The twisted and bitter Falmer have, in their hatred for the nords who now occupy their land, made a pact with the pestilent Daedric Prince Peryite. In return for the fiefdom his concoctions provide, Peryite has gifted them with a lethal disease, one which bloats its victims into spores who with each choking, sporadic breath exude a crimson miasma, which engulfs and infects anyone who it touches. After only a few weeks, Markarth hold has been cordoned off by the Empire, who's legion man the borders, fearfully slaughtering any of Markarth's citizens who venture threateningly towards the supposed safety of the outside world.
Within a month, the line of corpses leading up to the hall of the dead runs torrential, pyres, piece-meal and smoking, dot the walls as thick as the torches of guards consumed in equal measure by the pestilence once did. Markarth reeks at the setting of the sun, cast it-seems eternal in the umber-haze of fire and the green-tinged-smog of decay.
Where life still clings on, it is like the ivy or the thorn, twisted and protruding from cracks too-well trodden to be noticed. In the Warren, the city's underbelly, the community forged in destitution survives when it crumbles elsewhere. Here, the city's poor give refuge to the sick, who's affliction means exile, network food among the thievery, and generally thrive.
But it is still not enough. With each day, the town's miasma tightens its girdle, thickening and choking out even this last bastion of humanity. With the outside world refusing to extend a hand in aid, Markarth's salvation can only come from within...
What is this RP?
The Elder Scrolls - The Plague of Markarth, is a adventure/horror RP set in The Elder Scrolls universe, contemporary with the setting of TESV:Skyrim. Participants will take the role of survivors of a pestilence which has been, and is, plaguing Markarth, under the direction of the Falmer.
During the course of the RP, our characters will be tasked with finding a way out of the decaying city, which is quarantined with all the might of the Imperial Legion and Thalmor forces active in the region. From there, we will venture into the only known Falmer dwelling in the hold, Nchuand-Zel, desperately trying to find and hault the cause of the pestilence they seem to be distributing.
But sadly, Nchuand-Zel is no back-beat encampment, but a sequestered keep of the enigmatic dwemer, a race who's famous emnity has yet to follow them to the grave, living on in rusted scythes and sadistic fire traps that sit, dormant, ready to unleash one final measure of its creators sadism on anyone who disturbs the keep's slumber...
Rules and Guidelines
The forums already give pretty clear codes of conduct, so I won't bother repeating the tired "no god-modding, no explicit content etc." mantra. However, I will make a few things clear:
Regarding post-length: Whilst I've placed this in the advanced section, since this is an Action RP, I do not expect each post to exceed 3-4 paragraphs. I would like to encourage character interaction and development, and any downtime (which there should be a regular amount for) in the RP can be spent participating in lengthy exchanges and internal-monologues, however, in terms of practicality, having a small-chapter per-person in the middle of a fight may become obtuse.
Regarding Mortality: In this RP, it's possible your character will kick it. Bite the big one. Snuff it. Die. For this reason, I may allow multiple characters for people who demonstrate commitment, and for imaginative CSs. I will limit this at 1per person, with each character needing to be distinct.
It is important, then, that when faced with a scenario in which your character would be unprepared , that your behave as your character would. If your character is fat and slow, he or she won't be able to dodge a whirling scythe erupting from the floor at 3000rpm. I'm not going to be cruel about character-deaths, most encounters should and will result in minor-serious injury, but no more.
Regarding character archetypes: I will accept a wide range of CSs (probably all that come my way), however, keep in mind that this RP takes place in the middle of a plague. What kind of people survive in this environment? Please bear that question in mind before your write your CS.
Character-Sheet Template and Accepted CSs:
Please post character sheets in the OOC section for approval, before posting in the character section.
General Template (If you feel I've missed something, add away, but don't subtract):
Note One: I know my character sheet is quite long, but please don't feel you have to go that far. I can be a bit verbose, sometimes. 2 paragraphs for a backstory should be more than enough in most cases.
