The golden kingdom of Areta, shining jewel of the Eretolian deserts.
The Aretan Knights
“The king is missing, sir. He’s just gone.”
The words were recorded by the court’s royal scribe, though she did not include the ums, ahs, or embarrassed pauses with which the statement was delivered. Nor did she record the gnarled groan uttered by High Magistrate Aeronas Harking as his head fell into the palm of his hand. Her quill did not move again until the magistrate uttered his irked reply.
“Again?”
Prompted by a wry motion from the youngest magistrate, the scribe paused her writing once more. No one outside the room needed to know of the round of expletives that rumbled from the gathered assembly.
Nicknamed the Absent King of Areta, this is what our country’s monarch has become known for. Now, I feel for the lad, I truly do. After King Leonard passed suddenly, his only son Alonso was coronated as his successor at the tender age of thirteen. Ever since then he has been known for his rebellious… escapades and impudent escapes from the palace. It was endearing when he was a youth, but he’s come upon his twenty-third year, and now it’s just embarrassing.
I could forgive him if times weren’t so dire now. Areta faces the makings of a massive conflict with the neighboring nation of Vicenna, and if that weren’t enough, savage elven warbands have been spotted at our borders. I worry for our nation’s future should anything happen to King Alonso, who has yet to produce any heirs.
Viceni diplomats are due to arrive for a meeting with the Aretan court for an imperative treaty signing that could prevent all out war, but if the king isn't present to speak with them—I dare not imagine. And there is no need to.
The king will be there. Once again, it is my duty as Knight Captain to see to it. I have selected you specifically, out of all the king's knighted men, for your outstanding loyalty. And for your discretion. For god's sake, no one needs to know that Alonso is off galavanting again.
The Ytharien
"Alan, what is he saying? What is Lothren so angry about?"
When the woman leaned in to ask her question, Alan could smell the floral oils in her dark, ribboned hair. It mingled with the roasting campfire. If it weren't for the gravity of the moment, he would have found himself supremely distracted.
"He said," a frown overtook his otherwise placid expression, "the Aretan curs have his brother."
Startled, the woman covered her rosy lips in dismay with her slender hand. A frantic look passed between Alan and the elf he was translating for. Lothren continued speaking to his fellow elves around the fire. Alan and the other humans grouped together, as they often did, to share their drinks. Not because the elves weren't invited, but because they couldn't stand the smell of beer.
"Ularien is in prison," Alan clarified, his eyes falling. "It's where he's been all this time. The scouts just reported to him an hour ago."
"Oh god, poor Ularien." When her eyes glistened, they caught Alan's full attention. Clearly a woman of heart.
Alan straightened and raised his voice, speaking a silken, rolling verse in elvish that turned the heads of the others gathered around the camp. A question was pitched back, to which Alan replied with a hearty gesture and a bold, youthful tone.
"What did you say?" The girl took his arm.
"I said we're going to get him back."
And I meant it. Ularien is a brother to all of us, even if he is an elf. The Mummers of Merry Andrew don't bother with the trivialities of race or politics. They've accepted me and other humans, with no thought to nationality, social standing, or creed—we've even got a dwarf. Since my own life and comfort were ripped from me, since my father was murdered, they've become the only family I have now. It's a laugh, isn't it? A band of jolly actors staging plays and performing acrobatic arts as we travel from village to village.
And i-it's also, ah, a warband.
They call themselves the Ytharien in their own language, and they have a mission. An important one. The performances they put on are only to lift spirits and refill their coin pouch, but that doesn't mean they don't have a passion for entertainment.
The mission must carry on. It's larger than Ularien. It's larger than all of us. But I swear, I will get him back, or I'm not the King of Areta.
Overview
The setting will be the country Areta, a medieval-style nation that somehow flourishes in the arid Eretolian desert. I'll be assembling two parties: the Knights and the Mummers. They won't be separate for long, but they'll start out that way. Although originally they'll center around Knight Captain Serona and King Alonso, who'll be played by me, I'll be creating the world around the characters you submit and placing a focus on them, their decisions, and how their actions affect the world.
I promise themes revolving around politics, conspiracy, gunpowder, treason, and—no, wait, that's... that's guy fawkes, we're not doing that here. Uh. Mostly politics and conspiracy and probably enormous emotional upheaval.
One important detail: I will be giving secret information to the Mummers that the Knights won't have, and vice versa. What you guys do with it is up to you. I'll take up to 3 applicants for either party.
