I'm not fully finished on writing up all the things, but it's mostly explained in the opening. Send me a PM with your character once you're done or if you want more information.
The rules are quite simple. Normal RPG rules along with a few extra.
Don't be an ass. Ass away IC if you want to, but be in character.
Actions have consequences. If you LEEEROY into a horde, you're gonna die. Nuff said.
Don't post in Characters until I've approved the character. I prefer you send the character to me in a PM.
Solve arguments in PM's between the two/more of you. If you can't work it out, create a PM convo with me in it as well.
NO GIFS....or faceclaims, just no. At least IC and in Character sheets. OOC is for fun.
The world of Telduria is filled with dangers and opportunities. The world is made up of numerous factions, kingdoms and alliances. Most of the time there is relative peace but every now and then wars and skirmishes breaks out. There is a council of nations which tried to mediate peace between the nations. Each nation is represented along with the guilds which span the world.
The guilds have an invested interest in keeping the peace due to how they work across the borders. The different nations make up half of the council while the guilds make up the second half. The balance in the world is on a life's edge. A powder keg waiting to blow, but no one dares to make the first move.
After the formation of the adventures guild and the mercenary guild most nations dissolved their militarises and instead the army is more of a policing force than an offensive one while the guilds hunt down dangerous creatures and monsters that appears in the world.
The nations have changed their ways from war to one of assassination, espionage, economics and diplomacy. World leaders don't tend to survive very long if they don't have guards with them at all times.
While officially there is no assassin's guild or thieves guild they do sure exist and are thriving like never before in the current political climate. That and the other guilds don't stop them since they also hire their services from time to time.
The various temples and religions have no official power part from some nations which are based around a belief. In actuality though they have considerable powers since they control the masses just as well as the rulers themselves. Get on their bad side and you might just find an assassin coming for you.
The world is there for you to explore, exploit or serve. Which path with you take? Honour? Nobility? Perhaps a darker path? Its up to you to decide.
This RP is sandbox styled with focus on player choices and actions. The main story revolves around the players but there are numerous things happening behind the scenes that the players don't know about unless they investigate it themselves.
For example The players might hear a rumour about a daemonic cabal which wants to summon a daemonic horde to wipe out a country. The players choose instead to take over the country themselves. But then Perhaps a few years down the line the cabal succeed and crush the country, players included if they don't deal with the threat.
I as the GM would act like the environment and control the NPC's much in the way of how a DM would in tabletop games. The rules are the standard rules you are everywhere with a few add-ons which I'll post in the OOC. Pretty much they revolve around not being an ass.
While there is an underlying plot line and events, quests, ect, the players have complete freedom on what they want to focus on and do. I wont also you on the wrist for killing a town, but fully expect the consequences of your actions.
Want to live like bandits? Do that. I won't stop players from living out their fantasy in the RP. This also means that the RP will always be open for characters and multiple groups of any size. Player choices can bring the groups into conflict with each other, which is fine, as long as it gets solved realistically and in character.
There will be an alignment, fame and infamy system which I'll keep track of in the OOC. Amongst other things.
Feel free to invite others to the RP. Any and all that you enjoy RP'ing with. Due to the dynamic there is a distinct chance that the different groups may never meet, or a while into the RP.
You can assume a lot of what they do by their names. I'm mostly going to add where they are located (HQ), who leads them, and such.
The purest of the orders. They take it upon themselves to help the small person of the world. At least the ones that have converted to their religious dogma. Many a holy crusade has been called to help those believers in need of help. They fight for their rights and won't bend to anyone.
The order of Love
While the other three orders are mostly militaristic in nature, the order of Love's members also double up as companions for the night. Every single sworn brother and sister of the order is also a highly skilled prostitute. Wars aren't only fought on the battlefield after all.
The order of Fire
Many call them pyromaniacs, crazies playing with fire, but that is only partially true. They know that after a good forest fire, the forest grows stronger than ever before, at least if its not magical. To make way for the new the old needs to be burned down. Not subtle in any way of the world and their path is always littered with charred remains.
The order of Justice
The holy order dedicated towards justice and order in its purest form. They are the judges, jury and executioners of the world. They are the ones whom are called whenever there is a dispute that is larger than what a normal court can handle. Or if you think that you've been unjustly treated or tried, contact the order of Justice.
The order of the Frozen Heart
A divergence of the Order of the Radiant Sun, the Frozen Heart split away from the order due to certain key points in ideology. While the Radiant Sun believes in protecting the common folk, they heavily prioritize those of their own faith instead of remaining more neutral. The Frozen Heart instead helps everyone equally. Not only that, they consider emotions to be a hindrance when it comes to helping and caring for people. You can never truly be a force of neutrality and helping everyone with emotions. Bias, greed, jealousy gets in the way.
Instead of letting these things get in the way, the Frozen Heart dealt with the issue, permanently. They seal off all emotions so that there won't be any hindrances. If you can't feel pain, loss, envy, greed, you can never be bribed, tortured for information, or let any emotional bias get in the way for what's right and good.
Religion
The Radiant Sun
Nicarous main branch. They are the nicer interpretation of the scriptures and focuses on helping the common man with their lot in life. Order and justice are their virtues, along with kindness and hope, two sides of the same coin.
Blessings of Tiinra
The church of fertility and love. This order is in charge of weddings, childbirth and everything between. Is your lovelife lacking? Contact the Tiinra church and they'll help you. Want some company on a lonely night? Tiinra to the rescue.
The fires of Life
The church of Tiinra's branch family. They take their goddess meaning in a whole different direction compared to the main branch. While the main church focuses on spreading the love and fertility unconditionally, the fires of Life says that the old has to be burned down to make way for the new.
Judgement of Nicarous
The god of justice and order Nicarous more forceful branch. While the main branch in the radiant sun may deal with helping the common people through aid and food, the Judgement takes it upon themselves to dispense justice wherever its called for.
Dominion of Kelnore
The Dominion of Kelnore is made up primarily from various beastmen variants. The national founder, Dokhak, a massive Minotaur united the Dominion through pure fighting power and a reign of terror towards his enemies. He drove out most of the foreign races on the island and established himself as it's unified first ruler after a decade of struggle.
Before the Dominion was created the island was made up of various beastmen factions. Mostly they lived in peace with the occasional skirmish against each other. This all changed though when the other nations landed on the island. The different factions were goaded to fight each other by promises of riches, glory and support to settle old grudges.
The capital of Tamash Ahir was already build a few decades before the unification of the lands by human hands when the Kron Nesis wanted to establish a foothold on the island to exploit its natural resources. The island itself might be mostly barren but the mountains hold riches beyond counting along with massive coral reefs along the coastlines. Dokhak made the city the Dominion's capital out of spite towards Kron-Nesis.
The Grand Kingdom of Kron-Nesis
The Grand Kingdom of Kron-Nesis is one of the largest kingdoms in Telduria, rivalled only by the Northern Alliance and the Fang Lands. The Kingdom has a long and proud tradition of knightly orders and could be considered the major player when it comes to mounted combat.
Kron-Nesis is primarily made up from humans and various races which serves as slave labour. While not all foreign races are made into slaves, most of them came to the kingdom through slave trade and war. In the kingdom if you're born to a slave, you're a slave, unless a free person claims you as their offspring. The only way out of slavery is earning enough favour to be released, escape, or death.
The capital of Kron-Nesis is Tarantis, the jewel of the south, as it's also called. The city is almost entirely made out of marble, jewels and other precious stones and materials. The royal family likes to flaunt their wealth and you're supposed to be awed when you enter, or even see the capital. They want to make damn sure you know why it's called the Grand Kingdom after all.
Darakeene Protectorate
A small nation to the west of Kron-Nesis. Made out primarily of dwarfs and crafty races in general. The mountain chain which divides the protectorate and Kron-Nesis is a highly contested area which wherein skirmishes happen almost daily. Neither side is willing to commit a large force though since the mountains hinder Kron-Nesis formidable cavalry to engage the enemy. While the Drakeene employ cannons which spew fire like the dragons of legends.
These cannons is also why the nation is named as it is. It was through the use of these cannons that the protectorate won its independence from Kron-Nesis. Something which greatly irritates the nobility of Kron-Nesis and are adamant to take the territory back and once again unite the peninsula under its iron rule.
Illvandrin
The proud nation of Illvandrin, or the Forest Heart as it's more commonly called outside its borders. The nation of elves, pixies, dryads and other various fay creatures. The forest itself guards against trespassers that the forest haven't approved for entry. This is the reason which any visitors have to go through set up custom posts or risk the wrath of the forest. While the forest won't harm those that do it it's it inhabitants no harm, it's merciless towards those that would harm them.
Illvandrin has two capitals, one for the elves and one for the rest. Curael Endir is the elven capital deep inside of the forest. This was the original capital. It's as ancient as the forest itself. Arathene is the capital of the the rest of the races that inhabit the nation. While this is not a strict policy and the races often intermingle, the main reason for this being the case is that Curael Endir hold the nobility and royalty of the nation.
Archclericy of Valon
A nation founded around religious dogma. The Archclericy is a melting pot of races and cultures that adhere to strict religious dogma. Anyone can join, as long as they're a convert of the faiths. Most priests that serve in the different nations gain their training in the holy arts here.
Valon is also where the holy orders are based and where their grand temples are located. When one order wants to build a temple, the other three follow. This has lead to more than one place called "temple hill" due to the four temples sharing the same small space and tries to get new followers and worshippers for their god.
Despite the underlying rivalry between the temples and their orders they're mostly quite civil against each other. However they do regularly leave on crusades against the ungodly ones and capture them as slaves. Two thirds of the entire nation is made up of slaves.
The Shattered Isles
The Shattered Isles inhabit the ancient islands that remain after their empire had an unfortunate accident with a meteor which destroyed most of the island. The once big island shattered into pieces as it fragmented and the massive city which sprawled it vanished under the sea.