Note Two: Please bear in mind that Markarth is home predominately to Nords and Reachmen-Bretons. If you see that a few characters in the RP are from less abundant races, consider making a native character.
NAME: AGE: RACE: (Most residents of Markarth are Nords or Bretons) APPEARANCE: BIRTHSIGN: (e.g. the Lord, the Atronach, the Tower) PERSONALITY: BACKSTORY: ARMOUR: WEAPONS: (magic goes here too) SKILLS: (5 from Classic TES skills. I will try and find uses for all of them)
Accepted Characters
VALKYR -
NAME Drenarald
AGE 32
RACE Nord
APPEARANCE Drenarald doesn't interact much with people besides issues coming up while on guard duty, during which he almost never removes his helmet. As such, most people will only recognize him as just another faceless guard of Markarth equipped with another identical set of armor.
Under the helmet, he is a typical Nord with hard features and bright blue eyes. His somewhat long, gnarly hair is tied into a short ponytail. A thick black beard adorns his otherwise young-looking face. To some, he may appear intimidating with his solid Nord height of 6'3" and his strong, muscled physique.
BIRTHSIGN The Warrior
PERSONALITY Drenarald, like many others of his people, is quite proud to be a Nord. Though he is more likely to lose his temper with a non-Nord, he certainly makes an effort at being tolerant with the other races. His tolerance runs the shortest with the Mer (especially the Altmer), as he usually isn't bothered by the Khajiit and once had an Argonian friend when he was younger. One of two equal treatments he can guarantee with all citizens is his short temper.
Drenarald is quick to annoy and can be quite sarcastic. He clearly dislikes dealing with trivial issues citizens will demand for him to fix, especially if they're stupid. being a guard, he also has developed a somewhat haughty and bossy attitude.
In the end, however, he is a good man. No matter the race, Drenarald will be quick to save the citizens of Markarth should they find themselves in danger, even if they deserve it. He distinguishes himself from other guards for having a clean record of never abusing or harassing any citizens.
BACKSTORY Drenarald was born in and continues to live in Markarth. His mother would work in the stables, and his father was a guard.
When he was young, he was most certainly a late-bloomer. he was seen as the scrawniest, weakest, and softest kid in Markarth. He was picked on frequently and pushed around by the larger children. As such, he had no friends besides his parents. He remained strong-willed, however, and determined to grow to be stronger than the rest of the kids.
Through his early teen years, his father encouraged him to reach his goal and even trained him with his own experience in guard duty. Though he worked hard and indeed made progress, thus far the others were still taller and stronger than he was. His determination wavered when he was 14, as his mother died of an unknown illness. He nearly broke under emotions, but his father continued to support him.
"Do it for your mother," He would say, and that gave Drenarald the push he needed.
He made strong progress, and as he continued to grow, the rest seemed to slow to a complete halt. They watched from a distance in anger, as Drenarald grew to be taller and stronger than them. Soon, it would be he who called them milk drinkers.
It was around this time that he met a young Argonian who came to the city one day and called himself Road-Wanderer. They soon became surprisingly good friends. They shared stories, discussed random topics, and supported each other when they were feeling down. The good Argonian stuck around the city for around a month before he mysteriously and hurriedly left one day. Drenarald was the only one he spent time with to say goodbye. It was the last time he saw Road-Wanderer.
Eventually, when Drenarald was already an adult, his father died due to a terrible infection that was not treated soon enough. To honor him, Drenarald soon followed in his father's footsteps and became a guard himself.
Due to the way he was raised and the unfortunate death of his two parents, Drenarald's personality seemed to have changed. As before, he would be lacking in friends, though it would not be because he was the scrawniest, it would be because he was simply another mean guard.
ARMOUR Markarth guard helmet and armor (quilted vest over a shirt of bronze chainmail), fur gauntlets and boots. A standard guard's shield with the ram of Markarth adorning the front is slung across his back.
WEAPONS Steel sword, a hunting bow, and a quiver of steel tipped arrows (30).
SKILLS One handed, light armor, block, speechcraft, archery.