The Aretan Knights:
Applicants must be human and a minimum age of 18 IC (plus a few years before that of training).
Must be at least partially Aretan (or claim to be). Heritage from other countries is okay if it's mingled in.
You can be young or old, male or female, experienced or new. Choose any weapon skill.
Aretans are generally very racist. Not only against elves, but all foreigners. There are exceptions, but they're usually quiet about it.
Remember, you're a knight because you follow orders, not question them. Above all, you swore your oath to the King.
Magic exists but it is BANNED in Areta, as it is considered blasphemy against the Aretan god. Severe punishment befalls magic users, including dismemberment, imprisonment or even death.
Get ready to kill some elves.
The Ytharien/Mummers
Most Ytharien are elves, but there are some humans (of any nationality) and one dwarf. There are about twenty-five members.
You have no loyalty to anyone except each other, to Lothren (the warband's leader), and your own heart.
Little known to humans, elves aren't really savage.
You're a competent fighter and probably a good actor, dancer, or singer. If you're not good at performing, you're probably good at building sets or tending horses instead.
Even for foreigners, magic is BANNED in Areta. You can know it, but don't let anyone important see you use it.
Get ready to kill some Aretans.
Please feel free to ask any questions. I'll be building the story and the world around the people who sign up, but there's a general direction it will be going.
Name: Age: Gender: Race:
Appearance: (No pic required. Please, no anime or photos, regular art is fine.)
Brief character concept:
History: (Optional, make it as short or long as you like.)
If you want to arrange anything special, let me know!
Lore Rundown
Nations
Areta
Ruler: King Alonso vas Aretaeus
Population: Large, and almost entirely human
Landscape: This monarchy dominates the Eretolian deserts, which span across over half of the continent. Most of Areta's civilization is found huddled around the desert's large sources of water, such as oases, rivers, and lakes. Its capital, Marion Bay, is a narrow, elongated city snaking along the oceanside coastline.
This leaves huge stretches of uninhabited, and unforgiving land: rolling dunes, cracked earth, dusty steppes, and red canyons (which can actually be quite beautiful), with lots of hardy plant and animal life. No king's forests here, no king's deer to poach. Just lots of birds and lizards and maybe a dragon or two in the hundreds of square miles of uncontrolled terrain. It's all-you-can-eat if you can avoid dying from exposure or thirst.
The Eretol:(An addition by JulienJaden) The Eretol are a nomadic people who wander the Eretolian deserts, largely surviving as facilitators of Aretan trade. Their presence in Eretolia predates the founding of Areta, so they consider themselves independent from the Aretan kingdom. Proficient as hunter-gatherers, they're commonly seen as parts of traveling caravans, especially those that don't follow the river roads.
Despite the Eretol's nationless philosophy, the monarchy considers the Eretol people to be Aretan citizens, and therefore King Alonso's subjects. This sometimes leads to the Eretol being considered rebels, which has historically resulted in violence between Aretan forces and Eretol tribes. If the Eretol are complicit when commanded, they can usually avoid bloodshed.
The Barony of Greenbank:(An addition by Lyaer) A stretch of land along the Neratine once famous for its verdancy, though it has since been claimed by the desert. Greenbank is governed by Baron Demour Arquis, who resides with his family in its largest city, Udny Pass. The Barony thrives from trade coming by river from Vicenna, and controls swathes of the salt flats on Greenback's eastern edge.
Quick History: Marion Bay was named after Queen Marion, the first crowned monarch of Areta. King Alonso was preceded by his father, King Leonard, who was preceded by his father, King Hubrach.
Hubrach was a tyrannical dictator. Those close to him could see he was a lunatic, but dared not say so. Hubrach's father was an effective, but hard ruler as well, but it seemed as though he tried to surpass him in every wicked, conceivable way. Even now, decades after his death, his name remains a shadow in Aretan history. He died before his grandson was born, much to the relief of his subjects. There are stories abound of his atrocities. This was when the conflicts with Vicenna arose. Hubrach threatened invasion, but lacked the military force to see it through.
His son Leonard was a startlingly gentle man, which many attribute to his nurturing mother. He healed Areta's unrest and became much loved by his people. Despite this, he was still an awful king, terrible at administration. This was when the Court of Magistrates began to shine, serving their king by applying their talents where he could not. Under the Court, they repaired foreign relations and restored much needed trade to the desert regions, utilizing the Eretol people (some would say exploiting them).
