Estylwen

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

@Psyker Landshark, @Click This, @ERode, @twannyman

ArrowFell: The Corrupt Queen's Court (A Skyrim-inspired RP)

OOC is up!

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

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I need to know where you stand.
On the side of Power, the side of Rebellion, or on your own?

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+++ Welcome to a tale of woe, bitter misery, corrupt officials, and the struggles behind a facade of gold. +++
+++ Power corrupts, but in the right hands, peace can once again be restored to the land. +++

The Seeds

The seeds of the Glasic Fields near the center of the Arrowfell province, a day’s journey from Hathforth, are a source of power in the form of small crystals. They were discovered two years ago and have catapulted the scales of power all across the land. Anyone who holds one could have the ability to transmute iron to gold, cure illnesses, and create magical feats once thought impossible. Most seeds are little good except as a good luck charm. But some — some, the especially rare ones — can change a common person into a noble and create enough wealth to satisfy a middle-class family for generations.

Currently, all reaping of seeds is done by the Royal Gardeners, protected by armed soldiers. The seeds that are reaped are taken straight to the castle in Hathforth, straight to the Wizard Queen herself. Common folk never get as much of a glimmer of one of these hanging off the neck of a noble passing by in the street.

Corruption runs thick, some not in favour of the Wizard Queen. Some soldiers and seed bearers have been paid off, sharing a fraction of the seed spoils with shady unknowns within the province.

The price of a seed, a rare one, could be the equivalent of twelve orchards, or one hundred cattle. In regards to gold, one or two chests-worth might suffice. It’s no wonder dukes and duchesses that wear these (or hide them) have well-paid guards to protect them.

Due to the rarity of high-quality seeds, a House typically has only one seed worn by the reigning duke or duchess.

The Magic System

Inspired from Skyrim, the magic system is mainly in the form of spells held in the hand, and in arcane runes. An example of a low-power spell would be Flames, where a small stream of flames are shot out from the hand. An example of a high-power spell would be Fire Storm, where it rains fire all around the caster.

When spells are cast, life-energy from the body is expended. Overspending life-energy can result in fatigue, sickness, convulsions, hemorrhage, and death. One of the main ways to increase life-energy is by continually draining from it little by little over years, making the ‘well’ bigger over time.

Seeds differ from spells in that they are more like artifacts, like the White Phial, or Azura’s Star. They serve a specific purpose that may not be easily accomplished with magic alone.

Teleportation Magic

Teleportation can only be utilized on willing targets in most cases. Exceptions are made for Mirie's Seed, Kronos (because lolPC), and the undead (they don't die from getting their MP bars drained to non-existence). This is mostly used because even teleportation near the ground is pretty fatal. Think about any situation where you just teleport an armored person into the ocean, or a swamp, or literally anything that you plan on teleporting people on top of to kill them.

Teleportation mana cost and spell complexity ramps up exponentially as you try to include more people into it. Set it to an upper limit of 10 people, for practical purposes, so no group of mages is out there teleporting armies into capitals and all that. Due to that same complexity, one can say that it's fairly easy to ward a place against teleportation, so you don't have people teleporting bombs into bedrooms for a quick laugh, unless you specifically use Mirie's Seed.

Portals are more costly to maintain than singular instances of teleportation spells, and in almost all cases, are simply not worth it. I'd say it'd make sense to have it be that portal magic only exists via using Dremora's Shade as a medium, meaning that unless you're Melisande (Kronos-assisted hijinks means the side effects are bypassed) or Evelyn (Seed bullshit do be like that), opening a portal is inviting in the demons. The advantage of portals, ofc, is that you can remotely send magic through it, and you can look through the portal before you step into it. Due to associations with Dremora's Shade, church magic can fairly easily break it to bits.

The nobility of Arrowfell have had access to teleportation magic for the last century or so, but its been fairly finicky and there's always the chance of teleporting to the other side in bits and goopy pieces. Only recently (within the last ten years) has it been useful enough to utilize for transportation by the nobility, but while you can teleport somewhere instantly, the mage doing so would be unable to teleport you back until a day later...and, ofc, that mage needs to be with you in order to do so. As such, when matters aren't pressing, it's more likely the case that nobles would travel to a location via carriage, while keeping a teleportation mage (call em a 'porter') on hand to teleport them back home, if there's any possibility of danger.

Guess in terms of rarity, you could say that the number of mages capable of actually performing feats of cross-province teleportation are more rare than Seeds at this rate, and it could be deduced that Ravenfell's deathlessness allowed them to work around the usual costs and difficulties of learning teleportation magic.

