Shu

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

“Hmmmm…” Iliskra mumbled, her chin resting on clasped hands, “Those are very good points, Leon.”

Sensing that her words may not have been taken as genuine the half-elf added, “No, seriously. As you have clarified we know too little about Shagarm and plenty about the Talons. And even in their… near broken state… the Talons prove to be resourceful - for the most part. We should remember after all that their misfortunes go back to the plague that ravaged this city as well as the war. The fact that after that they still persist when standing against the likes of Shagarm, the Red Wizards, and the remnants of the guard is naught to be dismissed.”

Ibdur seemed lost in thought. Or perhaps the dwarf was just sore at the idea of continuing to work with a guild of thieves. His brow was furrowed and thin lines pulled at the corners of his eyes.

“I am with Leon,” Iliskra said firmly, “we stay with the Ashaba Talons for now.”

Ibdur grunted causing Iliskra to frown, the dwarf then nodding slowly, “Very well… I will stay with the Talons with the two of you. For now.”

Iliskra felt a slight uneasiness at the dwarf’s emphasis on “for now” but her frown faded and she nodded in affirmation. She imagined being a follower of Tempus that it was very hard for Ibdur to spend his days slinking around in the shadows rather than serving his war god on the frontline with the rest of Breck’s force. This was something Iliskra tried to be sympathetic to. Even so there was a part of her that was worried. Worried that a warmongering mercenary force like Shagarm’s would be tempting for Ibdur, so tempting that he might turn on she and Leon and possibly make Shagarm aware of Breck and Lord Hastlon’s plotting. Iliskra knew little of the Tempuran ways other than their fanatic call to war. And right now she and Leon were not offering a war for Ibdur to fight. At least not openly blade-to-blade as he so wished.

Iliskra decided for now to push these thoughts from her head and follow through with her plans for today. Namely bathing, drinking, and listening in wherever she went. If Leon wanted to take Ibdur “shopping” with him then Iliskra welcomed it as both to avoid drawing any attention to herself as well as perhaps distracting the dwarf for a short time.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

“Hold a moment.” Ibdur snapped, narrowed eyes moving between Iliskra and Leon, “Those washouts were the Ashaba Talons?”

Iliskra quickly remembered that Ibdur had not yet seen the letter she had found and that Elthel had not openly confessed that her band was of the Talons in front of any of them. Leaning in close Iliskra hurriedly revealed the letter to the dwarf and explained the current state of matters. Though Ibdur seemed surprised he was not - as they say - “knocked over” by the revelation. In fact he seemed quite amused by it.

“Breck did tell us that the thieves guild were near to being wiped out.” Iliskra added as she sat back upright in her seat.

“If that is all that remains of them I do wonder if we should not consider changing sides.” Ibdur said rather suddenly.

“What?” Iliskra asked sharply, looking to Leon with a raised eyebrow and then back to the dwarf who was now grinning darkly.
“Remember, dear elf, we are to dismantle those that oppose our employer - and that includes these thieves. We can easily be done with their pitiful remnants and then focus on taking down this beast that is ‘Shagarm’.”

Iliskra sat back in her chair, admittedly floored, and crossed her arms over her chest. She chewed the inside of her right cheek and her brow was furrowed hard, the half-elf deep in thought for a moment. She raised her head and looked to Leon again, wanting his input on this sudden suggestion by the Tempuran. The three of them could earn the trust of the Talons and then when the moment is right cut them down one by one. But then again what if the Talons could help them against Shagarm? Even if the three of them killed every one of the Talons this very day they still, as Ibdur put it, had a great beast in the form of this armed faction lead by this enigmatic Shagarm. There was no way the three of them all alone could handle such a task with no help at all. They could possibly look to Breck’s men for help but even then the Talons were locals and had knowledge of the city that Breck’s men did not. And yet the possibility of so quickly being done with one of two obstacles was tempting.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

“Well,” Iliskra began in a lighthearted tone of voice, setting her now half empty glass of milk aside, “I for one will start today with a nice bath and a good washing of these garments.” The half-elf smiled and then spoke more seriously, “After that, I think I will spend the better part of the day here.”

“Sitting on your laurels?” Ibdur smirked over his tankard at her.

“Sitting and listening and asking. We have a whole day before our dear new acquaintances call upon us, and this is quite the bustling establishment. I have been in enough bars and inns to know that there are plenty of secrets traded in this place throughout the days and nights. One must simply listen.”

“And the asking?” Ibdur raised a bushy brow.

“I may take it upon myself to innocently ask the patron of this place about Shagarm and the Talons, presenting myself under an appropriate enough ruse.” Iliskra set back to her plate.

“Is that wise?” Ibdur questioned, looking between his two companions.

“I have done this plenty of times before, Ibdur,” Iliskra’s tone turned to one of slight annoyance, “I know what I am doing.”

