The Heroes Go Forth...(High Fantasy)

Are you awake? Can you hear me? Please listen well.

The flow of time has led to this. A battle between the force of light and the force of darkness. A Hero’s Tale that will be told to young children to fill their hearts with joy and inspiration for ages to come. A tale of bravery and hardships and how to overcome any obstacle thrown your way. This tale would turn out to be quite similar to the old legend…

Darkness is coming. A new threat to Ruyunae is ready to strike. Will we be ready? Who will be there to rise to the call? Are there even any Heroes left in this peaceful land? We have not had such an immense threat since the age of old so surely not.

This is your story. How you choose to write it and how it will unfold is up to you. I am merely an orator, prepared to weave your life’s story into the fabric of ages. Every story needs a beginning. Forgive my laughter, but I would hope you would agree. You cannot skip to end for if you do you miss the best part. Besides, who doesn’t love a good hero’s tale anyway?

You have been chosen by the Mother-Goddess. The land you call home is in danger and you must rise to action. You will not be alone though. Just as the Seraph of old had his band of allies, you will have yours. Close companies whom you would not trade the world for. This is where the power of stories comes into play. When you meet your friends how will the friendships grow? How will things progress when you yourselves find the new Seraph?

Ah yes, the Seraph. A mortal child blessed with the power of the Mother-Goddess. Powerless on their own but together with invaluable allies the Seraph shines. It is said the Seraph can awaken sleeping powers inside those who call him a companion. It is by this rite that the Seraph of old was able to save the land of Ruyunae. Or had you forgotten that detail? No matter, I do so love telling stories.

Long ago the land of Ruyunae was much different that you know it to be now. There were five kingdoms instead of four. You know the land the fifth Kingdom rested as the Land Betrayed. You know the old Kingdom’s name as Aucrun. This Kingdom was brought to its knees one fateful day when the trusted advisor to the King murdered him in cold blood. He did not take the throne, nor did he seek to rule the land but instead he unleashed and unspeakable evil upon the Kingdom. Only a handful managed to escape while the rest had their bodies consumed by the demonic beast known as Mal’Goxon. Mal’Goxon needed to recover his strength.

The cataclysm at Aucrun sent shockwaves throughout the world. The other kingdoms closed their gates to each other and relations between them dwindled. All hope seemed lost as many simply waited for their inevitable destruction. But the Mother-Goddess had other plans for her people. She blessed a young man with her infantile powers. She named him the Seraph and spoke directly to him. His powers were weak and he did not feel he could accomplish such an impossible task. However, the power of the Seraph truly shines in the hearts of those close to the one who bears its mark. The Seraph was able to band together an inseparable camaraderie and they ventured across the land of Ruyunae to gain supports from all of the kingdoms. All of the Kingdoms needed the help of the Seraph and his allies and the Seraph needed age old relics held by the Kings and Rulers. Through many trials and tribulations the Seraph and his band of friends gathered what they needed and made their preparations to vanquish the demonic evil. Some say they charged in too fast and did not prepare themselves, but the Seraph believed they were ready. He and his allies stopped in the Holy Kingdom before they ventured out on the following morning.

In the ghastly rebuild ruins of Aucrun meant to be the Demon’s new kingdom, the Seraph and his allies fought. The battle raged on but as light pierces the darkness the Seraph and his friends prevailed. In the short aftermath of the battle the Seraph and his allies dropped their guard. Light may pierce the darkness but light cannot extinguish every inch of darkness. The demon mustered all of his strength for one final attack even if it meant killing himself. The Seraph thought to do the same. He enveloped his close allies in soft veils of light and sent them back to the Holy Kingdom before he used the last of his strength and the power of the Seraph to minimize the destruction of the blast by the Demon. The blast was immense. The rebuilt, ruined kingdom of Aucrun was utterly destroyed once again and blistering waves of malice and fire scorched the earth near the old Kingdom. If the Seraph had not done what he did then the destruction caused by the demon would have been one hundred fold, or so they say. The Seraph died a hero’s death and his allies overcome with grief disbanded. The Holy Kingdom marked the day after his event for a great festival in celebration of the Seraph and his allies. The Festival of the Lights was born and has been held every 100 years ever since.

