[OOC] The Adventures of the Greywood Company: A Tale of Heroes and Lost Legends

[Mystyltainn]

The world of Balance. A fantastical world filled with magic and mayhem, where there's always something to do and somewhere new to explore. Monsters roam the lands even while the people pave their roads, and many travelers find their hands full simply staying alive out in the wilds. How does one even survive the many dangers of the realm...?

Enter the mercenaries. Vagrant sellswords and wandering mages, mercenaries engage in all sorts of activities, whether it be protecting merchants along their trade routes, killing bandits for the local lord, or even doing the odd job around town; all for a good amount of coin, of course. Where there's a job to be done, expect them to be there, money pouches held open at the ready.

Our story, in particular, focuses on a certain group of mercenaries, the Greywood Company to be exact. Although they were once a proud group of veteran problem solvers, their ranks have been thinned, lately, and indeed, only a few of their number remain. Still, their current leader has yet to give up hope, and has recently started a recruiting drive to bolster their man-power. And although many of their veterans are now long gone, the remaining members still cling to the hope that they will once again be able to make a name for themselves in this world.

However, even as the Company hang up their recruitment flyers, a dark wind stirs in the east. Monster activity is at an all time high, and reports of a Red Sun hanging high in the sky over certain parts of the world worry many who hear the news. There are rumors of a higher power orchestrating all of this recent chaos, but any attempts to discern that power's source has been met only with disappointment. The wind steadily makes its way west to the Lion's Coast, and whether they know it or not, the Greywood Company is fated to get swept up in it all...

Will our heroes in the Company rise above the growing turmoil and help save the world from this mysterious darkness? Or are they bound to failure, just another casualty to something far greater?

Well, looking at them now, they probably need a little help...

---

Alright, OOC time! I'll put information on the world and some more in-depth mechanics of the game here, so be sure to give all this a read when you have the time.

World Map:


This'll be where most of the action takes place.

Races: (Shamelessly ripping images from Class of Heroes, I don't think I could compile all the races just from digital art >.>)

Humans

Humans are the most average of the average amongst the races, at least in terms of accomplishments. While not too many of them become spectacular legends in whatever fields they may pursue, they do have the reputation of not being tied down to any one belief or ideology, making them the epitome of freedom and choice. The most common of the races inside city boundaries, its not hard to find a human with the skills you may require, if help is indeed what you're looking for.

Elves

Elves are a spiritual folk, aloof and distant with a mystical vibe. They are in constant communal with their ancient ancestors, and so great is their spirituality that some say they even share memories with one another. The race is also known for their swiftness, and many of their number are often employed as scouts and messengers. They tend to get along well with any race, if only because they interact with each other so differently than everybody else.

Dwarves

Stout Dwarves, children of the earth. Despite their childlike appearance, Dwarves are actually a very hardy race, with sickness almost unheard of and an underlying strength that defies their small frames. They tend to be very frank and take a no-nonsense approach to most everything, working hard to be taken seriously in light of their underwhelming presence.

Zenkari

The Zenkari are an energetic race of beast-like humanoids, given life by Nature, itself, and many are strict naturalists when it comes to politics and lifestyle. They are the most populous of races outside of cities, and take an almost instinctual pleasure with all things natural. Their males and females are distinctly divided, the females taking on more animal-like features such as fur, while the males only have animal-like ears and a tail, at most.

Dreamwalkers

Dreamwalkers are a mysterious race of semi-ethereal beings, similar to ghosts and spirits. Some experts say that they are the manifestations of memories and dreams, although there is no concrete proof that this is true. In any case, their personalities differ greatly between each individual, although they all share that same blank look and daydream-like smile when they feel nobody's watching.

Locations for Reference:

Forest City of Ark

The city of Ark is a bustling trade center, en route of a large highway system through the Greywoods. A refreshing mix of civilization and nature, Ark is as popular with tourists as it is with merchants, and you will find a plethora of both within the boundaries of its walls.

Ostia Martin

Ostia Martin is the capital city of the Jaris Confederation, one of the major powers in the Lion’s Coast. Made splendid by the Confederation’s wealth, this city is a gathering place for a huge variety of people from many different walks of life; from the lowly mercenary to the foreign prince, you’ll find just about anybody walking down its streets.

Fjelhorn

Nestled high within the mountains, Fjelhorn is the biggest outpost to be found along Frosthelm Pass. That’s not saying much, though, as it is barely the size of a small village in its entirety. Still, it grants much needed reprieve to weary travelers who feel the need to shave a few days off their journey, and sellswords flock to the outpost by the dozen in the hopes of finding work as bodyguards.

Kiraisha

Deep within the Shensui Steppes lies the hidden city of Kiraisha, home to a clan of warrior monks who find solace in training in the harsh environment of the steppe. Many know of its existence, but very few are able to find their way there. Those who do make it are usually only those who have some sort of interest in training under the monks’ tutelage. Still, a small number of simply curious fanatics do somehow find entry into the fabled city, if only to bathe in its splendor for even a little while.