It did not take long for the naga and other sea dwelling creatures to move in and take over the isles. Now they once again host a nation. A nation made up from the rules of the sea. And these rulers are not keen on competition as they raid the shipping of the other nations they don't like.
Most of the nation is under sea but a large portion of the population and their actual harbours and ships are on the surface, waiting to set out other to trade or plunder.
Kingdom of the Sea Lords
The Kingdom of the Sea Lords have a long and bloody history with their neighbouring nations. So many wars has been fought in the bay that it got renamed Blood Bay due to the death that dwells in it's domain. They are ruled by an electorate monarch which is elected every twenty years. While the monarch mostly rules like any other king or queen, the council can overturn any order from the monarch with enough support, even dispose of the monarch if he or she is unpopular enough.
The Sea Lords are the second most dominant naval power in the world and has the largest fleet by quite a large margin. This is the reason why this relatively small nation can contend with its much bigger neighbours. The kingdom also provided their fleet to support the independence of Darakeene in an attempt to weaken their biggest rival.
Eamonvale
There isn't much to say about this nation because it's quite young. Once upon a time Eamonvale and Nyrae were part of one much larger nation but after a massive civil war which lead to half of their combined population getting killed they split into two. The two nations are in an almost constant state of war where scouts and their respective armies fight each other every now and then, constantly reaching a stalemate.
Nyrae
Nyrae, once a proud and strong nation, now decimated after civil unrest. Despite a long time passing, so many dead and scarred doesn't heal in any short amount of time. The fateful king that ruled at the time of the rebellion became known as the Crow King by his enemies.
He enforced his rule with blood so in the end he was the king of crows. Since they were the only beings left after the decimation of the population. Shortly after Eamonvale broke off from the nation the nomads of the Ashen Wastes along with the Barrows also broke off, splintering the nation further.
Kingdom of Vesh
The kingdom of Vesh is a small kingdom, but they are one of the biggest producers of grain and food supplies in the southern nations. The lands along the river and sea has made the lands extremely fertile and was once upon a time highly contested by the neighbouring nations. After the formation of the council it was declared that the region of Vesh was to become its own neutral nation which would supply the surrounding nations with supplies so that no one would starve.
Estorna
Very similar to their cousins in Vesh, Estorna is also something of a breadbasket of sorts. However instead of grains, the big and grassy plains are instead the home of massive herds of various animals. The herds are bigger than the eye can count and are tended to by their shepard nation. They don't use pens to keep their herds in line, instead they let them roam around by themselves.
This has made the nation one of community since the animals are owned by the nation as a whole. The so called state owns the animals, but the people own the state. Thus there is never any theft of animals or other produce since when you need some milk, you can just go to the herd and milk what you need.
The Fang Lands
Ruled by a troll for the last three centuries, the Fang Lands are as crude and hostile as the name implies. Only the strong survive in this hostile land. Despite farmland being abundant and cattle everywhere you can see, everyone still fights for survival. It was decreed by the ruling king that no one would get anything for free and everything had to be fought for.
This has made the nation one, if not the strongest military power in the world since everyone had to fight since birth for their right to survive within the world. But this also has divided the nation since the Troll King has not left his palace for the last decade. There are rumours that he is dead.
Ashen confederacy
Made up from nomads which once were part of the large Nyrae nation. Primarily orcs and other tougher races along with humans made up the population. They reasoned since they didn't have any permanent settlement; why should they live under the thumb of a far away king? So with the stalemate situation which was formed in the civil war the clans and tribes of The Ashen Wastes decided to break off and do their own thing.
The numerous clans banded together in one massive, moving nation which wanders the wastes and the surrounding territory in their bid for survival. And survive they do, flourish even. Since they never took part in the fighting, part from token forces, most of the clans are at top strength and only growing. Thus the Crow King can't force them back into the fold.
Coven of the Barrows
The Barrows is a sad and horrid tale which is taught to everyone at a young age. Once upon a time there was a flourishing metropolis in the Barrows. It's people were peaceful and wanted nothing to do with the civil war that plagued their parent nation. So they decided to break off and formed their own nation.
However this nation was not long for this world as the Crow King's answer was swift and brutal. Every single member of the nation that did not manage to flee was butchered, down to the last child. Their bodies used as a warning towards others that might want to rebel. But that was not the end.
Not long after the massacre, massive hordes of undead started appearing. They started constructing fortresses, walls, outposts. In every direction away from the now undead metropolis. A coven of Liches had once build a necropolis under the city, unknowingly to the inhabitants above. The purge and burning of the city had disturbed their slumber and they woke up.
The liches quickly established and sent out messages in every direction that the Coven of the Barrows had once again risen and would defend their necropolis to the last bone if threatened.
Urland
Urland, thought to be named that due to being the first nation ever formed in the world. A land where princes would ride mighty dragons into battle. A power undefeated in battle. That was until the tragedy in Ool and the subsequent world war to keep the world from drowning in devils and daemons. This once mighty nation has fallen upon hard times.
After the formation of the council of nations; they no longer has the need to provide their mighty army as mercenaries and soldiers for hire. So instead the army mostly disbanded and it's soldiers left to seek their fortune as either adventurers or independent mercenaries through the guild.
However, no one can match Urland when it comes to aerial combat. Instead of dragons of old, now their forces ride into battle on mighty griffins,
Ithell
Ithell, or The Court of the Stars as the nation is sometimes called. This is a land for those seeking something. The nation hosts the biggest and most expansive library in the world. It also hosts a massive observatory to watch the stars. It's a nation of science and progress in a world stagnated in the old ways due to magic. Ithell as a nation strives to improve the world through reason and knowledge, putting it at odds with the Archclericy.
Crucible of Souls
The Crucible, a land of destruction and death. Nothing is alive here. Part from the hellspawns that call it home. Devils and daemons run rampant killing each other and everything else that moves within these lands. The lord of the Crucible, the harvester of souls, makes sure that this keeps happening. He is a being of malicious intent and hatred for the living.
However this all started in the grand city of Ool. Once the centre of the world, literally and figuratively, now its in ruins with devils stalking the land. Centuries ago a massive ritual performed by a devil worshipping cult succeeded beyond what they had imagined. They wanted to summon devils to defeat their enemies, instead, the Harvester descended onto this plane and wiped out everything in a massive area around the city.
The then nations of the world united to fight back the invasion of daemons and devils and succeeded in sealing the Crucible so that no one can leave, and no one can enter. The devils and daemons stuck outside of the Crucible was now stranded and cut off from the force that controlled them. Some went mad, some died, and some hid amongst the populace of the world. This was about 400 years ago.
Morazuin
The lands on which the final battle between the devils and the mortal races was fought. Once lush, now ruined. Not much walk these lands part from daemons and those insane. The daemons here though are not inherently violent, not more than is in their blood. But now they are not controlled by the Harvested and the forces beyond and decided to form their own nation.
They are the guardians of the Crucible. Those existing within the time of the control remember how it felt, and they will do anything and everything to prevent falling under its sway again.
The Northern Alliance
The by far largest nation in the world. The Alliance spans across almost the entire northern part of the world. Made up from numerous nations, clans and the like. They all came together as one after the world war caused the north to freeze over, leaving most of it in a permanent winter, or at least, that's how it feels. The winters are long, and the summers very short.
This has created a nation of hardened people who won't budge to anything and anyone. The main reason for the alliance though is that no nation or clan can survive the long winter on their own. The constant trade that is carried out between them is what keeps them alive. That, or to take over lands further south which parts of the nation is urging their leaders to do.
A plathera of player races
Assume typical fantasy races until I write up more about them. With the pros and cons of each race. For example a vampire is most likely going to get hunted if exposed, making it harder to play as one. But as a trade-off they are much faster, stronger, and live eternally.
Elves Humans Gnomes Dwarfs
Halflings
Halflings or half-bloods, are the natural or unnatural mixes of the races. Some are born from rape, some from love and some are bred, and the very few created by magical means. They share the common traits of their parents. Depending on which side of the blood is the strongest, the traits of the race is more prevalent. They share some of the strength and some of the weaknesses.
Orcs
Daemonic
Daemons come in all various forms. They are shaped by their desires and lineage. A daemon of wrath is most likely powerfully built and strong, while a daemon of gluttony is big and fat. Those without the strong desire look mostly like humans. But the daemon race have one trait that is universal, red, slightly glowing eyes. While stories of the other races tell of horns, fangs and tails, this is not true in most cases.
Daemons are as varied as any other race. But they all share the strength that is within their race. Depending in lineage and desire it can manifest in a multitude of ways. Some have magic, some are strong, others are good diplomats while others can move objects with their minds. You're not too likely to see two daemons looking the same.
Vampyric
Vampires show up in almost every form and race. While humans are especially easy to turn, almost every race can be turned. While beastman and humans are the most numerous of the races, their taste to a vampire is all right at best. The more magically powerful, the tastier the blood.
Vampires can be roughly categorised into stages of age. From newborn to ancient. However this classification is quite faulty but the vampires themselves don't share that titbit. The vampires are classed after how much the sun effects them and how often they have to feed.
The young ones have to feed every day and their skin burn and will eventually be killed under direct sunlight. As a vampire feeds ans grows in power the need lessens and they can tolerate the sun better. What most non-vampires don't know though is that hiding your skin with leather or dense cloth is enough to ignore the sun's effects. There are also things like hats and parasols which work just fine. The best though are enchanted goods and cloaks, but they are quite rare.
All vampires can hide their features from showing as an innate ability however the ability to do do lessens the hungrier they get and when under the rays of the sun. This lessens with age and power though.
