Flagg

The Court of The Red King

Hey- super interested in option 2.

Blood Debt (Medieval/Fantasy, Rangers)

Castle Ghomyre, Near Bosfryd

"MAKE WAY FOR HIS MAJESTY THE KING," the herald bellowed as the royal party clattered at a near gallop into the battered fortress's tightly packed outer court, "MAKE WAY!"

The assembled dignitaries knelt on the muddy flagstones, old Baron Whul's arms spread in the traditional posture of welcome as King Harold and his courtiers dismounted. The Baron's wrinkled face was white with fear, as were many faces in the kneeling crowd. Playing host to his Majesty was perilous in these dark times.

"You may rise," said the King as he pulled off the royal riding gloves. He did not deign to look down at the Baron as he spoke, "I desire to dine now. Then I wish to be entertained by mummers in the great hall. We discuss the state of your holdings tomorrow."

"Of course, Majesty," stuttered Whul as he tottered to his feet, "And might I say it is an honor to have you stay with us here. I-"

"Honor is it?" snapped the King, spinning on his heel to face the mumbling nobleman, "Where was honor when the rebels where burning my lands? Where was honor when you sat in your castle for nine months, ignoring my commands?"

"Majesty, I..."

"Majesty, Majesty," Harold sneered, turning away once more, cloak billowing out behind him as he marched towards the castle's hall, surrounded by sniggering courtiers and guardsmen clanking in heavy armor.

Baron Whul wheezed apologies after the king as he struggled to keep up.

"Don't take it so badly, your Baronialness, old Harry's just having a rough day," said a genial voice from behind Whul, before a heavy hand clapped him on the shoulder, "Short on cash, and dealing with some unsavory creditors."

Now it was the old Baron's turn to spin on his heel, spluttering and outraged, "Indecorous behavior, who are...?!"

The man behind him was on the short side, balding, thickset but in the hard way of men who live life out of doors, his face studded by the tell-tale pockmark scars of a plague survivor. He was smiling, his teeth square and uncannily white under rather magnificent mustaches. He had gleaming green eyes that did not quite match the warmth of his grin. He wore black leather armor with no device or badge. A mercenary, then. One of Harold's sellsword captains.

Baron Whul had spent a long life staying alive by knowing the dangerous ones when he saw them, and this man sure as hell fit the bill.

"I'm just one of Harry's dogs, a dog who's getting a mite hungry, I must say," said the sellsword, chomping his teeth twice for effect and chuckling, "Daigon's the name, Captain of the Red Fangs, a thoroughly disreputable rabble, I'm afraid."

"I-I've heard of you, sir," managed the Baron.

"I'm sure!" said Daigon, "Sad to say I've acquired a bit of a reputation over a long and wicked life."

Behind the sellsword captain, a new company of troops had arrived in the court and were busily dismounting, some clad in the colors of the Royal Guards, others clearly mercenaries. Their weapons were unsheathed.

"Lot of troops you brought with you," said Whul, "There are no rebels in my lands..."

"No, or not many," said Daigon with a smile, "But I wasn't sure how well-manned this fine little fortress of yours was, or how much of a fight would be left in you."

"Fight? I..."

He was cut off by a scream from somewhere along the walls, followed by much shouting and the sounds of clashing steel.

"Someone's got to pay the royal bills, Whul," said Daigon, a thick hand resting on the pommel of his curved sword, "Now, would you kindly direct me to the castle treasury?"

@NickTrano @Naril @Gunther @R31GN @AirBender @HeySeuss @poohead189

Blood Debt (Medieval/Fantasy, Rangers)

Although, let's be honest, Gerold Tuldar was a dick. I'd believe he did it. Perhaps he just hired Veredict?

@NickTrano

Possible. We can also leave this up in the air and decide if we want to pursue this plotline later in the RP. If Veredict was the dude who killed Brand (or at least was present at his death), maybe it's best if he's not the one who killed Yaroglek, since we dont want a villain who has killed everyone's dads :) Probably.