Elentielle, City of Magic

A city of mages and the arcane arts, many of Elentielle’s tall, elegant buildings were only made possible by the magics of those who lived there. Known for its isolationist policies and peaceful nature, not many nations bother with it or its inhabitants, choosing to leave them and their power alone. For even though one holding the power of Elentielle’s mages would have the strength to conquer kingdoms, they would be hard pressed to bring that power under theirs, in the first place…

Port City of Anendale

High atop a cliff that is both natural and man-made, Anendale thrives as a central port along the Lion’s Coast. Unfortunately, that also means that the waters surrounding it are prime hunting grounds for pirates and raiders, alike. The city Navy works hard to keep the area safe, but many merchants and seafaring travelers like to employ the work of mercenaries, just in case.

Makinaki Village

One of the few remaining pockets of civilization situated within the haunted Giza Plains, the people here are superstitious to a fault, and outsiders are usually not welcomed. Not many can blame them, as the plains are haunted. Because of their superstitious nature they are very suspicious of magic, and because of that they’ve reached a level of non-magical technology rarely found in other places. However, their paranoid nature makes it hard for these new technologies to spread, and the lack of renewable resources in the plains is slowly taking its toll.

Old World Ruins

The last remaining shadow of the Old World, these ruins stand as a black behemoth over the fey forests of Balance, a testament to what once was and a reminder of what should never be. Old legends and fairy tales tell of the destruction the previous inhabitants of this once-proud city brought upon themselves, but now, only scavengers and scholars roam the streets of these ruins, looking for anything of value, both monetary and intellectual. The place holds a sort of taboo for the world overall, however, and not many dare set foot in the desolate ruins.

In-Depth Mechanics:

In-Depth Stuff

1. Character Stats

So, usually characters in Fire Emblem start off with some base stats and stat growths, but we're doing away with that, here. Every character will get 30 stat points upon creation that you can distribute wherever you like (no more than 8 points in a single area, though), and you will also gain 3 stat points every level up, also to distribute as you like (Only one point per stat, though, and points into HP increase it by 1.5). To clarify, each character starts with a 0 in all stats, except HP which starts at 20, and you then distribute points as you wish. To further clarify (bear with me, here, I wanna make sure this is as clear as possible xD), I'll post a before and after of some character's stats:

HP: 20
Str: 0
Mag: 0
Skl: 0
Spd: 0
Lck: 0
Def: 0
Res: 0

And after:

HP: 24 (24.5) (Points in HP increase it by 1.5, but it’s effectively rounded down)
Str: 8 (Remember to add your racial stat bonuses)
Mag: 0
Skl: 4
Spd: 3
Lck: 7
Def: 7
Res: 2

And before anyone comes asking me what the stats actually do, here's a list explaining them (they're slightly modified from the game, so read them even if you've played it!):

HP - How much damage you can take before you die. If it hits zero, you're dead!
Str - How much damage you can do with physical weapons. Each point in Str increases your physical damage by 0.5.
Mag - How much damage you can do with spells and the like. Each point in Mag increases your magic damage by 0.5.
Skl - How skillful you are in attacking. Each point in Skl increases your Hit by 2, and your Crit chance by 0.5. Also, for every point in Skl, you get a 2% chance to ignore half the enemy's Def, rounded up.
Spd - How fast you are. Each point in speed increases your Dodge by 2, and if you have more speed than your opponent, you can attack twice! (Also slightly modified from the game, 3 more speed lets you attack twice, with the second hit doing half damage, while 6 speed over your enemy lets you do full damage with the second attack.)
Lck - How lucky you are. Each point in Lck increases your Dodge, Hit, Crit evasion, and Crit chance by 1.
Def - How good you are at defending yourself. Each point in Def increases physical resistance by 0.5.
Res - How resistant you are to magic. Each point in Res increases magical resistance by 0.5.

Also, all damage is rounded down. If you would do 3.5 damage by these calculations, in reality, you would only do 3.

And that should be it for stats. Don't worry too much about calculations and stuff, I'll handle that. As long as you get the general idea about what stats do, feel free to distribute them with impunity and let me handle all the number crunching. xD

2. Armor and Mounts

So, when you make your character, you're going to need to determine what kind of armor your character will have. This will determine your defense bonus and your base movement.

None/Light Armor: +0 Def, 6 Mov
Medium Armor: +2 Def, 5 Mov
Heavy Armor: +4 Def, 4 Mov

You can also choose to have a shield, which will increase your defense at the cost of skill and speed.

Buckler: +1 Def, -1 Skl
Kite Shield: +3 Def, -2 Skl, -1 Spd
Tower Shield: +5 Def, -3 Skl, -2 Spd

Be sure to include these bonuses when you distribute stats. Now that we've gotten into armor, this character, who uses medium armor and a kite shield, will have stats that look like this:

(Place base stats in parentheses next to the actual stat)
Armor Type: Medium
Shield: Kite
HP: 24 (24.5)
Str: 8
Mag: 0
Skl: 2 (4) (Note: If your stat would go into the negatives with penalties, keep it at zero)
Spd: 2 (3)
Lck: 7
Def: 12 (7)
Res: 2
Mov: 5

And as for mounts, you choose whether or not you want a mount when you make your character. This gives you a bonus to Movement, but at the cost of a few skill points. Pros and Cons are as follows:

Horseback: +2 Mov, -4 Base Stat points
Pegasus: +3 Mov, -8 Base Stat points, Flying
Wyvern: +2 Mov, -6 Base Stat points, Flying

Now, let’s say this character rides Wyverns:

(Note: You don't need to put base stats or anything in parentheses when accounting for mounts; just subtract from your actual stats until you have the required amount of penalties)
Armor Type: Medium
Shield: Kite
Mount: Wyvern
HP: 23
Str: 6
Mag: 0
Skl: 2 (4)
Spd: 2 (3)
Lck: 6
Def: 10 (5)
Res: 1
Mov: 7

And there you have it. If it's a little complicated... tell me, and I'll see what I can do. >.>

3. Weapon Skills

In Fire Emblem, units have differing skills in weaponry, denoted by a letter grade with E being the lowest, and S being a master level. You need a high weapon skill level to use better weapons, and in this game, going up weapon skill levels will also net you a nice Hit bonus.

E: +0 Hit
D: +5 Hit
C: +10 Hit
B: +15 Hit
A: +20 Hit
S: Same as previous Hit bonus, but allows you to use legendary weapons.

That should be it for this... At character creation, you will get one weapon skill point to spend at your leisure on any of the weapon types (unless you take on a certain feat, explained later), and you get another weapon skill point every five levels, also to spend at will. Here's a list of weapon types:

Swords
Axes
Lances
Bows
Knuckles/Gauntlets
Elemental/Anima Magics (Pick an elemental specialization: Earth, Wind, Fire, Lightning, Ice)
Light Magics (Also implements healing spells)
Dark Magics
Arcane Magics
Daggers (Note: Everyone starts with an E in Daggers)

4. Magic

Magic will be handled a little differently than in the games. Although you still have a weapon skill for the different types of magic, characters will not actually use tomes to cast, instead learning magic and being able to use them inherently (your weapon skill determines how powerful a spell you can learn). All of your spells will have a set number of charges, and these charges return in between fights (weapons can also be repaired in between fights, though this will cost gold). There will also be a number of utility spells and such you can learn, so keep all this in mind if you want to play a mage. Also, if you use Elemental/Anima magics, you need to choose an elemental specialization. The elements are:

Ice <-> Wind <-> Lightning <-> Fire <-> Earth.

The elements have a relationship with each other, and go from neutral to opposed based on the above (sort-of) diagram. The two elements closest to your chosen are 'Neutral', and you have your weapon skill rank in Anima - 1 in those element. The two elements furthest from your chosen are 'Opposed', and you get your weapon skill rank in Anima - 2 in those elements. For example, if you have C in Anima and specialize in Earth magic, you would have a D in Ice and Fire magics and an E in Lightning and Wind magics.

5. Terrain

Since we'll be using Fire Emblem maps for our game, we'll come across a wide variety of different terrain panels. These panels give various bonuses to dodge and defense, and some heal HP when you end your turn on them. Flying units ignore the terrain (for both offense and defense, to clarify), except for the healing effect. Here's a table of the bonuses terrain gives.

River: -10 Dodge, 6 Mov to cross
House/Village: +10 Dodge
Ruins: +10 Dodge, +1 Def, 2 Mov to cross
Pillars: +10 Dodge, +1 Def
Forest: +20 Dodge, +1 Def, 2 Mov to cross
Fort/Castle: +20 Dodge, +2 Def, Heals 20% HP per turn, 2 Mov to cross
Mountain: +30 Dodge, +1 Def, 3 Mov to cross
Peak: +40 Avoid, +2 Dodge, 4 Mov to cross, Impassable to most

6. Critical Hits

Just thought I'd need to clarify what Criticals will actually be in this game. If you get a critical, your attack strength will double, and you will also ignore half the enemies defense, rounded up. (For example, if you would do 2 damage to an enemy with 9 Def, with a crit you would ignore 4 Def, bringing your damage up to 4, and then double it for 8 damage)

7. Supports

Basically, supports are how well your character gets along with the others, going from C, to B, to A, and, finally, to S (If the two characters in question would be lovers). There are various bonuses to stats based on the affinity of the two characters, but we'll get to that once we actually have some supports. Here's a list of affinities for those who are curious:

Earth
Wind
Ice
Fire
Thunder
Light
Dark
Anima

As for how you actually get supports, just interact with each other! If you feel like you've gotten enough interaction to go up in support levels, just let me know and I'll see about it.

8. Experience

Experience is what you need to level up. Below is the formula for experience gained for attacking and counter attacking. For simplicity's sake, it doesn't matter if you hit or not. Experience gained for kills is tripled. If you are promoted and the enemy isn't, subtract 5 Exp. If the enemy is promoted and you aren't, add 5 Exp.

Exp gained = 10 + Enemy level - Own level

Using healing magic gives you 15 Exp + Staff Rank (5 for E, 10 for D, so on…). Picking locks earns you 20 Exp. Receiving or evading an enemy attack gives you 1 Exp. You need 100 Exp to level up. And that's about it. ;D

9. Leveling Up and Promotion

Leveling up in this game nets you 3 stat points that you can spend on any stat, albeit only once per stat. Every five levels, you gain a weapon skill point that you can use to either increase your skill with the weapon you already have, or spend on unlocking another weapon type for you to use. Every 10 levels, you get another feat.

