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[OOC] Totem Page 3

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Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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Excited about these submissions! I have a few notes for the latest CSs, I'll post them later. For those who have yet to submit anything, deadline for submission is 01/24/15. After that date has passed, I will go over all the sheets again and accept the characters I think will work best. I plan to start the game on the 25th.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Chapatrap
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And here's Ramzi al-Sahar. --- **Name** Ramzi al-Sahar **Description** Ramzi al-Sahar is dark skinned, human male with sharp features and a face creased with age. A salt-and-pepper beard goes under his chin, around his lips and up the side of his face to meet into a crown of receding, black curls ([Bearing a resemblance to His Imperial Majesty](http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/iconic_leaders/icon00000000010.jpg), of course). Age has taken its toll on Ramzi, as his once imposing physique has become noticably weaker in recent years and his height has developed a slight stoop. Despite his physical weaknesses, Ramzi is still sharp in mind and skilled in his use of the spear. Ramzi has adopted the cultural norms of Belencrest and his clothing fits the norm of the city. **Backstory** Ramzi al-Sahar is of a small, desert tribe in the far-south, called the Sahars (hence the 'al-Sahar' surname). He was born into nobility of this tribe and as tribal culture dictates, this required him to become skilled in the art of warfare. The deserts were (and still are) a land of constant bickering among the patchwork of tribes and this meant that before he reached adolescence, he had already killed another human being. In his youth, Ramzi was known as being rather aloof and arrogant and this gained more enemies than allies. Ramzi's father often called Ramzi his favourite son, which inflated his ego and made him colder than ever. When he turned 16, Ramzi's father decided he was to be married off to a female of another tribe in a ceremony that would cement an alliance and cool the growing tensions. He met the bride on his wedding day and they were married without any hitches. Ramzi never showed any interest towards his wife, however and this lead to an unhappy marriage that never bore children. As was common in tribal culture, Ramzi also took on several other wives in political marriages, none of whom he showed any interest in after the wedding day. Instead, Ramzi enjoyed hunting, horse riding, fighting wars for the tribe and was rumoured to have relationships with other men, which is frowned upon in Sahar culture. Shortly after his 30th birthday, Ramzi's father died and the head of the family was passed to an older half-brother. Ramzi began facing intense lines of questioning from his family, who had previously stayed silent while his father was alive, as to why he had not yet bore a child. Although at first waved off as impotency, he was eventually accused of homosexuality, which he strongly denied. Due to his noble blood within the Sahar tribe, he was given two choices - face death publicly or quietly live in exile for the rest of his life. Despite choosing the latter, rumours of his alleged homosexuality spread like wildfire and Ramzi was soon forced to escape the entire desert region into the western lands, where he took up mercenary and bodyguard work. He learned common tongue quickly enough and was fluent by the time he was 35, despite speaking with an accent. His darker colour of skin and deadliness with a spear has often seen uneducated people refer to him as an evil demon but problems with race/colour end there, as people of all races can be found in his line of work. Ramzi joined the White Guards 12 years ago after hearing stories of their prowess on the battlefield. In his earlier days in the organisation, he often fought in the vanguard of several famous battles and was involved in the defence of Belencrest two years ago, during which he was injured. The injury to his knee, mixed with his older age, has lead to Ramzi taking the backseat in the White Guards, doing work in the administration, training of new recruits or doing rounds in the guard. He will not hesitate to fight if provoked but is also careful not to get himself killed. Ramzi's dedication to the White Guard, as well his older age and experience, has led to a certain respect developing around his character among the younger or green-eared White Guards. He is vague when the subject of his own past come up, thinking of his time spent amongst the Sahar as an old life, one he does not wish to dwell on. **Goals/Fears** Ramzi, at this point in his life, is looking forward to a retirement when he reaches his 60th year. Although he has already amassed a small fortune, he is going to try and squeeze as much money out of his line of work until he retires to a southern city, far from the dangers of mercenary work. Ramzi fears an early death. He holds