This is a high casual RPG, so it would be nice to see some longer than average posts during role-play. The minimum word count required is 150 words.
Interest check:
https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/76554-the-legend-of-octavius/ooc
Like I said, I'm going to regularly post extra information here regarding the world of Ortu and the characters of the story. I'll also elaborate how the story evolves gradually and what other character ideas I have. I will also gladly share my drawings of original creatures with any fellow roleplayers! ;)
The Legend of Octavius is set in a fantasy world called Ortu.
Landmasses of Ortu:
1. Chalcion (Light green)
2. Isvarld (White)
3. Umeacha, Imbuso, Uvivi– commonly referred to as the Imbuso Uvivi group (Beige)
4. Archipelago of Hadria, also known as Hadrian’s Archipelago (Red)
5. Silmach (Green) [uncharted by the Council of Ortu]
6. Isle of Dryado (Brown)
7. Infernus (Light Blue) [uncharted by the Council of Ortu]
Ortu is a world with a lush biosphere and as such, there are many types of plants and well as animals, sapient and non-sapient alike. Of the sapient races, nine are distinguished in Ortu:
1. Men – Men inhabit Chalcion, the continents and islands of the Imbuso Uvivi group and the larger islands of the Archipelago of Hadria. They formerly inhabited Isvarld: they were entirely wiped out from that region by Hadrianites. They are the most diverse race in Ortu, appearing in many different races, however carrying one thing in common – mortality.
2. Elves – Elves live solely on the continent of Dryado and are generally a rare, yet powerful race. Their average height slightly exceeds that of men. Elves are different from Men in physical appearance by a more elegant build and pointed ears. They are immortal in that they cannot die of natural causes, but can be killed in any other way.
3. Dwarves – Dwarves are a rich race that inhabits the northern continent of Isvarld, as well as the island of Pigea, south of Dryado. They are significantly shorter than Men and Elves and have a stockier build. Dwarf men usually have larger noses than dwarf women and typically wear long beards. Like Men, Dwarves are mortal, but usually live twice as long as men.
4. Orcs – Orcs are sexually dimorphic, like the higher races of Ortu: female Orcs are somewhat distinguishable from males, but they behave just as aggressively as their male counterparts. They are very powerful and are fearsome warriors that tend to be taller than men. Their homeland is the continent of Infernus.
5. Goblins – Goblins are physically smaller than Orcs and are better adapted to climbing on walls. However, they rely mostly on numbers to fight, due to their physical weakness. Like Orcs, they live on the continent of Infernus, but originate from the dark caves and crypts that dot Ortu's landscape.
6. Gremlins – Gremlins are smaller than Goblins, and dwell in the caves of Isvarld. The weakest of the Goblin races, they attack in swarms and do not use weapons.
7. Half-Orcs – A crossbreed of Orcs and Goblins. They are bred on Hadrian's Archipelago.
8. Silmani/Great Dragons/Wise Dragons - The only race of sapient dragons in Ortu. They breed and live on the continent of Silmach, but sometimes, even though rarely, they venture into other lands of Ortu. They are six-limbed, with wings being the third pair, like other dragons, but are much larger and profoundly intelligent, immortal to natural causes, and they even have a language of their own.
9. Lizard-men - The natives of Uvivi, the lizard-men are reptilian, erect creatures with high intelligence. They formed the kingdom of Uvivi, which has been captured by Hadrianites.
Landmasses of Ortu:
1. Chalcion (Light green)
2. Isvarld (White)
3. Umeacha, Imbuso, Uvivi– commonly referred to as the Imbuso Uvivi group (Beige)
4. Archipelago of Hadria, also known as Hadrian’s Archipelago (Red)
5. Silmach (Green) [uncharted by the Council of Ortu]
6. Isle of Dryado (Brown)
7. Infernus (Light Blue) [uncharted by the Council of Ortu]
Ortu is a world with a lush biosphere and as such, there are many types of plants and well as animals, sapient and non-sapient alike. Of the sapient races, nine are distinguished in Ortu:
1. Men – Men inhabit Chalcion, the continents and islands of the Imbuso Uvivi group and the larger islands of the Archipelago of Hadria. They formerly inhabited Isvarld: they were entirely wiped out from that region by Hadrianites. They are the most diverse race in Ortu, appearing in many different races, however carrying one thing in common – mortality.
