The Elder Scrolls
Year of the Wolf
"Wolf Queen...hear our call..."
4E 5
It has been five years since the end of the Septim line, and the world burns. Since Martin's sacrifice, the Empire has held a tenuous grasp on Tamriel, civil unrest, Provincial infighting, a distinct lack of decisive action on the part of the Elder Council...some call it a curse, the lack of a Dragonborn Emperor of Tamriel. That the Empire has lost the favor of the Nine. Even as the Red Mountain exploded, the people of Tamriel worried that the once great Empire of Tiber Septim would collapse in an orgy of violence and death like those of Alessia and Reman before it, their fears seemingly confirmed by the withdrawal of Black Marsh and the subsequent invasion of Morrowind. Although the seat of Imperial remained unchallenged by the armies of Argonia, or the threat of recently-independent Khajiiti Confederacy, there is cloud of fear thicker than the Ash of Red Mountain.
In times like these, there are opportunists. Men who know they can prey on the weak in the shadows of a receding Empire. Imperial efforts to curtail banditry become less and less important as the very real threat of foreign invasion stands on the horizon. Organizations such as the Thieves' Guild, the Dark Brotherhood, even more legitimate efforts such as the Fighters Guild, flourish in this chaos. A lack of Imperial enforcement, as well as those brazen few who see this chaos as not the death of an empire, but the opportunity for advancement use means legitimate and illicit to seize power in the regions forgotten by the eyes of Imperial officials. There are a fair few who fight against this rising tide of darkness, but there is little they can do without serious institutional support, a precious resource in a time of collapsing Imperial influence.
Though, there is one event that bodes ill for all.
Away from prying eyes, there are those who wish to control the Empire, to seize control through the power of necromancy. Perhaps it never occurred to those who fought the Mages' Guild, that shattering the largest bastion of magical knowledge like glass would play right into the hands of these wicked few. In the shadow of the God of Worms, a pact was formed, remnants of the Guild and the Order of the Black Worm swore to re-instate the preeminence of magic within the Empire. Soon, those who drove them out of society would understand how wrong they were. They knew precisely who could rectify their unfortunate position...all they need do is bring her back to this world.
So comes the Year of the Wolf.
You might find it implausible, that the Courier who delivered the letter to you had handed you the ramblings of a mad man. Unfortunately, the letter was addressed to you, even had a small sum of Septims to entice you along with it. The ink glimmered like living shadow, the parchment felt...haggard, like they had a scant few minutes to put thoughts to paper before it was sent off alongside its siblings. Come to Helgen. It said, the stain of blood splatter misting across the letter, with only a symbol as signature: A Blade, inlaid within a Moon.
Overview and Expectations
Hello there, and welcome to the Elder Scrolls: Year of the Wolf! First of all, I'd like to say that I'm appreciative that you have all either shown interest in this roleplay, and that you've taken the time to read through the above plot introduction. Just so everyone is aware, I'm intent on having this be a smaller group game, with 4-5 players maximum, though that may change as co-GMs are added, or I feel more comfortable managing more people. For those of you who have played Skyrim, this should seem like a sort of familiar plot, as it is somewhat loosely based off of the Wolfskull Cave plotline, albeit in a different time in the Elder Scrolls setting.
The general idea behind the plot of this roleplay is that your characters have been selected by the Breton Nightblade Gaspard Moret, be it for their skills or their specific knowledge, to stop the resurrection of Potema Septim, the Wolf Queen of Solitude, and one of the most notorious – and powerful – necromancers in the history of Tamriel. This journey will extend well beyond the reach of Skyrim, into several other provinces, though not into the totality of Tamriel's lands. With that being the case, your characters are somewhat expected to be of various backgrounds, even if they are specialized into a specific area of combat skills, or magical abilities, within reason. Nobody is the Grandmaster of the Fighters Guild, while simultaneously the Arch-Mage of the Mages Guild who is also the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood. The games do allow this to be possible, but these are realistically untenable positions in tandem, it takes years to reach those positions, let alone the responsibility that confers.
This story is not on rails, and player actions do matter in the context of the world. Generally speaking, specific actions may not have a directly actionable state on the World State, but the completion of various side quests may, and building off of this: Actions have consequences. So please, think before you do something over-the-top, or outwardly violent towards, say, the local blacksmith. While you know that you're on a quest to save the world from the Wolf Queen returned, the local guards do not, and if you kill someone, they're highly unlikely to care.
As for writing, as well as maturity, the generally acceptable level is that of an Advanced roleplay, and the connotations that come with that. I will expect a certain attention to detail in posts by players. Please, do look over your writing – don't leave gross typographical errors, and do pay attention to your grammar while writing. If it helps, I really recommend typing in a word processor - Open Office is a free alternative to Microsoft Word, if you need it. In addition, I expect there to be some degree of familiarity with the Elder Scrolls Lore, UESP is a fantastic resource that will be able to keep you up-to-date with the lore presented in the roleplay.
World Information
- Year: 4E 5
- Red Mountain has exploded, leaving Vvardenfell mostly uninhabited.
- Morrowind is currently being invaded by Argonia.
- Potentate Ocato is the current ruler of the Empire, leaving the Ruby Throne empty.
- The Mages' Guild has been dissolved, leaving the Synod and the College of Whispers as successor entities.
- Dragons have not yet returned to Tamriel.
- Vivec has disappeared, marking the end of ALMSIVI.
There are other events underway throughout Tamriel, the Thalmor have started to gain power within the Summerset Isles, and as a result of the Red Year coupled with the Argonian invasion, there is an increasingly large refugee crisis in Cyrodiil, Solstheim, and Skyrim, though the significance of these events won't be apparent until later in the timeline than what we're currently playing with.
