The decision has been made to end this roleplay. For more information, please refer to this post. My thanks and sincere apologies to all involved both past and presently.
I will be advancing the plot no later than this coming Thursday (5/24) afternoon (expect around 6pm EST). This requires everyone to have arrived at Silverwick in the IC, or risk being not being included in the main group. Please make an effort to ensure this does not happen.
"This is not a story of heroes. This is not a tale of brave men risking life and limb, embarking on a quest to save the world from a coming evil, no. There are no heroes in Avalon anymore. This is a story of the forgotten, of women and men cast aside and left without hope. Wronged, cast out, beaten or belittled, perhaps even scarred or maimed ... this is a story of those the eye does not see, those chosen by powerful forces to do one thing:
TEAR THE WORLD DOWN
"Nobody is a villain in their own story. We're all the heroes of our own stories." -- George R.R. Martin
Sometimes it's boring being a hero. This is a story about those least likely to save the world. These people have secretly been chosen by the lingering souls of powerful mages to carry on a quest as old as Avalon itself. The Shadow Legion - twelve sorcerers imbued with the magic of the dark gods and a strength unmatched in all of Avalon - sought to unite the world by force, razing and levelling the great cities of the kingdoms they sought to destroy. The wizards and witches and warlocks of Avalon banded together to stop the Legion's onslaught, but to do so cost them the Nexus - the hub of the Aether: source of their own power and the greatest gift to Avalon. Five centuries have past and now the souls of the Legion's sorcerers have chosen their successors. With the power of the Aether stripped from Avalon, there is nothing to stand in their way. This world owes you nothing, and now you carry the power to redefine the world order. You are the Shadow Legion.
The Roleplay
The Expectations:
This is an advanced level RP due to the duality of the character you will play. You are essentially playing two characters in one, a task which not everyone will be up to. You are expected to be prepared for this coming in.
This is a dark RP. Violence, blood, gore, death and destruction are all common themes. I am not here to encourage holding back. You are expected to be aware of this coming in.
The standard rules of roleplay etiquette apply here. Godmodding, powerplaying, or metagaming will not be tolerated. Offenders will answer to the GM and offenses may result in ejection from the RP.
A soft content minimum is in place. One/two line responses are disrespectful to the GM and to the other players who are writing vastly more. If such brevity is in fact appropriate, consider writing a collab post with the relevant individuals.
Activity and communication are expected. I am rather lenient on delays if you communicate with me. Individuals who vanish with no communication are at risk for ejection from the roleplay following as little as one week.
The GM reserves the right to make final decisions as needed. Decisions clearly indicated as final are not open for discussion, contestation, or argument.
The Characters:
The player characters are those chosen by the remnant souls of the Legionnaires of long ago. They carry with them a small trinket, likely of no real value, that secretly harbors one of these souls: their totem. The soul speaks to them - just in subconscious whispers at first but regaining a full persona over time - guiding them towards a new fate. Over time the player characters learn to interact with their mentor souls and harness their power: the power of the wraith. Should their host allow it, the spirits can temporarily inhabit the host's body, lending them all their knowledge and mystical power for a time. While debilitatingly exhausting to the untrained, practice can allow its near-indefinite use.
These souls are not always the most benevolent creatures. After all, these are the spirits of the so-called "greatest evil to walk this world." Characters may not always see eye to eye with their companion, or they may embrace their rage. No two chosen will walk the same path.
There are twelve Legionnaires, which means there are twelve chosen including the GM's character. There are thus eleven places for players. These places will be granted based on order of CS approval. The first character sheets approved get the first slots.
The Plot:
Far-flung and as-of-yet unaware of just what they are chosen to be, the player characters begin finding themselves subtly drawn to a location, compelled by a force they cannot yet understand. Their totems guide them to assemble the Legion Reincarnate. Thus begins the quest to fell the great kingdoms and raise the black flag over all Avalon. The more battles waged, the more practiced and capable the reincarnate Legion becomes, but the more aware their adversaries become of their existence. The party will have to choose between toppling their greatest threats quickly through stealth and deception, or properly mastering their newfound abilities to overpower even their strongest opponents.