Werebeasts
Werebeasts share a lot of similarities with their vampyric cousins. They both are quite feral when young and grow to control their powers with age. Both are mercilessly hunted by other races. And they both share a common ancestor. But there is where they start to separate.
Werebeasts come in all manner of shapes and sized due to what race was infected with the curse. Like vampires, humans and Beastmen are the most susceptible to the curse, turning in almost every single case. Just like with vampyrism there are cures if they are applied before the first two days. After that the only known cure is death.
Young werebeasts transform no matter what on the eve of the full moon. They lose themseleves to their inner beast and turn into a mindless beast. Werebeasts gets their powers from eating the heart of their foes. The stronger the opponent, the more power they gain.
Older werebeasts can transform at will and while not forced to transform after the noon, they feel an intense instinct and wish to do so. They also keep their sanity intact during the transformation.
Liche Faries Dryads Other fey Beastmen Monster With ability to transform Sea creatures with transform A few divine entities
Basic character sheet Name The name that the character goes by Titles Have you received, or hold any titles? Age Duh Race Until I write more about the races, assume typical fantasy Training Have you received any formal training? Equipment what you're slugging around Spell skills Do you have any talent with magic? Other skills Any other skills that are useful? Affiliation Are you affiliated with any nation or order? Personality A quick run-down of personality History How did you become who you are today?
Gonna actually flesh out an app for the princess, since i don't recall making one c: unless i did and i'm an idiot.
Edit 2: Apps Going to put the WIP apps here. I'll be posting all these apps to the character section once they're completed. They're using Maryvale's template so if you're wondering why half of their sheet is her sheet, it'll be edited when I have more time c:
❰ FEMALE ⟡ EARLY - MID 20s ⟡ PRINCESS ❱
T I T L E S
The Royal Princess of Kron-Nesis; Royal Apprentice of the Iceblade.
R A C E
Full-blooded Human Royal
T R A I N I N G
Princess Azymn is no slouch when it comes to fighting, though she hasn't had any real practical experience in a field. In spite of having the literal strongest knight in her service, she feels as though she shouldn't rely solely on her retainer, a sentiment the Grand Marshal of Kron-Nesis agrees with. She has training in swordplay and ice magic, though is the most proficient in healing, taking up the role due to her retainer's major weakness. In spite of this, she should not be underestimated, particularly her intelligence.
E Q U I P M E N T
A royal blade passed down throughout the generations, Consaire is a timeless gift bestowed upon the royal family, to cement their position as fair and just rulers. Said to have been forged by a dragon long ago, Consaire maintains a blade which has yet to rust, and while the hilt and handle have changed over the years, the sword itself supposedly remains as great as it was when first forged from dragonfire. The large gem at the hilt's center is said to contain the strength of those who have wielded it before, uniting the hands of all those who have touched it.
◈ Corall Dress Armor: Azymn's Corall Dress acts both as formal attire and armour, and is in high demand among the nobility of Kron-Nesis. Made from various corals' of the two southern seas, Corall Dress boasts some unique properties unlike other types of armour. In particular, it has a refined look to it, which really can't be replicated easily with metals. It is soft like silk, yet hardens in response to blunt and pierce impacts, increasing the durability. With all the different pieces it can be hard to enchant, and isn't more durable than most metal armours, but for nobles it is usually worth the investment.
S P E L L S K I L L S
◈ Healing: Azymn is a proficient healer, having learned the art from a young age as an extension of her hobby in gardening. What started as a simple way to help maintain her beautiful garden ended up saving the life of her future retainer, Maryvale Reyes, and she has stuck to practising the art ever since. Seeing her retainer work so hard has helped push Azymn's own self to learn more, though she is held back through her multi-magics study.
◈ Ice: Suggested to her by the Grand Marshal, Azymn has taken up the art of Ice Creationism: creating structures out of ice. Though she has only recently picked up the art, she has learned a lot in the few years she has studied it, and can create a variety of forms out of ice. It also helps that she seems to have a natural talent for it. She has even taken up the specialised form of casting ice magic using a blade -- an Iceblade -- both to imitate as well as rival Maryvale.
O T H E R S K I L L S
◈ Noble Charism: Being a princess, Azymn is no stranger to royal matters. She knows how to speak to people of all walks of life, though given her royal background, typically speaks to others as a superior. While it is demanded in her role, she doesn't particularly enjoy speaking so formally all the time, and enjoys conversations with the lower classes every now and again from a place of equal footing. She knows how to rally spirits, and has an acute sense that picks up on social cues others might otherwise miss.
◈ Intelligence: Kron-Nesis, rich as it is, doesn't skimp out when it comes to tutors, and the princess' tutor was no exception. She seems to know a great many things, be it foreign culture and diplomacy, history, battle tactics, complex mathematics, various sciences, magic, painting, fashion, gardening, social decency, and a little bit of everything you can think of.
A F F I L I A T I O N
Kron-Nesis; Royal Family of Kron-Nesis.
P E R S O N A L I T Y
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H I S T O R Y
Maryvale's story begins young. She has no memory of her parents, and no real memory of her childhood. She knows she was taken in by strangers, but was left in the streets to fend for herself. The city of Dou didn't take well to beggars, thieves and poor. Maryvale, being a mix of all three, was an outcast. She was caught by the city guard when she was seven, and made to serve for a week. She had nobody to fall back on after her arrest, if there was anyone before. She resigned herself to fate, giving up on life, starving in the backstreets of Dou. There was no God who could save her. No person willing to care.
No one... save the Grand Marshal of Kron-Nesis. Fate had been kind to her the day they met. The Grand Marshal had lost his only daughter to illness months ago, a daughter so like his wife and unlike his two sons, who looked more like him. Maryvale had a striking resemblance to his deceased daughter. He couldn't help but feel as though he had been guided to her. It was only by chance that they had met, but it was a chance that turned Maryvale's life around completely.
She was thus named Maryvale, and became the daughter of Grand Marshal Lenius. While his sons held noble blood, Maryvale was not allowed to pursue the luxuries of nobility with her brothers. She had been adopted, after all. Not to mention the nobles of Kron-Nesis would never accept one of impure blood -- a halfling daemon child at that -- to become a noble, even if she had been adopted by the Grand Marshal himself. Therefore, the only true way to show her worth as noble blood would be to have her become a knight. And bribe the Court Wizard of Kron-Nesis. Once Maryvale had unlocked her magic potential, Lenius used this to win over the Court Wizard. She admitted herself to the Court Wizard's personal study on rare magic (along with a bit of gold) in exchange for earrings which changed her eye color from red to blue, and minimized (though not completely hid) her daemonic aura. The gold would help him keep quiet.
Now able to become a knight without being scrutinized, Maryvale worked hard in her early years. Despite the reluctance of the royal family, Maryvale proved her usefulness as a potential bodyguard and retainer. During those early teenage years she could defeat rookie members of the city guard and noble children of the same age as herself, not to mention she had held off assassins long enough to save the life of Princess Azymn. It was another case of luck at play, placing Maryvale in the right place at the right time. Just when the princess was to meet with death, Maryvale had interrupted. She only managed to kill one of the assassins, and was severely injured in the fight, but lasted long enough for the guards to arrive and apprehend the remaining assassins. Practically at death's door herself, she was rushed to the closest temple.
Throughout her recovery, Azymn would visit, bringing with her flowers. The two would plant them, watch them grow, and then pass away. After awhile it began to upset Maryvale that the flowers would simply pass away. So, Azymn taught her gardening, and how to take care of her own, long-lasting flowers. For the remainder of her recovery, as well as afterward in the early hours of the morning, the two would practice gardening when they could. For some reason, Maryvale began to adopt traits from Azymn around this point, as though trying to imitate her. Their bond grew incredibly close during this time, to the point where Maryvale even admitted she was not human, however their positions made it hard for them to continue seeing one-another.
And then she was told by Lenius that they were having dinner with the king. The Grand Marshal had planned around the princess and his daughter's relationship, taking advantage of it to help advance Maryvale's status and promote her further in the eyes of the royal family. It certainly surprised the king that Maryvale was the one who saved his daughter. That was a kindness which deserved at least some kind of reward. And her reward was an opportunity. She was set to keep up with unrealistic standards: Be the best knight in the kingdom in return for the position of royal retainer of princess Azymn. It was an impossible uphill battle, but not one that Maryvale would give in to easily. She continuously improved for years, dedicating almost her entire life to being the absolute best combatant in Kron-Nesis. Many with more experience knocked her down, beating her again and again. But Maryvale kept improving.
By her twentieth year, Maryvale is the strongest knight in Kron-Nesis - a feat which shocks even the Grand Marshal. Though certainly not the youngest to hold that title, she is the youngest (and one of the first) women to hold it. After several years of dedication to combat, Maryvale has finally become royal retainer to princess Azymn, her most trusted and closest friend.
Ever since, all Maryvale has done is continue to improve. While she has very little real-world combat experience, she has shown promise in the little bouts she has been a part of. Maryvale is content with her life of servitude, and eternally grateful to the princess as well as the Grand Marshal. She continues to be Azymn's retainer, and will protect the princess with her life. However, it is rumored that the king isn't particularly fond of Maryvale, and is being encouraged by the nobility of Kron-Nesis to get rid of her.
Alright, I have additional profiles to add before long, but since we already have another member of the roster I'll go ahead and provide what completed profiles I have. @Delta44, my first character and yours may have a passing knowledge of each other due to their nationalities. Let me know what you think.
Profiles submitted to @Zhaliora via PM, and posted here in the OOC for posterity.
People of Action
These are individuals who have been out and about for some time. They have their own agendas and visions, but may be amenable to working with others for a variety of reasons.
Andromache of No Lineage
Exhumed Warrior
Species:
Human
Age:
Late twenties to early thirties.
Nationality:
Kron-Nesis.
Loyalty:
Rabid Brigand.