Blood Debt (Medieval/Fantasy, Rangers)

WIP

A Villain

The campaign of Harold, leading an army that included monstrous troops and dark magic users, was successful but left bodies and burned towns strewn about its wake. But, in the end, Harold had what he wanted; Baron William on a cross alongside the other leaders of the Barons' Revolt.

Name: Veredict Daigon, Captain of the Red Fangs mercenary company
Alias: Butcher of Green River
Age: 57
Gender: M
Species: Human

Physical Description:

Thickset man of average height, with the pale complexion of a Northerner. He is usually clad in dark leather armor and a black, travel-worn cloak. Balding, with a nose crooked from repeated breaks and cheeks scarred with the telltale pockmarks of a Plague survivor, Daigon boasts a luxuriant black mustache, a bright smile of white (false ivory) teeth, and arresting green eyes.

Skillset:

A good-enough swordsman, solid brawler and a capable tactician and commander, Daigon's real skill set lies in the dark arts. It is rumored he can commune with restless spirits, with spectres and devils, and even summon the shades of the damned to do his bidding. Whatever the truth of this, Daigon has a reputation as a dangerous sorcerer, and deftly uses the fear this reputation inspires to keep underlings in line and employers intimidated.

History: WIP

Psychological Profile:

Witty and unflappable, with a taste for liquor and homespun anecdotes, Daigon is not without certain charm, often affecting bemused detachment to events unfolding around him. Behind the good humored mask is a chilly, manipulative intelligence, bent only on the increase of his arcane knowledge and might, a goal for which he is willing to sacrifice anyone and anything. Pragmatic, he is no gratuitous sadist, unlike many of the lunatic sellswords in King Harold's army.

Equipment:

• Red Fangs: a mercenary band of roughly ~1,500 men at arms from the North, the Fangs include savage orcs and beastkin in their ranks, and have a reputation for being savage marauders and solid heavy infantry.
• One handed scimitar.
• Iron buckler
• a deck of Seer's Cards (tarot deck)
• dented flask
• several daggers, including a black glass blade from the Haunted City
• small, pocket sized grimoire, bound in black leather. The journal of the fabled necromancer Vagz the Terror.

Yes, and: WIP

Blood Debt (Medieval/Fantasy, Rangers)

@Heyseuss

So a proposed antagonist below- since this is a little out there I just wanted to float the idea before filling in the history too much. Basically, a necromancer/mercenary captain hired by the King, he may have been the one to kill Brand, or at least been present at his death. Let me know if this works- if not, no sweat. Criticism and thoughts welcome from everyone of course. Also, happy to work out past history with anyone if this guy passes GM muster.

A Villain

The campaign of Harold, leading an army that included monstrous troops and dark magic users, was successful but left bodies and burned towns strewn about its wake. But, in the end, Harold had what he wanted; Baron William on a cross alongside the other leaders of the Barons' Revolt.

Name: Veredict Daigon, Captain of the Red Fangs mercenary company
Alias: Butcher of Green River
Age: 57
Gender: M
Species: Human

Physical Description:

Thickset man of average height, with the pale complexion of a Northerner. He is usually clad in dark leather armor and a black, travel-worn cloak. Balding, with a nose crooked from repeated breaks and cheeks scarred with the telltale pockmarks of a Plague survivor, Daigon boasts a luxuriant black mustache, a bright smile of white (false ivory) teeth, and arresting green eyes.

Skillset:

A good-enough swordsman, solid brawler and a capable tactician and commander, Daigon's real skill set lies in the dark arts. It is rumored he can commune with restless spirits, with spectres and devils, and even summon the shades of the damned to do his bidding. Whatever the truth of this, Daigon has a reputation as a dangerous sorcerer, and deftly uses the fear this reputation inspires to keep underlings in line and employers intimidated.

History: WIP

Psychological Profile:

Witty and unflappable, with a taste for liquor and homespun anecdotes, Daigon is not without certain charm, often affecting bemused detachment to events unfolding around him. Behind the good humored mask is a chilly, manipulative intelligence, bent only on the increase of his arcane knowledge and might, a goal for which he is willing to sacrifice anyone and anything. Pragmatic, he is no gratuitous sadist, unlike many of the lunatic sellswords in King Harold's army.

