Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Hexaflexagon
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Hexaflexagon

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Now as the sun sets we shall recall the histories. These blood-stained pages tell the tale of the Endless, once the consuming abyss and now but a frayed shadow. Born through deceit and treachery, Hand became Undying and all bowed. Listen then to these words and let it serve as warning and reminder.

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P R O L O G U E : A V E L E S S

The conquest of Zanthalia has begun in earnest. Ships bearing the Black and Crimson set forth from across the Mourning Sea towards the rising sun. The Old Continent would provide a new set of challenge to be overcome. The largest of these challenges would be conquering the Jeweled Cities. These massive city-states, the so called birthplace of civilization have stood against every invader which have tried to break their walls. From technological marvels to dramatic and awe-inspiring sorceries these great monuments possess defenses found scantly anywhere else in the known world. The first of these cities to be addressed is Aveless, The Ruby Citadel. Built into the southern edge of the Black Mountains, once the great bulwarks which surrounded the city were of a brilliant ivory but legend has it that the stone now is blood red from the nurmeroious invaders that had died against them. With its towering walls and large population including a powerful cadre of sorcerers which live in a large fortification carved into the mountain proper. Aveless is bigger than any city in Nurban, yet in comparison to it's sisters Avless isn't that much of a challenge and would be a benchmark to see if the Undying's might could even reach this far.

The responsibility of breaking the Walls of Aveless was placed upon the shoulders of the Legion. It was a near Herculean task, necessary but a charge into death none the less, not that such a weight wasn't expected to be placed upon their shoulders. Thus a siege would began with the forces of the Anthem repulsing and entrapping those within the walls as the Legion attempted to break them throwing all they had against it. Engineers and sappers work tirelessly but the walls still held. Eventually they took to the underground digging tunnels beneath the city: tunnels which would became filled with water, fire, and the corpses of their fellows as time progressed. But eventually the walls were reached and while they were fortified against attacks from above they were not fortified against attacks from below and crumbling earth drove crimson pride to sinking dust.

Yet a great victory was not without its costs. The Legion lay scattered and broken with nought one hundered souls left to their name with all of Zanthalia left ahead of them.

This is where the RP proper begins. If we are being technically it's actually in the twenty four hour period before and after the fall of Aveless. With the first few posts split between the past and the present. In the past we will be exploring what the characters actually did and how they made a name for themselves in the battle, namely retaking one of the siege tunnels and more importantly how they got somewhat acquainted. In the present we will be exploring the aftermath of the siege and all that entails.
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Hexaflexagon
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Z A N T H A L I A: T H E O L D C O N T I N E N T


A V L E S S: The Ruby Citadel, it stands as one of the five Jeweled Cities. Avless is the youngest and smallest of the cities in terms of population (young is a relative term here as each of the cities are older than any of the old kingdoms of Nurban). Aveless is the gateway to to Zanthalia is it were with most travelers from Nurban coming to it's walls first. Because of this constant flux of individuals the city is a metal pot of ideas and cultures intermixed with one another. Aveless is run by the Council of Magisters, a group of powerful sorcerers that dwell inside Magisters Rest, a large sanctum carved into the moutain which flanks the city it's outside carved in the visage of a stern face peering down upon its dominion. In times of war fireballs are flung out of this face, it's a good time. Think like Minis Terith but bigger.

B E L Y S S: The Diamond Veil, the northern most Jeweled City tracing its ancestry back to the natives from Soulethstem who crossed to the mainland during the last ice age. Cut off from the rest of Zanthalia by the towering Black Mountains, Belyss is of a different make then the rest of its sisters. The culture is a fusion of militaristic and theological and its people are rugged shaped and molded by the colder climes around them. Things live in the north buried beneath beneath frozen earth and when those things thaw, well trouble brews. To ease the pains and chills of the North, Belyss happens to be the home of the Priory, a religious order of monks and scholars that made their home in the desolate north to escape the clamor and yell of civilization.

