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On the shore of the Sea of Gales lies the port town of Brighthaven. Although its official name sounds pleasant enough, you would get another idea of the place once you heard the natives names for it; Bloodhaven or Thief Town being among the more popular ones. It is a big, wild place, full of people of all sorts of questionable occupations and backgrounds. It is not a place for the weak of heart. Living here is risking everything, but still people flock to the place like flies to freshly spilled faeces. Why, you might ask? Because of Norn, that's why.

Just a days travel north of the city lies the great forest of Morkador, and within it, the ruins of ancient Norn. Norn was once the capitol of the Nornum empire, a realm of great power and influence which fell to an unknown catastrophy over a thousand years ago. Although a long time has passed since then, and despite the numerous expeditions into the dark woods, the place is still teeming with treasure. Gold, jewels, silver, and foremost of them all: magical artifacts.

Magic is rare nowadays. Some say it is leaking out of the world. Others say that the art has simply been lost to time. Whatever the case may be, the fact of the matter is that the most potent, and valuable, pieces of enchanted goods can be found only in this place. But delving into Morkador is not without risk.

In fact, most expeditions into the dark forest end up as failures, or are never heard from again. The woods hold all sorts of nasty surprises for the unwary and expert traveller alike; beasts, ghosts, bandits and other adversaries haunt the ruins of old Norn, and have proven a daunting challenge even for the most illustrious of adventurers.

But still they come, from near and far, and for every imaginable reason. Its a great gamble, with your life at stake, but the treasures of Norn and the promise it brings just might be worth the dangers of Morkador.

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This is an adventure game in which we play as treasure hunters looking to make a fortune, or a name, or both, from extracting valuable items from the ruins of old Norn, hidden inside the dark forest of Morkador.

You will have great liberties with character creation, and the story will be fast paced and dark, but light hearted. My only two demands concerning your characters is that they're A) desperate for some reason, and B) that they're just as weak as they are strong. It's a fantasy game, so feel free to play anything you like within that spectrum. Just don't get too weird.

There's no pre-made character sheet, as I trust you can make one perfectly fine on your own.

Questions and applications for interest below, as usual.

Nice to see an OOC post. Do we have a template CS?

Understood GM. Will have a tentative post up by Week's end.

Interesting. I know you don't have a CS, but I figured I'd make this basic one just so you have some idea of who my guy is.

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Name: Varrock The Executioner
Age: 33
Gender: Male
History: Varrock was a simple farmer when one day his family's farm was attacked by a deserting army. Desperate for supplies, they raided his little field of grain and animals, leaving nothing behind. His family didn't survive the attack; his father and brothers died defending it, and his mother and sisters were taken away. By the time Varrock recovered and tried to get them, they had already been disposed of. Just like that, his entire peaceful life was turned upside down. He had nothing left to go return to, and nothing left to hold him back. With no family support he had to resort to begging on the streets for much of his early adult life, until he finally managed to get enough money to buy himself a wood cutting axe. but instead of becoming a lumberjack, he used that axe to become a brigand; murdering travelers in their sleep to pilfer their money and supplies. He did that for years, eventually joining a gang to get better weapons and armor. Tackling bigger, tougher, more valuable targets.

Eventually Varrock even gained some infamy. "Varrock The Executioner" they called him. Known for both his battleaxe and his perchant for executing prisoners, fighters, and many many others. Of course with this infamy came a bounty. Though he never became a proper bandit chief, tales of his horrors had grown enough that people could identify him simply by his gear, and so he had to flee to avoid capture or worse. His running eventually brought him to the town of Brighthaven. Here he rubbed elbows with criminals and madmen worse than him, throwing his pursuers off for a short while. But running away from the law left him very little time to amass his fortunes. With nothing but the armor on his back and the axe in his hands, Varrock needed money. And there was only one way to get a lot of money here in Brighthaven: the ruins of Norn.
Equipment:
Armor - Varrock's rather elaborate full plate armor. Made mostly of bits and pieces he collected over the years killing knights, the only uniquely made peice of armor is his helmet, which appears to have a simple smiling face on it. It's unsettling to most people when they see it, the innocent smile brandishing a bloodied axe. Good at protecting him from most weapons, however as most of the parts were looted and never properly cared of, it is falling apart.
Battleaxe - Varrock's signature battleaxe, and how most Bounty Hunter's identify him. He took this weapon off a northern warrior who said that it was enchanted so it could cut through any sort of armor. Thus, Varrock and his mates shot the warrior with arrows. Varrock isn't sure if this axe is actually magical, but it is very well made, and cuts through armor just as well as it cuts through bare necks.

Name: Joseph
Appearance:

Age: 27
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Magic: Protection Magic - Joseph can has been trying to learn how to create protective wards and barriers, though he doesn't quite have the aptitude for it yet. His education has taught him how to resist magical effects such as illusions and mind control.

