[OOC] Darkness in the Light

[Zamokra41]

Theme

Still OPEN, Come on in!

Welcome, Adventures to the ‘Darkness in the Light. This is a Casual High-Fantasy RP where we play a group of misfit adventures seeking our fortune and getting ourselves way in over our heads, like in the good olden days. This RP is meant to be more-or-less relaxed and while the story, lore and the like should be treated seriously, moments of levity are highly encouraged, the main purpose is to have fun.

That being said, there are a couple of Rules that should be kept in mind :
1. No God-modding
2. Be nice
3. No excessive swearing or gore
4. NO adult situations
5. 3-4 paragraphs minimum per post, please
6. Decent grammar
7. If you wish to retire, announce us please

Please take your time to read through the LORE section as it will allow you to familiarize yourself with this world. Keep in mind though that this world is continuously expanding and we are basically creating it together, what you are about to read is something of a ‘ground-work’ from where to start.

LORE

An introduction to the world and its recent history…

They say that in every soul, no matter how dark and tainted, a spark of light and goodness can be found, however small and dim it may be, with the possibility of growing and changing a person entirely. If it is indeed so, then would the opposite also be true? The wisest minds would ponder before answering, yet recent events gave answer for them..

The lands of Auguria have always known peace, despite the conflict between its inhabiting, ruling races. Conflicts that have, indeed escalated into violence yet always swiftly resolved and never spiraling out of control, an uneasy peace being established for the sake of preserving lives and the fortitude of the lands. Yet twisted desires run deep even in the most noble of hearts, like the one of the once fair Celerion, former King of the Elves and Ruler of the West, who was driven mad by his lust for power and mobilized his troops into a bloody conquest, aiming to subjugate all of Auguria and its inhabitants. Naturally, not all Elves would blindly follow their leader into war born out of dark ambition, yet whoever opposed him met with a brutal end and harsh treatment by their own kin, the Elven people becoming prisoners in their own homeland.

With his own people subjugated, Celerion, now calling himself the Great Lord, marched in the North against one of the two Human Kingdoms, slaying, pillaging and burning all that stood in its way. It didn’t take long before the unprepared Kingdom of the North fell and the Great Lord claimed the lands for his own, brutally executing any and all who dared to disobey. News spread throughout the land and the Human Kindom of the South was quick to mobilize against this mad king and stop his conquest before more lives were lost to his untamed ambition. It was at the border of the Northern Kingdom that the noble Harald, King of the South, challenged the conqueror and demanded the liberation of their sister Kingdom. The Great Lord responded by emerging, along with his troops, clad in new, twisted armor and wielding unnatural powers, using them to trample down the opposition and splitting their king in half with his axe.

With their king dead, the responsibility of guiding the remaining Human nation fell to the young price Darius and along with his chancellors came to the conclusion that an alliance with the Dwarves and Orcs was the only solution to stop this threat before it was too late. The Dwarven High King of the East was eager to aid after witnessing for himself the ravages left behind by the Conqueror and the very real threat to his own people. The Orcs were harder to convince, yet their Warchiefs eventually came to an agreement, if only this once, that this Mad King had to be put down. However, while an alliance between the Humans, Dwarves and Orcs was forged, the Great Lord also grew in power, uncovering dark, forbidden magic, turning the once fertile soil of the North into blackened wastelands and changing his own people into creatures of twisted metal and bone, mindless, blindly obedient and born of their master’s dark desires.

Witnessing the horrors unleashed by their own ruler, the remaining fraction of un-corrupted Elves fled and convinced their brethren in the West that their once fair king had lost himself to darkness and must be stopped. While the Great Lord lead his foul troops against the opposing alliance of Humans, Dwarves and Orcs, the remnant Elves knew that even their combined force was no match against the unnatural power wielded by the Conqueror, and thus resorted to seeking aid from the reclusive wizards, hidden somewhere in the central region of Auguria. Upon finding them, the wizards revealed they were well aware of the situation and were franticly searching for a solution, hoping that the alliance between the ruling races would buy them enough time.

The Great War, as it is known today, lasted for years… Yet even the blackest of nights gives way to the light of a new dawn. The Mad King had been defeated after a band of heroes, led by Archmage Kornelious, uncovered a weakness and defeated the Great Lord, forcing him to retreat into his new dark Fortress in the North. Without their leader, the Abhorrent slowly lost ground against the combined forces of Humans, Dwarves, Orcs and Elves, retreating further and further into the Black Lands from where they were created. Ultimately, the Great War had come to an end, with the Black Fortress demolished and the last of the Abhorrent vanquished, yet victory was bitter-sweet. The lands of the North had been corrupted beyond redemption and the Great Lord himself was nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, the land could rest easy after these dark days and its inhabitants celebrated. The Elves slowly rebuild their kingdom, the Humans and Dwarves remained allies while the Orcs, true to their word, returned to their nomadic ways, wishing to keep relations with the other ruling races to a minimum.

7 years have passed since the Great War had ended and Auguria is still recovering from its ravages. It is in this age that adventurers and would-be-heroes, more than ever aspire to great deeds and accomplishments that would bring them fame and fortune.

Races

The Ruling Races of Auguria

Humans

The most common and numerous race in the world, Humans come in all shapes and sizes and from a large variety of backgrounds. Humans have the shortest life-span of the ruling races, living to just shy of 100 years. Perhaps it is due to their comparatively short lives that Humans are so ambitious and strive to achieve as much as possible throughout their lives, displaying vast potential in a broad variety of fields be them arts, trade, knowledge, magic, martial skill or many more. The Humans of Auguria are no different, populating the Kingdom to the South, they have established relatively pleasant relations with the other ruling races, even the Orcs with whom they had the most trouble in the olden times. One would be oddly accurate to call Humans, ‘everyone’s second-best friend’.

