[i][center][b]The Faintly Gallows[/b][/center][/i]

[b][u][center]~Introduction~[/center][/u][/b]
Welcome to [i]The Faintly Gallows[/i]! This fantasy roleplay takes place in a fictional world, mostly in and around a location known as [i]Darkwood[/i]. Within Darkwood is a small town known as [i]Blackwater[/i], and in the center of Blackwater - built over [i]Stoneriver[/i] - is an old inn known as "The Faintly Gallows". A lot of strange things happen here in Darkwood, and your characters will gather within The Faintly Gallows to embark on many quests, solve mysteries, investigate urban legends, or just tell tales and have a good time - whatever you want to do!

While this [i]is[/i] a fantasy roleplay, I'm not going for [i]high[/i]-fantasy. I want to focus on the more grim, superstitious, gloomy, gritty, and dark areas of fantasy, with a hint of horror thrown into the mix. Such things as witches, werewolves, curses, rituals, cults, vampires, ghosts, the undead, etc is what I am looking forward too. Everything from the setting to the characters will be 'vague' and 'subtle'. The characters are not overly important, most of them are just travelers, mercenaries, rogues, or plain folk. The outside world will only be vaguely referenced, I'm not to concerned with what is happening outside of the region known as Imerill (where Darkwood is located). We'll be dealing with things more locally.

[b][u][center]~The Story So Far~[/center][/u][/b]
[hider=Foreword]The first mini-story of this roleplay will revolve around a mysterious warrior and his young companion, as well as the supernatural entities that have followed them to Darkwood. Stories won't last nearly as long as other stories, and I intend to work with you guys and collaborate to create a whole multitude of stories. Anything concerning superstition, urban legends, and whatnot is what I am aiming for - such as Bigfoot, Werewolves, and Count Dracula. Murder, mystery, drama, romance, what have you.[/hider]
[hider=Part I: Strangers in the Night] When a mysterious warrior and his young female companion enter town, what sort of strange entities follow them there, and what do they want?[/hider]
[hider=Other possible arcs]
A werewolf appearance and possibility of an outbreak
Entering Bloodhaven Castle, where an ancient vampire-like being once lived
Investigating rumors of a cannibalistic cult within Darkwood[/hider]

[b][u][center]~Characters~[/center][/u][/b]
[hider=Foreword]Remember, characters are not overly important in this roleplay. There aren't really any noblemen, knights, or powerful wizards around. Mercenaries, hunters, travelers, merchants, assassins, rogues, thieves, scoundrels, and the like is what I am looking for. And races need to be somewhat traditional, although I am open for original creation. Anything from elves and humans, to dwarves and halflings are absolutely fine; I am NOT looking for giants, centaurs, or dragon-like characters; those type of characters would be shunned away and potentially killed by the people of Blackwater.

Keep magic on the 'subtle' side of things; you won't find a powerful spellcaster throwing fireballs continuously, and int his roleplay magic will consume your life force (causing you to pass out or die from overuse); even Gandalf carried a sword. Don't feel particularly limited, however, just show me what you got and we'll work with each other.[/hider]

[hider=Bio Form]
[i]Note: By putting a '[' at the beginning of each label, the text will be bold.[/i]
b]Name:[/b]
b]Age/Race/Gender:[/b]
b]Appearance:[/b]
b]Other:[/b]

b]Armor/Clothing:[/b]
b]Weapons:[/b]
b]Other Items:[/b]

b]Skills:[/b] (Physical skills, like tracking, agility, acrobat, swordsman, hunter, etc)
b]Abilities:[/b] (Beyond physical skills, such as magic)

b]Personality:[/b]
b]History:[/b] (You don't have to get to deep on this, I like the idea of characters being somewhat of a mystery, or having their histories revealed throughout the roleplay through character interaction.)[/quote][/hider]

[hider=List of characters][b]Valunn[/b] - A mysterious warrior with shaggy black hair, a rough stubble, and cloaked in a tattered black cape. He carries a dark-metal longsword with an unearthly aura about it.
[b]Lily[/b] - A young girl, no older than 12, who has been traveling with Valunn. She has short brown hair, green/brown eyes, and has an innocent and naive personality.
[b]Gabriel Knotts[/b] - A halfling, former circus performer, wielding a whip and throwing knives.
[b]Densha Nzongo[/b] - A dark-skinned bounty hunter from Eastwind, seeking the murderer a nobleman.
[b]Caspain Argo[/b] - Skilled swordsmen/sailor seeking the individuals responsible for the murder of his crew.
[b]Eksile[/b] - Armored warrior with two hunting dogs.
[b]Lady Elizabeth Mcrae III[/b] - Once a noble lady, now with the mind of a hound.
[b]Ash[/b] - A heavily red-armored paladin serving the Goddess of War.
[b]Eva Vorhaas[/b] - A huntress of Darkwood, lives in a cabin just north of Blackwater.

