...So here is the deal my friend, you just saw something you weren’t suppose to, something big. I don’t know exactly what it was but now some of the most powerful men and women in this country wants your head, but let’s back up and explain what’s going on...
The year is 476 but that doesn’t really matter to you, since this isn’t Earth history, and the number only indicates the years it has been since the destruction of a massive Empire that used to span the continent of Pralta, but even that is a bit out of your scope. Why it collapsed has been a subject of debate, be it evil emperors and heroes, mysterious wizards or simple politics (simple.. pfft); Either way, you live in the Republic of Relunski, once the heartlands of the old Praltic Empire.
I’m not sure what you are doing there, perhaps a displaced noble or knight from the west neighboring Kingdom of Jarlton, maybe a local thief, or even one of those mysterious magic users that often hide so secretly in the forests that border the Newly formed Kingdom of Drun to the East… I suppose it doesn’t matter, since you are here in this realm of light fantasy, vague magic and high medieval aesthetic, and you just got hired.
But enough of this backdrop, here is the run-down, you were persuaded to do a heist by a concerned politician of Relunski, (not very uncommon in the Republic) be it for gold or honor, that’s up to you and your sense of morals, however the job was botched and you somehow ended up being an unfortunte witness to an unspeakable crime… and to make matters worse, the criminals happened to be high enough to write you name on every sheet of bounty paper from the forests of Drun to the cities of Jarlton, north to the Herald's sea and south to the riverlands of Inaldia. Point is: you’re on the lamb, and what happens next is up to you and those also roped into this mess that might define the future of the entirety of Pralta, and your own head.
I will be accepting five players to join in on this escapist adventure of political intrigue and high action set in a classical medieval romp of swords and splendor. Those accepted will be added to a discord channel, and if garnered enough attention I will make a helpful map.
The RP will start with you being hired for the heist, and we will play through until you escape the scene of the crime, bounty’s high, and from there this adventure will take a more sandbox feel as the fate of all rests in the groups incapabl- very capable hands. As the GM I will be taking a light approach and only nudging here and there with my own characters, and setting scenes while the ultimate choices (and protagonists) will be in the hands of the player.
To be considered for acceptance, please fill out the Character sheet and PM it to me while also stating interest in this thread. I will include a fun little optional questionnaire at the end of the CS that should be filled out in character. This is optional, but helps with the decision process and finding a cohesive group of heroes/...villains!?
Well, I hope to see some interest!
Picture (optional):
Name: Age: Gender: Nationality We have: - The medieval fantasy classic Jarltons and their very Arthurian aesthetic. - The war-mongering Drunnic, new to the world of nobility and a mosh posh of ethnicities from our local maps to even people seeking fortune from far away. -The Relunski, the Republic Peoples with a very large melting pot aesthetic in the major cities. They inherited the throne of the Praltic Empire, turning it into the seat of the Republic, where the rich families rule the poor. (it used to be much more fair, but lately the classism is overbearingly strong) -The People of the Drunnic-Relunski Forest, often called the Shimmering Woods. These are simple who live in spaced out hamlets, and more often than not know a witch or wizard hiding out in the woods, or at least the legend of one. -Mysterious Inaldian, a country far past the rivers of the south, these people are from the harsh deserts and growing plains. - ot so much a nationality but a race, the Yarings are a human hybrid known to have extremely pale skin, red eyes and a shorter stance than most. They are typically hated due to the stereotype towards crime and violence and are the result of babies cursed by mischievous fairies found on the Yaryys Islands in the northern Herald sea. They say back in the old Empire, Yarings were created on purpose to be slaves in the later years and some even claim that their uprisings at the end of the Empire’s life caused the collapse and start of the chaos that followed. It is rumored some old technology found in ruins used to be tools slavers created to bend the will of Yarings.
Occupation: Personality: (can opt out of this and answer Questionnaire instead, or both) Skills and Abilities: Weaknesses: Equipment: Background:
What are you doing in Relunski’s capital, Vesvolla?
How do you feel about Yarrings?