Future Heroes,
                It has been ages since the day spoken of in the Legend of the Seraph. The ruins of Aucrun are not off limits but the land is known as the Land Betrayed and most steer clear of the place. This makes it the perfect place for the villain of your story to reside. There it waits, gathering its strength. Its power born out of hatred towards the Mother-Goddess and pure malice and darkness. This evil has amassed a large following and they are sustained by its dark magic. The nearest Festival of the Lights is fast approaching and this dark organization is planning to strike. They plan to strike on the holiest of days when all of Ruyunae meets in the great Holy Kingdom of Khrousahvell. You must be ready. Your beloved world is about to change drastically and I want you to be as prepared as you can. I apologize for not having enough time but the Mother-Goddess has chosen you for a reason. You must be the light to shine in the darkness. The hope in the people’s eyes. You must find the Seraph and awaken to your true potential. The Mother-Goddess will reveal more to you when you meet on the day of the Festival of Lights. Please, you must prepare yourself. I am sorry it has to be you… for you may not wish to get involved. You may voice your frustration in due time but being chosen by the Mother-Goddess cannot be a bad thing, no? Now go! Wake up and make haste. The Festival of the Lights is set to begin.  You must find the new Seraph. He needs you.

The Land of Ruyunae

A short Summary

The Land of Ruyunae is a large land mass almost split in the middle thanks to the destruction caused by the demon of old in Aucrun, the Land Betrayed. The continent is still whole, but the center is a large zone deemed unholy so the people do not venture there. Ruyunae has four major kingdoms that influence the land:

1.)    The Last Strand of the Sands: Sweym Sma (Sweeyum- Suma)

Sweym Sma is a blisteringly hot desert region. The people who live there are unnaturally strong willed and have almost un-mortal like tolerance to the Sun’s scorching rays. The Major city is like an oasis among the brown and golden sands. Pearly white cobblestone walls adorned with teal drapes and banners along the heavily fortified outside walls. Large statues of their religious symbols adorn the inside and the outside as well. Rivers of cool water pool into many parts of the city through gorgeous arching aqueducts. The Palace of the Heir stands as the largest building in the city and is where the Heir herself calls home. It is where she rules from. Sweym Sma is famous for its glass sculptures and starry skies. There also rests an ancient set of ruins far to the west in the middle of the Sma Desert that no scholars can decipher.

2.)    The Empire of Snow: Linmark (Lyn-Mahrk)

Ah the Empire of Snow. A glorious Empire built right out of a fairy tale book. The left most side of the Empire is guarded by a large teal blue iceberg and the right most part of the city is guarded by one of their tallest mountains. Behind the city rests an open alcove to the ocean where the Emperor’s ships dock. The city does not try to stand out from the snow. White stone and dark brick walkways shine among the cloudy skies. Most of the architecture in Linmark has a gothic taste to it. The city is famous for its runic scripture along the floor of a statue of their first Emperor though none know what it says. Linmark is also famous for its drinks, fur coats and leather as well as a steady supply of Iron and Steel. Off to the East of the city rests a large structure that has only recently sprung up. What could this building be?

3.)    The Holy Kingdom: Khrousahvell (Curoo-Saahh-Vvhell)

The Holy Kingdom. Said to be where the Mother-Goddess blessed the first Seraph and where he began his quest. The city prides itself on its knights and militaristic force. The sheer size of the city is enough to make one stand in awe at the wealth of resources the Kingdom has at their disposal. Sheer white and red colors adorn the walls, hallways and buildings of this great city. With strong stone and metal walls protecting the inner kingdom as well as a few close by villages. The Holy Kingdom is famous for its connection to the Mother-Goddess as well as the Festival of the Lights. The Holy Kingdom also houses the largest library in all of Ruyunae

4.)    The Province Adrift: Elthari (L-Thaaree)

The most beautiful of all the major cities, Elthari the Province Adrift used to be attached directly to the land mass of Ruyunae. However, of centuries of wear and tear against the rocks and heavy storms in that part of the world the shallow and that connected it fell apart and the water rose. Now the only way to reach the land is by ship, or you have to be a really good swimmer!

The province is ruled by one the people call the Ruler. She has been known to be a loving and gentle soul and the current large populace of Elthari knows this to be true. Elthari is a popular luxury land given its white sand and clear waters and beautiful weather. The province itself has no walls due to being a series of connected islands. The architecuture is a pure nature with buildings flowing in strange ways and mostly built with towers. Stone and wooden structures dot the Province. The rise of monster attacks have driven some away from venturing out to the island province. Elthari is most famous for its school of magic. As well as the birth place of the first companion of the Seraph of old.