HAEO -
NAME: Tss'lelis (He answers to Tss as well) AGE: 25 RACE: Argonian BIRTHSIGN: The Thief ARMOR: Leather Armor, Fur Bracers, Fur Helm WEAPONS: Hunting Bow, Iron Arrows, Iron Dagger, Iron War Axe, Pickaxe SKILLS: Sneak, Lock picking, Archery, One-Handed, Light Armor
APPEARANCE: Short for an Argonian and more forward-leaning, Tss'lelis naturally moves closer to the ground. His build is lithe and defined though his tail is a little flatter than most. In the eyes of an Argonian, he wouldn't be that handsome or masculine but his looks tend more toward aesthetically pleasing than most and the soothing brown of his eyes can be disarming. His arms are also a little on the long side, almost enough to be touching the ground when he runs. His skin coloration is a non-uniform mottling of dark grays, blues and black. Combined with a swept back head crest he has a very subtle and unusual profile and is difficult to pick out and recognize from a dark background or the bottom of a body of water.
PERSONALITY: His time in the mines taught him to learn the behaviors of others quickly and to keep his head down and his mouth shut. He is one to work well but he never gives his all to a single task so that he has enough left to take a beating or handle other unexpected trouble. While he is illiterate, he has a bookish mentality. He studies by observation and has a keen eye for behaviors and trends in everything.
His natural instinct for survival leads him to act quietly and quickly without advertising his efforts whether he's setting up a campsite, picking a lock, or shooting a hawk on the fly. In short, you are most likely to realize that he entered the fight when an arrow flashes past you to strike an enemy that was paying too much attention to you and too little to the shadows in the background.
BACKSTORY: Tss'lelis was born in the prison mines owned by the Silverborn family. His mother was a prisoner there after failing to pay her husband's debt. She was kind but the work was hard on her and she had little left for her son at the end of the day. He lived and worked there with her until he was fifteen when his mother died in a small cave-in. This would have been a personal tragedy had he not been somewhat distanced from his mother by the extremes of their living conditions. In the mines, where he had been born and where he had only heard of things like weather and the sky, was the only world he knew. Here he learned the art of not being noticed even when he was right in front of someone. He also became strong and patient and honed his observational skills on the many people who were incarcerated during his life there. He picked up a few practical skills from them as well. Lock picking and the basics of using one handed weapons were the most useful of these skills, though he had only the most simple of locks and shanks or pickaxes to practice with. Thankfully, the guards and inmates treated him with some leniency since he had never been free.
The family's debt was mostly paid off by the time of his mother's death but a small amount remained. Since he was already employed there the debt was quietly transferred to him on the books and he continued as a worker in the only world he knew until he was sixteen.
A few months after his sixteenth birthday an enterprising hunter by the name of Ulster came and purchased his small remaining debt from the Silverborns. This hunter became the closest thing that Tss'lelis would know to a father figure. He was also the man who first showed the argonian youth the sky for the first time. But, before he left the mines, one of the guards gave him an iron dagger to help him in the real world. He and his mother hadn't caused any trouble, a very rare thing in those mines.
Over the next seven years Tss'lelis proved a diligent student and a talented one, though more diligent than talented. His master was a skilled enough hunter but needed extra help on longer hunts and it had actually been cheaper to buy out the remaining debt than it was to hire help. In this case, the hunter counted himself very lucky. Tss, as he came to be called by his master for the sake of convenience, was naturally gifted at swimming even in the strongest currents and proved capable with a bow as well as an axe. He made more money on the long hunts of those years than he had hoped for and rewarded his quiet helper with periodic gifts of equipment or trinkets to practice his skills on.
Those seven years of indentured service ended shortly after a bad river crossing when Ulster was attacked by seven slaughterfish and knocked into the deep water. Unable to fight in the water or get away to shore, he would have died if not for the skill of his quick learning servant. Tss dove into the water with his dagger in hand and killed the fish then pulled his master to shore. They were both badly wounded but they managed to reach a small fishing village and survived. After this incident Ulster completed the legal process of declaring the argonian's family debt paid in full. He also offered the young man an apprenticeship. Tss accepted quickly.
