Red Wizard

Interest Check for Blackguards!

@Kassarock That's a really cool idea!

Welcome to Vradia

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S i m b e l m y n ë

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Simbel looked at what apparently passed for food being sloshed into wooden bowls and offered around to her fellow companions. She could see the individual components swimming around in the slop, see the minced and mashed pieces of the plants and animals sacrificed to make this... this thing. All of it wasted. All of it ruined. Nice, tender rabbits slaughtered, only to be defiled. She couldn't stop her nose from wrinkling at the smell, and as the ignorant woman turned to offer Simbel a bowl of her own, she realized she must be frowning too, because the woman shied back when meeting her gaze. I do not eat... that, she said, holding out her hand to pass up on the stew. I will hunt my own food.

Turning around, her yellow eyes fell on the next affront. The so-called beds. Damp, dirty, lice infested sacks of cloth. And they were supposed to... to share them? It was more than Simbel could bear. As if having to sleep cooped up inside a small, smelly house wasn't enough, they expected her to degrade herself even further? No. She would sleep in the fresh air, under a starlit sky, where she could smell the scents of night and hear its denizens. She looked about the room, searching for some kind of solace, but there was none. A small window up by the rafters caught her attention. It would probably serve.

I will sleep in the wild, she said, I will find you at dawn. Then, without waiting for an answer, she transformed once more. In a matter of moments her hair and skin had been exchanged for a white feather coat, her arms for wings, and her legs for razor sharp talons. The eagle took flight, slipped through the window, and was lost in the night.

Dwarves!

@Eviledd1984@Expendable@tundrafrog1124 And we're off!

Dwarves!

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The mines of Thrillem tremble with the voices of a thousand dwarves...

HEIGH! HO! HEIGH! HO!

HEEEIGH! HOOO! HEEEIGH! HOOO! HEEE-

-igh! Du-ba-du-ba-dum,
Ho! Du-ba-du-ba-dum
Heigh! Du-ba-dum
Ho! Du-ba-dum
Heigh! Du-ba-du-ba-Ho!

This is the night, brethren, the eve of adventure!
Heigh! Of adventure! Ho! This is the night! The eve of adventure!

Heigh! Du-ba-du-ba-dum, Ho! Du-ba-du-ba-dum
Heigh! Du-ba-Ho! Du-ba-Heigh! Du-ba-du-ba-Ho!

Forward you go, brethren, to claim stolen treasure!
Heigh! Stolen treasure! Ho! Forward you go! To claim stolen treasure!

Aye, you feel it in your Bone,
Pride, and longing, for your Home,
Strength and honor, kin of Stone!

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A L B E R I C H

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The Great Hall trembled with the thunder of a thousand voices as the dwarves of Thrillem sang the Song of Farewells for their chosen heroes. The song was ancient, recounting all the previous times that heroes had been sent to the surface on glorious quests of revenge or conquest. It was staggering to Alberich to think that, at the end of that long and epic poem, his name and those of his fellow chosen would be added to it. He felt a stab of grief as he realized that his mate would not be mentioned, even in passing. The Song of Farewells had no room for casualties during minor raids. Alberich sniffed, stifling a sob. This was no time to show weakness. This was their night - the eve of adventure.

And what a night it was. The tables seemed endless, stretching into the distance in the cavernous Hall, bulging with a treasure of food and drink. Tens of thousands of candles burned bright, bathing the Hall in a warm, orange light. As far as Alberich could tell, every dwarf in Thrillem had brought their musical instruments, too. When the music started, its echoes would ring through the Deep Places for weeks to come. He glanced at his horn, placed at his feet, longing for the moment when he would join in the fanfare. What a night to be alive! His wedding had been grand, but it seemed a small and private thing compared to this.

The Greybeards, elders of Thrillem, sat at the dais above, smiling down on the proceedings. Somewhere up there were the old and wise dwarves who had decided on sending him and his companions in search of the Fist. Alberich could not fathom how or why they had noticed him among such excellent dwarves, but they had. Not only that, they had chosen him over scores of others, brave warriors and champions of the mines. It was a tremendous honor, but a heavy burden, too. He vowed to make his ancestors proud. To make his mate proud, in death. No matter the cost.

Alberich looked to his side, at the other chosen ones standing next to him. He had never met any of them before, but they were soon going to be his only friends and allies once they reached the surface world. Who were they, and what were they like? He could only guess, but he hoped he would prove himself to them. He wanted nothing more than to be a good companion. He wanted to be useful. As the song came to a close, he watched as the entire population of Thrillem raised their cups, goblets and mugs in their honor. In his honor. He raised his in return, trying to meet the gazes of the crowd before him but drowning in the sheer number of faces.

The dwarves roared as one. All hail the champions! All hail the heroes of Thrillem! Ancestors guide their path! Hail!

Alberich roared in return, raising his cup to his people. Hail!

Interest Check for Blackguards!

@Abstract Proxy Thanks for the input! I'll check it out 🙂

Interest Check for Blackguards!

So, I was thinking about general rules for the game once we get going, and I wanted your input.

I think I want to stick with a minimum post frequency of 1 post per week. I want everyone to feel they have the time to play without falling behind. Longer periods of absence should be communicated beforehand, so the rest can make adjustments. An unexplained absence of two weeks or more would result in forfeiting the character, which will be written out of the story by the GM. Similarly, if a player loses interest or has to opt out for any reason, they are encouraged to write their characters out of the story, lest the GM will.

As for posting etiquette and standard, I think a general act/react system would probably work best. I don't want to have to GM everything, though, so I'm going to offer you a lot of freedom when not acting against another player. You'll have the freedom to do what you feel is best, within this framework of priority: The Story comes first, The Group comes second, and The Character comes last. Basically what that means is do what you like as long as you don't mess with the story and ruin the fun for the other players.

You can control your character, along with the NPCs it interacts with, but you can't controll other players characters. If you act against them, you should write a) what your character does or says, and b) what your character hopes to accomplish by doing so. It is up to each player to react to such actions. The general rule from the paragraph above applies here also: Story first, Group second, Character last.

What are your thoughts on these guidelines? Should I change, add, or remove anything?

Interest Check for Blackguards!

@BigPapaBelial Good start! Excited to see where you'll take it!

@Rosellangel Cool character! I would however like a little more information on the Beast; its capabilities, behaviour, stuff like that.

Interest Check for Blackguards!

@Emeth That's a very good, and very strange, character! Excellent!

Interest Check for Blackguards!

@Expendable The seals are very nice and all, perhaps as a backup, but the Warden will have no trouble controlling her on her own. That's why she's the Warden, after all.

Interest Check for Blackguards!

@Expendable That's more like it. Very nice!

Also, "Lactose intolerant"? XD Brilliant!