Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by OnlyThePie
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A Bleak Storm



The world is a mysterious place. The world is not safe. The world is full of monsters.

It is the year 1726, 200 years after the discovery of the new world. European hegemony dominates the planet, and nearly all warfare encircles these nations. But at home, average people still live in fear. Fear for their safety, not from other people, but from the beasts lurking in the shadows. Fear of the supposedly friendly but unnatural creatures living in their own, independent nations.

Dragons scour the lands above Europe and China, goblins frequent raids down from the Urals across Eastern Europe, the Werewolf clans of the Appalachian mountains torment the British colonies. But these are national issues. Towns of every continent are plagued by other, small nightmares. Dreamsnatchers and witches, necromancers and poltergeists. How can you sleep at night if you fear monsters will smash down your door and take your children?

But there are a few who fight. Some are ex-soldiers, who have now trained to combat the darkness. Others are regular townsmen who have had more than their fair share of run-ins with demons and horrors. But by far the largest group is the Knighthood. A global "organization" of men (and a few women) trained to defend their towns and cities from the monstrosities of the night. While not a very well maintained organization, Knights take on apprentices, much like any other profession, and they are paid to solve problems. Often, they are nomadic, and wander the countryside looking for work. Many are hailed as heroes, but they often bring a rumor of death and destruction with them, as it isn't easy or safe to slay a beast.


Hello everyone and welcome to "A Bleak Storm." As noted above, this RP is aimed at being both fantastical and dark at the same time. So hold onto your sword hilts everybody, we're going for a ride.

Announcements

-Over the Next few days, I'm going to be working this page so all the necessary info can be found
-Applications are open, please post in the OOC before you post in the Character thread
-Please make sure you read everything on this page, I don't want sloppy writing

Rules and Expectations

-Follow all RP guild rules, a given
-This is a High Casual RP, which means I want writing to the standards of Advanced, though the length is less of an issue.
-No child or very old characters, ages between 16 and 60
-You are free to make up monsters, creatures, or local history, but do not alter the global timeline, or change already existing monsters (Subversions are fine) (The Global timeline is quite similar to the real one, in respect to major events)

Character Info

Info about the Knighthood before you write your CC:
The Knighthood, while a global order, is not really hierarchical in the slightest. It's a profession just like being a butcher or a scientist or a soldier is. There are "ranks" but only in manner of "color" a very rough term that is only truly respected at the high court, which is the capital of the organization, functioning out of a castle in Northern Scotland. Almost all average Knights are of the "grey" color, and their superiors, the "Blue" are essentially bureaucrats who find them work if they need it. Past that, it becomes wildly over complicated and generally ignored by all lesser members.
Knights are most often nomadic fellows. They wander the countryside of the land they live in. There are three general types of Knight in terms of location. True Knights are those that wander freely, they hold no bounds of borders or loyalty to country, and serve only those in need (or those with coin), they are the most common by far. Born Knights are tied to the borders of their kingdom or country, and generally don't leave home; these are generally knights who switched from another profession, typically soldiering. Rooted Knights are those that are so needed they don't leave one small area. Often densely populated regions have a small forthouse, which is a headquarters for up to 4 Rooted Knights. Most cities host a forthouse. Aside from these restrictions, Knights operate anywhere and everywhere, though they're uncommon in large portions of the New World due to lack of settlements.
Many Knights specialize in certain activites. This is a vast set of groups, but some of the most common are Straight (all purpose), Hallowed(Demon hunters), Hunting(Beast hunters), Herbal(Plant or other natural being hunters), and Grim(Hunters of the darkest and most vile creatures) Knights. When writing your character, feel free to use one of these, or make up your own. Knights generally avoid firearms, though they have no objection to crossbows and the like. Armor is up to the style of each Knight, and many are proficient in some form of magic.

Enough stalling, here's the format I'd like:


Bestiary

The first step to defeating the beasts is knowing them -Purple Knight Harald Skane






More to come

Magic

Magic is generally the ability to do something, normal humans cannot do. It was learned from the elves and centaurs in times of old, and has been passed down and explored for generations. It is now a legitimate field of study at most colleges. Magic varies from simple lighting spells to outright hurling of fireballs. Most Knights are not full trained Warlocks, and only know a few usefull spells. Nearly all knights know the spell, called Blacksense, which allows them to pick out the non-human, allowing them to sense the beings from anywhere within a radius (dependent on the power of the user), even through walls.
-More to come later, just had to get the general gist out.
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by Zugzwang
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Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by OnlyThePie
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Ah, a second man of the Baltic! Looking forward to it.

