[OOC] Lost Lands - A Medieval Fantasy RP

[VitoftheVoid]

@Halvtand Conviction always makes things interesting!

And a list of gods (so far) is now up in the 'additional reading' section.

[Awesomoman64]

One caveat I would say though is that an illegal mage would probably struggle to go toe to toe with a Yulian battlemage on magic alone, as Yulian mages train from childhood and probably far overburden themselves when casting.

But then Yulian battlemages are also untrained in combat, so one could easily punch one in the face. It evens out.

@VitoftheVoid

But of course! A battle mage's strength comes not from their skill in magic or sword, but their ability to use them in unison. So yeah, he'll probably be doing a good amount of mage punching.

@Awesomoman64 Yep, that would be fine! It's entirely possible for dudes to manifest magical ability too, they just tend to keep it to themselves under Yulian rule.

@VitoftheVoid

Well this just gave me a great idea for my character's background!

[DragonofTheWest]

My Hider

Full Name: Lucius Cassel

Nickname: Sir Lucius, The King’s Champion

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Occupation: Knight

Kingdom of Origin: Yulia
Description: Lucius stands tall at 6'3 while years of training have shaped his body into a formidable and muscular frame. While possessing no significant or eye popping features Lucius is considered considerably handsome and thus has the appearance and presence of a man whose fought in war, but has excelled and conquered in it.

Equipment:

Griffin’s Fire: A gold plated longsword that has been magically attuned with fire. When needed, Lucius can call upon the blade to ignite as it swings thus increasing the potential to slice through even the strongest of plate armor.

Knights Armor: (Will Fill in later… still thinking of how I wanna approach this)

War horse: Glory, a powerful white steed adored with armor and Yulian colors. While being deceptively fast, Glory main strength is in its size and power as it has to be strong enough to support the weight of its rider while also capable of riding through enemy lines in combat. No sane warrior would willingly stand in the way of this duo who have fought numerous battles together less they desire to be cut down or run over.

Personality: It’s easy to be bold and daring after emerging from war victorious. Lucius, given the honor of being the “King’s Champion” has taken his ego into new heights. His family had always produced great warriors but his innate talent blossomed during the wars against Aressa and Miriand. Lucius fears little and only holds respect for his King and the veteran battle mages that have aided him in his conquests. If you ask him personally he may hold other knights in high self esteem but in his most private thoughts, Lucius considers himself better than all others who hold the Yulian banner. His desire for greatness is absolute.

Skills: A truly talented Knight of Yulia, Lucius is noted throughout the kingdom for his exceptional skill. While he performed admirably in the war against Mirand, Lucius truly came into his own when he was said to have struck down at least a dozen notable Aressa Wolf Knights in single combat during the campaign. Combined with his horsemanship, Lucius is often seen riding in the front and being among the first to enter combat.

Weakness: While possessing great skills Lucius is still only a man protected mainly by his abilities and his own armor. Over confidence in his abilities and reliance on his armor has made Lucius at times sloppy, especially considering that extended conflicts can wear him out and expose him.

Fatal Flaw: Lucius by all accounts has the right to be proud and bold considering all that he has accomplished in his young age. Not one to be humbled Lucius often exposed himself to danger if it meant being able to cross swords with notable enemy warriors. Should an enemy learn of Lucius’s tendencies to glorify himself in combat or seek out personal challenges, the young Knight may find himself in a situation that even he can’t fight out of.

[VitoftheVoid]

@DragonofTheWest

Looks good!

...also now super tempted to drop in a former wolf knight character I had from a previous iteration of this, but don't want to overdo it.

[Halvtand]

@VitoftheVoid Here's a first draft of the character. I've gone with a god of my own, but have tried to fit it into the existing lore.

hiders makes the world go 'round

Full Name: Thorfinn

Nicknames/Aliases: Blotare (Sacrificer)

Age: 34.

Gender: Male.

Occupation/Class: Cleric/priest.

Kingdom of Origin: Aressa

Description: Thorfinn is a man who has lived a relatively good life up until very recently. His body is well-built with a fine layer of fat and skin that is still soft in his hands. His body is free from scars (bar recent events) and he still have all his teeth in reasonable condition. He has begun to lose his hair, and his dark blonde hairline is more than a hand’s width above his eyebrows. The eyebrows themselves are bushy and thick, which perfectly complements his likewise thick, bushy and blonde beard. His green eyes (with crow’s feet at the edges) are still young and have a spark of life left in them.
Being a prisoner he is barefoot, dressed in rags and dirty. An old wound has come back to haunt him, making him walk with a noticeable limp.

