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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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King's Decree_________ __ __ _ _

First: The Story | Welcome to Oriflamme: a low fantasy RPG set in the same world as The Hourglass Order. Taking place eight hundred years prior, during the Dark Ages, it shares much of the same lore and deals with the coalescence and founding of the nation of Perrence. This takes place against the backdrop of merciless and persistent raids and invasions by the southern 'barbarians' known as Eskandr. Yet, this is not a story without nuance. Within Parrence, as it is then called, exist a great many nationless, including the non-human yasoi and the steppes people known as Tourrare. These often exist in tension with an increasingly hierarchical state. The 'heathen' invaders face issues of their own, as well. Their northernmost brethren - the Drudgunzeans - are increasingly forsaking their ancient ways and the faith of their fathers in favour of the Perrench religion of Quentism. You'll be playing warriors of a great many sorts who have answered the young king's call to fight for their country or else those who resist or even the very barbarians who seek to destroy it in order to preserve their ascendance.

Second: Character Creation | This RPG involves magic and a handful of fantasy creatures, but is more concerned with a degree of realism than most fantasy. To that end, you'll be playing human (or yasoi) characters. You are allowed a concurrent maximum of two. These should be setting-appropriate, which means no clockwork tinkerers, half-elves with violet eyes, unusually tall emo kids, rebellious princess-knights, or anime main characters. The people that you create don't have to revel in their outward uniqueness simply for its own sake. They can be archetypes but still be compelling if thought, nuance, and heart go into making them. Good Dark Ages character art is also very difficult to find, so I'll be allowing some leeway, but this is not a D&D campaign or an anime. Characters' attire should be practical and reflect their setting and role.

Third: Conduct | This will be a fast-paced game with plenty of action, intrigue, politics, and exploration. It will have a clearly defined goal and ending. Players will be expected to adhere to the standard rules on powerplaying, metagaming, and 'asspulling'. Play this game in good faith and it'll be rewarding. If you find yourself very focused on 'winning' against other players as opposed to telling a collaborative story, then I'd ask you to look elsewhere. In terms of activity level, I'm looking for at least two paragraphs per post a minimum of once per week. If you don't think that you can keep up with that activity level, then this isn't for you. If you go inactive on the forum and on discord without prior notice for more than a week, I will ping and Direct Message you. If you fail to respond after a second week of inactivity... your character will fall in service of the kingdom or join the Visitor in GrĂžnhal.

Fourth: Deaths | As participants in a wartime game, you run the risk of character death. These will not be random acts of the Gods, but risky choices are, well... risky. That is not to discourage risk-taking. There may be sizable rewards as well, but ill-advised decisions (and you will always receive a warning of the risks and possible benefits if you would like one) can also result in the maiming or death of your character. You are free, however, to re-enter with a second character if your first is taken by Echeran. You'll only be permanently kicked from the game in instances of counterproductive behaviour or extended inactivity without notice.

Fifth: Character Roles | There are four Loyalties (otherwise known as factions) and eleven Callings (otherwise known as classes). Some are fairly unique and there will be caps on how many characters are allowed of these types. For the sake of realism, if your character is going against the societal grain, I would like to see good, nuanced, developed reasons as to why. If you're rebelling in some way, it needs to have a compelling internal logic and thoughtful emotional justification. In general, to ensure a balanced spread of characters that reflects the spirit of the game, we'll be using a quota system. If there are too many characters submitted for a particular quota, the one best suited to the direction of the narrative will be taken. The other player may submit an alternate character if they wish. You may find the current quotas and roster in the Zeroth post of the Characters tab.





The World_________ __ __ _ _
For a higher resolution view with more details, right click the image, open in a new tab, and magnify. To view the world 800 years in the future, click here (warning: spoilers).



The world of Sipente, where our story takes place, is vast and complex, governed by the laws of nature and magic but, to its people, by those of the divine Pentad as covered in the holy Menanne. All Parrench and many Drudgunzeans believe firmly that it was through the will of the Gods that all things were brought into existence, by their leave that man flourishes, and by their wrath that he fails.

Distinct from most fantasy settings, this world is very much in its equivalent to the Dark Ages (though the later part of them). Tactics and technology are simpler than in later medieval times: castles humbler, siege warfare in its infancy, good steel more valuable, and mounted knights a relatively new innovation. Full plate armour does not yet exist. The trebuchet has not been invented. Still developing, too, are the social codes that will come to define the middle ages: chivalry is a mere idea that some people have, nobility is still as much a state of being and behaviour as it is a status that one inherits. Magic has become less schooled and more arcane, still widely used but with much of its written form and finer points having been lost. Kingdoms are generally small and evanescent in nature. Parrence is the first truly large one to form north of the Asquelle since the fall of the Avincian Empire. Its success or failure may very well determine what the continent's future will look like.

Many are the peoples, places, beasts, and legends of this world. In the guides below, only those that may play a role in our story will be covered. While it is not essential, if you'd like a more in-depth understanding, it is recommended that you engage with the portions of the posts below that are labeled 'A Deeper Understanding'. You can also look at the extensive lore of The Hourglass Order. Finally, you are strongly encouraged to join our Sipenta Discord. For your convenience, you'll also find a character sheet template below, as well as in the Characters tab.






Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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Religion_________ __ __ _ _
The Quentic Faith_________ __ __ _ _



Other Faiths_________ __ __ _ _


Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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Peoples_________ __ __ _ _





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Places_________ __ __ _ _


The World: A Deeper Understanding__ _ _ _

The world of Sipente is home to a myriad of different cultures based on region, religion, social class, and other identity factors. For the purposes of our RPG, we'll be focusing mainly on those of Parrence, Drudgunze, and Eskand, which occupy the central and southern regions of the continent of Constantia.

As a general rule, the lingua franca (common tongue) that most people would speak, similar to how many of us use English as a common medium and how Europeans used Latin in the past, is Avincian: the old language of the Avincian Empire. Most noble, clergy, and wealthier merchant characters would be expected to have a strong command of this language in addition to their native tongue and perhaps one other major language. For the commonfolk, its use has faded and local dialects of Parrench, Eskandr, and Drudgunzean generally prevail.




Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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Magic_________ __ __ _ _







The Gift: A Deeper Understanding___ __ _ _

Use of The Gift is a rare phenomenon, reserved only for those most blessed by the gods. It is estimated that perhaps two in a hundred people have the ability to use magic for more than mere parlour tricks, though this has not been measured for a certainty. As befits a great boon bestowed upon man by the divine Pentad, The Gift is arcane and inscrutable in nature: far beyond mortal understanding. What little is known to learned men is recorded below for the benefit of the interested.








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Callings_________ __ __ _ _

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Flora & Fauna_________ __ __ _ _


Coming soon!
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Histories & Legends_________ __ __ _ _


Coming soon!
Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by CaliforniaState
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Here’s my attempt

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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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Hey, @Salsa Verde, thanks for dropping your CS here. I like Ulfhild very much and she's a strong candidate for being chosen (only 4 Eskandr spaces, after all). She feels realistic and believable within her world. I can sense the thought that went into her. I know I've also given scant detail on the Eskandr religion up to this point. That'll be rectified today, so feel freee to incorporate it if you'd like. A few small suggestions below.

1) Eskandr is the demonym and Eskand is the land;
2) Quentic or Quentist as opposed to Quentin;
3) 'Bear' children as opposed to 'bare';
4) In general, access to the Gift is not common, and especially being Fourth Wheel or above. It may be good to touch on that.

I'll do a final tally and review of all Character sheets on Wednesday and ping (mention) everyone who is chosen. At that point, I'd ask that you join the discord assuming that you're not already in it under another name.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by CaliforniaState
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@Force and Fury

Thank you! I definitely had to reread the ooc a few times because I kept tripping myself up on some stuff. I’ll fix the sheet right away.
Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Wolfieh
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Wolfieh eternally terrified / he/they

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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Th3King0fChaos
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Th3King0fChaos The Weird

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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Siber
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Siber A Creature of the Cybernetic Universe

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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by udonoodles
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udonoodles One thousand lonely stars

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reposting my cs here as per the discord announcement:

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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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@Siber Okay, so I've read the CS and I like her angle a lot. I want to see where it leads her for sure! She uses force magic in a very cool way too and makes being a bard believable in terms of being helpful. A few minor issues below:

1) The names. Remember that we're not just in a generic fantasy setting here. Drudgunzean names should remind us of names from Germanic tribes. Eskandr names should have a Norse/Viking feel to them. 'Jenny' ain't gonna make the cut, haha.

That's honestly about it, actually... Otherwise, you're good to go!
Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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@udonoodles Thanks for the repost. Just makes it easier to keep track of things that way! As for the CS, I like Edmund's angle quite a bit. He's cold and quasi-villainous without being a caricature and... honestly not really so much a villain as a believably ruthless individual of his day and age. He's loyal but ultimately for his own reasons as opposed to anything less tangible. As for some small amendments and recommendations, I might offer the following:

1) Just keep nomenclature of the time period and ethnic group analogues in mind. Edmund Hereward passes muster... barely. Maybe something else just to make it sound a bit more archaic than high medieval. That's ultimately a nitpick on my part, however. This is, however, a somewhat French-analogous society, so try to keep that inn mind as well.

2) Just make sure that you're not making their society sound a bit too structured and advanced. maybe a bit more emphasis on how he's genuinely an innovator in bringing in new crop rotations and in establishing networks of trade that have fallen into neglect after the collapse of the empire. Maybe his services in that regard have been so valuable that the king has ennobled him.

3) Maybe some distinction between merchant and businessman, because the former would've been the common term in his day. Why does he personally think of himself as the latter? That could be interesting to explore!

4) Might want to specify that his family were yeoman farms as opposed to regular peasants. That makes his rise a bit more believable. They were respectable and better off than most other farmers but still a very far cry from privileged.

Overall, I really appreciate his angle and look forward to seeing him in this roleplay!
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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Hi everyone! The following is just a repost of what went up on the Sipenta Discord, for those of you who aren't on it yet!

Take the weekend to work on your CSes. For ease of reading and comparison, these all must be posted in the Oriflamme OOC by Wednesday Noon GMT-4. No submissions after that time or in other places will be accepted. At all. No matter what. I just have a ton of stuff to keep track of and honestly just don't have time to go searching through old threads, linked docs, and DMs. Make my life easy and I'll have more time and energy to keep working on this awesome world we've all agreed to play in. Anyways, the sheets will be reviewed and we will have our roster for the RP posted by Thursday morning. Looking super forward to kicking this thing off!

-Force and Fury
(neither forceful nor furious)
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by A Lowly Wretch
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A Lowly Wretch The Listless Loiterer

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Per gm's request here is my CS in the OOC.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Ti
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Ti Kitti

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Lion Knight - Character Sheet


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