She looked to Leon, added words of assurance, “I have no intention of making myself or the two of you known to every corner of this place. I will simply be eavesdropping and perhaps asking the owner of the Dragon’s Tail a question or two. Once more, I know what I am doing. Anything we can learn about this part of the city, the Talons, Shagarm or anything or anyone else will be of some use.”

“Wait…” Ibdur’s head raised up in full, rounded eyes darted between Iliskra and Leon, “the Talons you said? Our acquaintances?”

What Are You Listening To?

2100 ☢️ BADLAND REPUBLIC

@ButtsnBalls

2100 ☢️ BADLAND REPUBLIC

RESERVED

2100 ☢️ BADLAND REPUBLIC

RESERVED

2100 ☢️ BADLAND REPUBLIC

ACT ONE

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”It is time.”

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“My fellows…”

The powerful voice of Josiah filled the great cavern within Kettler Mine. They all were shoulder to shoulder looking up at him, “they” being his people. Or his “fellows” as Josiah preferred to address them. Josiah - founder of Havenwood - stood high on his balcony above the assembled mass of mutants and humans, the denizens of the rugged Havenwood. Those who were cast away by the rest of the world and just wished to live in peace. Those who were willing to defend and even die for their new home here within the heart of the forest. Those who followed the word of Josiah near religiously and looked to him for answers and guidance when it was most needed. And as of late the men and women and mutants of Havenwood were in need of much guidance.

”It has been… many weeks… since the tragedy at Rafeton…” Josiah said firmly, the very room temperature dropping it seemed at the mention of the bloody massacre committed by the Republic Guard of the NRS just months ago. ”We lost six of our own as you all know… and the good people of Rafeton were slaughtered without mercy. Those good people that had come to welcome us.”

There were discontented grumbles that rose up from the crowd but with a gentle wave of his right hand the white-clad Josiah silenced them so he could continue.

”I know that there is sorrow in your hearts. I know that rage wells in your veins and boils your blood. But I ask that you, good folk of Havenwood, still yourselves and remember the way of our community. What I have always asked of you in return for your trust in me. I have heard… rumblings amongst you. Talk of revenge, plots to make the New Republic suffer for what they have done.”

“And what they continue to do even now!” someone immediately bellowed out among the crowd causing a mixed stir among the gathering, some shouted out things like “Shut up!” and “Let Brother Josiah speak!” while others shouted things like “Enough is enough!” and “We’ll never be safe!”

There was a sudden slam which immediately silenced everyone, all eyes looking back up at Josiah who had pounded his fist onto the metal railing before him.

The golden orbs of Josiah’s eyes seemed to pulsate threateningly within the confines of his white veil which sent a chill through many that stood below. Josiah said nothing for a moment, still as a statue and silent. Deliberately cultivating an uncomfortable silence in the crowded cavern before finally continuing - lowering his fist back at his side.

“I tell you now Havenwood, my kin and my friends, war is not the answer. War… is not… the answer.” Josiah repeated the simple phrase with more emphasis on the second time. “We cannot fight the New Republic, their army, and we cannot risk exposing ourselves to the world. What happened at Rafeton was a tragedy to say the very least and I do not wish to see it repeated nor any more of our people perish.”

“Then what do we do?” Exclaimed a green-skinned female mutant, her arms out. “We cannot stay hidden here forever, Brother Josiah, the Republic and those accursed Blackwatch draw closer every year. You yourself know it is true!”

Josiah stiffened as several others shouted in support for the mutant woman while again others called for silence so that Josiah might share his wisdom. Josiah did not strike the railing this time, rather he simply stood and stared down, allowing the crowd to calm itself after a few moments of bickering.

“I know what we must do.” Josiah proclaimed, raising both his arms - a heavy silence immediately gripping the room as everyone waited to hear what their founders’ grand solution for their growing problems were.

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The afternoon sun rose high over Sully’s Rest - a humble trading post that sat upon Highway Three. It was a particularly baking hot late summer day, the fifth in a row in fact. As if nature was intent on pouring all of the sun’s fury into the final breaths of the mid year season before fall came. The trading post was lively today, without a doubt travelers were flocking in to relieve themselves of the scorching heat for a spell. The usual sounds filled the air; words of haggling that floated around the front gate and the general store, the telltale metal bangs and buzzing of power tools from Tony’s Repair, and the gentle clinks of silverware against plates at Stella’s Dine-Out. Stella herself, a young woman who had taken over the Dine-Out from her father, had just put on a gentle track in her portable music player. Up on the rickety wooden and tin ramparts nearby the handful of watchmen enjoyed the pleasing strums of the guitar and violin from below as they scanned the distant horizon, their rifles firmly gripped in their hands.

“Hey, Pete!”

