NOTE: This RP uses the 3.5 version of D&D rules.
NOTE 2: I am pretty much a newbie when it comes to D&D. So please forgive any cardinal sins or errors, but don’t forget to enlighten me.
NOTE 3: The [url=https://discord.gg/jACNwmv]discord link[/url] for this RP is up.

[h2]The Plot[/h2]

[i]“Hear ye, hear ye! By order of the High King Paitr III, by order of the Lord of Dwarves Brughen Thunderwalker, and by order of Queen Etheniel Silverblood of the elves. All able-bodied men and women, dwarves and elves, soldiers and druids, wizards and clerics, paladins and barbarians and all others willing and able are hereby called to rally to the Golden Banner. Pardons for past crimes will be granted to the volunteers. Rewards will be heaped upon those that faithfully carry out the wishes of the Concordat. Glory awaits those that will answer this call and rally to High Lord Mithir Halfelven in the town of Lelmenore. Rally to the Sun Throne!”[/i]

Towncriers and heralds have been shouting pretty much the same thing for a month now. Blacksmith and farriers were ordered to pass on the same message to their adventuring customers. Innkeepers were asked to spread the Call. Soon, it was on everyone’s minds. The Concordat was planning something big. Perhaps a last stand in the bloodied plains of Kazad. For the first time in recorded history, elf, dwarf and human will charge side-by-side against the armies of the night.

There was no dearth of volunteers. Men and women of many races flocked to the Golden Banner. The once-quiet town of Lelmenore was turned into a garrisoned war camp. And it was overflowing with eager and brave souls who wanted to challenge the might of the Dark. But nothing they have done so far has even stemmed the flow of blood. The hordes of the Nemesis keep coming from the deserts beyond the Erinin no matter how many we killed.

But the arrival of High Lord Mithir Halfelven has changed all that and instilled fresh hope. With him came ten contingents of elf archers, gleaming and proud. And many more druids and wizards. But more than archers and mages, the biggest gift the Elf lord could give the camp was hope. Hope in the form of an oracle.

[i]“And when nightmares scourge the world of men, the seven shards will be reforged. The seven shall ride again. All that was, and all that will be, balanced on the edge of a sword.”[/i] Thus are spoken the words of prophecy from the Oracle of Corellon Larethian.

The ‘seven shards’ refers to seven artifacts believed to be parts of an Ember Crystal. Ember Crystals were terrible weapons forged during the Age of Gods, when men and mer were mere dreams. Only one crystal survived the end of that age, and even that was broken into seven pieces by Moradin, the dwarf god.

None but the elves are aware of the details of this myth, and they have been quite parsimonious in sharing anything. The elf lord in Lelmenore believes he can find the shards. With the power of the Ember Crystal, the Concordat should be able to defeat the Nemesis.

But he can’t do it alone. He is a scholar, unaccustomed to the wild demands of adventuring. So he spends every day inspecting the volunteers at Lelmenore. Soon, he hopes to find those special individuals who will be up to the task.

[h2]The setting[/h2]

The three main kingdoms are: Erindor, the kingdom of the humans consisting of plains and valleys to the north of the river Erinin; Vog Lodir, the dwarven kingdom nestled in the Grey Mountains; and Semuriel, the realms of the elves deep in the great forests of the east. The huge grasslands to the west are home to the orc tribes.

The elves once ruled all this. Those were the days of the Empire. I am sure many historians will tell you about the rise of Temuril Silverblood and her White Army, about how she used the powers of the very stars to conquer this vast land, about how she sanctified her blood and the Empire was passed down, from mother to daughter, in an unbroken line until the time of Empress Sylwarin Silverblood who finally dismantled the Empire after discovering the Oracle. All that is old history now, and not many bother to remember those times.

After the elves withdrew, they left behind warring feudal lords and warlocks. Humans and dwarves clashed several times, and later, elves and dwarves. In some time during these tumultuous years, the three kingdoms of today emerged as the biggest powers.

