Tyler

Before The Dawn

@Tyler Great, thank you for the answers!

Hmm, having trouble deciding between three different kinds of characters... Would anyone want to see a ranger-type person, a rancher/homesteader, or an artisan-type person?

@Garet

I'd be inclined to merge the first two ideas. A rancher is quite an interesting character trait within this kind of story, but I think it's also very viable for a rancher to be skilled with a bow (for protecting livestock). A humble farmboy who happens to develop into a fearsome archer in order to defend his father's livestock has a certain appeal to me...

I'm sure if you go with the artisan it will also be fabulous. I just found the first two more immediately interesting.

https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4597114 @Tyler Finished up my CS! Lemme know what you think. If there appears to be anything wrong with the history, lemme know. I tried to avoid using any sort of solid dates or times, but it couldn't be completely avoided.

@Superboy

You've done a stellar job enacting on what we discussed via PM (and quickly, too!) I'm really happy for Gash to join the party; you can post his sheet in the character thread when you see fit.

Welcome aboard, Cap'n!

Before The Dawn

<Snipped quote by Tyler>

Aside from House Drachall, how many houses are there currently?

Also, are there any settlements outside of Steinplatz? Whether known or otherwise?

@Hallion

There are lots; though it's not something I ever felt the need to define myself. Drachall is part of the worlds canon because of the way it dwarves the others in size and power; the other houses are for the players to create, in the same way they would a Human or Dwarven family.

There are no other known settlements on Rotsanger; the terrain is too unsuitable. This is a lot of what keeps the lesser houses in Steinplatz under the rule of Drachall, rather than leaving and starting their own settlement. Steinplatz has been the home is Nosferytes for as long as there have been Nosferytes on Tyrrania, and that's unlikely to change.

Before The Dawn

@Tyler, do you think it possible that Lord Drachall had several wives and/or "companions"? It certainly wouldnt be unheard of, lol.

I ask, because my character story idea revolved around Drachall having many children (lets say a couple of dozen) and he would have had more if several of the females had not miscarried. So my character was a "godsend" when finally birthed, but also the last and youngest of all the fledglings.

@Hallion

Yep, this seems both possible and likely. The Nosferyte houses are similar to mafia families, and they assert themselves through wealth and number.

Before The Dawn

@Tyler For what its worth, you have a really solid story and lore here so I for one look forward to joining this. You've obviously worked very hard on this and seem to genuinely take pride in your work, and i respect that. It'll take me some time to get a CS together, but I'm definitely in...

@Hallion

Thank you! I continue to work on Tyrrania even in periods where I'm not actively involved in the world of roleplay. It's a passion project for me, so I'm really glad when that comes through and people enjoy the world I'm building. There's no better reward for me than seeing people really take to the world and engage with it. I find that the characters people make for stories set in Tyrrania are always so interesting... So seeing them take life is really rewarding, and I can't wait to see everyone in action!

So...let's discuss Wraithtown and its current state.

I'm outlining ideas for my Nosferyte, and after being/raised in Rotsanger, etc she eventually decides to leave (secretly) and takes a ship, which is diverted by a terrible storm, and shipwrecks on the shores of Wraithtown.

Based on the Geography section:
<Snipped quote>

So does that mean people still live there, but don't associate with anyone outside of the town borders? Do they turn into "werebeasts" every night or only certain nights? And what are Broadmarsh? Is that what's missing in the Beastiary? O.o

@Hallion

Wraithtown is still occupied, for certain. They originally isolated themselves so as to protect others from their curse, having seen their neighbouring towns and villages slaughtered by the beasts they become at night. They closed their port, ceased all external trade and closed the town gates to visitors. At the time, the curse of Wraithtown was big news, with every inn and tavern playing host to talk of werewolves and such. Independent mages and chemists headed to Wraithtown with the intent to study and cure their affliction, but none returned; the King himself had little interest in sending official aid. As the years passed and the Broadmarsh began to appear, Wraithtown became even more detached from the rest of Tyrrania, and it has now effectively fallen off the map.

The residents of Wraithtown turn into werewolves each night, from sunset to sunrise. Naturally, they spend longer periods of time as beasts during the Winter, when nights are longer.

