[OOC] Perils of Xepreath - Character-driven Adventures

[Bartimaeus]

Perils of Xepreath

Xepreath, Realm of Man

Xepreath is a relatively young planet. And in its youth, it is an unharnessed land, possessesing a vast, unbridled well of magic. Said magic can be held accountable for the creation of man itself, and all their ilk. It is said that Xepreath's magic is so great that even the gods, and beings of similar power, were drawn to the planet from far and wide. Yet, what may appear to be a blessing is not always so. Alongside such raw power comes a seemingly ungovernable arcane chaos. Said chaos has been the plight of man since its inception. And the only reason they have managed to survive thusfar is due to the natural ebb and flow of such energies - the lulls in the magical fluxes during which they can recover. But the lulls seem to be.. shortening. The fluxes are changing - increasing in power. Among many things, these fluxes are tearing at the borders that seperate one plane from another - causing other planes to seep into ours and vice-versa. Rifts are opening. Things are warping, changing. Over the last two decades, this has become the worry of every nation of Xepreath: What will become of us if this isn't held at bay?

Nations

Lonthinn Empire - The most industrially-progressed and militarily-structured nation of Xepreath. Holds negative views on the other nations and is pretty much hostile to them, at least in unofficial capacities. Heavily-forested, temperate lands.
Xernoa - A sizable but mostly barren land, with patches of prairies. Mostly reclusive, but holds a strong governmental face.
Allyanik - A partially-untamed scape of land with colder northern territory, and warmer southern territory. Has solid military presence despite non-ideal geographical circumstances.
Scithia - A region wartorn by the magical fluxes of Xepreath. Its governmental and societal structures are very weak, and the northern portions of the nation are flooded with beasts from the magical rifts of the Mallaene Mountains. The region is rain-forested to the north, and tropical to the south, and the region's heavy rains rarely cease.
Tembloran Coalition - A swampy and unconquerable landscape, the land of the Tembloran Coalition - which takes in refugees of societal prejudice - is largely unapproachable. It is headed by ousted races like Lizardfolk, Thri-keen, and Goblinoids - but the large continent-island to the east is held tightly by the more fey-aligned peoples.

Pantheon

Lehtal - An ancient and, simply, unresponsive god. Most of the Lonthinn Empire worships this Deity. Domains are Faith and Obedience. Lawful Good.
Runaish - A wise but young-in-soul god that holds a loose sense of benevolence. Founder of The Red Wraiths. Presiding over the Domain of Balance. Chaotic Good.
Algonne - A, fittingly, chaotic and care-free god-creature of unknown origin. Widely disliked by those of Xepreath, and even the other gods. Domain is Chaos. Chaotic Evil.

More TBD by us!

Our role

Some years ago, the nations, aside from the Lonthinn Empire, embraced a group of brave wanderers who appeared from seemingly nowhere and called themselves 'The Red Wraiths'. In truth, The Red Wraiths were simple followers of Runaish. In Runaish's desire to stifle the imbalance of Xepreath, he sought to reach out to some of those who would listen - and grant some of them his blessings.

But over time, the Red Wraiths were diluted, in a sense. No longer are they all reverers of Runaish - although many of them are, considering his benevolent nature - they are now partly just travelers of capability. The nations promote the Red Wraiths as the glue that strains to hold Xepreath together - and in a sense, they are right. The nations of Xepreath would surely be in a worse place without them.

The Red Wraiths have one job, but it's one very important job: Stem the wounds which are opened by Xepreath's chaotic magical spills, providing reprieve to anyone they can. They serve as a form of reserve-force, scattered about the world of Xepreath, ready to act at a moment's notice.

We stand among the Red Wraiths. We are one of a couple dozen squads amongst their numbers, and whether we joined due to a calling from Runaish, or because we just wanted to help, or because we owe a debt to specific people, we're here. And we answer the Red Wraith's call.

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^{Tags: NEWBIE FRIENDLY Character-driven, Character relationships, 60% RP/40% Action(?), Minimal Min/Max}

Hello there, my friends!

Welcome to what I hope will become a great collaborative masterpiece that tells a tale of a group of fuckos who actually managed to do something good despite all the bullshit that they got themselves into.

I've been wanting to scrape up enough inspiration to do something of a DnD game of my own making, and it seems here I am! Except, I don't want it to just be my own. That can be a bit boring sometimes, don't you think? So, I'm bringing it out in the open so I can make something great with a few others, hopefully. Let's build this world up together!