[b]Mayor Kern Locke[/b] - NPC - The citizen-elected 'mayor' of the town of Blackwater. Kern Locke is a highly-educated resident of the town and the people seem to trust him enough to place all the power in his hands, even though the term 'mayor' doesn't really mean much in Imerill. Locke's job mainly consists of managing the town guard, enforcing the law, and coming up with ways to deal with problems that the townsfolk may have. He's a tall but skinny man in his mid-thirties, although he looks slightly older. He wears posh clothes and has a stern look on his face. Kern tends to keep things under control by posting important 'jobs' on the notice boards around town, the most obvious one being within the Faintly Gallows, with which he has a working relationship with its owner: Sloan Wilson.
[b]Sloan Wilson[/b] - The innkeeper at the Faintly Gallows. He looks to be in his mid to late forties and he's been working at the inn ever since his father let him shovel horse manure into wheelbarrows. When his father was murdered ownership passed on to Sloan and he's been working there ever since - and he's made a few changes, such as moving the stables to another location. Sloan is either washing a mug or pouring something into a mug. One of his eyes are a bit droopy and it makes one look bigger than the other; he is balding and you would swear he wears the same thing every single day. Being the innkeeper, Sloan has heard countless rumors, stories, and legends and has seen his fair share of would-be heroes, crooks, and robbers. As boring as he is, he's actually a well-liked and respected man within the town, and he is perfectly fine with swapping stories.
[b]Jack the Trader[/b] - A strange little fellow who stops into town every now and again. His black-and-white spotted horse almost looks like a cow, and it drags around a rickety little cart full of mysterious findings that Jack attempts to sell to the populace. He wears a finely-tailored suit: black shoes, pants, coat, top-hat, and gloves. For some odd reason he wears white paint over his entire face with black paint covering his lips and around his eyes. He's odd, that's for damn sure, and the little trinkets he sells don't seem to do a damn thing except piss you off for not doing anything. People don't dislike him, and they actually anticipate seeing what sort of weird little trinkets he brings into town, but the town could certainly do without him.
[b]Shamus[/b] - A funny old man with a gut that hangs out of his tight shirts, Shamus is the town crier, yelling out all sorts of news and handing out flyers and documents to the people in the town. Needless to say, Shamus frequents the Faintly Gallows and it's not a mystery where he gets his news from...[/hider]

[b][u][center]~History of The Faintly Gallows~[/center][/u][/b]
[hider=Brief history of The Faintly Gallows]Many years ago a native race lived in a region known as the Emerald Glades. The Emerald Glades was known for its lush rive valleys, forests, rolling plains, and beautiful landscapes. When foreigners began to settle the area and butchered the native dialect it became widely known as 'Imerill', a misspelled version of 'Emerald'. There was a smaller region within Imerill known to the populace as 'Darkwood', aptly named since the ancient trees of the forest kept the sun's light from ever hitting the ground. A major river known as Stoneriver ran from the northwest side, through the center, and down south. The area was chilly, wet, it rained often, was full of wildlife, and considered very dangerous. People went missing, rumors of strange beasts and phenomenons became widespread, and the area was considered 'haunted'. But that didn't stop people from traveling through it.

The main road ran from the south-east area, up towards the center, and on up north into another province. So long as one stayed on this road they should have been fine, and if you ever strayed from that path you were as good as dead. It wouldn't be to long before an individual ordered the construction of an inn, building the base of it over Stoneriver itself (so the river runs beneath the inn). He made a hefty profit by offering food and rest to all who passed through. Before long a number of other structures had been built, including a smith, a huntsmans shack, a tailor, and so on. The inn would eventually pass on to the Wilson family who renamed it 'The Faintly Gallows'. The main road was redone when the Wilson's paid volunteers to lay cobblestone. Over time more and more buildings were built and the town became a legitimate settlement. It was named 'Blackwater' in reference to the Stoneriver (which had black-colored stones in it).

In modern times, The Faintly Gallows remains just as busy, offering patronage to anyone passing through Darkwood. A small town surrounds it, and in turn is surrounded by a 12-foot-tall palisade wall complete with watch towers. There's a southeastern gate and a northern gate, and all sorts of small businesses and shops can be found within. Buildings are made mostly of stone and wood, usually 2 stories high.[/hider]