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STATUS: I teach my first online lecture today... this shouldn't be too hard right? 6 yrs ago
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6 yrs ago
Current I teach my first online lecture today... this shouldn't be too hard right?
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11 yrs ago
Tout ce qui est fait n'est plus à faire
11 yrs ago
"Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul."
11 yrs ago
"El amor es como el fuego. Suelen ver el humo los que están fuera antes que las llamas los que están dentro."

Bio



Hexaflexagon (Concept)
In geometry, flexagons are flat models, usually constructed by folding strips of paper, that can be flexed or folded in certain ways to reveal faces besides the two that were originally on the back and front.


Hexaflexagon (Person?)
Academic who somehow got conned into working for the Government. Been role-playing both on forums and TTRPGs for close to twenty years at this point. I'm like 99% retired from active RPing on the Guild, but I still like to poke my head onto here once in a while to make sure that I didn't leave the lights on.

Most Recent Posts

In The Wolven Storm: A Tale of Fantasy → 10 yrs ago Forum: Advanced Interest Checks
@FantasyChic
To answer your question
This is actually something I forgot to mention to everybody. I'm not a first come first serve type of person. It doesn't matter to me who poked up first in the interest check, I judge things based on your character sheets to see if they will add something new and interesting to the group et cetra , and I also do a little snooping and look at your other roleplays to see your style. So you can be the first or the tenth person to express interest and you still have equal chances of getting in (Though we don't have enough people yet for me to even really worry about having to cut people). You impress me and you have a spot, you don't impress me and you don't have a spot it is as simple as that. :)


So yes we are still accepting.

@DontCallMeZelda@Lexicon@Hank@Terminal@Empath@jetipster@FantasyChic@Rosalind

And anyway without further delay, the OCC is now officially up and running!
In The Wolven Storm → 10 yrs ago Forum: Advanced Roleplay

T H E G R A N D C O M P E N D I U M


T H E C O M P A N Y O F T H E W O L F


    Leader: The Captain (real name unknown), Human (mostly), age 57
    Force Strength: 200 Combatants
    Standard: A running direwolf
    Current Employer: Katovier eld Kovari

The Company of the Wolf may very well be the last of the Dwarven Free Companies. The Free Companies were founded long ago before the elves or humans even came to the continent. These bands of warriors developed intoxicating thirsts for battle and as a result became mercenaries usually hired out by the Merchant Houses to escort the Dwarven caravans across the realms to the other Dwarven Cities for trade. They repulsed invaders, fought off monsters and bandits. For many a dwarf joining a free company was a last option if all other plans failed and they still wanted to preserve even a single shred of honor in their blood. This was because they were oddities in dwarven society living not by honor but by sway of gold and silver, and their strange ways of constant wandering and seeking the next hunt. But even as oddities they proved their skill time and time again and even if the profession was not as glorious as say one of the king's royal guards, it was still better than cleaning up the shit after the mules.

Soon though the dwarves way of existence changed as the Elves and sometime later the humans came to the Continent. The Free Companies began to find much more work being hired by both sides in their constant wars and generally more people went more people that wanted other people dead. They were some of the first groups in the continent to accept members of all races, genders and outlooks into their ranks following in the tradition of persisting off of volunteer service that they had started in the Dwarven cities. All that mattered was that you could hold up a sword, didn't even need to know how to swing it they would teach you that and a deathwish. But as time progressed and more professional armies were established, the Free Companies started to slowly fall apart. They were either assimilated into the ranks of new armies, killed to the last man in combat and their standards forever forgotten on old battlefields long since grown over into fields and forest or turned to thievery, marauding and banditry to survive as jobs became more and more hard to come by. The ways of the Free Companies were forgotten and their stories mostly left to legends and tales of the histories.

The Company of the Wolf stands as the exception to the rule. Somehow through the perilous grind of history they had persisted if a little worse for wear. Thier ideals and culture intact and they stand as a living relic of a time long since gone by. A time where mercenaries and sellswords held common blood with one another and followed codes and regulations as opposed to being your standard rabble that you see these days. But the years had not been kind a force that in its height measured 6,000 strong had now been reduced to a meer 200. 200 which were then split into four battle groups and those split once again into 10 five man squads. They were a small but brutish force moving with a vicious professionalism of killers trained over the years. If you needed a job done and you needed it done right the first time the Wolves were the people to call. People still join mostly through volunteer service, peasants who would rather die by the blade than starve in their village or city dwellers looking for adventure and finding it in the grim faced individuals reeking of blood and sweat.

