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4 mos ago
Current No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.
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4 mos ago
Today is my birthday! I wish you all a truly enchanted day!
19 likes
1 yr ago
Arguing over petty details at times of dimensional emergency was a familiar wizardly trait.
2 likes
1 yr ago
It's my birthday! I wish you all an excellent day!
18 likes
1 yr ago
A wizard never had friends, at least not friends who were wizards. It needed a different word. Ah yes, that was it. Enemies. But a very different class of enemies. Gentlemen.
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Introduction

In the far north of the world lies the Vale of Daka-Gorn. It is a frontier of deep woods and wild rivers, encircled by high mountains to the east, west and north, and by the sea in the south. The Vale lies far from the realms and great empires of the world, and has only recently been settled by mankind. Other creatures have lived here since ancient times, from the secretive elves of the treetop villages to the suspicious dwarves of the underground mines, as well as all manner of beasts and monsters; orcs, goblins, ogres, gnolls, and worse.

There are three human cities in the Vale; Kari-Mar by the sea, ruled by a league of Merchant Princes, Korros Tor in the eastern riverlands, ruled by the King Benetzaron and his knights, and Mor Kadar in the utmost north, ruled by the Witch-Queen Arkan and her spellblades. Between these lie villages and farmsteads, each contested by the rulers of the cities in endless border skirmishes and raids. All avoid war for fear of upsetting the balance, but the peace is frail.

In the middle of the Vale lies Crossroads Keep, a settlement that once began as a popular inn for weary travelers, that since has expanded into a fortified hub of commerce. Here rules the Lord Host Netzcaro, a shrewd inn keeper turned noble, who has his fingers in more pies than most can count.

People come to the Vale for many reasons. Some flee war, persecution, or the law. Others seek fame, riches, or a new beginning. Some, however, seek to unravel the mystery of the Daka-Gorn; an ancient civilization whose ruins now dot the wilderness of the Vale. Not much is known about them, and neither the dwarves or the elves have much to say. It is said that heir ruins are haunted, filled with horrid shadows, monsters, and worse. It is however also said that incredible treasures and forgotten knowledge can be won by those who dare brave the darkness of the tombs and dungeons.


The Game

Welcome! In this game, you will take on the roles of a few adventurers who brave the wilds of the Vale in search of treasure, glory, or the chance of a new beginning. There will be quests, dungeons, dangers, mystery and intrigue and, most importantly - hopefully - fun! This is a tale of high adventure, medieval sword and sorcery at its best, with everything that entails.

I'm looking for that special feeling that comes with exploring a strange faraway land, delving into unknown dungeons, uncovering magical mysteries, and fighting for your life against marauding orcs or murderous ogres. Comedy, horror, tragedy, love and other themes have their place here, too, but always within the concept of High Adventure. That concept (that is, the narrative) always comes first.

We were originally going to use the Fate system for this game, but have since reconsidered. We will however use the guiding principle of Fate while we play; banking "points" from failures or from letting your character complicate situations, to use in extraordinary circumstances of difficulty or danger where an extra level of success in necessary. There won't be an official counter or anything like that, but I'd like all players to keep this in mind while writing - to make the story more dynamic and enhance the experience for all involved.

As there were quite a few players in the Interest Check, I will give them precedence before admitting new players. If you're interested in participating anyway, let me know in the thread and I'll put you on a waiting list.


Characters

Every character will begin the game just having stepped of a ship in the bustling port of Kari-Mar. The hows and why's of this I'll leave to you, but it is important to note that this is your characters first visit to the Vale. And, yes, you will all have been on the same ship. As such, you may have developed relations to the other characters in the story even before we begin. I leave it to you to discuss that in the OOC.

Create your character by filling in the character sheet below. If you have any questions about races, magic or anything else in the game world, just ask in the OOC and we'll discuss it!

Once you've submitted a character sheet I'll either accept it right away, or discuss aspects of it that I want changed or clarified. Once accepted, I'll move your sheet to the character roster and you're all set to participate!




In closing

As always, if you have any questions or thoughts about the game, the setting, or anything else that you feel I can help you with, don't hesitate to write in the OOC. Let's have a fun and rewarding experience together!
I'm starting to get better!