In some degrees, the plot for this is on rails. There are various plot elements I have planned for already and there is an ultimate end. However the amount of time between the between the beginning and the end is indeterminate. The roleplay can run for as long as interest exists. I encourage players to develop plot arcs they wish to see played out and discuss these. I will happily weave these in, as my own planning is ultimately finite, hence I will source plot content from players fairly regularly.
The World:
The world of Avalon has been heavily built out at the macro level. Nearly a millennium of history has been developed for it. However, the world is an open playground for micro-level worldbuilding. I have developed the framework sufficiently for this to exist. Players are allowed and encouraged to develop the details of the world as the roleplay progresses. This is a living project to be developed in collaboration with all those who participate. A fairly large (but far from comprehensive) overview of relevant information is included below. Additional info will be appended as people ask questions about things not already covered.
The Character Sheet:
This template is not strict. You are encouraged to change colors and reformat as needed. The provided sheet is primarily a framework to present the relevant information I want and is not binding. For convenience a raw code version has also been provided.
CHARACTER NAME
{{ GENDER || AGE }}
APPEARANCE
Additional description as necessary. Include race here. Additional pictures should be included here (please place gifs/numerous pictures in a hider).
BIOGRAPHY
“It doesn’t matter who you were, or where you came from, who believed in you and who didn’t ...” What makes you so special that out of millions of people on Avalon, you were chosen over all others? What makes you the one who will tear the world down?
SKILLS
-- A Relevant Skill
What could your character do before they inherited their legionnaire’s power?
Does your character have any weapons they carry? Images can be linked if available.
OTHER
-- Bonus Item
List any other relevant attributes or items here.
LEGIONNAIRE NAME
{{ GENDER }}
TOTEM
What small trinket does the spirit of your Legionnaire inhabit? Pictures are optional (please include in hider) but encouraged.
PERSONALITY
Some Legionnaires are more malevolent than others. What does the voice in your head sound like?
SKILLS
-- Some Mystical Ability
What skills and aetheric abilities does your Legionnaire confer unto your character? What forbidden knowledge to they teach? What special abilities have they mastered? Etc.
-- Relevant Arcane Skill
Second item (remove or copy-paste as needed)
OTHER
-- Random Tidbit
List any other relevant attributes or items here.
Remove all instances of / from [/hr] in order to parse correctly (this tag does not correctly escape via [code] or [noparse]. [center][img]<image_link_here>[/img]
[/hr][/hr][color=#990000][b][h3][u]CHARACTER NAME[/u][/h3] {{ GENDER || AGE }}[/b][/color][/center]
[color=#990000][u][b]APPEARANCE[/b][/u][/color] [indent]Additional description as necessary. Include race here. Additional pictures should be included here (please place gifs/numerous pictures in a hider).[/indent]
[color=#990000][u][b]BIOGRAPHY[/b][/u][/color] [indent]“It doesn’t matter who you were, or where you came from, who believed in you and who didn’t ...” What makes you so special that out of millions of people on Avalon, you were chosen over all others? What makes you the one who will tear the world down?[/indent]
[color=#990000][u][b]SKILLS[/b][/u][/color] [indent][b]-- A Relevant Skill[/b] [indent]What could your character do before they inherited their legionnaire’s power?[/indent][/indent] [indent][b]-- Another Relevant Skill[/b] [indent]Second item (remove or copy-paste as needed)[/indent][/indent]
[color=#990000][u][b]WEAPONS[/b][/u][/color] [indent][b]-- [url=<image_link_here>]Blade of Choice[/url][/b] [indent]Does your character have any weapons they carry? Images can be linked if available.[/indent][/indent]
[color=#990000][u][b]OTHER[/b][/u][/color] [indent][b]-- Bonus Item[/b] [indent]List any other relevant attributes or items here.[/indent][/indent]
[color=#990000][u][b]TOTEM[/b][/u][/color] [indent]What small trinket does the spirit of your Legionnaire inhabit? Pictures are optional (please include in hider) but encouraged.[/indent]
[color=#990000][u][b]PERSONALITY[/b][/u][/color] [indent]Some Legionnaires are more malevolent than others. What does the voice in your head sound like?[/indent]
