clark

Totem

Totem

Setting

Welcome to Verloren, a fantasy world with vast forests, bustling cities, rural townships, imposing castles, forgotten ruins, looming mountain ranges, and dangerous seas populated by many nations, races, and ethnicities. This is a time of relative peace. While some spy networks and assassins may be consorting in the shadows, there is no open warfare between recognized nations. Citizens and merchants are free to travel across borders as long as they adhere to generally reasonable regulations. A magic based on patterns has brought the world to the cusp of an industrial age as a few rudimentary machines powered by totemic energies have been recently invented.

Magic System

Over the last few centuries, scholars, wisemen, and tinkerers all over the world have discovered that there are certain patterns capable of creating energetic reactions. They call these patterns totems. Certain rudimentary totems are merely two dimensional patterns that can be created with simple lines in dirt or paint on a wall. Other totems are three-dimensional shapes; perhaps knots of copper wire in intricate weaves, or a complex spiral of blown glass with a precise volume. Some totems seem to work with nearly any material. Others only work with one. Still others only work with several materials coming together. Generally, the more complex the pattern and rarer the material, the more powerful the effect, though this is not always true. While some cultures reserve their totems for political, religious, or military use, other cultures share their knowledge with the populace. The magical effects of totems are not usually spectacular or grandiose; often they are practical. Some totems may produce a soft light. Others may ward away mosquitoes. Perhaps the most widely used totemic arrangement in southern Verloren is an intricate hatchwork that produces heat several hundred degrees just above it. Those that have learned this totem most often use it to heat their home or start fires. Some cultures view totems as some sort of anchor or umbilical line connecting the physical world to gods or spirits, and that using the totems is perhaps a form of prayer. Others see it as disrespectful or a display of blasphemous arrogance towards the gods, like a child yanking at the hem of its parent demanding attention. Others view it as an extension of the natural world without any being or consciousness behind it, and that it is to be viewed in the way a lightning rod attracts lightning, the way water and sunlight give life to plants, the way iron rusts when exposed to water and air. Still others suppose that there is no real difference between the different schools of thought. Knowledge of totems has dispersed and spread throughout the world as several ancient Caiteran Empire trade routes have been reconstructed and reopened; the degree of cultural dissemination has risen as a result.

You

You are a member of the White Guard, a reputable mercenary company led by Captain Jaon Valhoa. Two years ago, the White Guard was commissioned to aid in the defense of the city of Belencrest from an encroaching tribe of greyskin barbarians. After ten months of defending supply routes, ambushes, border skirmishes, and a foiled assassination attempt, the barbarians withdrew without ever engaging on the field in open combat. The magistrate of Belencrest was impressed with the White Guard's results and has extended the contract to remain in the city as an auxiliary to the city guard. Three weeks ago, a shipping vessel that had been traveling down the Elkin river has stopped in Belencrest. Its cargo and crew have been organizing an expedition to travel the rest of its journey towards the coastal city of Paolou by land. The caravan leader, Gaivus Hemming, has requested the use of a small contingent of the White Guard to escort his troupe the rest of the way. Captain Valhoa has hand-selected two dozen of his company for the task. You are among that group. Gather your things. You leave at first light.

The White Guard

Nineteen years ago, a small group of seventy-five veterans of the Eruben War organized themselves into a band calling themselves the White Guard. In the years since, the White Guard has grown into an international effort of associated mercenary companies led by Captain Jaon Valhoa, one of the original seventy-five. Though the White Guard are generally well trained and supplied, the success of the White Guard can mostly be attributed to business branch - the administrators and representatives responsible for contract negotiations - who are perhaps even more ruthless than those in the field. The White Guard is not one singular outfit, but rather a conglomeration of dozens of smaller mercenary companies who have submitted themselves to the authority and standards of the central administration. The benefits of signing with the White Guard are notoriety, access to requisitions at reduced cost, and the option of pooling together with another White Guard chapter to meet the requirements some of the larger contracts stipulate. That the White Guard typically sends the closest local chapter to fulfill a contract also helps protect the reputation of the organization. Mercenary groups comprised mostly of locals helps mitigate some of the more disagreeable behaviors that foreign mercenaries might exhibit, especially when the land and people they are protecting are not their own. If all the local companies under the White Guard banner were to assemble, their numbers would surpass ten-thousand. This, however, is a theoretical estimation that in reality would be virtually impossible without breaking dozens if not hundreds of ongoing contracts across the nations. The local magistrate in Belencrest has contracted a retainer of one-hundred White Guard soldiers to remain in the city to aid in training and transitioning military responsibilities to the magistrate's footsoldiers. You are one of those one-hundred.