The next three years passed quickly with even more successful hunts and the gradual improvement of the skills that had proved vital so many times. However, all good times come to an end eventually. Ulster fell ill and died shortly before Tss would have turned 25. Without a master he found that his apprenticeship proved a handicap. He couldn't get good prices for meat or hides and his fortunes dropped considerably. Without knowledge of reading or writing he had little alternative but to continue on as he was. Soon he was only able to afford short hunts and had to live in the warrens, back underground and only seeing the sky when he could manage to get out to hunt. And here he remained, quietly avoiding notice and surviving until the plague and quarantine began and trapped him again in the dark.
Phew, finally done. Mostly done anyway. Here's my CS.
NAME Drenarald
AGE 32
RACE Nord
APPEARANCE Drenarald doesn't interact much with people besides issues coming up while on guard duty, during which he almost never removes his helmet. As such, most people will only recognize him as just another faceless guard of Markarth equipped with another identical set of armor.
Under the helmet, he is a typical Nord with hard features and bright blue eyes. His somewhat long, gnarly hair is tied into a short ponytail. A thick black beard adorns his otherwise young-looking face. To some, he may appear intimidating with his solid Nord height of 6'3" and his strong, muscled physique.
BIRTHSIGN The Warrior
PERSONALITY Drenarald, like many others of his people, is quite proud to be a Nord. Though he is more likely to lose his temper with a non-Nord, he certainly makes an effort at being tolerant with the other races. His tolerance runs the shortest with the Mer (especially the Altmer), as he usually isn't bothered by the Khajiit and once had an Argonian friend when he was younger. One of two equal treatments he can guarantee with all citizens is his short temper.
Drenarald is quick to annoy and can be quite sarcastic. He clearly dislikes dealing with trivial issues citizens will demand for him to fix, especially if they're stupid. being a guard, he also has developed a somewhat haughty and bossy attitude.
In the end, however, he is a good man. No matter the race, Drenarald will be quick to save the citizens of Markarth should they find themselves in danger, even if they deserve it. He distinguishes himself from other guards for having a clean record of never abusing or harassing any citizens.
BACKSTORY Drenarald was born in and continues to live in Markarth. His mother would work in the stables, and his father was a guard.
When he was young, he was most certainly a late-bloomer. he was seen as the scrawniest, weakest, and softest kid in Markarth. He was picked on frequently and pushed around by the larger children. As such, he had no friends besides his parents. He remained strong-willed, however, and determined to grow to be stronger than the rest of the kids.
Through his early teen years, his father encouraged him to reach his goal and even trained him with his own experience in guard duty. Though he worked hard and indeed made progress, thus far the others were still taller and stronger than he was. His determination wavered when he was 14, as his mother died of an unknown illness. He nearly broke under emotions, but his father continued to support him.
"Do it for your mother," He would say, and that gave Drenarald the push he needed.
He made strong progress, and as he continued to grow, the rest seemed to slow to a complete halt. They watched from a distance in anger, as Drenarald grew to be taller and stronger than them. Soon, it would be he who called them milk drinkers.
It was around this time that he met a young Argonian who came to the city one day and called himself Road-Wanderer. They soon became surprisingly good friends. They shared stories, discussed random topics, and supported each other when they were feeling down. The good Argonian stuck around the city for around a month before he mysteriously and hurriedly left one day. Drenarald was the only one he spent time with to say goodbye. It was the last time he saw Road-Wanderer.
Eventually, when Drenarald was already an adult, his father died due to a terrible infection that was not treated soon enough. To honor him, Drenarald soon followed in his father's footsteps and became a guard himself.
Due to the way he was raised and the unfortunate death of his two parents, Drenarald's personality seemed to have changed. As before, he would be lacking in friends, though it would not be because he was the scrawniest, it would be because he was simply another mean guard.