his own life in high regard and looks forward to the day he can hang up his spear and armour for retirement. A particular fear he holds is that someone will discover his homosexuality, which he has gone to great lengths to keep secret. **Mastery** _Long Weaponry:_ Ramzis speciality is with longer weapons, such as spears, pikes and javelins. In his youth, he often used feeble wooden spears and javelins but as an older man, he finds himself turning the previously clumsy pike into a weapon of deadly accuracy and defensive capability. Spears and javelins are still occasionally used but the pike is now Ramzis weapon of choice. **Equipment** Ramzi is usually equipped in lighter armour, as the heavier armour bears a lot of pressure on his weaker shoulders. His pike is 10 foot long and is usually carried casually over one shoulder. It is not a weapon for strapping to ones back. A short hunting knife, a remnant from his year in the deserts, hangs from his belt for non-combat use. **Personality** Ramzi has grown from a brooding bed of adolescent arrogance into quite a cheerful, friendly older man. His interactions with people are generally quite positive and as shown by the creases in his face, he enjoys laughing and loves life. He is shown to have a serious side in dire moments and in his rare moments of anger, he is said to become reminiscent of his younger self. True love is not something Ramzi has ever experienced, instead preferring short flings with male prostitutes. He has his moments of brooding sadness when reminded of his beloved father or his exile from his family but is never nostalgic when it comes to the past. He is often rather vague when it comes to his past in the desert, preferring not to talk of days gone by. **Totem** Ramzi's totem is a smooth, brown pebble with Sahar markings embedded in the stone. When near water, it begins to lightly glow and pulsate. He often found this useful in the desert, where water sources were few and far between but rarely finds use for it in Belencrest. He keeps it as a memento from his time in the desert and usually doesn't carry it on his person.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Cultural Titan
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Cultural Titan

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Question. When do humans mature/ what is their life expectancy in this world? Is it more like modern day or what?
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Megadraco
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Alright, I changed my CS. I hope you like it now!
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by redrout
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NOTE: I also made up some names to make the backstory and such more readable and real, these aspects are up to you though. I hope this all posts right. Name: Juren Description: Juren is a large man with a broad build, standing at nearly 6’4”. He is a light-skinned, black-haired man who was born of a woman in the north colonies. His father, however, was a mountain-dweller, and as such he inherited their signature black eyes, sclera and all, which he hides with a small totem hung around his neck. He keeps his hair neatly braided when he can, otherwise he keeps it in a short pony tail that reaches to just between his shoulder blades. He allows his beard to grow to about an inch long before he deems it too much trouble, and cuts it off again. He wears a light gray tunic and pants when not on duty. Juren appears to be in his mid to late twenties, and as such shows little signs of the rapid aging that a mercenary experiences. Juren isn’t an educated man, not by a long shot, but he’s no fool, and knows how to handle himself independently. Backstory: Now, anybody from the far-south of Verloren will tell you that the people who live in the Isachaar mountains far to the north are giants and demons, made of frost and stone and seething hatred for anything, or anyone, that ventures into those mountains. Tales are told of the brutality of its denizens to keep the youth of the southern provinces in line. The truth is, however, often not as it seems, and there even exists trade between those that live in the mountains and the northern provinces. The people of the mountains usually keep to themselves, venturing down only to collect berries and let animals graze when the seasons are right. They are frightening people though; they grow to almost seven feet tall and have eyes black as night. Although the trade has become more commonplace, any kind of relations beyond that were completely unheard of, until Juren’s mother, Aloise, gave birth to him. Instantly, the young woman became an outcast. Quickly finding out that even begging could not feed her and her newborn, she made for a different, larger settlement, and began to beg there, occasionally peddling her skills as an apprentice seamstress to gain whatever she could. Eventually, when Juren was around twelve years old, Aloise earned enough to have a totem crafted that made his eyes seem normal, with dark blue irises. They began to beg together, but before long, Alois discovered