I N S T R U C T I O N S:

  • Using the provided template, please create a character sheet
  • All other posts to the OOC tab.
  • Please first post your CSs to the OOC, only Character sheets that have been accepted by me shall go here.



O F F I C I A L D O C U M E N T A T I O N


Basic Information

Name:
Race:
Age:
Magic potency: (Y/N)
Physical Description:
Military Background

Years Spent in Service: How many years have they been with the company
Equipment: (What are they carrying on their person?)

Skills: (List from most potent to least)

The Mind

Psych Profile: (What makes them tick? What irks them, who are they? Basically the personality but a little bit more than that )
History: (Either a couple of paragraphs or a whole analytical essay. Remember quality over quantity. Kiddos.)
Denouement

Character Motivation: (Everybody has a goal from getting the girl, to getting vengeance, to saving the day. What motivates your character?)
Significant Relations: (Anybody they would could significant to their existence alive or dead)
Opinions on Others: (How do they feel about the rest of the team? This can be left blank and added on after everyone adds a sheet.)
Other:



G M C H A R A C T E R S H E E T S




In The Wolven Storm → 10 yrs ago Forum: Advanced Roleplay

The Wolven Storm


S W O R D S O F F A T E


The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,
And, when he thinks, good easy man, full surely
His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventur'd,
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,
This many summers in a sea of glory,
But far beyond my depth. My high-blown pride
At length broke under me, and now has left me,
Weary and old with service, to the mercy
Of a rude stream that must for ever hide me.
~ William Shakespeare


The heavy mountain winds whip about you in a fevered frenzy as you draw your body more supine against your stead. Night had fallen quickly as it does this time of the year with no remorse or hesitation. The path ahead of you is long and winding, you alone in your journey across the old moutain passess. Somewhere up ahead you see a flicker, growing steadily larger as you approach. As you come closer what turns out to be an old oil lantern of dwarven make casts a scene in front of you. An old man sits on a fur mat. A tent composed of various furs behind him, and a mule with a large pack grazing nearby. The man looks up to you, his wrinkled face worn by years of travel and age, teeth marked yellow with the use of smokesong as he gives you a wide smile. He offers you a seat as he takes off a container that was heating above the small fire, and soon he begins to pour the liquid into two old wooden cups.

You know his type, your mother warned you of them when you were young. A tinkerer, the traveling merchants that dot the land. Thieves, peddlers, scavengers, storytellers and tricksters. You never trust a tinkerer, they are men of mischief. But are they not also the harbingers of adventure? Do not all the old tales and legends begin with the young heroes finding one such wandering merchant who sets them down the path. Was it not a tinker that give Leofel the rope which he used to capture the Sun? Besides the man looks harmless enough, with his wrinkled skin and milky eyes. So you sit down with him and take the wooden cup he offers from his worn and calloused hands. Tentatively you raise the cup to your mouth and take the first sip. The strong taste of Navariarin Fire Water seeps into your mouth burning its way down your throat bringing warmth on the cold night before it rests as a warm collesed pit in the center of your stomach. He's intrigue if anything by your presence, the roads these days are anything but safe and most stay in the towns at night for fear of the boogeyman and werewolves that haunt the night. You could say the same about him, a lone old man could be a very tasty morsel for any beasts and the contents of his pack a great prize for any enterprising bandit. But none the less he seems glad to have your company on this darkest of nights.