Equipment: Nothing more than the clothes on his back, and not even they are his.

Personality: Thorfinn is at his core a happy man, and a man that can inspire others. He knows the power of words and gestures, that a compliment and praise at the right time can move mountains, and that a meal shared ties a bond stronger than steel. He knows how to live and enjoys good beer, roasted meat and dancing women. His god is not one so strict as to deny its followers the simple joys in life.
Thorfinn prides himself with his ability to sit down next to anyone, king or thief, he will shun no one.

Skills:

Speech - Thorfinn is used to speaking in front of large groups of people, something that will make most people stutter and use the universal phrase “um” at least once every sentence. Thorfinn on the other hand can speak loudly, clearly and with conviction.

Knowledge - Clerics doesn’t just walk around with their heads in the clouds. Most of them takes up a second occupation to pass the time, many clerics takes up writing, gardening, architecture or cooking. Thorfinn took to reading, while he is no expert in any particular field he can show a surprising amount of knowledge about almost anything.

Healing - While not even close to as good as a proper doctor or witch, Thorfinn has practiced enough medicine to deal with many common injuries and ailments.

Weaknesses:

A lover, not a fighter - Thorfinn has not been in many fights, and all of his martial prowess is the experience from said fights.

He walks in the shadow of gods - A lot of Thorfinn’s power is based on his god, with the right people he could amass an army, move mountains or burn an entire continent to the ground. In a world where atheism is enforced by law… Not so much.

Fatal Flaw:

A man of many theories - Thorfinn is by no means an athlete or even a capable worker. His trade is one of words and he literally hasn’t done an honest day’s worth of hard work in his life. He lacks skills, stamina and strength.

Brief History: Thorfinn was recruited at a very young age to be a cleric by a traveling preacher. He never learned how to do a proper job but learned how to read, write, count and speak instead. Apart from the endless traveling it was a fairly good life. Everywhere he went people met him with smiles, open arms and food.

One of Thorfinn's most important jobs was to send sacrifices to his god, Vigo, the god of death, to keep him entertained. This was often done as part of a great feast or at least a bigger social gathering.

That all changed when the fire nation attacked he stumbled on a patrol of Yulian soldiers. They realised what he was before he figured out who they were and hand him in shackles before he’d had a chance to at least attempt a daring escape. He went off to meet the inquisitors, to be tortured and either converted or executed. Turns out that conversion is quite difficult and Thorfinn is scheduled for execution.

Other: Thorfinn can hear the voice of god.

The God

Vigo

God of journeys, storytelling and death.
Guardian of the white flame and the secrets of the gods.
Patron of wanderers, travelers and sailors.

Often portrayed as a raven or crow. Always present, but never in the spotlight. Vigo’s main job is to guard the sacred vault to make sure that Tinon’s white flame does not escape or is stolen.
After creating the world, Tinon created the sacred vault to hold the flame until the end. To make sure no one could steal it he placed the vault in the middle of the endless land of death. But even the sacred vault could not suppress the light. Fearing that his light would be stolen, Tinon tasked his youngest son Vigo with guarding it. Vigo is a god of death, and he stands alone in the endless darkness that awaits the dead. He listens to the life stories of everyone who finds him and gives them a place in the darkness. Every now and then someone comes along with a most fantastic tale that brightens up Vigo’s endless vigil. Such people are granted a fraction of the white flame’s light before they are given their place in the endless darkness.
(The night sky is the land of death).

[VitoftheVoid]

@Halvtand Looking good! All seems to line up lore-wise and Vigo fits into the Pantheon well.

[ineffable]

@VitoftheVoid
No idea. Could you suggest me the plotty roles? :)

[The Angry Goat]

woaw this took off since the interest check... I'll read through and probably have something up within the next few days if I end up thinking I can handle jumping on board

edit: thinking some sorta rebel dude who hits hard, tanks a lot, but isn't that smart. would need someone else to pair with to make him work though, otherwise he's just gonna rot in jail with no one to lead him. Maybe @Halvtand's character could do something with him?

could also do something else though. IDK. I like the possibilites here

[1Hawkeyes]

@VitoftheVoid I'll have two characters up soon! One a female fighter, one a female mage, if that's acceptable. :3

[VitoftheVoid]

@VitoftheVoid
No idea. Could you suggest me the plotty roles? :)

@ineffable

Off the top of my head...