that she could make more money selling her body than simply begging for their supper, so she took to prostitution. They made more money and found a place to live for a few years, until Juren’s mother didn’t come home one morning. Her body was found in the street a ways up the road, whether lost to some nobleman’s twisted passions or simply an accident, he did not know. Juren raged when he saw his mother lying in a pool of her own blood on the roadside, tossed aside like a crust of bread. He turned on the first man he saw, beating the man senseless and spending several nights in jail because of it. When he was released, he soon discovered that he could exploit his advantage of size, and found a small mercenary company to work for. He learned how to handle a sword and bow, but it never seemed to suit him as much as the more blunt weapons did. He learned quickly how to handle a greathammer, adopting heavier plate armor to compliment his style and larger frame. The outfit he was with was absorbed into the White Guard about five years ago, allowing him more freedom to travel, which brought him to Belencrest. Goals/Fears: For a long time, Juren swore revenge on whoever killed his mother, but as time passed, the idea faded in his mind. His goals moved towards finding a wife and having children, settling down when the time was right and he’d earned enough money. He is unsure of this, and fears that since he knows almost no trade or skill than that of a sellsword, he will not be able to provide for his family. As a result of this, he fears that he may be a sellsword for the rest of his life, and fears that he will die before he makes a family of his own. Mastery: Juren is adept with the bow and shortsword, but excels at combat either unarmed or with a two-handed maul. His style relies on closing distances to his opponents, and overpowering them quickly. Equipment: Aside from plate armor and his greathammer, he carries two daggers and a backpack with basic necessities, a pipe and tobacco, leather strips and a sharpening stone. Personality: Juren is a quiet man, though not an unpleasant one. He finds arrogance irritating, especially from people who claim to be better than others. As a resident on the fringe of society, he finds it hard to judge people who do what they need to do to get by, and Juren himself has been known to bend rules to get what he wants. He has always had a bit of a dislike for following orders, the more frivolous ones gaining most of his ire; like the silly fabric the White Guard made them wear, and guarding things that didn’t need to be guarded. Totem: Juren’s totem is a spherically-shaped piece of steel, with a simple, angular three-dimensional design inside of it. It allows him to pass as a human, for all intents and purposes, and hides his nature as a half-breed of humans and the folk that live in the mountain. If he takes the totem off and gets more than arm’s length away from it, his eyes fade to black again.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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Last day to sign up if you wanted a chance in. Tomorrow I'll be posting which characters have been accepted. I'm working on the first IC post, though some things may change depending on the final roster. If the final cut doesn't alter things too much, I'll have the first post out this weekend. Thank you to everyone who has signed up so far!
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Hank
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Hank Dionysian Mystery

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I realize it's already the 25th, but I'm going to try to sneak a character in before you've finished reviewing them all. Hang tight.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Hank
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Hank Dionysian Mystery

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Whew! Okay, here's my sheet. Name: Constantine “Rook” Heldane. Description: Rook is a lean, wiry, young man with a tangible rogueish air about him. His black hair is windswept and wavy, his blue eyes are angular and dreamy and his goatee is trimmed and well-maintained. There is very little fat on his body, so his skin pulls taut around his whipcord muscles. Neither particularly tall nor particularly short, he does not appear very threatening at first glance, though the twin ketra blades and assorted daggers strapped to his person tell a different story. Rook is generally dressed in form-fitting clothes augmented with leather armor, providing a modicum of protection to his vital areas. He wears a red sash around his waist at all times. Backstory: Constantine hails from a southern archipelago city-state known as Montgarde. Fishing is its main industry and the Montgardians are widely regarded as some of the finest sailors and whalers of the known world. Our young hero never cared much for fishing, however. Neither did his parents, who were both tailors running a little shop in a poor part of town. Constantine grew up mostly on the street, playing and wisecracking with the other boys of the neighbourhood while his parents