[color=#990000][u][b]SKILLS[/b][/u][/color] [indent][b]-- Some Mystical Ability[/b] [indent]What skills and aetheric abilities does your Legionnaire confer unto your character? What forbidden knowledge to they teach? What special abilities have they mastered? Etc.[/indent][/indent] [indent][b]-- Relevant Arcane Skill[/b] [indent]Second item (remove or copy-paste as needed)[/indent][/indent]
[color=#990000][u][b]OTHER[/b][/u][/color] [indent][b]-- Random Tidbit[/b] [indent]List any other relevant attributes or items here.[/indent][/indent]
Join-in-Progress:
Players are more than welcome to join after IC posting has begun. In the beginning the players will be subconsciously called to a collective spot. After the beginning, join-in-progress players will instead be led towards the main group, rather than an arbitrary location, in order to link up with the party in a timely manner. Though the party is on the run from every authority imaginable and not exactly the most trusting bunch, I will expect that to be partially handwaved in the name of swift inclusion.
The World of Avalon
The Aether:
In the First Age at the dawn of the great kingdoms, the Gods Above gave a great gift to the world: The Aetherwind. A magical force flowing throughout the world, focused through a single massive crystal pillar reaching towards the Heavens: The Nexus. The aether flows through the world and all living beings. Since the destruction of the Nexus, its power has diminished to a faint trickle. Before every man, woman, and child could sense and wield its energy with minimal power, but now only the greatest sorcerers of ages past can conjure meaningful power from it. The aether used to shimmer in the skies, manifesting in its physical form as an iridescent cyan shimmer, but no longer. Now it is only seen at the hands of those struggling to conjure what little they can.
Growing jealous of the admiration it won them, the dark Gods Below sought to unleash their own force upon the world which would draw the races of man to worship them. The Dark Aether as it was called (the scholars of the First Age were hardly inventive with naming things) was far less gentle than its benevolent counterpart. Its influence is corrupting and its energy is poisonous to those not prepared to resist it's effects. In contrast to its beautiful glowing opposite, the dark aether is black as night, seemingly choking the light out of anything it touches. Its study and practice is strictly forbidden by every authority on Avalon, and is prosecuted extremely harshly since the end of the First Age. Yet it is ever present and since the destruction of the Nexus, a force of unmatched power.
The capabilities of the aether is virtually limitless. Conjuring aetheric energy takes only focus and a little practice. Wielding it as an unstoppable force is a pursuit that takes a lifetime to master. It can take on an elemental aspect at the will of the summoner, though its pure form is often more powerful and precise, if requiring more practice to utilize fully. During the First Age when the Nexus existed, a single wizard could move mountains.
The Pantheons:
The Gods Above in Heaven lead the races of man along the path of righteousness and kindness. Through the Second Age the piety of the people has faded as both Gods and men turned their backs unto one another. The Third Age has arrived as prophesied, and some archpriests claim the Gods Above have spoken, warning them of a coming great darkness. In their arrogance, lords and kings have ignored these warnings, believing the prophecy to be the last taunt of the defeated.
The Gods Below in Hell appeal to the basest desires of men, channelling power through lust and rage. Most who succumb to the temptation of powerlust are torn apart by the power of the dark aether they summon. Those who are not are found, sniffed out by the sorcerers of royal courts and practitioners of a bygone era who can sense the channeling of aether, light and dark alike. No one has since regained the godlike power of the twelve legionnaires ... until now.
The Shadow Legion:
As the races of man flocked to the Gods Above in droves in praise of the gift bestowed upon Avalon, the Gods Below grew jealous of their kin. Thus came the dark aether into Avalon: a blazing wind of malevolent energy that few could harness without being destroyed, but capable of infinite power. There were twelve who felt its strength and sought to harness it. The twelve were the first true followers of the dark ways. These twelve became the Shadow Legion: the most devastating force ever to exist in the world of Avalon.