Profession:
Knight Errant
Andromache stands approximately 1.82 meters in height, with a somewhat broad build and bronze skin coloration. She has dark, back-length streamers of red hair. Her face is somewhat rounded and and severe, with tight features. Her eye coloration is a dull garnet.
Details of Andromache's early life are practically non-existent, given her common upbringing. Only the words of those who knew her previously given any hint of who she used to be.
"Yeah, I knew Andromache back...before she turned into some kind of living nightmare I guess. She was one of my Platoon Sergeants. It was part of my duties to know each of my Sergeants well enough that I could have faith in both their fealty as well as their competence, but I admit I never knew Andromache terribly well. Just that she was always a really, really angry woman.
And what I mean by that - well, by example, she controlled her section almost entirely through terror. I sent all my problem troopers to her section. Assholes who I literally could not pay to shut the hell up and do as I told them would get their shit straightened out in days, sometimes hours. She was...is, really, intense. More real than everything else around you. When she got going, it was like the entire rest of the world dropped away. Only because, since she was usually furious with you it was more like the entire world had just ended and she was a wrathful goddess out of legend coming to personally kick your shit in.
Now I know what you're thinking - that can't be great for morale in a battle. Any kind of soldier motivated by fear will break more readily than other soldiers, yeah? But not with her, no. I...well if I have to be frank about it, it's practically like she managed to instill everyone she commanded with the belief that even if they ran and managed to escape, even if she died, she would haunt their sorry asses and scream them mad in their dreams.
I say that because that actually happened, after the incident. Nobody in her section fled; the neighboring sergeant picked up her spot and got them through the battle. But maybe about two weeks later, two of the troops killed themselves. Now, nobody can actually say why, but there was an awful lot of chatter going around that they offed themselves because they couldn't even stand the mere memory of her rage lingering in the back of their minds, along with the guilt. Mostly being spread by others who had maybe been considering the same thing, if you get me.
Personally, I would have preferred it if she had actually died. That sort of temperament just isn't proper, in hindsight, and while it may have worked while she stuck around, her...leaving basically shattered morale. I shuffled everyone out of that particular section just to stop all the rumors.
"Hm. The battle of whidder slope. Yes. I remember it.
There has been a prolonged series of skirmishes back and forth in and around the mountains between the royal army and the Dwarves. The particular variation in elevation of the terrain lends itself to some unusual tactical topography. Trenchworks and sapping lines leading up to the Dwarven holdouts and earthworks. Section Sergeant Andromache was commanding her section in a flanking manuever that led them through one of the tunnels. I observed most of the event, as my own section was holding fast and standing by for a planned, subsequent sally. The dwarves had anticipated our strategy however. Had their own counter-sapping operation going, and collapsed the entire tunnel while Sergeant Andromache's section was still moving through it, dropped the whole lot of them into a lower tunnel where the dwarves had smaller cannons. They poured grape shot into the whole thing. Under normal circumstances it should have been a wholesale slaughter.
However, Sergeant Andromache somehow survived the first volley of shot. She has always been described as being immensely intimidating in person, and although I do not care for speculation I suppose the dwarven gunners must have been momentarily startled when they saw her charging right at them in the tunnels. She then, by some accounts, massacred the gunnery crews and the guards that had been stationed with them. She rallied what remained of her section afterwards and started leading them back up to our side of the trenches.
The dwarves had planned for that eventuality as well however. When their surviving gunners returned to the surface, they either pulled a fuse or knocked down a necessary support for their own tunnel. They were not quite quick enough - the only casualty was Section Sergeant Andromache. She had remained behind to ensure all those that still lived amongst her section were able to escape, and she was subsequently buried alive.
At the time, we believed her to have perished. I assumed command of her section and the battle continued. Afterwards, I delivered my own report on the events that transpired. The Colonel elected to recommend that Sergeant Andromache receive a posthumous knighthood for her peerless conduct in battle.
I cannot speak of her conduct thereafter, as I have not personally been witness to it. I have heard she lived, and will not presume to speculate as to her conduct unless I am otherwise so informed or instructed."
"The battle of whidder slope - that were a bad one, it were. Both sides tore each other up, not an inch given or lost fore it all. An' we right cracked the damn earth itself open where we had to, made it swallow up the Krondites and their knights and their poor bastard soldier. 'O course, all battles end. That one did. Twere eventually a stalemate, and the sallies and cannons stopped.
I got sent in durin' the aftermath. Consequence of making and breakin' so many tunnels, a lot of valuable tools and artillery gets buried - but we make maps of everything we dig, y'see, so we can always dig it back up and refurbish it after the fact.
Now I wanna tell you - whidder slope, that were a real bad fight. Real bad. Went on 'fer weeks. The tunnel I was sent to excavate, it had been collapsed early on, maybe day two or three. An lemme tell you, we dwarves, we know a thing or two about survivors of collapsed caverns. It happens, but even we ain't ever likely to hear about a survivor weeks past after tha' fact.
Tha' thing we unearthed - we mistook it for a monster. Was all clod up in mud and dirt, didna even recognize it as biped! 'An we had 'na gone down there with any real weapons, and wern't expectin' a fight. She tore through us like we was kithkin. It's how I lost me leg. Beat me so bad and left so many cuts in me that it got the gangrene.
Now, after tha fact, I still canna even believe she survived. Maybe there were a channel somewhere that what gave her air, and mebbe she coulda eaten all that rancid man-flesh that was in there with her, but nothin' can live that long without drink - Humans need water every three-day like, right? Mebbe there were canteens down there with 'er or sometin, carried by the other soldiery. I dunno. But even assumin' all 'o that, she should've been weak as a kitten, starved 'o air if not thirst an feast, not to mention blinder than a dwarf from the deep caverns up top during midday! Humans don't have no cave adaptation, she canna have seen what she were doin' or where she were headin'.
But she thrashed us and then went right back home, 'cross the other side of the slope. Had to've been a miracle, ye ask me.
And mebbe it twere in our favor, from what I hear she raised all sorts of hell back over the mountains. It don't surprise me a lick, and I hope whatever it is that it right fookin' stings for them Krondites."
"That vile peasant? Well yes, when they realized she was still alive they had to recant her knighthood. As a matter of principle, that sort of thing is really only socially acceptable amongst the peerage when the knighthood is strictly posthumous. Could you imagine otherwise? A common-born peasant knight who had never even been retained under any of the houses or servants of the royal family? Some rotten, dirty, besotten, wretched churl from common infantry amongst our prized Knightly Orders? The scandal would have been immeasurable. Of course there was a bit of heeing and hawing from certain members of the army and the Knighthoods themselves as I hear it, but that sort of thing is really none of their business. It's within our province to see to these sorts of matters, not them, and I daresay they should be thanking us for the favor we did them. As I hear it she has turned into quite the belligerent terror since."
"Oh ho, yes, I remember her. Came to me many a years ago, all business. Extremely mad at all of creation! She never said it, but you could tell! But she came right up to me while I was in stylite meditation, knocked over the column I was meditatin' on with a mace, then right up and told me I would be teachin' her Earthern Magicks!
So I did. She was very promising, had plenty of untapped potential. She was not ever a particularly patient student, but she was awfully driven. Would sit and dream about wrenching my head off for wastin' her time while lecturing her on discipline, bless her. She never lay a finger on me though, and always afforded me the greatest deference. Think she were a mite afraid of me even. Make no mistake, she could have bashed my skull in or ripped out my throat whenever she liked, but she never did.
Last thing she ever said to me before she up and left one day was that she weren't never going to be trapped again. Asked me to point her to someone who could teach her more Earthern magicks, and so I did. I recognize that sort of drive. Not exactly healthy, but I'm just a crazy old stylite! Who am I to judge?"
"She's not angry with us...or with the nobility...or with the dwarves...she's angry at everything. But...she didn't kill or hurt anybody who didn't get in her way. When I tried to stop her, she just maimed me. Both my legs. I'll probably never walk again. She killed my squire...but she wasn't even looking at him when she did it. It was so offhand...so casually...I'm pretty sure she just wanted him out of her way. Same as with me.
Maybe I'm giving her more favor than I ought to, over sympathy for how she was mistreated when she came back from whidder slope alive. But nothing can excuse what she's been doing. All this killing and stealing, without any rhyme or reason. It's inexcusable. I'm just...trying to tell you how I think she is being driven. She wants something. Something specific. We're all...immaterial to her, like cobwebbings to be brushed aside. We're just not real to her anymore - which means she'll probably underestimate somebody or something, eventually.
There were a few hanger-ons with her. Informal squires, maybe? I got the impression she was putting together a band, or else she might be looking to join up with one."
Talents
Battle Furor:
Andromache, as an officer of basic infantry in the army of Kron-Nesis, is no stranger to frontline engagement and the chaotic tumult of thronging combat amidst enemy hordes, where confusion and death reign. She is gifted with the ability to remain collected and cerebral admist the pitch of any battle or in the face of any danger, no matter how great. She is also a formidable and experienced combatant and familiar with a number of battlefield tactics and techniques.
Cthonic Virtue:
Being buried alive affected Andromache in a number of ways, and not all of them were to her detriment. Andromache's appetite has been drastically reduced, she needs little to sustain herself for long periods of time or effort. Having to sustain herself on rotten, rancid flesh from her fallen comrades has rendered her nearly immune to a plethora of common toxins and afflictions. Her senses are also significantly sharper than would be considered normal for most humans. Perhaps most markedly however, is her ability to discern illusion from reality, and to shrug off all but the most potent of mind-affecting magical effect.
Detriments
Monstrous Infamy:
Andromache is not particularly well thought of within the confines of the Kingdom of Kron-Nesis, on account of the numerous massacres and atrocities she is responsible for therein. She is also, as a matter of principle, not particularly welcome anywhere else even remotely civilized due to her barbaric behavior. People in surrounding regions have heard of her exploits, there are wood-etchings of her semblance in guard-towers and local militia barracks, and there are more than a few parties who would leap at the opportunity to upbraid her.