V A L E I S: The Onyx Hold, one of the oldest of the Jeweled Cities whose storied history traces back to when the Titans roamed Zanthalia long before the races of man had risen from primordial states. After their demise their great city of Valeis lay untouched for thousands of years forgotten not just by man but by nature with not even a stray plant daring to snake its way into shattered rock. Eventually settlers wound find their way to the great city and use it's fortifications as refuge from monsters and bandits alike. Overtime many have drifted ot the city, living like ants among buildings meant for walking gods. Valeis is home to some of the greatest engineering marvels of the known world, a center of industry and power its forges are unrivaled across the lands.

K I R E A: The Emerald Run, center of commerce and trade Kirea is a city of vice and currency. It's location near the center of the continent makes it a favored haunt of travelers and merchants going about their work. Built on an island admits three magnificent rivers, Kirea is a city of canals and waterways twisting and double backing atop one another. The adage is if you need anything you can find it in Kirea for the right price and that isn't too far from the truth: slaves, illicit materials, slaves, and the like can all be found peddled by the merchants of the fair city. The city is run in a democratic fashion with each respected merchant holding the right to vote on matters from simple laws, to the more important issues of taxation.

T E B R A: The Opal Arcanum, the queen among the sisters and arguably the seat of power of all of Zanthalia. Tebra is an ancient city guarded by magic most old and powerful. Legend has it that if Valeis was once the seat of the Titans at the height of their power than Tebra was the seat of the Old Gods when they were once mortal. Tebra itself sits in a level of enforced isolation from the rest of Zanthalia by way of the Shield. The Shield is the great mountain range that encompasses the lands surrounding the city. The Sheild was not forged from natural processes but rather conjured by magic in a time long past when armies had once tried to assualt Tebra, and found the very land beneath them crack and sunder. It is believed that the Undying itself came from the ancient city.

A Z U R E: The largest port on the Eastern side of Nurban and from where the Endless forces embarked on their journey.

T H E W E L L: The well is one of the oldest centers of knowledge in the Known World. Larger than most cities it is a large tiered city that progresses deeper and deeper into a large depression in the ground known as the Titan's Fist. The deeper one progress into the Well the older and more sacred the knowledge within is said to be. The Well is open to all who make the pilgrimage to it's dwelling but those that traverse inside must always be accompanied by a Tome-Seer, one of the scholars that call the Well their home.

T H E L O N G W A L L: The Wall is one of the largest and constantly manned fortification in the Zanthalia. Armed by a contingent of guards made up of forces from each of the Jeweled Cities and the surrounding townships, the wall is all that separates the civilized world from the Edge. The Edge was once a fertile land made up of hundreds of prosperous kingdoms and empires which made up the rest of the massive Zanthalia continent. Long story short something very very bad happened and now the Edge is nothing more than a wasteland ravaged by constant immense storms which can pick up mountains. Those that survive in the Edge are monsters tainted by the darkness that lives beyond and have a nasty habit of trying to murder all the things.

T I T A N ' S C R O S S I N G: A strange city perpetually bathed in the orange glow of burning Kyranthus. The people man the last great bridge which connects the rest of Zanthalia to the final resting place of the Titans. The Cradle as it is often called is a land of fire and death, the last strike by the Old Gods to bring down their enemies for the final time. Despite this occasional travelers and adventures will cross the bridge into Kyranthus chasing after legends of treasure and artifacts from before the Breaking.
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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Hexaflexagon
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T H E W I L L O F T H E S W O R D



The martial arm of the Undying's will falls upon the shoulders of the Voice of War, Tarkus. Tarkus once stood against the Undying, formally supreme commander of the Dominion's military he believed that the Dominion should go to Caesius' sons as he had willed not to some outsider. Tarkus would lead his forces with great renown and skill against the usurpers. In all of its history, Tarkus was the only man ever close enough to actually defeating the Undying and stopping the rise of the Endless before it began. In the end though he was defeated and brought before the Undying who gave him a simple choice, bow or all his men were to be killed, Tarkus bowed. In his return for his submission Tarkus was transformed from man to monster. By the Undying's embrace he became the Voice of War, his black armor fused and metal to his flesh become permanently attached to his frame, he became what the Undying needed him to be a weapon of war. His spared legions would follow him.