Summoning the power of the Gods Below they served, they conjured army of horrors they unleashed in their wake, ravaging the lands and razing whole cities. No army in Avalon could contest them on open ground, yet the great strongholds still repelled their siege, marching dark energies with the light. To finally crush those who opposed their conquest they sought to destroy the aetherwinds, rending their enemys’ power from them and paving the way to victory. The Nexus needed to be corrupted, forced to channel the burning powers of dark aether and opening the doorway to the Gods Below to walk this realm.
Following their defeat, the Legionnaires were imprisoned and set to be executed. Before the sentence could be carried out, the twelve forged a hex upon the world, a prophecy of their return sealed with the remnants of their powers: “Bodies may bleed and wither and die. The souls of Shadow shall live on into eternity. Avalon may know victory and peace for five hundred years ... before the return. The souls of Shadow will return from exile to reclaim this world. Their hosts will know power like no other. We will rise ... to tear your world down.”
The Races of Man:
The races of Avalon all share a common genealogy, tracing lineage back through millennia. They all stem from the common man, but being the tribal creatures men are, their growing divergence often led to growing separation, and thus greater divergence with time. Nonetheless, that common ancestry could once unite the entire world when it was most needed. Only time will tell if it can be done again.
Contemporary Human:As Flawed as Ever
Little needs to be said about the hubris of man. They think themselves the rightful conquerors of all they lay eyes on, tolerate not those who appear different no matter the similarities, and thrive on conflict with their fellow man.
Wrelmsmen:Nature is Not the Enemy (elven/drow archetype)
Those living under the shade of the Wrelm Forests, the region from which their name comes, have grown adept at building civilization around the nature they inhabit, rather than leveling and paving it with iron and stone. They were the first to harness the fullest power of the aetherwinds when it flowed freely across Avalon, transforming the forest itself into a mystical place. Their lifestyle in the shade of the trees honed their vision, their agility, and their adeptness for aethercraft.
Most who survived the Legion’s onslaught fled the forests, living in the free cities or rarely within the Imperium. With every generation passing since the First Age, their lineage grows closer to the contemporary man. Some say that Dark Wrelmsmen exist within the forests now (they do). Most do not believe it is possible under the corrupting influences of the Gods Below. It is a matter of academic and theological debate whether or not it is. (It is, though they are rare.)
Northmen:Hardened in Fire (dwarven archetype)
They have grown shorter in centuries of living mostly below ground. Smithing work and heavy labor bred a race of men short and stocky who thrived in the heat of the forges. Though mildly lacking in stature, they are not to be underestimated. Their hardiness and skills are coveted. Despite their isolation, their communities are centers of academics, as the people of the mountains pride themselves on their engineering prowess.
Orcs:That Cannot be of This World
They came from beyond the known world, not sharing the Avalonian human lineage. They are brutal warlike creatures who put the bloodlust of the races of man to the utmost shame. They are savage beasts considered to be subhuman, yet that does nothing to dampen their sheer force. Their hulking stature and massive strength makes them unfathomably dangerous to engage with a blade, and their hides are not pierced by all but the strongest bows. They appear capable of speech, though it is commonly believed they are incapable of being reasoned with. This is not at all true, though their desire to attack and destroy makes carrying on a productive conversation effectively out of the question. (Not playable directly. I might be persuaded to allow a half-breed, but not easily.)
The Great Kingdoms:
The Vahkranite Imperium of Man:Peace Through Power
Some believe that his majesty Artuur Vahkran and his family are not true Vahkran family heirs, that they superseded the true bloodline sometime in the Second Age of Avalon seeking power. Such dissent is crushed under his iron fist. His critics call him a tyrant, but there is no denying that he has forged the largest, wealthiest, most militarily powerful empire ever seen on Avalon. The conversion from the relatively complacent Kingdom of Vahkran took Avalon by surprise early in the Second Age, propelled by lingering fear of the prophecy left by the Shadow Legion and the scars the world still bore from their rampage.