Your mother is dying of sickness, there is a known medication but the only person known to have it is also dying of the same sickness, what do you do?
You are starving, you haven’t eaten in days, you have no money and you find yourself in the marketplace, what do you do?
You are on a small boat after the sinking of your ship, it is overfilled with people and far beyond its capacity limit to the point it is only a few inches above the water line. You come across other individuals who have abandoned ship as well, their bodies tiring from staying afloat. They ask you to toss your rope to them so they can join you on the boat, but it would surely sink. What do you do?
You find yourself in prison, what happened?
What is worth fighting for?
What is worth dying for?
Have you ever killed? Would you consider this murder?
If your advice leads to the death of someone else, who is responsible for what?
Who holds the power of the populace, and who should hold power of the populace?
How do you feel about magic?
You are retiring from an adventurer's life, what do you do with the rest of your days?
You are in an army at war, what role best suits you?
If you know you can get away with a lie, would you do it?
(@Aristo) (Heavily inspired by The Riyria Revelations b Michael J. Sullivan)
Name: Gerald Arenar Age: 35 Gender: Male Nationality: Relunski
Occupation: Mercenary Skills and Abilities: Gerald is an excellent swordsman and a decent shot with a bow. He is good at moving silently, and has a fair amount of knowledge when it comes to tracking and lockpicking. He is also familiar with the basics of trade and negotiating, and has a surprisingly refined vocabulary for a hired cutthroat. Weaknesses: He makes no attempt to hide his callous attitude, making it difficult to gain allies or friends.
Appearance: Gerald stands at an imposing six foot five, with short, unkempt, dark blond hair, and some scraggly stubble for facial hair. He has a light skin tone with a slight tan, and dark green eyes. There is a scar running from under his left eye to the bottom of his cheek. He is physically well built from his long years of travel and combat, and has a few other scars located here or there across his body.
Equipment: Gerald is clad in a boiled leather vest, with steel shoulder plating and steel gauntlets. He wears a pair of leather pants, with padding over the thighs and groin, steel knee guards, steel greaves, and a pair of steel-toed leather boots, with a back-up pair of soft leather shoes when he needs to go sneaking. He has a shortbow and a quiver of twenty arrows slung on it his back, a steel longsword sheathed at his left hip, an ornate dagger with a long curved blade and a small emerald in the hilt sheathed on his chest, an ordinary dagger sheathed at his right hip, and a small knife hidden in his boot. In the way of miscellaneous gear, he has a coinpouch and a set of lockpicks, both kept secure on his right hip as well. Lastly, he also owns a brown riding horse named Alice, with saddlebags for his basic traveling supplies - rope, a bedroll, provisions, and so on.
Background: Gerald was born in Vesvolla. His mother and father were merchants, who owned a caravan which traveled from place to place selling its goods. From a young age, he was used to being on the move. His parents taught him to read and write, and about trade and negotiation, since he would be expected to one day follow after their footsteps. He had an older brother, but he passed away from sickness when Gerald was too young to remember them. His only other company consisted of the caravan guards, who he eventually talked into teaching him swordplay. He also spent a great deal of time reading through his mother's collection of books.
Although they mostly did their business in Relunski, occasionally they passed into Drunnic or Jarlton territory, whenever a particular foreign beverage, spice, or outfit was in fashion back in Relunski's capital. As a result, he had a rather worldly background.
Unfortunately, the merchant's lifestyle was not to last. When he was fourteen, the caravan was making its way through the Shimmering Woods. His mother had cautioned his father against the route, but he believed it would be a quicker route through the Drunnic and Relunski kingdoms. They soon came across a tree blocking the road. As the guards attempted to clear it, half of them were struck down by arrows, and then a dozen men charged out from both sides of the road equipped with swords and hatchets.
It was then that a smaller party of perhaps three bandits came behind the caravan. Gerald's father drew his sword and managed to fight off and kill one, but the other two quickly put blades near Gerald and his mother's throats. As the man holding Gerald commanded his father to surrender, his hand drifted away slightly, allowing Gerald to bite into it, and Gerald's father seized the opportunity to run the man through. But the bandit holding Gerald's mother cut her throat.