Elves

Considered the eldest race in the world, Elves are characterized by their grace, elegance and penchant for achieving perfection in whatever ambition strikes their fancy. Similar to Humans, Elves boast a certain kind of ambition and potential in a large variety of fields, be them combat prowess, research, magic or the arts, an Elf would aim for nothing short of mastery in their chosen field. Unlike Humans, however, it is quite uncommon for an Elf to spread himself on multiple talents, usually focusing on a particular set of skills loosely connected to eachother and striving to achieve the highest proficiency possible, not worrying for time as they typically live upwards to 500 years of age. With their talent and ambition comes hubris, many Elves are known to look down on the other races for one reason or another though most of the time they strive to keep silent out of politeness. Lately that attitude may have changed in some as this level of hubris and ambition is believed to be the spark that set their former king down the path of disaster.

Dwarves

Short-stacked, burly, thick-headed, gifted craftsmen and an uncanny high tolerance for spirits, those would be how one would describe a typical Dwarf. While it all may be true, a Dwarf would call it a vast stereotyping of their people, as whether one would like to admit it or not, Dwarves and Humans have more in common than one would first think and just their similar life-span. While typically shorter and more stocky, Dwarves come in all manner of shapes and sizes, some even boasting near human-like heights. Just like Humans and Elves, Dwarves boast a potential for learning a vast array of skills, yet unlike the other races, mastery in their respective professions usually is taught and passed down from generations like a family heirloom. It is quite uncommon for a Dwarf born in a family of smiths to become a sorcerer or a poet, for example, however they bear a fiery will and a heart for adventure and as such, while it is uncommon it is not unheard of Dwarves that branch out into something completely different than what their families have been doing for generations.

Orcs

The Orcs are a strong and tightly knit people, valuing tradition and family relations above anything. They consider themselves to be the first inhabitants of Auguria, seeing all the other races as potential ‘outsiders’, it is perhaps due to this and their natural hostility that their kind and the other ruling races have had great conflicts in the past. Regardless of their motives, it took a long time before they managed to win the uneasy trust of the other races, the Humans in particular. As a result of their past aggression, one cannot help but feel a sensation of unease in their subconscious when interacting with an Orc. But assuming that great force and barbaric savagery is all that characterize and Orc would be mistake, as one can witness that their unique culture revolves around a worship of the nature and an aim of co-existing and surviving in balance with their environment, not unlike the Elves. Unlike all the other ruling races, though, Orcs have no place to call a ‘kingdom’ preferring to live as numerous nomadic tribes establishing temporary settlements and living there for a number of years before moving on. It is due to their wanderlust that many small Orc families have begun to wander quite close to the more civilized cities and villages and trade with the population, not so much for coin but more for other goods. Many Orcs however, would prefer a life of combat, becoming mercenaries boasting great martial prowess or resorting to becoming brigands and raiders. Just like with the rest of the ruling races, there good and bad examples, as such one should probably keep an open mind with regards to these green-skinned giants.

Notable Sub-Races

Goblins

Small, sneaky and very greedy. Goblins have always been a nuisance for the traveler, hence why it is often recommended one stick to the main roads and should you be a merchant with a caravan, then it is advisable to spend the extra coin for some extra protection and avoid finding yourself ambushed by a band of savage Goblins wielding stolen weapons and adding your wares to their collection of plundered goods. Luckily for most, Goblins are also known to be quite cowardly and avoid confrontation against groups, yet one should not underestimate a cornered Goblin with nothing to lose.

Undead

The Undead are reanimated corpses, moved by nothing but malice and dark magic. It is unusual for one to find Undead without a dark sorcerer controlling them, yet some claim that certain places where tragic and disturbing events took place attract restless spirits that possess the long-dead and seek to do harm to anyone and anything with a pulse.

---Revenants---
Particularly powerful necromancy and numerous living sacrifices results in the creation of this particular type of Undead. A Revenant is an example of what some sorcerers would call 'near-perfect reanimation', these beings are far superior to the ordinary living-dead thralls, possessing higher intelligence to the point where they recall and retain skills gained from their previous lives and possess a will of their own, albeit bound to the one who 'created' them. To add to their repertoire, a Revenant possess an uncanny ability to regenerate from even the most grievous of wounds in a matter of moments, provided certain restrictions and a particular weak-spot.
[Created by @Shard]

Trolls

Trolls are large, lumbering and highly aggressive, primitive beasts of immense strength found in varying sizes in forests, plains and mountainous locations. Most take the smart approach and avoid any confrontation with a Troll entirely, which is easily done thanks in part to their very poor eyesight, yet there are those daring enough to hunt these creatures for their teeth which can be sold to interested collectors for a high price. Yet fighting even one of these monsters is no simple task, their skin is as hard as stone and while most are slow, it only takes one solid strike from a Troll to break bone like snapping a twig.

Fiends

Similar to the Undead, Fiends, or Demons as some call them, are creatures born or brought into our world though dark and forbidden magic. Unlike the Undead however, a Fiend has a malicious will of its own and more often than not is hard to control for all but the most skilled sorcerer. The simple act of merely summoning a Fiend requires a sacrifice of blood and once in our world it is likely that the creature will disobey any direct commands unless enforced with a particular command spell, some being more easily ‘persuaded’ than others. While it is very rare to find a ‘wild’ Fiend, it is not unheard of situations where these creatures either escape or go so far as to slay their own summoner and roam the land on their own. With all that in consideration, is it any wonder that the wisest of wizards suggest one should refrain from summoning a Fiend even in the most dire of situations?

