AndyC

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

IC is live!

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

City of Free Sail
Shepherd's Island
New World Colonies, Antillean Archipelago
Late Spring, Year 1621 A.A. (Anno Aeternus)

“.....ayùdame…” a voice croaked weakly somewhere on the rocks along the southwestern side of the island. The voice was barely audible over the crashing of waves against the shore, the low rustle of wind through the broad green leaves of palm trees, the squawks of seagulls.

The dying man that dragged himself onto the shore with one good arm prayed to Théus, to the Saints and Angels, that someone would find him before his strength gave out.

“...ayùdame…”

This stretch of rocky beach, too treacherous to land ships, was all but abandoned by the people who lived on the island. Had he washed ashore a hundred span or so in either direction, however, he would have been found almost immediately.

To the north was Pact Harbor, an enormous network of docks that hosted dozens of ships of all sizes at any given time. Everything from small one-man fishing boats to merchant freighters dropped anchor in Pact Harbor, and today that included the HMS Relentless, an imposing Albion ship-of-the-line that loomed heavily over the smaller vessels. Few on the island knew exactly what the Relentless was doing there beyond “Royal business,” and most knew it was better not to ask.

The Harbor was always a cacophony of noises, the creaking of ropes and squeaking of wheels and pulleys as cargo was loaded and unloaded from ships, the boisterous and casually vulgar banter of deckhands and longshoremen as they went about their work, the pounding of hammers and creaking of wood as crews repaired decks and hulls.

“...ayùdame…”

Just beyond the docks was the city of Free Sail itself. By the standards of the Kingdoms on the other side of the ocean it would be considered barely more than a small town, a few clusters of permanent buildings surrounded by a sprawl of shacks and shanties. Its small size, however, belied its tremendous importance as a neutral port of trade and diplomacy between the kingdoms of Albion and rival Castille, the mercenaries and adventurers they hire, and the pirates who prey on them.

Even in the early morning, Free Sail was alive with activity. Along the main street of the Via Amarilla, vendors and peddlers crowded the street, hawking wares of all kinds. Troubadours filled the air with music, earning coin with a song and a smile. And while most of their business came in the evening, the barmaids at Sally's Tavern offered hot food and cold drinks to passing sailors, and further down the way, the red lights of the Rose and Scabbard promised to save appetites of a different kind.

At the end of the road, two churches stood opposite each other, the grand and ornate Basillica de Santa Luisa, and the smaller and more austere Church of the New Day. Between them stood White Hall, an old manor house that had been converted to a courthouse and town hall. And the Grand Square that separated all three buildings was crowded with townsfolk, buskers, and street preachers, all save for the Scarlet Ring in the very heart of it- the Ring, everyone knew, was reserved only for public dueling. No one stepped into the Scarlet Ring without the intention of spilling blood.

“...ayùdame…” the dying man croaked again. Against all odds, a fisherman and his son walking along the beach caught sight of the man and began to run towards him.

Standing by the edge of the docks and next to White Hall on the far end of town were two wide sign boards, each covered in notices and posters. These had the names of contacts for sailors looking for work, as well as bounties promising rewards for the capture or killing of wanted criminals, escaped slaves, members of Los Vigilantes, and especially pirates of the Black Fleet.

ADVENTUROUS SOULS WANTED, read one such poster, to accompany an expedition into Aeternian Empire ruins on the Azul Islands. Handsome rewards and historical credit to those who assist in this bold enterprise. Contact Sir Edmund Lawrence at the Golden Cove Hotel for more information.

SWORDSMEN WANTED, read another, for the protection of Donna Elanora DiVacce from unsavory individuals. Must be an expert duelist- only those with a Mark of a fighting school will be accepted. Substantial pay, not-unsubstantial risk. Speak to Maria at the DiVacce manor for details.

A FISTFUL OF RUBIES read a crudely-written third, TO WHOEVER KILLS THAT BASTARD JIM SWANSON AND BRINGS HIS HEAD TO REGGIE DOBBS AT SALLY'S TAVERN.

“Ho there, young man,” the fisherman said to the dying man on the beach, “you just relax now, save your strength. I've sent my boy for help.”