To protect and consolidate what they had gained, the three signed an agreement that is now known as the Golden Concordat. As per this concordat, Erindor, Vog Lodir and Semuriel will follow a policy of mutual non-aggression. Naturally, this allowed the three kingdoms to focus on consolidating their lands rather than devolve into elongated warfare.

It has been fifty years since the signing of the Concordat, and the lands are basking in peace. The terms of the Golden Concordat were expanded to include military assistance and economic cooperation. Trade thrived. Though they were called human, dwarf and elven kingdoms, the people mingled.

[h2]Rise of the Nemesis[/h2]

Not much is known of the man who styles himself Nemesis, but it is known that he is a man. The lands to the south of Erinin were always thinly explored. The bogs and marshes, and afterwards the desert makes it impossible for even the hardiest of adventurers to discover new lands.

But out of this mysterious region came the armies of the night. Trollocs - twisted forms of orcs and men fought alongside beasts from nightmares. Large, slow-moving, but deadly animals called wyrms marched, or rather wormed, with these fell armies. These wyrms could burrow through the thickest of fortifications, and instill terror in the hearts of men.

Sathara, Turman, Fol Bunghar - one after another, the cities fell like sticks under a stampede. The best place to have made our stand was near the Erinin, and we had lost that days before. So we were forced to move beyond the plains of Kazad.

So here we stand, at the close. The steep hills on either side gives us a decent defence against the hordes. The wide plains give us enough room to charge with our cavalry. But we know, in our hearts, that the end is not too far.

[h2]Character Application rules[/h2]

Before applying, state your interest in this OOC thread. I will then give you six attribute points. You must decide how you want to assign these points to your six attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.

After assigning the six points to these six attributes, you will have a good idea of who you will be playing. So go ahead and choose your name, gender, race, class and background story.

Once you have all that ready, please use this CS template to post your character
Name:
Race:
Gender:
Age:
Class:
Str: (Strength points)
Dex: (Dexterity points)
Con: (Constitution points)
Int: (Intelligence points)
Wis: (Wisdom points)
Cha: (Charisma points)

Appearance: (Written description must accompany pictures.)

Background:

Alignment:

Skills:

Feats:

Spells: (if applicable)

Equipment:

(Note: Basic weapons will be provided based on your class. It is assumed that you are level 1. You can choose to highlight any special articles your character might be carrying, but nothing enchanted and nothing that can be physically used as a weapon.)

[h3]Appendix 1: Playable races[/h3]

[b]Human[/b]
Humans are the most versatile of all creatures. They can adapt to any environment, they can master any class, and are generally well liked by the other races. Humans are also very adept learners, gaining knowledge quicker than others.

[b]Dwarf[/b]
The hardy and stout dwarves have a reputation for vigorous health and sour faces. They are excellent metal workers and understand the nature of materials better than anyone else. Being martial in nature, they learn the ways of any new weapon rather quickly. They are stable folk, hardly likely to lose their balance even in the shakiest situations. These killing machines are also resistant to poison and can see quite a distance in darkness, although only in black and white.

[b]Elf[/b]
The elf are a graceful but frail folk. They are highly dextrous, with keen eyes and heightened senses. Their divine blood grants them a certain resistance to magical effects and they normally tend to practice the magic arts themselves. But an elf is just as deadly with a longsword or a longbow. Their keen senses enable them to see perfectly in darkness and also to notice things others wont.

[b]Half-elf[/b]
The half-elf is the perfect embodiment of both elf and human. They retain the blood of their elf ancestors, lending them the same magical resistance and keen senses. And from their human ancestors, they have inherited the art of speech. Half-elves, or half-humans as the elves call them, are generally liked by all.

[b]Orcs[/b]
The orc is truly a fearsome sight to behold, with a towering and imposing physique and a mean disposition. Needless to say, the uncouth barbaric orcs are not well liked by the other races. But the orc doesn’t care what others think. The orc just wants to bash.