[SRP] Harrowers (sign up)

[El Magnifico!]

Alright, unless I have made some grave misinterpretation, anyone is aloud to try to start an rp, even a newb like me. So, since I am one hell of a DM, and I hope it translates online, I am going to give this a shot.


A hail to ye, traveler. I see that you are weary, you have traveled long and far. Come, sit by my fire, and I shall tell you tales of the ancient past, of lost history and fantastic legend.

Certainly, you know the legend of Imolad, for it must be know to understand that which I will tell you. No? Pah, young folk are never informed! Well, quite some time ago, there lived an elf named Cammolin, a warlock of monstrous power, one who ruled all of Syrdis. Yes, child, an elf once ruled the world, it's really not that hard to accept. In any case, he ruled all - his people, our people, everyone else - through fear and magic. None dared stand against him, for an army of spirits and demons were at his command. But at the height of his power, he became consumed with greed and paranoia. To thwart his foes, he conjured the Mirror of Eternal, an item with which he could not only watch the world, but control it as well. Any he could see in the mirror, he could control, change, or even destroy. His ultimate power gave him no satisfaction, though, and he unleashed a wave of death across the world.

It is at this point that our story reaches Imolad, better known as the Black Knight. Ah, some recognition at last! I would assume that the Chorus stopped using his real name. In any case, you know what happened next. Imolad, the traveling knight, stood against Cammolin, and battled his mighty army of monsters. He defeats the Elven Tyrant, and brings peace to the world. And then he created the Harrowers, a band of heroes dedicated to keeping the world safe from darkness. Of course, that's what you would know. They faded from existence, didn't they? Just stopped being.

Who needs them, some would say. No great threat comes for us, no evil approaches. I pray these nay sayers are right. But I doubt it. Something moves in the dark, child. Something twisted beyond our dreams. I only pray that we survive it, Harrowers or no....now is a time for prayer.

- Azolim the Madman


Basically, this is going to be my little step into rping, a la grim fantasy, my favorite genre. I will post an actual sign-up later, but for now, it anyone interested?

[Harri-chan]

I'm always interested in RP. Any idea what sort of characters you'll be looking at the players to take on? And... will there be transformations, or should we just think very carefully about the character in a way we'd enjoy playing the long term?

[El Magnifico!]

There will likely be transformations - I'm aware of my location, lol - and as for the characters...I'd prefer that people start sort of low powered. I will have more details in another post.

[Shadowmaster]

Certainly an interesting concept. I may be up for this one.

[Knight Errant]

HAH! Nice style... I definitely think I will try this out.

[Kris_Roth]

Count me in! just want to know what races and classes are available? I can usually handle the priest/priestess/healer role, as I usually play that type of role in World of Warcraft.

Can we get a character sheet, and the setting?

[Flannery]

I'm in. Providing there will be punch and pie.

[El Magnifico!]

The Setting

Given a choice, Syrdis is not a fantasy country that many would choose to live in. It represents one fifth of the Dyloran empire, a power that covered the entire world long ago. When Dylora weakened, it split to pieces, and those pieces eventually solidified into kingdoms. The northern provinces were eventually united as the kingdom of Syrdis.

Syrdis is a land of contrasts. On one hand, the current king, Raltmere III, is incredibly lenient in terms of enterprise, allowing the formation of guilds and keeping the nobles from becoming regional tyrants, most of the time. On the other hand, Syrdis was a home to several other races, none of which are treated very well. Dwarves, Elves, and gnomes are forced to live in horrible, run down ghetto's, and the elusive Yanos are killed upon discovery. This poor treatment has many causes, such as the Chorus declaring non-humans "perversions", the learned racism of generations of habit, and the need to have someone to blame. This poor treatment has lead to the founding of the Paeltyrme, or phantoms, a non-human resistance.

Magic is also treated with suspicion, if not with the same hatred as non humans, as it is dangerous. The nobility, the merchants, the commonfolk - history has proven that magic could overthrow them all. In Syrdis, when one is born with the Gift, one has three options. The first is forced upon those of weak power. They are sent to the Chorus, where their power is trained for healing and such. If one has high power, one is trained at one of several academies until age seventeen, and then sent to Warlock's Rest, the mighty stronghold of the mages. Both of these options, however, are prisons, as once one becomes either a mage or a healer, they are watched for the rest of their lives, lest they become a threat to the world. Some fight the system, and hide out in the wild, but the Rest Witch Hunters are VERY good at their jobs. Yanos, of course, are not trained at all, just killed.

Religion rules life for the peasants of Syrdis. The religion is often the Chorus, an incredibly organized faith in devotion to great hero's from the old empire's founding to the birth of Syrdis itself. Like many mighty institutions, it has fallen to corruption, it's priests using their offices to further their own gains. Churches of the Chorus are grand, extended complexes filled with stained glass. Non-humans, considered damned, are not aloud inside. The Chorus also supports the Knights Divine, a knightly order devoted to rooting out evil.



Non-humans:

Elves: When one walks through a non-human district, one will notice that elves seem to be fitting in poorly. Even as second class citizens, many elves still hold themselves with a sense of poise and dignity. It is not surprising, then, that the elves are the most numerous in the phantoms. They are tall and lithe, with pointed ears and narrow eyes. They have the potential for magic.