ARMOUR Markarth guard helmet and armor (quilted vest over a shirt of bronze chainmail), fur gauntlets and boots. A standard guard's shield with the ram of Markarth adorning the front is slung across his back.
WEAPONS Steel sword, a hunting bow, and a quiver of steel tipped arrows (30).
SKILLS One handed, light armor, block, speechcraft, archery.
NAME: Tss'lelis (He answers to Tss as well) AGE: 25 RACE: Argonian BIRTHSIGN: The Thief ARMOR: Leather Armor, Fur Bracers, Fur Helm WEAPONS: Hunting Bow, Iron Arrows, Iron Dagger, Iron War Axe, Pickaxe SKILLS: Sneak, Lock picking, Archery, One-Handed, Light Armor
APPEARANCE: Short for an Argonian and more forward-leaning, Tss'lelis naturally moves closer to the ground. His build is lithe and defined though his tail is a little flatter than most. In the eyes of an Argonian, he wouldn't be that handsome or masculine but his looks tend more toward aesthetically pleasing than most and the soothing brown of his eyes can be disarming. His arms are also a little on the long side, almost enough to be touching the ground when he runs. His skin coloration is a non-uniform mottling of dark grays, blues and black. Combined with a swept back head crest he has a very subtle and unusual profile and is difficult to pick out and recognize from a dark background or the bottom of a body of water.
PERSONALITY: His time in the mines taught him to learn the behaviors of others quickly and to keep his head down and his mouth shut. He is one to work well but he never gives his all to a single task so that he has enough left to take a beating or handle other unexpected trouble. While he is illiterate, he has a bookish mentality. He studies by observation and has a keen eye for behaviors and trends in everything.
His natural instinct for survival leads him to act quietly and quickly without advertising his efforts whether he's setting up a campsite, picking a lock, or shooting a hawk on the fly. In short, you are most likely to realize that he entered the fight when an arrow flashes past you to strike an enemy that was paying too much attention to you and too little to the shadows in the background.
BACKSTORY: Tss'lelis was born in the prison mines owned by the Silverborn family. His mother was a prisoner there after failing to pay her husband's debt. She was kind but the work was hard on her and she had little left for her son at the end of the day. He lived and worked there with her until he was fifteen when his mother died in a small cave-in. This would have been a personal tragedy had he not been somewhat distanced from his mother by the extremes of their living conditions. In the mines, where he had been born and where he had only heard of things like weather and the sky, was the only world he knew. Here he learned the art of not being noticed even when he was right in front of someone. He also became strong and patient and honed his observational skills on the many people who were incarcerated during his life there. He picked up a few practical skills from them as well. Lock picking and the basics of using one handed weapons were the most useful of these skills, though he had only the most simple of locks and shanks or pickaxes to practice with. Thankfully, the guards and inmates treated him with some leniency since he had never been free.
The family's debt was mostly paid off by the time of his mother's death but a small amount remained. Since he was already employed there the debt was quietly transferred to him on the books and he continued as a worker in the only world he knew until he was sixteen.
A few months after his sixteenth birthday an enterprising hunter by the name of Ulster came and purchased his small remaining debt from the Silverborns. This hunter became the closest thing that Tss'lelis would know to a father figure. He was also the man who first showed the argonian youth the sky for the first time. But, before he left the mines, one of the guards gave him an iron dagger to help him in the real world. He and his mother hadn't caused any trouble, a very rare thing in those mines.
Over the next seven years Tss'lelis proved a diligent student and a talented one, though more diligent than talented. His master was a skilled enough hunter but needed extra help on longer hunts and it had actually been cheaper to buy out the remaining debt than it was to hire help. In this case, the hunter counted himself very lucky. Tss, as he came to be called by his master for the sake of convenience, was naturally gifted at swimming even in the strongest currents and proved capable with a bow as well as an axe. He made more money on the long hunts of those years than he had hoped for and rewarded his quiet helper with periodic gifts of equipment or trinkets to practice his skills on.
