[OOC] All for One for All! | A WHFB Adventure [APPLY]

Currently accepting players, looking for a Dwarf Engineer.

[Andreyich]

Einer für Alle für ein'!

Our story will follow the Black Badges, an organization made centuries ago at the behest of Magnus the Pious of the Empire of Sigmar, Teclis of Hoeth, Alexis of Kislev, and Alrik of Karaz-A-Karak in the final meeting before their parting. The Black Badges receive funding from many sources, though primarily from the Empire. Traveling the breadth of the Old World they are an apolitical force on the watch for the forces of Order to strike against the forces of Chaos, Death, and Destruction.

Characters from a wide array of background will be accepted, though they will tend to the golden mean between peasant adventurers yet to take a life and wizards capable of melting hordes of Chosen.

The most important thing I'm looking for in players is reliability. There are only a few truly successful RPs on this website and I intend for this (if it begins) to be added to that collection. If you think you might not be able to dedicate enough time to reliably post once a month then turn back now. In the past I've been too lenient with people in my RPs, something which I shall try to cut down upon. You don't need to be a super lore nerd about WHFB, but you should be acquainted at least with the very basics of the setting. The RP is advanced, I expect literacy and as much detail as you can add without degenerating into what's oft called "purple prose".

The Black Badges are a fairly secretive organization, it’s membership in total amounting to slightly more than a thousand in the entirety of the Old World. Though they receive a considerable amount of funding from the government of the Empire of Sigmar, and a non-negligible list of stipends from other major powers of the Old-World. At the same time however, there is no official position for the organization; Agents of the Black Badge found in an insurrectionist’s hideout in Akendorf of the Border Princes will find Karl Franz denying any knowledge of or relation to the poor souls when they are brought to trial.



But yet they continue in the eternal war against Chaos, Death, and Destruction. Unthanked, spending nights cold and wet, risking their lives they work for the greater good of all.

This RP will be set in a variation upon the WHFB universe where we follow an alt history. The End Times are still according to some on the horizon, but they’re delayed compared to official canon. In a sense we will be following the events of a hypothetical campaign of Total War: Warhammer. There will be a fair amount of realism; if you whack someone right in their breastplate with a sword don't expect much more than them getting a faint push. Don't expect to spend days waiting in ambush without rations to keep you upright, etc. etc.At the same time I won't be obnoxiously anal about stuff, i.e. you won't have to frightened from losing a limb to gangrene just because a pellet of buckshot grazed your thigh.

This RP will be in many ways treated like an RPG game. There will be a “hub-world” in a sense, our carriage.

This we will use to travel (at least for the party members not currently in possession of their own mount) between assignments and often during them, we will carry supplies in this, equipment for both individual party members and that which is shared between all. As time improves we might start furnishing it with things to make our lives easier; perhaps an extra horse to go faster, or barding for the horses such that in an ambush they might survive. Maybe a small swivel gun for defence, or a stonewheel to help maintain weapons, things of the sort. Perhaps if we gain the budget another cart may even be purchased once the first gets too crowded with embellishments.

Player characters themselves will of course see growth. Their experiences will inevitably harden and improve them, they will bring new knowledge and with reimbursements both monetary and otherwise they will be able to improve their arms and armour to a considerable degree.

For discussion, questions, comments, concerns, please join the discord.

With these things kept in mind, the format of the CS can be found below, and an example CS found using my primary character in the CS tab. This character sheet is much smaller than what you might see in a good deal of RPs because I like to operate under the motto of show, don't tell. I will generally trust anyone I accept into this to not have some bullshit up their sleeve, and tell the full extent of their backstory, their personality, etc. through the process of RP. IF my players are planning on a character that toes the line I will likely ask them for a vague biography of their fella but in general the above applies.

CS Template

[b]Full Name and Aliases (if any):[/b] what it says on the tin can. If for whatever reason you don’t want the party to know the real one, PM/DM me.

[b]Race:[/b] The only ones I will likely consider are human, Dwarf, and Elf. 
Of course we know of Genevieve and other “good” vampires, and halflings do exist, and many many more, but I’m very skeptical about these and if you want a character in these I suggest you PM/DM me and we talk it over.
Regardless of if your idea when you pitch it to me is sound, it’ll also have to be eventually accompanied by a truly exceptional CS; luckily that won’t be hard. 

[b]Homeland:[/b] Just your race doesn’t tell very much about you. 
I want to know where you were born and raised. In general I’ll only accept for elves those of Ulthuan, and for humans those of the Empire, Brettonnia, the Border Princes, Tilea, Estalia, Kislev, and Araby. 
Of course we know of Norscans working for/with the forces of order especially if paid enough, but these are rare exceptions and likewise people from Ind/Cathay/etc. 
Likewise Wood Elves rarely venture out of their homes, so if you want one you’ll have to have a very good explanation for this and I’ll need a superb CS.