To this day the Empire of the Endless is divided into two very distinct groups within the Endless' ranks. The Legion and the Anthem. Both overseen by Tarkus' will but acting upon it in two very different fashions. Order and Chaos, Slaughter and Massacre, man and monster, Legion and Anthem.

The Anthem is the younger of the two groups composed of the forces gathered in conquest. An army of monsters, thieves, murders and the like. The Anthem gives purpose and a sense of belonging to those often thrown looked down upon. It tells them that what they are isn't just okay but needed and wanted. In the Anthem the strong survive, you want a higher position kill your superior and take his job. In short its supply a band of murders and thieves with the weapons and equipment needed to wage full scale war against those that once suppressed them. When the Anthem rolls through a town they gather up all the population within corral them like cattle and drop swords at their feet. The command is simple only those that would kill their fellows will survive. This act of slaughter serves a purpose twice fold. First it allows them to pick out the murders and the monsters of the bunch, those willing or wanting to kill those who prosper in the Anthem's ranks. The second is the breaking of the rest, those that happen to survive physically but not mentally. It allows the Anthem to secure dominion over them as they become consumed by guilt and horror, in short they are broken until all they want is death and then they are given simple weapons and used as meat shields at the front of the pack, all the willing to march off to die.

The Legion stands as a different form. Once they were the armies of Caesius formed in the early years of his military reforms. They brought almost all of Nurban down beneath them and were once the most feared army in the Known World. The training in the Legion was done in such a way that the self-identity so cherished in the Anthem was all but wiped out from their ranks. They had become parts of a greater machine whose entire purpose was to be used as a tool. Where the Anthem may 'spare' a force that they had bested to gather recruits, the Legion will slay them to the man for if they failed to defeat them than what place did they among their ranks? Yet those that surrender were given quarter and allowed to return home. Their bloodshed had rules and orders. Those that stepped out of line were dealt with arguably more force than their opponents. And then Caesius died.

Many of the Legions would flock to Tarkus banner and would fight against the Endless and the Undying. They would fight the first of the Anthem and they would win, time and time again. But the Undying overwhelm them with powerful sorcery and soon Tarkus himself would be captured and changed. Yet the Legions continued brought back into the service of the Endless. Yet they refused to conform to many of the Undying's edicts, they refused to acknowledge Caesius as a God for even a great a man as he could not touch the Divine, but they fought all the same, they fell into line and conformed to the will of that which they had fought against and become maybe worse because of it.

Over the years the Legion exists as broken remnant of its former glory. It's ranks have been thinned and broken by years of being thrown into the grinder to crush their independent desires. Yet they have never failed a mission, never had fallen in battle. The Legion holds and will continue to hold even as it's composition dwindles and falls. Young and inexperience faces now appear among their ranks, wearing armor cobbled together from the dead and gone. Months of training no longer available, no longer able to be selective in their recruiting, they instead offer the sword to anyone willing to take up the Banner. Surprising numbers due given the other option being to deal with the Anthem.




T H E W I L L O F T H E M I N D



Sorcery as it is currently understood may very well be the cornerstone of civilization and yet its darkest aspect. Long ago scholars in Tebra discovered something, something which would change everything. The soul existed it was quantifiable and it breathed great power. Soon afterwards it was discovered that blood was the medium upon which transference occurred with the least lost. It was not that one could just tap into a Soul one had to forcibly drain it from an individual willing or not.First attempts were made with lesser beings, creatures without the capacity to think. But the power drawn from them was minuscule at best, maybe enough to light a fire and nothing more. So practice moved on to other larger creatures. Eventually it was found that the blood of the Higher Races possessed the greatest strength. To tap into the greatest potential man had to kill man, elf to elf, et cetra.

Yet blood alone was not enough to bring sorcery into being. To harness the power of a Soul one needed the correct formulae. The blood must be drawn either upon the ground or the air following a set of specific runes. The bases of these runes are the same but modifiers are placed upon them (much in the same way an accent changes the pronunciation of a letter) in this manner sorcery is the study and application of intent. A sorcery comes into being because its user wills it.