Religion

Most people worship the All-Force, a white benevolence that gifted humanity the power of magic eons ago. The Church of the All-Force plays an important role in society, with high-ranking church officials advisors to the Queen. The principles of the Church are mainly to strengthen the weak, take care of the needy, and guide the people to a way of life that brings peace.

In rare instances throughout Arrowfell’s history, beings made of pure light have been seen helping the people, messengers of the All-force. In recent times, no such record of sightings exists.

The recent introduction of seeds, as they were discovered about two years ago, has made the Church wary about their power, unsure if they are a boon from the All-force or the work of devils.

Supplication to the All-force is done by cupping the hands, and praising the All-force before asking for what you need.

The Three Tenants of the All-force are:
1. Wipe out the denizens of the Dremora's Shade wherever you see them.
2. Allow prisoners a fair trial. Accept surrenders.
3. Be the benevolent light of the All-force in actions and words.

Dremora's Shade

Dremora's Shade is a plane of existence that runs alongside the mortal plane, and is relatively unseen for the most part. All the rumours of monsters, demons, and boogymen stem from this realm overlapping with our own. It hosts all kinds of dark abominations that crave the light of the All-force, and so prey on the mortals of our plane. They overlap in all types of ways, like reoccurring nightmares and black ooze that won't go away. The one thing these demons have in common is that they prey on mortals, and it's the Church's role to ensure Dremora's Shade is banished wherever it shows up.

Dremoras in the Shade use an ancient language not understood by most. (OOC:Black Speech of Mordor.)

The Province of Arrowfell

The Arrowfell province has an ethereal beauty about it. Warm air from its southern coastline gives way to abundant forests with trees knarled with age, and all types of wildlife. Wolves, bears, deer, and even the occasional fairy or imp. The summers are often coupled with heavy rain and foggy nights, while the winters are mild with chilled rain, and the occasional light snowfall.

The picturesque scenes of the Arrowfell province are a facade for the bloody history that stains the earth in these parts. The cities within the province have fought many times throughout the generations before, with peace only coming temporarily twenty years ago with the rise of young Ludwig II. Ludwig II was able to unite all the cities under one banner - his banner - and unite the province against any outside forces. He resided in the Hathforth Castle up until two years ago, when the to-be Wizard Queen violently destroyed him.

Map of Arrowfell

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Every 7-9 squares represents a day's journey by carriage.

Hathforth - Settled on the coast of Arrowfell, Hathforth has access to the rest of the world through its port. This is also where the throne resides at Hathforth Castle.

Glasic Fields - Having come into existence two years ago, the glasic fields are shimmering, expansive fields where crystals grow on small, illuminated plants. Thesecrsytlas are more commonly known as seeds, and are only harvested by Royal Gardeners, directly being shipped to Hathforth.

Odonfield - Known for its hand-crafted cigars and strong presence of the Church, Odonfield is a city rich with opportunities for those thirsty to reap from the many sources of knowledge, like the great Duke’s libraries. As of important note, the Duke of Rhinecliff resides here.

Fey River - Crossing the Fey River isn’t for the weak of heart. There are designated bridges that buffer from most of the effects of this shimmering river, but even then, carriages have been known to disappear entirely when crossing the expansive river. The river is home to all manner of nymphs and fairies with water-affinities. The main language used by the Fey here is Sylvan (OOC: Old Gaelic).

Athius - Only known by the glow of many lights deep below the surface of the ocean, this location has been marked by explorers. However, technology and magic are not readily available to dive into the water’s depths ad discover what lies here.

Rockhold - The city of dwarves, the strength of Arrowfell. Rockhold is cut into the side of a mountain, chiseld away after hundreds of years, giving way to the stalwart determination of the residents who live here. Rockhold is mainly known for its iron and silver exports. Dwarves are known for their lifespans of 250 years and physcial strength, however they are more susceptible to magic and Shade.

Shimmering Lake - Legend says that when the sun hits the waves just right, and an explosion of rainbow takes over the face of the lake, the door is open, revealing a treasure coveted by all.

Aethera - The ancestral home of the elves, and at one point was a place fo great strength. Aethera caused many tides to turn in the civil war, their battle prowess being hard to match. However, it was when King Ludwig II used clever tactics to take the city by surprise did Aethera surrender, and an era of peace was ushered in. Aethera, in this age of peace, is struggling to find their power and voice among the humans. Aethera is known for its enchanted weapons and armour. The average lifespan of an elf is 1000 years.

Nordor - Nordor is home to a mainly human population, with an aversion to outsiders. They have their own farmland, and so mainly stay self-sufficient in most circumstances, doing a little trade with the other cities for specialties. Nordor is known for its unique Gold-touch Wine, which causes pleasant dreams in the drinker after any amount is consumed.