The Bestiary will grow and update along with the story; think of it as a Pokedex of sorts, that will document the creatures our characters confront. The Broadmarsh refers not to a species, but to a region:

"Once part of the lush forests of Blith, Broadmarsh is the name now given to the putrid swamp which has overtaken much of the land. Very little is known of the swamp or why it appeared; but it continues to grow each year, and some fear it may spread and ruin Amorynthia, similarly to the Great Drought of Tumeken. Attempting to venture into Broadmarsh means near-certain death; if one is not lost in the rotting woodlands or swallowed by the thick pools of mud, then the various goblins, orks and other bog-dwellers are sure to finish off the unprepared adventurer." (from the World Guide)

Before The Dawn

Woah, I'm really pleased to see a resurgence of interest and activity in the roleplay. I had almost resigned myself to the fact that it would probably need to go on the backburner thanks to the interference of the site's downtime disrupting momentum; but I'm really glad to see everything begin to coagulate again. Let's get started...

You know what, I'm going to come out and say that I'm interested in this RP. While I work on a CS, I do have a few questions. What kind of limits are there on the knowledge and usage of magic? Would someone need to attend the Wizards' Tower to be able to learn magic, or could they learn it on their own? Does the energy for using magic typically come from the magic-user?

@Garet

Glad for your interest. I'm aware that I've not adequately covered magic in the world guide; it's been discussed with other players, both this time around and in previous incarnations. It's something I've been working on with particular attention lately; and something that I hope will be added soon. For now, I can only apologise - but we can still discuss any questions you have, and I'm sure other players will vouch for my willingness to go into detail.

You've already highlighted the general foundation of magic in Tyrrania with two words you've used in your question: 'knowledge' and 'magic'. Magic is the general practice of utilising the Arcana, which is understood as a force that runs through all things. Anyone can use this as long as they know how; it doesn't matter how they learned. The Wizard's Tower is naturally the best place to learn magic, because they have a tried-and-tested curriculum, taught by some of the best mages in the land. Plus, as the hub of all magical research in Tyrrania and the home of the largest magical library, they have the best resources. But someone could learn magic from anyone who already knows it, provided they themselves are competent enough. (This is the tricky bit which most often delays my write-up; essentially, magic is scalable in relation to the spellcaster's level of magical practice. Someone who trains fire magic often is going to find it easier to learn new fire spells; similarly, one can't learn to create a firestorm if they have not first learned to throw a fireball, etc.)

Of course, there's also the good-old fashioned method of picking up a book and teaching oneself. Unless you're a Dwarf - Dwarves can't cast magic.

Hope this was useful. Feel free to PM me with further questions! And I would also like to reassure everyone that the Magic chapter of the worldguide is most definitely on its way.

I've been craving a medieval/fantasy RP for ever, so I'm def in if there's still room...

I assume that the races listed under the Chars tab are the ones we pick from?

@Hallion

Curious...do you think the Nosferyte would have their dwellings either underground or in the mountainside? Or would that conflict with the dwarves who might live in that region?

Also, Nosferyte are limited to the frigit temperatures, right? I mean they could travel anywhere provided the had sufficient cover from the sun?

@Hallion

Glad for your interest. There's most definitely still room; and yes, the playable races are Human, Dwarf and Nosferyte.

The Nosferytes live in great gothic towers in their stone city on Rotsanger. You can read more about this in the worldguide; look for Steinplatz. The more wealth and influence a Nosferyte house has, the taller their tower. The exiled Nosferytes (Ferals, or Fallen) live on the barren plains of Vastoria; they often wander for weeks at a time in search of blood, but they have also established a central nest or hive of sorts. This is housed in an expansive network of tunnels within Mount Blut, accessible through many caverns up and down the mountainside. These tunnels were there before the Ferals arrived, and they don't connect to the subterranean city of New Kelda. If anything, Mount Blut is more a roost in which the Ferals gather to sleep during the day.

The Nosferyte's merely prefer cold climates; it's what they're used to. Even on Rotsanger they are known to wrap up warm in furs and hide. They aren't inherently sensitive to light, either; but it would naturally take them some time to adjust from the freezing, dark-skied Rotsanger to the bright and warm mainland. They might find the sun exceptionally blinding, or that it burns their fair skin more easily, but they certainly won't burst into flames if they're exposed to sunlight.

(Similarly, you won't ward them off with garlic, running water, silver crucifixes and the like. They aren't vampires. But a stake through the heart would finish off just about anyone..!)

--

Again, I'm really pleased to see renewed interest in this. @Vaelin150, @Marx, @Superboy, @Ink Blood and anyone else I may have missed or who is yet to submit a sheet. I'll be reading (and in some cases re-reading) everything that's been submitted so far, and contacting you all via PM to discuss your characters further. I love what I'm seeing!