Greetings! Thank you for getting this far if you did. So this is a little idea I had tossing around in my brain and thought I would finally throw it out to the wolves and see if I could get any takes. I promise I seasoned so it should be tasty! I actually did want this to be inspired by simple legends of: Ancient evil rises up, band of heroes get together and go fight said evil. I see nothing wrong with such a tried and true method of storytelling and I feel like it could be incredibly fun to play with others.
And before you go in further, Yes this is somewhat inspired by Dragon Quest/Final Fantasy and most heavily Lord of the Rings. I just feel like they all have incredible elements of story telling and fantasy environments so I wanted to string out the idea I had in my brain and whaddaya know, I typed all this. 

Little bit about what I was expecting from the RP. So, as you may have guessed I would be playing the role of the Seraph. “Hey!” You say as you ready your pitchfork and torch and tie me to a stake ready to burn me. “That’s not fair! He’s the hero isn’t he?! Everyone only loves the Hero!”

To which I will wiggle my hands out from the ropes binding me and plead for my life. “Wait wait! Sure yes I would be the Seraph but he is hardly the tried and true Hero of this tale. I want every single player I play with to truly feel like a Hero. That is why I gave the Seraph next to no powers UNLESS he meets close friends and helps them awaken to their true potential. This gives the party more dynamic and the thing I love the most: character development!”

I’ll wait for the fires to roast me or let you back away and ponder what I said. Either way I’m going to keep typing words! So yes, the Seraph is not the only hero. He’s powerless alone so I wanted everyone else I am with to feel important. To feel like what they have their character do matter.

I am a HUGE sucker for character development. Oh? Your character has a tragic backstory they don’t want to share but it eventually comes out? That’s great, Seraph needs to help his friends! Not too keen on the Seraph when you first meet him? Punch him in the face! Let your anger be known. Friendships grow and bloom into something so I wanted to have some fun along the way. The villains in the campaign would range from deadly serious, to dark and dastardly masters of magic, to wacky characters I hope you enjoy beating up.

In this fantasy RP I would love to include the holy trinity of fantasy races. The Elves, Humans and the Dwarves. However, if you are interested in this and want to play something a bit on the wild side I am more than happy with that! I do not want to put limitations on this as I want some help world building as well.
I posted this in the Advanced section mainly due to how much character development I would like to have happen as well as the amount of world building. I am not asking us to create a new Tolkein book here, just enough to go in with the mentality of "our actions have consequences and we can shape the world". 
I am not strict about post length either. A few paragraphs should suffice. Quality over quantity they always say :) 
Use of magic is not only welcome but encouraged. I’d be using it, so… (:

So please, voice your concerns, your opinions and hopefully your enthusiasm to join. If I have piqued your interest at all please let me know by either replying here or sending me a PM! I would love to plan out some OOC stuff on Discord as well if that is what others want to do.

I am mainly looking for 3 to 4 people to RP with here. I do not know my own ability to bring people in but in the off chance that this does gain more attention I would open up to the idea of adding more slots.

The RP would begin with all of your characters attending the Festival of the Lights after you have a strange vision. Something compelling you to attend the Festival.

Take it away, wolves!

@Hawthorne

Magic will be a strong driving force in the game and I was halfway expecting some people to want to play magic buffs during the RP. 
Since I had this idea off a basis of other rpg games and most LoTR the magic can range from basic to extreme. Fire, ice, wind, earth magic you name it. Even calling upon the power of light and dark and healing magic as well. 

I hadn’t thought of a good system for magic, so I was mostly going to play it by ear. Generally using the rule of cool and trusting the players to act within their boundaries as I didn’t want to be like “no you can’t do that.” 

2.) Oh yes the demonic forces will be there. As well as a plethora of other monsters that we may encounter and the bands of brigands and pirates. 
Heck I’m more than open to including run ins with groups tied to character’s backstories. That just makes it more fun I think. 

3.) Right now the relationships between the four are strong. However, that may change rather quickly once the rp starts ;D 

The Heroes Go Forth...(High Fantasy)

DontCallMeZelda

Hawthorne Mageknight

DontCallMeZelda

Jamesyco Forever a Student

DontCallMeZelda

Fetzen

DontCallMeZelda

Hawthorne Mageknight

DontCallMeZelda

Hawthorne Mageknight

DontCallMeZelda

Hawthorne Mageknight

DontCallMeZelda

Hawthorne Mageknight

Leda

DontCallMeZelda

Jamesyco Forever a Student

Hawthorne Mageknight

DontCallMeZelda