The City of Hathforth

Known for its bustling cobblestone streets, jolly tavern scenes, and busy fishing port, the city of Hathforth could be mistaken for a city brimming with life and hope, resting at the southern edge of the Arrowfell province, meeting the ocean.

However, with the recent rise of the Wizard Queen, taxes have increased, and the working person can barely make ends meet. More are starting to turn to crime to make a living, with organizations like the Thieves Guild making a rise.

If you have an affinity for magic, you have the potential to make more of a living here, with adventurers coming from all over to get their weapons enchanted and to pick up staffs and scrolls. Along with the Church, the College of Hathforth is a prominent face, teaching those magic with the coin to pay for the illustrious college.

A stone wall rings the city, with gates heavily monitored for who and what enters and leaves. This wall eventually meets up with the Hathforth Castle, where a perfectly manicured coble road leads and nobles with pristine carriages are often seen moving to and from.

Map of Hathforth

Outer Bristol

A poor neighborhood outside the Hathforth wall. They are mainly made of farmers and farm hands.

White Fields

Poorer than Outer Bristol, with a few families living in tents. These are mainly made out of farmers and their families, and farm hands.

Upper Bristol

The largest neighborhood with the highest concentration of the poor. Also has the highest concentration of those who live in tents. These are mainly industry workers, such as fishers, miners, and farm hands.

Lower Bristol

A modest neighborhood, with a bit more weather than Upper Bristol. These are manual laborers, such as construction workers, miners, industrial workers, servers and waitresses.

Aethera Meadows

A well-off neighborhood with a mix of shops. From its name, it is the highest concentration of elves and half-elves in the city. Lots of the city's enchanting is done here, with some pieces even being commissioned by the Wizards Queen. Adventurers frequent this sector quite a bit.

Elysia Quarters

The quarters of the guards, where the barracks are located, as well as the prisons. This was were Duke Sev Willowsteel was held before his execution. It's proximity to the castle gives the royals more protection in the event of an attack, though it is a bit of a walk to the city walls for guard duty every day.

Castle Gardens

The most lavish, expensive and aristocratic neighborhood in Hathforth. Noble households surround the castle walls. St the edge, the All-Force Cathedral resides, a massive establishment that Potentate Heavy-handed often frequents. These areas are patrolled heavily by the city guard.

Belle borne

This is mainly where adventurers live, having well-to-do houses, settling down with families, and having a base with which to return to after adventures. There are a number of illicit establishments here, such as smoking parlours and pleasure dens.

Gold-Touch

This is a well-to-do neighbourhood mainly filled with wealthy merchants, educated folk, enchanters and folks who know how to make money. From the name, this place is riddled with taverns, pleasure dens, and other establishments where illicit and illegal means happen.

North Pearl

North Pearl is much like South Pearl, except it doesn't have nearly as large of a port or pier. However, that doesn't make it any less quiet. The merchants here travel from all across the province to distribute their unique and exotic wares in the stalls of North Pearl. less known, North Pearl also has a thriving black market in the wee hours of the night.

South Pearl

South Pearl, along with North Pearl, are the prime places where you can get fresh catches and street food with crispy potatoes and fish fritters. This is also where prime boutiques where all manner of charms, enchantments, weapons and Seeds can be bought. This is where the Pier Plaza is located, hosting the largest port in Hathforth, and small stalls with bustling customers. This is also where the Execution Platform is, at the center of the Pier Plaza.

The Hathforth Castle

All the dukes and duchesses of neighboring cities or towns within the Arrowfell province come to attend court, paying fealty and taxes to the Wizard Queen. Much is said within the Hathforth Castle, not all of it good. Late at night, while the guards do their rounds, and most of the dukes and duchesses are asleep in the guest chambers, some stay up late in the night, plotting for power.

If you were unaware of the inner power struggle the courts were having, you would mistake the castle for a very jovial and lively place, with galas and banquets hosted frequently by the Wizard Queen.

The Most Serene Republic

On the other side of the sea lies the Most Serene Republic, or the MSR. Their entire way of life is shaped around the Bones of the sea, a type of coral that is harvested in the republic's lagoon. This harvesting is left in the hands of the Keeper of the Light in her Lighthouse, surrounded by her acolytes.

The Keeper of the Light acts more like a war chief or Minister of War, deciding when and how the nation goes to war. The Keeper of the Light works with the Council of Brothers and the Assembly, however it is the Council of Brothers that gives order to the Brotherhood and enforces the law, and the Assembly that makes laws. The Council of Brothers is a small handful of exceptionally wealthy and noble Brothers that oversee the judicial rule of the republic like a shogun. The Assembly is made up of wealthy merchants, focused on the legislative rule of the republic.