Satyrs

Woodland inhabitants and gentle by nature, Satyrs have been around in Auguria for as long as anyone can remember, living simple lives deep within the untamed wilderness, as far away as possible from other 'civilized' settlements. At first glance, some may confuse them for Fiends yet this misunderstanding is usually quickly resolved with a short conversation as Satyrs are known as nature worshipers, living in perfect harmony with their environment and wild animals. Their wood-carving craftsmanship is the stuff of legends, a talent perfected throughout the centuries as they are known to despise metalwork, one of the reasons why they consider the Elves and Orcs to be merely 'pretend-nature-worshipers'. Due to their talents, overall friendly demeanor and deceivingly developed intelligence, some Satyrs like to travel away from their homes and interact with the outside world, becoming mostly story-tellers and sometimes traders or wood-based craftsmen, these 'strays' do accept coin as payment as they understand its necessity despite their aversion to metal.

Abhorrent

The Abhorrent were twisted creations of the Great Lord after corrupting the subjugated Humans and even his own people with dark and forbidden magic, melding their flesh and bone with metal and filling their minds and hearts with hate. Their humanity gone, these terrible creatures existed only to serve the Great Lord and spill the blood of his enemies. After their master’s defeat, the Abhorrent, while still a threat, were slowly pushed back and eventually hunted down one by one. Today, one commonly knows that these monstrosities are no more yet their nightmarish impact still haunt the minds of those they fought and one cannot help but feel paranoid on the possibility of some having escaped and might be still wandering the land.

The Plot, where do we start?

As I mentioned in the introduction, we will be playing as a newly formed band of misfit adventurers and would-be-heroes seeking our fortune. Our characters have recently been acquainted with eachother and have been hired by a rather surreptitious Elf merchant named Timothy to assist him on an expedition in some forgotten ruins. He refused to reveal much about the exact purpose of this expedition but we were all promised a handsome reward and quite frankly we need the money and couldn’t afford to say no. Super basic stuff, yes I know, but the story will evolve from there.

Character Sheet

Appearance : Image is good, description is better, both is awesome.

Name : The name and/or nickname of your character

Title : This is your ‘class’ so to speak, something that gives us an idea of particular set of abilities your character has. Someone called ‘The Defender’, for example, would be proficient in using a shield and essentially guarding the more squishy members of our party.

Gender : Self explanatory

Age : No younger than 20, please and no older than 50 either. Regardless of race

Personality : What is your character like?

Abilities : Tied to the ‘title’, this is where you go into more detail about your character’s particular set of skills is. Be as imaginative as you like but I would like to point out that we are all simple adventurers with not a lot of experience, so no overpowered legendary skills please, do your best to keep your character balanced. Everyone hates a Marry-Sue, right?

Skills : This where you describe what your character’s skills that are unrelated to their ‘title’. Things such as cooking, singing or juggling small rodents while riverdancing and the like should be written.

Gear : Only describe what your character has on them in terms or weapons, armor and other useful gadgets and trinkets. Miscellaneous items such as food, rope, sleeping bag or cough syrup will be implied to be present according to the context of each situation. Again, we are simple adventurers, no legendary Deus-Ex-Machina-like items please.

Bio : A description of your character’s history. It can be as detailed or as brief as you like.

Other : Anything else you would like to mention?

Check the Character-tab for an example of an ordinary CS

If there are any questions with regards to anything, feel free to ask

[Zamokra41]

Important Personalities

More to come as our characters meet them.

Celerion

Commonly known as The Great Lord

Other Aliases : The Mad King, The Conqueror, The Corruptor, The Dark Elf

Celerion was once the king of the Elves and Ruler of the West, known for his fair judgment and wisdom. For decades he had lead his people with a pure heart, avoiding potentially escalating conflicts with the other races and guiding his people to a bright future. The events and potential causes that had led him to his sudden change are unknown and many speculations and theories have risen over time, each one equally as likely and unlikely as the other. Regardless of the reason, Celerion had plunged Auguria into its darkest of years, the Great War costing many lives and giving birth to many atrocities and dark creatures that some believe still wander the lands to this day, hidden in the shadows. After his defeat, the Great Lord fled and was never seen again, no traces have been found even after the ransacking and crumbling of his Black Fortress. The Great Lord was known as a skilled warrior, brandishing a Great-Axe with an unnatural ferocity never seen before. Before his defeat, he was considered invincible in battle, singlehandedly slaying whole troops and shrugging off blows that would normally be fatal. To top it off, after conquering the North and establishing it as his new seat of power, Celerion had learn to wield twisted dark magic which corrupted both the land and his own people, making an even greater threat.

The Bright Lady

Ture name unknown

The Bright Lady was The Great Lord’s lady love and mistress after subjugating his own people which included his former queen. It has been reported that the Bright Lady was always seen by the Great Lord’s side, silently gazing upon the atrocities he committed. It was later discovered by Aurelious the Red, a wizard of the Council, that this mysterious figure was far more special than anyone would think. It was the Bright Lady that seem to be the source of the Great Lord’s unnatural power, as long she was by his side, the Mad King would remain unbeatable. With this discovery, a daring plan had been made and a group of heroes had successfully defeated the Great Lord after the Archmage Kornelious trapped the Bright Lady’s spirit and very essence in an enchanted vial, believing that simply slaying her would not be enough.

