[OOC] Empire of the Dead

[gorgenmast]

I really dig this setting and the characters that have already been submitted. While my writing skills are a bit rusty, I would love to give this a go.

A few questions that may or may not be necessary to answer:

1. How do you, and can you kill an undead?
2. What is the source of necrotic power in this world?
3. Are there any gods/religions of note?
4. What currency if any is circulated?

Thanks!

@Polybius

First of all, it is great to see you again Poly! Sybax is gladly accepted and being so close, I hope to interact with him regularly. In response to your questions:

1. Undead are exceedingly difficult to "kill" as one would expect. Hacking an arm off will almost certainly kill a living warrior due to blood loss and shock, but an undead warrior will continue fighting. This is why the undead were able to conquer all of Leria with only a handful of notable defeats. Decapitation is perhaps the easiest way to dispatch undead - the body will collapse but the head may still continue to function. Complete destruction of the head is the only way to actually kill an undead with purely physical means, and is wonderfully illustrated in Oraculum's first post. Theleden, as a living warrior against the undead, used fire to destroy large swathes of undead at Esteline and Sour Bridge, either by completely immolating them or burning them to the point that they were no longer capable of fighting. There may also be some magical means of destroying undead. Perhaps there is a way to siphon the necrotic power out of a cadaver. I haven't considered such a possibility until now, but am open to such a thing so long as it is extremely rare/difficult to accomplish.

2. Undead are reanimated by the power of the Ritual of Undeath. Eagoth first discovered this phenomenon and recognized its potential. It is a very magic-intensive spell, and so only very powerful wizards like Eagoth are able to accomplish it. Eagoth eventually was able to delegate the Ritual to his undead lackies by supplying them with crystals imbued with arcane power. Eagoth saw handing over what were essentially batteries full of arcane energy as a liability, and stopped doing this. He now collects energy from the Spire of Rutile to continuously pump necrotic power into the earth via the lightning strikes illustrated in my first post.

3. Cyclone's first post mentions Zealots in a realm called Luminara, which implies some sort of religious crusade against the Undeath. There is also Incredible John's quasi-religion that depicts Eagoth as a messiah of sorts. Additionally, my first post shows that there was some sort of religious institution in Leria prior to the Undeath. The God(s) it revered, or what it stood for, are probably almost completely forgotten by the undead.

4. Cyclone has hit the nail on the head and I will refer you to his answer on this.

[Cyclone]

Luminara is actually in John's CS. It's that city that his character controls. The 'zealots' that Faustus refers to in that post are Urgun and his order of religious undead.

Urgun and his Order of the Savior have come to take the largest island in the Meridions their home. On this island lies the port city of Luminara. Once it was the gem of the north...The city is perpetually kept clean by undead unfit for combat. Their task is to keep the city in immaculate condition. Urgun aims to make Luminara an image of Amonth’s heavenly kingdom.

Pertinent Section

In describing the origins of some of Faustus' various strange outfits in coming posts, I may do a few 'name it and drop it' references to living realms that could be fleshed out later, but so far I've left that aspect of worldbuilding entirely unexplored because I didn't want to infodump more than I already was in that first post.

[Bastian]

Hello! I find the premise of this roleplay absolutely intriguing. One question - would I be allowed to control both a Revenant Major and Minor? I came up with two ideas I really enjoy for characters, but I then realized they would be even better as foils to each other that frequently had to rub elbows(or, in this instance, humerus...es? Humeri?).

[gorgenmast]

Hello! I find the premise of this roleplay absolutely intriguing. One question - would I be allowed to control both a Revenant Major and Minor? I came up with two ideas I really enjoy for characters, but I then realized they would be even better as foils to each other that frequently had to rub elbows(or, in this instance, humerus...es? Humeri?).

@Bastian

Thank you for the interest! You are absolutely welcome to control two (or more) characters.

[Bastian]

Awesome! Expect me back sometime soon with the sheets, then. I'd love to expand on the aforementioned idea of a religious crusade of sorts against Undeath, and the potential ramifications that might bring about for the crusaders once they're all undead themselves.

[Stitches]

This looks interesting! I've deliberated over it for a couple days. I'd like to make a revenant minor that'll be reaninated for my first post - is anyone who plays a revenant major looking for a lackey?

I'll make the sheet ASAP that'll depict who she'll be but I'm thinking some sort of tactician with a sword, capable of light armoured/mounted combat as well as an advisor for her superior(s). Unflinchingly loyal but also getting to grips with undeath so she's a bit more lively than most.

Edit: finished the sheet.