2. Elves – Elves live solely on the continent of Dryado and are generally a rare, yet powerful race. Their average height slightly exceeds that of men. Elves are different from Men in physical appearance by a more elegant build and pointed ears. They are immortal in that they cannot die of natural causes, but can be killed in any other way.
3. Dwarves – Dwarves are a rich race that inhabits the northern continent of Isvarld, as well as the island of Pigea, south of Dryado. They are significantly shorter than Men and Elves and have a stockier build. Dwarf men usually have larger noses than dwarf women and typically wear long beards. Like Men, Dwarves are mortal, but usually live twice as long as men.
4. Orcs – Orcs are sexually dimorphic, like the higher races of Ortu: female Orcs are somewhat distinguishable from males, but they behave just as aggressively as their male counterparts. They are very powerful and are fearsome warriors that tend to be taller than men. Their homeland is the continent of Infernus.
5. Goblins – Goblins are physically smaller than Orcs and are better adapted to climbing on walls. However, they rely mostly on numbers to fight, due to their physical weakness. Like Orcs, they live on the continent of Infernus, but originate from the dark caves and crypts that dot Ortu's landscape.
6. Gremlins – Gremlins are smaller than Goblins, and dwell in the caves of Isvarld. The weakest of the Goblin races, they attack in swarms and do not use weapons.
7. Half-Orcs – A crossbreed of Orcs and Goblins. They are bred on Hadrian's Archipelago.
8. Silmani/Great Dragons/Wise Dragons - The only race of sapient dragons in Ortu. They breed and live on the continent of Silmach, but sometimes, even though rarely, they venture into other lands of Ortu. They are six-limbed, with wings being the third pair, like other dragons, but are much larger and profoundly intelligent, immortal to natural causes, and they even have a language of their own.
9. Lizard-men - The natives of Uvivi, the lizard-men are reptilian, erect creatures with high intelligence. They formed the kingdom of Uvivi, which has been captured by Hadrianites.
Prologue
The Legend of Octavius begins in Chalcion, on November 27th, 4970, by the Chalcionese calendar. That day, a fishing boat was returning after finishing a successful season, and one which was for extra payment from the king of Chalcion, Akakios. The fishermen, having received their payment, notified the king of something they found along the way – a fairly large wicker basket, and inside, a baby boy. The fishermen claimed that the boy had floated over to them from the east, which meant that he came from Isvarld. Akakios, moved by the story, remembered that he and his wife, queen Cloelia, have failed thrice to get a child, and both were growing older. Gently, he spoke to the captain about adopting the little boy. The captain agreed, and Akakios returned home with him, to Chalcivitas, the capital of Chalcion. Afterwards, he and Cloelia named him Octavius, and raised him as his foster parents. On May 16th, 4975 Cloelia successfully gave birth to their first son and the rightful heir to the throne of Chalcion: Alexander. Rather than in jealousy over who was destined to become king, Octavius and Alexander grew up in an atmosphere of true fraternal love, kinship and friendship. Later on, Akakios told Octavius about what his real origins are, or at least, how much he knew about them. Still, neither Akakios nor Cloelia overlooked the first child they raised in favor of their heir, and treated both of them equally. Octavius and Alexander would undergo quality education, and inevitably, military training. Octavius would quickly grow into a captain of Chalcion's heavy cavalry, while Alexander became the captain of the archers.
