I'd like to express interest.

In the Meantime if you Exarch players want your Character sheet for early brainstorming let me know.

So... Could we get them?

<Snipped quote by LordZell>

My goal is to keep him alive long enough for him to build a road for me.

That worked so well the last few times.

If at first you don't succeed try try again!

<Snipped quote by GreivousKhan>

So... Could we get them?

Nah.

Anyway, here it is. I may change it a bit later on. Once I have my Archon's I will start the OOC. Then our Exarch's can choose which Archon to serve under.

Speical Note. Exarchs can only have three Relic's items to put under Armaments and can designate one of their heroes to use one or all of them. There is no limit to Hero characters at the moment. However, all players have the same number of relic items for their characters. Relics are items of magic power that in the right hands can be a threat to even an Archon.

Don't worry too much about history btw, until the OOC is open and I reveal more of the world's lore, history, and magic.

The scent of Tyranny abounds.

You're smelling thing.

Name: Vadigar

Titles: The Conqueror in the West, Djaam-Bane

Type: Exarch

Appearance: In progress

Personality and Drive: In progress

History:

Vadigar is perhaps the newest of Izalith's servants. Born to Vescar, a tribal lord of the Borian hinterlands, Vadigar had nearly reached manhood when two legions of the Night Mother crossed the River Khad with the intention of claiming Boria for Izalith's already-massive dominion. Vescar committed his tribe into an alliance with the other Borian tribes in order to repel the incursion. Vescar, aware that this was going to be a savage and protracted conflict from the beginning, brought his son Vadigar and his daughter Helkha to ride out with him and his tribesmen so that they might be educated in the ways of leadership and warfare.

The Narzad, the ruthlessly-effective light cavalry of the Borian tribes, proved successful at harassing and weakening the lumbering legions of infantry hailing from the Motherlands. In these early skirmishes with the Night Mother's forces, Vadigar was permitted by his father to ride out and accompany the Narzad javelin-throwers. This proved to be a very formulative time for the young tactician; Vadigar was able to see firsthand how small numbers could, with appropriate application of force and superior strategems, could disperse even large numbers of enemies.

The initial forays against Izalith's legions were effective in delaying a major incursion into the Borian tribelands, but in the second spring of the war with the Night Mother, eight legions under the command of Archon [insert name here] arrived to put paid to Boria's resistance and make loyal subjects of the restless hillfolk of the North. The Night Mother's invasion had begun in earnest.

The Night Mother's armies at last began to gain ground, conquering the more hospitable southern reaches of Boria and forcing the tribes to retreat into the windswept foothills of the Crown of the North. The Borian tribes continued to ride out to harangue the Night Mother's legions. But with a strong contingent of archers and the powers of the Archon, the Borian riders were now taking substantial casualties with each raid. It was during one such raid that Vescar took an arrow to the clavicle that ended his life. Vadigar took command of the tribe and took it upon himself to resume his father's war against the Archon and the Night Mother.

Emboldened by the death of Vescar, Archon [insert name here] sought to capitalize on the demoralizing effect of the dead chieftain and led 5,000 of his men from his fort in the south of Boria against the tribes. The Archon attempted to cross the River Khad at a shallow stretch deep in forest, hoping to catch the tribes off guard during their funerary rites. Instead, it was the Archon that was caught off guard; Vadigar had intercepted the legions and met them across the banks of the river. Among the trees, the Archon's archers could not fire effective volleys, but the Borian javelinmen were perfectly capable of skewering the Night Mother's infantry as they waded across the Khad. Were it not for the Archon's terrifying powers, the Borians would have killed the Night Mother's forces to the last man. Humiliated, the Archon and his survivors were forced to fall back and retreat south. Having avenged his father in some small measure, Vadigar returned to his camp to mourn Vescar's death in earnest.

During the funerary rites on the following day, Vescar was laid out upon a funeral pyre. As the pyre burned, a bolt of lightning struck the burning wood, completely scattering the pyre. Vadigar and Helkha were astounded, for the lightning bolt had come from a clear, sunny sky. Where the roaring pyre had burned only minutes ago, only a circular heap of coals and ashes remained. The wooden logs of the pyre - still burning, had been cast out such that they pointed toward the burning cinders. Vadigar and Helkha, upon inspecting the scene, found the remains of the pyre much resembled a symbol of the sun - a circle with rays radiating outward. A black, fire-scorched sun.

For the rest of the day, Vadigar and Helkha consulted with the priests, attempting to determine what this portentous occasion signified. Satisfied by none of the answers given, Vadigar and Helkha discussed the day's happenings all through the night themselves amongst themselves. They could only come to one conclusion that made any sense to them: the destruction of Vescar's funeral pyre was the work of the Night Mother, her black sun symbol created from the ruined funeral pyre was meant as a sign that Boria owed fealty to to Izalith.

