[IC] Destiny's Call (Grand Fantasy Roleplay)

Useful Information

This roleplay is currently full. However, there is a waiting list. If you wish to join, let me know!

This roleplay functions more as a series of 1x1s than as a traditional RP. Please be aware of this!

RULES AND MECHANICS

RULES

• Firstly, all standard RPGuild rules apply.
• Secondly, respect your fellow players OOCly no matter what happens. Be excellent to each other!
• Thirdly, respect the mechanics of the roleplay. They're simple and straightforward, so that shouldn't be a problem!
• Fourthly, try to post once a week if possible, or to hold a roleplay session over Discord with me once a week. I'll be holding myself to the same standard. If you need to take extended leave, just let me know!
• Fifthly, remember that you should be keeping who your character is a secret. I can't force you to do this, but I'd like you to do this so that people are surprised when they meet each other.
• Finally, please understand that death can happen. I am not intending to make this roleplay a meatgrinder into which you throw your characters, but there are very real risks of defeat in whatever you do. Sometimes, it is best to heed the better part of valor.
• Something I forgot initially - let's generally keep things PG13. A lot of people may end up interacting, and I'd rather not worry about NSFW content reaching the wrong people!

MECHANICS
Destiny - Every character in this roleplay has a measure of Destiny. This is the power of fate, that strange, divine string that pulls the chosen into the places they need to be. Each character starts with a limited pool of Destiny, though more powerful, influential characters have less starting Destiny than more mundane ones. You may invoke the power of Destiny at any time to do one of several things:

• Get out of a bad situation
• Narrate a change to the scene
• Ask for an unexpected intervention, such as from an ally or someone with a common foe
• Force an encounter with another player (within reason; you must know their identity and you must be in the same area)
• Do something beyond the normal limits of your character (within reason)
• Uncover a vital secret or clue if you are lost
• Activate a powerful magical artifact
• Cheat death

...and whatever else may come up during play. That should cover most uses, however.

Destiny does not replenish easily. In fact, it's very rare that you will recover any during play. Treat your starting pool of Destiny as your ONLY pool, because you may not get any more after the game's start.

Peril - Sometimes you may find yourself wandering into an area that spells almost certain doom for your character, or perhaps you will get an uneasy feeling, a warning of some dire event to come. When in such a perilous situation, I will code text with crimson so that you are well aware of the danger ahead. This isn't necessarily a guaranteed demise, but it does mean that you should tread carefully, because these circumstances are very dangerous for your character.

Music - You may have noticed that the headers of different sections are actually URL links. They lead to songs on YouTube that I think fit the situation. You don't have to click them, but feel free to do so if you want to get a sense of the mood I'm trying to set!

Terrain Map

Political Map

Travel Times

Someone in Discord asked me about the size of the region and about travel times. I freaked out and then proceeded to puke some math into the chat.

Below is the excerpt from Discord explaining the matter:

TRAVEL TIMES AND THE SIZE OF THE REGION

Okay, so I'm going to use Germany as a comparison. This whole region is about 2x the size of Germany, AKA about the size of Texas, in square kilometers.

For exact measurements, I'll say that the map's vertical (North/South) is 960 kilmoneters long, AKA 596 miles. Its horizantal distance (East/West) is 720 kilometers or 447 miles. This gives us 691,200‬ kilometers squared / 266874 miles squared, roughly speaking.

Going by medieval travel times, you can travel at roughly...

- Travel on foot, with luggage: 15 km / 9 miles. (75 km / 46 miles per week with 1-2 days rest)
- Travel on foot, minimum luggage: 20-22 km / 12.5-14 miles. (100-110 km, 65 miles per week with 1-2 days rest)
- Travel on horseback, no spare horse: 30-40 km, 19-25 miles. (150-200 km, 95-125 miles per week with 1-2 days rest)
- Travel on horseback, with a spare horse: 40-60 km, 25-37 miles. (200-300 km, 125-185 miles per week with 1-2 days rest)

So, let's say you wanted to go from the center of Burgher's Bay to the center of the Theocracy. That's roughly 1/4 the vertical distance of the map. Assuming flat, level terrain the whole way without any bends in the road, that would be 240 kilometers. Traveling a distance of 240 kilometers by foot with minimal luggage would give you a travel time of roughly 14-15 days. However, there's also swampy terrain, hills, twists in the road, and other such difficulties. Therefore, you're probably looking at something closer to 18-20. Traveling by horseback, depending on the steed and the skill of the rider and the terrain, could shorten the trip to perhaps 9-15 days. If you didn't take a day off, you could shorten travel times further.

Also, bear the seasons in mind. This is a cold land - a really cold land. When winter hits, it becomes much harder to travel. Increase travel times by around 50% in winter, and moreover it's just more dangerous. Likewise, spring and autumn rains can turn unpaved roads into muddy messes. Summer is really the best time to do your traveling.

Now, specifics as to WHERE you're traveling are important.

Going along a road? Easy! (Bear in mind that the roads on the map aren't the ONLY roads/paths. They're just the main roads, and the most likely to be paved in any way.)

Going through a forest? Not so easy at all.

Traveling to the other side of the mountains? Get ready for a trip.

Now... There is a mountain pass in the mountains. You can probably see it on the map. It's MUCH quicker than going around the mountains. But here be tariffs, matey!

Passage of Time

The plot will be moving similarly to IRL. Namely, every 2 weeks IRL is going to be 18 days in the setting itself. (Yes, this is weird, but you'll see why.)

Years will be 360 days long. The year is divided into five seasons, each of which is split into two 36 day months, for ten months in the world. So, every two weeks IRL = 1/4 a season in the setting.