The country wept along with Alonso when Leonard died relatively young, like his father before him. Alonso is much like Leonard was, and has become the heart and soul of Areta. Still a lousy, irresponsible ruler, but admiringly honest and good. To a fault, many would say.
Vicenna
Ruler: Prime Minister Canden Solus and the Viceni Ministry
Population: Moderately populated, mostly human, some dwarves in the mountainous areas. The dwarves are self ruling.
Landscape: Sandy borders give way into cooler, rockier terrain as the land spreads north. Beyond deciduous forests and open farmland lies the mountainous terrain famous for housing the Viceni dwarves. Probably lots of huge lakes too, why not. I’m sure it’s gorgeous.
Viceni Dwarves: A predictably boisterous people who coexist peacefully with the Viceni humans. The mountains are considered their territory, and the dwarven guard protect their own subterranean cities.
Quick History: Developed along a shared timeline with Areta. Became noted for its powerful mages, and thus feared. They have a savage history of incredibly destructive wars, but with strict governance the nation brought itself under some measure of control.
Vicenna and Areta have been flirting with the idea of war for decades. It’s either going to come to a head or, hopefully, a peace treaty. If the king can get his freaking act together.
- Now a dusty crater.
People
Humans: Basic, standard humans. Come in all flavors. Lots of human nations around the world, with many different government types.
Elves: Basic, standard elves. Light of build, graceful features, long-lived (let's say around 300-500 years). Age at the same rate as humans until about 20, and then they sort of plateau and age slowly over decades and centuries. Unlike humans, they tend not to gather in large nations, but in smaller, self-contained groups rarely surpassing a few hundred.
Fairly uncommon in Areta, as the desert is not their preferred terrain.
Dwarves: Basic, standard dwarves. Make them scottish if you want, or french if that's your fancy, I'm not picky. Almost never seen in Areta because they usually just live in the far off mountains.
Other races: More exist, but less is known about them. They'll be described as they appear.
Magic Banned in Areta, for a number of reasons. Some consider it a perversion of nature, others blasphemy against god, and still others would compare it to juggling chainsaws if they knew what chainsaws were. It's dangerous, unnecessary, and difficult to control. It can give anyone absolute power over you, anyone. It's frightening and wrong.
If it bothers you, go ahead and pick a reason why. It would depend on how superstitious or practical you are. If it doesn't bother you, there are lots of reasons for that too. I'll let you decide what they are.
Magic is not taboo in Vicenna, but mostly because they're immoral, power-hungry reprobates. Elves can and do practice magic, but not to the same level of Viceni mages. For them it's supplementary, a convenience, and not a way of life.
OOC note: As for how magic casting works, for now that's up to whoever wants to use it. Be fair and reasonable, no godmodding. Avoid cliches like flying and mind control, and anything else that seems in poor taste or prone to creating plot holes.
Religion Since I've mentioned god several times, I should say something about it.
Aretans are generally deists. Most people believe, some people don't. Some are crazy, some aren't, some are spiteful. It runs a predictable gamut. And we'll just leave it at that. I have no religious structure planned out, nor do I tend to create one.
The only reason for this is that I just want to be able to use familiar vernacular, like 'oh my god' or 'to hell with you' or like in the intro, 'for god's sake'—which is one of my favorites. This is purely so that story dialogue will have more organic and more genuine impact when I start shattering your characters' lives and destroying everything they love.
"Oh my gods" and "gods know" just don't sound the same, you know what I mean?
Primary NPCs
Name: King Alonso vas Aretaeus (alias Alan Moraby) Age: 22 Gender: Male Race: Human
Appearance: Sandy haired fellow of about medium height, not quite six feet. He’s pale for an Aretan and burns easily if he’s in the open sun too long. He wears an impeccably kempt, achor-style goatee because he thinks it makes him look older, but it mostly makes him seem a bit sketchy. His eyes are somewhere between gray and blue.
Since he’s been away from the castle for an impressive few weeks, his hair has grown a slightly long, enough to create irksome tufts near his ears, but honestly it kind of works for him.
Even away from his royal throne, Alonso dresses in fine fabrics and looks every inch like nobility. But since he’s calling himself a mummer lately, it’s easier to overlook.
Brief character concept: His list of virtues is easily as long as his list of flaws. Alonso is bursting with virtuous intentions, but doesn’t always see them through. He’s passionate, but flighty. Idealistic, but naive. Fearless, but supremely unwise. Above all, he believes in being true to himself, though his sense of perspective could use a bit of correcting.