Those seven years of indentured service ended shortly after a bad river crossing when Ulster was attacked by seven slaughterfish and knocked into the deep water. Unable to fight in the water or get away to shore, he would have died if not for the skill of his quick learning servant. Tss dove into the water with his dagger in hand and killed the fish then pulled his master to shore. They were both badly wounded but they managed to reach a small fishing village and survived. After this incident Ulster completed the legal process of declaring the argonian's family debt paid in full. He also offered the young man an apprenticeship. Tss accepted quickly.
The next three years passed quickly with even more successful hunts and the gradual improvement of the skills that had proved vital so many times. However, all good times come to an end eventually. Ulster fell ill and died shortly before Tss would have turned 25. Without a master he found that his apprenticeship proved a handicap. He couldn't get good prices for meat or hides and his fortunes dropped considerably. Without knowledge of reading or writing he had little alternative but to continue on as he was. Soon he was only able to afford short hunts and had to live in the warrens, back underground and only seeing the sky when he could manage to get out to hunt. And here he remained, quietly avoiding notice and surviving until the plague and quarantine began and trapped him again in the dark.
Phew, finally done. Mostly done anyway. Here's my CS.
NAME Drenarald
AGE 32
RACE Nord
APPEARANCE Drenarald doesn't interact much with people besides issues coming up while on guard duty, during which he almost never removes his helmet. As such, most people will only recognize him as just another faceless guard of Markarth equipped with another identical set of armor.
Under the helmet, he is a typical Nord with hard features and bright blue eyes. His somewhat long, gnarly hair is tied into a short ponytail. A thick black beard adorns his otherwise young-looking face. To some, he may appear intimidating with his solid Nord height of 6'3" and his strong, muscled physique.
BIRTHSIGN The Warrior
PERSONALITY Drenarald, like many others of his people, is quite proud to be a Nord. Though he is more likely to lose his temper with a non-Nord, he certainly makes an effort at being tolerant with the other races. His tolerance runs the shortest with the Mer (especially the Altmer), as he usually isn't bothered by the Khajiit and once had an Argonian friend when he was younger. One of two equal treatments he can guarantee with all citizens is his short temper.
Drenarald is quick to annoy and can be quite sarcastic. He clearly dislikes dealing with trivial issues citizens will demand for him to fix, especially if they're stupid. being a guard, he also has developed a somewhat haughty and bossy attitude.
In the end, however, he is a good man. No matter the race, Drenarald will be quick to save the citizens of Markarth should they find themselves in danger, even if they deserve it. He distinguishes himself from other guards for having a clean record of never abusing or harassing any citizens.
BACKSTORY Drenarald was born in and continues to live in Markarth. His mother would work in the stables, and his father was a guard.
When he was young, he was most certainly a late-bloomer. he was seen as the scrawniest, weakest, and softest kid in Markarth. He was picked on frequently and pushed around by the larger children. As such, he had no friends besides his parents. He remained strong-willed, however, and determined to grow to be stronger than the rest of the kids.
Through his early teen years, his father encouraged him to reach his goal and even trained him with his own experience in guard duty. Though he worked hard and indeed made progress, thus far the others were still taller and stronger than he was. His determination wavered when he was 14, as his mother died of an unknown illness. He nearly broke under emotions, but his father continued to support him.
"Do it for your mother," He would say, and that gave Drenarald the push he needed.
He made strong progress, and as he continued to grow, the rest seemed to slow to a complete halt. They watched from a distance in anger, as Drenarald grew to be taller and stronger than them. Soon, it would be he who called them milk drinkers.
It was around this time that he met a young Argonian who came to the city one day and called himself Road-Wanderer. They soon became surprisingly good friends. They shared stories, discussed random topics, and supported each other when they were feeling down. The good Argonian stuck around the city for around a month before he mysteriously and hurriedly left one day. Drenarald was the only one he spent time with to say goodbye. It was the last time he saw Road-Wanderer.
Eventually, when Drenarald was already an adult, his father died due to a terrible infection that was not treated soon enough. To honor him, Drenarald soon followed in his father's footsteps and became a guard himself.