The Nightmare Never Ends:
Andromache's psyche was terribly afflicted by her time in the dark. Exposure to complete darkness or extremely cramped and enclosed spaces, causes her to revert to a darker, more primal fugue state wherein her formidable skills as a warrior and soldier drop away. She sleeps in terrible fits, and to awaken her is a risky proposition, as it is not uncommon for her to emerge from slumber in a terrible and destructive rage.
After her return to Kron-Nesis and the subsequent recantation of her knighthood, Andromache journeyed outside of Kron-Nesis and studied with a number of hill mages and wizards from the Eamonvale as well as the Mage's Guild in the use of Earthen Magics. Although Andromache was uniquely driven and motivated, no amount of innate talent or drive permits for mastery in so short a time. In particular, while her ability to influence the earth is powerful when awakened, it takes some time for any of her spellcraft to manifest, and the energies involved are slow, lumbering, and imprecise in their work.
Andromache can influence the forces of the earth - soil, rock, and stone. Influencing metal is hypothetically possible but not an aspect of spellcraft she has actively pursued. The more peculiar application of her magicks is the ability to wield seismic forces both as a weapon and shield, although these are slow to rouse and are therefore not ultimately reliable in brief or surprise confrontations.
Andromache has stolen and purloined a number of items from her various victims. As a matter of practice she typically cannot make use of all of them at once, and either has lackeys serving as informal squires carrying some of them for her or else must hoist what she can in baggage to be discarded if the need to fight arises.
Spoiled Plate Armor
Since her return to Kron-Nesis, Andromache has used her knowledge of the nation's Knightly Orders to ambush and lay low many prominent knights of note, maiming and killing several and subsequently stealing their effects. Her plate-armor is assembled from mismatched, combined pieces stolen from her victims. It is technically fully articulated, although the mismatched nature of the ensemble limits this aspect of the armor in practice - affording her a significantly increased range of motion over ordinary plate-mail, but not so great as would be afforded from a custom-made suit of armor. The plate is worn over a layer of reliable chain and scalemail, which Andromache keeps well-maintained. A drawback of utilizing the stolen plate is that Andromache requires assistance in removing and adorning her armor in anything approaching a timely fashion. Getting in and out of it on her own in the wilderness might take her well over an hour.
Morning Star:
A No-Nonsense weapon, with a head adorned with spikes and tipped with a vicious prong. The mace is smaller in scale than a full warhammer, requiring only a single arm to use (albeit still requiring a robust physique to make use of in such a way), but may also be used with both hands if necessary.
Dwarven Halberd:
A trophy of some skirmish between a Knight and Dwarven forces near the border, taken in turn by Andromache. Made of dwarven metal, the Halberd is well-made but shorter than a standard halberd scaled for Human use, giving it less weight and heft as a consequence - but also allowing it to be used with one hand.
Marduk's Saber:
A fine, custom-made cavalry saber made for a member of Kron-Nesis' landed nobility. Worth a king's ransom all on its own, but still functional. Stolen by Andromache from its previous owner, now dead.
Enlil's Kite Shield:
A stolen metal-faced kite-shield, its surface adorned with the family crest of the House of Enlil, members of the Kron-Nesis landed nobility. Their only heir was one of Andromache's first victims, and her use of his shield thereafter features prominently in the stories of her assaults.
Person of Interest
This individual is not the sort of wayward personage you would expect to go haring off with you on wild adventures - but they just might have some work or leads for you...or else, it might prove useful to take a look into their affairs.
Werrill Ormoneric
Starlit Augur
Species:
Human
Age:
Early-to-mid Fourties.
Nationality:
Ithell.
Loyalty:
The Ithellan Court of Stars.
Profession:
High Astronomer at the Grand Observatory of Ithell.
Ormoneric stands around 1.72 meters in height, with a trim build and pale skin coloration. He has dark but graying shoulder-length hair. His face is tall and narrow, clean-shaven, with pronounced brows and thin lips. His eye coloration is pale orange. As this color is not possible amongst Humans normally, this is indicative of some form of mixed interspecies descent, although it is not possible to tell of what nature.
As a figure of some modest import in Ithell, there exists a degree of turbulent flux and rumor as to his past and life. The truth of the matter is likely known to those who work with him at the Grand Observatory and of course elsewhere by those of power and influence who make it their business to know such things. But for everyone else, there are but fragments and scraps that provide glimpses into his earlier life.
"The High Astronomer? Well yeah. You know I used to work at the Grand Observatory. We didn't exactly rub elbows together, but I worked with him a bit back when he was still just a journeyman. You ask any other Astronomer or layman on the street, they'll tell you he got the job out of sheer talent. I'll not fault the man, even when he was younger he could do some pretty amazing things, but no amount of skill gets you that sort of position. You need to have the right connections, know the right people, maybe even get born into the role. It's not an entirely apolitical position, you know?
And the thing is, Ormoneric was not the kind of man who went around bending and scraping with the right sorts of people to have gotten the sort of favor and capital he would have needed to become High Astronomer. He was usually all-business - not a dullard, mind you. Fairly charming and charismatic, although you probably don't need me telling you that. It's just he spent most of his time with his face buried in books or his eye pressed to lens or his back bent over parchment. People had to invite Ormoneric to do anything social, and he was the sort who would get bored and leave during the middle of a party with royalty. That may or may not have actually happened, by the way.
If I had to guess, I would suppose he got interested in the right things at the right time, and that work ethic of his let him exploit the trend harder and faster than the competition. All the innovations in Ithell these days is pretty old news by now, but Ormoneric was talking about things like Mythopoeics, ontological frequency, and transubstantiated allineation back before anybody else in the observatory knew the standard definition for those words, you know? I don't mean any insult to him, but I think he got the job because the real powers knew he didn't have any real ambitions and could trust him to leave politics to the grown-ups while he fiddled with all his toys. The safe choice for High Astronomer in a time of change."
"The name didna ring a bell, but ye, I remember the guy from that wood-cutting you showed me. Dressed in robes like some kinda noble prat, but he was quiet, polite, didn't talk down to nobody here. Spoke with him myself a bit. This was mebbe half a score ago? Around that time.
Said he was here studying minerals, but kept ignoring everything the foreman kept trying to peddle. Insisted on talkin' to the common lot like me. Asked me some 'o the most curious things I ever 'eard. Wasn't interested at all in stuff like Mithril or Adamantine, which book-types and mages usually are - not sure if he were a mage honestly, but he spoke like he knew his letters. No, he were interested in all the waste piles mostly. The big heaps and mounds of dirt, rocks, rubble, and detritus we would set off to the side and haul out to pile up in mounds. Asked me about the sort of materials we considered waste here at the quarry, how often we found some of it, whether there were any ways to know where it could be found - right strange questions honestly, because let me tell you, there was nothin' in those waste piles that was even scarcely useful or not some kind of toxic.
Now I don't know if it's at all related, but maybe a year or two later routine for the haulers got changed. Certain kinds of waste material would get packed up and shipped out from the quarry rather than us letting it sit. Didn't really think about it until you brought him up again. In hindsight I'd say it seems pretty obvious somethin in all that rubbish is useful to someone.
Hm?
Well no, it's like I told him - anything in those waste piles would'be been worthless or toxic or both. And I mean, it's not like people haven't looked over this sort 'o stuff before. Mages drop by every once in a while to see if we've discovered any new minerals that are worth-while, you know? And they don't seem to think there's anything useful in the waste we ship out. And even if there were, I doubt we'd be the only ones who have it. The stuff we put into the waste piles is as common as dirt, for the most part. You'd find almost anything in our waste piles in any other quarry from here to Kelnore, I'd wager."
"The fucking High Astronomer! Thrice-curse that stuck-up shit-brained loon!The Grand Observatory practically made up half of our business before he came around and started changing everything! Lenses, you know? Everybody knows proper astronomers and observatories need lenses! Good, quality lenses too! High-grade glass, good purity, precise craftsmanshift - it's tricky, tricky work. I had to study for years to even start to learn how to make them, and I daresay by that point and by now I know a great deal more about astronomy than that ass they call a High Astronomer!
I mean for one thing, you want to know where all the Grand Observatory's business has gotten redirected? MIRRORS. Fucking MIRRORS. It makes no right damned sense, what possible, conceivable reason do astronomers need MIRRORS for? I'd swear. The position of High Astronomer is probably political, I tell you! They probably put some idiot loon up in there with their hands so far up his ass he don't know nothing EXCEPT how to say whenever their finger crooks! The git probably had no right idea what astronomers really need - which is good, high-grade lenses I tell you!
I mean - well yeah, we do still get business from the Grand Observatory. Just not nearly as much as we used to. And I'm not just spouting this all off on a hunch; I wasn't kidding when I said I had to study for years! I keep up with all the new innovations and techniques where I can, and I'm telling you, there's isn't nothing new in astronomy that says you need mirrors instead of lenses suddenly! It makes no damned sense!"
"He's obviously a cult-leader bent on destroyin' the world. Now fuck off and let me drink."
"I remember him clearly. I was sent to Ithell specifically to negotiate with him in regards to a business matter. I was to seduce him and exploit his vulnerability for the purposes of my employer.
Have you ever seen somebody under the effects of glamour before? A vampire's thrall, somebody cursed by a changeling - somebody who lay with a succubus?
Not everyone can do it. But there are secret ways. If you look into the eyes the right way, take note of exactly where a person is looking, you can see where they hang their thoughts. And once you know where their thoughts are hanging, you can look at them too. It generally cannot be done by us succubi until after, but we can recognize the symptoms of enthrallment. I tell you now, High Astronomer Ormoneric is enthralled to...something.