Kornelious

Title : Archmage

Kornelious is an Elven wizard that spent his whole life at the Council, studying and perfecting the art of magic before teaching it to others. His former masters and teachers saw him as a natural prodigy with vast potential, this combined with his diligent and dedicated efforts all but assured him the seat of Archmage, a position which he maintained for the last 5 decades. It was Kornelious himself that devised a plan, aided by a band of skilled heroes, which led to the downfall of the Great Lord. After his colleague, Aurelious the Red, managed to uncover that the Bright Lady was the source of the Great Lord’s apparent invincibility, Kornelious came to the conclusion that there must be something unnatural about her and as such, simply slaying her would probably yield nothing. In conclusion, Kornelious created an enchanted vial which he used to entrap the Bright Lady’s soul, leaving her physical body as an empty husk. Since the end of the Great War, Kornelious has returned to his usual duties as Archmage while spending his spare time in research, trying to uncover the true nature of the Bright Lady and finding an explanation for her bizarre powers. He entrusted the safe-keeping of the vial to Aurelious, a decision which he now regrets ever since his disappearance.

Aurelious

Other aliases : Aurelious the Red, The Red Drifter, The Red Mage

Aurelious is a human wizard of the Council known for his vibrant red garb and mastery over the element of fire, which led to his alias. In his youth, Aurelious was a pupil under Archmage Kornelious himself, admiring the Elf for his vast knowledge and mastery over magic, a feat which he could only dream of one day even coming close to. As the years passed, Aurelious displayed a rather peculiar lack of interest in any form of magic beyond the basic practices, exception being the manipulation of fire which he mastered in record time, according to some of his former masters. As time passed, he even grew disinterested with researching anything other than myths and legends, grossly falling behind on his responsibilities as a teacher and leading to a number of conflicts with his fellow colleagues which resulted in an early retirement and him becoming a wanderer, seldom returning to the Council. Despite everything, it was Aurelious who uncovered the secret behind the Great Lord’s invulnerability, a feat which he refuses to explain to this day. After the Great War ended, Archmage Kornelious entrusted Aurelious with the safe-keeping of the vial containing the Bright Lady’s spirit, assuming that the Red Mage had changed his wandering ways, an assumption that was obviously wrong since it didn’t take long for Aurelious to disappear on the road again, leading to the wizards of the Council growing increasingly worrisome as he took the precious vial with him.

Lyanna

Commonly known as Lyanna Blackthorn

Other aliases : Lyanna the Crow, Mistress of Shadow, Lady of the Dead

Not much is known of the elusive Lyanna Blackthron, her past remaining a mystery wrapped in a riddle to all but herself and the reasons behind everything she does seemingly coinciding with other people’s interests. What is known is her ability to wield dark magic, a feat which made many believe that she may have, at some point, been a part of the Council as well as eventually being banished from there as well as any other potential home. Lyanna knows full well that her necromantic magic makes others highly untrustworthy and suspicious of her yet she seems to delight in other people’s uneasiness, another reason why she only keeps very short, temporary company during her travels. Despite her personality and the nature of her magic, her name now carries some reverence, mixed with uneasiness and suspicion, due to her and Archmage Kornelious being the only surviving members of the band of heroes that defeated the Great Lord all those years ago. Ever since the Great War has ended, no one has seen Lyanna Blackthron, leaving only rumors of a slender woman clad in black being spotted at different times in several villages all across Auguria.

King Harald

Former King of the Southern Human Kingdom

King Harald was a gentle ruler who managed to continue guiding his people even after the death of his wife and second child, dedicating himself to being a just ruler and good mentor to his only son, Darius. When the Great Lord conquered the sister Kingdom to the North, Harald wasted no time and rallied his troops to march against him, leaving behind only a sufficient force to defend the Kingdom in his absence. Sadly, Harald was slayed at the border and his army decimated.

King Darius

King of the Southern Human Kingdom

Son of King Harald and Queen Irene, Darius was very young when his mother died in childbirth and his sibling was stillborn; as such he was the only heir and moral support that his father had left. His childhood was always filled with study and martial training in order to prepare him to one day ascend the throne, only intensified after the tragedy that occurred. Alas, Darius lived through a second tragedy when his father died on the field and the people turned to him for guidance in the dark times of the Great War. Despite being the acting King, Darius refused to officially accept the crown until the crisis was brought to an end, with the help of his chancellors he successfully signed an alliance with the Dwarven High King and with his aid in turn, even convinced the Orc Warchiefs to lend their aid against the Mad King. While he was highly suspicious and mistrustful of the remaining Elves who turned on their former ruler, it was Darius who officially pardoned them in the end, claiming that the Elves had suffered just as much as all the other races during this war. A few months after the Great War had ended, Darius was officially crowned the King of the Southern Human Kingdom at the age of 19.

High King Ooran

Ruler of the Dwarven Kingdom in the South-East

Other aliases : Ooran of the Molten Iron

Ooran the Ironborn has been the High King of the Dwarves for the better part of the last 5 decades, assuming the throne after his elder brother had been assassinated by revolutionists who opposed his rule. Enraged by this act, Ooran is known to have enforced a strict and harsh rule during his first 3 years as High King, all with the intention of baiting another assassination attempt, capturing the culprit and having them reveal the main perpetrators. His own people had indeed suffered during those 3 years, yet at the end all the revolutionists had been captured and publicly and gruesomely executed by pouring molten iron into their mouths, Ooran receiving the alias ‘of the Molten Iron’ since. Despite a short-temper and thick-headness atypical even for a Dwarf, Ooran has proven to be a strong leader ruled his people justly, becoming steadily less harsh as the years go by. When the acting King of the South, Darius, came to him with the proposition of an alliance against the Great Lord’s threat, Ooran wasted no time in accepting and even helped persuade the Orc Warchiefs, despite his particularly low opinion of their brutish kind. After the Great War ended, Ooran was rather surprised of how quickly Darius pardoned the Elves, yet he remained silent for the sake of keeping good relations with his new allies, however he remains highly suspicious of the Elves to this day.