Before The Dawn

Just checking in to see if we're still good to go after the offline period.

Also @Tyler, the RP's Join Status is currently 'Jump In', not sure if that was intentional or not.

@Lord Wraith

Still good to go as far as I'm concerned, I'm just waiting on characters. And no; not intentional. Will get that changed, thanks.

The rollcall was 2 weeks ago. I am aware the site was down a few days but unless there's many lively pm conversations this is all the activity I can see. Which isn't much. Are any characters incoming still and if so by what time?

@Kestrel

I've heard nothing from anyone since the site went down. There are a few lore related questions I'm keen to run by @Vaelin150, but I'll hold off on that until I know that people are still game.

Before The Dawn

It seems our server issues of the last few days have, by and large, been resolved. That's a relief.

Can I get a headcount? Just a 'like' on this post will suffice to let me know I can still expect a character from you.

Before The Dawn

<Snipped quote by Tyler>

Cool! I'll be writing my Character Sheet then. Would you mind if I sent you a few DMs later to see if some parts of my history would work?

@Vaelin150

Not at all, always happy to discuss anything that players might want to run by me.

Before The Dawn

_{"Memento mori: remember that you must die."}

✶ P R O F I L E

---

BIRTHNAME:
Lucius Grimm

OTHER NAMES:
Grimm

AGE:
32

GENDER:
Male

RACE:
Human

BIRTHPLACE:
Woodsend, Amorynthia

RELIGION:
Ahimothian

✶ P H Y S I C A L I T Y

---

HEIGHT:
6’2”

WEIGHT:
171lbs

APPEARANCE:
Averagely built and only slightly above average height, Lucius does not strike anyone as particularly heroic by the light of day. Even when clad in his robes, his appearance is more unsettling than valiant. His skin falls on the paler side, a result of many hours locked away in his shack, and his icy blonde hair betrays his Grimm heritage. His piercing hazel eyes glimmer with a suggestion of greenness in the right light, and have a certain hypnotic quality when gazing out from beneath his cowl. His left hand is often bound in rags or bandages; when exposed, a ghastly scar is revealed running along the width of his palm, often with the signs of a fresh wound. His presence in a room is decidedly uncomfortable; he seems to have a vague aura of cold about him, and says very little. He has a reputation for lurking, and often startles people accidentally due to the quietness of his movements.

SKILLS, STRENGTHS & TALENTS:
Lucius is a highly skilled practitioner in the dark art of necromancy, which affords him a number of specialist magical skills. Necromancy does not draw upon the natural arcana of the world like most magic; it is performed by channelling the power of death itself. Utilising this energy by sacrificing weakened enemies or exploiting their corpses, he is able to produce powerful effects. These can be destructive explosions and miasmas, or protective magical fields and portals through which to evade harm. These large feats of magic are ritual-based, and thus require a period of uninterrupted and very specific spellcasting to achieve.

In situations where more immediate magic is required, Lucius sometimes performs blood sacrifices; by cutting open his palm and allowing himself to bleed, Lucius gains access to deathly magical spells which affect the bodies of his victims. For example, he can cause excessive bleeding in his victims, or cause areas of their flesh to rot. These cruel spells require Lucius to make physical contact with his victim, often by wiping his blood on them. Similarly, he can create ‘blood bonds’ between two enemies, whereby any harm that befalls one party is replicated magically upon the other: effectively, killing two birds with one stone.

Not requiring himself to bleed or get close to his enemies, regular magic is the safest for Lucius to use. Trained in fire and ice spells at the Wizard’s Tower, Lucius is not well-versed enough in elemental magic to truly stand on his own two feet with it, but it does allow him to buy himself some time. More often than not, he uses a human skull as a magical focus in order to bolster his grip over fire and frost; without his focus, Lucius’ regular spellcasting ability is little more than beginner.

He does have skills outside of necromancy, too. He’s excellent with a knife, and can hold his own without magic against weaker foes. The sacrificial nature of his practice has forced Lucius to learn the basics of wrapping and treating wounds, but he does not know any healing magic. He also has little knowledge about wounds other than cuts; burns, breaks and disease are all things that would require a proper medic’s attention.

As a person, Lucius’ main strength is his unwavering loyalty. His devout upbringing and disciplined magical practice have shaped Lucius into someone who always sees things through; he will stand by his allies until the very end. He’s highly intelligent and fiercely curious, making him both a fast learner and a useful investigative eye.