No. It was not a magical effect, or a curse, or any kind of chemical dependence. It was important to make sure that there was nothing interfering with my own efforts, so I did. There was no external force acting upon this man. The glamour he was affected by had an internal source. It might not be inaccurate to say he is delusional...or perhaps just a particularly foolish idealist and dreamer.
I did not manage to seduce him. Whatever visions he is burdened with are more glorious than the temptations I was willing and able to offer him at the time without arousing suspicion.
"I think the real reason behind everything to do with High Astronomer Ormoneric is that he is a bit of a yes-man. Not in a sycophantic way, he can shut you down real quick when he wants to. But if you can run a thread by him that he likes, it is almost inevitable he will latch onto it. Just the other day, for example, one of the other journeymen - one of the richer more entitled journeymen who does not exactly know their own business if you feel my meaning - was up for review by the High Astronomer, and had absolutely nothing to show them. So right before the meeting, in a panic, he grabs his lute and goes to the High Astronomer with a half-brained theory about how tavern music can induce mythopoeic resonance in living beings.
Sorry...? Oh. Uh, that's a bit like saying you can bale out hay using tines because individual bits of straw stick to each other. Technically correct but also really obvious and transparently shallow, and when you get right down to it that's not the whole story.
But anyway, this half-assed, last-second idea of this idiot somehow rings a bell with the High Astronomer. He got really, really excited all of a sudden, started drafting some kind of mathematical notation on the spot - the journeyman in question sort of poked at the parchment with their quill every once in a while and pretended they knew what was going on - and after a while, the High Astronomer says that this is going to 'change everything' and hauls the idiot off to their private laboratory.
When I saw the journeyman again perhaps five or so hours later, he was busy getting extremely drunk, and looked utterly miserable. Said that he had gotten into the 'inner sanctum' and that the High Astronomer had just sort of been doing everything on his own up until he actually asked the journeyman something and they had to admit, tactfully, that they had gotten just a little bit lost and out of their depth since starting their 'joint' venture. That the High Astronomer had been 'very disappointed that they could not continue,' and had given them a sterling review and increased their seasonal stipend by a decent chunk before kicking them out. The ass was miserable because now everyone actually expects something out of him now.
As to his history, I had the privilege of dining with him a few times. He told me and a few other journeymen about his childhood. He apparently grew up in the Fens, and his parents cultivated some kind of hallucinogenic flower. He acquired an early taste for it and has always had a sort of sunny disposition because of it, at least according to him. Says he took to astronomy because of how gazing at the stars reminds him of the visions he would have while high out of his mind. Claims he ran away from home, stowed away on a merchant ship, and scraped and begged since he was a boy of a mere seventeen years so he could study with the learned scholars of the Grand Observatory. You were wondering why you could not seem to find out much about his life outside of his employment at the Observatory? That's because working at the Observatory has essentially been his life.
As for the political aspects of his job - he's pretty hands-off when it comes to the real movers and shakers. Nods his head and makes arrangements to do what they need done, and like I said, if they can get his interest he does it, and that's not terribly hard. Which means he's also proven rather adaptable to the changing times. He has no problem working with a mixture of magical and engineering techniques, he enjoys finding new methods of innovation and practice, loves experimentation and getting his own hands dirty. He's made a few inadvertent friends in his time just because he gets things done. He's pretty uninvolved in the scheme of the Great Game, but there are people invested in his ongoing employment.
Mirrors? Yes, apparently he discovered some kind of practical use for them beyond mere aesthetics. Not entirely sure what honestly, it's mostly something he and his personal assistants work on in his private lab. I understand he had to fiddle with the Observatory's budgeting a little to make it work, made some of our business connections upset over pulling a few crowns out of their purses because of it, but whatever it is he apparently managed to convince the powers that be that it's worthwhile.
Waste minerals? Yes, the Observatory receives regular shipments from various ports. He has apprentices and initiates sifting and sieving the stuff. A lot of it gets used for basic transubstantiation practice, so nobody really questions it. He has his personal assistants siphon off a few specific minerals though. I got samples, but honestly I do not recognize most of it - mostly because nearly all of it is so worthless nobody in thousands of years has even bothered to name, much less record the properties of any of it. 'Inert and/or toxic dust' is an essentially accurate description. The only one I even vaguely recognized was some kind of quartz - quartz. One of the cheapest and most common minerals on the continent. You can literally find the stuff by stubbing your toe on it if you walk out in an open field nearly anywhere.
My personal take? Well...he's a powerful mage, fairly wealthy, generally well-liked by most people, somewhat charismatic, intelligent, productive, discrete...nobody is that clean, you know? He's probably hiding something dirty, I'm just not sure what. It's a pretty faint lead, but maybe he's cavorting with demons? I saw him chatting up this woman I could have sworn was a succubus a few months ago..."
"I am terribly sorry, I am quite busy...oh? Well, I suppose I have time for a question or two! Go ahead and walk with me, we can talk while I work.
The most exciting aspect of my job...? Well, not to sound too droll, but I have always liked getting down on my knees and being able to tinker with some of the telescope mechanisms, looking at the sky and the stars to know I was on the right track. I'm a simple soul at heart, I enjoy stargazing and working with fiddly bits of metal with my hands.
You're right, I probably am rather fortunate! I certainly never dreamed of becoming High Astronomer when I came here as a child. About the right time and place, I supp-
Well yes, I have made a number of changes. I will make no secret that we have some interesting experiments going on here that would not have been dreamed of back in the heyday! But the Observatory has always been a place of study and innovation. My predecessor had already lain out some of the groundwork; I like to think they were just keeping abreast of the changing times - and I like to think I am too. No institution operates, or thrives, in a vacuum after all. Little astronomy joke for you there, sorry.
Well I can't really talk about most of them to be honest - national secrets, you understand. But I can tell you we are working quite closely with the Archives these days, using mechanisms and magic to study the heavens so we can better understand this new discipline of 'natural philosophy.' Any mage will tell you magic is the true power of this world, any craftshop engineer will tell you that the future lies with mechanisms and pneumatics - the truth is somewhere between the two! Both are part of the natural order, and that's exactly what we aim to study and explore here.
Anyway, that's really all the time I have for matters not pertaining to business. Have a safe evening, and please always feel free to confer with the members of our staff."
"This man is not who you said he is! I don't know if he's a demon or a vampire or a lich or what, but the things I've seen...I am not going back into his private labs unless you triple my fee. It's just too dangerous. The precautions I already have to take to remain undetected are practically already a king's ransom in terms of expenses. You told me he was a fairly powerful mage, you did not tell me he used dark magic or blood rituals! I have seen him performing profane, unspeakable rites! There are things, entities he converses with that...I cannot even write about them, they are unfathomable. And I think he and his assistants might be on to something being wrong, one time I swore he was looking right at me, like he could see through all the layers of illusions and charms I had thrown up.
Worse, last week, after I stole that weird Spear, this band of LUNATICS started stalking me! Like adventurers out of some idiotic tavern story or something, saying they knew who I was and that I had to return the Spear. I'm lucky to have gotten away at all.
I've felt sick and nauseous ever since leaving that place; I'll need a few days just to recover. I'll contact you again by the end of the week to let you know which dead-drop to pick the Spear up at."
The High Astronomer's actual skills and abilities are not widely known with any great certainty, but at a minimum it is agreed that he is a mage of some competence and has considerable expertise in the realm of mechanical engineering. As a Human of his age, he is unlikely to be as skilled as an Archmage or as capable as a Dwarven Craftlord, but he would not be in his position were he not capable in both fields.
Titles: Some call him "The Wandering Pyromancer", though this isn't formal. Age: He stopped counting at 28, as he had better things to do. He looks mid to late forties. Species: Human Equipment:
A book which details the life of a legendary pyromancer named Ishamel. Through study and understanding, one may distill spells from its pages. The longer the passage, the more powerful the spell.
It is bound in fairly plain looking leather, with vellum pages. It's not written in one singular hand, or using one pen. Rather, it's many different styles, languages, inks, and content. The only similarity they bear is how poetic they are. Even the non-poem writings possess a certain unmistakable fluency and descriptiveness.
Some passages relate to Ishamel's relationship with the deep, however. Nar has developed some theories around this. He's named it "Low Fire", and he thinks it will burn far below 0C, and it will come from despair. The first is obvious, but generally pyromancy feeds off the stronger emotions like anger or love. Despair is strong, but in all the wrong ways, and could potentially fuel a freezing flame from deep within one's soul.
Wandering Kit A backpack full of things Nar could use on a long trek. It's a rather extensive list, due to just how long he's spent developing it. Quarterstaff A cheap, durable, and deadly weapon for when pyromancy is impractical. It's ~9' long, 1" wide, and 1 1/2" thick piece of oak. He has been trained in it by peasants in exchange for money while he traveled, and is quite handy with it. Of course, he will prefer to use pyromancy where possible. The weapon itself is easily capable of shattering bones, so long as there isn't steel in the way. Because of this, he uses it mainly in defense from wild animals. Robes These robes are more of an amalgamation of different fashions from around the world than one particular piece of clothing. They're relatively short, only going to knee height. Of course, he has some very sturdy boots and pants under it. It's mostly optimised for practicality. Spell skills:
Pyromancy: This shouldn't come as a surprise. While his life has been a cluster of different events, pyromancy has been the singular constant. After his duel with the knight, there has never been a moment in his life where pyromancy hasn't been there for him. Strangely, he hasn't become consumed by the power it offers, as so many are.