[b]Faith:[/b] What does your character believe in? 
Elaborate, i.e. if they follow a multi-theist pantheon like that of Dwarfs or the High Elves what Gods do they give praise to in particular?

[b]Sex:[/b] What is on the tin can

[b]Appearance:[/b] Likewise. Try to be detailed, add a picture if you like but no anime please.

[b]The Bait:[/b] Why was your character motivated in joining the Black Badges? Money? To save their life from execution or imprisonment? Because they simply wanted to do good for the world? Everyone has a reason. 

[b]The Catch:[/b] What is your character’s job, why exactly is your character good enough to join the Black Badges and/or receive an offer from them? 
What makes you stand out from the hundreds to hundred-thousands of people in your exact same line of work? 
Please note, Ironbreakers with full equipment, Waywatchers with full equipment, and young wizards/spellcasters are the absolute limit of what will (for now) be accepted for power-level in the party, though as time goes on more powerful characters will be taken as the party grows in size and experience. 
Grail Knights, Waystalkers, Irondrakes with full kit, a Demigryph Knight etc. are all just above the accepted power level. 
I would say the absolute lower limit would be a Veteran Freecompany member, an expert Hunstman, or simple Dwarf Clansman with a full kit.
The ideal place is something like a Greatswordsman with many years under his belt, a trollslayer, a Sea-Guard with all the furnishings.

[b]Initial Possessions:[/b] What are you bringing into your first assignment? Include everything here that you feel is needed to be noteworthy.
You don’t need to include every single colour of string you carry to mend your garments, but list everything important so you don’t end up pulling things out of your ass that you forgot earlier.

[b]Current Possessions:[/b] For now, mirrored with the above. As you purchase and obtain new equipment while shedding the old you might modify this list.

With that I’d just like the reader to consider some inspiration for this RP. As you could easily tell from the very name of the RP, story of D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers was a great inspiration, myself having enjoyed it since I were a boy. Gotrek and Felix Vermintide were also a big ones, though we certainly won’t be playing characters on the level of badassery Gotrek had, we certainly can have a few Felixes. This RP will seek to capitalize upon every theme we can find in WHFB from some low fantasy politicking of Imperial nobles to the very high fantasy of dealing with Chaos Daemons and rogue wizards. Eventually I want to come around to everything that the Old World has to offer from the frigid colds of Kislev and Norsca to the sun-scorched undeath and cold-blooded monsters of the Southlands. I want the bronze-age antiquity of Myrmidens to at some point be seen, contrasted by the 19th century technologies of the Karaz-Ankor. With that all said, get listening to some Schandmaul and get cracking on them character sheets!

[Andreyich]

@Jb@TyrannosaursRex

[TyrannosaursRex]

Deleted

[Jb]

CS incoming, please hold the line.

[Andreyich]

@TyrannosaursRex the format of CS I created was to give me the bare minimum of what I as a GM and your fellow players would need demanding only said minima, but you went above and beyond; I'm honoured to have that sheet in the CS tab. That said, I think most DMs including myself prefer to first see the sheet and give it the okay before getting it posted to the CS tab.

With that said a few thoughts. Though few among them would have any reason to divulge this there would be those who quickly bite through the disguise; older Elves, Witch Hunters, and magic users for the most part.

Second, with such detail at my disposal I'm curious if you would be ok with the appearance of people from Jehanette's past in the story given the almost 100% chance we will eventually make our way to Brettonnia (I've already written it into three different plot lines). Most likely members of Alison's family, perhaps the same Greenskins for a cool revenge arc, maybe a few folk who recognize the unique heraldry especially when combined with the Knight's appearance.

Third, does Jehan travel light with just the full plate for protection or is there chainmail and/or cloth armour beneath, etc.

[TyrannosaursRex]

Deleted

[CaptainBritton]

Erwin

Full Name and Aliases (if any): Erwin Sauer

Race: Human

Homeland: Erwin hails from a village by the name of Basdahl in Middenland in the heart of the Empire of Man.