However, come late 5000, Chalcion was in turmoil. The crisis revolved around an agreement with the leader of the Hadrianite faction, Emperor Hadrian VII. The Hadrianite dynasty was well known all over Chalcion as a ruthless conquering family, which was manifested in the campaigns of Emperor Hadrian VI, father of Hadrian VII. He conquered the entire continent of Imbuso and turned it into a Hadrianite colony, sending the native tribes into exile and exploiting the land’s resources and made the Lizard-men in Uvivi his vassals, meaning that they would respond only to his call. Hadrian VII continued in these ways: merely at the age of 18 he eradicated the Westvarlder faction and later on, the king of Isvarld, Baldric the Manly, surrendered his kingdom to his rule, automatically making himself Hadrian’s vassal. Aged 26, he conquered the sultanate of the Salahads in Umeacha, but the actual sultan still hides somewhere in the lands with his own army, waiting for a chance to strike back. Hadrian had even attempted to conquer the Elven lands of Dryado, but with no success, as Elves were much too powerful for the Hadrianites to take on. On August 27th, 4999 Hadrian VII sent to Akakios a number of rather humiliating terms of peace between the people of Chalcion and the people of Hadria. The agreement stated that Chalcion must surrender its troops to the control of the Hadrianite general, that the Hadrianites would receive one half of exploited goods, regardless of the type, from Chalcion, and even more so, adding a Hadrianite governor to every city to monitor the income of treasure and the disposition of the goods. Akakios, as a sovereign ruler, would not accept such terms, so he refused to sign the vassal agreement.
Outraged, Hadrian led a massive army toward Chalcion on September 13th, 4999, terrorizing its people and laying waste to its homes and institutions, without a declaration of war to the king. The purpose of the assault was a new one in Hadrian’s book: an ethnic purge, the enslaving of as many innocent Chalcionese as possible. Not even Akakios and his family would outrun Hadrian’s rage, since he and Cloelia were taken to Hadrian’s Isle on the back of Hadrian’s fearsome Great Wyvern, Mauros, while Alexander is enslaved in Chalcivitas itself. Only the town of Canonfire and the southern duchy survived untouched. Thankfully enough, Akakios did have a plan on how to ensure that his people survive: he had given Octavius his sword and entrusted him with the command of 2000 remaining Chalcivitas horsemen, since their general died. They fled the city, and have hence been on the quest for redemption, a quest to save their people from the clutches of Emperor Hadrian VII…
Rules:
1. No god-moding: God-moding refers to using unrealistic scenarios to conquer opponents, or exaggerating your characters stamina or durability. Don't do it!
2. No meta-gaming: Meta-gaming refers to a character acting on knowledge that only the player has access to.
(Exp: Tricking Medusa to look at a mirror. The player knows this, but his character has never heard of Medusa and shouldn't be aware of her petrifying stare)
3. No auto-hitting: This is when a role-player performs a move without giving details in what happens.
(Examples:
walks to lake instead of: He heads to the lake slowly, looking around uneasily
Or:
cuts off head instead of He swings his sword toward Durin's neck, aiming to cut his head off)
4. Death is final: Once your character dies it cannot return to life.
5. Try not to overuse non-playable characters and focus your attention on the playable ones. The only non-playable characters allowed will be episodic ones(this is to be arranged among a majority of players), as well as wildlife, livestock and random army units.
6. Have a motive to kill playable characters: If you want to kill a character, have a motive. You can't kill anyone for the sake of killing someone as it makes no sense. If one character desires to kill another character, both players must agree that the character will be killed.
Magic is practiced solely by Wizards, men that are gifted with the knowledge of magical power and immortality. The sole exceptions are King Miandel of Dryado and Emperor Hadrian VII. There are two houses of wizards in Ortu: 1. The Light Wizards: their gathering place is the temple of Solemna, high on the peak of Mount Jorl in Isvarld. These are the Wizards of the Magic Council, and their main purpose is to keep Ortu clean of evil. The Council's current members are:
- Ragnarok the Red
- Rubeus the Blue
- Olivius the Green
- Solis the Golden
2. The Dark Wizards: they are mostly renegade members of the Magic Council, or thieves of magic books. They work in high secrecy, and mostly aid the empire of Hadria in their endeavor to conquer Ortu. The only known Dark Wizard of late is Caligula, the high-priest of Hadria.