Pete the lead watchman, a weathered man well in his forties, looked over his shoulder down below. Having just served everyone lined up at her counter Stella had stepped outside of the old shack that served as her kitchen and called up to Pete, idly wringing a tablecloth in her delicate pale hands.

“How’s it looking out there?” Stella asked.

“If I see something you’ll all know!” Pete yelled down, his ratty black beard twisting up with his smirk.

The young Stella nodded and walked back to her shack, casting a gaze around as she turned the corner back around behind the counter. She noticed that there were quite a few newcomers in Sully’s Rest today - or rather unique newcomers. And several of them seemed to be quite heavily armed. Of course this was nothing out of the ordinary, wastelanders and drifters had to be prepared given what was out there. Even so, there was something about a few of these people that had the young cook curious. Such as the motley-looking gun-hand with brown hair, and the scarred up man with dark hair and cybernetic implants of some sort. Was it curiosity or was it caution however that had her eyeing these people so? Stella finally shrugged to herself and returned to the deep fryer. All sorts of people had come and gone from here ever since she was a child, from vigilante gunfighters to taciturn NRS patrolmen. It was just part of living at a roadside post like Sully’s Rest. So why did Stella have a feeling that something was so off? That something was not right in the moment?

It must just be this heat.

2100 ☢️ BADLAND REPUBLIC

NOTE : Remove all filler text when filling out sheet.

Character Sheet Template

Full Name

Quote

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Image 800 x 800 (Player face claims must be of a style of anime or an acceptable alternative.) ___________________________________ P R O F I L E Age (Must be between the ages of 18 and 120 year old.) Sex ... Height (Please keep human characters within an average/acceptable height range. Mutants can range from 4’0/121.92 cm to 10’/304.8 cm. Weight (Please keep weights within an acceptable amount based around height and build.) Race (Human or Mutant.) Origin (State your character’s current occupation or state of being.) (Wanderer, Refugee, Exile, Bounty Hunter, Prospector, etcetera.) Transportation (Your character’s mode of traveling.) (All characters start without a vehicle/mount so for now mark this as “None” or “NA”.) Starting Location (Players must choose wether to start at Sully’s Rest, outside the ruins of Denton at a roadside encampment, or in Havenwood as a newly joined member of the community. Some mutant characters may be locked in at Havenwood at the beginning. Human characters are allowed in Havenwood as it is founded on the idea of welcoming all who are misfits and outcasts. Color Code (The color code you will use for dialogue text.) ___________________________________ I N V E N T O R Y (Inventory is where player items of note are placed. In this RP inventory mainly focuses of items of note or importance. That said feel free to include items such as camping supplies, extra rations, spare clothing, a medical kit, personal effects and mementos, etcetera. Be as creative here as you wish just do not “overdo it”.) ____________________________________ E Q U I P M E N T - Primary Weapon - Secondary Weapon - Armor Details - Gadgets/Tools (A maximum of three if applicable.) (If inapplicable leave blank or mark as NA.) ____________________________________ A T T R I B U T E S Points: 12 (These points are meant to be distributed among the six attributes below. This is to be removed from the CS after points have been distributed. Do not forget to show your work next to each ability regarding points added and subtracted by modifiers.) (Each category is capped at four points however can still be boosted by choice modifiers.) Strength: - Fitness: - Dexterity: - Perception: - Intellect: - Endurance: -

____________________________________________________________________________ APPEARANCE DESCRIPTION ... ____________________________________________________________________________ BACKSTORY ... ____________________________________________________________________________ PERSONALITY ... ____________________________________________________________________________ MOTIVATION AND OUTLOOK Optional ____________________________________________________________________________ MODIFIERS (Players are allowed two options when it comes to choosing modifiers; either two +1 modifiers of their design (With GM approval.) or one +4 modifier with a penalty of -2 in the form of two -1 modifiers or one -2 modifier.) Unlike attribute points which are locked in without additions modifiers can be earned throughout the course of the RP. Be it through experiences, implants, serums or pharmaceuticals, and so on. But be warned, not all modifiers will be positive. Many in fact can be quite detrimental. Distribute points and modifiers meticulously.)

2100 ☢️ BADLAND REPUBLIC

+

Inspired by
Wild Arms 3 and Fallout New Vegas.

”The only assurance that comes with nuclear armament is the assurance of irreversible destruction.”

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INTRO

In the year 2050 the world was consumed by the fires of war.

The Democratic Union of Aldemara and the Laborite Nations Coalition - the two great powers of the globe - would clash it what history would call an inevitable conflict of control and ideology. For four years the fighting raged on, claiming millions of lives with neither faction willing to relent to the other. New theaters of engagement opened in bloody continuum and once neutral countries one after another were forced to choose a side. In 2054 the rules of war as well as the very well-being of mankind were thrown to the wind. In a desperate, reprehensibly mindless attempt to put an end to the struggle nuclear weapons were unleashed upon the planet.