Queen Analiss

Queen of the Elven Kingdom and Ruler of the West

Queen Analiss had always been fateful and supporting of her husband even when others doubted him, yet she was the first to speak against his plans of conquering Auguria, claiming that such ambition can only lead to suffering. As a response to her ‘insolence’, her former husband had imprisoned her in the lowest levels of the dungeon and intended to have her tortured and starved. Fortunately, the torturer remained loyal to her and as soon as Celerion had departed for his conquest, Analiss had been secretly freed and kept hidden by the few still loyal Elves which remained free. For the better part of the war, Analiss struggled to find a way to persuade her people against her former husband, yet she refrained from organizing a revolutionary force, both because she lacked the numbers and didn’t want to have her own people killing eachother. After the Great Lord had twisted those loyal to him into the fell Abhorrent, the remaining Elves had abandoned him and all now rallied to their queen. Hearing of the Great Lord’s use of dark magic, Analiss came to the conclusion that only the wizards of the Council could find a solution to combat such forces and lead an expedition herself of finding their hidden headquarters. She was prepared to fall to her knees and beg for the wizard’s assistance only to discover, to her relief, that they had already been searching for a solution and at their suggestion, the queen joined forces with the Humans, Dwarves and Orcs in order to buy more time and at the very least halt her former husband’s advance. After the Great Lord’s defeat and the demolishing of his Black Fortress, Analiss lead several hunting parties ensuring that she eliminated every remaining Abhorrent, disgusted by the way her own people had been twisted and corrupted. These days, Queen Analiss dedicates her time to guiding her people and rebuilding their Kingdom.

Ramon

Known as Ramon the Lion Knight

Other aliases : Ramon Lionheart, Orc Slayer, The Knight of the Bridge

A hedge Knight under the employ of several Human and Dwarf nobles throughout his career. Among his heroic deeds, the most notable was his feat of singlehandedly slaying a large number of Orc Brigands and preventing them from crossing a bridge which lead to a densely populated village close to the South-Eastern border of the Human Kindgom. One of the band of heroes lead by Archmage Kornelious who defeated the Great Lord. Succumbed to his wounds after keeping the Mad King busy and buying time for Archmage Kornelious to capture the Bright Lady.

Donovan

Known as Donovan of the East

Other aliases : Donovan the Bronze, The Knight Beyond the Sea

A warrior from a distant land across the sea, far to the East. His reasons for traveling so far from his homeland remain a mystery yet many had benefited from his assistance. Among his heroic deeds, the most notable was his feat of leading a rebellion against a ruthless Human duke, training the newly-formed militia in his bizarre and exotic fighting style, successfully defeating the duke’s trained soldiers despite being outnumbered and suffering only minimal losses while he himself was mostly untouched. One of the band of heroes lead by Archmage Kornelious who defeated the Great Lord. Died after being overwhelmed by a large number of Abhorrent.

Silica

Known as Silica of the Blue Lake

Other aliases : Silica the Shadow, Silica Death’s Head, The Reaper’s Widow

A skilled, Elven assassin known for striking fear in her victims before killing them and only preying on those she deems wicked. Among her heroic deeds, the most notable was her feat of deceiving and manipulating a number of Elven and Human nobles, who had previously been working together on dirty schemes, into employing her services against each other, distributing the wealth among the poor and delivering their heads to other associates as a warning. One of the band of heroes lead by Archmage Kornelious who defeated the Great Lord. Slayed by the Great Lord himself after attempting to deliver a mortal blow during his escape.

Timothy

Aliases: Curios Tim(seldom used)

An Elven merchant known to travel the lands in search for rare and unusual objects which he sells at a high price. Most of his stuff are curios items of questionable use, yet he claims that his collection of curiosities are the finest and rarest in all of Auguria, a statement which makes most people raise an eyebrow and provokes muffled chuckles from his fellow tradesmen. Little is known about Timothy himself, he never speaks of his past, unless one would count the many flared tales of how he acquired several of his curios, and never sticks around a single location for too long, leaving with little notice when one would least expect. Under such circumstances, one has to wonder how he always seems to have enough currency on his person to afford lodging in various inns or, in this case, hire on a group of adventurers for his latest expedition. Whatever his secret, Timothy never seems to be short on silver, emblazoned stories or cheeky smirks.

Places of Interest

More to come as we both build and visit them

Greyhaven

The capital city of the remaining Human Kingdom of the South. A great city built around a large fortress that serves as the caste for the royal family. The fortress itself was once called Greyhaven and was built since old times when the Humans first established themselves in Auguria. The fortress was built as a defense against the dangers of the outside, the savage Orcs in particular, and slowly grew as the lands have been properly colonized by the old Human inhabitants. By the time Greyhaven became a proper city, an off-shoot branch of Humans traveled to the North and started establishing a second home, in time forming the Twin Human Kingdoms of the North and South. Nowadays, with the Northern Kingdom eradicated, the Kingdom of the South is the only home for the Humans with its capital city of Greyhaven, home to many generations of Human Kings and Queens.

Earthholme

Deep within the forested homelands of the Elven Kingdom to the West, lies a small port-town at the very edge of Auguria, from there one can sail to a small, not-so-distant isle. This isle is in fact the capital city of the Elves, Eartholme, a large city build in harmony with its natural environment, much more spacious, exotic and elegant in comparison to the Human and Dwarven cities. Eartholme is the oldest city of the Elves, its remote location offering great safety from the mainland until they eventually started to colonize the vast forests of the West. Some even consider that it may be the first proper city established in Auguria, Elves living, training, studying and perfecting their arts for hundreds of years.