Also, should I reduce this to a solely European RP?
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@OnlyThePie

I'd be happy playing a character from the Middle East, if you'd like to have a broader focus of characters.
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I could really sink my teeth in this one! Speaking of which would it be acceptable to have a knight who was stricken with Vampirism? I've had this idea in my head for a long time and it seems like a good fit for this RP. What say you, Lord GM?
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@MidoriDepends how you play it. The problem with being a Vampire would mean the Knight would be at odds with himself, and if any other Knight found out they'd be obligated by their code to kill him. It would be extremely difficult for him to exist. Being a were-creature of some kind or another, less human-killing related being might be easier. I'm not stopping you from being a vampire, just saying its going to be difficult.
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by Midori
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That's kind of the point really. Not to say that she was a knight and then became a vampire but became a vampire and thusly devoted herself to hunting down the evil that cursed her. She may not even be directly affiliated with the Knighthood at first and just run into someone eventually.

EDIT: I'll explain better in the CS...
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by Midori
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Still a WIP at the moment just wanted to get the story squared away before bed. I've tried to have it so that every strength she gained from vampirism is a double edged sword since vampires can get really OP.

Ruxandra "The Lady in Red"

Age: 34
General Location of Operation: Central Europe
Preferred Dialogue Color: ed1c24
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 132 lbs.

Appearance: Given that her body is immortal she still appears to be that same 15 year old girl from so many years ago. Her features are young and fresh, flawless almond skin like the purist honey, golden brown eyes like fields of wheat, silken black hair dark as the night, and the kind of solitary stare that lets you know she's just a little bit different from everyone else.
General, non-combat, Apparel: Her entire body is covered save for her eyes which are obscured by her red linen cloak. Given her unique appearance and young looks she rarely shows her face to anyone and prefers the anonimity of the cloak as well as a long red linen robe with a split along both legs to allow for freedom of movement. Were it not for her sword she could easily be mistaken for a simple traveller.
Armor and Weapons: No armor to speak of, as most weapons are ineffective against a being such as her, and she couldn't afford it anyway. Being nimble is more important. She carries a Kilij (Turkish Scimitar) that she got from her mentor.

Affiliates: Batur "The Grim Turk" Algul (deceased member of the Knighthood/Mentor)
Afflictions: Vampirism
Likes: Sweets
Dislikes: Evil creatures, sunny days, large crowds, places of worship, people lying (she can tell).
Fears: Succumbing to her baser desires, being discovered as a vampire.

Specialization: Grim. As something of a vile creature herself she feels it's only fitting that she should take on the most dangerous and ruthless creatures.

Magic (if any): N/A

Vampiric Abilities:

-Vampiric Immortality- Not to say that she can't die but she will live forever assuming her head is never seperated from her body or that she is never pierced through the heart by a holy object or sanctified weapon. Of course she must also feed regularly on blood to sustain her form.

-Night Vision- Ruxandra can see in the dark as if it were clear as day, although this carries the caveat that sunlight is extremely intense and even blinding at times but not particularly harmful as some myths would have you believe.

-Vampiric Strength- Given that her body is immortal, she can push her muscles to their limit without fear of major injury to herself and thusly can perform feats of great strength and speed exceeding that of a typical human being. She is still capable of feeling pain, however.

-Vampiric Senses- Vampires have superb hearing and sense of smell. She can hear the heartbeats of living creatures and track scents like a hound. Unfortunately this also means that loud noises are deafening by comparison and putrid scents can be overwhelming.

History: Ruxandra was a simple Romanian peasant girl with no family name and little more to worry about than feeding herself everyday. She lived a meager but relatively normal life until the age of 15 when a group of hungarian bandits raided her village. Ruxandra had been fetching water when the attack happened and did not return until the attack was already over. The bandits had left nothing of value, all the food had been looted and most buildings were on fire. With nowhere to go she wandered along the road, begging for food from passers by.

One night she was confronted by what appeared to be a man in a long cloak. He offered her shelter and all the food she could eat. No child could resist such an offer after having spent so long being destitute and alone. The man took her to a camp where others with similar cloaks waited. As she welcomed them their tone quickly changed and the man who had offered food and shelter revealed his fangs and his true intent. He sank his deadly fangs into her neck and began to turn her.