“...La Reina Invencible…” the dying man said between ragged gasps. “...anoche…la tormenta….Ella se…estrelló…en la isla…”

“I don't know any Castillian, son,” said the fisherman, “but the Priest does. He'll be along shortly, just relax until-”

“¡El tesoro!...¡El tesoro!” the Castillian said, again and again. “..más tesoro del que…que puedes…imaginar…las leyendas…son ciertas…”

“What's this you say?” The fisherman didn't know much Castillian, but he'd been around enough sailors to know the word “treasure” in nearly any language.

“La Ciudad Dorada…” he said, holding out his hand with an almost insane desperation. “la…encontramos…”

Finally, the man's strength gave out, and his hand fell, opening to reveal a torn page of parchment, covered in strange symbols.

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

I think in that case, the concept is cleaned up enough that I'm okay with approving it.

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

Like I said, I feel like the three different arcs don't fit together. My recommendation would be to drop the connection to the Exchange entirely since that one seems like more of a hindrance to what you want to do with the character, and then focus on him being in the region either to find his brother or figure out how to break the curse of the ghost-ring.

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

Would this be a bad time to ask when we are to start?

@POOHEAD189

I plan on getting the IC up (as well as my own CS) by Wednesday.

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

I don't want to be mean, and I'll keep this constructive. But I'll be honest, it's still kind of all-over-the-place.

First off, the ring with a ghost in it doesn't seem to fit in with any other part of the character-- is it meant to be a central part of the character's story, or is it just a power-up? Is it meant to be a mystery as to who the ghost is, and who sent the ring to him? If so, then I feel like Gerard's motivation should be more focused towards uncovering that mystery.

His connection with the Exchange also doesn't feel like it has any weight; was Gerard's father connected to them somehow? That's the only way I can see a major crime syndicate (who is basically the Mafia) taking on someone just because their dad ordered them to. And if he's part of this sort of criminal organization, he wouldn't be able to just travel freely around the world (especially if he's not part of the organization of his own free will). If they did let him travel, it would be to further their own interests. The good news is that there's plenty of story potential there, if he's trying to get out of that sort of life-- maybe he's got some Exchange boss that keeps dangling his freedom in front of him if he pulls off "one more job," only to then pull the rug out from under him. That idea can work, but it's not something that can just be tacked on.

The angle with the murderous brother also still kind of comes out of nowhere. If he's a product of their abusive father, then that's something that can figure more into the concept.

I feel like if you stick to one of these concepts-- a man searching for the answers behind a cursed treasure, a good-hearted criminal trying to get out from under the control of the mob, or a pair of brothers who were products of their father's abuse and took opposite paths in life-- and really focus on fleshing out one of them, it could make for an interesting and entertaining character. Currently, though, they don't really fit together, and kind of feel like three or four different character concepts jumbled together.

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

I'll take a look later this evening, once I'm off from work.

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

The Bronze Baron

The Bronze Baron
The Bronze Baron

^{"I'll have you know, I happen to be amazing at.... well...."}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y _________________________________________________________ Gerard Cuthbert Boddingham - The Bronze Baron - La Fourmi de Feu _________________________________________________________ 20 | Married _________________________________________________________ The Exchange | Vallé D'Or N O T A B L E A B I L I T I E S & T O O L S N O T A B L E A B I L I T I E S & T O O L S _________________________________________________________ [+] - A B I L I T I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Finish Carpentry When Gerard isn't trying to scrape by, he's also making furniture for a living. ◼ Photographic Memory Gerard can tell you one of his best childhood memories on the spot. Even when it wasn't asked for. Which is all the time. ◼ Charm Gerard can simply win others over even with a simple wink and nod, or he'll often enchant others with stories of his adventures. - T O O L (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Knight's Fall The name of the dagger Gerard always carries, he mostly uses it on knights who threaten him, hence the nickname he gives it. ◼ Banished Shooter Gerard got this pistol in rather illegal matters, since he stole it from an old gunslinger when he was trying to bribe him out of getting in trouble, in which he shot the gunslinger with it afterward. ◼ Blind Justice Gerard also happened to get Blind Justice through illegal matters, though he'll never confess how. Blind Justice happens to be a lasso that he uses to catch things. ◼ Specter Ring The ring was given to him through a long lost relative, yet Gerard still doesn't know who gave it to him. Gerard refuses to wear the ring due to the ghost contained within it violently possessing him, to a point where the ghost did not want to come out of his body when an exorcist was called. - N O T A B L E S K I L L S & T A L E N T S N O T A B L E S K I L L S & T A L E N T S _________________________________________________________ [+] - S K I L L (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Foraging Gerard is an expert at obtaining food, provisions and as such through gathering them or searching them for other people (mostly his very demanding wife). ◼ Lip-Reading Through extensive training, Gerard knows how to read people's lips from a faraway distance where noise/talking can't be heard. ◼ Swift-Footedness When he gets in a fight, Gerard can quickly get himself out of the situation just by running quickly. No wonder his wife couldn't keep up with him at their wedding... ◼ Sharpshooting Gerard is incredible at firing projectiles (such as guns and arrows) with great precision and accuracy, with heavy training from his strict father. - T A L E N T (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Empathy Aside from his crime-riddled adventures, Gerard can feel deeply for others, which surprises even himself, since he can't really list off some of the talents and skills he has. -