The Silver Blade (name TBD)

Name: The Silver Blade

Rank: Revenant minor

Description: Her hair is a striking coppery red whilst her skin retains a shiny silvery-brown complexion - both clear signs of peat preservation. With the pads of fat that typically accentuated a woman's attributes long since rotted away, the flesh crafter's stitchwork has pulled the skin taut against the sinewy bone and muscle and cut off the excess, leaving her flat-chested, only slightly wider at the hips than her comrades and less weatherbeaten than most.

Whatever is left of this knight has been carefully crafted and sculpted to emphasize femininity. Her armour has been embossed with flowers and branches, pinched at the waist and curved at the back. The hairs of innumerable women and children dyed in the bogs and punched into her scalp to give her a long set of flowing locks, albeit at a receded hairline to prevent any stray strands from obscuring her vision. Her clothes are colourful, bright and painstakingly embroidered with long flowing skirts. She's adorned with chain tiaras, bracelets, necklaces and rings. Despite her undeath, she's been deliberately crafted to resemble an echo of the living.

Background: Not much is truly known about The Silver Blade. It was something of a pet project for Eagoth to collect persons of note and preserve them for future purpose, making the unknown lady one of hundreds kept in stasis across the kingdom. She's spent the last decade or so locked in a stone coffin, suspended in peat and embalming fluid with a small contingency of ghouls maintaining her physically whilst the necrotic energies that ought to give her sapience glowed dim behind her watery eyes.

What the records do show is that she was somewhat of a nuisance at court. Through methods unknown she had risen from nothingness to advisor of a long-forgotten lord, the latter's name and achievements scrubbed from the annals of history in a mix of inevitable property damage stemming from the war in Leria and a deliberate attempt to expunge him from the archives. She may not have lead his troops, but it was her whispering in the ears of his captain. She did not own the estate but she attended all the meetings that he did. She grew fond and close with allies and rivals alike then returned at the call of her master to reveal her findings. What her honeyed words couldn't accomplish, her silver rapier made up for it. Someone so flippant and frivolous with the secrets of men in power inevitably found herself becoming a keen combatant and wary soul, though evidently not wary enough. Perhaps it's no surprise at all that Eagoth's servants found her, identifiable through her ornate armour, buried in a bog beyond the bridge with her throat slashed open. She couldn't have been older than thirty.

Her achievements didn't warrant the privilege of becoming a Revenant Major but she could have been worth more than a ghoul. Her name and her feats are listed in a catalogue of these persons of note with a brief description of the brainwashing techniques used to detach her loyalties from her living superior, leaving her in a comatose state until a new lord could fill his place.

Wards(If applicable): N/A

[gorgenmast]

This looks interesting! I've deliberated over it for a couple days. I'd like to make a revenant minor that'll be reaninated for my first post - is anyone who plays a revenant major looking for a lackey?

I'll make the sheet ASAP that'll depict who she'll be but I'm thinking some sort of tactician with a sword, capable of light armoured/mounted combat as well as an advisor for her superior(s). Unflinchingly loyal but also getting to grips with undeath so she's a bit more lively than most.

Edit: finished the sheet.

The Silver Blade (name TBD)

Name: The Silver Blade

Rank: Revenant minor

Description: Her hair is a striking coppery red whilst her skin retains a shiny silvery-brown complexion - both clear signs of peat preservation. With the pads of fat that typically accentuated a woman's attributes long since rotted away, the flesh crafter's stitchwork has pulled the skin taut against the sinewy bone and muscle and cut off the excess, leaving her flat-chested, only slightly wider at the hips than her comrades and less weatherbeaten than most.

Whatever is left of this knight has been carefully crafted and sculpted to emphasize femininity. Her armour has been embossed with flowers and branches, pinched at the waist and curved at the back. The hairs of innumerable women and children dyed in the bogs and punched into her scalp to give her a long set of flowing locks, albeit at a receded hairline to prevent any stray strands from obscuring her vision. Her clothes are colourful, bright and painstakingly embroidered with long flowing skirts. She's adorned with chain tiaras, bracelets, necklaces and rings. Despite her undeath, she's been deliberately crafted to resemble an echo of the living.

Background: Not much is truly known about The Silver Blade. It was something of a pet project for Eagoth to collect persons of note and preserve them for future purpose, making the unknown lady one of hundreds kept in stasis across the kingdom. She's spent the last decade or so locked in a stone coffin, suspended in peat and embalming fluid with a small contingency of ghouls maintaining her physically whilst the necrotic energies that ought to give her sapience glowed dim behind her watery eyes.

What the records do show is that she was somewhat of a nuisance at court. Through methods unknown she had risen from nothingness to advisor of a long-forgotten lord, the latter's name and achievements scrubbed from the annals of history in a mix of inevitable property damage stemming from the war in Leria and a deliberate attempt to expunge him from the archives. She may not have lead his troops, but it was her whispering in the ears of his captain. She did not own the estate but she attended all the meetings that he did. She grew fond and close with allies and rivals alike then returned at the call of her master to reveal her findings. What her honeyed words couldn't accomplish, her silver rapier made up for it. Someone so flippant and frivolous with the secrets of men in power inevitably found herself becoming a keen combatant and wary soul, though evidently not wary enough. Perhaps it's no surprise at all that Eagoth's servants found her, identifiable through her ornate armour, buried in a bog beyond the bridge with her throat slashed open. She couldn't have been older than thirty.

