@Fallenreaper Oooh, Blood Act! I think I might have joined that for a short while back on OldGuild. I believe one of my co-GMs in another RP - Rtron - is in it.
Generally, I have no issue with hurting my characters or making them generally miserable, but I wouldn't say I go out of my way to do that xPP ... ok, maybe I do. ... ok ok, I do, a lot - but it's fun to kill everything after a while! My characters are lucky enough not to have anyone saving them xD And the best part is when you sit back and remember the golden moments spent with that character, and you kinda wish they managed to stick around a bit longer! Poor buggers, the lot of 'em.
Now, I should get to starting on my opening post here.
@Fallenreaper Oooh, Blood Act! I think I might have joined that for a short while back on OldGuild. I believe one of my co-GMs in another RP - Rtron - is in it.
Generally, I have no issue with hurting my characters or making them generally miserable, but I wouldn't say I go out of my way to do that xPP ... ok, maybe I do. ... ok ok, I do, a lot - but it's fun to kill everything after a while! My characters are lucky enough not to have anyone saving them xD And the best part is when you sit back and remember the golden moments spent with that character, and you kinda wish they managed to stick around a bit longer! Poor buggers, the lot of 'em.
Now, I should get to starting on my opening post here.
A cheetah after my own heart. *huggles* I'm notorious for it, lol. And yes he is co-GM, the rp has been taken over by Rtron, Lucius (two old players) and myself and has been going on for a year or so now. It's slow, but steady and lots of fun with the current group. ^-^ I'm currently lurking here but until I have a PC that really calls to me, I don't want to join. However, that might change soon. >_>
PhoenixWhite will probably return in a while. We suppose RL is keeping him rather busy. He hasn't dropped by Aftermath in a while either, but his PC there isn't in the quickest plotline.
Sorry if that post seems quite rushed - I have a tight schedule this morning and need to get back to my essays. Hopefully it makes sense and does the job. And yes, Aulus is currently somewhat ill-informed, but perhaps not as much of a doofus as that post might suggest ^^'
@Klomster I think it's just the effects of him living in semi-denial for so long - not helped by the fact that Daeron provided him with a fairly sheltered life in Calchester. A bit of exposure to the real world - perhaps a night of reflection on what just happened and the fact that he just so coldly killed those men - and he'll hopefully mature somewhat...
Personality: Rhaetia is called many things behind her back and none other than Lady Grim to her face. She brokers no nonsense from anyone and speaks her mind bluntly and clearly. There exists within her a rage that wold conquer the world if she could but discover a way to weaponize it.
Despite being a hard person to get along with, she is a leader unmatched in most of the world. She will never ask her men to do something she will not, and puts their own well being and happiness before her own. She never boasts, preferring to allow her actions to speak for themselves. She is a hard leader, demanding much from her soldiers and driving them to lengths many did not think possible, but she drives a good bargain and the suffering is more often than not worth the reward.
Appearance: Rhaetia is the very image of female perfection, if you can get past her eyes which never seem to smile, instead transfixing you and studying you as if you were prey. She stands, at six feet tall, over age height for a woman and would hardly be called "slim". She is of good farming lineage and looks the part with corded muscles, strong hips and a certain broadness to her shoulders that you do not find in noble women. Her long redhair is perpetually loose around her face unless going into battle when she braids it into a long warrior que that she hides beneath her cloak.
Her eyes, as mentioned, as her most unique feature. They are completely smokey grey, devoid of any hint of pupil, almost seeming to shift as if the smokey look were drifting across them. The best she can tell is it is a birth defect, the cause is unknown. To be studied by them is an unsettling business and more than a few captured prisoners have begun talking just to get Rhaetia to stop staring at them.
Rhaetia dresses in leather and cloth armour, the better to assist in her use of Magic. While her clothing is often brown or dark colours, she always wears some sort of brightly coloured cloak that swirls about her as she walks. Good boots crafted for her to spend long hours walking or riding and a simple blackwood staff complete her assemble.
Background: Rhaetia never knew her family. She was the child of slaves kept by the Elven Imperium, used for various Magical experiments, and she spent her formative years working as a household servant to one of the Elven Mage. This Mage, whose name she has never spoken, was fascinated by the girls strange eyes and began to subject her to further magical testing and certain carnal desires when she was no more than seven or eight. She was kept beneath his home, concealed by spells and hidden doors.