There is but a singular exception to this rule. The power of the Undying and the Voices upon which it bestows.

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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Brand
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Just to make sure I have everything correct, we are soldiers of The Legion and serving under general Tarkus. We've sailed across the sea from the continent of Nurban, which has been conquered by the endless, and are now fighting for the Empire to conquer Zanthalia. Years ago, emporer Caesius ascended to the throne and conquered most of Nurban but was poisioned and in the power vacume the throne was usurped by The Hand. Tarkus fought against this coup but was defeated and turned. Now The Undying [once known as The Hand] are the head honchos and they litigate governing to The Voices, or thirteen generals of the old empire under Emporer Caesius?
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Lexicon
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@Brand Thanks for asking this question. I was a little confused myself as far as what groups our characters are/could be affiliated with.
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Hexaflexagon
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@Brand
You got it.

Yeah it's a sort of overly complicated web of alliances and connections but that's also kinda the point.

Basically to make it easy your part of the Legion. Tarkus is your boss, The Undying is his boss and the Anthem are the Up and coming restaurant stealing business from your old family run joint.
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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by neogreggory
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neogreggory Traveler of Planes

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A constant work in progress, let me know if anything seems off so that I may fix it.

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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Virgil
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So-so, but here goes:


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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Athinar
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Athinar Big Stupid. Veteran from Oldguild.

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Workin' on a CS now.
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Heat
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Heat Hey, nice marmot

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Gonna figure out a char and get to work on it!
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Lexicon
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Working on my Godling rogue. She's also going to have a limited knowledge of alchemy. I'll try to get her finished up over the next few days.
Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Tancuras
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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Lexicon
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((Moved to the 'Character' tab.))
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Drunken Conquistador
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Pretty nice idea. Reading the OP, then I'm gonna start on a CS
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I want to clarify - as there's mention of a distinct pool of sorcerers within the Citadel - are the ranks of the Legion, at this point, regimented in any way? At least in the way of fighting style e.g. archers versus cavalry versus sorcerers. I ask this because it seems important in reconstructing the battle, and getting acquainted with other characters. Or is this perhaps purposefully vague?
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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Iuniper
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Assuming I'm accepted, I fully intend to edit this (the prose is kind of wonky!) as I get a feel for the details of this world. The idea of soul and blood magic seemed interesting.

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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Drunken Conquistador
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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Virgil
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@Iuniper Quick Note: "120+ Lbs. Bows?

Although I do not know of any recurve bows with this kind of draw weight and which would be available for sale nowadays, I thought it would be interesting to mention that, historically, this kind of draw weight was very often used – particularly in the English longbow which was extremely popular during the middle-ages.

In fact, the English Longbow had to be a minimum of 110 lbs. to be deemed suitable for combat, and the strongest Archers would even carry 130+ lbs. bows. You can imagine just how much effort these took to shoot, but also how devastating they must have been. History teaches us that these bows were well capable of deeply piercing a human being from as far as 235 yards!"


From >>> bestrecurvebowguide.com/capabilities-o..

The above was just something I needed to back up this next statement, since I'm only partially interested in bows, and therefore didn't know *too much* about them myself. Still, I'll take the risk to say that Aeudla is going to need a more powerful bow, or a crossbow, since she won't be able to penetrate much beside light-armor with the current bow she's using. That's why crossbows were invented -- since they could get pretty damned close to the power of a long-bow, they could penetrate *most* armor (the best-quality plate-armor reserved for wealthy warriors would always do its job...although concussive force could hamper and wear them down over time, given exposure to enough bolts/arrows) in the hands of your average man, woman, or even teenager/child in some cases. Hope this helps!

What made you go for a sixty-five pound bow though, if I might ask?
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Virgil
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This rag-tag outfit's looking better and better with every new character, heheh; Great work so far, everyone! (Provided we get accepted, of course)
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by boomlover
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@Hexaflexagon still room for someone who wants to get back to role-playing after a seven-month absence?
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