Character Creation

Hider

Just about any fantasy humanoid race is playable. I will allow original races, but be sure to keep it grounded in a grittier fantasy setting. Nothing immortal. Nothing that doesn't have a body. Nothing extra-dimensional. Nothing undead. No vampires, sentient golems, demons, angels, elemental spirits... That said, if you tweak an archetype enough so that it fits into this world, I'll consider it. For example: werewolf is a no, but potentially I could be talked into a wolfman.

• Name
• Description Include your appearance, apparent age, anything we need to imagine your character.
• Backstory Be sure to include any keystone moments in your character's history. If you are using an original race, be sure to include your cultural norms and whether or not your character fits into them.
• Goals/Fears What does you character want both now and in the future? What is your character afraid of? I don’t mean a fear of spiders, though feel free to include those sorts of fears in here too. Fear of dying alone, fear of love or commitment, fear of insignificance, fear of being discovered?
• Mastery What is your character good at?
• Equipment Tell me what your character has on their person.
• Personality How does you character interact with others? What does you character think about itself?
• Totem A magical item unique to you. I would like a description, a backstory (where you found or learned it), as well as its magical properties. This shouldn’t be viewed as your ticket to OPness, but rather as a way of making your character unique. I will veto outrageous totems. If your character has mastery in totemic magic, you may include more than one, though I may need to pare down your list.

Expectations

Hider

These are the expectations that you may have of me, as well as those I will have of you.

Posting Frequency and Length

I am committed to posting one plot-forwarding entry a week, and I expect a response from all the characters within a week. Posts don't need to be long, only meaningful. Generally, your character should be doing or saying something to forward either the main story or your character's arc. If I do my job right, there should always be something to do in your post. If I fail and you can't think of anything, post in OOC saying as much. Just let me know and either I add something or you might skip that week.

Response to Inactivity

If someone is inactive for over a week and I haven't heard from them I will continue the story. Depending on what the plot needs, the character of the inactive player may or may not survive this. If you want to ensure your character stays alive, read the following section.

Dropping Out/Taking a Break

Don’t feel bad if you need to quit. It happens. For the sake of the life of the game please let me know as soon as possible if you need to drop out. If you just need some time off and you want to keep your character (or maybe start a new one) when you come back, let me know; we can work something out. There may be a time when I need to take a break as well. If that happens, ideally I will have brought the game back to a “playground” area where your characters can continue to play and control NPCs without affecting the story until I return.

New Players

At some point we will lose a player or the story might need some new blood to shake things up. We will have rolling sign ups which I will announce at the top of the first posts in IC and OOC. Depending on where the story has taken us, there may be restrictions on what kind of new characters are allowed. I plan on writing plot summaries along the way for each leg of the game, hopefully making it less intimidating for late-comers.

Totem

Totem

The Story So Far

Hider

Prologue

The party, comprised of members of the White Guard stationed in the city of Belencrest, is ordered to escort a caravan sponsored by Gaivus Hemming to the coastal city of Paolou. That night, a White Guard tradition of drinking to the health of the guardsmen leaving on assignment was observed - in extreme fashion - when the party is "kidnapped" just outside Finnic's pub as part of a tasteless, practical joke.

Chapter 1
Part I - Part II
The following morning, the party leaves the city of Belencrest with the caravan. Lieutenant Thorpe, one of the commanding officers of the local White Guard chapter, instructs the party to take the caravan off the Western Way - an ancient Caiteran highway that leads all the way to Paolou - and through the lands of the Belencrestian nobles. Along the way, Gaivus Hemming's steward, Gisele Margot, shares with the party that she believes the caravan is in danger.

Chapter 2
Part I - Part II
Having overheard this conversation, Hemming intervenes, claiming that Margot's fears are unfounded and the series a unfortunate events they have experienced are not linked in any fashion. The party chose not to deviate from their original route and chose to remain at high alert. By nightfall, the party arrives at the Cossler estate and are confronted by a unidentified force claiming to be holding the household hostage. Their only demand is for the party to hand over Gaivus Hemming.

The Party

Adele Brunsque, played by Fairess
Constantine “Rook” Heldane, played by Hank
Djonn Kolthus, played by Commodore Robot
Marcel Rimbaud, played by OneEyedChurro
Rhona Mór, played by Hella Cute

Color Codes

Hider

FF66CC = Adele Brunsque
FF3333 = Constantine "Rook" Heldane
00FFFF = Djonn Kolthus
8585AD = Marcel Rimbaud
CC99FF = Rhona Mór

Former Players

Hider

Silhainlé, played by Neon
Ramzi al-Sahar, played by Chapatrap
Zacharias Lightninblade, played by Megadraco

Color Codes

Hider

CCCC00 = Silhainlé
66FF33 = Zacharias

Artist Credits

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Feng Zhu
Titus Lunter