Rhaetia does not believe the Elf intended to trigger her own Magical abilities. It happened abruptly during one of the sessions where he was secretly practising his healing arts by nearly killing her and then bringing her back from the brink of death. Something deep inside of her, it felt almost like a living creature, suddenly awakened. Rhaetia found herself calling forth a creature that was shaped like a lion that hurled itself on the Elven Mage, the two crashing into the wall with such force the Mage was stunned. Naked, bleeding, and furious, the now fourteen year old Rhaetia draw a dagger from a nearby table and stabbed the Elf until she was coated in his blood. The Elf, skilled as previously mentioned in Restorations Magics, tried to save himself so Rhaetia severed his manhood and stuffed them into his mouth before stabbing him through the eye.
It was only after she stood up from the butchered Mage at her feet did she realize she had no idea how to get out of her prison. It would take her two weeks to figure out how to escape, and when she did it was with many of the Mages books and magical items.
Hurting and furious at the world, Rhaetia escaped the Elven Kingdom by using simple illusion spells she learnt from the Mages books and made her way to Seikastsu. Here she found some measure of peace in the temples that dotted the landscape. One of the Priests, perhaps sensing the great pain of the young woman, taught her meditation, how to fight unarmed or with a stave, and helped connect her with other magic users.
In time she began to heal both physically and mentally. She calmed her anger with meditation which gave her time to think and plan. With little else to do she worked and studied in Seikastsu for ten years, travelling the country, learning its language, customs, and embracing its warrior spirit. On more than one occasion she hired out her services as a Mage to various warlords vying for control in the region.
As time past she showed considerable talent for tactical and strategic thinking, combat ability, and martial leadership. She wasn't even aware it was happening at first but she began to collect a following. It grew from several young women to include landless Samurai, refugee slaves fleeing from the Elven Imperium, and then soldiers of fortune from Farmaroth. The numbers grew, victories mounted, and the gold came thick and fast. Tales of the Lady Grim spread far and wide and folk seeking their fortune flocked to her standard.
The Grim Company, as it became known, soon began to become to large for a single leader and she broke it into various Companys. All remained loyal to her and, perhaps in a childish throwback to the only book she read as a child, she labeled them the Free Companies. Each Company was given its own name, elected its own officers, but all reported to her through a Military Council made up of each company leader.
Now, at the ripe old age of 35, Rhaetia commands nearly 8,000 soldiers. With Seikastsu slowly becoming more and more a struggle between five major powers, Rhaetia is looking towards Farmaroth for employment.
Skills and traits: Rhaetia is a skilled if unorthodox Mage, brilliant battlefield commander, legendary leader of fighting men, and an expert in an hand to hand combat. She is an ideal war commander and would frankly be unsure of what to do with herself if peace came. Some think she wages a constant war within herself because of her youth, a war she translates into violence and efficiency on the battlefield. She is not given to pointless violence though she has been known to torture the odd male Elven mage every now and then despite having several, female only, within her own ranks. She strongly condemns rape or violence against a conquered populace and will execute soldiers who disobey her orders against such behaviour. This certainly part of her own personal experience but also because the code of honour held by Seikastsu Samurai, many of whom serve in her forces and a code which she also observes.
Flaws: There is a deep seated rage inside of Rhaetia as a result of the trauma she suffered in her youth. It is a cold and calculated rage but it can make her rather focused, creating a sort of tunnel vision that makes her blind to all else around her. She has sought to correct this by surrounding herself with skilled commanders who can help prevent disaster.
While a skilled, she is not trained Mage. Rhaetia is often tampering with powers she does not fully understand or know how to control and it can get people killed. She has learned bits and pieces here and there of virtually all branches of magic but since her power was born of fear and terror, it now feeds on her anger and hatred. Some would call her a black magic user but whatever event they point to usually happened by accident.
Rhaetia has isolated herself from relationships with most people, particularly men. Being an attractive, wealthy and powerful woman certainly allows her a long list of suitors but she will have none of them. It is said that she has never taken a lover and will not even be seen naked even by the servants who pour her bath. This lack of inter-personal relationships can make her seem awkward and unfriendly.