Promoting will be done automatically once your character reaches level 20, and will give you 10 stat points, a weapon skill point, and also a special, promoted feat (explained later). This doesn't reset your level like in the video games, though. The level cap is 40, and the stat caps are all 35, except for HP which will be 75.

10. Feats/Abilities

You can choose from 2 of these at the beginning, and you get another one every 10 levels (plus one when you promote). Have a list:

Armsman - Taking this feat immediately grants you another weapon skill point.

Bloodlust - Once per turn, after you kill an opponent, you can start combat with another enemy in your attack range.

Healthy Constitution - Gives you fast healing, restoring 10% of your HP at the start of each turn.

Blinding Speed - Your speed now factors in to ignoring enemy defenses. For every point of speed you have over the enemy, your chance to ignore half their defense, rounded down, increases by 4%.

Adept - Your attacks have a new Spd chart. 3 Spd over your enemy still gives you another half attack, but you now only need 5 Spd over your enemy for a full double, and 7 Spd over your enemy gives you an additional third attack at half damage.

Danger Reflex - If an enemy's attack would do a third of your health or more, you attack first.

Heavy Stander - You protect the area immediately surrounding you, and enemies must stop on squares you protect unless they can go around. The area you can cover goes up as you level.

Magic Flare - Spells that you cast are now 1.5 times as strong, but they also consume twice the amount of charges.

Deep Reserves - Your spells have 1.5 times as many charges.

Necromancy - Allows you to take spells under the Necromancy school of Dark Magic.

Divine Favor - Allows you to take spells under the Divine school of Light Magic.

Inspiring Presence - Rally Command. All allies in a 3 square radius around you gain +10 to Dodge and Hit, plus 0.5 for every character level. You and all allies will also gain a +0.5 bonus to damage and defense for every 5 character levels. Lasts 3 turns.

Promotional Skills - These feats can only be obtained at the moment you promote (which means you can only get one).

Luna - Your chance to ignore half of an enemy’s defense now becomes 3% for every point in Skl instead of 2%. You also get a chance to ignore ALL of an enemy’s defense with a chance of ((Skl/2) + (Str/2)).

Sol - Grants you a chance to restore your health by the amount of damage you do to an enemy at a chance of ((Skl/2) + (Lck/2)).

Aegis - Halves damage done to you at a chance of ((Skl/2) + (Def/2)).

Astra - Gives you the chance to attack 5 times in a single round at half damage. Chance is equal to ((Skl/2) + (Spd/2) - 5).

Assassination - Instantly kills the enemy. Chance is equal to ((Skl/2)).

(Note: This list is definitely not a final, and I will probably be changing it as we go along. Don't worry about taking something you won't like later, I'll let people switch around their feats if I add or change something they like. Feel free to give me suggestions and such, as well.)

[Krauxis]

Hopefully everything's in order here. Decided to try a bit stranger combination for my class, and thanks to your mechanics, I think it might have worked out pretty well.

Name: Maria Thorne
Age: 17
Race: Human
Appearance: Click

Personality: Earnest and hardworking, Maria is the very picture of a knight. Despite her great number of failures, she continues to fervently try her best to protect and assist everyone around her. Although most often these attempts end in disaster, she is always the first person to take up the torch when somebody else needs a favor or advice. On the battlefield, she often attracts attention for her innocent appearance and clumsiness, and many people question how she can even ride her wyvern without falling off. Still, she has usually proven to be reliable and trustworthy, repeatedly trying something until she succeeds. She is a stalwart friend to everyone in the company, even if they don't feel the same way, and she would gladly ride to the rescue of anyone who does not like her.

Class: Wyvern Knight

Stats:
HP - 26
Str - 6
Mag - 0
Skl - 2 (5)
Spd - 1 (3)
Lck - 2
Def - 14 (4)
Res - 3
Mov - 6F

Armor Type: Heavy
Shields: Tower Shield
Mount: Wyvern
Affinity: Ice

Weapon Skill:
Lances - E
Daggers - E

Feats/Abilities:
Heavy Stander
Inspiring Presence

History: Maria has a history of sloppy service with the standing armies of various countries, despite her young age. She has accrued a lot of worldly knowledge and experience because of this, though among those who have known her, she is a person best avoided. To the Generals she has served under, all of them would say that she possesses a great deal of hidden potential, but her clumsiness is too dangerous in the heat of battle, and many thought that she would have gotten herself killed already.

She signed on to the Greywood Company fairly recently as just another job, but has become an extremely loyal member over time, because they never shunned her due to her shortcomings. At least, not maliciously. It seems as though she may have found her own place in the world among their ranks, and she would gladly serve for the rest of her life if they let her. To the old boys in the Company, she is like a devoted little sister to everyone.

[Rethel34]

Name: Shivian Edgebolt

Age: 26

Race: Human

Appearance

Personality: Shivian is a man of few words. The most he will usually says is to correct those who mistake him as a woman, due to his long hair, at which point he will simply explain that his physical design is very much masculine, with the exception of his beautiful hair. He's not one to get angry often, and seems to have no interest in romance. He is often calm in the midst of battle, sometimes even appearing laid-back. He moves with a serene grace in battle that seems very much like he is dancing.