Regarding the game, from what I've read, there's a slight concern that this will get too table-topy. So, I've decided to drop the system as such - BUT! - to keep the general idea behind the system; banking points from "failures" to use in extraordinary situations where "successes" are necessary.

You can expect a finished thread as soon as I'm on my feet, which shouldn't be too long.
Sorry for the delay, people. I've come down with a spell of fever. I'l finish the thread once I'm back on my feet.
For my characters backstory I was thinking he was a slave (or maybe indentured servant) and forced to fight in arenas for the entertainment of others. Eventually he earns his freedom and continues fighting because it's all he knows. Would that work with the lore you've got cooked up @Red Wizard?


Absolutely!

I can certainly see that. Half-elves grow up so fast, so they're not going to be as graceful as elves would be, and would die early - for Elves. I don't see may Elven families wanting their children to marry one - a lot of heartbreak, there. Half-elves might be encouraged to pair up with other half-elves, though. Odds are good that one child might be full elf, and one fully human.

The problem as I see it would be with appearance. If someone misses that the ears aren't quite as long, they may assume they're speaking with another adult - while that's technically true, they're still a lot younger than that adult elf.


I think that the human blood of half-elves would be super obvious to proper elves. Maybe not so much to humans (especially if they've never seen the real deal), but an elf would never miss.

Furthermore, I don't think half-elves can produce full elves. Once the blood has been watered down, it stays that way - or detoriates further.
We're agreed on some of it, though. How do the elves of this world view half-elves? What's their attitude towards them? The character I'm thinking of grew up in a human orphanage before being press-ganged aboard a ship, so unlikely to encounter elves.


We certainly are! Hmm... I always liked the notion that elves viewed half-elves in a sympathetic but somewhat disdainful way, like "a loveable mistake". How do you feel about that?

so, when will a charachter sheet be ready? no pressure.


I'm working on the game thread. A CS will be included. Might be ready in a day or so.

@Expendable

Elves are a secretive people, sworn to goodness by the grace of the gods. They cannot die of old age, but can be slain. Elves have superior senses to humans, and are faster and more agile as well. They are however not as numerous, and do not reproduce at the rate humans do. Elves feel a close bond to nature, and magic. As a people, they usually have a neutral albeit strained relationship with humans.

Dwarves generally keep to themselves, wary as they are of outsiders. They live long lives, sometimes as old as 800 years, but are considered elderly at 500. They are short and stout, but strong and tough. Dwarves are often known for their stubborness, focused to the point that humans sometimes consider them humorless. They live in tight knit clans with a strong emphasis on order and tradition. They generally agree to trading with humans, although tensions can run high if the younger race tries to encroach on dwarven territory.


This was established as elf lore on page 2. While I don't want to discourage you, I have to point out that some of your lore kind of falls outside of my vision for elves in this game. Was there anything in particular that you wanted to add to the game? Maybe we can work something out.
Is it possible to join one of the orders of knights, even if one is not originally from Korros Tor? @Red Wizard


I'd think so, sure. Why don't we find out together, in the game? 🙂
We're going to use Fate. I want to try the system. Whoever doesn't like that is free to opt out.

I'll get started on the actual game thread.
@rabidbacon

Here's the promised bit about Korros Tor!

Korros Tor lies in the eastern riverlands. It is one of the oldest human settlements in the Vale, having been founded roughly three centuries ago by nobles houses who fled a failed coup in the Batezek empire in the south of the world. Having come from a chivalrous tradition, the nobles wasted no time in erecting a fortress and quickly began expanding their territory through military conquest. Even today, Korros Tor is famous for its many orders of knights, who constantly busy themselves with defending the cities borders as well as using their might to bring more settlements into the fold. Even though the city and its population are governed by laws, the rulers know all too well the principle that force is the supreme authority from which all other authorities are derived.

Put simply, Korros Tor is a city run by, and devoted to, might.
We can use Discord, sure. Just... I've had bad experiences with Discord servers before. People started posting their fanart porn and stuff like that. I'd be very happy if we could avoid shenanigans like that.
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