SyrianHamster

The Bawdy Dog

"Bloody 'ell," Pelgrum muttered, as his former wife fell backwards with the fire poker jammed in her eye. "That was a bit unexpected."

He'd been awake for around five minutes, having slept through the day with a heavy cloud of wine overhanging his senses. His wife had been the one to stir him from his sleep, but as he opened his eyes, he saw that half of her face was missing. Pelgrum never liked her much as she was a nagging wench on her best day, and as she tried to chomp his face, he finally lived out a fantasy he'd been hiding for years: he killed her!

Now, standing over her lifeless corpse, breathing heavy and perspiring, Pelgrum decided it was time to find out what on earth was happening. People were screaming outside of his rather snug stone-build "manor" (a small house with a sign outside it, prescribing it as a manor, in anycase), fire light was blaring through the windows, and somewhere amidst the crackle of flame, he heard some ungodly noises.

He moved over to a window at the front of the house, pulled back the curtain, allowed his eyes to go so wide that they almost fell from his head, and promptly took a step back. His next port of call was the liqueur cabinet, where he indulged in a neat bottle of Eastern Brandy for a good few minutes before retiring to the back room.

The back room, as Pelgrum called it, was more a museum or a rich man's show boating establishment. Precious artefacts, signed historical documents, gemstones - all the like - were neatly encased in glass cabinets. Pelgrum wasn't interested in monetary worth today though, he was more interested in surviving the next couple of hours. The brandy taking over his brain told him that whatever was going on outside, needed a bigger than life solution.

He approached a mound covered by a dusty table cloth, and appraised it with a nodding grin. Quickly, he pulled back the cover, revealing his pride possession: Teardrinker, the Destroyer of Orphanages, and a mighty damn fine catapult. Ideally two man-operated, but made from solid oak and encased in durasteel. Its mechanism was of Elven design, and the whole thing was easy to move thanks to its pedal-propulsion device. Two hard wooden seats were located at the weapon's rear either side of the bucket.

Steering it and loading it was another matter, but he'd deal with that when the time came.

"Yup," Pelgrum said, with a burp. "This oughta do it."

The Bawdy Dog

Name: Pelgrum Fitch

Relationship With Busk: Money Lender; Pelgrum is a money lender and a lawyer all in one, and it was he who provided Busk with the funds to make expensive maintenance repairs to the Bawdy Dog over the years - especially the time the thatch got torn off by a hapless wizardry apprentice trying to impress Wink.

To Over Indulge In: Wenches, Drink, Money.

Object: Teardrinker Catapult, used by a Far Eastern warlord to tear down orphanages.

Details: Pelgrum is a man of excess, that's pretty much all there is to it.

The Wizard's Bodyguards, A Fantasy Adventure

Plenty people interested in the Intchk and the lore bit mentions only 20 women, that's why XD

Lore nitpick: If they were all concieved at the time the Grand King kicked the bucket, than discounting different gestation periods, shouldn't all of the adventurers be of the same age, and all long in the ground since it's now 3000 years later? =3

@Forsythe

Players = ancestors.

By now, there'd be thousands of them walking around, not realising their potential and therefore not having the opportunity to discover the powers locked within. Guess what the Necromancer King is going to do first? That's right, he's going to hunt down all- wait no, I'm ruining the story. Just trust me.

Greymere has found some and is busy trying to get them ready for the coming battle. This will also help with new comers, as it means the group can "stumble" (thanks divine intervention) upon another of Imperitous' ancestors.

If any of that makes sense?

The Wizard's Bodyguards, A Fantasy Adventure

I'm game if there's space :)

@Forsythe

Why is everyone asking me if there's room? There's no one here but me and the wind!

Haha, sure, come on in :)

The Wizard's Bodyguards, A Fantasy Adventure

Oi! Do you still have room for this?

@GodOfChaos

Yup :)

Just your average tavern thread (where the tavern's burning and being besieged by zombies)

I think I have just enough time on my plate to commit, but help me out.

There's been a fair few posts in the RP, and I don't want to ruin everything by waltzing in there half-cooked.

Care to bring me up to speed with a brief description of what's happening currently? Also, would my character just appear in the tavern, or would they be coming from outside of it?

The Wizard's Bodyguards, A Fantasy Adventure

I need to keep details sparse, as not to ruin the story too much or to make it too easy to metagame.

Name: Rorin Greymere

Age: Undisclosed

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Class: Wizard

Physical Description: Rorin Greymere is a frail old husk, warped with age. His skin is leathery but tanned, hinting that he is used to travelling on the road. He wears bright crimson robes, with a smattering of purple over garments. His long hair and bushy beard are iron grey in tone, but his single working green eye stands in vibrant contrast. His other eye is obscured by a black leather eye patch.