The MSR is made up of ancient stone structures with unique architecture on a mix of floating islands and physical land that dot the lagoon. The weather is tropical in the MSR, allowing perfect temperatures for coral reefs to flourish. Their lagoon is home to a plethora of fish and crustacean species, which are fished.

When it comes to the ultimate power structure, the republic works more like a military government, with the Keeper of the Light having final say in all international discussions. The Council of Brothers have the final say in internal law-enforcement, while the Assembly as the final say in changes to those laws.

The MSR is about 70 squares away from Hathforth.

Looking more closely at the MSR's Bones of the Sea, they have the ability to protect the wielder from forces of magic. By old decree of the Keeper of the Light, those Brothers who carry these blades must always be in sight of the ocean so they can return the blade to the water in the case of mortal peril.

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Roles:

Wizard Queen Evelyn Keove - @Estylwen
Duke Laurent Rhinecliff - @ERode
Court Mage/Advisor Eirwen Blackthorne - @LunarParadox
Captain Roderic "Ironhand" Thorne - @twannyman
Spymaster Lady Safina Haliel - @Psyker Landshark
Student Mèlisande Tearmoon & Kronos - @Izurich
Duchess Altina Freya Bastille, The "Valkyrie" - @Irradiant
Duchess Mirie Agustria of Caelin, The Merchant - @Click This
Sir Knight Roland Corrin - @Theyra
The Honourable Callum Prosser - @The Otter
Baron Anton Agravaine - @Andre Valias
Brother Amerigo Spadoni - @HereComesTheSnow

Roles Hierachy

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Rules:
- No meta-gaming. You control your PC and NPCs, and not anything else.
- Post at least once a week. Those who are inactive for longer than two weeks may lose their PC in a terrible tragedy.
- Ideas and plotting are encouraged. Collabs are recommended.

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The CS:

[hider=Character Name]
[center]
[img]No larger than 500 px high[/img]
[h1]Title, First Name House Name[/h1]
[b]Age[/b] | [b]Race[/b] | | [b]Gender[/b] | [b]Height (in feet)[/b] | [b]Weight (in pounds)[/b]
[/center]

[b]Goal:[/b] (Do they want to get closer to the Queen? Be part of the rebellion?)

[b]History:[/b] (A brief history of who they are.)

[b]Seed:[/b] (A description of how it looks and what it can do.)

[b]Magic:[/b] (All spells your duke/duchess knows. Max of ten spells, three of which being high-level. If it's not written here, they can't do it.)

[b]Skills:[/b] (All skills they know.)

[b]Faction:[/b] (Do they lead a faction, like the Thieves Guild? One faction is allowed per PC.)

[b]City:[/b] (Tell me about the city they lead, how far away it is from Hathforth.)

[b]Assets:[/b] (Tell me about what assets your city has, a silver mine, or lots of farmland?)
[/hider]

NPC Sheet:

[hider=Character Name]
[center]
[img]No larger than 500 px high[/img]
[h1]First Name Last Name[/h1]
[b]Age[/b] | [b]Gender[/b] | [b]Race[/b]
[/center]

[b]Description:[/b] (A little about who they are.)

[b]Magic/Seed:[/b] (If applicable.)
[/hider]

Relationship Sheet:

[hider=Character Name's Relationships]
[table][row][/row][row][cell][b][h3]Character Name[/h3][/b]
(Description of relationship, how your character feels towards the other, if they are friends or not.)
[/cell]
[cell][color=2e2c2c]________________________[/color]
[color=2e2c2c]________________________[/color]
[color=2e2c2c]________________________[/color]
[i]"In-character quote of relationship."[/i]
[/cell][/row]
[row][cell][b][h3]Character Name[/h3][/b]
(Description of relationship, how your character feels towards the other, if they are friends or not.)
[/cell]
[cell][color=2e2c2c]________________________[/color]
[color=2e2c2c]________________________[/color]
[color=2e2c2c]________________________[/color]
[i]"In-character quote of relationship."[/i]
[/cell]
[/row][/table]
[/hider]

The Dark Beyond

Oh, crap, now I feel bad for being the reason :( I'm really damn sorry I let all of you down.

@Days

It's not your fault, Days. Don't feel bad. A little break could be just what the rp needs. We can pick it up again when everyone has a bit more free time, and do a time-jump like Lexi said. :)

ArrowFell: The Corrupt Queen's Court (A Skyrim-inspired RP)

@twannyman Hi! We'd be happy to have you! I'm still working on the OOC, when it is up I will ping you. :)

The Dark Beyond

Putting this and Candyland on a hiatus for now, thank you all so much!