Meanwhile, the caravan guards were clearly losing, and threw down their weapons in surrender. Gerald's father ordered him to run, and then with a cry of rage he attacked his mother's killer, the two engaging in a vicious swordfight. Gerald, covered in blood and scared out of his mind, complied, fleeing into the woods. He took one last look behind him just in time to see the bandit's face as he cut his father down - it was a face he would never forget.
He walked for several days. Every now and then he would find a berry bush, and that would keep him going, but he was hungry. Eventually he was ambushed by another group of bandits. Seeing his fine, albeit dirty clothes, they figured he had something of value or would be worth a ransom. He managed to put up quite a fight, giving one a black eye and knocking out another before he himself was knocked out. The bandits soon discovered he had nothing, but the leader had been impressed with his courage and fighting prowess, believing he had potential, and offered him a place in their ranks.
With nowhere to go and nothing left to his name, he reluctantly accepted, falling into the lifestyle of a brigand. They further trained him in the art of swordsmanship, but also took the time to train him with bows and knives. He learned how to track both people and wildlife, looting caravans, ambushing travelers, and hunting and foraging for food. It was a rough lifestyle, but eventually he learned to accept it, and the bandit leader was almost like a father to him.
New members came and went. Some would die in combat or to sickness, others would leave or get killed by a rival in the company (and if the person who did the killing was caught, they would be killed in return), but there would always be new faces to replace them - soldiers who deserted, criminals who had been forced to flee into the wild, travelers with nowhere else to go, they came from a variety of background. But when he was around twenty years old, there was one member he simply could not accept.
It was the man who killed his father all those years ago. But rather than immediately react, Gerald remained silent. The man didn't recognize him - why would he? He waited until nightfall, and when everyone was asleep and Gerald posted on watch duty, he knifed the man in his sleep, packed up his equipment and provisions, and left.
The band of brigands mainly operated within the Shimmering woods, and they would not care enough about the new recruit to follow Gerald once he had made it out. So, he left, heading back towards Relunski. From there on, he carved out his own path. He found employment and coin wherever he could, from working as a hired thug for loan sharks or street gangs, spending time in mercenary companies, taking on freelance work, and in particularly desperate cases full-on thievery. He spent time traveling all across the land, but recently his travels have took him back to the city where his life began.
What are you doing in Relunski’s capital, Vesvolla? "I was born there. I recently returned, figuring it would be a good place to find work."
How do you feel about Yarrings? "Even if they are scoundrels, I'm a scoundrel too so I'm hardly in a position to judge."
Your mother is dying of sickness, there is a known medication but the only person known to have it is also dying of the same sickness, what do you do? "Take the cure, knife the other person to put them out of their misery, and give the cure to mother."
You are starving, you haven’t eaten in days, you have no money and you find yourself in the marketplace, what do you do? "Steal enough food and coin to get by. Any more and the risk of getting caught increases."
You are on a small boat after the sinking of your ship, it is overfilled with people and far beyond its capacity limit to the point it is only a few inches above the water line. You come across other individuals who have abandoned ship as well, their bodies tiring from staying afloat. They ask you to toss your rope to them so they can join you on the boat, but it would surely sink. What do you do? "Nothing. Better to let some of them drown than kill everyone by letting them on board. Beat back anyone who tries to board anyways."
You find yourself in prison, what happened? "I took a job of a less than legal nature."
What is worth fighting for? "Coin. And maybe some good friends, but I've yet to meet anyone like that."
What is worth dying for? "Nothing. Well, if the entire world was at stake, that might change things, but I seriously doubt I will ever be in that position."
Have you ever killed? Would you consider this murder? "I'm a sellsword, and originally started as a bandit. Killing is part of the job. Some of them deserved it, and some didn't, but it was me or them."
If your advice leads to the death of someone else, who is responsible for what? "It doesn't matter. The deed is done, and both me and the killer had a hand in it."