Rebel Leader
Aressan Heir
Head of the Midgate Garrison
Rebels
Yulian Troops
Former Wolf Knights/Church Knights/Iron Boars

@The Angry Goat Sounds good.
If @Halvtand's character isn't up for it I'm super heavily considering a wolf knight who might.

@1Hawkeyes That's great. Look forward to seeing them. :)

[Raknarion]

Hey, really interested in this. Pm'd you about a potential role I could take. Definitely rolling one of 'em Wolf Knights as well!

[Halvtand]

@The Angry Goat I'd love to pair up. Sounds to me like our characters would be polar opposites, which makes it even more fun.

[Aleranicus]

@VitoftheVoid Taking a brief look at this, it sounds like something I'd love to be a part of if you'll have me. I will freely admit I still have to read about 30% of the Lore still, but I had an idea of playing a traditional feudal Knight within the conquered lands, near Midgate. Someone who is sympathetic to the budding rebellion but knows any overt acts of support will see his keep torn down, his line extinguished, and his smallfolk put to the sword.

On a side note, where did you make those coats of arms??? I've been looking for stuff like that for my own tabletop games!!!

Ser Travayn Odissa

Full Name: Ser Travayn Odissa III

Nicknames/Aliases: Ser Odissa, Odissea, The King of Cowards

Age: 33

Gender: Male

Occupation/Class: Landed Knight of Yulia, Formerly of Alessa

Kingdom of Origin: Alessa, Region of Odissea

Description: Standing just shy of 6 Foot tall and more lanky than muscular, the Knight of Odissea is known to primp and preen before a mirror to affect a more cosmopolitan appearance than such a rural knight would have any business adopting.



Equipment:
- One Horse-drawn carriage, windowless, for transportation
- One set of courtly formalwear, made from Eastern Silks.
- One suit of mail armor, with longsword and shield

Personality: Ser Travayn Odissa comes from a long and storied line of Knights within Alessa. Alas, that storied line seemed to come to an end with his ascension to Knighthood. Travayn was not born with his family's inclination toward Knightly valor and fidelity to duty. He concerns himself more with the art of the possible, rather than the dreams of the impossible. He is a man of few words and fewer dreams. But one of those dreams is to see his family name redeemed during the overthrow of the Yulian empire...


Skills:
- Political Education: Travayn was tutored by a Yulian expatriate in the art of politics. He knows how one greases the wheels of power within an empire. A word in the ear and a coin in the pocket, and look, it really was a simple misunderstanding.
- Formal Duelist: Travayn has received instruction in the use of sword and Javelin from his father's armsman before the war of conquest.
- The Hidden Hoard: Every year the Odissa estate pays its tithe to Yulia, ahead of schedule. And every year the ledgers list expenses for an extravagant "Midwinter Feast" within the halls. But no feast is cooked. The gold instead secretly is buried in the mines beneath Odissea Keep in a played out seam. Weapons and armor from the armory are buried and listed as "rusted" or "damaged" before being replaced. And every year, the hoard of treasure and weapons grows larger.

Weaknesses:
- Poor reputation: It's a common game in Midgate's inns to raise ever inventive toasts to his demise. The smallfolk spit at his carriage when it passes, and the Yulians consider him a toady that will bend to the smallest request when summoned.
- The Patron: The Inquisition is aware that someone is supplying rebels with money and weapons around Midgate. So far, they know that this "Patron" does exist, and that they are someone of means. If Travayn isn't careful, the whole enterprise may come crashing down.
- Cannot be Seen: To openly support the rebellion around Midgate is a death sentence not just for Travayn, but for the many smallfolk who work his estate.

Fatal Flaw:
- Failure to Dream: Travayn concerns himself with what is possible, not what is right or just. He will never envision himself intervening on behalf of a peasant being taken by the Inquisition for fear that the Inquisition will turn their ire on him. He is so concerned with planning for an eventual uprising against Yulia someday that he may not recognize that someday may be today.


Brief History: Lord Travayn Odissa was a young man when his father and brother answered the call to war against Yulia. While they rode off with their squires and hedge knights to the front, he was ordered to summon their levies and lead them to battle. An encounter with a Yulian column of soldiers near the border revealed to Travayn what a foolhardy idea that was. He obeyed his father's orders to summon the smallfolk, but did nothing more than provision their castle and wait out the war. The armsmen wondered if the young lord had made a bargain with the enemy to betray his vows, while the smallfolk would admit they were happy to not see their lives thrown away for one lordling or another.