Her achievements didn't warrant the privilege of becoming a Revenant Major but she could have been worth more than a ghoul. Her name and her feats are listed in a catalogue of these persons of note with a brief description of the brainwashing techniques used to detach her loyalties from her living superior, leaving her in a comatose state until a new lord could fill his place.

Wards(If applicable): N/A

@Stitches

Glad to have you! We still have plenty of room. And a lady, no less! The undead dominion was getting to be a bit of a sausagefest. I already have two characters and will introduce another minor character in the next post or two, so I will open the floor to anyone wanting a lackey. If not, I could definitely work the Silver Blade into a plot arc with Theleden or Abbot if you don’t get any takers.

[Cyclone]

@gorgenmast Since you've said you're cool with multiple characters, I may bring in Hrein if things ever slow down and we need something like him attempting an invasion of the mainland in order to get the plot going again.

And as the cliffhanger ending just indicated, I'm about to introduce some bloodthirsty lunatic of a revenant major. I'm not decided yet if he'll be a recurring character or just make a one-time appearance, but if @stitches likes the look of that dude when he makes an appearance in my next post (hopefully writing it will just take me a few days) then we could talk about it. It wouldn't take much suspension of disbelief to say that one of his helpers 'disappeared' and that he's now in need of a replacement.

No obligation of course. If you get an offer from somebody else to have character serve theirs and you're interested in taking them up on it, then by all means feel free to do so without waiting on me.

[gorgenmast]

Awesome collaboration @Lauder & @Cyclone. Collaborative posts can sometimes be awkward, but yours was was great. Great introduction to Razzak and great worldbuilding also. Looking forward to more Fauzzak posts!

[gorgenmast]

Just wanted to check in and let you’ns know I’m working through a post. Check for it later tonight

[Terminal]

Normal operations will now resume.

There is no sufficient excuse for my absence, so I will not make one. I will have a new post up by either later today or early tomorrow, depending on when/where you are.

[Stitches]

Thanks for the interest!
@Cyclone I'll have to see how he is first. I was aiming for a "freshly awakened gets used to undeath" angle to begin with, so some degree of empathy might be necessary. If he's too brutal I'll probably go with @gorgenmast's offer.

Looking forward to reading the new posts, though. Your prose here is far longer than mine but full of substance - makes me a little nervous to jump in. Thankfully I don't have to until I've given Silver an owner.

By the by, you can change her name to whatever as well, it's a placeholder instead of a pompous title. One of the quirks of being a bit of a blank slate.

[Polybius]

Respectfully withdrawing. @gorgenmast

The initial excitement of the setting and characters has escaped me. Still, enjoying what you all have written.

[Jeddaven]

Hello, @gorgenmast!
It was suggested that I check out this thread by some of the Precipice at War people, since I mentioned I was craving some solid Fantasy RP, but that leads me to a question or two, if you don't mind answering them. Of course, if you want to leave the questions unanswered, let me know.

1. You mention the setting as being based in Middle Fantasy, and that the focus is not on nonhuman Fantasy races - I was curious about the wording of this. Does this mean that, say, races like Elves are not playable, simply that they're quite rare and should remain as such, or something else? In other words, are they playable, or would that be too... Special?

2. In regard to dissent against Eagoth, you mention the lack of success of open revolt - what about less obvious forms of resistance? Isolated guerillas, for example, or even simply people that are choosing to not participate in Eagoth's rule. As a followup, if any of this less overt resistance exists, would it be exclusively conducted by the risen dead? The impression I got was that living folk aren't really a thing in these lands anymore, at least not in any relevant capacity.

3. What of schools of magic outside of Destruction? I'm particularly curious about some of those that can have comparatively overt effects as Destruction - conjuration, for example. Is summoning at all viable, as rare as magic is in general? What of enchanting?

4. I'm also curious if non-'Arcane traditions of magic are/can exist; i.e. magic derived from a divine source, druidry, so on and so forth.

Thanks for your time!

[Jeddaven]

Was it something I said?

[Cyclone]

Was it something I said?

@Jeddaven

Judging from when it says gorgen was last on, I’d think not. I expect he’s just really busy right now.

Anyhow, with that latest post out, we have a new revenant major introduced, but it’s actually Oraculum’s character. He helped me iron out some of the details of what I had in mind, and when time came for the post he helped me there too and wrote most of the parts that came from the new guy’s POV.