Faith: Devout follower of Morr, the God of the Dead and Prophecy

Sex: Male

Appearance: Erwin is a nondescript male Human, an Imperial of 5’10” (177 cm) and with a thin, lithe build, weighing in at no more than 140 lbs. Despite his appearance, he does have some muscle, albeit without much mass and none of it toned. It seems to be more borne out of practicality and daily labor than any form of actual concerted effort to bulk up. His hair is a sandy blonde, kept in short style and shaved down on the sides, seemingly allowed to grow only on top of his head. He keeps a beard, darker in shade than his hair and well-trimmed at a middling length. His eyes are a pale greenish-hazel, notably changing between the two with the change of seasons. His face under the beard seems rather gaunt and long, but his absence of wrinkles puts his age as likely only in his mid-thirties at best.

Picture

The Bait: Erwin was born in the Grand Duchy of Middenland some years ago, the child of an undertaker and his wife, destined for mundane things such as carpentry of coffins and the burial of the dead. His father, close to the local Conclave of the Shroud in the city of Brockel-Guthugel, was an associate of the Cult of Morr and thus the spiritual and practical advisor of all things concerning the dead.

Erwin was a happy child, but once he was seven or eight, a malady struck him. He would often wake drenched in sweat, screaming and crying for mother about a bony face, nightmares of mist and cold, damp catacombs. His father assured him it was nothing, but still he prayed to Morr to keep his faith strong.

It was when a plague came into the village of Basdahl that the father’s faith was tested. He soon after perished burying bodies of the deceased, as did Erwin’s mother, who cared for his father in the final moments. Erwin was spared, yet three quarters of the village died out. It was when the Shroud’s representatives visited weeks later that they decided to take in the young orphan and give him a life in the Conclave.

Erwin was judged to be a good pick on the part of the representatives. From a young age he was stone-faced on the matters concerning the deceased, yet could show empathy and spiritual guidance when that too was required of him. But his one strongest trait: singular hatred for the Plague Lord. From the time he heard Nurgle’s name uttered, he felt a deep hatred for that which took his parents from him. In his time growing in the Conclave, he learned from its master fencers the way of the lange messer and shield, and from others the proper carpentry of a coffin, rites of cremation, and all the minor incantations a guardian of the Portal would need to dispel corruption in death, wherever it would be found.

It was on his twentieth birthday that he was given the opportunity to make the pilgrimage to Luccini on the Tilean Peninsula with the chosen representatives of the Conclave. On the nearly year-long trip south, Erwin was exposed to cultures from the decadent high nobles of Altdorf to the creative and progressive peoples of Tilea. Their domain was providing funerals wherever they could on their trek, giving Erwin a unique insight into the various Electorates and their constituents, and served to mellow his internal turmoil with the plague.

Their trip back took twice as long, and Erwin was nearly twenty-five by the time they set foot in the Conclave of Guthugel. He was changed from the quiet observer and the obedient guardian, he was inquisitive and more outspoken. He’d taken to hobbies foreign to the majority of the Conclave. While this rarely bothered his peers, the followers who singularly devoted themselves to worship, swordsmanship, and stewardship, those who strived for the Black Guard, felt that such a character would bring shame to their Conclave. The Abbot agreed, and Erwin was sent on a six-year exile.

During his exile, he basked in the difference of other cultures in the places to which he traveled. The years passed by without incident, the now-jovial man that was Erwin pursuing his calling with glee, even if he was cast out by his Conclave. This persisted until once again he clashed with his old enemy: Plague. An outbreak in Talabecland made his services required as he stayed there.

He fled in the night. His old enemy bested him not physically, as it had bested his parents, but on the field of the mind. An act which, if found out, could damn him eternally to never walk the Gardens of Morr, he strives to do penance for his crime, and as a renegade priest and now hunter of necromancers and Chaotic corruption, he has lobbied for membership to the Black Badges.

The Catch: Erwin is a fully fledged member of the Cult of Morr and thus knows their incantations and a baseline of their divine lore. He can commune with the spirits of the deceased in a way others cannot, and his singular knowledge of the processes of death make him a shoe-in as an investigator of all things dead, whether it be homicides or deaths by other causes. He is not completely useless in combat, however. He is quick with a messer and shield, and sharp enough to take advantage of circumstances in combat.

As for why he was attracted to the Black Badges, it was part necessity, as he needed something to belong to else his communion with the God of the Dead would be impossible. The other part is his own vendetta. As a simple priest he was tired of sitting idly by as people died, especially from the plagues which had taken things dear to him. Now he can take out his anger on corruption everywhere.