After some time passes he asks if you would like to hear a story. Your interest is peaked as you raise an eyebrow at the man. From what you know of Tinkers they are supposed to be some of the grandest story tellers in all of the lands, collecting tales and legends wherever they go. You've never had a chance to listen to one of their stories, and now seems like as good as an opportunity as ever. Humoring the man you pass five gold crowns over the fire and into the man's outstretched hand. Giving you a more welcoming smile than before, he disappears into his tent the sound of bones cracking and shifting into place as he rises from the ground. He returns a little bit later with a large leatherbound book thick enough to serve as armor against blade or bolt. He tells you that he will tell a tale not that old, per say but important all the same. A tale that shaped the world as the Swords of Fate clashed sending echos across the mountains. The story of the Wolven Storm. As he finishes his introductions with a flick of his hand the flames begin to dim and the rest of the world becomes muted accept his voice as the smoke of the fire begins to warp and take shape - a wolf running through the forest and so he begins.

"Something ends, something begins."

Something ends, something begins.

Like all good stories this one begins with a death and a resurgence. In the Northern Lands King Arience Tyerial Kadover Estionia Lysteria dies after two months of battling an infection set on by a wound taken in battle. The king died without a legitimate heir to his throne and without a strong claim, the Northern Lands fell to chaos. Bastards, and nobles all fought with their own self raised armies for claim over The Throne of The Ironmount. Two hundred years of peace that had been established and maintained by the Lysteria destiny ended. The wars of succession were long and bloody and in the end no winner could be decided amongst the dead. The Northern Lands fractured among old territorial boundaries and the remnants of the Lysteria's empire were soon relegated to only old crumbling monuments and broken roadways as a dozen petty kingdoms were formed in the wake, continually plagued by wars of expansion and aggression.

As the North fell into chaos and butchery, in a verdant land far to the south celebration were held in every village and hamlet and every citizen of the capital was dressed in their best finery. On this late spring day, marked the coronation of Emperor Katovier eld Kovari, Otersern tryst Yaught var Neir. Emperor Katovier eld Kovari was the youngest son of the late ruler of the Vorstag Empire. Born from the union of his father the Emperor of Vorstag and his mother Queen Elzya de Sirvell of the Kingdom of Sirvilla. Thier union and Emperor Katovier ascension marking an age old plot to combined two of the greatest nations in all of the known world Sirvilla and Vorstag and marking the creation Greater Vorstag Empire. Katovier was a young man in his mid twenties, charismatic and charming he was a favorite among the complex games and multitudes of plots of the Vorstagian courtiers and nobles, and as a great military officer and accomplished swordsman he also had the heart of the common man safely within his grasp. It was a time of great celebration and bountiful feasts in the lands across Vorstag and Sirvilla. The feasting would continue for two weeks, all the while the Empire's subjects were unaware of the greater plan that lay ahead for them. Katovier eld Kovari had his eyes set on the objective that his father had trained him for since he was still a young boy. He would bring unity to the land. The world would remember him as the Emperor who united the realms.

Thirty years have passed since the death of King Arience and the coronation of Katovier eld Kovari. The Emperor of Vorstag is no longer the young man that took the throne all those years ago. The dreams and ambition of a conqueror are never an easy task. The Wars in the South to secure Vorstagian domination were relatively bloody affairs. Vorstag's borders grew yearly encompassing more and more land through either war or politics. For a time Katovier eld Kovari was considered the greatest emperor Vorstag had ever seen. The lands acquired and the many victories in battle pleased the courts and nobles at least long enough to keep his coffers fueled and his armies armed and ready. The new subjects of the empire were quickly assimilated into the fold of the Empire, their peoples kept complacent with bread and circus, and they quickly learned that while Vorstagian rule was harsh to those who would break it, it was a fair rule that brought civility to a more unified land.

But these days public opinion of the Emperor has fallen from the glory days of his peak. The main reason for this sudden turn of events being the war in the North. The Vorstagian people had grown accustomed to quick victories watching their army destroy all those that stood in their way. They were the hammer that forges the raw metal into shape. But the men of the North provided surprising resistance. The once fractured states were unified once more under the rule of one man, King Jaython of Arden. Arden was one of the larger broken kingdoms to have come out of the wars for the Ironmount that came after the death of King Arience. A former grand kingdom in the North in its own right before King Arience beat them in a long and bloody war forcing them into submission. The reformation of the lost kingdom came from one Tehtran Velston, the only surviving member of the Velston Dynasty who held control over Arden before its fall. Jaython his son was a strong military officer and in many ways was a reflection of his adversary Katovier eld Kovari in his youth. The young king lead a decisive campaign called the Red Summer in which he tore a hole through the north crushing all in his way until he sat upon the Iron Mountain retaking control of the North. During the Red Summer, Jaython showed his skills as military officer and his intolerance for those whom he deems less than him. Mass beheadings were held and the north soon became littered with mass graves for the dead, but the young king of Arden held the close ear of many officials both in military, economic and religious spheres retaining his influence and marking those that he killed as Vorstagian traitors.