Rorin tends to wear leather boots and gloves, and carries with him a simple ashen staff with a large pale green crystal of unknown origin set upon its end.

At full height, Rorin is around 6 feet, but is of a terribly skinny build. He boasts no muscles to speak of, and appears to be a man accustomed to light work... or maybe age has simply stripped his flesh and left behind nothing but skin and bones.

Skillset: Undisclosed.

Natural Abilities: Undisclosed.

Magic Type: Arcane

Magic School: Master of All

History: Rorin is a name known to few, though he is perhaps the greatest magic wielder in the known world. Very little is known about the mysterious wizard, although he is known to frequent courts of many Lords and Kings. Some mark him as a member of the Nirin Fir, an almost mythical order of wizards established a long time ago when civilisation was still in its infancy after some great cataclysm.

Equipment:

• Ashen staff crested by a pale green crystal. He guards its origins closely, but any magic user will feel a powerful aura coming from it.
• An ancient ring, made green with age, sits permanently on his right hand.

The Wizard's Bodyguards, A Fantasy Adventure

OOC is up!

The Wizard's Bodyguards, A Fantasy Adventure

Character Creation

You are a sell sword of little renown, having lived a life of relative obscurity guarding merchant caravans and providing security for local lords. For most of your life, you've lacked ambition; that's not to say you didn't try to be all you could be, but rather, everything you've done in your life has ultimately felt empty and pointless.

You've spent the last portion of your life serving alongside like-minded individuals. You don't know what drew you to their company, and not some other mercenary band, but love them or hate them, you feel a sure sense of belonging in their presence. Together you have performed all kinds of mundane tasks, whatever it takes to keep the coin flowing, but not enough to earn any real glory or prestige. You are all simply dust in the wind, lost souls without the sense to realise that something otherworldly is tugging at your subconscious, yearning to put you on course for your rightful destiny.

That was, until a mysterious wizard in crimson robes tracked down your group and recruited your services. As with your comrades, there was something about this wizard that felt "right", and you all agreed to assist him in his tedious quest of exploring the world's more troubled areas. The whole thing sounds pretty dangerous, but the wizard, this Rorin Greymere, has so far provided adequate gold for your services.

And this is where your story really starts; at a dreary inn, the Pig and Sty, nestled in the forested town of Belonde. Your employer, Rorin, is seated at a table and inspecting a mug of weak ale with the curiosity of a dedicated alchemist, oblivious to the bustle and commotion one would expect to find within a tavern.

Suddenly, he looks up at you with his single working emerald eye, and you feel uneasy, as if he's analysing every fibre of your being. After a few moments, he smiles, raises his mug and drains it.

"At last," he says with a throaty tone. "You must be..."

***

Post in OOC until acceptance, then move it here to the character tab. Consider this your initiative test.

Name:

Age:

Gender:

Race:

Class: Although I don't expect your character to adhere rigidly to a D&D style class system, it would help myself and others if you could summarise their role within the party with a few words. That way I can make sure I don't end up with a group of anime ninjas at my back and no bloomin' diversity.

Physical Description:

It's probably best to actually describe the character if you are going to rely on a picture, or you can do without the picture if you like, but definitely describe. Anime pictures are fine, but advised against, as their proportions (legs!) are often way out of whack and some players have a hard time imagining their way past them.

Skillset:

Talents one has either naturally or through education or training of some sort.

Natural Abilities: These are either race related, or unique specifically to your character and are not considered magical in nature. For example, a lizard man assassin might be able to blend into his surroundings, making him invisible. An Elven huntress' eyes might come fully equipped with an optical zoom type deal. A troll warrior might be able to have his skin become as hard as rock for a few minutes.

Magic Type: If used. Choose either Arcane (traditional wizardry), Divine (Holy powers, such as clerics or paladins), or Fell (anything considered unholy, such as necromancy or demonic).

Magic School: Define what school your character specialises in, if they use magic. Examples would be, Elemental for Arcane, Holy for Divine, or Necromancy for Fell. Leave blank if your character is a general practitioner of their chosen magic type.

History:

Equipment:

The Wizard's Bodyguards, A Fantasy Adventure

The Wizard's Bodyguards

A High Fantasy Adventure Roleplay

Map

Right click and left click "View Image" to enlarge.

An Evil Forgotten; An Evil Awoken

Three thousand years ago, the world of Esseand was cloaked in darkness.

The Necromancer King, as he was called, appeared from seemingly nowhere, and besieged the living realms with legions of the undead. Unprepared for this unexpected assault, the Free Countries fell one by one to the onslaught, until only one remained: Ravenloft.