Class: Myrmidon

Stats:

HP - 20
Str - 6
Mag - 1
Skl - 7
Spd - 8
Luk - 4
Def - 4
Res - 3

Armor Type: None

Shield: None

Affinity: Thunder

Weapon Levels:

Sword - E
Dagger - E

Abilities:

Adept
Danger Reflex

Inventory:

Slim Sword
Slim Sword
Vulnerary

History

Shivian is a wandering swordsman who tells no one where he is from. Of course, that's partially because he's an amnesiac who remembers nothing earlier than when he was twenty. Or, at least he thinks he was twenty. He really remembers little about his past, but it may be best to start with what he does remember.

Shivian awoke one day, his head uncomfortably positioned on a rock, with a splitting headache. A few feet from him lay a bloodied sword which fit the sheathe on his belt perfectly, and all around him were the bodies of burly ruffians, all slain, likely by Shivian's blade. Though he remembered nothing, not even his own name, Shivian deduced that he had been attacked by bandits, and had, as a result of the fight, had fallen and hit his head on the rock. He thought the mistake clumsy, and vowed to become a better swordsman, so he began walking. What else could he do?

While he walked in search of a teacher, he devised the name Shivian Edgebolt. It had a nice ring to it, or at least it did to him. Therefore he had something to tell others about himself. Apparently he was at least a decent swordsman if he was capable of defeating that many bandits, and so that was something else. Surely someone somewhere would be willing to teach him.

And so a few were, but Shivian never stayed with them for long, learning the basics of their ways and moving on, formulating and creating his own fluid style of fighting. And that was that. He thought he had no other purpose than to create the ultimate style of swordplay. Seemed a simple enough destiny, right? And so his destiny led him to the camp of the Greywood company to see if they had skills that he could use.

[Asura]

Name: Adrianna

Age: 18

Race: Elf (+2 Magic +2 Speed)

Appearance:

Appearnace

Personality: Quite contrary to the stigma that all 'dark' mages are hex touting demon worshipers who take pleasure in the suffering of others and spend their time muttering to themselves darkly, Adrianna is a fountain of bubbly joy and excitement. A bright eyed idealist who sees the world at large as her oyster. The amount of energy she exudes can be quite sickening at times, but her good nature and natural moral makes her an excellent addition to the company. She isn't without fault however. She's quite avaricious, the peddler in her blood still quite strong. In fact, she only joined the company in the hopes of making her fortune by selling her spells out to the highest bidder. In combat, she's arrogant. Taunting her opponents and flaunting her magical skills, often leading her to danger when she messes up a particular incantation.

Class: Dark Mage

Stats:

HP - 20
Str - 0
Mag - 10 (8)
Skl - 5
Spd - 6 (4)
Lck - 3
Def - 7 (5)
Res - 5

Armor Type:
Medium: +2 Def, 5 Mov

Shields: None

Mount: None

Affinity: Dark

Weapon Skill:

Daggers: E
Dark Magic: E

Feats/Abilities:

Deep Reserves;
Magic Flare;

History:

[Alkeni Synair]

Name: Ziria Del'Crae

Age: 25

Race: Human

Appearance:

Picture of her Pegasus, Satyana

Picture of her

Personality: Ziria is a cold and emotionally distant woman. Not out of any grim or foreboding persona she uses to deliberately drive people away – though she does have that, and it does tend to drive people away – but because she fundamentally has problems understanding other people and their behavior. In modern/earth terms, she would be diagnosed as having Asperger's syndrome, but in the here and now, she is simply considered 'odd', to say the least, and generally seen as downright unpersonable. History, Magic and her Pegasus (and pegasi in general) are her primary interests, and when she finds people who share those interests, she can be quite an excellent conversationalist, easily enthused by the subject matter. Her emotional detachment also gives her a more distant view of the issue of death, and she has trouble really caring unless its someone she knows or gives a crap about, or, occasionally, a sort of writ-large death toll she conceptualizes as an intellectual problem. While neither immoral or even amoral, she puts pragmatism first more often than not.

Class: Dark Pegasus Knight

Stats:
HP - 20
Str - 0
Mag - 8
Skl - 5
Spd - 5
Lck - 3
Def - 3
Res – 3
Mov – 9

Armor Type: None

Shields: None

Mount: Pegasus

Affinity: Dark

Weapon Skill: Daggers – E; Dark Magics - E

Feats/Abilities:
Deep Reserves - Ziria's long experimentation and theoretical work into the nature of magic, both while in training and while with the company have given her the ability to stretch her magical power farther than most.
Necromancy - Ziria has never had any qualms at using the dead bodies of her foes to protect her or advance her interests in a battle.

History: Ziria was born to nobility in the Jaris Confederation, and always considered an odd child, due to her difficulty in interfacing with the emotions of others. When it was discovered that she had magical talent, at the age of 6, her wealthy parents, at wits end of what to do to her, sent her off to live with distant relatives in Elentielle. She trained in the basics of magic and magical theory, but over time, found herself being drawn – at least in terms of her interests – to 'Dark' Magic. While not banned in Elentielle, Dark Magic was always a bastard stepchild to Light and Anima magic, and she was shunned to the edge of the scholarly and academic world within the city and its schools of magical study. Which was just find with her. When she was 18, she grew tired of the stiffling environment within the city and finally left it, taking a not-insubstantial sum of money with her (her parents had continued to pay for her upkeep over her time in Elentielle) and traveled east, towards the mountains, intending to eventually travel to the Old World Ruins, where her mentor had traveled the year before.

