Astarael42

Rights of Passage/Becoming a Hero RP--A high fantasy (Forgotten Realms) Setting Adventure

If you are looking for a grand adventure about saving damsels/lads in distress and blasting dragons out of the sky with mighty spells then look someplace else! If your looking for a story about struggle, overwhelming odds, the beginnings of a hero/heroine, and the choices between justice and vengeance then welcome!

Though this story is set in the Forgotten Realms knowledge of the setting is not necessary. Characters are youth who have not had a chance to truely learn their world so they will grow into the knowledge as they adventure anyway. If you have questions I am very familiar with the setting and will answer what I can, provide links, images, etc

***** Brief Intro****

On the continent of Faerun, in the world of the Forgotten Realms, the Time of Troubles has just ended. The godly pantheons have stabilized, the divine beings are no longer forced to walk the earth as mortals, and their powers are once again being fueled by their worshipers on the mortal plane. Gods, both good and evil, seek to secure a place in the heavenly and abyssal hierarchies and for some the acquisition of devoted followers, through any means necessary, is the only way they will achieve the dominance and influence they crave. For though Faerun is enjoying a much needed time of peace, a sigh of relief after a terrifying time in history, the wars of the heavens and hells are eternal. And there are deities from beyond Faerun, deities that would grow in secret and stealth until they can challenge even the great gods.

Much of this is unknown to you however and what you have heard is so wildly twisted and varied in story that it is impossible to know what exactly happened. It doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of your world. Player Characters are children between the ages of 10-15. Most work hard all day long, either for their families or teachers to whom they have been apprenticed. Free time is rare and most of the day is devoted to work or study. They have all the problems and joys of a child of their age and station in life and while most are from laborer families a few might be street rats or from what constitutes and upper class in the small towns and villages living off the woods and rivers along the black road. Life is simple and usually very very busy. The needs of life and survival take precedence over imponderables and philosophy. Concerns over the squabbles of the gods rarely enter into day to day life, and while many might profess to be religious few have the dedication and devotion to have more than a basic grasp of Faerunian religion.

Few have lofty goals and for most children of the village it is assumed they will take after their parents or master. Their skills, their moral compass, and their personal and professional goals will be formed as they take on an adventure that will send them from rural village to bustling city to sea to jungle.

***** End Brief intro ****

I have another, besides myself, already agreed upon for the story and so it will begin sometime this upcoming weekend (Friday or Saturday) but other players who enjoy character development, growth, and depth would be welcome.

Characters should be extraoridinarly ordinary--this is a about character depth and learning to survive, and not being able to handle everything they are thrown. More detailed info to be had in the OOC including a character sheet format and list of approved characters.

OOC is Here

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen/Penny Dreadful meets 1940's Indiana Jones/The Rocketeer/The Mummy

I love the idea...it seems too good to let go. I hope you'll reconsider. iGeorge has a good point...I'm sure there are plenty of talented people who would give you a hand if you needed. Anyway definately count me in if you give it a go.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen/Penny Dreadful meets 1940's Indiana Jones/The Rocketeer/The Mummy

I hope this idea hasn't been lost; ive been really looking forward to it. The more I've thought about it the more I've thought that Br'er Rabbit would make an excellent character.

Rites of Passage

Brisa tried to squeak when Argurios found her, picked her up, and squashed her. She tried but it was lost. Still she didn’t mind. It was good to find something familiar, even if she didn’t know him that well. And it was good to sit with him in quiet for awhile. There was something so overwhelming to her about being alone, and something so much better about finally finding someone familiar. She cried on Argurios’ shoulder for a while, half from relief and half from depression at not finding anyone else. When he stood up she was ready. Sort of. She grabbed his hand and he helped her up, or more precisely he pulled her up as if she was a rag doll.

Brisa felt a little shaky as she stood there, trying to gather her wits. She wondered if he realized how much stronger than her he was…she thought it was not likely. Once it might have scared her, now it was just another thought of no real consequence. The day was burning ever on and they had to get moving.

She shouldered her bag, but not before digging out her last apple and offering it Argurios. She didn’t know what they would eat in the future, she also didn’t know what he had in his bag, but it had been a long night and she wanted to share with the only companion she had left.

“Maybe the others went on to the town too…it’s the only one around. Maybe we can find them there.” Her voice held no hopeful tone, it was more she was just trying to convince herself to make herself move.

She settled into Argurios’ shadow, content to let him lead down the road. It’s not like they could get lost. The road was the only one, and walking through the dense mountainous terrain around wasn’t really possible. There was a lot of up walking still, as there had been to get as far as Raevyn’s rest, she was beginning to hope they could walk downhill soon. Argurios didn’t seem to mind but Brisa was tired. Even using the endurance she had built up since this whole thing began she was still tired.

She walked in Argurious’ shadow, literally. She used his shadow to mark where she was supposed to be but it was getting harder and harder to keep within its boundaries. When they found a roadside spring, several hours later, she had to stop.