The seat of the empire, the fortress of a city that is Dawnguard, sits at the base of the Draekhor mountain range, home to the famous forges of Braldurheim. Many of the weapons, armor, and crafted goods that come out of Braldurheim pass through Dawnguard’s gates, affording his majesty the pick of the lot. The sheer strength of the Imperium and the ambition of its aristocracy instills fear of conquest across the free cities of the plainslands. Though they coexist peacefully with the other great kingdoms, no one is truly complacent with the Imperium.
Braldurheim:Eternal as the Mountains
The proud people of Braldurheim first carved into the mountains in search of precious gems. What they found instead was metals for an eternity, and boiling rock deep below. Their magma-fired forges run day in and day out, feeding the finest metalworks in all of Avalon. Almost every blade or plate of armor in Avalon today came out of Braldurheim.
When the Legion first laid siege to the Draekhor Mountains, the people did not fight them on open ground where their armies could run free. They retreated to the mines which became a veritable fortress. Today the villages seen built along sheer cliffs and in mountain passes are but a fraction of the underground enclave that is Braldurheim. The legion has passed, but the envy of his majesty Artuur Vahkran still exists. The people of Braldurheim make their peace supplying his insatiable demands for weapons and armor, but keep their impenetrable fortress of stone ready.
The Alliance of Free Cities:To Rise Above
Many of the kingdoms of man were shattered in the wake of the Legion’s march across Avalon. As the world picked up the pieces leftover, many of the displaced peoples settled in villages throughout the plainslands. Among them were those who believed the kingdoms themselves were at fault, allowing discontent to fester and giving rise to the Legionnaires. Villages grew to respected city-states under the idealistic thought they could be a better example to all of Avalon. Yet even in their idealism they are not perfect. The realities of governance and management make such lofty goals unattainable.
The free cities are bastions of multiculturalism not seen in the great kingdoms who often rally under the banner of a racial identity. Though they seek the path of peaceful existence, the rising power of the Imperium and the invading war tribes both threaten their safety. Each free city maintains its own garrison, and many of them have rallied together under a single alliance to come to each other’s aid.
The War Tribes:WAAAAAAAAAGH!
They came in the Second Age from beyond the known world. They seek nothing but war, raiding and pillaging for no apparent purpose than to destroy things. They will fight anything and everything, including other war tribes. The orcish hordes attack without any formal warning, though the distant thundering of drums often signals their approach.
The Bastion of Wrelm:But a Myth
Almost nobody seriously believes it ever could exist. Fewer still suspect it does. The survivors of the Kingdom of Wrelm Forest, living in a rebuilt fortress-city hidden beneath the trees and guarded by powerful dark sorcerers ... a ridiculous idea. If it did exist, it would be more powerful than even the Imperium with the blazing energies of dark aether at its beckon call. It would be the one place that his majesty Artuur Vahkran could never touch, and the one place that may be spared the wrath of the reincarnate Shadow Legion.
The Ages of Avalon:
The First Age, the age of the aetherwind, lasted for two centuries before it came crashing down in a cataclysmic destruction. No one foresaw the coming destruction until the armies of the Shadow Legion - an unending horde of monsters and apparitions summoned from the dark Gods Below themselves - marched on Dawnguard itself to topple the great Kingdom of Vahkran. Only as half the empire burned in their wake was an answer found. The crowns gathered, rallying every wizard, witch, and warlock to do battle at the Nexus, a site the Legion sought to conquer and corrupt for themselves. Even at the very source of their power, this Righteous Army of Avalon could not hold them at bay. As a last resort, their combined efforts channeled aetheric power back through the Nexus, and the resultant surge of energy purged the Legionnaires of their abilities to channel the dark aether, at the cost of shattering the great crystal in the process.