Personality: Joseph is a quiet, reserved man who prefers to act instead of speak. Despite his age he doesn't really know much about the world so he often just watches and observes. He is able to keep calm if only because he doesn't want to panic and always tries to think before he acts. Even though he's willing to do most things, he's very reluctant to act on his own and he often relies on others to instruct him. On his own he tends to just stick with what he's good at, and when he has to do something completely new he'd try to get some help first, or failing that, just risk everything on doing it right the first time.

Background: Joseph was a simple carpenter trying to survive a monsterous world when he received a vision. He woke up one morning and saw a vision of great warfare in a distant land, where he was clad head-to-toe in magnificent armor and wielding a mighty sword. He fought many enemies and saved many people, and it all felt so real to him. When he woke up he tried to just think it was all just a dream, but then a missionary arrived to his home. This missionary preached to Joseph about fighting some grand evil and that he was one of many chosen to be a holy warrior. Joseph didn't believe him at first since he was never even religious, but he did want more from his life. After a week thinking about it, Joseph sought the missionary out and decided to join his religious order.

When Joseph joined the missionary's church, they trained him and many others on how to become a knight. Many failed and Joseph was close to giving up himself. They put him through grueling, almost tortuous training. Hundreds had joined but after five years of training, only Joseph and three others became knights. But that only prepared him for the physical aspects of his knighthood; after proving his body was strong, he was made to learn magic, which tested his willpower and mind. He was given a harsh education and mentally challenged, breaking even, but he did not give up. He learned the spells by force of will and broke out of mind-altering enchantments and regained his personality afterwards each time they tried to change him. After another five years of this, Joseph was ready to become a true holy warrior. A real paladin.

But then he had a crisis of faith. A moment of weakness. During his training, he was swayed by a devilish temptress disguised as a fair maiden. She desperately needed his help; she preyed on Joseph's desires to be seen as a noble knight and save the innocent. She made Joseph take an important relic from his temple, tricked into thinking that it would save her and her ailing family. But she was just a thief who made Joseph steam a valuable and powerful artifact. When his masters learned of this, Joseph was banished from his temple, his paladin training ending. Desperately he tried to reconcile with his teachers, trying to convince them that he had been tricked and would learn. They turned him away each time until eventually they gave him one option: He find the relic that was taken and bring the head of the thief.

And so Joseph wandered, spending many more years seeking clues about the stolen relic, the vile witch who had tricked him, and doing his best to maintain his code of honor as his hopes and dreams were dashed against the tides of fate. When all seemed lost, he found a single spark of hope: a town called Brighthaven. A den of thieves and the city of Norn, where relics of all types were found. Finally his journey was coming to an end. He was getting so close to redemption. He would not nothing, no one, stop him. No matter what price he had to pay...

Equipment:
Old Knight Armor - Once strong yet flexible steel armor that covers Joseph's body completely with a cloak. While specially designed by his temple to provide as much comfort as possible for Joseph, it has seen better days and has many crude repair jobs done to it. It works well enough but it's about time Joseph replaced it.
Greatsword - A long two-handed sword heavy enough that most people need two hands to use, but Joseph has trained himself hard enough that he can use just one. It's strikes may be slow, but it only needs one slash to cleave most foes.
Crest Shield - Said to be a magic shield baring the crest of Joseph's temple. It's not, however compared to his armor his shield has survived worse and is still in very good condition.
Theme:

@Lucius Cypher Accepted!

@Zaphander The concept of a Paladin works fine, it's great even, but I see three issues that need to be adressed before I can accept the character. 1) Ditch the magic. I'm fine with your paladin having undergone mental training to resist spells, but right now it's a bit much. This carries into issue 2) One of my criterias for appliance is that the character is supposed to be as weak as it is strong. Your paladin does currently not have any weaknesses, and is pretty strong to boot. This needs to change. 3) Another criteria is that the character needs to be desperate. I cannot detect desperation in your CS. Please add some.

How about our Paladin, Joseph, screwed up in the recent past and he's on a quest to regain his honour. Maybe there's a legendary beast or specific item belonging to your church that needs recovering. Maybe he has a loved one who is I'll and can only be saved by powerful magic.

The important thing is that he desperately needs to acquire this thing or to do this thing.

This is where you depend on your GM to include whatever that thing is.

Yeah. That's what you get when you're rushing on a cellular device between two different jobs.

I miss my old phone.

@Searat

Just saying, I really like that character.

Thank you.@War

@Duck

I changed some of the stuff. I made it so that Joseph was trying to learn the magic but never really managed to cast a spell, though he does still have the training for mental resistance.

I made it so that he was tricked during training and got kicked out from his temple, so now he's in Brighthaven trying to get the missing relic back and to hunt down the person who stole it in the first place. he really wants to finish his training and it's been rough for him ever since he got exiled, so hopefully that'll make him pretty desperate.

