Hello RPG, today I'm here to pitch a thread to you. The thread takes place in a high fantasy setting, although I would definitely classify it as low magic and with a definite trend towards being more mundane, if only to let the fantastic elements really stand out when they emerge. It's focused around the continent of Estovet, a roughly triangular landmass with its base reaching into the north pole and its tip sitting out in the ocean, and roughly halfway full of micronations, with the imposing Arcarti empire taking up the east and a few larger-than-average states in the south. That, for the most part, is the playground for the player party(ies). I want to create a freeroam-y fantasy RP where the players are largely in charge of what they do or where they go, although there is definitely a plot to get involved in, or at least one that will shape the world the players explore, whether they get caught up in political intrigue or robbing peasants all day. For that reason, and also to afford creative freedom to the players, a lot of the outside world and many of the tiny nations on Estovet are left uncharacterized in the beginning. So if you want to be from something you flesh out yourself feel free but keep the setting that already exists in mind. I see some content warnings in IntCheck sometimes so I might as well say this thread can and most likely will contain some mature elements. You're on the internet. The OOC is ready to go and I'll be posting it tomorrow (April 14th) or the day after. There is some supplementary information on the different blocs, which will go in the OOC or here if you really want it, but for now here's an intro. Of course, it starts in a tavern.
The quaint coastal town of Aldrun sat at a border. To the north were the untamed frontier lands. A place full of merchants and nomads that stretched into tundras and badlands until finally the land gave in to icy northern coasts. Aldrun was as far north as most civilized folk cared to travel, and sat at the cusp of where broken ice sheets would float down and threaten the merchant marine. Further, and to the south where the land grew thinner and formed the triangular shape the Estovetian continent was known by, the heart of the kingdom of Arcartus. Its capital, Lieda, isolated amidst mountains and marshlands crammed uncomfortably against the eastern coast. The Arcarti Empire's reach was legendary, it encompassed nearly the entire eastern half of the continent and stood as the largest political presence on Estovet. Common to both directions was a line of snow-capped mountains separating Aldrun from the outside world, a peace it had enjoyed for centuries since its beginning as a warm water port. Once, it had only been used as a rendezvous by northern traders. It bustled now, as more and more northern societies integrated with the countries. The valley it had previously only occupied was now packed full of rugged wooden houses crowned with high roofs. The pier that had once been a few wooden planks had had a harbor dug for it, with a proper dock built by the wealth of the merchants dependent on it. Still true to the old days was the town square, a large circular clearing marking the transition from the port to the residential district. It was made of unpaved ground, where merchants set up their stalls. The port district was more modern, with newer plank buildings populated seemingly only by bars and taverns in competition with one another for who could be the seediest or the gaudiest among them. They all swam equally in sailor's wages, and echoed with dubious tales of adventure or unexplainable happenings in the heartlands. They also brought the news from the outside world, and every so often fanciful accounts of the other continents. Today, the news was told in hushed tones and passed along on pamphlets in almost fearful quietness. The western side of Estovet had traditionally been a collection of tiny, independent states. A sea of flags where the rise and fall of several countries could go nearly unnoticed, and a place that could not oppose the spread of the Arcarti empire. The primary check to the empire's size had been the southwest, with its collection of trade states that could impose leverages outside the scope of Arcartus' military dominance. The empire had long ago stopped being a serious threat to the sovereignty of the western nations, it struggled to hold its lands together under the immense cultural strain of the hundreds of peoples contained within its borders, and all of their different issues and demands. Several of those struggles had turned bloody, with Arcarti soldiers used to restrain the heaving mass of nations called an empire. Others had gone unpunished, as there simply weren't enough troops to deal with them all. With the country at its weakest, several of those dissenting locales had finally taken their chance and seceded, sometimes with military force, all in the past few days. The reason was that they finally had somewhere else to go. The pamphlets and sailors all told of the 'League', more formally the League of the Edict of Tovasel, a military alliance among many of the western countries built around an edict from the founding state's consulate. It declared a policy of armed opposition against Arcarti expansion, and amnesty for those fleeing from the country. Several of the towns nearest Aldrun had already declared independence, and there was talk of the Arcarti military beginning to move, bearing pike and bow to hold down their claim to the land.
At a cheap tavern right off the pier, tastefully called the Sailor's Mast by its owners and home by some of its patrons, the talk was much the same. Hushed tones spoke of both revolution and loyalty, as they would in many taverns and cities for weeks to come. Travelers sat around tables, pointing out places on maps and discussing where best to ride out the storm, or where best to raid outposts that will soon be abandoned. Mercenaries began to populate the area, every now and then a man with a sword at his side would sit down and order a drink, checking with the tavern owner if there were any wealthy clients fleeing the area that required protection. The ancient wooden bar was packed with people seeking reliable news or just employment for the day. Whether the talk was about work or play, one topic always crept back in, silencing the group. What would they do? For the locals it was a question of their identity, for the merchants it was a question of trade rights and profit margins. For the travelers and the adventurers, it was both an opportunity and a risk. A chance to change the world, or profit greatly from it, at the cost of involvement in the conflict should it come. The unsettled reaches of the far north, the mystery and forest shrouded heartlands, the plains of the west and the mountains of the east would all face a plunge into chaos should the tensions between the League and Arcartus escalate to full scale warfare. There were places to run from the battle, but even countries remaining neutral would no doubt feel the strain of the two largest parts of the continent going against one another. With many prospects and possibilities before them, every band of adventurers would end up somewhere different, but for just a moment they all had the same decision to make.