The day was won, but only at a terrible price. Two whole kingdoms lay ruined, their people scattered. The city of Silverwick, capitol of Illya, was a scorched crater. The sister kingdom of Arc'zhaan was also shattered. Neither would recover from the diaspora, being relegated to a distant memory and a footnote in history. The Great Kingdom of Wrelm also suffered greatly at the hands of the Legion's army, though the people of Wrelm Forest fared better than their plainsfolk brethren.
The Second Age: In the wake of the defeat of the Shadow Legion, the world of Avalon did come to know peace as prophesized, but it was not to last. After two centuries of rebuilding the world without the power of the aether, a new threat presented itself. Brutal subhuman beasts from somewhere beyond Avalon arrived on the shores. The orc war tribes razed for sport, crushing any settlement they could and leaving nothing but burned, bludgeoned, dismembered corpses among the flaming wreckage. Some said this was the return of the Legion, a final curse they placed upon the world. Fearing for their lives, many of the remaining treefolk fled the Wrelm Forests to the free cities. They simply could not rebuild their serene bastions in time without their mystical power. Those who stayed were believed to be killed by orcs, but one after another different war tribes went into the forests of Wrelm, but never came out. Legend has it that the inhabitants were practitioners of the dark aether. Most believe such a thing is impossible, as the influence of the Gods Below would corrupt and destroy them.
Most of the kingdoms of man never successfully rebuilt after being scattered by the Legion’s march across Avalon. During this time, their descendants founded and grew great cities in the plainslands, uniting under the Alliance of Free Cities. They too, were forced to raise walls and garrisons to defend against the brutish hordes that ravaged villages without warning. All the while, fueled by paranoia, the Imperium of Man grew. Some say that the allegedly-illegitimate ruling family is certain of the Legion’s prophecy. Most in Avalon have since dismissed it as folly.
The Third Age: Five hundred years have passed since the legion’s defeat. Their souls have wandered all of Avalon floating from trinket to trinket, passing from person to person, all the while waiting and searching for their heirs. The people have dismissed it, yet the prophecy comes true all the same. The Legion has returned to once again rewrite the world order.
@Drunken Conquistador Yes, that is the initial premise. I needed a metaphorical flagpole around which to rally the party and the sight of the Legion's greatest rampage seemed fitting.
@Drunken Conquistador Yes, that is the initial premise. I needed a metaphorical flagpole around which to rally the party and the sight of the Legion's greatest rampage seemed fitting.
Ok, two further questions: Where is Silverwick in relation to the rest of the world (Imperium, Free Cities, etc)? and are our own separate trips there going to be arc unto themselves or are we just time skipping?
Let's go with "as far away from Artuur Vahkran and his paranoia as humanly possible" or, about the other side of Avalon from the Imperium. The free cities are kinda in the middleish, with the Imperium to the east, Baldurheim past that, and the Forests of Wrelm wrapping around the south and southwest of the free cities. I can't draw maps to save my life so I didn't.
I wouldn't make it more than two posts. You don't have to arrive in the same post you write, but the journey there can mostly be handwaved over. We'll also do some handwaving to ensure everyone arrives at Silverwick at roughly the same time for convenience.
Also @Drunken Conquistador@Silver Carrot I know it may be force of habit from other RPs, but you don't have to tuck CSs into hiders in the Characters tab. Feel free to show 'em off!
EDIT: @Whoami snuck one in on me too while I was typing that. This applies to you too!
Also @Drunken Conquistador@Silver Carrot I know it may be force of habit from other RPs, but you don't have to tuck CSs into hiders in the Characters tab. Feel free to show 'em off!
EDIT: @Whoami snuck one in on me too while I was typing that. This applies to you too!
I wanted to give readers a chance to prepare themselves before witnessing the glory of Agabyzus :P
I'm rather curious about something. Do the previous members of the Shadow Legion have any way to communicate with one another besides vocal communication from their vessels? Is there any way to... sense their presences at least?@Sierra
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I'm also looking forward to observing and taking part in the interactions between our characters. Should be a fascinating endeavor! @Isotope
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Also, if anyone thinks they want to do a collab, detailing perhaps two or more of our characters crossing paths on the road, that could be an enjoyable undertaking. Unless, however, everyone would prefer their introductory posts to be solo.