Stonehold

In the Eastern part of Auguria, lies a vast mountain chain where the Dwarves make their home. Due to the rocky terrain, the Dwarven Kingdom mostly consists of small settlements and a small number of farms in the plains at the foot of the mountains. At the top of the smallest mountain lies the stronghold of Stonechain and beyond it are the Stone Stairs, a wide array of hundreds and hundreds of steps that lead up the steep mountainside in a zigzag, all the way to the top where one can find Stonehold, the city of the mountains and capital of the Dwarven Kingdom. It is here where the seat of the High King can be found, build from the quality stone and considered by many to be the most secure city in all of Auguria due to its impressive fortifications and location. An old city yet one that was populated only for the last few hundred years as it took immense effort and time to build and properly establish, a feat of legend that the Dwarves are particularly proud of.

Greathall

Somewhere in the central part of Auguria lies cave, concealed by magical means and visible only to those born with the ability to wield the mystic arts. Should one discover it, one only needs to walk through it and by the time they reach the other side they will emerge out of the dark and find themselves on the elusive island of Greathall. A piece of the land that has been plucked and raised to the skies by sorcerers of old as a safe haven for all practitioners of magic to learn, teach and hone their arts. While it is true that each Kingdom has its own establishments and means of teaching magic to those with the gift, it is without a doubt that Greathall represents the highest and most prestigious home of learning for mages, it is here where one may find the Council, an order of highly knowledgeable and powerful wizards that perfect their mystical arts and are more than willing to teach any young protégé with the proven potential of finding them.

[Artymis]

Heya man, the concept and detail that you've already put in is great and I'm interested, but I feel you should post in the interest check to see if more people would be on board.

[Shard]

I'm in. Got an undead species I've made, I'll send it to you and see if it is acceptable.

[Ryuji Sakamoto]

I'd like to join this! Might bring back one of my fave Pathfinder characters as well.

[Duoya]

Interested. I was thinking of making a troll that was a lackey/slave and was owned by another character, so if anybody would be okay with that, please PM me.

[Slingshot]

I'm interested, I'll start working on a CS right now.

[Zamokra41]

...I was thinking of making a troll that was a lackey/slave and was owned by another character....

@Duoya

Unfortunately I will have to say a reluctant 'no..' to this. Please understand, Trolls in this world are little more than wild animals when it comes to intelligence and the mere idea of ATTEMPTING to tame one is ludicrous at best. Sorry

[Slingshot]

Hey where is this adventure starting out?

[Duoya]

@Zamokra41
Ah, alright, no prob. Guess I'll go orc then.

[Zamokra41]

Hey where is this adventure starting out?

@Slingshot

For the sake of convenience ( and to avoid just one of the many possible cliches of High-Fantasy) we will be skipping the 'bar-scene' where our group talks and negotiates with the Elf merchant Timothy and start off on our way to the ruins we are supposed to explore somewhere within the edges of the Human Kingdom in the Southern part of Auguria.

By the time I write the introductory post, it will be implied that our characters have recently been acquainted with eachother. Details like the exact location, Timothy's possible motive and Character Details will be provided post-introductory post.

EDIT : @Slingshot(and everyone else for that matter)
Please post your CS in the OOC and await an official approval by yours truly before posting in the Character Tab. I will overlook it this once since Reggie is an ACCEPTABLE character but for the rest of you, please await an official approval. Notice : @Shard's Character has been moved directly to the Character Tab because he posted it via PM for approval. The rest of you may also do that if you like, though I would prefer posts in the OOC. Just a personal preference

[GarlandChaos]

Here's my character! Hopefully everything is perfectly acceptable:

Am I Demon?

Seth stands at 6 feet and 2 inches tall, with a somewhat athletic build. He is never seen without his black suit of full-body armor, adorned with gold and red here and there. He also wears a tattered and faded black and gold cape with a cowl. Also never far from Seth is his sword, which is mostly black with the outer parts of the blade being red and a golden eye-like adornment (which can also be seen on the armor's helmet) in the center part between the hilt and the blade.

Name:
Seth Malbourne

Title:
Seth the Cursed Swordsman

Gender:
Male

Age:
25

Personality:
Seth has a very strong sense of justice, always willing to help those in need and punish evildoers. Once he has set his mind to something, it's very, very hard to get him to reconsider. However, this is a rather unfortunate quality to have, considering that Seth also isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. He can distinguish good things from evil, yes, but not always smart from plain idiotic. It is this characteristic that left Seth in the state he is right now: A cursed swordsman, and one who still follows the path of justice with unshakeable determination.

Abilities:
As well as being decently skilled with a blade, Seth has gained control over a small assortment of unholy spells, thanks to his equally unholy equipment. With his dark magic, Seth can do such things as summon a temporary familiar, temporarily give his sword the ability to drain life force from enemies, and launch a ball of unholy fire. However, Seth has little to no training with his magic, so it is relatively weak and causes a lot of physical and mental exhaustion for him to use it repeatedly. However, the option is there, just in case a little swordfighting won't quite get the job done.

Skills:
Seth's repertoire isn't just brute force; if the need arises, he is fully capable of old-fashioned persuasion. However, he isn't incredibly bright, but he's definitely about as stubborn as any ox you'll ever come across. If a little bit of flattery or reason won't get the job done, his persistence is the next best thing. ...Aside from brute force, of course.