Alonso’s grandfather was a horrible man who grossly misused his power, but Alonso himself is a good man with all the same power, and no idea how to use it. His father was attentive and loving, but passed away too soon, leaving his son imbalanced and undisciplined. The potential is there for him to become a great man one day, but he has yet to outgrow his childish ways.
He does dream of improving his country and serving his people. More than anything, he yearns to be a great king. Some day, he swears he’ll find out how to solve all of Areta’s worst problems and bring his country into an age of peace and prosperity, but he’s got a long way to go.
The Absent King is also known to be a bit of a rascal, with a preference for supremely expensive prostitutes from all over the world. Following a trail of suddenly wealthy whores is a sure way to track him down, if you know, you happen to be looking for him.
History: I’ve pretty much explained enough, but I’ll reserve this section for past involvement with player characters.
Name: Captain Amon Serona Age: 43 Gender: Male Race: Human
Appearance: The sort of man who would look alarmingly thin and average when seen out of his armor. Serona can wear a ferocious scowl when he chooses to, but he’s never far from a wry smirk. His features are sharp and intelligent, having become more pronounced and distinguished as his dark hairline has receded.
Serona’s dark brown eyes have seen a little too much, and it shows, but retain a fatherly warmth instilled by his children and the love of a generous woman.
Brief character concept: Serona has earned his position not only for his martial talents and leadership ability, but for his intuition. The Captain is a highly intelligent man who loves his king, and will do nearly anything to preserve order in Areta. He governs his men through displays of both power and respect—a sort of leader they seek to impress, but don’t want to waste his time.
Despite his sense of mercy and honor, Serona is not prevented from delegating to other Knights known for their extreme prejudices. As long as the Knights are effective without causing much of a mess, they’ll earn his favor.
History: Amon was the fifth child of six, born into nobility. He and two of his brothers joined the Royal Knights upon reaching eligible age. One brother died in a Viceni incursion, and the other was crippled in a non-combat incident.
Serona achieved his rank shortly before the death of King Leonard. As a Knight, he has watched over Alonso since infancy. At one point, he was close personal friends with High Magistrate Harking, but that seems to have iced over in recent years.
Brief character concept: Eccentric and racist knight from Areta, very loud individual who loves to speak his mind. Often gets kicked out of restaurants, not stupid but not a genius either. He has a habit of cussing and loves to challenge others, he enjoys a good fight. Uses a two handed blade and often rides upon horseback.
History: I have a detailed history in mind that I'd like to reveal throughout the rp as it progresses, instead of revealing it all right away from the beginning. But the basics are as follows:
Gerald was raised by single father working as a blacksmith, he's much like his father; who was very loud, racist, and always spoke his mind. He was encouraged by his father to become a knight, in order to get the easy salary and powerful position. He trained for several years a squire and eventually became quite the renown warrior after being named a knight himself. (Keep in mind this is very barebones and I have soooo much more planned for him, I only wanted to reveal a general idea for him during the beginning)
Let me know if I did anything wrong or didn't meet expectations.
Two knights and two Ytharien so far. Looking good.
A good character, Minato. Go ahead and add it to the char list. Let me know if you want to plot out his history to tie it in with the main plot. Although I did say no photos, the attire looks quite appropriate, so it's fine with me. Mostly I just didn't want any pictures of Loki or Daenerys or Robert Pattinson on the red carpet.
I'm very glad to see a racist character so soon in the sign up. I'd hoped for at least one. Hell, they can all be flagrant bigots. This RP could end before it starts because we'll have all killed each other, and I'd consider it a success.
In the morning, I'll be adding some basic world information to the first post in this thread about Areta, Vicenna, elves, and a few other things. It'll help fill in the gaps for anyone who is worried about breaking the setting.
As a reminder, I am building the world around the people who sign up. There aren't many wrong steps you can take as long as you keep classic fantasy in mind.
Knights are a caste of their own, by the way. Some were nobles, and some were commoners. Elves are not common in Areta, and dwarves are almost unheard of except along the border of Vicenna.
Considering joining. Pondering the idea of a court-jester-gone-knight, one that has a... Kinship with the king, though wether he's the only one that feels it is yet to be seen. Could also go turncoat, should he feel for the Ytharian.
Very workable, depending on how the transition from jester to knight was made. Jester could've been an informal word for it, he might have held some other position in the castle, like a steward who knew how to juggle. Blood relation's not out of the question.
Alonso was a lonely child after his father died, so I'm sure there were some willing to be a friend (and source of entertainment [and someone to help him sneak out]) in his time of need. Someone personally close to the king will make the reunion all the more gripping.