@BurningCold I'm gonna say yes on being able to sense when someone else is a chosen. As for a more direct communication, I really can't say because there's a related plot device I don't want to spoil.
@MegaOscarPwn I'll take a half-orc, but that's not a role I'm going to give out lightly. Orcs are considered subhuman, and while a half-breed will lack any of the notable deficiencies of full-blood orcs, they still inherit all of the stigma. The character would be taking flak from absolutely everyone, probably including the party. Its not a role to take on lightly. I think there is a place for someone prepared to play that role but not everyone has the patience and the tolerance to endure particularly harsh in-character bigotry.
Rägnar is an imposing figure. When he isn't fighting with others (which is quite weird), he can be seen with rudimentary leather clothing, most of it still having the animal's head with it, which he sometimes uses to cover himself if ever in need (For example, if it rains or snows). He's obviously physically fit, his muscles are very clear and he has broad shoulders. He usually ties his hair so it doesn't bother him while fighting, a very long and thick beard making him look even more savage than he actually is. His skin is lightly dark-colored due to the fact that Rägnar is indeed a mix between an Orc and a human woman, some of his teeth being sharp as well as his body being unusually hairy and naturally more muscular. His eyes are a mix of brown with a tint of yellow, accompanied by bushy eyebrows. He wears his warhammer on a makeshift holster on his back and his two handaxes on both sides of his hips, strung over and secured by a belt.
BIOGRAPHY
Rägnar was born in the middle of nowhere, his mother giving birth to him in a wooden shack near a big forest, his "father" having left his mother pregnant with his savage and sinful seed although letting her live after razing the small village the now pregnant woman used to live in. Lulliana, Rägnar's mother, spent most of the time tending to the little farm beside the forest, which they used to feed themselves and rarely sell to passing merchants who were clearly not happy at all when they noticed the half-orc. Having been outcasted and exiled, his mother taught him all the nature had to offer and what the Gods did for them: How Lopñó cried so the rivers could give life, or how Mïeìro kissed Jukle, the sweetness of their lovemaking the pure air of the wilderness and their animals.
All of that magical infancy had to end when a bandit tribe came too close to comfort to their house, the merchants usually getting shackled for their money or captured, to be later sold as slaves or servants to a higher lord. Rägnar was 16 at that time, watching how his mother had to leave the house for a few days, later coming back with visible bruises and not in the mood to talk, starting to become more and more depressed. One day, coming back from some days of hunting, he found a bunch of the raiders waiting outside his house, seeing as their dragged his mother out of the door, exchanging her among themselves for their pleasure.
He knew he had to run, his mother even told him in case anything to her happened - but he didn't do any of that, the rage and anger were too much to handle, and so, with his hunting bow and knife, attempted to make the men pay for what they had done. Psshh, an arrow flew from his bow, sticking itself into the side of the head of a raider, the rest of them looking at their dead comrade before another arrow flew past the "leader" of the small group, penetrating another man's back, falling to the ground in agony as the remaining two looked around: They saw nothing, the forest too thick to look trough and too silent to detect anyone. They ran, ran to get more reinforcements as Rägnar got out of the bush he was hiding in, running towards his mother in shock. "Run R-Rägnar...do not be afraid of me, for I will live with Höir, the mother of all, always watching you..." she whispered to him, in an attempt to calm her son "My little Orc...don't look back a-and make the most out of all...". But it was obvious that the now enraged and blood-lusted little boy was not going to follow his mother's advise - his savage and sickly genes only asking for more and more bloodshed, revenge, the need for killing grew on him for days and days of travelling and following the bandits footsteps to the small camp they had set up at a crossroad.
The rest, as they say, is history - but that is how he became known as Ironhide, as numerous travelers and merchants observed how a shorter-than-normal looking Orc endured the arrows that were sticking to his body, persecuting the remaining survivors of the small bandit camp, after burning it down to the ground and razing it. As much as Rägnar didn't want to admit it, he was not like Lulliana at all: he had more of his so-called father that anyone knew, and that got mixed with the hatred of the outside world and the search for glory and fame that plagued his dreams and most horrific fantasies...he did not want to be a nobleman as lots of people dreamed of becoming, he preferred to be known - and, is it too much to ask for all? Is it too much to ask to become both feared and known across the Kingdoms?