Entire cities were obliterated, hundreds of millions slaughtered, and nature itself suffered under the toxic rainfall of radioactive fallout. Shock quickly turned to fury as worldwide outrage climaxed into riots, those who had survived deeming the powers that be as incorrigible. Entire countries collapsed within days and the old order came crumbling down as the world succumbed to a dark baptism of blood and flame.

. . .

The year is now 2130 and mankind stands on the brink. In the wake of the cataclysm survivors emerged from their refuges after three generations, tentatively scouring what remains of a broken world. Meeting their challenges head-on as they searched for resources and new places to call home. Societies and settlements form as these post-apocalyptic pioneers look to build a future for themselves.



Within the Aldemaran continental heartland lies the harsh region of Sevara - a rolling landscape of scorching deserts, mutant infested highlands, and crumbling ruins. From the ashes of the old capital city of Ardhelm a new banner flies high - that of the New Republic of Sevara, carved from the bones of the great metropolis. Guided by the hand of the Chairman Elect and also under the watchful eye of the enigmatic Arcani - if the stories are to be believed. Ten years have passed since the Republic was officially founded and it has swelled to unmatched heights, reaching beyond the revitalized Ardhelm into the surrounding areas.

Faced with a rapidly growing population and mounting needs the Republic has been expanding across the map, claiming more land and resources for itself, often in spite of local residents. Along with stubborn independent settlements throughout Sevara there are two groups in particular that refuse to bend to the Republic. The Ya'íí to the south, a reclusive and archaic people that dwell within the mountains along the great lake Tankar. And Havenwood to the east, a secluded coterie of mutants and other outcasts and deviants.

Recent events have greatly aggravated the already festering strain across Sevara. Two months ago was marked by the now infamous Rafeton Massacre which would see the thriving town of Rafeton destroyed and the New Republic of Sevara facing heavy ridicule for its’ involvement. In an attempt to ease tensions the Chairman has sent envoys out across the wastes to try and ensure the people of greater Sevara of Ardhelm’s good intentions. Words of negotiation and promises of goodwill are met with stern suspicion however and many fear further escalation. A number of officials in Ardhelm are calling for a cease of annexations much to the disdain of hawks in the Republic Guard. And as the deadlock stands a new threat draws near unbeknownst to anyone. Stretching from afar like a dark shadow that seeks to envelope the land.

Fate’s gaze lingers. Sevara stands at a crossroads at a pivotal time. Decisions made in the coming days will affect the lives of many thousands and shape the regions’ history for generations to come. And those decisions will fall to those both of great power and humble origins. In a world left sundered by the mistakes of the past it is up to a new generation to save the future.

RULES AND GUIDELINES

• Adhere to RPG rules of course.

• Do not godmod, metagame, character-jack, troll or flame in any fashion, or any of the usual infractions. ALWAYS ask for permission to have any say or sway with characters not your own, particularly those of other players.

• This will be 18+ but in cohesion with RPG rules avoid sexually explicit themes and other fringe material that other players may be uncomfortable with. The development of character (sexual) relationships per se are not banned but maintain an appropriate nuance/fade things to black in such scenario.

• This RP as tagged will be anime/manga themed. Keep this in mind when character creating and considering to the overall aesthetic. And while there will be common tropes and themes regarding realism as seen in anime (As well as the post-apocalyptic genre.) we will be keeping things “fairly grounded” for lack of a better phrase. (No effortless bullet dodging and Super Saiyan power levels for example.)

• Please do not totally distance yourself from the storyline. This RP is “open world”, the context being that players are allowed to pursue personal goals and explore the land of their own volition. That said everyone is expected to have a presence in the main plot as it unfolds so generally speaking keep your character in the loop.

• Players are allowed only one character at a time. If your character dies you are allowed to create a new one.

• Post content should range within three to ten paragraphs to put it roughly. In some instances less than three paragraphs is fine, but even then bare minimum should be no less than around eight to ten sentences. I am less strict on longer than average posts but even then let us try and keep things within the “casual to low advanced” scale.

• Respect the GM and respect the dice. The dice are unbiased and the GM has the final say in things. I am open to player appeals and input but do not flame/be a nuisance about outcomes just because.

• Posting pace will be somewhat flexible. I, of course, do not expect constant daily posting from everyone but I prefer things not go completely dark for too far past a week.

• Please notify the GM of any extended absence you may need/have. I am willing to work with you if you just let me know. If you have simply lost interest I would still appreciate a heads up with my guarantee of no hard feelings. If players fail to properly notify the GM and vanish then after 10 days of total radio silence, particularly if I see you active on Discord or on the site, your character will be appropriated or removed. This is a firm line.

DICE AND GAMEPLAY

See Discord for details.