It was then that an incredible force killed three vampires in one swift movement. A Turk by the name of Batur Algul, she later found out. He had been tracking them and spotted their deception. He quickly dispatched the Vampire's underlings and fought the leader who called himself Aldric. They fought fiercly but Aldric escaped into the night. Batur was then left with the now turned Ruxandra. His training and experience told him to kill her and be done with it, but something about her spoke to him.

He took pity on her, though he never explained why. Batur taught her to resist her urges and sustain herself on animal blood instead. When she was old enough he taught her to use the Kilij she now carries and to use her new abilities to help track and kill other monsters that seek to do harm to the innocent. Batur knew that any other member of the Knighthood would try to kill her without hesitation, so they avoided areas with larger populations and Rooted Knights in particular.

They had begun to work together tracking down Aldric, the vampire who had turned her, and had followed him all the way to an abandoned castle on the outskirts of Vienna. They confronted him believing him to be alone but were ambushed upon entering the castle. The battle was long and arduous, as if they were toying with Batur and Ruxandra. They eventually killed 12 skilled vampires but Batur had sustained too many injuries during the fighting and was soon to be dead. With his dying breath he made her vow to continue their work and use her curse to protect the innocent.

She has since been tracking Aldric across europe to avenge the only father she ever knew, as well as killing monsters and demons along the way. Although she has never encountered another member of the Knighthood she considers their goals to be aligned with hers.
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by OtomostheCrazy
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OtomostheCrazy The Impatient Patience of Fulfilled Nothingness

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Are you still accepting, because I'm a might bit interested.

Also, not to be THAT guy, but I thought it was spelled "Bestiary."
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@Midori That actually looks excellent, Go ahead and add it to the character list
@OtomostheCrazy Yes we are! I'm still looking for plenty of people, go ahead and right a sheet (I'll fix the title)
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by OtomostheCrazy
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@OnlyThePieCool! I just finished one up just for the occasion!

Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Hipster
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I have a question. where does this take place? @OnlyThePie
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@OtomostheCrazy Looks good, put it in characters
@HipsterI've decided anywhere you want. We currently have 2 European Characters, a Seafarer, and a possible third European. My suggestions are the American Frontier, Southern or Western Europe, or somewhere in Asia.
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@Zugzwang Your character is fine, though I did say let me see the CC before posting it to the character section, but it doesn't matter now, looks good.
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Ah sorry. I assumed you had approved it when you responded favorably. I sincerely apologize.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Midori
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Since Ruxandra is still tracking Aldric I can go anywhere really. That was kind of the point of giving her an elusive arch nemesis, now I can send her to meet just about anyone.
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by Invictus
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I'll get started right away on a character. Can I message you for a more in depth on magic? Is the magic supposed to be like faith magic? Or incantation? Or more alchemical? Or like drawing upon something inner? Runes? Alchemy? Rituals (requirements? Effects? Costs?)

Edit: Are we going to try to have the hunters all fall in together because we have such a small group and if we are do you have a plan for something greater going on or just hunts?

How do you feel about artifacts? Like either the knights or "monsters" have artifacts from mythology, the past, lost?

Stance on heaven/hierarchy of angels since you have demon hunters? I'm assuming hell is demons and stuff and not "the devil"
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@InvictusAlright, that's a lot, so here we go:
Magic: Haven't entirely decided yet, I'm leaning towards incantation along with somebits of faith-esque (think Constantine). There will be Alchemy, but that's more science than magic

Groups: We'll see where the story goes, I wont require us to all meet up, but it would be nice if some of our characters met up

Artifacts: As in magical objects? I mean, there are items with magical enchantments, and there are objects of legend, like the Sword of King Arthur, the Armor of some Famous Conquistador etc. but there aren't like a widespread collection of cool ancient objects.

Demons and Co.: Demons actually do have a hierarchy, which I'll get to when I put Demons into the bestiary. The angels are a bit less detailed, since they just take less involvement
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@OnlyThePie Sounds good, as for artifacts I was thinking a few holy objects, I didn't put any thought into it/think of why it even mattered, but like any artifacts of Nicholas Flamel (or Abraham the Mage, depending on the story)? I think the book itself might be extreme to go seeking, but maybe pages from the book. Likewise the necronomicon pages (cult might get a few pages, good hunt for grim or hallowed hunters. Stuff like that?
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@InvictusWhile I love that book series, I think objects with that amount of direct power are too large for the world of this story. Things as such might exist, but they would never be in the hands of casual monsters or the Knights hunting them. For the sake of our story, they are not involved. The strongest things are enchanted objects, or items with spells written onto them, not books of ancient lore or containing vastly powerful spells and such.
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