The Rules
And now, for the part that nobody likes to have to deal with. The Rules, Guidelines, and Regulations.
- 1. Don't Be A Dick. – I feel like this one's pretty obvious. Please, be respectful, and don't treat others like shit. In all honesty, this is probably one of the most important rules to me, as it's pretty easy to not break. Treat each other nice, and we'll all be happy, otherwise we'll have to have a chat.
- 2. No Godmodding/Powergaming. – This is set in a period of time previous to the time of Skyrim, with some changes. Obviously, you all know what the world may look like 195 years in the future, and exploiting that to get in early on the ebony market to make your descendants rich, I will...not look happily upon your character. Also, your character is not invincible. They can die, they are not Gods any more than you yourself are.
- 3. Need Help? Ask. – If you're unsure about something, just go ahead and ask in OOC or PM. It will save a lot of time, effort, and trouble in the long run rather than asking after the fact.
- 4. Your Luck is Finite. – Despite the fact that you are the player characters, your luck is finite. Lucky may be better than skillful, but eventually your luck will run out, so think before you make that next leap. When your character dies, your character dies, when they're hurt...well, it takes a hefty amount of time to heal from those wounds, depending on the severity.
- 5. Have Fun. – Above all else, enjoy yourself! This is just a game, not something to lose your mind over.
Character Guidelines
Classes and Skills
There are two approaches that can be used to develop a character for this roleplay. First, there is the Class approach, and there is the Skill Select approach.
The Class approach involves selecting a specific class. Classes in the Elder Scrolls consist of seven major skills, and these primarily existed in the games prior to the Skyrim-era. A helpful list of classes is here, though if you choose a skill, please do list out the skills that you have selected as well as your proficiency level in that specific skill. By contrast the Skill Select approach is just that, you pick a grab-bag of skills and list your skills as needed. If you want to be broad and use One-Handed instead of, say, Blunt or Blade, that's fine, but you'll need to specify your specialization in that specific skill. After all, swinging a sword is not the same as using a war ax, etc.
Between these two approaches, there is also Minor Skills. Though each approach gives you seven major skills, you may also have three Minor Skills that can be either from the traditional listing of skills such as Smithing or Lockpicking, or things further off the beaten path such as Leatherworking, Cartography, or specific aspects of Tamrielic History. The difference between a Major Skill and a Minor Skill is that Minor Skills are usually things that add a little flavor to your character's particular approach to their class or lifestyle, as well as being things that fall out of the purveyance of their normal work.
Finally, there is Skill Proficiency – if Class is “What are you?”, and Skills are “What can you do?”, then proficiency is “How well do you do it?” Major Skills can reach a proficiency rating of Expert, or if you're able to get permission for it – Mastery. Minor Skills are stuck reaching a ceiling of Adept, and cannot advance further than that without becoming a Major Skill. Bearing that in mind, the higher a specific skill is, the more likely you are to be lacking in other areas. Skills take time to learn, and gain the experience and understanding necessary to achieve that recognition of mastery or expertise. Below is a useful list for what is and isn't appropriate.
Equipment
As we all know, the Elder Scrolls universe has many different materials that equipment and materials are made out of. Below is a list of materials and their required level of explanation and wealth.
There's one thing to bare in mind: Materials are not a replacement for skill or luck. Let me say that again, a weapon made out of ebony is not a replacement for skills or just sheer luck. You don't need Glass armor to be a master of light armor, or an ebony longsword to be a master of Blade. Materials may play a role in weapon maintenance and durability, but not necessarily in skill. So, don't feel the need to put yourself under stupid levels of scrutiny just for that ebony longsword.
Races, Ages, and Religion
In the world of Tamriel, there are many races, though the still extant groups tend to boils down to four races of Elves (Mer), four races of Men, and two Beast races. While the specifics of each race will be listed in a list below (sorry), there is something to be said about the specifics of Hybrids and Age between the various races of Tamriel.
All the races in Tamriel can interbreed, excluding the Argonians and the Khajiit. Humans can interbreed with Mer, and vice versa, however the spawn from this interbreeding will share the mother's specific race, but will inherit a degree of traits from their father's race. A perfect example of this is Agronak gro-Malog, the Grand Champion of the Arena circa the time of the Hero of Kvatch. While his mother was an orc, he inherited his pale complexion from his father – a vampire. Agronak is no the only individual who comes from an inter-species relationship, but he is certainly one of the most prominent examples.
Secondly, there is the subject of age. Meric races live vastly longer than their human counterparts, and even the most long-lived Breton is but a mere blip on the radar to their Dunmeri counterpart. In the list below, there will also be a list of typical expected lifespans of the various races below, alongside the races and their native provinces.
Finally, there is the subject of religion. In the world of Tamriel, religion is a particularly important hot button issue, the Auri-El-Akatosh issue, as well as the very nature of religious splits that led to the formation of entire new races within the plane of Tamriel entirely (such as the Dunmer), it's important that you at least make mention of who they pray to, or even pay lip service to religiously. Here is a list of Gods and their associated pantheons, feel free to seek help on this.
Character Sheet
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Race:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Affiliations:[/b] (If applicable)
[b]History:[/b]
[b]Class:[/b] (If applicable]
[b]Major Skills:[/b]
[list]
[*] Skill – Proficiency[/list]
[b]Minor Skills:[/b]
[list]
[*]Skill – Proficiency (If applicable)[/list]
[b]Spells:[/b] (Only for Spellcasters, Spells are correlated to Skill Proficiency)
[list]
[*] Spell – Spell Level[/list]
[b]Equipment:[/b]