Due to the way he was raised and the unfortunate death of his two parents, Drenarald's personality seemed to have changed. As before, he would be lacking in friends, though it would not be because he was the scrawniest, it would be because he was simply another mean guard.
ARMOUR Markarth guard helmet and armor (quilted vest over a shirt of bronze chainmail), fur gauntlets and boots. A standard guard's shield with the ram of Markarth adorning the front is slung across his back.
WEAPONS Steel sword, a hunting bow, and a quiver of steel tipped arrows (30).
SKILLS One handed, light armor, block, speechcraft, archery.
Accepted. I like the idea of an embittered and begrudging guard.
Allow me to introduce Tss'lelis.
NAME: Tss'lelis (He answers to Tss as well) AGE: 25 RACE: Argonian BIRTHSIGN: The Thief ARMOR: Leather Armor, Fur Bracers, Fur Helm WEAPONS: Hunting Bow, Iron Arrows, Iron Dagger, Iron War Axe, Pickaxe SKILLS: Sneak, Lock picking, Archery, One-Handed, Light Armor
APPEARANCE: Short for an Argonian and more forward-leaning, Tss'lelis naturally moves closer to the ground. His build is lithe and defined though his tail is a little flatter than most. In the eyes of an Argonian, he wouldn't be that handsome or masculine but his looks tend more toward aesthetically pleasing than most and the soothing brown of his eyes can be disarming. His arms are also a little on the long side, almost enough to be touching the ground when he runs. His skin coloration is a non-uniform mottling of dark grays, blues and black. Combined with a swept back head crest he has a very subtle and unusual profile and is difficult to pick out and recognize from a dark background or the bottom of a body of water.
PERSONALITY: His time in the mines taught him to learn the behaviors of others quickly and to keep his head down and his mouth shut. He is one to work well but he never gives his all to a single task so that he has enough left to take a beating or handle other unexpected trouble. While he is illiterate, he has a bookish mentality. He studies by observation and has a keen eye for behaviors and trends in everything.
His natural instinct for survival leads him to act quietly and quickly without advertising his efforts whether he's setting up a campsite, picking a lock, or shooting a hawk on the fly. In short, you are most likely to realize that he entered the fight when an arrow flashes past you to strike an enemy that was paying too much attention to you and too little to the shadows in the background.
BACKSTORY: Tss'lelis was born in the prison mines owned by the Silverborn family. His mother was a prisoner there after failing to pay her husband's debt. She was kind but the work was hard on her and she had little left for her son at the end of the day. He lived and worked there with her until he was fifteen when his mother died in a small cave-in. This would have been a personal tragedy had he not been somewhat distanced from his mother by the extremes of their living conditions. In the mines, where he had been born and where he had only heard of things like weather and the sky, was the only world he knew. Here he learned the art of not being noticed even when he was right in front of someone. He also became strong and patient and honed his observational skills on the many people who were incarcerated during his life there. He picked up a few practical skills from them as well. Lock picking and the basics of using one handed weapons were the most useful of these skills, though he had only the most simple of locks and shanks or pickaxes to practice with. Thankfully, the guards and inmates treated him with some leniency since he had never been free.
The family's debt was mostly paid off by the time of his mother's death but a small amount remained. Since he was already employed there the debt was quietly transferred to him on the books and he continued as a worker in the only world he knew until he was sixteen.
A few months after his sixteenth birthday an enterprising hunter by the name of Ulster came and purchased his small remaining debt from the Silverborns. This hunter became the closest thing that Tss'lelis would know to a father figure. He was also the man who first showed the argonian youth the sky for the first time. But, before he left the mines, one of the guards gave him an iron dagger to help him in the real world. He and his mother hadn't caused any trouble, a very rare thing in those mines.