Equipment:

• Red Fangs: a mercenary band of roughly ~1,500 men at arms from the North, the Fangs include savage orcs and beastkin in their ranks, and have a reputation for being savage marauders and solid heavy infantry.
• One handed scimitar.
• Iron buckler
• a deck of Seer's Cards (tarot deck)
• dented flask
• several daggers, including a black glass blade from the Haunted City
• small, pocket sized grimoire, bound in black leather. The journal of the fabled necromancer Vagz the Terror.

Yes, and: WIP

Children of Aton - Demigod RP [Recruiting!]

Any thoughts on Zhystkrexas?

@The Grey Dust

Awesome. Look forward to doing demonly business with you.

Children of Aton - Demigod RP [Recruiting!]

Azoth

Over the gate, under the door
the Kindly Man crawls, over the floor

His Smile Wide, His teeth so bright
In dreams he comes to us at night

Appearing darkly in our heads,
Speaking secrets that we dread

Talons slide twixt skin and bone
To drag us to his Kindly Home

- Common Etruscian children's rhyme, the singing of which is registered as a Class V Offense by the Senatorial Office for the Inculcation of Virtue and Piety in Republican Youth

Name: Azoth REDACTED by order of the First Censor

Aliases: PRISONER - 017, the Kindly Man, the King of Nowhere, the Faceless Wanderer, the Lying Prophet

Description:

Tales of the Kindly Man usually speak of a cowled magician in a dark cloak, though there are plenty of stories of him appearing as a great king clad in shining armor, or a wandering preacher in black vestments and broad-brimmed hat, or an itinerant alchemist in stained robes, or a powdered courtier in the company of a powerful lord, or a cackling jester in a mummer's troupe. In all of these stories he is a tall, thin man with a kindly smile and love of children, with dark hair and bright, captivating green eyes.

He is an agent of rebellion, change and destruction, one of the highest ranking and most dangerous of the Demons, appearing in a million guises throughout the War of Dawn within angelic societies to subvert them from within: founding secret cults of child sacrifice among a decadent aristocracy, inciting peasants to revolt and lay waste to the polity that held them in servitude, turning wizards and kings into necromancers and tyrants, priests into cruel zealots and the laity into secret worshipers of false gods. Where conviction is needful he plants doubt, when restraint is needed he urges action, where skepticism would be fruitful he encourages zealotry, when action is required he suggests indolence. He remains one of the prime enemies of humanity, seeking everywhere their enslavement and degeneration into feral mutants.

The first sign of his corrupting presence in a society is almost always widespread, vivid nightmares among children, among whom even now- millenia after his imprisonment- he is half remembered and half feared as a sort of boogeyman.

Powers:

The Kindly Man is a master of illusion, persuasion and deception, able to plant subconscious suggestions in even the strongest of minds with his mellifluous voice. Among weaker minds, he is able to command fanatical loyalty, and can easily control lesser demons, monsters, insects and vermin. His command of minor evil spirits makes him a potent sorcerer.

Original tribe:

Azothi, the Lost Tribe. Little is known about the original Azothi culture, save that they were nomads and raiders who worshiped their God-King Azoth and a cruel pantheon of demons and dark gods, practicing horrendous forms of human sacrifice. Over millennia, their proximity to dark magic and alien energies twisted them into degenerate mutants and beastmen who continue to this day to haunt the dark corners of the world and plague the Etruscian Republic. The fall of the Azothi into half-feral monsters took place well before the imprisonment of the demons, and Azoth their god spent many years alternatively instigating invasions of civilized lands by his mutant beastmen and working to weaken those civilizations from within.

Faction: Demons. The Kindly Man was one of the main organizers and instigators of the war against humanity and the Angels.

Opinions:

Eyra the Seer: Azoth does not underestimate the Seer, and fears her cunning and intelligence. He is one of her most determined foes, and eternally vengeful for the humiliating defeat of the demons. Wary of her power and eager for her downfall, he looks forward to overseeing the destruction of all that she has worked to build.

Kinion the Fool: An intriguing irritant.

