Red Wizard

Interest Check for Westerland Tales!

Hey people! Just wanted to say that I've read all your posts, CSs and PMs and will begin replying and discussing soon. My little baby boy's got a bad fever out here in the real world and I need to take care of him before I can get back to business here. Keep going, though, I like what I've seen so far!

Interest Check for Westerland Tales!

@CERO76 Hello there! You played in Shadow over Old Caledon, right? You're certainly welcome to apply :)

Rerun: Blackguards!

@Chrys Whatever makes for a better story is the correct approach. This is simply an early opportunity for you guys to write an action scene and explore how your characters would behave in a fight. There are no big bads here, so you're free to do what you think is best. I've tried to leave some openings for you regarding possible choices; Will the raiders want to fight you? Do you have to kill everyone, or could you take prisoners? Could you even try to run for it, hoping to slip away as the Sulfreyans (that your characters probably are unaware of - unless someone saw the wyvern above) mow down the barbarians?

All of that is pretty much up to you. Follow the Hierarchy of Content and you should do just fine. Discuss things you're uncertain about in the OOC. What would be the coolest outcome of the situation?

Does that answer your question?

Rerun: Blackguards!

@Daxam Maybe check out my other game, Westerland Tales? It's not the same story, but it is the same setting!

Rerun: Blackguards!

...And here's the welcome party! Have yourself a nice fight, everyone! :D

Rerun: Blackguards!

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Out of the Ashes...

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Thuk Meuch-Tok sat atop his steed and looked out into the distance. They were still quite a ways ahead, but he could see them now; a band of easterling raiders, stealing across the plain like a plague. Or at least what was left of them. He and his warriors had been pursuing them for over a week since they had intercepted them near the border. Hoping to sneak across for some fun and games, no doubt. Well, fun and games it had been all right. But not for the raiders. They had put up a good fight at first, but their primitive weapons and uncivilized ways of warfare had been no match for the Sulfreyan knights. Before long they had broken and ran off, presumably thinking they could outrun the heavy riders. Thuk had entertained the thought of sparing some of them for interrogation, or to take some of them as slaves to be sacrificed in the glory of Ael-Gol atop the pyramids of Galgat, but had decided against it. It was heads on spears for the lot of them. Damned savages.

True, it had taken him some time to find them. Say one thing for the barbarians, they know the lay of the land. They had been smart, keeping to thickets and hidden caves, covering their tracks impressively. It had been chance that brought them out into the light at last. Chance and their poor morale. He had simply passed overhead, and the mere sight of the wyvern had made some of them lose it and take off in a panic, no doubt gunning for what they hoped was beter ground. Or they were just running wild. They weren't much better than animals anyway, these barbarians.

Ordering his men to start persuing and eventually charge, Thuk gave his wyvern a sharp smack with the butt of the spear and took flight. The great winged reptile hissed menacingly, but did as it was instructed. He had trained it well. Once airborne, it stretched its long neck, a full ten feet of serpentine scales and spikes, its wings beating like war drums on the wind. The tail, along with its lethal barbed stinger, flowed elegantly behind, subtly steering its path through the sky. They were marvellous creatures, wyverns, but ugly. Or terrifying.

Having gained some ground on the fleeing raiders, his two dozen horned knights following behind, he spotted something peculiar further ahead. The barbarians were about to scale a ridge, and beyond it - not yet visible to the landlocked - was a strange gathering of... individuals. Some small, some big, and was that an actual Frost Giant? Thuk was surprised, to put it mildly, but soon shook the sensation. Whatever they were, they were too strange. A group like that belonged in a funny tavern yarn, not on his border. He didn't know who they were and what they were doing there, but it didn't matter. It would have to be heads on spears for the lot of them too.

Having seen all he had to, Thuk circled back to his knights. He would lead the charge coming in low, as was the custom. Let the barbarians and the strangers fight it out first. He and his knights could handle the leftovers.

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...And into the Fire

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You hear them before you see them. There's a rumble on the wind, and then the distant warcries of bloodthirsty raiders. They spill over a ridge to the east, still some distance away, but closing fast. Easterlings. Barbarians. Two score perhaps, maybe less, maybe more. Some mounted, others on foot. All armed, that you are certain of, and possibly dangerous. They're coming your way, too. Just your luck.

A quick scan of the landscape leaves few options. There's a hill a bit further north, and a small thicket a ways south. The west offers nothing but rolling grasslands for miles upon miles, a poor deal for anyone looking for an escape or an advantage. A fight seems inevitable. Death, a possibility. But... are those really war cries? There's something off about the way the barbarians move, the way they sound. The band moves in your direction, yes... But are they coming for you? Then again, do you have the luxury of doubt, with potentially fifty or so murderous savages seemingly bearing down on you.

Time to think fast, or maybe not think at all. Sometimes, instinct is the voice of reason. Then again... Sometimes it definitively isn't.

Interest Check for Westerland Tales!

Following @MrSkimobiles excellent advice, I thought I'd explain how our characters are supposed to meet up for their adventure!

I was planning on my character being the instigator of the adventure, having come across a contract from an undisclosed employer. She would have gotten recommendations of your characters through her and your contacts and set up a meet at a tavern.

Hopefully that clarifies things and helps you in coming up with your characters and arcs!

Interest Check for Westerland Tales!

@TheMushroomLord Cool, welcome to the thread!

Interest Check for Westerland Tales!

Now, as much as I want to invite and accept everyone to the game, I've put a hard cap on four players beside myself for this one. I don't like auditions, but I don't like first-come first-serve either... So we'll do both 😋

I will select the characters (and companion quests) that I think would fit best with the story. If there's a tie, I'll go by seniority in the thread.

This is of course assuming we'll get more interested players!

Interest Check for Westerland Tales!

@Theyra Human-dragon hybrid is fine, but skip the convenient shapeshifting.

@Hyyde322 Medieval sword & sorcery. Did you have any ideas?

@Abstract Proxy I like playing with you too 🙂 Monk sounds cool!