were working. They engaged in all sorts of petty crime, as boys are wont to do, and Rook learned the importance of being quick and agile at a young age as they fled from the city guard time and time again. But boys don't stay boys forever and petty crime turned into more serious lawbreaking. Young street rats turned into thugs, and Rook (nicknamed after the bird, not the chesspiece) changed with them. His parents completely lost control of their son, who sometimes didn't come home for weeks on end. Eventually, Rook found himself biting off more than he could chew, and the young lad escaped Montgarde on a whaling ship. He stopped using his real name entirely, fearing discovery, and remained with the whalers for a few years, becoming a capable sailor after all. Rook longed for solid land underneath his feet, however, and desired more riches than being a sailor could bring him. Crime had caused him all sorts of trouble, but it had also made him rich at times, and he had gotten used to the finer things in life. He left the whaling trade, did not return to Montgarde, and eventually turned to the one other reputable profession that his skills made him suitable for: soldiering. Soldiering-for-hire, specifically. Rook was a self-taught Montgardian swordsman, who make use of specialised ketra blades that make them very dangerous dualists. He signed up with a mercenary company that, at the time, was not affiliated with the White Guard yet. The red sash he wears dates from this period. All members of the company wore them. They were known as the Scarlet Ravens and proved to be rather unscrupulous. Rook, anxious not to get mixed up with the wrong sort of people again, hesitated to partake in the racketeering and extortion that the more shady Ravens engaged in. This was perceived as a lack of loyalty by some. When the confrontation came, Rook gambled his life and challenged the leader of the Scarlet Ravens to a duel; the victor (and survivor; the Ravens did not play around) would become the new leader of the mercenary group. Arrogant, the company leader, a man known as Kathras, laughed and accepted. By the skin of his teeth, Rook won the duel, decapitating Kathras with his ketra blades. Beforehand, Rook had, in secret, gathered the good souls among the company ranks to his side. In one night, the Scarlet Ravens were purged of their criminal elements and Rook signed the Scarlet Ravens up to become a White Guard chapter. The rest is history. The Scarlet Ravens had always been a mixed bunch, so they became one of the mobile chapters, not dedicated to any particular region, who travel Verloren as need dictates. In this capacity, Rook ended up in Belencrest. Goals/Fears: Rook aims to make some money and keep himself on the right side of the law doing so. He has experienced how easy it is to be tempted to into lawbreaking, and fears relapsing into such behavior again. He is also, like most people, afraid of death, but relishes the feeling of being more alive than ever that only combat can bring. Mastery: With all his skills combined, Rook essentially makes for an excellent rogue. He prizes himself on his swordplay and dueling skills, but has a pragmatic and ambivalent view on his abilities to melt with the shadows and take things unseen. He also hasn't forgotten how to be a sailor and knows much more about the great whales of the seas of Verloren than one would ever guess to hear from a mercenary. Equipment: Twin ketra blades, specialised curved swords that, instead of a crossguard, have a curved hook above the grip that allows a skilled wielder to disarm his foes with ease. It is Rook's expert use of these weapons that makes him a very fearsome opponent in one-on-one melee combat. He also carries a variety of short daggers for emergency work. Protection is provided only by leather armor, as Rook believes in avoiding strikes moreso than mitigating them with armor. Personality: Rook has a well-developed sense of sarcastic wit that colours all his interactions with other people. He's not unfriendly, but difficult to have a serious conversation with as he tends to deflect questions and disarm others with jokes and sarcasm. Beneath all that he does sport a firm sense of right and wrong, though it may not necessarily match everyone else's morality. He takes his job seriously and enjoys it; the days he hates most are the ones during which nothing happens. Rook thoroughly enjoys money and a decadent lifestyle, and tends to spend it on luxuries whenever he's flush. As such, he may seem shallow and materially-minded, and one might be right. As a former poor street urchin, Rook has no real lofty ambitions. Being well-off is already a great end goal in life for him. Totem: A wrought silver hanger on a necklace that Rook wears beneath his shirt. He stole it from a high-ranking official in the Montgardian city guard, way back in the day. It functions as a warning system; whenever Rook is in danger, the hanger twitches. It enhances his reflexes, making him seem almost preternaturally fast, ducking to avoid strikes he couldn't possibly have seen coming and facing every ambush with weapons already drawn.