WEAKNESSES & DRAWBACKS:
Much of Lucius magical discipline is inconvenient in the context of battle; yes, he is able to conjure devastating effects, but they require extensive rituals and even self-harm. Performing rituals leaves Lucius vulnerable to attacks, and if he stops to defend himself then the spell is ruined. Similarly, allowing himself to bleed for the duration of a battle is clearly dangerous; not only is he losing blood, but also exposing the wound to a variety of infections and diseases through skin contact with his enemies. For all the risks he takes to perform impressive feats of necromancy, his regular spellcasting ability is quite weak through a lack of training; should he be separated from his focus, his spells are barely above beginner-level. When fighting without magic, Lucius may be skilled with a dagger, but his ability ends there. He lacks the physical strength to fight with a larger weapon, or to cause much damage with just his hands.

A lot of Lucius’ necromantic potential is ignored as a result of his faith in Ahimoth. With ability such as his, Lucius could easily raise small hordes of the undead to do his bidding, but he believes it to be the ultimate sin to interfere with Ahimoth’s judgement: he has never even attempted to bring something back from the dead, and he never plans to.

It is perhaps because of this that Lucius was so affected by the exile he earned through his necromantic practice. He felt that he had been unfairly branded a villain by people who had once loved him, but who now pictured him as someone who wanted to cheat death and lead skeletal armies. The rejection he experienced affects him to this day, and he still finds it difficult to place his trust in anyone but himself. Similarly, he finds himself unable to easily earn the trust of others, due in no small part to the stigma surrounding his profession. Plus, all his time spent alone has significantly impaired his social skills; he has a reputation in Valeview as being somewhat awkward. His shy, hermitic nature mean that his observations, which are usually insightful and valuable, often go unheard.

✶ B E L O N G I N G S

---

ATTIRE:
Lucius wears fitted armour crafted from trollhide, famed for its durability and flexibility alike, with matching knee-high boots. Iron rings on his chest and waist offer some additional protection. On his left side is a hard sheath, in which he stores his athame, and a square leather pouch to house his personal journal. Two similar pouches hang from his right side, for keeping various belongings. He drapes himself in a heavy black cloak with a hood, which is thick enough to keep him warm without weighing him down.

WEAPONS:
Unlike most mages, Lucius owns no wands or staves. He fights almost exclusively with an athame; the blade of which is triangular, double-edged and forged by Dwarves in iron. The handle is beautifully crafted from onyx, into which a runic sigil has been carved. The weapon is used for physical stabbing and slashing, as well as being a conduit for magical attacks.

TOOLS:
As his non-necromantic magic is comparatively weak, Lucius uses a human skull as an off-hand focus through which to bolster his magical strength. He also carries a small bag of bones, which he believes he can use to divine messages from the Beyond.

PERSONAL ITEMS:
A number of ornate rings have been handed down through the Grimm family for generations; Lucius wears one such ring. It is pure silver of the finest quality, set with a sharp cut onyx rock. Along the inner band is an inscription pledging the servitude of the wearer to Ahimoth. He also carries a journal, bound in batwing leather; what he actually writes in there is unclear.

✶ H I S T O R Y

---

The Grimm family have lived in Woodsend for generations; well-known for their involvement with the Church of Ahimoth, some of Woodsend's most respected priests have been Grimms. The family are known to be devout in their servitude to the Stern Judge, as well as for throwing some of the best dinner parties in town.

Lucius Grimm was raised by his clerical father, Alistair, following the tragic death of his mother during childbirth. The Grimms were already a notoriously hardened folk, but Carmen's untimely demise only toughened her widower further. Still, he made sure Lucius was well looked-after; Alistair's responsibilities meant he was often obscenely busy, but the churchfolk were charmed by Lucius and always seemed willing to watch over him.

Growing up in the chapel was always going to have an effect on the boy, and Lucius was as devout to Ahimoth as any of his forefathers. It was assumed that he would follow in their footsteps, eventually leading the sermons himself and passing on the baton to his own offspring when the time came. And so it came as quite the surprise when, aged twenty-one, Lucius announced that he would soon be leaving Woodsend.

As he grew up, Lucius had become increasingly interested in his mother. She had been an accomplished healer, and pouring through her old journals had revealed to Lucius that individuals would come from as far afield as the First Capital to benefit from her magical prowess; she had even been called to the Palace on one occasion. All of this fascinated Lucius, and he became somewhat enamoured with the idea of training as a Mage himself. And so it was decided: he, too, would study at the Wizard's Tower, following in his mother's footsteps.