I'm looking for about 5-8 players, including myself, for this RP - and it is an RP. I often feel that tabletop projects on the guild are less rp and more action-y, but I like a healthy mix of both, as the tags and theming might suggest. I'm keeping the information very simple to start out - mostly because I am welcoming new players to DnD, of which I have one interested already. Your ability to RP and write are much more important than your leet dnd skillz.

But uhh, yeah, I don't want to ramble too long or give a big textwall, so here is me checking for interest!
Below I'll include some rules and a sheet, simply to weed out those who may not like the style. So, let's see who's in, shall we?

RP Rules

Standard guild rules. Don't be a prick :P
GM word is final, of course, but that does not mean rulings are not to be questioned. I'll let you know when discussion is closed<3
You don't have to use my sheet(the coding is kinda a mess), but you must include all the info on it.

DnD Rules

^{This will probably be a jumbled list in no particular order.}
House rules/Custom rules

• Wizards of the Coast™ official content only, unless otherwise specified. I can be persuaded if it isn't absurd.
• In character creation you can either take your classes' recommended equipment, or start with 50gp and purchase gear yourself.
• More TBD

Other rules

• Our characters start at level 3.
• For rolling, we do 4d6-minus-lowest. You can retry for a different array once. If you have questions, ask. Roll using the site's rolling system, link the rolls.
• Racial bonuses go to any ability score you want, as per Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.
• More TBD.

CS

Name Name

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"Character Quote"

Class - Alignment - Race

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Basic Information

• Name: Name Name, Nickname
• Age: --
• Gender LGBT+ friendly<3
• Sexual Orientation: LGBT+ friendly<3
• Race: --
• Class: --

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Backstory

This section is optional, but should include at least one paragraph if you do. Even if you don't detail it here, you should think about this, obviously, just like any normal RP character.

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[url]Sheet Here[/url]

If you have any questions, or need any help as a DnD-newbie, don't hesitate to let me know!

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GM's to-do:

Probably missing literally everything

- 1st IC post(remember mechanics tab)
- Haelion backstory tings (Genasi Royalty, Trickster God)
- Birdboi places (Ruins of Dalhurst, Ifracombe)
- Map poi brainstorm?

[Bartimaeus]

Alrighty peeps, here's the OOC.
@webboysurf@Asura@Neianna86
@Benzaiten@Fading Memory@Lurking Krog

If I missed tagging you, you have permission to shame me.
No need to post your sheets here if you've already done so, I'm gonna start going over them in detail right now. At some point I'll also be adding a section in the world info that mentions any places described in your sheets just so we can get that down.

[Bartimaeus]

_{Sorry for the multiple pings.}

@Benzaiten, Aren is approved!

@Asura, Lillian is approved. I'll have to get you to PM me some details: If Lillian has a deity/patron, you can hit me up and we could work on who they may be. Also if you have any backstory details that you want to discuss, we can do that too. Otherwise she's gucci.

@Neianna86, Haelion seems good to me. We'll have to chat about the Genasi royalty and this Trickster God as well, it'll be fun :P

@Bartimaeus, Sen Rak is accepted. Quite possibly the most articulate and simply glorious sheet I've ever seen. Bravo.

@webboysurf, I love em ^^ He's lookin good to me.

@Fading Memory, your bird is simply a pogchamp. Accepted.

@Lurking Krog, things seem fine in the mechanics department - I'll have to getcha to make a Guild sheet as well, then I'll be able to accept Tolrish ^^

Alrighty folks, we seem to have a very fun cast here ^^ I'm excited to see how they'll interact. If your sheet has been approved, you can move 'em on over to the CS Tab! If there's any questions, or suggestions perhaps, feel free to speak up.
I'll be working on the 1st IC post in the meantime.

[rush99999]

@Bartimaeus

Room for one more?

[Bartimaeus]

@rush99999 You're in luck, we have exactly one spot left :p

[rush99999]

Yuss!

[Asura]

What're some of the more common languages spoken? Specifically in and around the Lonthinn Empire? It's kinda difficult to pick when you aren't sure the demographic breakdown of a given area.

[Bartimaeus]

@Asura
When it comes to a demographic breakdown, it goes something like this:

Lonthin Empire has the lowest level of diversity, and the least exotic races. Humans, Elves, Halfings, Gnomes, Dwarves. Common is, of course, the most dominant language, and Elvish comes after that, but other frequently-used languages come from the aforementioned races(Gnomish, Dwarvish, Halfling, etc). There are other races as well, but they are generally treated as second-class citizens - at least unofficially.