“Sorry” she mumbled, embarrassed that she couldn’t keep going. Her body was just too weary. She sat down next to the spring and dipped her hands in, drinking till her empty belly felt full. She wanted to cry, to give up, to go to sleep. She knew she couldn’t do any of that so she just huddled in a lump and tried to let her sore body rest.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen/Penny Dreadful meets 1940's Indiana Jones/The Rocketeer/The Mummy

I only asked about frequency because I can only post about 2x/week and I don't like to hold people up. I always want to be sure that I can keep up before I start.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen/Penny Dreadful meets 1940's Indiana Jones/The Rocketeer/The Mummy

I would be interested for sure. Elizabeth of Bathory, Mycroft Holmes, Alice (in wonderland), Faust, Br'er Rabit or El-ahrairah (though they might need to be adapted a bit they could be very fun), Robin Goodfellow...one of those would be my choice for a character though if I kept thinking I could certainly come up with more.

A few other options (not my choice but in general)...
Rhett Butler
Frank and/or Joe Hardy
Sam Spade

Wow so my thoughts started running away. It comes down to "yes I would be interested". Though I have to ask what posting frequency you are looking for?

Rites of Passage

***Group A (Argurios & Brisa) ***

Brisa slept deeply for about an hour, the exhaustion of the scare plus her spell taking its toll on her. Eventually her discomfort woke her. The ground was damp from the evening air and it had soaked all the way through her cloak and clothing. Add that to the fact that her stomach was rumbling and her whole body felt like it had been pounded with hammers and there was no way she could sleep further.

She stood, stretched her body out, and pulled her bag close to her and by the light of the cool moon she began rummaging through the bag. She desperately hoped she had something edible in her bag, she was starving and feeling rather shaky as well.

She found two apples and nothing further. At least it was something and she started to eat one, tucking the other away for later. Now that her immediate needs had been satisfied she knew she had to look for the others. Walking would also help keep her warm and dry her out.

She shouldered her bag and began trailing down alongside the road. She didn’t want to walk in the open, but there was hardly any space on the side. The night was silent except for night noises she had come to expect. She suspected that meant the bandit men were gone, but she wasn’t sure. She knew though, that she couldn’t remain in one spot, it would be too dangerous. So she walked.

She found Argurios just before dawn, it was pure chance that their path’s crossed. The relief when she found him though was obvious. Her whole demeanor changed. Up till that minute she had assumed she was now completely alone. Even though they weren’t friends, in fact she barely knew him, he was still familiar and that was a huge comfort now.

“The others?”

It was a vain hope, she could tell he was alone. He likely didn’t know. In fact unless they went back to the inn and risk capture or worse they wouldn’t know. They had no supplies, other than what they had grabbed in their hasty escape. Their most valuable possessions…the warhorse and the goat…had bolted and neither could be recovered. Without waiting for reply she slumped on a nearby rock, hung her head so he wouldn’t see her tears, and sighed.

“What do we do now?”

*****Group B (Serra & Aiden)****

The three bandits were busy chatting amongst one another. They had been away from their base long enough and would be heading back soon. It had been days, long days, since anyone had come this way and they were giving up.

Bits of the conversation could be overheard as Aiden slunk around them. Their complaining was not quiet. It was plain that the emptiness of the road was not expected…there were caravans that regularly ventured out into the desert to trade and they always straggled…pickings should have been easy. While the wagons in the road stopped the caravan lead the bandits could hit the rear in a strike and retreat. They weren’t after people, only sellable goods. Now though there was nothing. There had been nothing for quite some time.

The wagons were empty and so old it was obvious that the bandits had brought them here for the sole purpose of serving as a road block. They were high enough to make a sensible horse think twice about jumping and they blocked the length of the road so that only foot traffic could pass on either side. Of the bandits themselves, they were simple folk. Dressed in leather armor and armed with basic weapons…knives, staffs, and clubs…it was obvious they were not equipped to deal with a determined resistance. In fact they had been chosen for this post because of their ability to run and move quickly through the woods…which was part of the strategy. A crossbow lay at the feet of one of the bandits, cocked and ready and just within reach. That was the most valuable item they had, it was actually well made, accurate, and would last a long time with the proper care. They each had packs, doubtless containing their sleeping blankets and rations, which were shoved into the shade of one of the wagons. And that was it.

Back where Serra was crouched the day was quiet save for the rustle of wind in the trees, and it was growing warm crouched there, waiting for Aiden to make his move.

Rites of Passage

*poke at Jollan*

you wanna rush those bandits?

Rites of Passage

***Group A***

Brisa stood in shock as the large form of Argurios, distorted and made odd by the barrel he was holding, rushed passed her. She was nearly as startled as the men in the doorway but when Argurios grabbed her arm she snapped out of it. She had presence of mind to grab her satchel, and fortunately she had not removed either Dakin’s book of maps or her spellbook from it. Unfortunately she had removed everything else that might remotely have been useful.