If you want to voice an interest, draft a character, ask me questions all that stuff feel free.
Bio Format: ( not a required format, but the one I find myself using the most )
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race:
Appearance:
Clothing:
Weapons:( or other belongings )
Personality:
History:
The quaint coastal town of Aldrun sat at a border. To the north were the untamed frontier lands. A place full of merchants and nomads that stretched into tundras and badlands until finally the land gave in to icy northern coasts. Aldrun was as far north as most civilized folk cared to travel, and sat at the cusp of where broken ice sheets would float down and threaten the merchant marine. Further, and to the south where the land grew thinner and formed the triangular shape the Estovetian continent was known by, the heart of the kingdom of Arcartus. Its capital, Lieda, isolated amidst mountains and marshlands crammed uncomfortably against the eastern coast. The Arcarti Empire's reach was legendary, it encompassed nearly the entire eastern half of the continent and stood as the largest political presence on Estovet. Common to both directions was a line of snow-capped mountains separating Aldrun from the outside world, a peace it had enjoyed for centuries since its beginning as a warm water port. Once, it had only been used as a rendezvous by northern traders. It bustled now, as more and more northern societies integrated with the countries. The valley it had previously only occupied was now packed full of rugged wooden houses crowned with high roofs. The pier that had once been a few wooden planks had had a harbor dug for it, with a proper dock built by the wealth of the merchants dependent on it. Still true to the old days was the town square, a large circular clearing marking the transition from the port to the residential district. It was made of unpaved ground, where merchants set up their stalls. The port district was more modern, with newer plank buildings populated seemingly only by bars and taverns in competition with one another for who could be the seediest or the gaudiest among them. They all swam equally in sailor's wages, and echoed with dubious tales of adventure or unexplainable happenings in the heartlands. They also brought the news from the outside world, and every so often fanciful accounts of the other continents. Today, the news was told in hushed tones and passed along on pamphlets in almost fearful quietness. The western side of Estovet had traditionally been a collection of tiny, independent states. A sea of flags where the rise and fall of several countries could go nearly unnoticed, and a place that could not oppose the spread of the Arcarti empire. The primary check to the empire's size had been the southwest, with its collection of trade states that could impose leverages outside the scope of Arcartus' military dominance. The empire had long ago stopped being a serious threat to the sovereignty of the western nations, it struggled to hold its lands together under the immense cultural strain of the hundreds of peoples contained within its borders, and all of their different issues and demands. Several of those struggles had turned bloody, with Arcarti soldiers used to restrain the heaving mass of nations called an empire. Others had gone unpunished, as there simply weren't enough troops to deal with them all. With the country at its weakest, several of those dissenting locales had finally taken their chance and seceded, sometimes with military force, all in the past few days. The reason was that they finally had somewhere else to go. The pamphlets and sailors all told of the 'League', more formally the League of the Edict of Tovasel, a military alliance among many of the western countries built around an edict from the founding state's consulate. It declared a policy of armed opposition against Arcarti expansion, and amnesty for those fleeing from the country. Several of the towns nearest Aldrun had already declared independence, and there was talk of the Arcarti military beginning to move, bearing pike and bow to hold down their claim to the land.
At a cheap tavern right off the pier, tastefully called the Sailor's Mast by its owners and home by some of its patrons, the talk was much the same. Hushed tones spoke of both revolution and loyalty, as they would in many taverns and cities for weeks to come. Travelers sat around tables, pointing out places on maps and discussing where best to ride out the storm, or where best to raid outposts that will soon be abandoned. Mercenaries began to populate the area, every now and then a man with a sword at his side would sit down and order a drink, checking with the tavern owner if there were any wealthy clients fleeing the area that required protection. The ancient wooden bar was packed with people seeking reliable news or just employment for the day. Whether the talk was about work or play, one topic always crept back in, silencing the group. What would they do? For the locals it was a question of their identity, for the merchants it was a question of trade rights and profit margins. For the travelers and the adventurers, it was both an opportunity and a risk. A chance to change the world, or profit greatly from it, at the cost of involvement in the conflict should it come. The unsettled reaches of the far north, the mystery and forest shrouded heartlands, the plains of the west and the mountains of the east would all face a plunge into chaos should the tensions between the League and Arcartus escalate to full scale warfare. There were places to run from the battle, but even countries remaining neutral would no doubt feel the strain of the two largest parts of the continent going against one another. With many prospects and possibilities before them, every band of adventurers would end up somewhere different, but for just a moment they all had the same decision to make.
If you want to voice an interest, draft a character, ask me questions all that stuff feel free.
Bio Format: ( not a required format, but the one I find myself using the most )
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race:
Appearance:
Clothing:
Weapons:( or other belongings )
Personality:
History: