[OOC] Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

[VitaVitaAR]

Okay, sorry about the delay, let me take a look in a bit.

[KoL]

So, here's my idea. Depending on how things go, I may do a CS for her sister as well:

• Name: Linea Milsteen
• Age: 15 years
• Gender: Female
• Race: Human

• Appearance:

Height: 149 cm | Weight: 42 kg

• Personality: Linea is like a cat, always trying to save her energy, but able to burst into action all of a sudden when needed, especially when said action involves mental challenges, which she's very fond of. In addition to that, Linea always speaks in a low, almost deadpan—or perhaps drowsy— sounding voice, which makes a lot of her comments and remarks come out as snarky, despite that not being her intention... some times.
When it comes to personal interests and hobbies, Linea has her sights set for a few things: books, adventuring, magic, and first of all, her sister. Linea is also very competent in other areas, like cooking, but it's not like she would rather spend time in the kitchen than in a library. Unless, of course, she's cooking for her sister.
Just don't ask her to do anything involving physical effort. Mages have the physical prowess of a wet noodle, after all.
• Brief Backstory: Both Linea and her two-years-older sister Sienna grew up at a church-sponsored countryside orphanage, after losing their parents at an early age. Despite what may be common thinking in relation to the lives of orphans, both of them never had any specific trauma or faced anymore hardships than other children of comparable age and social standing.
In fact, the single Mayonite nuns that ran the old orphanage always treated the children well and, despite the occasional bullies, all the children where taught to at the very least be polite towards one another, even if they didn't want to make friends.
As the two of them slowly came of age, and saw their older friends and acquaintances leave the place they began to call home, the siblings grew aware that they too would soon have to leave it behind, at least partially. Both joined a magic college and began taking lessons in the arcane arts. However, while it became clear that both had a natural knack for the Arts, Sienna's brash personality made her seek a bit of "side training" with an explorers guild.
Both sisters, one being an up-and-coming mage apprentice and the other what may as well be called a spellthief, took a life of adventuring together, being more experienced in dungeoneering and similar tasks than most people with the double of their age.
This path ultimately culminated with Linea receiving a recommendation letter from her tutor, pushing her to join the prestigious Iron Rose Knights as a trainee magic adviser. Whether or not Sienna manages to get a similar recommendation coming from her guild, Linea is sure that it's just a matter of time before the two of them are working together again.
• Equipment: Linea's main noteworthy possessions consist of her grimoire, a crystal-tipped staff and spellcrafting tools and catalysts. She also always carries around a couple of journals and textbooks to assist in note-keeping as well as translation and decryption works, in case she comes across any mysterious source of information.
• Skills: Despite still being an apprentice mage, Linea is quite capable in the spellcrafting arts, possessing knowledge of a good number of general purpose spells, that range from offensive to supportive in nature. Aside from her magic knowledge, Linea is also very good at gathering information, through means like research, translation and decryption of ancient texts.
Despite physical work not being her forte, Linea quite capable of taking care of herself in explorations or similar situations. However, she'll tire out pretty fast if she needs to do any form of prolonged effort, like rope climbing and running.
Nothing is stronger than the links between true family...

[VitaVitaAR]

@KnightsTemplar: With the edits I can't really see any reason to decline him.

@KoL: The only detail I feel the need to point out is she wouldn't be considered a knight of the order, but otherwise she looks fine! I feel like she might get along with Lyrie, given they're both in similar positions.

[Zeeb Blade]

Hi! I'd like to join in if I can. I originally started doing real fantasy roleplaying with Dungeons and Dragons and I was wondering if I could use my D&D main character in the roleplay.

Name: Horkas "Kass" Reks
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Race: Half Wood-elf/ Half Human
Class: Ranger

[VitaVitaAR]

@Zeeb Blade: Er... that's... way too little information.

There's a bio format in the OP.

[Zeeb Blade]

Name: Horkas "Kass" Reks
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Race: Half Wood-elf
Appearance:
Personality: Fun-loving; Carefree; Helpful; Tends to throw caution to the wind, not caring if it gets him in trouble; A hopeless romantic, usually running his mouth and trying to pursue love till he gets slapped or is confronted by their significant other
Brief Backstory: Horkas was born to a Wood elven mother, Elyyana Silistra, and a human father, Vlestaan Reks, in a small farming town ruled over by a corrupt high elf, Tilitar Rybunsti. The father was in the military and would often be away for months at a time, when Tilitar would advance on Elyyana. After his mother being beaten for not taking his advances, Horkas rallied the peasantry and raised the mansion and overthrew their old ruler. Years passed and Horkas had left home to find a better life and found himself embroiled in a seafaring adventure that has since scarred him for life. He made his way off the island by stowing away on a merchant vessel heading to any mainland.
Equipment: Bladed Elvish Longbow, Studded Leather Armor(Worn), Quiver, Explorer's Pack, Quiver with 20 arrows, Snakeeye Emerald(A gemstone that allows for darkvision, sight into one's fears and weaknesses, but is cursed to attempt to corrupt the user with each use)
Skills: Stealth, Acrobatics, Cooking, Bowmanship, Medicine, Diplomacy, Flute Playing
Flaws: Tends to charge recklessly into things, seeing caution as for the cowardly; Lightweight when it comes to drinking

[VitaVitaAR]

@Zeeb Blade: This is not enough information on his skills. This isn't D&D, I don't have a book I can use to look up what you mean.

[Zeeb Blade]

He's very good at finding hiding places and using them to his advantage; He is a very agile person, able to climb up trees with ease; He is very knowledgeable in the mechanics of cooking and can do it very well; His skill with a bow is impressive and is able to hit target several yards away even if they're mostly covered; He is able to identify illnesses and injuries and treat them accordingly; He is a very charismatic person and is able to talk even the most stubborn of people down; And he is skilled at playing the flute and playing various folk songs.

[VitaVitaAR]

@Zeeb Blade: These are things you need to include in your bio.

You also need to explain how and why he's attached to the Iron Roses, as the RP centers on the order. I'd suggest taking another look at the OP.

[Zeeb Blade]

My character wants to help others in need no matter what he has to do, he will do it to defend others. And since he used to have an adventuring group himself, he decided to find a new one and that lead him to the Order.

[VitaVitaAR]

@Zeeb Blade: It's not just an adventuring order. It's a proper knightly order. You kind of need more then that to actually be part of it.

[Zeeb Blade]

@VitaVitaARThen if that's the case, can I be a lone wanderer and we can develop why he would join the Order of the Iron Roses?

[VitaVitaAR]

@Zeeb Blade: Er, no, you kind of need to start as part of the order or in the process of joining it or else you're just some random person. ^^;

He also has to be a knight, barring circumstances like magi attached to the order.

[Lucius Cypher]

Name: Annabeth Elliot
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Appearance:

Personality: Hot-Blooded and dutiful, hits all the right buttons for your typical knight-in-shining armor. She stands up for the weak, gives mercy to the dissolute, and stands up against evil regardless of their strength or their relations. That being said her honorable and upstanding attitude as a knight, while not a facade, is an actively maintained on Annabeth's part. She's all too aware of how people like her can easily fall into zealotry and the pressure of being the beacon of hope for the commonfolk and an exemplary model for nobility can be a burden on her. She's also aware of the complexities that can occur during conflicts, and finding out things like right or wrong, good or evil, isn't as easy as seeing who's looks ugly and who is passably attractive.

Annabeth personally does expect and want honor and glory in the things she does, and while she can accept doing good for goodness sake, she also knows that such rampant generosity will likely make things harder for her in the long run. She believes that hard work equals great rewards, even if that doesn't always happen. Has no patience or tolerance for foolishness and ignorance, for better or for worse. If you aren't smart enough to realize that what you do is wrong, or at least offends Annabeth's morals, than she will give up on words and simply use action. But if you do understand, and simply continue to oppose her due to your own beliefs, she can at least be at ease that she's dealing with an understanding opponent as oppose to a thoughtless barbarian. But such a slippery slope is one of the many hazards a knight like Annabeth must tread carefully, so she tries to think about her actions before she starts them.

Brief Backstory: Annabeth was one of the many children of a barbaric cult who believed they were descendants of dragons, and so they would kidnap women and force them to bare their children to spread their progeny throughout the world. After they had made the mistake of kidnapping the daughter of a powerful noble, an order of knights was dispatched to eliminate the cult down to the man, which had the unfortunate side effect of leaving a lot of pregnant women and orphans. Annabeth was only a toddler of two years old when this happened, and so she was adopted by the order and given a rudimentary education in their beliefs. When she was around seven years old, she began her training in knighthood. Though in the beginning, this involved less swordplay and combat, and more education on things like mathematics, linguistics, philosophies, and the arts. That's not to say she's never seen combat; the knight in which she was the squire of often took it upon himself to seek injustice and right them with all his powers, which shaped Annabeth to be the knight she is now.

It wouldn't be until ten years later after she started her training into knighthood that she would taste battle. Though still a squire in title, she would pick up the sword and fight alongside her knight in his battles, protecting him from treachery as he fought the foes before him. Alas, there was one enemy that his blade could not defeat; time itself. After a particularly brutal battle against a twisted aristocratic family and their personal knights, he received a crippling injury that would effectively end his fighting career. He was forced into retirement, but in exchange for Annabeth's loyal service, he bequeathed his signature warhammer onto her, as well as recommendations into the Order of Iron Roses, a knightly order that he was familiar with. With his blessing and weapon, Annabeth would join the order and continue to serve and fight, earning herself a bit of prestige and funds to be a better knight.

Equipment:
Plate Armor - A highly protective set of steel armor with leather padding underneath. Annabeth has trained in the use of heavy armors like this for much of her life, to the point that she feels most comfortable in full armor than out of it. She can even rest and dance with it on, though of course she has to get out of it sometimes to maintain it and well as wash. Has seen much combat and indeed, most parts of her armor aren't even from the original set; she's had bits and pieces replaced over the course of her career when they become too damaged to simply patch up. Thus it has a rather dull hue.
War Hammer - Annabeth's weapon of choice, this weaponized maul has a blunt head that can crush through even plate armor, or spike ends that can be used to impale a charging foe, pierce a shield, or spike a skull. She especially enjoys employing a disarming/sundering technique against sword-wielding opponents. Annabeth's warhammer differs from your standard one with a single trick that her former master had taught her; the handle can extend, turning the warhammer into a four-foot long war hammer into a seven foot long lucerne hammer, and Annabeth knows the technique to extend it's reach mid-swing.
Arming Sword - What knight wouldn't be complete without a sword by his side? Annabeth is as skilled with her sword as she is with her hammer, often utilizing it should her hammer be disarmed or unavailable. It's Annabeth's personal sword when she became old enough to fight, and has her name etched in bronze along the side of the blade.
Arbalest - What a layperson may refer to as a "Heavy Crossbow"; this bowgun is crank operated and uses a steel bow as oppose to a wooden one, allowing it to impart greater force at greater range. Powerful enough to punch through plate armor at close ranges, Annabeth has once used this weapon to shoot a target up to 1000 feet away. Granted, that target wasn't moving and had no idea that Annabeth was there, but it was still a headshot. She tends to use this weapon as an opener if her targets have no idea where she's at.
Buckler - A small metal shield suited for parrying and hand-to-hand combat, but less for open warfare. While Annabeth is skilled with it, she typically only uses this when she uses her arming sword, which is typically only in duels or desperate situations. Still she can easily have it equipped even if she's using her bow or War Hammer, so it's convenient compared to a larger knightly shield.

Skills:
Combat - As one may expect from a knight, Annabeth is skilled in combat. But while some would focus entirely on their swordsmanship, Annabeth's knowledge isn't just in the sword. And in fact, she considers her swordsmanship shoddy compared to her skills with the war hammer. She favors her war hammer not only because of it's crushing power, but because it's longer than most standard arming swords, allowing her to easily keep her distance against skilled foes using shorter weapons. Additionally she knows how to use her armor; she's not like some who simply brace themselves and let themselves be struck square on with weapons. She knows how to shift and move in full plate to allow her armor to naturally deflect even bludgeoning blows to minimize or even neutralize damage. And lastly, she is a deadeye with her Arbalest; she prides herself on being able to strike a target from a thousand feet away. Granted that target has to be standing still and ideally not aware of her, but most wouldn't expect a knight to be able to harm them from a 100 feet away let alone 1000.
Carpentry - As part of her education as a knight, Annabeth was given training and education in carpentry. This doesn't just involve the likes of chairs and tables; given sufficient time and materials she could craft a small hut to a sturdy fortress. She also knows how to apply this knowledge to constructing siege weapons such as trebuchets or ballistas. Though she personally prefers using her expertise to make life-like wooden sculptures of people and creatures. She one day wishes to create an completely autonomous statue that doesn't rely solely on magic to animate it.
Linguistics - Annabeth has received quite an extensive education, including the ability to communicate with other races, hopefully to arrange a peaceful arrangement instead of engaging in bloody warfare. She's considered fluent in elvish, even the elvish of Dark Elves, as well as dwarven, fey, orcish, and gaint. She'd have a vague understanding of other languages that aren't in an ancient dialect, though she wouldn't know how to speak or write them exactly. Annabeth has also been trying to develop two language that is entirely devoid of spoke words; one is an alphabet for the blind, and another is a series of hand motions for the deaf. So far she is the only known practitioner.
Mounted Combat - Annabeth is a skilled enough horse rider that she can reliably do battle while on horseback, often using her war hammer like a lance to impale her foes with ride-by attacks. Additionally she's capable enough that she can even draw, load, and shoot her Arbalest while mounted, a notable feat considering how bulky the weapon is.
Smithing - A skill derivative of both her carpentry knowledge and her time as a squire. While not a considerably skilled smith compared to others who are dedicated to their crafts, Annabeth is skilled enough that she can make tools needed for construction as well as repairing and maintaining her equipment. She also crafts her own crossbow bolts and is experimenting with different bolt designs. So far she has two; one is a bolt that can allow her to more easily make long range shots, though the bolt itself is notably fragile, while another bolt is heavier and better at penetrating armor and shields but has a notable drop in range.

[Raineh Daze]

@Lucius Cypher Sorry for the delayed response, but there are a few issues here.

#1) That backstory. It's... too randomly dark to fit the setting. Not only does it not fit, there is zero chance that anything like it would ever be mentioned or touched upon in the roleplay. So... less dragon rape cults, please?

#2) Too many unrelated skills. This isn't an RPG where all skills are piled onto one or two characters. Master of many weapons, genius linguist, smith, and a carpenter--and not at subdued levels, but on a level of everything from making a chair to architectural carpentry and advanced work on making weapons... it's too many skills for one person to have.

Plus I'm fairly certain that the jobs of the peasantry and craftsmen have never been anywhere near a knight's education.

(More for information's sake, languages are more regional than race based. And talking with orcs is pointless unless you're morally bankrupt)

#3) Can we please have an appearance out of armour? Most people take it off quite a lot.

[Lucius Cypher]

Yeah fair enough. I just wanted a convenient excuse for why she doesn't know her parents very well. I could make something less dark but still leave her effectively orphaned. Orc attack on her village or something.

I always figured knights would be educated on many things outside of warfare, since most are expected to be courtly people too. I can remove the carpentry and smithing thing though, those are more hobbies than skills I expect her to use. Still I don't think it's too wild for a knight to be skilled in more than just one weapon. A warhammer, a sword, and a crossbow. Also I figured it would be within her interest to know what her enemies might be talking about if she ever has to interrogate or gets close enough to eavesdrop on them; knowledge is power and knowing what people are talking about is important. Even if it's not race base, I'd hope she would be proficient in foreign languages anyways. That much would be within a knight's education.

As for the out of armor appearance I have one in mind, this one specifically, just wanted to make it clear that the image shown is her actual armor, not what she wears in her face claim.

[Raineh Daze]

@Lucius Cypher Well, yeah, the warfare skills and languages aren't particularly unexpected. It's just simultaneously having a level of skill in things that are decidedly non-courtly, militant, or noble that would require every bit as much time given to working in a forge that get a bit questionable.

Once you've made the changes, I think it should be fine?

[VitaVitaAR]

@Lucius Cypher: What @Raineh Daze said, basically. ^^;

I'll probably post tomorrow or the day after.

[Zelosse]

You folks got room for a return?

[VitaVitaAR]

@Zelosse: Hmm, maybe.