Warhammer Fantasy: Morrslieb Ascendant
Welcome, adventurers, to a quasi-RPG narrative driven story in the world of Warhammer Fantasy...what does that mean? It means that, at certain points, I may be using dice rolls to influence the game (that's all really).
As for the game itself, it is set in a grim and perilous world, a world where a man or woman can make their mark if they should choose to do so. There are forces at play however that could just as easily see you dead or worse, from savage Beastmen to walking corpses, your death may be just around the corner; Starting from humble beginnings, it is up to you to make choices that will keep you live and see you prosper...or fall into darkness.
I intend for this to be a smaller scale role-play and, should it reach those limits, a form of persistent world within the WHF setting.
The World
“The Warhammer World bears a vague resemblance to our own history, but in this land, mankind does not hold sole dominion over the globe. The kingdoms, empires and principalities of the world are shared with fantastical and horrific creatures, from the ancient races of Elf- and Dwarf-kind to Vampires, Trolls and Daemons.
Conflict is rife, from the clashes of mighty armies to the politicking of ambitious burgomeisters. The very ground seems to breed division and malcontent, intrigue and corruption.
Life is short and brutal. Danger lurks in the dark of the forest and the stink of the cities. Orcs, Beastmen and other, blasphemous things stalk the wild places, attacking the weak and unwary. Beneath the earth loathsome Ratmen gnaw away at the soft underbelly of civilisation itself. At their hands many die each day, finally escaping a world where dark humour and wilful ignorance are the cold comforts that folk must cling to.
Of course, this mortal suffering does not go unseen. Ancient eyes ceaselessly regard this roiling tableau of life and death, trust and betrayal. These Ruinous Powers seek to snuff out the candle flame of mortal existence, and claim the land as their own, eternal, Realm of Chaos.
It is to these Dark Gods that many turn. Heretical cults promise power, knowledge, pleasure and riches to those willing to give themselves over to worship of the forbidden. The Ruinous Powers bless these folk with all that they deserve—from miraculous powers to hideous mutations. Each soul so touched becomes part of the unending war that Chaos wages upon the world and its inhabitants.
This is the land in which your adventures will take place, a world of unwilling heroes, desperate struggle and black irony. This is the Warhammer World.
Make no mistake, there are worlds where courageous heroes who stand for all that is good and righteous watch over populaces of decent folk who seek to enrich their own lives and better those of the people around them.
This isn’t one of those worlds.
The Old World is one of blood, pain, sacrifice, treachery, deceit, and malice. Many of the Empire’s “heroes” are dangerous rogues and blood spattered butchers. The people of the Old World are suspicious and insular, swift to believe the worst of others and slow to trust, often with good reason. Corruption is the rule, honesty the exception. Those few bright souls who still manage to accomplish truly heroic tasks frequently have to act under cover of darkness, lest they be accused of being in league with the very forces they try to combat."
Who are the Players?
The players will take the roles of fresh-faced (or not-so-fresh-faced) adventurers starting out on what could be their chosen profession for the remainder of their squalid lives. From the Reiklander who has never set foot outside his village, to the Bretonnian peasant who could not take the crush of a feudal hierarchy any more, you are all - for one reason or another – out on your own and setting foot into a dank and grim (did I mention it's grim and perilous?) world in which only the strong survive to return home either as heroes or as corpses.
This does not mean that what you do together will not have an effect on things as you go – from crushing a Chaotic cult to potentially facing down an Orc invasion – you may be a small cog in a huge world, but sometimes (as Tolkien would have us know) even the smallest can change history.
What Can I Play?
An Elf, a Dwarf, a variety of Men (of all shapes and sizes and origins) or a Halfling; each race has their own unique attributes and skills, and also sets up many of the base attributes that will come into play when creating and using your character in the RP. Think carefully though, because prejudices and racial tensions abound.
Notes On the RP
This will be a 'small group' RP, with a 'first come first served' outlook, characterisation and player interaction is encouraged throughout - 10 players will likely be the max; should people leave/drop then we'll seek others.
Although I am the GM, that is all I will be. I will be controlling NPC's and acting as a guiding hand, but what you the players choose to do with information I give you is entirely up to you! That being said, my word is final (I am THE LAW!) So having joined the RP, you have accepted to abide by my choices without question.
This will be an 18+ (Mature) RP, obviously, and it is likely that your characters will be coming face-to-face with all manner of blasphemous and unnatural horrors and things that go bump in the night. Cannibalism, orgies of lust and blood, shambling undead, and hulking Ratmen from the sewers...its all a normal day in the Warhammer World.
I am going to be taking this RP with the seriousness of a table-top RPG, so, if you can't abide a bit of reading/research or just aren't up for the challenge of a continued and detailed RP I.E. You're going to leave without telling me, then just don't bother messaging me.
If you do need to bow out for any reason or only temporarily, then please do tell me before doing so, it makes life a lot easier.
If you ever have any questions, then please ask them, it helps me and hopefully will help you likewise.
Inspirations and Style
If you know anything about my RPing history on this site, then you well know what to expect from this RP; that being gritty sell-sword adventuring in the world of Warhammer Fantasy Battles. In a similar vein to "Let Loose the Dogs of War!" and Treasure Hunt by CelticSoldier, as well as games such as Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and to an extent Dungeons and Dragons, we shall once more be delving into the world of mercenary work within the WHFB spectrum and the adventuring work of WHFRP - think Gotrek and Felix for this RP.
In this incarnation I have decided to go with a group of adventurers (think WHFRP or Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide) to take part in all manner of daring do and feats throughout the Old and New Worlds. Should this go well, I hope ultimately to make it into more than a one-shot RP, but I'm not going to get ahead of myself.
Character Creation
So, here's the possibly complicated part (although any decent writer should be fine), and that is this; if you are interested in participating in this RP, then please PM me with a basic low-level concept that you may have. This could be anything from 'a Human wizards apprentice' to 'a Dwarf outlaw'. From there, and using it as a base, I shall add things to it so that you can get the character up and running as soon as possible, while keeping on the same power level as everyone else.
For example, let's say I wanted to be a human boatman, I would be given these 'tools' by me (the GM):
Skills: Common Knowledge (The Empire or Kislev), Consume Alcohol or Gossip, Navigation, Outdoor Survival, Perception, Row, Sail, Secret Language (Ranger) or Speak Language (Kislevian), Swim.
It would then be up to me to craft it into something manageable in a narrative, so may go something like...
“Boris Gorbov knows many things, or at least as much as one can know, his knowledge extending to that of his ice-bitten homeland of Kislev most of all. Oh he isn't an expert by a long shot, but ask him a question of bears or Ice Witches and there's no doubt that he'd chew your ear off, especially if he's been in his skins a bit too long. As a boatman, he's been sailing the rivers of the Old World for thirty odd years, gaining experience in some of the harshest climates around, as skilled a sailor as he is a simple rower of smaller craft, and unlike many of his fellow men he is able to move through water with an ease that bellies his great size.”
The same will go for their clothing and so forth.
Systems such as 'career' and the like will be implemented, but we'll get to that when we get to it.
This may seem complicated for which I apologise, but it is more to add some flavour, as well as starting everyone off on roughly equal footing. No 'special folk' here. If you want to simply create a towering giant of a hero right off the bat, well, I'm afraid you'll be out of luck then.
Needless to say each character will be changing a lot between the beginning and end of this RP, so don't think that just because you're a sewer dredger at the start you wont be an armour-clad mercenary by the end.
With that out the way, the real RP can begin!
Welcome to Morrslieb Ascending.
P.S.
Sorry for all the text, wrote a lot more than I intended to!
