ago Post by Clay
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Clay

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I envision my character being a plot device more than a hero. Sure he will have his moments, but I want him to be the one that does the shady thing our other heroes wont do. Or to take care of problems before anyone else thinks of them. Is there a particular guardsman fighting against our mission? He will be dead by the next day, robbed by some local thief. A particular politician playing power games? Everyone knows to be cautious around any lords of Lancaster, and Lazarus will use this to his utmost potential. Do you want some special trinket or knowledge, exceedingly hard to come by? Lazarus has it, or can get it, for a price. He is not meant to be good or evil, but just as he is, without petty definitions... Anyways... I took a lot of liberties just to flesh out my idea for a character. Please feel free to nitpick so that I can get just the right character for your story...
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Ezrath
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Ezrath

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Are you picking a CS or is it first come/first serve?
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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A little of both. I will be selective, but as soon as I've found a sheet that works for me it's closed. That said, the closure will likely be temporary. I believe I may add even more players down the road. So even if I'm not "currently hiring" it won't hurt to have an application at the top of the pile.
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