100 years have passed since a terrible illness known as 'The Rash' swept the Earth.
Some nations were spared.
Most weren't.
Some nations were spared.
Most weren't.
Art by Minna Sundburg
Today, most of the remaining population lives in Iceland, although there are significant settlements in Norway, Denmark, Finnland, and Sweden as well. Levels of technology vary throughout the settlements, with Iceland and Sweden having more advanced technology (but nowhere near modern levels, think early twentieth century for everyday tech, and more modern for military tech), and isolated parts of Finnland not even having electricity. These settlements make up the Known World.
Beyond the borders of The Known World lies The Silent World - occupied by relics of the old world and victims of the rash, human and animal alike, transformed into terrifying creatures known as trolls. Trolls could easily tear the average person apart, but their true danger lies in their ability to spread The Rash to those who are not immune. Upon infection, the person will either succumb to the rash and die, or transform into a similar beast. If the rash reached the safe areas, it would surely mark the end of what remains of civilisation.
This RP will be set in the world of Minna Sundberg's webcomic 'Stand Still Stay Silent' (although you don't need to have read the comic to participate!) - a post apocalyptic version of Nordic mythology featuring zombified trolls, mysterious folk magics, and lost ancient knowledge. The comic follows the team who first decide to explore the Silent World and the perils they face upon the way.
This RP will take place ten years following that initial expedition. Further travel into The Silent World has taken place since then, but it is by no means a common thing. Of the seven expeditions into the Silent World since, only two have made it back, and none have made it back with their whole team intact.
Your character has been hired by an anonymous benefactor to undertake a similar mission to The Silent World. All you have been told so far is to head to the Oresundsbro military base in Norway. The fastest (and cheapest) way to do so is by the Dalahästen - a train that goes from the capital of Sweden, Mora, straight to Oresundsbro.
I plan to divide this RP into chapters, allowing for new players to join easily and for older players to take breaks/switch characters/drop the rp more easily. In the future, this will possibly also lead to opportunities for 'guest GMs' if anyone has a cool idea they want to play with.
This first chapter will focus on that journey from Mora to Oresundsbro. You may do whatever you wish with your first post, just ensure your character ends up in Mora ready to board the train by the end of it.
Including randomisation can make for a fun, unpredictable game and can even out natural variations in how powerful people think their character should be. That said, I do find just pure randomisation a little bit empty and unfulfilling, as it doesn't account for variation and specialisation in a characters abilities. I do want this game to be accessible to those who don't play tabletop rpgs however, and so, I hobbled together something amounting to dice rules. These are not very good, and I expect to change them as I discover weaknesses and sticking points. I also want players to express things they find frustrating/cool/could do with tweaking as we go, because, ultimately, these are designed for you guys.
That said, here we go!
Core Rules
Professions (basically classes)
Icelandic Magic
Finnish Magic
I don't want to be super strict, but I do think it's important to outline some basic expectations so that everyone is on the same page.
- Respect each other
- Respect the GM/CoGM's decisions
- Do not bunny, godmod, or otherwise control another player's character without their express permission, regardless of circumstances. This is not something that will be tolerated. Once is an honest mistake, twice is a habit and you will be asked to leave.
- I expect at least one post every week. I'm willing to be lenient in regards to waiting for a GM post/another player messing you around, and you may be granted a 3 day extension under these circumstances. In return, feel free to pester me if I screw up with posting. As always, real life happens, and if you need the occasional extension for whatever reason, I don't mind, so long as you let me and other players know as far in advance as you can. If you need to go on hiatus, this can be arranged in such a way as to allow you to return if you so choose.
- Collabs are great! I absolutely love collabs! However, a month is not an acceptable timeframe for a collab. Upon starting a collab, let me know, and you will have a week to finish it off. If it isn't completed in this timeframe, please post the unfinished collab so that other players may interact with you.
- I don't need, or even particularly want, super long posts. I want this rp to focus a lot on character interaction, so I'd rather you did two kinda short posts than one really long one. That said, one line is not acceptable. As a guideline, I'm going to say minimum word count is 200 words, although I'd expect an average of 300-400 words for the majority of posts. If you're unsure, that's about one long paragraph.
- Join the discord (once I set it up), even if you don't talk on there.
- I expect writing ability to be high casual, even if I don't expect super long posts. As such, I'd like you to link a sample of writing you're particularly proud of. Doesn't have to be an rp, could be a short story, or something you wrote whilst working on your character for this, it just has to demonstrate your writing ability.
And now for the fun part! I'm going to leave formatting very basic so that you don't have to mess around with stuff if you don't want to, but feel free to play around with fancy fonts and stuff!
Name: (What is their full name? Do they go by any nicknames?)
Age: (Minimum 18 - you are going on a dangerous expedition after all!)
Nationality: (Consult the nationalities guide provided above - can be Swedish, Norweigan, Danish, Icelandic, or Finnish)
Languages: (All characters can speak Icelandic + the language spoken in their country of origin. Academics can select an additional language if they so choose)
Height:
Are they Immune?:
Profession: (Please consult the linked profession guide)
Attributes: (Please consult the linked core rules guide)
Strength -
Charisma -
Dexterity -
Constitution -
Wisdom -
Intelligence -
Skills: (Please consult the profession guide)
Appearance: (Please provide a detailed (Minimum 2 paragraph) description if you are not providing an image.)
Personality: (Doesn't need to be detailed, just a short overview of how they come across to people)
Present Circumstances: (NOT a history! What are they up to right now? What does their life look like? If you have backstory ideas you're unsure about/want worked into the story, please PM the GM)
Theme Song: (Optional, if you need help embedding a YouTube video, please ask!)
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