“Run” she shouted back to the others and did her best to leap over the fallen men. It was harder than she expected and she ended up running across the top of them. She almost lost her footing, almost had her ankle snatched, almost got caught. But she didn’t.

Her hand had slipped from Argurios’ grip but she kept as close to him as she could. Unfortunately she had not the running strength nor length of stride that the orcish boy had and she was soon several paces behind him. The others, they were behind somewhere. She heard their footsteps she was certain. Of the horse and the goat there was no sign and Brisa didn’t want to stick around to search. The men were only temporarily detained, they would be after them shortly.

In front of her, out of the shadows, rose up two creatures that were the stuff of nightmares for the fairly sheltered girl. Standing on their hind legs they towered over her, their fur shadowy in the partial moonlight. She could smell the stink, hear them snarl, and see the glint of the weapons they held. Fear flooded her and she knew she couldn’t outrun the beasts. She caught the outline of Argurios ahead of her and also felt a fear that she would be left behind. She couldn’t be alone out here, she simply couldn’t. The two fears warred inside her and though it seemed like forever she stood there frozen it was barely more than two seconds before she took action.

She raced to the side of one of the dog-men and sprinted for all she was worth. It was dark and she had trouble running but the ground was mostly cleared. Her satchel flapped painfully against her back with every step. Her legs and lungs burned with equal fire and she prayed to Mystra and all the gods that she would come up with some plan. She was running away from Argurios and the others, and she knew she had to double back somehow but she could hear the padding steps of the dog men behind her.

She darted back to the right, running next to a waist high rock wall, tracing her way back towards the entrance of the inn complex. Her prayers must have had some effect, or at least trained her thoughts along a different course, for she remembered something. She only knew one cantrip but it was one that could help her now. As she slowed her steps to work the minor magic she swore she could feel hot breath on her neck.

“head and heart are one” she whispered the simple charm, forming the arcane symbols in her mind and almost tasting them as she spoke. She was not an adept spell user, she had only successfully cast spells a handful of times, but this happened to be one. She could feel the strength flood her body and her heart beat as fast as her thoughts were racing.

With renewed energy she raced off, the magical adrenaline pouring through her system and giving her a speed that even the gnoll chasing her could not match. She was out of the inn complex and running along the packed dirt road in short order. She had lost all the others and she realized her only chance was to find a safe place to hide and hope one of the others came along. Her fear of being alone, at night, in the woods, had come true.

~~~

The gnolls had spotted the two children run from the building and had the same thought. The smaller, slower girl would be far and away the easier catch. They were both injured and weak from their failed battle with the destrier and needed something soft and easy. Their injuries slowed them, otherwise Brisa would not have stood a chance, but they chased the girl. When she suddenly slowed they had assumed they had winded her and could catch her with ease, they hadn’t decided whether to kill her or bring her back to the bandit camp as a potential slave to sell off.

Her spell took hold before they reached her, however, and the two gnolls stood in awe as the girl sprinted off at a run they would have had a hard time matching at full health. A mage girl it was obvious, that would have been a valuable slave but they would say nothing to their human allies. It was not worth chasing a mage girl, and they were hungry and fed up.

Instead of waiting for the bandits they loped off into the hills, their keen noses allowing them to retrace their steps back to camp. They may have been allies with the human bandits, but they had their own orders and own leader. The other humans were not their concern, the hunt was over and they were wounded. Let the humans fend for themselves.

The three that had been taken out by Argurios’ surprise attack took some time to recover, and by the time they did all fight had gone out of them. The attack had bruised them terribly, and they were sore, tired, and pissed. There were, however, other children besides the two who had bolted. The remaining children were captured in short order, an easy task between the three inside the building and those outside who had been searching the other places. They had let the orcish boy go, not bothering to chase after him. They had richer and easier finds, it wasn’t worth possibly loosing some of them to go haring off after him.

It took the rest of the nights darkest hours to finish searching the buildings, gathering everything that might hold any value, and binding their captives enough so they would stop trying to escape. Shortly before dawn they headed off to their camp, grumbling and cursing the two gnolls who had left long before. They could have used the help. The plunder from this raid would not be shared with them, despite their help early on. The men decided that as they made their weary way back to camp. They had suffered no casualties at least, though the man that Argurios had personally taken out had several cracked ribs.

Separated and alone, with only what they had managed to grab, Argurios and Brisa were finally free of their pursuers. It was by sheer luck, or a whisper of good fate, that they both had run in the same direction. It would take some doing but they would find each other before dawn. Of the rest of the group there was no sign, and the obvious conclusion that the bandits captured and possibly killed them but without returning to the Raveyn’s Rest they would never know for sure.

Brisa was winded, sore, tired, and barely able to stand after her spell wore off. She had crumpled to the ground, huddled like a miserable rat under a bush. She was too tired even to cry.

Rites of Passage

Yay! I'll get a post up tomorrow when I'm
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