I also changed his armor so that it's older and more worn out. Still good armor, but like Lucius's character it's better off replaced than repaired.

As for strengths and weaknesses, I can't really think of any particular physical weaknesses, but he does still cling to his honor for better or for worse. he can't deny a cry for help but it also makes him easy to trick, since he'll come to the aid of anyone who needs his help. He'd rather risk getting killed in an ambush than ignoring someone in need. His faith has allowed him to remain strong in his darkest moments but it also made him very ignorant in a Knight Templar sort of way, so he doesn't work well with pagans and other nonreligious people. He's basically a crusader.

@Searat Accepted!

@Zaphander I've read the changes, and it looks good. Accepted!

Thanks. Will be placing CS in Characters tab later.

I am one of the most powerful sorceresses in the world and I'm in trouble.

My name is Assallya Kressair.  I was born Assa'alliyeh of clan Kressanthair but humans, with their short sorry little lives, don't have the time for long names.  I'm not exactly elven either.  It's complicated.

When I was but a child orcs raided our village.  It was a small outpost, a collection of farms really and there's a reason why elves live in trees.  Slaughtered, the orcs took the survivors far away and sold us into slavery.  They were rooked.  They didn't realize elves were worth many times that is human slaves.  It was also the last place I saw Saeliah, my sister.

I was sold to a Pasha, a crime lord, and served in his palace for multiple human generations.  In time I learned all manner of academics, for as an entertainer for his guests I had to understand politics and when military history in addition to dancing and playing an instrument.  One never knew what stimulation a guest might desire.

It was my original master's grandson that made the mistake.  In an effort to make their loyal servant more useful they tutored me in magic.  I was never versed in the more violent arcane arts but I swiftly learned to bend a man's heart via incantation as readily as I did with a sly look and beckoning finger.  I learned to see far away places in a pool of water, to befuddle a man's mind or move a far away object with a gesture.  For the first time I saw the outside world whenever I wished and I longed for it.

It took time but I had it.  I turned the Pasha's house against itself.  Secrets better kept secret came out, some true, others were sheer fabrications and I escaped in the chaos that insued.  I hear the bounty is still on my head though word of it has died on nearly all lips and the posters likely have been used to roll cigarettes or become so much dust by now.

I'm now one of the most powerful sorceresses in the world.  It is not due to magic but the application of lesser spells.  I now trade in secrets.  I own a brothel, a gentlemen's club really.  I use locks of hair, nail clippings and a man's seed against them to pierce through their protections, slip through their wards and spy on them.  I could destroy this kingdom in which I live and rule it but... Then I would be giving up power.

Unfortunately, the gods be damned, something is happening.  Magic is failing.  My own spells are growing weaker and the lords are beginning to suspect.  In time they'll turn on me.  I don't know what to do.  The south has long been barred to me and the north...  I suspect one of the lords will try to move on me soon, take me and what I know to make a play against the rest.  If I don't do something soon I'm doomed.

That's how I got here, moving through a dark forest in a vardo wagon I haven't used in years, not since the brief foolishness of my adventuring days.  Here I hope to find some sort of edge, maybe a source of power- I honestly don't know.  

My wagon has all the benefits of a home on wheels but for protection all I have is my light crossbow, a curved dagger from my youth and my ring...  My ring is my saving grace.  Imbued with the essence of Trolls I cannot die while wearing it save by fire or acid.  It has saved me many times of the years from monsters and from being assassinated by petty nobles.

Now all I need is a little magic and a lot of luck.

@Assallya I'm inclined to accept, but I do have a question before I do that: How exactly does this ring prevent Assallya from dying? Like, how does it work?

It's my old item from Dungeons and Dragons, second edition.

Here's the old text from twenty years back! Not having armor the item proved rather helpful.

The ring of regeneration restores one point of damage per turn (and will eventually replace lost limbs or organs). It will bring its wearer back from death. (If death was caused by poison, however, a saving throw must be successfully rolled or the wearer dies again from the poison still in his system.) Only total destruction of all living tissue by fire or acid or similar means will prevent regeneration. Of course, the ring must be worn, and its removal stops the regeneration processes.

Addendum: It isn't explicit but there are many ways around the regeneration. Being eaten for example, being subject to constant damage effects like drowning, being crushed into paste,having the limb chopped off that wears the ring negates the effects, instant death spells, disintegration… soul destruction...

Then there's being impaled... Taking an arrow to the eye socket or stuck with a stake vampire style would out someone in suspended animation. (Where you would still age of course)

Also in a later errata it also stipulates the wound had to be inflicted on the person while the ring was worn. You couldn't put the ring on after you took an arrow to the chest. Otherwise people would share the thing around.