Over the next seven years Tss'lelis proved a diligent student and a talented one, though more diligent than talented. His master was a skilled enough hunter but needed extra help on longer hunts and it had actually been cheaper to buy out the remaining debt than it was to hire help. In this case, the hunter counted himself very lucky. Tss, as he came to be called by his master for the sake of convenience, was naturally gifted at swimming even in the strongest currents and proved capable with a bow as well as an axe. He made more money on the long hunts of those years than he had hoped for and rewarded his quiet helper with periodic gifts of equipment or trinkets to practice his skills on.
Those seven years of indentured service ended shortly after a bad river crossing when Ulster was attacked by seven slaughterfish and knocked into the deep water. Unable to fight in the water or get away to shore, he would have died if not for the skill of his quick learning servant. Tss dove into the water with his dagger in hand and killed the fish then pulled his master to shore. They were both badly wounded but they managed to reach a small fishing village and survived. After this incident Ulster completed the legal process of declaring the argonian's family debt paid in full. He also offered the young man an apprenticeship. Tss accepted quickly.
The next three years passed quickly with even more successful hunts and the gradual improvement of the skills that had proved vital so many times. However, all good times come to an end eventually. Ulster fell ill and died shortly before Tss would have turned 25. Without a master he found that his apprenticeship proved a handicap. He couldn't get good prices for meat or hides and his fortunes dropped considerably. Without knowledge of reading or writing he had little alternative but to continue on as he was. Soon he was only able to afford short hunts and had to live in the warrens, back underground and only seeing the sky when he could manage to get out to hunt. And here he remained, quietly avoiding notice and surviving until the plague and quarantine began and trapped him again in the dark.
Accepted. I quite like the group of less-than-entitled residents that will nonetheless help to save the city. This looks great.
Anyway, you can both put you characters in the character section. Obviously, you don't need to bother with hiders.
Since there's some unfortunate inactivity going on, I was just wondering something. What do you think would be the bare minimum amount of players we need?
Since there's some unfortunate inactivity going on, I was just wondering something. What do you think would be the bare minimum amount of players we need?
More that we currently have - at least 3 more CS's. I'm hoping, since 8 people expressed interest, we'll be able to hit that target soon.
EDIT: I really think RPs like this are as much a matter of timing as quality. People tend to want to see a couple of CSs already up before they post one, and if it slips off the first page, it's unlikely to survive. I found that with my attempt at a Fallout RP. Then again, perhaps for certain fandom-RPs, these boards do not have the population.
@TTNoobsPersonally, I'd be willing to try with as few as four or five. Basically, my thought is if we have enough to split into two groups due to plot point or terrain obstacle we should have no trouble strategically and that would allow 1x1 personal interaction and character development as well. Skyrim dungeons are designed to be completed by a single person with a follower. I know that roleplays are very different from the inspiration material but we should still be able to at least start with a diminished number.
In fact, as an option to consider, if we have two argonians then we have a pair that could use any of the flooded areas to bypass traps and most of the falmer. It would be possible to start in two pairs that don't actually know about each other yet. The argonians would take an early opportunity to use a flooded route and avoid trouble while the other group would have to fight its way through. They could meet up at one of those large open areas with the high walkways. Either the walkers could be knocked off and fall into the water or the swimmers could use ranged attacks to defeat a falmer ambush that the walkers were caught in.
These are just ideas that occurred to me. It's your show but I figured that additional inspiration and options wouldn't hurt.
@Haeo That's an interesting idea, however, once we get started, it will be dificult for anyone else to join. I was also planning for our characters to start in Markarth, to sort of set the scene, and organise what the group is planning to do. That will require quite a few more people.
Also, I know that the person I mentioned to you who wanted to make an Argonian has dropped out.
@TTNoobs That's true. It would have required the lead team becoming bogged down or delayed by something. As for setting the scene... yeah. That startup would be impossible without about six characters at least. And that would require NPC backup as well.
And, that's a bummer. If I wasn't so busy already I'd at least make the offer to handle a second character.
Right, it seems, due to inactivity, we may have to call this RP off. It was intended to be Halloween inspired, and if we don't get started around the 31st, I worry about people's interest in this theme. I do hope I'm wrong, so if you're interested, please drop a CS sooner rather than later.