T H E S T O R Y S O F A R... T H E S T O R Y S O F A R... ________________________________________________________________________________________ The youngest child of Agnes and Barnaby Boddingham, Gerard was raised with seven brothers and twelve sisters, which called for a lot of ruckus and a lot of mischief. And mischief sure did run in Gerard's family, for his father did get in the same amount of trouble he did when he was a youngin, and his grandmother, and his great grandfather, so on and so forth. Gerard was raised in an incredibly strict household, even to where this strictness bordered on physical and verbal abuse, typically by the hands of his father, who trained him in all sorts of things, hence his skills and talents. Gerard met his wife Winifred Wyclot when he shot the gunslinger, who was her father, and she immediately kissed him after she witnessed it, in which he quickly fell in love with her, not for her beauty or the way she kissed him, but for her sadistic nature and wonderful personality. Gerard sometimes gets himself in the worst situations, much to the dismay of Winifred. Whether it be getting into scuffles in an alley, fights in some sleazy brothel, Gerard will fight anything and anyone that threatens him, or duck out last minute, even when he caused it in the first place. Gerard's mostly aggressive and violent nature roots from fighting with his brothers when he was a child, he even brags he could throw punches by the age of six, though he's not at all good at fighting. P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) ________________________________________________________________________________________ Gerard simply wants to stop his criminal ways, but he also wants to stop his brother Benedict from a murderous rampage he's about to unleash on Vallé D'Or, and Gerard does not like the only way he can stop him - murder.

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this is probably the first male character i made/am playing, since i normally prefer to play as a female character (since i am female myself, and just act a lil masculine), and i wanted to switch things up a bit

@tealrootssss

There are a few elements that I feel need to be tightened up. The murderous brother and the ring possessed by a ghost both have some cool plot potential, but neither figure into his backstory, nor how he got involved in the Exchange or what he's doing in the Antillean Sea. Right now, they feel kind of thrown in, but I could see them tying in to something more focused (for instance: maybe Gerard's brother was possessed by that ghost and killed someone he cares about, and Gerard chased him to the New World for revenge, and searching for him got him involved in the criminal underworld).

There's potential here, but I'd like to see the various disparate elements like those tied together before I give the official thumbs-up.

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

hey, i might be interested, i don't mind indulging in a little pirate roleplay :P

also, how do you make a character sheet like in the "characters" section, bc they look fancy as hell and kinda cool

@tealrootssss

If you quote the original post that contains the CS template, it has all of the BBCode formatting done already, so all you would need to do is fill in the placeholder text with your own material.

This can be a little tricky, since mis-aligning tags can cause errors and break the formatting. Best practice is usually to write your CS separately in a word processor, copy/paste it into the BBCode formatting bit by bit, and make extensive use of the Preview function to make sure everything lines up.

Ultimate One Universe: Resistance

I've got a post in the works, just been stupidly busy between doing a play and starting another rp. That said, Supes is gonna be up and flying in the next day or so.