It wasn't until the collapse of the Alessan knights that the fortress was approached by a delegation from Yulia. The King's High General was glad that the young lord had not taken the lives of his soldiers in a foolhardy attack, and he considered Travayn's actions a show of loyalty. Formal terms of surrender were laid out, but they amounted to little more than a transfer of sovereignty from Alessa to Yulia. Travayn was named Lord Protector of the Spine Hills, but both he and the Governor knew it was an empty title- none of the neighboring fiefdoms thought of it as anything other than his reward for selling out the kingdomw, nor would they respect his commands, but Travayn could not refuse the title without being accused of insubordination toward the crown.

Today, as the blights set in across the world and rebellion spreads from hardship, Travayn finds himself at a crossroads. He has been hoarding gold and weapons ever since the end of Alessa, preparing to use them someday in the future against Yulia. His gold and orchards secretly finance and feed small bands of rebels. At the same time, the people of Yulia know his orchards are still unaffected by the Blights. Yulian Mages and Engineers, along with convict work gangs, are preparing to descend on his lands to work on irrigation and farming projects to maximize their efficiency. Soon, loyal Yulians will be swarming his land- making his clandestine efforts that much more difficult...

Odissea

Nestled along the foothills of the borderlands, Odissea has a reputation for its iron mines and its orchards. For generations the Odissa family had a reputation for serving as one of the royal family's chief bannermen, summoning their smallfolk to battle and abandoning their holdings for war. The crown came to rely on their levies too much over the centuries, and Odissea's fortunes suffered. The Odissa family still enjoyed prestige at court, but their Keep began to fall into decline and their smallfolk took up arms against Travayn's great-grandfather after his constant summons led to a famine.

Today, Odissea's fortunes are much improved. The crown of Yulia noted with favor that when they were ordered to the field by the royal family of Alessa, the levies were called but did not march. They could have launched a destructive but futile attack on the Yulian flank. In exchange for forsaking their vows, the Odissea region was ordered to be spared by the Yulian generals where the surrounding countryside was pillaged to supply the army. With their lands spared, the smallfolk continue to worship at the Altar of Hiathas, the Dawn Child, and their neighbors look on with envy at their fat larders.

The Blight that is overtaking the world has yet to touch Odissea in overt ways. Their orchards continue to bear fruit, and the herds of goats and sheep continue to grow fat. As a consequence, peasants from the neighboring fiefs have tried to forcibly move onto Odissean land. The garrison of Midgate has used force to eject these transients, but the Governor has made it clear that Yulia will be expecting more than gold as part of Odissea's yearly tithe.

Lord Odissa has sworn fealty to the military governor of Midgate, and he regularly makes the journey to the fortress to present his tithe and conduct business at its markets- no other Alessan cities will suffer his presence without risking a knife in the back. When last the Governor asked him how many men at arms Odissa could summon in the event of an outbreak of civil unrest, Travayn responded confidently that he could call up 800 souls immediately if needed, and twice as many if given a week to prepare.

Other: Travayn has been marked by the Inquisition as a Catamite, with his Chancellor Gaius Forent marked as his lover. The Governor of Midgate has ordered the Inquisition to leave the two be, for now.

[Awesomoman64]

@VitoftheVoid

Since I've come to realize the term "battlemage" in this world's terminology is more along the lines of “black mage”, I've decided to put the class as the D&D equivalent of what I'm going for to hopefully avoid confusion.

Mezdon Hadirial

Full Name: Mezdon Hadirial

Nicknames/Aliases: Heretic. Traitor. Disgraced Noble

Age: 20

Gender: Male

Occupation/Class: Bladesinger

Kingdom of Origin: Yulian

Description: A tall thin man, Mezdon stands around 6’ 1”. His dark blonde hair is neatly trimmed and stops just before his dark blue eyes. His fair skin has a slight tan to it, but is still fairly pale compared to others. His mannerism reflects his noble upbringing as his posture is proper and his movements are elegant.

Equipment:

Current:

Nothing. The below equipment is locked away in the prison’s armory.

Usual:

Long Sword: A sturdy steel sword. It’s quality is on par with a typical Yulian soldier's, minus the enchantments. (Mezdon’s enchantments work best with a blank slate.)

Cloak: A fine blue cloak with with a dark gray trim. The Hadirial family crest ,formerly stitched on the front, has since been removed, but those with an eye for clothing will still recognize its origin.

Satchel: A plain leather satchel. Simply a way to carry things.

Personality:

Calm and clever, Mezdon thinks before acting. He keeps a cool head in almost all situations rarely letting his emotions take over. A well learned man, he considers one's mind to be their greatest weapon and shows disdain towards those who act impulsive or carelessly.