Who holds the power of the populace, and who should hold power of the populace? "The Kings and the upper class have the power. I wouldn't mind a bit of power myself. It's all about who's smart enough to rise up and take it, and their children need to be smart enough to keep it."
How do you feel about magic? "I'm not scared of it, but I don't trust it."
You are retiring from an adventurer's life, what do you do with the rest of your days? "Maybe run an inn, or a shop. Assuming the adventurer's life doesn't kill me, that is."
You are in an army at war, what role best suits you? "Skirmish work, scouting, guerilla warfare. Ideally in a leadership role, but I don't mind following if the leader knows what they're doing."
If you know you can get away with a lie, would you do it? "No." ... "That was a lie."
Name: Gerald Arenar Age: 35 Gender: Male Nationality: Relunski
Occupation: Mercenary Skills and Abilities: Gerald is an excellent swordsman and a decent shot with a bow. He is good at moving silently, and has a fair amount of knowledge when it comes to tracking and lockpicking. He is also familiar with the basics of trade and negotiating. Weaknesses: He makes no attempt to hide his callous attitude, making it difficult to gain allies or friends. Equipment: Gerald is clad in a boiled leather vest, with steel shoulder plating and steel gauntlets. He wears a pair of leather pants, with padding over the thighs and groin, steel knee guards, steel greaves, and a pair of steel-toed leather boots, with a back-up pair of soft leather shoes when he needs to go sneaking. He has a shortbow and a quiver of twenty arrows slung on it his back, a steel longsword sheathed at his left hip, an ornate dagger with a long curved blade and a small emerald in the hilt sheathed on his chest, an ordinary dagger sheathed at his right hip, and a small knife hidden in his boot. In the way of miscellaneous gear, he has a coinpouch and a set of lockpicks, both kept secure on his right hip as well. Lastly, he also owns a brown riding horse named Alice, with saddlebags for his basic traveling supplies - rope, a bedroll, provisions, and so on. Background:
What are you doing in Relunski’s capital, Vesvolla? "Born there. Recently returned, figuring it would be a good place to find work."
How do you feel about Yarrings? "Even if they are scoundrels, I'm a scoundrel too so I'm hardly in a position to judge."
Your mother is dying of sickness, there is a known medication but the only person known to have it is also dying of the same sickness, what do you do? "Take the cure, knife the other person to put them out of their misery, and give the cure to mother."
You are starving, you haven’t eaten in days, you have no money and you find yourself in the marketplace, what do you do? "Steal enough food and coin to get by. Any more and I risk getting caught."
You are on a small boat after the sinking of your ship, it is overfilled with people and far beyond its capacity limit to the point it is only a few inches above the water line. You come across other individuals who have abandoned ship as well, their bodies tiring from staying afloat. They ask you to toss your rope to them so they can join you on the boat, but it would surely sink. What do you do? "Nothing. Better to let them drown than end my own life and those around me. Beat back anyone who tries to board anyways."
You find yourself in prison, what happened? "I took a job of a less than legal nature."
What is worth fighting for? "Coin. And maybe some good friends, but I've yet to meet anyone like that."
What is worth dying for? "Nothing."
Have you ever killed? Would you consider this murder? "I'm a sellsword. Killing is part of the job. There might have been a few people that didn't deserve it here or there, but they all start to blend together after a while."
If your advice leads to the death of someone else, who is responsible for what? "Who cares? The deed is done, and both me and the killer had a hand in it."
Who holds the power of the populace, and who should hold power of the populace? "The Kings and the rich folk have the power. I wouldn't mind a bit of power myself. It's all about who's smart enough to rise up and take it, and their children need to be smart enough to keep it."
How do you feel about magic? "Not scared of it, but I don't trust it."
You are retiring from an adventurer's life, what do you do with the rest of your days? "Maybe run an inn, or a shop. Assuming the adventurer's life doesn't kill me, that is."
You are in an army at war, what role best suits you? "Skirmish work, scouting, guerilla warfare."
If you know you can get away with a lie, would you do it? "Yes."
(I will finish this later)
Looks pretty good! So far we have two Relunski natives. I'm going to give us three to four more days to garner interest before I make any decisions.