PM me if you have any specific ideas or want some of mine!
Your character looks perfect, StoneDogg1. Damn, all of you guys are just making exactly the things I was hoping for. It's making me nervous.
So far four people have asked to play Knights (which is a pleasant surprise, because I feared they sounded too boring). To keep it fair, I'm just going to have to say that it's first come, first serve for the remaining slots. Once your characters are submitted, and APPROVED, the slot's yours. Until then, it's fair game.
Current Ytharien: JulienJaden, playing Annara en'Sammat
Current Knights: StoneDogg1, putting the RAD in Konrad Falkenburg Minato Namikaze, playing Gerald the Colossus
oh man I'd hate to be an elf when these guys roll up
One knight and two Ytharien slots left.
ALSO, I've added a Lore Rundown to the top post in this thread. Comes with convenient, clickable buttons. This is not required reading, just for reference if you guys want it. I'm making it all up as I go along, based on what you come up with as much as possible, so that it's personally relevant and familiar to you. But I'm writing it down because I am still dedicated to creating a consistent and realistic setting with structure and rules.
Sure, up to you! That space is still technically open. No calling shotgun here. I only reserved the Ytharien spot earlier because he shot me a PM with his bio all ready to go, and I approved it before he posted it here.
I'm flattered when people show interest, but I also need to know they can be timely with posts too.
Name: Juna Hakallerva Age: Physically 25 Gender: Female Race: Elven
Appearance: Juna has in possession great natural beauty, and many men have fallen for her for this reason in the past. She is about 5’2 in height, with green eyes, and not very muscular, with gentle and graceful features. She has fair and clear skin, with golden blonde hair. She usually wears a set of brown leather armor, but in times of comfort she will wear lighter cloth or wool clothing.
Brief Character Concept: Juna, despite her gentle appearances, is far from gentle. She is quick in combat, and surprisingly strong as well. She skillfully wields her sword, and uses her many knives as further support in battle. Her personality, at least on the surface, is that of a carefree, if snarky, individual. She lives a life full of independence, and is known to be loyal to no one except Lothren. She has two true goals in life, and that is to kill Amon Serona and see that Alonso lives out his life peacefully.
History: Juna was born to a pair of normal Elven parents on the border of Areta. She had a normal youth, where she lived as a carefree, youthful spirit, with her childhood friend Ilias. Then she met greatest love of her life, Hadrian, a young human man. They would often play the harp together, and he taught her how to sing. Yet when they had finally grown close, Hadrian succumbed to a sickness that he had long held secret. Hadrian passed away from Juno seemingly as quickly as he had come, and although her heart healed in time, a deep scar would remain in her heart. She grew close yet again to Ilias, and in time the two of them were to be married. Yet it was not to be, for on the day her wedding was to be held, the Aretan Knights came. Illias and Juna’s parents were killed, and only Juna survived. She cried, mourned, and cursed her fate. She remembered the face and the name of the one she saw as most responsible, Amon Serona, and Juna swore to herself that every future day of hers would be dedicated to hunting him down until one of them was dead. Juna, over the years honed her skill in fighting mostly through experience. She does not hesitate to speak of how she has murdered. Before she was among the Mummers, she was caught in a human village while chasing down Amon. She found herself having a hard time escaping, and she slew a few knights, and a few people who shouldn’t have died did die as well. Juna never refers to this event in any detail, only saying that it makes her a murderer. She would not have gotten out alive were it not for Lothren, and for this Juna offered him unflinching loyalty. When she met Lothren, and he offered her a place as one of the Ytharien, Juna was hesitant, but accepted. With her impeccable skill at both the harp and her beautiful singing voice, as well as her personality, Juna was a natural performer, and as the years passed she grew into the role.
Oh man that's quite the paragraph. Got your PM too. Feel free to leave that information out of the bio, it'll stay between us.
Character looks good to me, please add it to the list. But I am personally requesting that you do use more paragraphs in the future! These big chunks of text make me go crosseyed. I'm really going to enjoy her history with Amon, it's going to be so much fun.
Officially: Two Ytharian and Two Knights now signed up. Two slots left. When they'll filled, I'll put up the IC post.
I've been watching this thread and want to know how often you want updates. The frequency you want players to post is very important to me. I'd rather not join something I can't keep up with.
There's another thread that I'm interested in, but if it doesn't kick off I may try joining another thread (such as yours). Four threads is the maximum I'm letting myself participate in.