[Jeddaven]

Oh, I assumed as much - I was joking!

I have some ideas of my own, but I wanted to clarify a few things before I got ahead of myself.

[Cyclone]

Hah, I thought that might be so but you never know!

[pandapolio]

Hey this looks really interesting, and I wonder if you are still accepting. I'm thinking of a general or minor king who was betrayed in life before he could make his stand against the undead(possibly by callidus idk). In death he has kept his discipline and pride because in his mind he never lost to the necromancer. He requires all of his "soldiers" to look presentable just like in life. This now includes polishing bones and such like that. For appearance wise him and his I'll would look something like the ossiarch bonereapers from AoS. Such as they all appear mostly uniform and still wear armor, but it is now made from bone. That is all I have so far.

[gorgenmast]

Rumors of my death are overstated.

As Cyclone suggested, I have not had any time for this - or anything else. I've finished the project that was keeping me away. And after coming down with a mild case of what I suspect is COVID-19 (got a test yesterday), I'm probably going to have a lot of free time for a change.

Let me be clear that despite my hiatus, I have no intention of abandoning this roleplay. I think that the characters and settings we have already built have too much potential to squander. I can't guarantee that this roleplay will move very fast, but it is not dead. I have a plot in mind that I have to commit to writing, even if nobody else is involved with this roleplay anymore besides me. If the pace is not as fast as you would like, or if you have moved onto other projects - I completely understand. But for those of you still interested in this roleplay, I want you to know that this isn't going anywhere.

As for questions:

Hello, @gorgenmast!
It was suggested that I check out this thread by some of the Precipice at War people, since I mentioned I was craving some solid Fantasy RP, but that leads me to a question or two, if you don't mind answering them. Of course, if you want to leave the questions unanswered, let me know.

1. You mention the setting as being based in Middle Fantasy, and that the focus is not on nonhuman Fantasy races - I was curious about the wording of this. Does this mean that, say, races like Elves are not playable, simply that they're quite rare and should remain as such, or something else? In other words, are they playable, or would that be too... Special?

2. In regard to dissent against Eagoth, you mention the lack of success of open revolt - what about less obvious forms of resistance? Isolated guerillas, for example, or even simply people that are choosing to not participate in Eagoth's rule. As a followup, if any of this less overt resistance exists, would it be exclusively conducted by the risen dead? The impression I got was that living folk aren't really a thing in these lands anymore, at least not in any relevant capacity.

3. What of schools of magic outside of Destruction? I'm particularly curious about some of those that can have comparatively overt effects as Destruction - conjuration, for example. Is summoning at all viable, as rare as magic is in general? What of enchanting?

4. I'm also curious if non-'Arcane traditions of magic are/can exist; i.e. magic derived from a divine source, druidry, so on and so forth.

Thanks for your time!

@Jeddaven

1. We have(had?) a orc represented by the Incredible John, but at this point I doubt we'll see any posts from him to be honest due to how long it's been. So, there is a precedent for playable fantasy races. Elves are probably as exotic as I'd like to get. If you can make elves work for the setting, I'm down for it.

2. Rebellion against Eagoth from his minions definitely has a precedent - both in open rebellion and smaller, less obvious insubordinations. The Cyclone/Lauder collaborative post establishes at least banditry and thievery among undead, so I think that roving brigands or small groups of rebels are very plausible. They would have to be few and far between, lest they attract the attention of Necron and warrant a savage crackdown. As for living resistance, we at least know of one example of this from Flagg's first post. I plan to detail other examples of the living in Leria in some future posts. Again, living resistance would have to be so small that the revenants major haven't noticed or cared enough to deal with them.

3. Enchantments, while rare, are definitely represented in this world. Conjuration would not be a stretch either. Flagg's post mentions a swordfight with enchanted swords opening up small rifts to dimensions of pure madness. I imagine some powerful wizards may be able to open rift large enough to extract some being from these otherworldly planes.

4. I'm not really sure on the particulars of magical energy and how it manifests. I honestly don't know enough to be able to distinguish between fireball hadoukens and druid magic. As long as it doesn't jar with the setting, I'm fine with it.

Thank you for your interest and let me know if you have any other questions.

Hey this looks really interesting, and I wonder if you are still accepting. I'm thinking of a general or minor king who was betrayed in life before he could make his stand against the undead(possibly by callidus idk). In death he has kept his discipline and pride because in his mind he never lost to the necromancer. He requires all of his "soldiers" to look presentable just like in life. This now includes polishing bones and such like that. For appearance wise him and his I'll would look something like the ossiarch bonereapers from AoS. Such as they all appear mostly uniform and still wear armor, but it is now made from bone. That is all I have so far.

@pandapolio

We'd be happy to have you. Feel free to make an application and you can get started.