He didn't need to spend long at the Tower before realising that he was in his element; it was apparent to all those who knew him that Lucius had inherited his mother's talent for spellcasting. It seemed, however, that Lucius had a curiosity and a thirst for knowledge that set him apart from his parentage; while Alistair was contented in blind servitude to Ahimoth and Carmen was disinterested in learning magic outside of healing, the same drive that urged Lucius to leave Woodsend now compelled him to learn more.

After finishing his Basic Level classes, Lucius decided against specialising in Healing, having developed an interest in Elemental magic; perhaps driven by the symbolic connections to his beliefs around life and death, he chose fire and frost as his focuses for his first year of study. Whilst he excelled in his studies, catching the attention of several of the Tower's teachers, he began to grow frustrated when they denied his requests for additional classes. The Wizards were insistent that the mark of a good Mage was discipline; once he had finished his studies in frost and fire, he would be able to choose a new specialism - but not until. Of course, 'no' was not the answer Lucius wanted to hear, and so he took matters into his own hands.

With charm and light-fingered skill, Lucius was able to obtain a key for the Wizards' legendary library. It was here, deep beneath the Tower, that he would sneak to each night in order to conduct his extra curricular research. He read in brief about all sorts of fantastical magic: oneiromancy, metamorphosis and even alchemy were all documented in the library, and the wealth of offerings here that ought to have been available for general study only added to his initial frustrations with the Tower. But it was one tome in particular that caught Lucius' attention; bound in dark green leather, with an ornate pewter skull affixed to the cover. It bore no title, nor did it credit any particular author... But upon scanning the first of its yellowed pages, one word seemed to burn brighter than the rest: necromancy.

Everything Lucius knew about the so-called dark art told him to put the book back or, better yet, burn it. And yet, there was something beautiful about the way the author spoke about life and death; there was an intoxicating quality to the idea of utilising the very essence of everything his God stood for. It seemed to make perfect sense to Lucius that he would come across this path... Perhaps, as the son of an Ahimothian priest and an accomplished Mage, it was his genetic destiny. Enamoured with the idea of forming a deeper connection with both his God and his ancestry, Lucius read on.

He had covered considerable ground by the time he was eventually caught reading from the tome some months later, which became quite the scandal across the Tyrranian magical community. There is much communication between alumni of the Tower, and talk of a star pupil turning to the dark arts was shocking enough to sting many a graduated mage's lips. Lucius, of course, was disgraced, and immediately expelled from the Tower. Feeling defeated, Lucius headed home.

It was perhaps a mistake to expect a warm welcome: the townsfolk were both frightened and furious; Alistair himself was overcome with shame, his only son turned against the ways of their God. Lucius tried to explain himself: that he was using necromancy to connect directly with Ahimoth; working to his teachings rather than against them. But it was useless, and his words fell only on deaf ears. Estranged by his family and the people he'd grown up with, Lucius left Woodsend once more... This time, he realised, would probably be the last.

Alone, he headed East, eventually settling in the quiet village of Valeview. Here, on the borders of the vast Tumek desert, Lucius lived in exile; rarely speaking to his neighbours and focussing on truly perfecting his craft. He would spend his entire days studying the notes he'd made at the Tower and practicing his rituals into the night. In truth, some of the villagers suspected him as the star of the infamous tale; he who had promised to become a prominent figure in the magical community, but caved to temptation of the Dark Arts. Even now, ten years later, whispers fly around the village about the true identity of their most reclusive resident.

Before The Dawn

I'm working on the history section of my app currently. I saved my progress so far in my post if you want to look over it.

@Ink Blood

Looking great so far! One small thing I would note is that the Nosferytes aren't currently aware of the Feral population in Vastoria. It would still make perfect sense for him to charter around the region instead of trekking through it, as there is little sense in the latter for anyone not wishing to visit Kelda. But this small detail is actually rather important ... ;)

Loving what I'm seeing.

Hey @Tyler! Was wondering how many people you are looking to get into this game? Still accepting applications?

@Vaelin150

Hey! Very much still taking applications. I'm not sure I'll ever close them; once I've got an initial party selected, if any particularly impressive characters are proposed it can easily be arranged for them to cross paths with, and join, our adventurers.

I look forward to seeing anything you might have in mind.