His pyromancy comes in two main varieties, which he has named Ishamel and Nar. Very creative. Ishamel tends to be very focused and efficient. At times it almost feels like it's holding back. The fire burns intensely hot, and is conjured by speaking words from the Book of Ishamel while contemplating your understanding of them. On the other hand, Nar tends to be much more wild, but still far more focused than most pyromancy. It always feels like it's being held back, and can easily be identified and separated from most pyromancy. It tends to blow things up a bit. Other skills: Study: If there was something he would put his skill at pyromancy down to, it would be this. He has become very skilled at finding the right information for the job at hand, whether this be in a library, book, situation, or person. Traveling: One might not consider this a skill. Nar would beg to differ. If one can travel as much as he has within the time he has, it definitely is a skill. He is accustomed to using a map and compass, packing light, walking (so much walking), sailing, and learning local languages and dialects to a level that allows survival. Even finding forest food when none other is available. Communication: He is very used to communicating his ideas to others and understanding what others are trying to say. He has Taught many people and been taught by many people, and that is the root of this skill. He learns and teaches quickly as a result of this. Training: Nar has been trained by uncountable tutors in the art of pyromancy to such a degree that those who are beholding it are spellbound (not by rule, for obvious reasons). Chief among those tutors are the Old Man and the Book of Ishamel. He can weave firestorms the size of warships, or place a singular point of super hot fire exactly where it needs to be. Affiliation: He isn't affiliated with any order, religion, or country in particular. Although, he has a notable distaste for the inelegance of the Order of Fire. He is of the belief that they don't know how to properly control themselves. He agrees with some of their ideology, but not their practice. Personality: Nar has a personality that is brimming with a youthful curiosity, though it has been tempered by age. To elaborate, he will pursue anything and everything that interests him with an utmost dedication, but use the wisdom he's gathered over the years to guide himself.
He tends to find himself lost in contemplation of fire when he has a spare moment, especially when there is fire present. Campfires aren't for sharing stories, singing, or cooking. They're for discovering anything at all about the nature of fire. Because of this he has a very deep understanding of his art, and how it affects other objects. He also tends to let of a contemplative air, which most people find quite contrary to his standing as a maestro pyromancer. He also performs startlingly well under pressure, only losing a little bit of control. On the flip side, this 'zoning out' can cause him to miss some important things. While he will generally pick up on loud noises or large movements, he may miss smaller details. This isn't helped by his age, either.
He loves a good jest, and will often give cryptic answers to questions for shits and gigs. Even if they could be answered in a few concise sentences. He's also able to find the funny viewpoint on a given situation in a slightly absurdist manner. This has led to some people feeling alienated by him laughing at their suffering, but he's not really of a mind to care about that.
He views mistakes as learning opportunities, although some of the mistakes he's made have really ruined some people's lives, and he struggles to move past that. He will actively try to reduce collateral as thoroughly as he possibly can. Although, if he is unable to do this he suffers a guilty streak, causing him to run from the problem. He knows he shouldn't run from it, but this only serves to cause more guilt. History He usually starts his story with the day his gift unveiled itself, so I'll do that. He was the eldest sibling in an upper class merchant family, and he had mistakenly offended a Knight. He must've been having a bad day, because he challenged Nar to a duel. The knight was wearing plate mail, and Nar was wearing no armour. The knight had a sword, and Nar was lucky to have a stick. Nar wouldn't take this without a fight, however. Within seconds he was bested, and as naturally as breathing, his rage rose out of his fist, and became fire. By the end of the fight, the knight had a cheek melted off, and Nar had some nasty cuts.
The surge of power interested Nar. He'd never experienced anything quite like this. He spent the next five years studying everything on pyromancy he could get his hands on. When he ran out of reading material, he watched fires and studied the emotions it brought. Every pyromancer that came through Kron Nesis was hired to tutor Nar, and by nineteen he had made a small name for himself as a young scholar of his art.
All too soon, he had exhausted his resources on pyromancy. The teachers had no more time, the books only said so much, and his hearth fire was evoking the same emotions over and over and over. He figured the best way forward was to travel the world, and collect some piece of knowledge from each area. And so he set off with a sum of money, some clothes, and some food. He headed north out of Tarantis, towards Vesh. Unfortunately, he was never much of a spendthrift and had spent most of his money by the time he reached Vesh. He decided he'd work in the farmhouses along the way for food and board.
In one farm, he met an elderly couple and their thirteen children. The youngest was called Fiona, and was the same age as Nar. She cared for her parents while all the other siblings worked in the fields, kitchens, or forests. Nar decided to stay longer here, as he had nowhere better to be. On top of that, he was interested in Fiona. He hadn't been interested in something this way since he discovered pyromancy six years ago, and in the small amount of time in a day when they were both free, Nar and Fiona grew closer. It took longer than Nar would've liked, but they became lovers.
One night, when they were... doing their deed in the forest, Nar's pyromancy reared its ugly head. From his pores poured fire instead of sweat. He didn't feel the heat, and only noticed when Fiona began to scream in pain. She had blackened skin all over, and some of it was smoking. He carried her to her parents farm, put her on the doorstep, and ran. His guilt was stronger than his love in every way, and his will was stronger than his muscles. He kept running until he passed out.
He woke up in a wagon, covered in blankets, but shivering. He was deathly sick, and drifted in and out of consciousness all the way to Urland, where he soon found out he was to be sold off as a slave on the black market. It was his first major scale pyromancing, and it went wonderfully. He had managed to burn everybody around him to death within seconds. As an added bonus, he was able to mitigate property damage to some faint blackening. After about a month in Urland, he met an Ithell Scholar who specialised in the study of the stars. This scholar was carrying a certain book that Nar had assumed nonexistent until now. The Book of Ishamel. After a few days of hopeless pestering, Nar managed to get him drunk enough to wager it against the entire Zalaam family fortune in a game of dice. Fortunately, lady luck was smiling on him that day, and he won by a narrow 12 points. He was finally in possession of the most rare book on pyromancy in history. He spends the next few years holed up in Urland, doing nothing but studying The Book of Ishamel. The insights he gains are impressive, and he makes a significant name for himself. People had begun to actively seek him out as a tutor. This proved useful to him, because he was able to legally earn money through pyromancy.
The student that impressed him most was a young human named Tetheras Pessoa. He had something that Nar could only describe as a gift. Teth had a huge amount of raw power he could tap in to, but not too much control. They spent a few months in Urland before shipping out to Ithell at the behest of the mages guild. During these months, and on the way there, Teth developed his grasp on pyromancy so quickly that Nar was almost ready to name him an equal. They had daily sparring sessions aboard the ship, and while Nar still managed to win most of them, Teth would consistently slip through Nars defenses. The sparring made the captain nervous, but they were both confident enough to quell flames before they did any significant damage to anything.
Nar noticed that over time, Teth would grow more reckless. He was growing more aggressive as time wore on, but Nar thought nothing of it. In hindsight, this was a very bad idea. As it turned out, there is an affliction that plagues skilled, yet uneducated pyromancers: Fire fever. It causes the afflicted to become increasingly more power hungry. It drives them to burn everything around them, just to watch the beauteous flames. Nar had never faced it before, so he didn't know to look out for it.
After four months in Ithell, they had both learned much. Nar had refined his pyromancy to heights he hadn't dreamed of, and Teth had never been far behind him. One day, not entirely out of the blue, Teth was found burning a supply ship from Urland. As Teth's mentor, Nar was asked to deal with the situation. So Nar went down to the docks. He forced the fire Teth had started to die down, to which Teth responded with more fire. Naturally, this led to a fight. Teth had totally forsaken his defense, though. This made it incredibly easy for Nar. With one hand he warded the flames from the dock, and with the other he fired off a beam of intensely hot fire. He meant only to his Teth's arm, but alas, Teth was moving too much and took it straight into the gut.
He wasn't happy with himself, naturally. If he caught this earlier on, he could've saved Teth. Instead, Teth was dead by his hand. As he is accustomed to doing, he ran from his problems. He made a brief announcement of his departure before stealing a rowboat and heading north. And so the next leg in his journey saw him hopelessly lost at sea. This was a period of massive growth for his mind (which he credits in part to sunstroke). He had several revelations while lying in a tiny rowboat, clutching the Book of Ishamel. The most profound being Low Fire. He hypothesised on the existence of a third flame type based on Ishamel's relationship with the night. When he had nothing better to do he would sit and think on despair, and how it would power a flame. The days saw nothing but him, the Book, and the sun. The nights saw something quite different, though. The stars were eyes to see his elaborate displays of exquisite firecraft. Bolts of flame licked wavering strokes around the boat, boiling any water that happened to come into contact with it. Perhaps most strangely, words rang through the air.
This is how he was seen by a small fishing town who lived on a coast in the north. They sent a longboat to pick him up, and he was taken in. They nurtured him back to health out of the kindness of their hearts (to this day, Nar has not forgotten their kindness. He means to pay them back in full next time he finds himself even remotely close to the north). When he had returned to health, an old man who wore a blindfold and a raven feather cloak showed up in the village. Nobody knew who he was, but he was asking for Nar.
The old man turned out to be an old fire wizard from the far north. He allegedly had family ties to Ishamel, and felt the Book's presence. He brought Nar to his homestead, and taught him the north's take on pyromancy. They spent every spare hour studying the Book: at first as teacher and student, and after time as equals. Nar has no idea how long he spent there, but it was long enough. On the last day Nar was there, the Old Man removed his blindfold to reveal a completely melted face and scalp. He told Nar to be careful with fire, and make sure it doesn't consume him as it does so many others. (I can't do justice to how profound this was to Nar. He had never seen under the blindfold before, and it had just seemed to go unnoticed after a certain point.).
The Old Man, after revealing his face and warning Nar of the internal danger of fire, requested that he deliver a package to Curael Endir, in Illvandrin. The journey there was cold, long, and somewhat boring, so I'll skip over it. When he arrived at the forest entrance he got chills. He'd heard of how the forest will attack those who enter if they mean harm, and he was entirely unsure about how it'd react to his pyromancy. Much to his relief, it held no objections. He'd never seen such a magnificent forest, and spent the first few days getting lost in its beauty, before stumbling across a scorched area. It was here he realised that while fire can be destructive, it is also a natural force. It's only a problem because humans make it one.