The Free Companies:
There is literally nothing standardized about the Free Companies other than their tunic. This item is dark green with a black cross highlighted with white and affixed at its centre with a skull on the left breast. Each Company has its own crest which is mounted on the left and right shoulders. Only the original Grim Company bear just the cross and skull.
Made up of warriors, mages, siege engineers, archers, and many more from every corner of the known world, the Free Companies are a fascinating study in culture and personal interaction. Some scholars have actually made studies of the various groups and how they function with each other, all of them noting the almost hero like devotion they pay to their leader, the Lady Grim.
The only real breakdown of numbers that could be created is the division between cavalry and infantry, which also includes archers. The Free Companies boast about 1,000 horsemen, a collection of mounted archers, heavy lancers, and light horse. The infantry, some 1,500 strong, maintain a collection of mainly Seikastsu longbowmen and heavy infantry, though they have excellent scouts and mages scattered carefull amongst the Companies. In all, it is 2,500 men, women, elves, and others who have made their living at war.
Name: Tokugawa Ieyasu Age: 45 Gender: Male
Position: Professional Mercenary and Chief Advisor to Lady Grim - Formerly a Seikastsu Warlord.
Personality: Quick witted, easy with his laughter, and utterly devoted to Rhaetia, the woman who gave him back his life.
Appearance: Tokugawa is shoulder height to Rhaetia, about five feet 9 inches, but almost as wide across as he is tall. A barrel chested man who proudly displays the scars of his long campaigns.
Background: Tokugawa was once a minor Warlord in the service of a greater Seikastsu house. He served with distinction and was honoured by his allies and his enemies. When his Masters army was smashed by the enemy some ten years previously he was captured by the Grim Company. He had fully intended to take his life honourably by his own hand but then he had met Rhaetia and some say he fell in love. She spoke to him, congratulated him, honoured him, and then offered him a position in her own forces. He has never looked back.
Skills and abilities: A master swordsman, he is the highly likeable and honoured second in command of the Free Companies. His easy laugh, quick wit, and generous nature make him a pleasant man to be around. He is an excellent battlefield tactician and cares as much about the men as Rhaetia does.
Please keep in mind this is a rough draft so all critiques, comments, etc, are most welcome.
@The Wyrm Damn she's scary - but I kind of like her! If Aulus and her ever happen to meet, be certain that he would very swiftly be slinking away into some very deep, dark pit somewhere.
Edit: the only thing I'd put forward as a criticism is that she comes across as exceptionally powerful - but that's backed up quite well by her detailed history and the well thought-out nature of the CS in general.
@The Wyrm This is all good but there are a few edit's needed:
Rhaetia dresses in leather and cloth armour, the better to assist in her use of Magic
Clothing has no effect on magic. In Formaroth Mages will be wearing Armour just like the rest of the professional soldiers. They may even be wearing more as mages are valued on the battle and people will want to keep them alive.
Rhaetia commands nearly 8,000 soldiers
I am afraid you will need to lower this by quite a bit as 8,000 is a bit too much for a mercenary company. Claus's steel fist company numbers at 2,500 and that is supposed to be the biggest mercenary company in Formaroth (given most mercenary companies don't even reach a thousand). 3,000 is the max I would say.
Other than that I am enjoying Rhaetia a lot and am looking forward to the completed character sheet. I look forward to her and claus potentially meeting, should be fun.
Rhaetia severed his manhood and stuffed them into his mouth before stabbing him through the eye.
@The Wyrm Wait - you're not keeping Lady Grim? :( I really like her! Other than the things mentioned by Duncan she seems fine. And while the matter of Tokugawa's name made me perk up and go ':O', I see no reason against him being called that!
I'm currently working with Duncan over two PCs' details before going into the CS stuff, @Sundered EchoNOT A WORD, which are going to be very... interesting to the rp. Also, I'm aiming to have one of my PCs connected to an existing noble house. *subtly tacks up a sign stating: Connections Needed then smiles innocently* I promise I don't have any mayhem stirring in my head...yet. *adjusts halo over her horns and continues to smile*
On a side note I am currently trying to get a cover picture for the RP.
I was wondering if anyone knew whom I may ask or where I could find an artist. Also did anyone have any ideas what the cover picture should be?
I was thinking something like the throne of Formaroth with the three banners of De Reimer, Manshrew and Blackwell behind it. Or perhaps Duncan,Andrew and Giles/Eli all sitting on their thrones.