The other tribal leaders were naturally dismayed by Vadigar's conclusion. Vadigar and Helkha were able to persuade a modest few that the destruction of the pyre was a miracle meted out by the Night Mother. Most, however, had assumed that Vadigar and Helkha had lost their minds. The disagreement broke out into a civil war among the tribes between those who supported Vadigar and Helkha, and those who would not suffer the perceived turncoat in their midst.

After the stinging defeat at the Battle at the River Khad, Archon [insert name here] was delighted to hear of the infighting among the Borians. He sent emissaries to Vadigar's camp, congratulating his turn toward the Night Mother and offering assistance in making the rest of the Borians submit. Vadigar thanked the Archon for his offer, but denied his help. For he knew that if the Borians were to ever accept the way of the Night Mother, it would have to be brought to them by one of their own - not a foreign invader.

After a series of defeats against Vadigar, the hostile Borians at last came before him and announced their wish for peace in the Boria. They knew that even if they could destroy Vadigar and his forces, they would not be able to oust the Night Mother's legions stationed in the south of the realm. They knew Vadigar to be wise and gracious, and knew that peace struck with him would be far more agreeable than surrendering to the Archon. With that, Boria was pacified, and Vadigar went before Archon [insert name here] to officially swear fealty to the Night Mother.

Archon [insert name here], pleased with Vadigar's conversion, named him an Exarch and Master of Boria. Recognizing his battlefield prowess, the Archon selected Exarch Vadigar as his general, and sent him to lead his campaigns in the various wars throughout Ethica. Vadigar's skill as a tactician was made clear after several great victories on foreign battlefields. After three years of ceaseless campaigning, Archon [insert name here] offered his celebrated Exarch some time to rest and tend to matters within his wards in Boria. Exarch Vadigar thanked his Archon for his reassignment back home, but petitioned his lord for an alternate assignment. Vadigar wanted to expand Izalith's sprawling empire. He offered instead to traverse the Erg Sea, the trackless expanse of desert in western Ethica, and conquer the fabled lands on the other side in the name of the Night Mother. Archon [insert name here] was pleased with this request; he named Helkha as Regent Master in Boria and gave Vadigar his blessing to carry out his conquests in the far west.

Nearly ten years later, Exarch Vadigar finds himself in the extreme northwest of Ethica, beyond the Erg Sea at the foot of a great mountain range. Here he has encountered a depauperate, sparsely-populated land inhabited by a people who have only heard legends of Izalith. They speak of the Djaam: an empire beyond the mountains ruled by powerful sorcerers who draw their power from a moon god they call Rabal. Determined to put paid to this heresy and bright the Night Mother's rule to this exotic land, Exarch Vadigar forms an army to vanquish the Djaam. But a thousand leagues separate Vadigar from Izalith and her empire, and it has yet to be determined if she has any power over this strange land.

Armaments: In progress

Abilities: In progress

Alright, I got the current political map of the world woven by the esteemed hands of Iso.



The Empire, of course, is Illyrica with Lesmiana (An alliance of different kingdoms) being the next region to be conquered later in the RP.

When I get back home, I'll see about getting a rough outline for a climate map up.

Hello, I'm your friendly neighborhood Archon of war and battle. Due to personal reasons I woll be spotty for the next three weeks, but I thought id introduce myself.

I would be interested in playing as a minor character, if possible. Not an Exarch, or an Archon, or even a hero tied to them. Just a lone hero of sorts unaffiliated with the empire. Maybe on his own or perhaps under the employ of some other faction. My interest in RPs fluctuates unreliably, but I still want to give this a shot in a way that wouldn't negatively affect the story if I were to suddenly drop out. So yeah, a minor character with potential for growth if I decide to fully commit. If that is possible/allowed, I'll see about making a sheet using the hero template.

@gorgenmast Where have you been? I thought you were dead and I wept for thee. Get on Steam more often so I can bother you.

@Pepperm1nts I was thinking of allowing degrees of involvement like this. To a small few anyway. I'm willing to accept a unaligned hero character of sorts wondering about. Would give the unusual perspective of one person during a larger event like a war and having to deal with that.

I had the idea of plot hooks as I was going to treat this as a true sandbox world. So hopefully there will be more to do than in an average NRP from this perspective.

