There is a time in our darkest hours when all hope fades, when there is no light at the end of the long tunnel and despair closes in. It is during those times that we find we are the most vulnerable, to ourselves and outsiders alike. To those who would seek to prey upon us when we are at our weakest and steal from us. Then there are those who only seek to help, the people whose names will be long lost to history and forgotten. These people are known only as Journeymen, members of an organization that has long since protected us in our olden days.
The Journeymen hunt down creatures which terrorize our villages and seek out the bandits who wish to cripple our trade. Some say they even go so far as to be mediators between nations at war, to have settled peace between them so as to allow the people to flourish and survive. But the Order of the Traveler is a thing of the past, an organization crippled by its own selfless ideologies that it attracted those who do not wish to be quite as upstanding as their masters were. It is in this time that we find we may need the Journeymen the most, in these days that are growing ever darker that we will need their support.
For a winter is brewing quite unlike any we have ever seen, a winter with winds far colder and nights far darker than any before. Some say it is a farce, a tale told by midwives and elders who have grown senile in their time, seeking only to scare the children into submission. But nay, something is awakening far beyond what we can see and it is something far more terrible than any may have ever seen. The creatures of the forests have been disturbed, far more aggressive than ever before and actively seek out our villages. Few say the kings have begun going mad, slowly growing ever more distant from their council as a darkness creeps into their courts. What is coming may be something of legend, something we have never faced before. Perhaps the Order of the Traveler and the Journeymen will return to their former glory. Or perhaps we shall fall into despair once more with naught but darkness all around.
If you have made it this far then congratulations, the History and description of the Order weren’t entirely necessary to read as of this moment but I thought it best to provide the information up front for those who would wish to design a character. Now, to get to the point of this interest check. Basically, your characters will be members of the Order, whether they be in it simply for the pay or for the ability to help others does not matter. What will you be doing? Well, that’d spoil too much on what I have planned for the opening post but you will be grouped together as Journeymen typically form groups of eight, mostly due to Marcus and his seven companions.
Of course, should there be more than eight players, I will split the group evenly between two and provide some NPCs to fill the spots where there are not players. But that is a different matter. On to what is going on in the world. Erith has been a land of mysticism ever since the Elves had first begun their lives on it and, even when the Humans came, this did not change. It has been full of creatures of all varying sizes and strengths, from faeries to trolls. Now, whether they have been peaceful is an entirely different matter. To fight them, you will have to be smart otherwise it is entirely possible to die.
Magic is simplistic in this setting, relying entirely on runes for those who are not born with the innate ability to cast magic. These runes physically or mentally tax the user for as long as they are active, with most rune casters only using one for a couple of seconds in order to achieve a feat. For those who are born with the innate ability for magic, which is incredibly rare as only one in one thousand people have it- thus why I’ll limit these spell casters to only one for a party of 8 or 2 for a party of 9 or more- they may simply perform an incantation or ritual in order to perform a similar feat. These are the arcane casters who pull their magical source from beyond Erith to perform magic.
What can you expect from this RP? My intent is to have it last a long period of time and cover many things, you will be expected to post at least once every four days, though I’ll allow some leniency in this if there is an outside or internal source halting the progression. The quality should be High-Casual and you should be able to at least write a few paragraphs in response to a post. Of course, the paragraphs will be open to change as some things will require a lesser response, though anything close to a one liner is definitely not allowed. You may have to create another character at some point, whether it be because your character died or simply because our attention is turning elsewhere.
Anyway, thank you for reading and hope you have a good time. Below will be a character sheet if you so wish. Questions will be answered as soon as possible.