Xernoa probably has the second-least diverse population, but is still much more tolerant than Lonthin. The most common peoples here are Humans, Leonin, Loxodon, and Aarokocra - though there are, naturally, others scattered about in significant numbers. Most common languages are Common and Leonin, and then Loxodon and Auran, then others.

Allyanik is a rather diverse territory. Due to the cold northern areas and warm southern areas, it can be comfortable for a wide array of people. The most common people are Humans, Tabaxi, and Hadozees, but not by a strong margin.

Scithia is a dice-bag, of sorts. You generally don't really want to go there if you have the choice, but speaking Common will probably suffice if you do. People group with who they have to to survive, so some areas are language-diverse and others are not - it's pretty difficult to measure. It is, however, notable that races who like wet environments are likely to be drawn by the constant rainfall. Notably, this area has the highest populations of Giff - but they predominantly speak Common. The more society-inclined Lizardolk have lived here for a while as well.

Finally, the Tembloran Coalition. It holds the most exotic races and is pretty diverse. Orc-kin, Goblinoids, and the rougher folk are quite common here - speaking Orc, Goblin, or Draconic could prove useful. There also exists Humans and Grung, even if in small enclaves. There is some spill-over from the Eastern continent-island as well, which is chock-full of Feykind. Firbolgs, Centaurs, Satyr, Elves, etc. densely populate that area - so Elvish and Sylvan are quite useful.

[Fading Memory]

I like that I ended up saying Wander was from the place with Aarakocra. Damnable winged poseurs.

[Lurking Krog]

@Bartimaeus

Had a busy weekend, I'll try to get the guild sheet done up here in the next couple of days.

[Lurking Krog]

Here is the base of the sheet, still need to grab a picture I like and work on the backstory.

Tolrish Belroth

Tolrish Belroth

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Credit to whomever made it for Gamerdecide.com. I did not see credit to the artist on the site.
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"No I'm not a dragon, just a man looking for work."

Fighter/Gunslinger Chaotic Good Dragonborn

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Basic Information

• Name: Tolrish Belroth, Tol
• Age: 32
• Gender Male
• Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
• Race: Dragonborn
• Class: Fighter/Gunslinger

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Backstory

Tolrish spent most of his early years in the swampy regions of the Tembloran Coalition. His family lived in a small village near the western most edges of the Coalition. Border skirmishes with the Lonthin Empire were not entirely uncommon.

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Sheet Here

Let me know anything else that needs fixed.

[Bartimaeus]

@Lurking Krog Seems good to me so far

[Fading Memory]

Just so I can mentally prepare, is our game-start going to be us introducing ourselves and meeting for the first time, or are we implied to know each other as members of a squad of the Red Wraiths?

[Bartimaeus]

Okay so, basically, I was thinking something along the lines of, since we're 8 peeps I think it'd be best if we were two groups who were directed to "patrol"(basically hang out) in a specific area(a very large area), as a certain group of diviners has divined that the area is currently prone to high levels of magical flux. So some of us would be at least somewhat familiar with their group, and the two groups, which are coming together as one now(as per their directives), probably wouldn't know eachother at all.

I have yet to decide who is in group 1 and who's in group 2 - which only effects the level to which they are already familiar with eachother, their history with one another, and pretty much nothing else - so I suppose peoples could chime in if they want to be in a group with anybody else.

Edit: This system serves only to draw our characters into a general area to make sure we're all part of the same rp, it's not particularly to push any narrative piece. Things are still entirely up to the gang.

[Fading Memory]

Sounds good! I don’t mind whomever Wander ends up with, so draw a straw for me when the time comes. I’ll add to my notes the familiarity when it comes up.

[webboysurf]

Yeah, I'm sort of in the same boat on the whole group assignments thing. I don't have too much of a preference. Any potential reasons I can see are like top down Red Wraith balancing or specializing of team composition. But given we would just be forming one larger group anyways for all intents and purposes, luck of the draw sounds fun.

I feel sorry for the poor saps who've had to listen to Tarrot's ghost stories for a while.

[Bartimaeus]

I should have the post up tomorrow, or today if lucky ^^

[rush99999]

Here's my guy.

Edwin Fawkes

Edwin Fawkes

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"What's wrong with me? Well I kill people and I try to paint pictures of maddening demonic symbols with the blood and offal of the people I kill. That's two things."