Gear:
Seth's weapon of "choice" is a cursed greatsword, a common creation of dark sorcerers to fool unsuspecting adventurers. It cannot be disposed of, but possesses remarkable strength, at the downside of it also being quite heavy. His armor is much of the same: A black, red and golden suit of full-body armor that acts as the swordsman's skin. It's made of very sturdy and rather heavy steel, yes, but once it has been equipped, any damage the suit itself takes is transmitted straight to the wearer. A bit of a paradox, but it at least offers better protection than ordinary clothing, or nothing at all.

Bio:
Seth is...well, was, an ordinary human. Like many others of his kind, Seth was your average adventurer, doing various oddjobs in every town he set foot in to make ends meet and hopefully make a name for himself. As time went by, he became fairly well-known, though by no means legendary, no, not at all. He was still your average, run of the mill adventurer. Just a bit more well-known.

However, his lust for fame and fortune got the better of him one day, when he came across a traveling merchant while traversing a dark forest. Said merchant made a comment about his "weak equipment", which, in actuality, was a standard issue broadsword and steel platemail, and offered a "true warrior's sword and suit of armor". Of course, Seth made the trade, and the merchant soon ran off, leaving the swordsman and his new gear behind.

Eager to try out his new equipment, Seth immediately put on the suit of armor, followed by the sword. As soon as he had done so, his breathing became heavy, his vision blurry, and his mind started racing. Unprepared for such feelings, he desperately tried to remove his armor; unfortunately, it had already bonded to his body, and the sword was tied to his very being as well, unable to be discarded without flying back to its owner's side.

Seth had been fooled; what he had been given was a cursed blade and suit of armor, a common and cheap trick practiced by dark sorcerers the world over. Once the connection between body and equipment had been made, it could not be reversed. Seth was doomed to live the rest of his life trapped inside a suit of armor, wielding a demonic sword as his only weapon.

However, Seth would not let such a fate deter him from his hopes and dreams. The now-cursed swordsman continued to travel across the land, using his new equipment and accompanying unholy magic for good rather than evil, dark sorcerers be damned. Although the townsfolk he would meet throughout his travels would express fear at seeing such demonic gear, a little bit of explaining (usually) did the trick to change their minds.

All the traveling Seth had done had been entirely by himself, no accompaniment to be seen. However, a run-in with a certain elf merchant soon changed that...

Other:
Theme Song

[rivaan]

Hmm this seems rather interesting and one of hte RPs I was in just died so a spot opened up. Mind if I apply too ^^?

[Zamokra41]

@rivaan
Be my guest :)

@GarlandDaHero

Normally I would reject this character on the grounds of his more-than-ordinary gear right off the bat. However, I do like the twist you applied, making 'epic' weapons and armor have quite the downside to balance out their out-of-the-ordinary quality. Also, the fact that his armor cannot be removed and his weapon tied to his being also implies that gear-wise there will be no further upgrades, which also adds to the 'balance' part of your character.

All in all? Your character's appearance is a touch too fanciful for a "starting" adventurer, but I will give it a pass. ACCEPTED

[GarlandChaos]

@Zamokra41

Thank you so much! I was honestly afraid that my character would be rejected, but I'm glad that I balanced him out enough to the point of being accepted!

And yes; because he's stuck with the cursed equipment as his permanent weapon and armor, he won't be getting any upgrades at all. What you see is what you get.

I'll go ahead and post him in the character tab, though! Again, thank you so much! <3

[Slingshot]

Sorry about that. How do you feel about Reggie? I'm about 10 years out from the last time I seriously roleplayed so I know I'm a bit rusty. Don't pull any punches on your critique.

Reggie

Appearance : To start with, he's taller than most orcs. Not ridiculously so, but still big for orc standards. He's quite fat but with obvious muscle definition. He's got frizzy shoulder length black hair that's starting to show a touch of grey and a bushy unkempt beard. He wears a tunic of chainmail armor and a leather loincloth. He has long leather boots that cover his calves. Other than that he wears a silver necklace bearing a pendant given to him by his mother as an infant.

Name : Reginald "Reggie"

Title : Reggie the Rumbler

Gender : Male

Age : 37

Personality : Due to his traumatic past Reggie prefers to keep to himself. He avoids getting close to people and will even be purposefully rude to keep anyone from talking to him. Despite this he's a good person who believes in helping those in need. Since he once had children of his own he has a soft spot for kids. Being a natural fighter he tends to solve most of his problems with his fist but he's not necessarily a violent man unless this situation absolutely requires it. More likely he'll just try to avoid conflict. He has always lived a gluttonous lifestyle and can often be found stuffing his face and drinking. It is only when he is drunk (Which is not uncommon) that it is possible to really talk to him. Though for this reason he tends to drink alone.

Abilities : His most obvious ability is his raw strength. He is a giant of an orc that can overpower pretty much any foe he comes across. While lacking any formal combat training he has learned to fight over the years and has plenty of experience to make up for it.

Skills :. He is talented in wine-making. Very good with children. Also he can drink anybody, of any race, under the table.

Gear : A pair of spiked steel gauntlets. Steel chainmail armor. He carries around a flask to keep him moderately tipsy during his waking moments. He also keeps a few lockpicks handy just in case.

Bio : (I'll keep it brief as a lot of it I'd prefer to be revealed in story and from interactions with other characters)
Reggie can't remember his original name. The name he was given by his orc parents. No Reggie,short for Reginald, is the name given to him by his adoptive mother who found him alone in the frozen tundra with no parents or any other orcs around. Reggie was what the humans who raised him called him. Reggie was what his beautiful human wife had called him. All of his friends and neighbors and rivals in his old village had called him Reggie. The only other name he was called was "Daddy". But none of those people are around anymore. He's still Reggie, Reggie the Rumbler they call him. The greatest brawler for miles around. Now he just fights for cash, hoping to once again chase the dream that he was so close to obtaining. But fighting in taverns and underground fighting leagues brings in just enough cash to get by. That's why he's taken this job he's been offered by this Elven trader. He doesn't know what the job is supposed to be. But as long as the money is good he'll do it.