ArrowFell: The Corrupt Queen's Court (A Skyrim-inspired RP)

@Psyker Landshark@Click This Very happy to see you both here. @ERode has also mentioned they will be joining us, so I will start writing up the OOC. It should be up either tomorrow or the day after.

"What Did They Do To Us?" - A Mysterious Supernatural Escape RP!!

Posted! The whole gang is back together again. :)

"What Did They Do To Us?" - A Mysterious Supernatural Escape RP!!

VV

Hallway near the Security Room

_{@Qia, @Silver Carrot, @Wayward}

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VV watched with horror as the armored soldiers around her began to convulse and cry in pain. She almost, almost froze up as she heard a disembodied voice begging for them to run.

There was so much chaos in this scene, and she really didn't want to get shot-

D cleared a path. All VV had to do was follow Pia out of the ring of pained soldiers and start running down the hall. She heard a spurt of gunfire, and looked back to see D firing into the crowd.

Good. Maybe they could get away, and finally escape this mad house.

All was for naught, though. As Lieutenant Riker, collapsed on the ground, weakly held up a purple device, and pressed its trigger button. Instantly, a purple shockwave shot out. The moment it touched the escapees, they would feel a stunning sensation, like a taser. It would even affect A, who couldn't be seen.

VV felt the purple wave overtake her, and in the next second she was stunned on the floor, something in her heart thumping weakly.

Lieutenant Riker smirked, struggling to his feet. “So you really are some kind of Wild after all, huh? The fuck kinda experiments they doing here…”

“Wouldn't you like to know, Lieutenant?” Said a deep, sharp voice from further down the hallway. VV numbly craned a bit of her neck, and saw a line of uniform, black-clad soldiers, rifles raised. They were different, bearing a target as their patch instead of a skull and cross bones.

Riker didn't move at first. “Shit. I thought we cleared all of you out.”

“Hate to disappoint you, Lieutenant. Now, hand over the subjects, and I'll let your men scurry to that hole in E.5.”

The Lieutenant was silent fir a long moment, before he looked at his surviving men, and cursed quietly under his breath. “Alright, deal. They're yours.”

The men who bore the target symbol raised a larger gun high, and shot out a huge net over the hallway. Their infrared vision allowed them to see A, ensnaring her within the net, along with D, Pia and VV.

At the touch of a button, the net crackled with electricity. VV screamed, before everything faded to black.

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An unknown length of time passed. There were voices, flashes of lights. But no dreams.

Eventually, everyone would awake in a small, living room-sized chamber. Four grey walls, a black floor, no windows, and a small steel door without a handle or a way to open. Tiny vents in the 12-feet high ceiling allowed chilled air to pass through.

VV awoke first, and immediately moved to shake D, then A, who was no longer invisible. “Hey, heyyy… You guys awake? Come on…” There was a tremble in her voice.

ArrowFell: The Corrupt Queen's Court (A Skyrim-inspired RP)

The seeds of the Glasic Fields near the edge of the Arrowfell province, a source of power in the form of small crystals. Anyone who holds one could have the ability to transmute iron to gold, cure illnesses, and create magical feats once thought impossible. Most seeds are little good except as a good luck charm. But some — some, the especially rare ones — can change a common person into a noble and create enough wealth to satisfy a middle-class family for generations.

The Wizard Queen of Arrowfell, in her quest for power, has been trying to control these fields since her violent ascension to the throne two years ago. However, her efforts have been repeatedly thwarted by an enigmatic figure, disrupting her court and causing suspicion to fall on the Duke of [insert name], a small hold within the Arrowfell province that has been neglecting its fealty and tax obligations to the Queen for several months.

Many of the commonfolk are unsatisfied with the corrupt Queen, and more and more support is being shown to this duke. The stage is being set for a civil uprising as, within the court, sides are chosen. The side of the Queen, or the side of rebellion.

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Hey! I’ve been playing with a King of the Hill type RP game where you are either a part of the Queen’s court as a duke or duchess, or a part of the rebelling duke’s court. This is loosely inspired by Skyrim, mainly on the magic system and factions, but liberties will be taken, such as making custom spells for your character. You can lead as a single entity, but I would suggest also leading a faction, and creating NPC sheets for those who will go out and do your ‘dirty’ work. Factions I’m already thinking of include the Thieves Guild and the Nightingales.

I’d be playing the role of the corrupt Queen. Besides that, the roles are pretty open.

This is all about dirty politics, political moves, and backstabbing each other in the pursuit of power.

If you’re interested, let me know! Got ideas? Share them!