Along the way, however, Ziria was captured by bandits and her money taken. Initially she was going to be sold into slavery – or perhaps just used by the bandits as a 'plaything' – but they found out she was a noble in the Jaris Confederation, and decided to hold her to ransom. Among the other captives of the bandits was a black Pegasus foal, captured by the bandits as it wandered down from its mountain home, and they intended to sell it for a mountain of gold.

Unfortunately for the bandits, they had stolen a number of family heirlooms belonging to a very wealthy man, who had hired the Greywood Company to get them back. During the attack, Ziria managed to use her magic to break out of her cage, and rescue the Pegasus as well. Impressed by her magical skill during the fighting, the company offered her a position, and Ziria, with little in the way of options short of going to a home she barely remembered (and what she remembered, she didn't like) or returning to the stiffing academic environment of Elentielle, decided to take the offer, using her time with the company as 'field work', in experimenting on the various magical principles she had studied or theorized.

The Foal, which she named Satyana, grew up under her care, and she managed to get some of the other pegasus riders within the company to help her learn how to ride a Pegasus, as well as to train Satyana, and she has been riding Satyana into battle for three years now.

With the company facing hard times, Ziria has considering that it may be time to take her work elsewhere. She's kept the fact that she's considering leaving the company quiet for the time being.

[Mystyltainn]

Lookin' pretty good, guys. In other news, I changed some stuff since I last posted listed here:

- Elves now give +2 to Mag instead of +1 to Mov.
- Healthy Constitution now heals 10% each turn instead of 5%.
- Heavy Stander area of effect will go up as you level. Still working on how much, exactly.
- Healing magic is now going under Light Magics instead of Staves. There will be both attack and healing spells.
- Added 'Deep Reserves' as a feat, increasing your spell charges by 1.5x
- Added the Races section to the OOC

@Rethel: Adept would be fine, though I'd probably change it somehow to make it where you attack three times or something. Vantage is OP, though, I'd have you change it to something else, or we could rework that into something else, as well. >.>

Adept - You have a new Spd chart for attacks. 3 Spd over your opponent is still another hit at half damage, but now you only need 5 Spd to full double, and 7 Spd over your opponent will let you get in a third attack at half damage.

We can work with that, or if you have any other ideas, just let me know.

Also, one of my friends will be joining us. I know I said I wouldn't accept any more, but yeah. >.>

[Rethel34]

Hm. I was trying to use the FE9/10 skills...but I can see your point, I guess. I'll find something else...

EDIT: I found that Vantage was changed in Radiant Dawn to be slightly less powerful. Instead it was activated by a Speed% chance. So what if we changed it to if my char is 5 or 6 points faster, I would attack first? Or is that still overpowered?

[Asura]

Why not just use the Awakening version? Since you basically described Vantage+ (from Lunatic+ mode)

[Rethel34]

Because Awakening's Vantage+ (or Path of Radiance's Vantage) is too OP. We're looking for something like Awakening's simple Vantage skill, or Radiant Dawn's version of Vantage.

But if I can't have Vantage, I might go with a skill like Shade (which decreases the chances of my character being attacked if there is another of my allies within the enemy's range) or just use Myst's Blinding Speed.

[Asura]

I know, that's why I suggested the normal kind. Losing most of your health seems a good way to activate a skill. ;p

[Rethel34]

Oh, okay. I misread. x_x

[Asura]

I'm so conflicted between Deep Reserves + Magic Flare or Magic Flare + Bloodlust

[Krauxis]

Yussssss... First pre-beta balance patch and I'm already getting buffed. Keep it coming

[Aegis1650]

Name: Marduke Cobblestone

Age: 34

Race: Dwarf

Appearance:

Personality: Marduke is steadfast and headstrong, he cares deeply for honor and takes slights and grudges very seriously.

Class: Stone guard

Stats:
HP: 24 (24.5) +5 from Dwarf (for point allocation, to help me remember.)
Str: 8 (6)
Mag: 4
Skl: 1 (4)
Spd: 2 (4)
Luk: 2
Def: 13 (4)
Res: 3

Heavy armor
Tower Shield
No mount

Affinity: Earth

Axes-E
Elemental/Anima magic-E (specializing in earth, will only and can only use earth, it's all he knows, ya know, Dwarfy)
Daggers-E