Initial Possessions:

• A messer, a small, broad-blade single-handed shortsword, carried in a leather sheathe on his left hip above his robes.
• A Tilean dagger made of steel and in a leather sheathe on his right hip, just below his robes.
• A square wrist-shield akin to a buckler in purpose, made for fighting paired with a messer and emblazoned with an effigy of a raven, the symbol of Morr. Fits over the grip and upper end of the sheathe of his messer and can be worn comfortably as such, but it often is left behind unless battle is expected.
• A set of street clothing, namely some hosen and bourgeois clothing such as a thigh-length tunic and a feathered brim hat.
• His normal black robes, worn over a set of leathers which offer a small amount of protection from cutting strikes (albeit not the kinetic impact).
• A bandolier of finely sharpened wooden stakes worn around the waist under his robes.
• Tome of Morr, which is guarded with his life and never leaves the leather book case at his side.
• A canvas haversack with two nights’ provisions between stops, a bedroll, and a miniature wash-basin.

Current Possessions: Mirrored above.

[ReedeThe23rd]

@Andreyich Figured I'd throw the question here before cluttering up the Discord, any chance this is still accepting newcomers?

[Andreyich]

@ReedeThe23rd Yes. However if you cannot drop a character sheet before the next full round of posting you will have to join us in the next Chapter of the story, so if you want to hop right in then get cracking (that said there's a liberal posting schedule so you have a decent amount of time).

[ReedeThe23rd]

@Andreyich Noted, I'll hop into the Discord with y'all and get to work right away.

[ReedeThe23rd]

Elric Thorn

Full Name and Aliases (if any): Elric Thorn

Race: Human

Homeland: Hergig, the capital of the Grand Barony of Hochland.

Faith: Elric pains homage to all gods of the Empire of Man, but none moreso than Ulric.

Sex: Male

Appearance: Elric is a gruff and rugged man, fitting in with the usual stock and fair among the huntsmen and foresters of Hochland. Standing in at five feet ten inches tall, with a stocky 180 pounds of muscle and and a fair bit of fat. He keeps his dark hair shaped into a solid beard and long hair bound up in a loose binding to keep it from obscuring his eyes and ears. His fair skin is almost never without a fine layer of forest grime, dirt, and the occasional bit of blood, and faint scar tissue marks various parts of his body.

The Bait: The Imperial province of Hochland is well-known for its foresters and huntsman, expert marksmen who favor the longbow and the signature gunpowder weapon of the land, the Hochland Long Rifle. Elric Thorn counts himself among their number, and has for much of his life. His father was a huntsman of the Barony, and his father before him, a family lineage traceable back to the days before the Empire itself. As such, Elric has spent his entire life trawling and traveling through the forests of the Barony, and much of the surrounding Empire. For the most part, his duties as he grew and learned consisted of the general fare of the Emperor's Huntsmen. Tracking and killing the monsters, mutants, bandits and criminals to be found deep in the wilds of the Empire's untamed lands. While his skill at traveling and tracking were honed and sharpened into mental weapons in their own right, nothing could match Elric's skills with his most prized possession, the Thorn Family Rifle given to him by his father, the original owner.

Elric's career as a Huntsman was never marred by significant despair or tragedy. Sure, comrades came and went, were slain or destroyed by man and beast alike, and life and limb were risked. But none of that was ever much bother for Elric Thorn. His firm belief in his own skill and the gods of Man getting him through some of the roughest times, and hearty drink and merrymaking through the rest. The lands of the Empire are but one part of the known world plagued by such beasts and mortals, however, and so approached with the offer of the Black Badges, the simple prospect of doing what he does best the world over, making a fair amount of coinage, and enjoying it all the same was enough to get him to agree.

The Catch: Elric Thorn is a well-learned and experienced Huntsman of the Empire, and a masterful marksman with his Thorn Family Rifle, a Hochland Long Rifle of expert craftsmanship and design. His knowledge of surviving and thriving in the wilderness, when paired with his skills in the art of marksmanship and skirmisher combat make him a threat to most any foe. He is a simple man, with little in the way of wants or needs, and is more than content to live in the shadows with his deeds, so long as his belly is full, his aim is true, and his coinpurse never light.

Initial Possessions: Elric Thorn's single most prized possession is his weapon of choice, the Thorn Family Hochland Long Rifle. A master-crafted example of gunsmithing and telescope equipment, this weapon is known for being one of the greatest marksman weapons in the Old World, and the finest infantry gun the Empire can muster. Along with his rifle, and the equipment needed to keep it maintained and functional in the wild, he packs a fair amount of powder and shot.

Beyond that, his primary garb is a rugged form of forester gear consisting of drab clothing of greens, browns and blacks, with padding and leather designed to provide a fair amount of protection without sacrificing comfort and stealth. Survival equipment consisting of a sleeping roll, fire kit, hatchet, dagger, rope, waterskin, long travel rations, and a satchel to bear it all in.

Current Possessions: For now, mirrored with the above.