This thread will always be open for new characters. If you want to join and can't think of a way to work your character into wherever the story currently is then PM me or hit me up in the OOC and we'll talk it out.
Fire in the West
The quaint coastal town of Aldrun sat at a border. To the north were the untamed frontierlands. 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 find 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 simply profit from the struggles to come. The unsettled reaches of the far north, the mystery-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.
Thread Rules:
1: General roleplay etiquette, this is important. No godmodding, autokill/hit, etc. A sense of tact goes a long way.
2: Actions have consequences. There won't be any falling rocks here, but given the freeform nature of the roleplay, characters can end up in some dangerous situations.
3: Tell me if you don't plan on posting again or are leaving. There are no hard feelings here. Don't get me wrong I love activity as much as the next TM but real life happens. The one thing I need to know, though, is if I have to write some players out of being frozen.
Bio Format (alter as needed):
Name:
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Character List:
Name / Page / Owner
Soah Lander / 1 / Sightles
Crom Vastil / 1 / DrowsyPangolin
Griff Caden / 1 / Namelessjake
Adrian Brady / 1 / MicahTheRogue
Sinette Daunte / 1 / Chazbarry
Milo Ranier / 2 / Sightles
Alec Cross / 2 / DrowsyPangolin