Feats/abilities:
Armsman
Healthy constitution

History:
Marduke is a typical dwarf, very stereotypical, he's fond of family, fond of friends, and fond of ales, liqueurs, and generally anything and everything being sold at a tavern.
He grew up within his clan, the cobblestones, a family named such for their prodigious fighting talents, being both impressively strong, and having tremendous constitution, as well as having a particular gift. The Cobblestones are very in-tuned with the earth, and have found they can manipulate it, much to the degree of others who use magic to achieve the same feats, but through their conection from that witch they came. They served as a clan as the guardians of their town, Ragnak (located deep in the mountains north of Frosthelm Pass, where the two moiuntainranges meet and end), using their skill at arms and unique ability to protect their people and their interests. Mardukes formal training, comes from his father, who was trained by his father, and so on all the way up the Cobblestone ancestry, and one day, Marduke with teach his son. Dwarves, a fairly xenophobic lot and very isolationist, usually pay the world no mind, unless the world is paying them mind, but this is where Marduke is different from his kin, he cares about the happenings of the world, he recognizes that what affects the world, affects his town and her people. So to this end, he has left his Ragnak, to seek a meaningful existence elsewhere, defending the relative peace of the world, to prevent the peace from ending and dragging Ragnak down with it. To this end, he has met with the Greywood Company, a seemingly ungainly bunch of mercenaries, far from peace lovers, and yet, he found a certain draw to him, almost as though the earth was shifting, creating a gentle incline pushing him towards it, far be it from Marduke to argue with the ground at his feet, he allowed it to guide him, and he enlisted in with them, hoping the ground he trusts and fights with hasn't led him astray.

Hows it look?

[Venom]

Question, Would you allow the Sage/Warrior monk. Or do you prefer pre-class change character? I am also assuming that I was still able to establish a character as I voiced interest prior. If not I will not q.q over it. But this seemed really cool in its early concept I hope You will allow me.

[Mystyltainn]

@Rethel: I'd be fine with a 50% HP Vantage. I'll try and think of some other ways to proc it, and if you get any other ideas just let me know. EDIT: Actually just thought of a pretty good one, how about if the attack would do more than a third of your current HP? Kinda like a danger sense. Let me know what you think.

@Aeigis: Looks pretty good. As for the HP thing, I'm taking it you put 3 points into it? The +5 from Dwarf is just a flat bonus, but since you put 3 points in you would actually get 4.5 more HP from that (rounded down), bringing you to 29 (29.5). And since you're using elemental magic, could you specify which element you'd like to specialize in? I was going to make it so that your rank in elemental magic only counted for your specialized element, all the other ones would count as one rank lower. You can choose from fire, ice, wind, lightning, and earth.

@Venom: Name your class however you want, as long as you follow the character-building rules, we'll be fine. And yes, everybody who expressed their interest in the Interest Check is considered as having a spot reserved for them. =w=

New Changes! Well, some new feats. Have a list:

Adept - Your attacks have a new Spd chart. 3 Spd over your enemy still gives you another half attack, but you now only need 5 Spd over your enemy for a full double, and 7 Spd over your enemy gives you an additional third attack at half damage.

Necromancy - Allows you to take spells under the Necromancy school of Dark Magic.

Divine Favor - Allows you to take spells under the Divine school of Light Magic.

As an explanation, Necromantic spells will be mostly summoning and stuff like that. A good example of an E rank spell would be Raise Zombie, which basically summons a meat shield. Higher rank spells might summon spirits with special effects, and such.

Divine spells are mostly buffs. An example of an E rank spell would be Shield, which would raise defense by a small amount for a few turns, gradually growing smaller and smaller (like a Pure Water). You'd still get both offensive and healing spells normally, Divine just gives even more utility.

Also, my own character sheet:

Name: Aventus Bellamonte

Age: 23

Race: Zenka

Appearance:

Appearance

Personality: Reckless and full of energy, Aventus is not exactly what one would expect from a leader of men. Yet a leader he is, being commander of the Greywood Company, Jaris Branch. Still, even with his carefree nature, his natural charisma lets him perform his duties as commander admirably… most of the time.

In battle, he has an almost one-minded focus on taking out the enemy, and one always sees a wild grin forming on his face when a fight’s about to go down. He’s not really much for strategy, leaving that to his tactical aide, Allietta, and prefers to lead by example, charging to the frontlines with gusto. As for how effective this is, well, let’s just say he hasn’t died, yet...

Class: Hunter

Stats:

HP - 29
Str - 6
Mag - 0
Skl - 2 (3)
Spd - 5
Lck - 8
Def - 7 (4)
Res - 2
Mov - 5

Armor Type: Medium

Shields: Buckler

Mount: None

Affinity: Wind

Weapon Skill:
Bows - E
Daggers - E

Feats/Abilities:

Healthy Constitution
Bloodlust

History: Born and raised in the city of Ark, Aventus has been around forests his whole life, practically breathing pollen while going about with his quaint, city routine. Needless to say, he got rather bored of it.

Convinced that there was something more fun for him to do, out there, Avvy packed his bags and left his home at the tender age of sixteen, looking for adventure and excitement. He found what he was looking for in the Greywood Company, who took him in and worked him to the bone doing this job and that, tirelessly driving him into the ground with constant commissions and requests. Aventus simply worked without complaint, and he loved every second of it.

Fast forward a few years, and the Company is under new management, a fine fellow by the name of Katzenarten Delsei vi Relenia (‘Kat’ for short), but, although he does his duties fine, several mercenaries grumble with discontent. Where had their old leader gone? Why wasn’t she coming back? Why was this rookie, who’d only been with the Company a few years, now the leader of their entire group? All these questions and more rippled through the ranks as more and more people simply jumped ship, figuring they’d have better luck elsewhere.