Types of magic:
Destruction: Fire, Lightning, Petrification
Regeneration: Healing, cleansing rust off of metal
Charms: Levitation, Telekinesis, Hypnosis, Spell-breaking
Factions:
1. Kingdom of Chalcion: This monarchy spreads throughout the synonymous continent. Chalcion is one of the oldest factions of men on Ortu, with the oldest records of the duchy of Chalcion dating back to 1307. on the Ortu calendar. They have mostly been an agricultural nation, up until the 26th century of the Ortu calendar, when they discovered deposits of iron, copper, gold and silver. They soon started to develop tools in order to extract these goods, and according to popular tales, the miners on Chalcion made the first mines with the help of Ogres. That helped them build a successful, yet strangely peaceful kingdom, which rarely ever went to war. They have only been involved in one war until the beginning of the sixth millennium on the Ortu calendar, and that was against the Hadrianites, in 3998. On the year 4149. king Calicles proclaimed that Chalcion has become a constitutional monarchy and read the constitution aloud. This has lead to an even further advancement in terms of economy and commerce, leading to a massive profit in all classes, even peasants. This trend has kept going throughout the fifth millennium up until the year 5000. where Chalcion was attacked by forces of Hadrianites who purged the nation by taking away all the civilians and soldiers as slaves.
2. Kingdom of Isvarld: It is a kingdom inhabited by Dwarves, and well-known for iron ore and metal craft, weapons and armor alike. It, along with the small island of Pigea to the south, is the sole homeland of the Dwarf race, as well as the oldest. It was ever an independent country, which had mostly iron deposits, as well as some gold and gemstones. Now, the kingdom is ruled by Baldric the Manly, who has signed a vassal agreement with Emperor Hadrian VII of Hadria, which means Isvarld is now the territory of the Hadria empire. This regime is strongly opposed by general Stellan Blackbeard, who viewed surrendering the kingdom to Hadrianites as treason.
3. Kingdom of Dryado: The Kingdom of Dryado is the only place in Ortu that is inhabited by Elves. This immortal race has raised a land of power and plenty, and ensured that the continent is never conquered by enemies. They have many deposits of silver, gold, gemstones, iron, copper and other metals. They are also regarded as the finest archers in all of Ortu. The capital of Dryado, Farinden, is the seat of the Council of Ortu, where it is decided whether or not the states of the Council will go to war against an incoming force that craves hegemony over Ortu.
4. Sultanate of Salahadia: The Sultanate extends through the continent of Umeacha and nearby islands. It was conquered by Hadrian VII, who instated one of his own nobles as the ruler: he created a mercenary division that fights for Hadrian alone. The real sultan, Mohammad the Wise, hides in seclusion, with an army by his side.
5. Ushika tribe: The largest tribe in the land of Imbuso. Emperor Hadrian VI conquered this land and built cities to exploit the resources and the land of the continent, turning it into a Hadrianite province. The Hadrianites are also putting the fate of many of the animal species that live here at risk with over-hunting.
6. Kingdom of Uvivi: The Uvivians are lizard-men who have built a vast kingdom in the land of Uvivi and are known far and wide for fruit cocktails, poisons and alchemy. Sadly, this kingdom has been captured by the Hadrianites during the conquests of Emperor Hadrian VI.
7. Empire of Hadria: Currently the largest state in Ortu. The Hadrianite dynasty was well known all over Chalcion as a ruthless conquering family, which was manifested in the campaigns of Emperor Hadrian VI, father of Hadrian VII. He conquered the entire continent of Imbuso and turned it into a Hadrianite colony, sending the native tribes into exile and exploiting the land’s resources and made the Lizard-men in Uvivi his vassals, meaning that they would respond only to his call. Hadrian VII continued in these ways: merely at the age of 18 he eradicated the Westvarlder faction and later on, the king of Isvarld, Baldric the Manly, surrendered his kingdom to his rule, automatically making himself Hadrian’s vassal. Aged 26, he conquered the sultanate of the Salahads in Umeacha, but the actual sultan still hides somewhere in the lands with his own army, waiting for a chance to strike back. Hadrian had even attempted to conquer the Elven lands of Dryado, but with no success, as Elves were much too powerful for the Hadrianites to take on.
Mauros, the Incinerator, Hadrian's giant wyvern.
Kigaidi, a wild dinosaur that dwells in the forests of Uvivi.
Kamazimu, a giant pachyderm that lives in the savannas of Imbuso.
The Dodgalt - a monstrous-looking hoofed animal that lives in Isvarld. Once there were many, now there is only one.
My take on Ogres! They live in Chalcion's forests and caves.
Basilisks live in Chalcion's deepest caves.