Grand King Imperitous Grimhelm, the last of a long line of immortal kings blessed with powers from the Forgotten Gods, marshalled the battered armies of the living at the gates of his ancestral home, Castle Ravenloft, and for sixty days he held back the incessant undead assault.

The Necromancer King, frustrated by this lone hold-out nation, joined the battle himself. He was powerful, with total mastery of fell-magic, and he swept aside Grimhelm's brave warriors with the swift wave of a hand, moving through them like an untouchable giant of black and ill.

The Grand King met the Necromancer King in an epic confrontation of two extremely powerful warriors; the light of Grimhelm's divine powers, facing off against the darkness of necromancy. Though it was all in vain.

The Grand King was no match for his adversary, and as the hours drew on, his strength waned even as he Necromancer King's grew. His only hope to achieve victory for anyone but the dead, was to sacrifice himself. He feigned defeat, falling to his knees in a clattering of burnished steel, and allowed the Necromancer King to drain his life force.

Muttering a prayer, the Grand King threw all of his magical energy into his own flesh and blood, warping it with raw arcane power. This destructive energy flowed into the Dark Necromancer, exploding deep within his chest and reducing the great evil to a pile of smoking ashes.

Both Kings undone, the legions of the dead fell lifeless once more, and the living were left to inherit and rebuild a ruined world.

Yet 3000 years later, there are signs that not all evil was undone that day. There are reports from across the world that the dead are arising once more; Vampires have been spotted taking control of ancient ruins, using them as a base of operations to unleash their sinister arts on the local populaces. Mysterious plagues are spreading in rural communities, decimating populations.

Petty Kings and Lords are ignoring the signs, and continue to war with each other over scraps of lands and resources. They have forgotten the three thousand year old legends, they have dismissed them a child's tales; the dead have always walked from time time, and plagues are a regular occurrence in the world - why should they unite with their enemies against a string of coincidences? Most nations remain ignorant, but some do not.

However, only one man knows the real truth of the situation, and it falls to him to prepare for the Second Coming of the Necromancer King.

His name is Rorin Greymere, the Master Wizard of the Nirin Fir Order - a secret group of wizards established after the defeat of the Necromancer King to track the evil's return. The Order has dwindled over the centuries, however, and Rorin Greymere is one of the few remaining members -- and also the most powerful of them.

He is aware of a legend that states that as the Grand King Imperitous fell to his own consuming powers, twenty women of all races are said to have become mysteriously pregnant at that exact moment. It is believed the Forgotten Gods rewarded the Grand King's selflessness by sowing his seed across the realm, so that his glory would live throughout the generations. If this is true, then these individuals will have the same powers of their distant ancestor, and hold the key to defeating the Necromancer King once and for all.

As it happens, Rorin has miraculously found some; a group of common sell swords, living a life of coin and hardship guarding caravans. They do not know their heritage, but he does, for his powers are able to track the bloodline of the Great King via an ancient ring he wears on his left hand -- the very signet ring carried by Imperitous himself, all those years ago.

Rorin does not ponder his fortune for too long, and decides that the Forgotten Gods have acted on his behalf to group them so closely to him. However, he does not expect them to simply believe his words of their importance in the world, and resolves to hire them as bodyguards.

Rorin explains that he is simply tracking and investigating the growing evil in the land, but secretly, he is testing their abilities.

Their journey starts at the Pig and Sty Inn, at the small forest town of Belonde. It is here that he has agreed to hire them, and has just handed over the first of the promised gold.

Hello!

Welcome to my RP, a grand fantasy adventure, where the players take on the roll of the hidden chosen warriors destined to defeat the greatest evil the world has ever known, and where I the GM, play as their guide, Rorin Greymere.

The Wizard, and his unwitting accomplices, will travel from area to area, investigating the problems that are starting to trouble the world. All traditional fantasy races are available, and so are custom races. You can be a skilled sword fighter, a mage, an assassin - the usual stuff.

Rules

• No God modding. Who would've thought?
• Unless otherwise directed, your character must follow Rorin Greymere. No plodding off on a side adventure, you plot line heathen.
• No pvp combat unless otherwise directed. Although drama and bust ups are perfectly fine.
• Although your character is secretly blessed by the Forgotten Gods, they are unaware of this fact. Keep it that way until otherwise directed.
• Minimum post length = 300 words.
• If you wish to drop out, please in form us. I wont be mad, honest :)

Character Sheet

Found under the character tab. Submit to OOC first. Once accepted, move to character tab. This will serve as a test of your initiative, so be careful not to post it directly into the character tab.