For although Kat worked hard to fill the shoes of his predecessor (okay, maybe not that hard), the fact of the matter was, he couldn’t fit the bill. He was nowhere near as strong, commanding, or hard-boiled as She was, and the rest of the Company could feel it. Soon enough, only a handful of veterans who actually knew why She left and why Kat was in charge remained, along with the rookies like Aventus who had nowhere else to go.

However, what Kat lacked in strength, he made up for in wit and charisma. Instead of giving up hope as their numbers slowly faded away, he made it a point to expand, sending a trusted few to start up branches of the Company in surrounding towns and cities, which brings us back to Aventus, who was chosen to lead the Jaris Confederation Branch.

Although he’s not too sure why he was chosen, Avvy works at it with the same energy he gives almost everything he does. As of right now, he’s hanging up flyers in the city and looking for a good crew...

[Rethel34]

That form of Vantage sounds good to me. Let's go with it. c:

[Aegis1650]

Ok, changes made, should have history up today. I'm taking a good amount of artistic liberty with this, since Dwarves are not a part of Fire Emblem as far as I'm tracking or remember.

Annnnnnnnnnd, history is up, so, final review?

[Venom]

Name: Glenndaugion

Age:2 generations of amber!

Race: Dreamwalker (+2 to Mag and +2 to Lck)

Appearance: (Could you describe the dreamwalkers appearance)

Personality: Wise but somewhat aloof. But somewhat is somewhat of an understatement. Social situations make no sense, and people never say what they intend. He becomes quite obsessive over logic problems and riddles. For obvious reasons hes naturally suspicious of everyone. But its not that he assumes they are bad at heart, he believes deception is a good thing, it means they want to shield you from the light.

Class: Sage

Stats: Your stats. Each character starts out with 30 stat points to distribute between any stat (except Mov), with each stat starting at 0 (except HP, which starts at 20). No more than 8 points put into a single stat, please.

HP - 20
Str - 0
Mag -(10)8
Skl - 4
Spd - 4
Lck - (7)5
Def - 3
Res - 6

Also, remember to add your racial bonuses to your stat totals.

Armor Type: Light

Shields:none

Mount:none

Affinity: Fire

Weapon Skill:
Elemental/Anima magic-E (Lightning)
Light Magics- E
Daggers -E

Feats/Abilities: Divine Favor, Deep Reserves

History: "I was once a happy thought." He smiles "Its funny how many meanings that could have."

He spent a great deal of his time in the Old World Ruins. But strangely enough he doesn't seem weathered, damaged, or even aware that he was there. He would likely still be there but while watching two groups of treasure hunters battle one another, he aided them both....Prolonging the altercation. The groups became aware of him and misinterpreted his genuine concern for a sadistic game. He escaped....But found that the group had spread word of him in a very negative light.

Thus his wandering began. He had no real destination nor reason to go anywhere. Glenn did however have a slight problem, he tends to see social situations as acts of deception where people say a lot but never what they mean...So he helps people. Particularly couples in need, he would read the signs and help them...And tell a noble or two of their adulterous behavior and how it is bad for the happiness they are trying to create...Getting him ran out of cities.

He found acting as a field medic was good for keeping it interesting, AND no one chases you out of town for it. Bringing smiles and relief is enjoyable. Oh and when you agree to sign the parchments or contara cantro? Whatever it was. Don't know why its called Grey Most of its brown...A shurg as he moves on to the next great mystery "Why is it called an orange? Has someone had a blue to compare it to?"

(For your consideration)

[Mystyltainn]

@Venom: CS lookin' good. You missed about 10 points with your stats, though. :P As for the appearance of dreamwalkers, think paler skin than usual, with wisp-like hair that almost seems like tendrils of air around their heads. They also float. And could you also specify which element you're specializing in?

New feat:

Danger Reflex (basically Vantage) - If an enemy's attack would do a third of your current HP or more, you attack first.

Also nerfed promoted feat proc chances, they were kinda high and I'll probably have to change them again when we actually start getting them. >.>

Also, here's the new explanation for magic (more specifically, elemental magic). Copy Paste:

4. Magic

Magic will be handled a little differently than in the games. Although you still have a weapon skill for the different types of magic, characters will not actually use tomes to cast, instead learning magic and being able to use them inherently (your weapon skill determines how powerful a spell you can learn). All of your spells will have a set number of charges, and these charges return in between fights (weapons can also be repaired in between fights, though this will cost gold). There will also be a number of utility spells and such you can learn, so keep all this in mind if you want to play a mage. Also, if you use Elemental/Anima magics, you need to choose an elemental specialization. The elements are:

Ice <-> Wind <-> Lightning <-> Fire <-> Earth.

The elements have a relationship with each other, and go from neutral to opposed based on the above (sort-of) diagram. The two elements closest to your chosen are 'Neutral', and you have your weapon skill rank in Anima - 1 in those element. The two elements furthest from your chosen are 'Opposed', and you get your weapon skill rank in Anima - 2 in those elements. For example, if you have C in Anima and specialize in Earth magic, you would have a D in Ice and Fire magics and an E in Lightning and Wind magics.