Rogue - Chaotic Evil - Human

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Basic Information

• Name: Edwin Fawkes, The Silverdale Slasher
• Age: 23
• Gender Male
• Sexual Orientation: Demisexual
• Race: Human
• Class: Rogue

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Backstory

The life of Edwin Fawkes began fairly normally. He was born in a quiet town in central Allyanik, the only remarkable circumstance about his birth being a weak constitution that has remained with him ever since.

His childhood was also normal for the most part as well. The only deviation from the standard in his upbringing being when he met a strange group of people during a child's definition of an adventure through the local woods.

The people invited Edwin to rest a while in their house a short way off the path. Edwin stayed for an hour, during which the people gave him tasty food and played fun games with him.

At the end of the hour, the people wished Edwin well when he decided to leave and said that he was more than welcome to return whenever he wished. As he left though, Edwin noticed a painting of a strange symbol reflected in the mirror that hung on the wall next to the door. But when he looked back at the wall behind him, Edwin saw no painting there.

When Edwin returned to visit the people the next day, he found the house burned to the ground, the people and their painting nowhere to be seen.

After that, Edwin took up painting, a hobby he displayed enough of an aptitude for that the local branch of the Painter's Guild decided to take him under their wing. Edwin painted many things over the years. But of all his works, none were more plentiful than his attempts to recreate the symbol he saw that day in the people's house

Edwin's development continued as it normally would following that incident, with nothing of note happening until about a third of the way into his eighteenth year, when he learned that his older sister's husband was being horrendously unkind to her. Upon learning this, Edwin bought a longknife from the local blacksmith, came upon his in-law in the streets, and used the longknife to open him up from groin to sternum.

As he watched his sister's abusive husband fall to the ground and die in agony, inspiration struck. Using the dying man's blood as paint, Edwin painted another attempt at recreating the symbol on a nearby wall. The work he produced, though not perfect, had still come far closer than all of his previous tries combined.

Edwin was apprehended by a party of Red Wraiths who had been passing through the town at the time. Soon after, the Red Wraiths recognized that the symbol Edwin had been drawing all these years was in fact a symbol of Demogorgon. They went onto deduce that the symbol Edwin had seen as a child was in fact a true symbol of the Prince of Demons, its effects having not manifested sooner due to Edwin having only seen the true symbol's reflection, thereby receiving a subtler variant of the curse that it bestowed.

Wanting to try and lift Edwin's curse rather than kill him, the Red Wraiths took Edwin to their base of operations in Allyanik. Over the next two years, the Red Wraiths' more magically gifted members did all they could to drive Demogorgon's influence from Edwin's mind. Every attempt they made yielded no results. All the while, Edwin was slowly growing more and more restless. He had just made a major breakthrough in his attempts to recreate the symbol, but now the Red Wraiths were reluctant to let him continue his work even with ordinary paint, let alone the blood he had found to produce more accurate results.

As things were starting to come to a boiling point, one of the more roguish members of the Red Wraiths saw the imminent disaster and decided to nip it in the bud. The man trained Edwin in the ways of the rogue and brought him along on bandit and monster hunting expeditions to channel his murderous urges into creatures that wouldn't be missed.

Over the next three years, Edwin was inducted into the Red Wraiths and allowed to run roughshod over the perils of Xepreath in pursuit of his goal as work on finally freeing him from Demogorgon's curse continued.

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Sheet Here

[Bartimaeus]

@rush99999 I'm gonna have to say Chaotic Evil murderhobos are probably off the table. Randomly killing people is quite literally the opposite of what the Red Wraiths are supposed to do xP

Also the image you chose is decidedly cursed. Kinda hard to really envision in the setting imo.

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As a side note for peeps: Red Wraiths technically aren't obligated to uphold the law, but some squads are well-respected enough to enjoy a certain authority in some places. So they don't generally get arrested for vigilantism.

[Bartimaeus]

Oh, also, I have decided the groups. As previously stated, these really only effect the history you have with your compatriots. Those in your group are those you've probably served a good portion of your time as a Red Wraith with, but squads losing members(which happens semi-regularly, at least) can cause transfers so this isn't a hard rule. Discuss amongst yourselves what your previous experiences may be ^^

The groups are:
1. Aren, Lillian, Tarrot, Sen Rak.
2. Wander, Haelion, Tolrish, ???.