THE MONTHS
Spring Dawning - Spring Waning - Summer Dawning - Summer Waning - Fall Dawning - Fall Waning - Winter Dawning - Winter Waning - Frost Dawning - Frost Waning

Frost is just an even harsher winter. And yes, this means that whereas every other season only lasts 72 days, winter overall lasts 144 days. Winters are long and harsh in this world.

DAYS OF THE WEEK
There are nine days of the week in the human calendar, each named after a hero or leader of the past. They are arranged in alphabetical order:
Alnsday, Bjornsday, Brensday, Dolsday, Kormsday, Morsday, Narlsday, Thegnsday, Ulsday

A fortnight is thus two weeks, or 18 days long - exactly 1/2 of each month.

---

Hopefully this helps everyone understand posting rates and story pacing!

[Reia]

Spring's Dawning, 943 ND

First Fortnight

"E'er shall the birds be wont to sing,
as sheets of white give way to spring."
Talir the Poet

The sun awakens to the morning's kiss, and the long dark of the frosts is finally banished. The snows yet hang upon the trees and rest in blankets on the hills and plains, yet they become mushy beneath boots, melting away under the warming light of the sun. Small game eagerly makes its way out of hiding. Spring has come at last.

Druids all around Ulrania predict that it shall be a pleasant and gentle spring, and that rainfall shall be plentiful. Soothsayers in the rural regions suggest that it is a time of fertility in more ways than one, and that those who wish for children should try for them with their partners now.

But talk of the weather and of birth is far from the only topic on the minds of the people. With the terrible frost giving way to spring, the roads are open to travel again, and rumors quickly begin to spread as traders and adventurers make their way from town to town.

Rumors

• Spreading from the kingdom of Larisar comes talk of some sort of strange, winged lizard-monster terrorizing the woodsmen and farmers. Nobody knows for sure how many people have been hurt or died, but certainly this must be dire news.
• Similarly, it is rumored that the northernmost farmlands of the Reunited Kingdom are suffering strange disappearances. Travelers on the road seem to vanish, and farmers have begun to bar their doors.
• The second son of the Kingdom of Bolten, Prince Ahriman, is said to be pressured to seek the hand of a maiden soon.
• People marvel at the feats of the Priest King. In his reign, the Theocracy has risen to prominence, an equal to the Reunited Kingdom. Heaven answers the prayers of His Holiness. He is truly a blessed man.
• There is talk among the people of the north - from the Theocracy and the Reunited Kingdom on to Burgher's Bay - that perhaps it would be wise to set bounties on the beastkin. They are dangerous creatures, and certainly cannot be trusted.
• Rumor has it that the dwarves of Thal Burzak whisper of some sort of prophecy. But the dwarves do not readily tell strangers of their secret ways, and it is marvel that any word at all has escaped their underground homes about these rumors.
• A practitioner of dark magic - a witch, they say - is rumored to be traveling the Southlands. They say she has many potions and trinkets, and can hex one's enemies! Is she real? Can she be trusted?
• Raids on the border between the Reunited Kingdom and the Graylands have increased, but everyone knows the border guard is holding up fine. It always has.

Events

• A wealth of gold has been discovered by adventurers in the Southlands! The party drunkenly claims that he found it while plundering one of the many ruins dotting the land. Perhaps there is yet treasure to be found in dark places?
• The Crimson Order requests aid. The dangers of Avistar's Folly are too great this year, and they ask for the help of adventurers as well as of the Reunited Kingdom and the Kingdom of Larisar. Thus far, no help is forthcoming.
• Though war has not been officially declared, the Theocracy of Stennar and the Reunited Kingdom are clearly girding themselves for war. Both realms claim to be inheritors of Ulrain, and those who watch the pass through the Stormlash Mountains are agitated and tense. One bad move, one errant spark could be all that is needed to ignite the whole region in the fires of war.
• The Southlands need no such excuses and the retinues of petty lords are already being drummed up to die on the field of battle yet again.
• There has been recent conflict between the Reunited Kingdom and the goblins squatting in the Putrid Bog. The goblins suffered heavy losses, but disease has begun to spread into the heartland. The captain who led his men into a chase into the diseased swamps has been chastised greatly for his actions.

Legends

• First King Ulrain is known to have wielded a magical blade, though nobody knows what truly came of it. It went missing when his line began to war with itself. Such a weapon would be a symbol to reunite humanity, and could usher in a new era of prosperity. But... where is it?
• They say that a great, horned demon stalks the lands of Ulrania, splitting men in two like great pieces of lumber. This creature is used as a boogieman in children's tales. The details of what the creature actually is vary: a giant demon, a minotaur, or another of the Beastshaper's creations... But legends have circulated about this terrible creature for many years.
• Nobody knows what came of the Frost Queen after the great Wizard Wars. The Beastshaper was slain; the Necromancer destroyed by his own hand; and other wizards came and went in their own way. But the Frost Queen simply vanished. Where could she be now?
• The tower on Wizard's Isle (which is definitely NOT the Frost Queen's home) has long been the subject of mystery. It has no doors, no windows, no entrances that can be seen; and it simply appeared on the isle one day long ago. Who lives there? What manner of sorcery is performed? Nobody is bold enough to try to break in and find out.
• Oh, the Songlake... once it was the most beautiful of all places in the land. Now it is but a shell of its former self. It is believed that once there was a beautiful maiden of its waters that watched over the lake, but that she retreated when the corruption from Avistar's Folly spread into her domain. Nobody truly knows how to fix it. It would surely take a great wizard or perhaps the spirits of nature to begin the process.
• Giants once marched across Ulrania. Where are they now? Their bones and their ruins can yet be found in the hills and mountains, but they have long since been unseen. Even dragonkind, ever evasive of human lands, has been seen in recent years. So... where are the giants?