Alright then. I already have ideas for how my character could become more involved in the story, so while I may start as a totally unaligned character, that may not be the case in later stages. Or maybe it will be, but either way I have rough plans for how such a character could become an important part of the RP, if I did decide to commit. It would help to see other sheets before I make mine, so I get a better sense for the world, but I'll do what I can until then.

@Pepperm1nts seems a bit like a fallout kinda guy aspect.

I plan to have a small free city/trade city under an Exarch on that south east spur of the mainland there.

Should have a sheet out once I know who that areas Archon is.

@GreivousKhan

I'm a little uncertain, while designing my character, how powerful exarches are supposed to be. Could you give an example of the kind of thing within their power, and an example for the kind of thing they can't do?

Also, are heroes just muggles with good gear?

Same, though I have no plans to give my character any powers beyond access to some magical artifacts. Perhaps he isn't powerful enough to be an exarch as a feudal lord piecing back together the shattered lands of the northern kingdom once ruled by his family? It's not terribly clear.

@GreivousKhan

I'm a little uncertain while designing my character, how powerful exarches are supposed to be. Could you give an example of the kind of thing within their power, and an example for the kind of thing they can't do?

Also, are heroes just muggles with good gear?

As for the power of an Archon, I have been thinking a long time about how best to describe how powerful they are. So I'll use a mix of feats combined with comparisons with familiar characters from media, sticking to the realm of fantasy. Now a good starting place for Archons is to realize is they are far more than really powerful archmages. To say their demigods comes closest to the mark but might still come short considering this would conjure images of Greek demigods who are pretty damn tame in comparison. Now when talking about power, I'll like to draw the distinction between destructive power and raw potential power.

I may as well cover all the different types here and scale up.

Heroes. They are indeed just normal folks by all accounts. Kind of like fantasy batman, just normal dudes with good gear and training/upbringing. Capable of taking on a group of trained fighters on their own.

Exarchs would have the potential to take out a regiment on their own depending on their chosen schools of magic. A single Exarch would be worth 100 men, still, this is not universal as every Exarch will have different expertise. Something along the lines of the Dragonborn from Skyrim with full levels.

Archons -- If I was going to make an example of an Archon of full destructive power, let's say an Archon of Stone. In a region with high winds of creation, he'd be able to level a small city. Malekith, the Witch King from Warhammer, would be a good example. As for what they Can't do is that they are universally limited by the magic available in the region they are in. It often also comes down to the kind of magic they use. Since while all Archons possess magical powers, there is no other common thread between these women and men. An Archon might be made of fire, capable of conjuring storms, or able to heal with a touch - the only defining trait of an Archon is that this magic power originates from within.

The Archon of Shadow I'll use as an RP example. His power revolves around shadow and illusion magic. His main ability is his power to shadow walk, which is moving from one shadow to the next. He can even do this over long distances. As long as he has a perfect mental image of that place. So places he has visited numerous times. Beyond that his destructive ability is no more than mere heroes. However, his potential is incredibly dangerous.

In all, the extreme flexibility of idea's makes an exact power scaling difficult. But hopefully, my examples shed light on it.

Same, though I have no plans to give my character any powers beyond access to some magical artifacts. Perhaps he isn't powerful enough to be an exarch as a feudal lord piecing back together the shattered lands of the northern kingdom once ruled by his family? It's not terribly clear.

So a normal lord, or someone who just relies on mundane skill alone? An Exarch need not know any magic and can instead be an incredibly skilled warrior. If not I suppose he would just be average Hero type instead, but he'd not qualify to be the next Pontiff.

I am interested, so long as, seeing as it is Iron Age, I can draw slight early Greek and Roman influences.

I am interested, so long as, seeing as it is Iron Age, I can draw slight early Greek and Roman influences.

Of course, I'm still deciding on what the Empires' main inspirations will be. Though I was leaning toward greek and Roman, anyway. Other elements to follow.

Name: Vadigar

I like Vadigar already, much to work off here plot wise. Also, good call on that decision he had on winning his people over on his own. The exact qualities Izalith looks for in those who serve her. I should mention that the sun is not Izalith's sigil, it's, in fact, a black Rose (flower), but I can see the confusion given the name of the Rp as well as the fact the Black Sun is an occult symbol. The Black Sun, in fact, refers to the moon. The Black Sun to the White one and the balance between right and wrong. Expect to allot of moral gray in this RP.

Aside from that great stuff as always.

Also, the Chatroom is up for people wanting to discuss plots and work out character ideas, hang out or ask questions. I know you guys have plenty. Time to get the gang back together.

Chatroom.

Chatroom.

Yeah, I can't access that.

IIIIIIIINCOMING CHARACTER SHEET! BRACE YOURSELVES FOR IMPACT!



(@GreivousKhan)