Dwarves: Stocky, smelly beasts, or so their racist neighbors would have you believe. Dwarves are, in fact, the most tolerant of the elder races. They have a patient nature, and this allows them to tolerate the barbs and stings of human abuse much more easily. Dwarves are known as master craftsmen, and most non-human districts boast their city's best blacksmiths. All dwarves can grow beards, but it is considered very old fashioned for a woman to have a beard. Dwarves have the potential for magic.

Gnomes: Gnomes are a bit of a mystery. There are very few of them left, and most keep to themselves. They look as human, but stand two feet tall. Gnomes have no ability for magic, legends claim that they traded it to learn the secrets of the universe. Gnomes work instead in alchemy and clockwork, and while both are declared heretical, many nobles and merchants will go out of their way to achieve these rare items.

Yanos: Mostly, a Yanos looks like a human, betrayed only by a pair of short horns protruding from their heads. They have their own magic, the "earth magic" as they call it. They are called demons and hunted across the world. Most either live in the wild, or try to blend with sociaty.


Next post: character sheet, expanded magic, and starting location.

[Marky]

Hm. This sounds real interesting. I'm thinking about joining, as well.

[El Magnifico!]

Magic: Essentially, there are two ways one can use magic: be a Yanos or have the Gift. Those with the Gift are taken away to be trained, and are trained in the Schools of Power:

The school of Destruction (elemental chaos, telekinesis)

The school of Change

The school of Mist (illusions)

The school of Vision (scrying, seeing the future...)

The school of Calling (summoning)

The school of Mind (telepathy)

The school of Binding (healing)

The school of Death (necromancy)

A Priest mage can only learn Vision, Binding, or Calling.

Yanos magic: The ancient power of the Yanos is hard to understand even for them. There are few left, and those that are grasp at straws. Yanos alone can use magic to change their own form to that of other creatures without going mad. The can also use their power to control and commune with nature. However, their great power is rather...unreliable. Mistakes happen often, and many a Yanos has found themselves trapped in an animal form.



The starting location will be in a village called Orlek's Shore, an ocean-side community with a seedy reputation. The guard is corrupt, criminals and pirates run the streets, and the nobility cruelly ignores the please of the peasants. There is a non-human district, a beginning mage academy, and a Chorus cathedral, as well as all manner of thieves guilds, gangs, and other organizations. One may start as a noble, a priest, a thief, or any other grim fantasy class one desires.



I has character sheet!

Name:
Age:
Race: (Stick to races listed.)
Strengths: (be they fighting ability, sneakery, being a silver tongued devil....if playing a mage, you are an apprentice, and start with two schools, as it is hard to have a lot of freedom once one is sent to Warlocks Rest. Same if a Rogue mage. if a priest, pick two from the three listed earlier in this post.)
Weaknesses: (give your character some, please!)
Appearence: Either detail or a picture will do.
History: be as detailed as can be.
Personality: Make your character alive! Muahahahahahaha!
Preferred transformation: I would request not to do anthro transformations. If you want, go ahaed, I'd just prefer that everyone not do it. You can change your to another setting race, however, and i will consider any fantasy creature suggestions. Give me a few details on this section, please, and a few options!

[Knight Errant]

Name: Agi Hammerthief (Yes, I like character names that reference things)

Age: 25

Race: Dwarf

Strengths: Agi is decently talented with the noble art of beating someone's face in with an axe. That and he is also very good at blacksmithing.

Weaknesses: Agi is rather hardheaded, blunt, and stubborn. Facts that often get him into fights with the 'higher' races. Also he is inexperienced with magic, finding it rather unnecessary (and slightly frightening).

Appearance: Here ya go!

History: Raised in the small town of Blackwater, Agi was spared most of the racism flung at his people. His family ran the town forge for generations, and their work gave them a measure of actual respect amongst the people. As the youngest of three sons, Agi was more or less allowed to do what he wished with himself. He spent many years learning the secrets of the family forge of his own volition, finding in himself a love of metal and created things. But his life changed one day when his father gave him a gnomish watch for his birthday. He found the gears and springs inside of it fascinating... and eventually decided to leave his hometown in search of a gnome who might teach him the secrets of clockworks. Taking up weapons and armor crafted by himself, with his clockwork watch on a chain around his neck, he set out to travel the world.

Personality: Agi is quite friendly to people willing to have a good time, and perhaps knock back a few beers with him. But if someone is snobbish, rude, or insulting to him he quickly takes offense. He rather dislikes elves, finding them snobbish and stuck-up... and of course the racist remarks of humans will at best get a glare from him, and at worst his fist.

Preferred Transformation: Elf female. I have a few pics that might help... depends on what's possible. Also can the ability to use magic be imparted via transformation? I just think turning Agi into the complete polar opposite of what he is would cause for some interesting shenanigans. From a male dwarf warrior to female elf mage, hehehehe.

[El Magnifico!]

Knight Errant: Friend, you are accepted! Wonderful job, great first go! And yeah, magic can totally be imparted, and you'll see why...lol. Also, I was just thinking that that transformation would be hilarious.

[Knight Errant]

Heh, glad you approve. And yes, Agi's transformation will be quite hilarious.

[El Magnifico!]

Ok, so I think I will start this when I get 5 people.

[Shadowmaster]

I'm in the process of creating a character, but am too wiped to do so now. I'll probably post one tomorrow, though.