In Curael Endir he was treated as an outsider, which he wasn't used to. Finding the person he had to deliver the package to took weeks of constant detective work, but when he found him it turned out to be another student of the Old Man. The package was just a few rocks, but the other student knew what was really going on. Nar had been sent as eyes for the Old Man, so he might check up on his student (It was only now that Nar knew the Old Man could see through others' eyes. Perhaps he was more than a pyromancer?). Nar spent as little time here as he could get away with. There was something that kept him on edge.
Next, his travels brought him westward. He planned on going through the archclericy, and through Eamonvale. His goal was to get to the Darkeene Protectorate. Of course, something surpassing odd happened on the way. Due to a battle he'd heard of, he gave the Fool's Pass a wide berth. This turned out to be much more wise than he could've anticipated. As he looked upon it all he could see were magical storms, melting the souls out of those who were caught in it. Even at this distance, Nar felt a slight pressure from it. He had no doubt he could protect himself from it for a few minutes, but there was no way he would last longer than that. The sheer power on display made him realise just how close he had come to death. The amount of wasted magic did bother him, though. Whoever created that storm was taking out the army, sure, but he was doing it in a way that would wipe out thousands of civilians. He felt hollow as he wondered if Fiona died from this, or from Nar's burns. The image of the storm haunts him to this day. He wonders if that type of magic could offer some insights on Low Fire, based on the utter despair he could feel within the storm, much like how you feel the charged air in a thunderstorm.
With a newfound lust for Low Fire, he traveled south to the Darkeene Protectorate. He was fully aware that they had very few mages there, but he wanted the opinion of a scientist. He figured that finding out the physical requirements would help immensely. Unfortunately, the scientists had nothing groundbreaking to say. Doubtless they helped, just not as much as Nar had hoped. Slightly disappointed, he made his way back east through the war torn mountains. He didn't have much to fear from soldiers. Humans burn.
And now we catch up with the present, where he has made his way back to Kron-Nesis.
@Terminal I wouldn't be surprised, considering the infamy the two have. I assume Maryvale certainly would've heard of her, and perhaps Andromache might've heard of a new strongest knight wielding an unholy magic. If you're OK with it I don't mind the two knowing one-another in passing, especially since Maryvale practically grew up in the same environment c:
So, if I've read and understand correctly, this is designed so players can be more or less anyone in the world, interact or not interact with other characters, form their own groups with players, and pretty much do whatever in the world at large? What is the posting requirement in this? I ask because I'm in Grad school, so my ability to post is usually sporadic depending on my amount of homework and work schedule.
Working on a few additional profiles. I'm going to try and cap it at three or four characters for the moment; I have more in mind but I think it would be best to save them for when the plot unfolds a little.
As for frequency, if I don't hear anything from you within two weeks, then I'll get worried. XD Otherwise, unless you hold up others, there are no requirements.
What sort of tone are you aiming for? Is it dark fantasy in any sense or just more so basic high fantasy like a typical D&D setting? Or is it largely up to the players and how they write and handle their own parts?
The world is pretty dark and gritty, but if the players ignore those parts, try to change it, that's up to them. Slavery is rampant, executions are public in some places, wars and skirmishes are abound. Wanna improve the world through character actions? To ahead. XD
I'm going to add another secondary character later, but is this guy still accepted?
Illyarion Myriavin
T I T L E S The Raven King, The Swordmaster
A G E 128
R A C E Elf
T R A I N I N G Illyarion has lived more than a hundred years of conflict as a mercenary leader, fighting in battles on the entire length of the continent. As a result, he has become a complete expert with his sword and dagger, and while he is not as good with ranged weapons, he has learned a few offensive spells to cover him in that regard.
E Q U I P M E N T
◈ Shadoweaver: His most prized possession and an artifact passed on from father to son for as long as his house has existed. This magic sword is utterly unbreakable and so sharp that it is able to cut through regular steel unhindered, at least in the hands of those part of house Myriavin.
◈ The Raven King's Armor: Another prized possession of his house, though this armor has a rather exquisite look, it offers only slightly more protection than a regular suit of steel armor. However, unlike a suit of steel armor, this armor weighs practically nothing.
◈ Dark Blade: Unlike his main weapon and armor, this black-bladed intricately decorated dagger is nothing special, serving only as a regular steel dagger and a show of his former station.
S P E L L S K I L L S
◈Arcane Bolt: A simple bolt of magical energy slightly more effective than a regular crossbow bolt. ◈Arcane Lance: The upgraded version of the arcane bolt, this magical projectile is much stronger, able to pierce most armors, however due to it's energy cost, one must cast it only when sure that he is able to hit. ◈Ravenbrand: For an hour every day, he is able to brand either an weapon or an armor with a magical mark. When on a weapon, it makes said weapon much lighter and much sharper, while on an armor of any sort, it makes the armor tougher than it already is and much lighter. ◈Raven's Call: A sort of magic unique to the Myriavin bloodline, it allows the user of the magic to sprout large black raven wings that allows the user to fly at will.
O T H E R S K I L L S
◈Social Etiquette: Though without currently any real holdings, Illayrion is still a noble and he acts like one anytime he is court. This allows him to navigate the court of Kron-Nesis with ease and without any repercussions. ◈Inspiring Leader: Illayrion has led troops for a long time, he has fought alongside them, he has eaten with them, he has slept alongside them and that earned him the respect of the men under his command, he is able to inspire the men under his command to do great deeds and to push themselves. ◈Agile Fighter: Illayrion knows that one must always move when fighting and as a result of that, he has become a quick fighter, always on the move and always quick to end a battle.
A F F I L I A T I O N Kron-Nesis; Grand Marshal Lenius
P E R S O N A L I T Y Illayrion is a man of few words, rarely speaking out of his own initiative unless he definitely has to and even then, he speaks only enough for him to convey his idea or to get his point across. However, even if he is not a very social person, he likes having friends, even if he does not go out of his way to make them. Even when he talks to someone he has never met, he will always greet anyone he meets with a courteous smile, be they a lowly peasant or a king.
However, when it comes to respect, so far he has only shown any semblance of true respect to only two people. The first of them is Grand Marshal Lenius of Kron-Nesis himself, as thanks to his influence, he was able to appoint the elven mercenary leader as a lord of one of the castles situated on the borders with the Darakeene Protectorate and finally be settled once again after spending more than a century as a mercenary leader. The second person he has shown respect to is the young daughter Maryvale, who was able to earn herself the title as strongest knight of Kron-Nesis in only ten years, something which deserved his respect.
H I S T O R Y Illayrion was at first born to the great noble family of Myriavin within the royal courts of Curael Endir, however, he was unable to enjoy the intricacies of the court too much as only two months after he became the head of the house at the age of 20, as due to an unfortunate escalation with one of the rival noble houses, he is banished from the country and removed as the head of the house in favor of his uncle. However, before he leaves, he is able to take his family's heirlooms, the magic sword Shadoweaver and the Raven King's Armor.
With no other prospect, the young exiled noble decides to sell his services as a hired blade throughout the continent. At first, not many people were willing to hire a single mercenary with no real-life experience on the battlefield, but... as the years passed, he was able to garner enough experience and money to form his own band of mercenaries, the Band of the Raven. With his new men at his back, Illayrion began to get himself involved in actual wars, though after deliberation with his men, as he did not want to get them killed.
As the years, then the decades passed, Illaryrion participated in many petty conflicts around the world, however, the worst of them was the civil wars of Nyrae... and he had signed himself with none other than the Crow King himself. On the side of this cruel king, he was forced to participate in the most cruel battles of the civil war, the one who haunts him to the day was the destruction of the once great metropolis of the Barrows and the slaughter he and his men were forced to do.
After that day, most of his men left the band of the Raven, saying that they had earned enough money to live the rest of their lives in comfort and had seen enough bloodshed to them for the rest of their lives. The few that remained pleaded with Illayrion to break his contract with the Crow King. After a few more days of deliberation, he and his remaining men riding for a full day and night without pause, for they knew what would happen if the King of Nyrae caught them.
Thankfully, he was able to ride without any intervention on part of the Crow King and reached one of the few places he had yet to visit, the Kingdom of Kron-Nesis. There, he and his men were hired not by the king, but by the new Grand Marshal of the country, as he had heard of Illayrion's skill in both leading men and fighting them. During the time there, he had won a few several minor skirmishes against the Protectorate and while he did not expect it, it seems that those skirmishes were what made Lenius to use his position to appoint him as a lord of a castle that had belonged to a previously disgraced lord.
With that, Illayrion and his men had found themselves a new place to call as home. This deed alone made the elf consider the Grand Marshal as his greatest friend and the Grand Marshal had found himself his staunchest ally.
A fellow roleplayer and I are considering joining this -- or basically we've already made our dicision and are working out things.
So I'd like to ask politely how the term 'Monster With ability to transform' is to be interpreted. Am I correct with the assumption that the transformation has to be from/to an ordinary human form in order to distinguish them from the non-player monsters ? And what other restrictions are there with regard to the monster-part that aren't already covered by the other rules of this RP and common roleplayer's sense, if any ?
@Fetzen Oooooohhhhh finally a "more interesting" race. XD
The main race would be some form of monster or animal. Like a wolf transforming to a more traditional race. Or like a Griffin or other more monsterus races like a hydra. Its up to you. Just PM what you had in mind and we'll work it out.
The main difference between the ones able to transform is that they're fully sentient. In comparison their regular brethren which act mostly on instinct and animalistic cunning rather than true intelligence.