[Zamokra41]

@Slingshot

Already mentioned that he is ACCEPTABLE. As for critique? I am the wrong person to ask. All in all I think Reggie is pretty good, yes much of what is written is a touch on the brief side but one can understand what the character is about both personality and ability-wise and many players prefer to keep their bio extremely short and non-descriptive (or even flat out left empty) in order to reveal his backstory as we play, which I personally believe is pretty cool :)

I dunno. If you want critique, perhaps some of our other colleagues could offer some insight

[Shard]

I'll go ahead and set up a Discord chat for this, when I get home.

[Shard]

Given how every character is melee oriented, I am considering changing up my character to a ranged combatant. We'll see how I go about that.

[rivaan]

@Zamokra41 There we go ^^

My Hider

With her 1.86 meters height, she's rather tall especially for a human woman. Near waist long wavy raven black hair and piercing emerald green eyes. Her body is quite well trained for a magic user and she's overall got a strong posture that doesn't detract from her female charm and elegance any. A very distinctive scar she has is a huge bite mark across the entirety of her right arm, indicating something big with lots of teeth had once tried to bite it off.

Name : Krielie'nas Nasloede

Title : The Witch, Mistress of curses

Gender : Female

Age : 29

Personality : What Krilie is now and what she was in the past are two very different things. A lot had happened to her and most of it caused a lot of change in her. Currently she's no longer a naive woman as she initially was. Gone are the sincere eyes and kind demeanor. The war had changed her in a way even she wouldn't have imagined possible. Now there's little place for most emotions in her mind anymore. She now acts only how she sees fit. If she wishes to kill someone she will do so, if she wishes to safe someone she'd do so out of selfish decisions, usually expecting a reward in some way or another. She prefers to have fun in any way possible. Be it killing enemies and taking the utmost delight in their despair and final moments or just having fun in a tavern. Regret, fear, love and hate... none of those exist in her heart anymore. All that remains and the desire for pleasure... pleasure in both physical sensations and the joy of seeing people crumble before her.

Abilities : Krielie's abilities completely revolve around the dark arts. Studying them since early childhood she's mastered them to a significant degree. Her main specialty is curses. She takes both great pleasure and skill in practicing them. She uses many and probably knows even more. The only negative of her battle curses are that while they can be used on multiple targets, they require time to get going after being cast. The two curses she takes most pleasure in using are the 'The boiling blood', a curse that causes the victim's blood to gradually heat up until their own body is destroyed from the inside. This one can take different time from target to target due race specifics. Since her targets are usually humans, who are easily affected by changes in one's body and can die from mere fevers from sicknesses, it's very useful against them. The second curse she takes even more pleasure in using, she calls Crystal bones – another mostly slow working curse that's single target and gradually changes the victim's bones into fragile crystal that can shatter from the weakest of movement. Very effective to cause morale drop and generally see the despair and pain of the victim. Along those 2, she also uses things like Shiver – a curse that drains' heat and others. The drawback of her magic is that it's a slow burner most of the time. Once cast it could take minutes before the target could be completely overtaken than the curse. Still beside curses she can also cast protective wards against enemy magic.

Skills : Decent cook, tailor and herbalist knowledgeble in the healing properties of plants. She's also decent at exotic alluring dancing.

Gear :
- A pretty hefty book containing countless recipes for potions, salves and other concoctions she's learned or discovered along detailed descriptions of plants.
- A nice black quite well tailored dress. It reaches just below her knee and has a long cut on the right side up to her upper tight, to allow for greater freedom of movement.
-A pair of sturdy black leather boots, adorned with black fur and raven feathers
-A black sturdy cloak with hood.
-Simple black wooden staff with a steel blade on the end, just to stab and cut along with magic casting.

Bio : Not much is known about Krielie'nas before she first stepped outside the confines of the forest she lived before The Great War. What is known is that she lived in one of the densest and most secluded parts of the wilderness when a force of the Great Lord stumbled upon it by chance. What had transpired there and how she survived that encounter is not know as people who later would arrive at the scene only conveyed a scene of complete carnage too grotesque to describe. She was wounded, but survived it. She was cold and ruthless in the fighting from that point onward. Many who came to know her, commented that she had the eyes of someone out for revenge.

Exploits during that madness known as the 'Great War' are had to keep track of so it's not known how much she did during those days and she has no desire to bring it up. She did what she could, but afterwards she lived for herself. Laws? Traditions? None of those mattered, she had cursed and killed more than a few of the unlucky sods who dared to bare teeth at her for her dark magic. Always in self defense … of course. She may not feel fear, but she's not stupid. Sometime during the end of the Great War she put a curse on herself. A curse that was meant to stop the pain she felt in her heart, but curses never come without a price. The pain? It sure was gone, but so was the reason for the pain... love. The fear of losing someone the source of that pain was also gone, sadly along the only thing that had turned in a reason to live – her hate. Without those gone, she was left a different person. A broken person unable to feel the most basic of human emotions.

The following years after the war passed in a breath. Filled with pleasure and simple selfish desires. She became a mercenary of sorts, she'd do jobs, get paid, spend some of the money on interesting things and the rest on men and women from public houses. All the while use those very same mercenary jobs to revel in the pleasure of tormenting others. That's what led her to accepting the job from an elf merchant too... it seemed interesting.

Other : N/A