Wu Dan: Extremely dangerous, one of Azoth's most capable foes. The Kindly Man treads lightly around the Grandmaster, seeking to undermine him indirectly.

WIP

Children of Aton - Demigod RP [Recruiting!]

would be interested to work out pre-Dawn history with anyone for Azoth, might be good for him to have a rival. @The Narrator I also imagine he and Tarthus would be close allies, potentially.

Blood Debt (Medieval/Fantasy, Rangers)

Was meaning to get a character up for this, but it looks like the party is pretty close to the capacity advertised in the OOC. Any room for an antagonist?

Children of Aton - Demigod RP [Recruiting!]

Azoth

Over the gate, under the door
the Kindly Man crawls, over the floor

His Smile Wide, His teeth so bright
In dreams he comes to us at night

Appearing darkly in our heads,
Speaking secrets that we dread

Talons slide twixt skin and bone
To drag us to his Kindly Home

- Common Etruscian children's rhyme, the singing of which is registered as a Class V Offense by the Senatorial Office for the Inculcation of Virtue and Piety in Republican Youth

Name: Azoth REDACTED by order of the First Censor

Aliases: PRISONER - 017, the Kindly Man, the King of Nowhere, the Faceless Wanderer, the Lying Prophet

Description:

Tales of the Kindly Man usually speak of a cowled magician in a dark cloak, though there are plenty of stories of him appearing as a great king clad in shining armor, or a wandering preacher in black vestments and broad-brimmed hat, or an itinerant alchemist in stained robes, or a powdered courtier in the company of a powerful lord, or a cackling jester in a mummer's troupe. In all of these stories he is a tall, thin man with a kindly smile and love of children, with dark hair and bright, captivating green eyes.

He is an agent of rebellion, change and destruction, one of the highest ranking and most dangerous of the Demons, appearing in a million guises throughout the War of Dawn within angelic societies to subvert them from within: founding secret cults of child sacrifice among a decadent aristocracy, inciting peasants to revolt and lay waste to the polity that held them in servitude, turning wizards and kings into necromancers and tyrants, priests into cruel zealots and the laity into secret worshipers of false gods. Where conviction is needful he plants doubt, when restraint is needed he urges action, where skepticism would be fruitful he encourages zealotry, when action is required he suggests indolence. He remains one of the prime enemies of humanity, seeking everywhere their enslavement and degeneration into feral mutants.

The first sign of his corrupting presence in a society is almost always widespread, vivid nightmares among children, among whom even now- millenia after his imprisonment- he is half remembered and half feared as a sort of boogeyman.

Powers:

The Kindly Man is a master of illusion, persuasion and deception, able to plant subconscious suggestions in even the strongest of minds with his mellifluous voice. Among weaker minds, he is able to command fanatical loyalty, and can easily control lesser demons, monsters, insects and vermin. His command of minor evil spirits makes him a potent sorcerer.

Original tribe:

Azothi, the Lost Tribe. Little is known about the original Azothi culture, save that they were nomads and raiders who worshiped their God-King Azoth and a cruel pantheon of demons and dark gods, practicing horrendous forms of human sacrifice. Over millennia, their proximity to dark magic and alien energies twisted them into degenerate mutants and beastmen who continue to this day to haunt the dark corners of the world and plague the Etruscian Republic. The fall of the Azothi into half-feral monsters took place well before the imprisonment of the demons, and Azoth their god spent many years alternatively instigating invasions of civilized lands by his mutant beastmen and working to weaken those civilizations from within.

Faction: Demons. The Kindly Man was one of the main organizers and instigators of the war against humanity and the Angels.

Opinions:

Eyra the Seer: Azoth does not underestimate the Seer, and fears her cunning and intelligence. He is one of her most determined foes, and eternally vengeful for the humiliating defeat of the demons. Wary of her power and eager for her downfall, he looks forward to overseeing the destruction of all that she has worked to build.

Kinion the Fool: An intriguing irritant.

Wu Dan: Extremely dangerous, one of Azoth's most capable foes. The Kindly Man treads lightly around the Grandmaster, seeking to undermine him indirectly.

@Vahir