Any additional information on Yarings could be useful. If they're the result of a supernatural force cursing infants in a certain geographical location, then I don't see how prevalent they can be to have a significant stigma placed against them. Unless I misunderstood when I read their description.
I won't be home until Saturday evening, so I will be unable to provide you with anything until after then.
Any additional information on Yarings could be useful. If they're the result of a supernatural force cursing infants in a certain geographical location, then I don't see how prevalent they can be to have a significant stigma placed against them. Unless I misunderstood when I read their description.
I won't be home until Saturday evening, so I will be unable to provide you with anything until after then.
Sure! Yarings were used in the Praltic Empire as a slave race created by supernatural forces that originated on the northern islands. Since then the race has expanded and through natural forms of reproduction have formed new generations of yarings and potential half yarings. The islands are the only place to get pure first generation yarings born from thr supernatural forces but later generational yarings and half yarings can be found elsewhere. Racial tensions vary by country, but are negative.
Character Sheet: Name: Sir Clarence Maison Age: 23 Gender: Male Nationality: Jarlton Occupation: Disgraced Knight and Nobleman/Unemployed Skills and Abilities: Great at blending in with other nobles, aristocracies and higher-ups in general. Intensely skilled with a sword and in horsemanship, along with most animals. Also great with the ladies, and good at lying in general...can also read. Weaknesses: Terrible with lower classes, and can come off as rude and condescending, with the little callous in his hands displaying his ineptitude in labor, and is somewhat lazy and afraid of getting dirty. Equipment: A few swords, some nice clothing...some books...tends to not dress nice though, given his current situation. He still does keep a sword on him at all times. His mustache is one of his more salient pieces of equipment. Background: Clarence was a knight and son of a nobleman of Jarlton, before a scoundrel and enemy of his family forced him from his home, causing him to live in an inn in Vesvolla for the past month or two, where he's been slowly running out of money.
QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. What am I doing here? sigh... Apparently I live here now...at least for the time being... 2. Yarrings? Ugh. So long as I keep far from them, I don't mind them all too much...but such hasn't been the case recently. 3. Take it from the other sick person. This one is obvious. 4. Talk to whatever young maid working in the market seems the most of an ingénue and charm the food from her. It has happened before. 5. What, let a whole ship sink for the lives of a few tired fools? The whole situation is hypothetical, but as of now, those people should hope to float. 6. Ha...why would you care? Nothing happened! Eh...someone jealous of my father framed me, most likely! 7. Your family...and your honor...right? 8. When warring and dueling, I would not call it murder rather than assisted suicide. 9. I am responsible. I would not question that. 10. Whoever holds the power is whoever has taken it. But it should rightfully belong to the most honorable nobility. 11. Again, so long as it stays hidden in the backwoods what do I care? 12. Tend to my estate...raise a...family with a wife or whatnot. 13. Atop a steed leading the charge! 14. Yes. I would.
XD Ek you nailed Jarlton nobility l, at least the more questionable side of it ;)... Also I like how you included he can read... As illiterate characters can be a thing considering the setting.
Character sheet complete. Took the liberty of adding an appearance section, because I don't have a picture and there wasn't an appearance section in the original format.
Edit: I also changed some of his answers slightly. I figured a merchant background would give him a more refined vocabulary.
Character sheet complete. Took the liberty of adding an appearance section, because I don't have a picture and there wasn't an appearance section in the original format.
Edit: I also changed some of his answers slightly. I figured a merchant background would give him a more refined vocabulary.
Yeah I noticed I forgot an appearance section, good on you!
Giving my interest - question though, is magic an actual thing, or is it just rumour?
It is an actual thing, but takes on the vague role seen in old Arthurian legend where wizards and apprentices are a rare occurrence a nd it takes a lofe time to get close to mastery. However! That's not to say you can't have a moderately magical character at all or even an exception. Pm me a sheet and we can discuss power levels.
... And with that, OOC coming up and IC starts after all the sheets have been read through and accepted.
1x Laugh