He might seem a bit condescending at times, but he knows he is no better than the people he walks with. In fact, Mezdon is very openminded despite his Yulian heritage. Something about being branded a criminal for simply wanting to learn a new field of study has made him question the other laws of his land.

Skills:

Sword and Magic: Mezdon has an affinity for both blades and the arcane. Wielding a sword in one hand and spells in the other, his diverse abilities make him near impossible to predict. When not in danger, Mezdon can cast much stronger spells as he is able to give absolute focus.

Strategist: Whether on the fly or with plenty of time, Mezdon can quickly come up with a plan and stay three steps ahead of the enemy. Baiting the enemy into exposing a weakness before attacking. After all, one cannot be careless when using magic, especially in the heat of battle.

Reflexes: Due to his years of constant training, Mezdon has near inhuman reaction time. When it comes to catching a blade with his own or simply dodging at just the right time, Mezdon is among the best.

Weaknesses:

No armor: Requiring full range of motion to cast and attack, Mezdon can’t wear any kind of armor. His only real defense are his reflexes and wits.

Jack of All, Master of None: Though he studied both magic and sword, his split focus means he's not as proficient as someone who gave full focus to the study of one. Thus his magic isn't as good as a full mage nor his swordsmanship better than a full warrior.

Prolonged Combat: Magic and fighting on their own are taxing enough, but Mezdon does both! As such, he tends to tire much faster than most. The longer a fight is drawn out or the more enemies he has to fight in quick succession, the worse off he’ll be.

Fatal Flaw:

Untrusting: Mezdon is kind, polite, he may even appear friendly. But make no mistake, he has a plan to kill you and everyone he meets. After all, it’s hard to let people in after your family betrayed you and your country brands you a heretic.

Brief History:

Though not royal, the Hadirial family has always been considered nobles of the Yulian Empire for their renowned military expertise. Every member of the Hadirial line is trained from birth in melee combat or magic depending on gender and is well versed in battle tactics. Marriages are arranged based on physical skill and education to ensure the next generation is stronger and smarter than the last. Should any member stray from their military roots or break the strict Yulian laws, they would be swiftly disowned and any records of them would be wiped away. Mezdon was one of these cases.

The third child of the current Hadirial line, Mezdon was trained since the day he could hold a blade. While he did enjoy the art of war and swordsmanship, he also had an interest in magic. Some days after practice he would sneak into the female training ground and watch his mother teach his sisters the arcane ways. Eventually his thirst to learn grew too great, and when the first opportunity presented itself, Mezdon swiped a magic tome from his mother.

He studied in secret, often finding dark and secluded places within the walls of his family manor, while keeping up on his swordplay as to not rouse suspicion. He kept this up for many years, until his eldest brother began to question Mezdon’s reclusiveness. After a few weeks of spying on him, Mezdon’s brother discovered what he had been doing and reported him to the Inquisition immediately. Mezdon was stripped of his family name and sentenced to imprisonment at Midgate Fort for an undisclosed amount of time...

Other: Though he rarely drinks, drunk Mezdon is still able to cast spells. You have been warned.

[VitoftheVoid]

@Raknarion My apologies, didn;t appear to have been notified of the PM, but I've found it now and I'll look it over in a sec. :)

@Aleranicus No worries. A lot of the lore is more as flavour and to inform characters than stuff that people need to memorise. The WIP looks like everything fits in, and should work rather interestingly with my Inquisitor showing up at Midgate.

@Awesomoman64 I like it! Will be interesting to see thinks from a male mage's perspective.

[VitoftheVoid]

On a side note, where did you make those coats of arms??? I've been looking for stuff like that for my own tabletop games!!!

@Aleranicus

Oh, also, the coats of arms for the Kingdoms I made on here: rpg.uplink.fi/heraldry It's a nifty little tool and the results look pretty great.

[Aleranicus]

@VitoftheVoid Thanks! I just finished the CS, FYI, if you want to approve. I also think the Inquisition angle is something that could be played with for some fun!

[VitoftheVoid]

@Aleranicus All good!

One minor thing, 'Aressa' is written as 'Alessa' as a few times. Pretty minor point but just wanted to mention it before it goes up. Otherwise I like it, gonna be interesting.

[DragonofTheWest]

Any idea when we are going to start? Seems like we got a good enough foundation

[VitoftheVoid]

Once I've got my profiles up, hopefully this evening, I'll drop the opening post. I already have a thing written up for that in part. :)