Hidden 9 yrs ago → 9 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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Thank you to everyone who submitted. Congratulations to the characters accepted into the game. Silhainlé, played by @Neon Zacharias, played by @Megadraco Adele Brunsque, played by @Fairess Marcel Rimbaud, played by @OneEyedChurro Djonn Kolthus, played by @Commodore Robot Ramzi al-Sahar, played by @Chapatrap For those characters that didn't get in, be sure to check back. I will be opening up the game to more characters in the future. @OneEyedChurro
  • Could you give me an approximate range for Marcel's sensitivity to heat?
@Chapatrap
  • Could you give me an approximate range for the totem's sensitivity to water?
I'm finishing up the opening post. Keep an eye out!
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Chapatrap
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I was thinking about a mile from a natural body of fresh water, it'll start lightly pulsating. The closer you get, the brighter the light gets and the further you get, the darker it gets. It can be neutralised by being placed in the water, in which the light will fade until its close to nothing. If we're gonna be trudging through forests and the like, there won't be much use for it but if we're in areas with a lack of water (desert, mountaintop, etc) it could be useful.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Hank
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Ah, too bad. Hit me up with a PM if you have an open slot, clark.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by OneEyedChurro
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@OneEyedChurro
  • Could you give me an approximate range for Marcel's sensitivity to heat?
clark
Hmm..hadn't really thought about it in terms of exact temperatures. I guess it'd really be a matter of him having much more of a "tolerance"- he couldn't stick his hand into a forge (again) and not expect it to hurt after a few seconds, but he could probably hold his hand in the more red parts of a fire and be relatively okay. It would still damage the hand, absolutely, but since his hand always feels like it's "on fire" he wouldn't feel a whole ton. That's how he'd feel the subtle changes in heat- his hand would heat up to match the fire's heat- if it starts to cool a little, he'd know the fire is dying.
Hidden 9 yrs ago → 9 yrs ago Post by clark
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clark zero thirty

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Thanks, Chap and Churro. That will work out just fine. Thought I'd start out the game giving your characters a chance to socialize (or not). If you need any additional information in order to react, let me know and I will fill in the details either here or I will edit the original IC post.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Fairess
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So... I ought to apologize, as I have a habit of overdoing intros. And then there's the fact that Adele is a brat. Anyone's welcome to join her or let her sulk this first post out--I really just enjoyed writing stuff. Adele's pretty scathing, but as always, it is purely IC and not at all OoC--I've loved reading all your characters so far and although I understand the necessity, I'm sad we can't have everyone in at once. It all looks so fun!
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by clark
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Your intro was great. Yeah, I considered starting off with more players, but this is my first game to run on these forums. I'm not too familiar with anyone, much less their play-styles, so I wanted to start slow. But I'm pretty sure I'll be bringing in some new people relatively soon.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Neon
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My apologies for the delay, I should have something up today.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by clark
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Announcement: We have a new character in the party, Rook, played by Hank. Yay!
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Hank
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The more, the merrier. I promise not to keep you fine fellows waiting on my introductory post for much longer.
Hidden 9 yrs ago → 9 yrs ago Post by Fairess
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I'm glad we got you in, too, Hank! My question for the time being is... how exactly are we working turns, here? I'm eager to post, but I don't want to do so at the exclusion of others. Neon, did you want to post before I do? And... Clark, were you going to post again, or shall I continue on with my own post? Also, I was really bored and was imagining everything out thus far in my brain. I realized that I don't actually know where most of your characters are standing in relation to Adele, and so I made up this little diagram. I find things like this very helpful when there's a lot going on. Hopefully y'all agree with this suuuuper artful rendering.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Commodore Robot
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Commodore Robot Transient Hatemonger

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Awful lotta wall sits. If nothing else our party will have some pretty spectacular quads.
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