SKILLS
-- Pure Strength Although not as enduring or brute as his father's kin, Rägnar is still known to crack a few heads with his bare knuckles and imposing size. Years and years of living in the wilderness have made him have a body most people only seem to notice when they think about Heroes about to rescue princesses, or when they think of Palace Guardsmen at the service of kings and emperors.
-- Wild Heart
As said earlier, he has been exiled and outcasted out of a lot of places due to the race he is, making him hated all around the Lands and forcing him to live on his own and on the road, never settling down. Rägnar is a perfect hunter and tracker, knowing most of the plants that are around those parts and obviously knowing how to hide in there, as well as how to gather food and make refuge may a storm come.
A simple iron warhammer that he keeps on his back, useful for armored opponents...and also not-armored opponents, a weapon that'd crush a skull with ease if applied enough force.
A dual set of handaxes, with leather braces in the hilts to keep the user from harming his own palms and to keep a strong grip as they are used.
OMEGARUS MUNREN
{{ MALE }}
TOTEM
This trinket seems to resemble the head of some sort of weaponry - may that be a warhammer or sorts, then it is well known that those kinds of weapons are mostly given to people who are clearly able to operate said weaponry with ease, obviously due to their strong body and mind.
PERSONALITY
You would not want to be stuck in a room with Omegarus, or maybe you would. He had a keen interest in unraveling all the secrets of the known world, even the most forbidden ones due to how much interest they woke up in him. He is not a bad guy per-se, although his cold mentality and strong manipulating personality clearly fit the concept of how "evil" someone is. The man (now, spirit.) rarely uses his own emotions (or lack thereof) to make decisions, mostly doing so in the concept of what he'd gain from it or who it might affect.
Does he purposefully ruin an ally's life just to have a laugh? No, but he will do so - if he gains something - and said ally is no longer useful for him. Having now been stuck with a half-orc who is clearly not interested in knowing about the stars that shine above him, or what hides deep below the surface is surely a hell for Omegarus: although having someone easy to manipulate and with the physical strength that he lacked when he was alive alleviates the pain he feels from that.
SKILLS
-- Empowered Strikes
As much as Omegarus would love to grant Rägnar the power of a millennia of incidents...well, he would not love to, seeing as how the half-orc is unworthy of such knowledge. What he does love, whatsoever, is the physical peak that the man is in, and with that kind of power, Omegarus is clearly interested in what kind of results would giving Rägnar's movements and hits a bit more of magical momentum/speed would give out.
-- Body Reader
Rägnar does not know how to deal with people as much as his mother did: basics such as trading money for food are alright, but the half-orc never did get into an actual conversation with someone else due to the exile and hate that 99% of the people he met had towards him. Omegarus, seeing this and after laughing internally for a good time, has thought of granting Rägnar the power of knowing exactly what the person in front of him desires and thinks at that exact same moment, in an attempt to make the half-orc's communication attempts somewhat less pathetic.
OTHER
-- Savage Rage
Rägnar can go into what seems to be a "rage", discerning all self-preservation and throwing himself into the heart of battle and, if the odds are very much against his favour or is just more blood-lust than normal, he can and will throw his weapons aside to finish off the remaining victims with his own hands, his unarmed fighting style being a mix of Glíma and dirty fighting moves he has learned over the years.
There is mine, hope you all like it! Sorry if the backstory is a bit cliché with all the "uh my mama dead" but I think it's actually a good set-up for Rägnar.
There is mine, hope you all like it! Sorry if the backstory is a bit cliché with all the "uh my mama dead" but I think it's actually a good set-up for Rägnar.
I've got "Dead Little Sister" in mine :P. As long as it justifies why we're going to go all "Fallen Lords" on Avalon I think it will be fine