These two men stand opposed to one another. Katovier eld Kovari the old wolf of the south, with his entire legacy on the line and King Jaython the white wolf of the north, fighting to retain a rule that he only just managed to cement. As they bear their fangs the world trembles beneath their weight. The Vorstagian Invasion makes slow yet steady progress continually pushing ever northward, but ever persistent the Ardenian forces continually push back and as the front crawls forward in one area in another it slowly crawls backwards until the two forces readjusted and the cycle starts again. The people of the North are kept in check through the fear and strong arm of Jaython and his men but at the same time he is the only hope they have in keeping their valued independence. While Katovier fights for his honor, to be remembered as the Emperor that united the Realms and brought generations of Vorstagian peace and rule, even as his coffers began to run dry and the murmurs of the nobles who tire of this tiresome war.

And even so another force moves on the horizon as unnatural weather patterns and large magical disturbance mark the landscape as the monsters become more and more ravenous and aggressive do the chaos and the bloodshed. There are whispers of an ancient prophecy accounting the end of time itself as the world succumbed to frost and fire. A prophecy that speaks of two rulers one in the North and one in the South and a great war between them. The coming of the Wolven Storm.

H A N D S O F D E S T I N Y


Wolves always hunt in packs

Caught in the middle of this terrible conflict are the Wolves. The Company of the Wolf, was a loose confederation of sellswords almost as old as the realms themselves. The wolves took from all walks of life from beggars, to murders, and trained knights. Most give up their old identities upon taking the oath, forgetting whoever they once were and becoming soldiers for hire. It was a hard life if anything, but you were given training to defend yourself, a warm bed and a gurtainee of three meals a night. If you needed a job done and you needed it done with professional service and ability they were the men and women to call. Up to about one year ago they were preoccupied with their most recent job working as the protector of Lord Van of Starly. A job which paid well and was relatively luxurious in its contents having to put down the occasional peasant revolt and killing the foolhardy bandit lord here and there. But, Lord Van in his arrogance did not succumb to the demands of the Vorstagians and instead backed King Jaython as the traditional ruler of the north. As it turns out the small mountainous kingdom though bountiful in its supply of raw materials was not worth the bloodshed and once the going got rough, Jaython made a tactical retreat across the River Tally leaving King Van to his fate.

With Van's head on a pike after a month long siege of his castle, the Wolves beaten and having surrendered and left the Vorstagians in after it became quite obvious that the siege was only going to end with them all dead. for them at least the Vorstagians admired their skill in the defense of Van's castle and as long as the sellswords would considered their contract with Van void all would be forgiven. And soon after the execution the Wolves were approached by a messenger requesting that they come to the Imperial Capital for an audience with the Emperor himself. Not one to argue with orders from powerful emperors whose armies surrounded them on all sides and seeing no harm in a friendly meeting they made way to the imperial capital. It was here that the Wolves received their next job. The job was simple with his forces preoccupied with fighting the barbarians in the north, he needed another set of eyes to go investigate something for him.

His spies had continued to bring back disturbing reports from isolated northern cities and villages of mysterious events. Entire villages slaughtered in a single night and the culprits never to be found. The whispers of the Wolven Storm. While not a superstitious man Katovier was not a stupid one either and knew when events ever strange needed to be look into and dealt with. He could not have an unknown element foiling his war. The wolves of course would have no true acknowledgement of their position and would receive no aid from the Vorstagian forces in the north. The Job was simple enough and even if it wasn't the standard affair, checking into baseless legends and the superstitions of the peasantry seemed like an easy task. Little did they know what would follow was how closely the Wolven Storm, the war and everything else was intertwined.

T H E R A C E S O F T H E R E A L M S


While other races do exist within the Realms, three races make up the so called "Greater Races". The Elves, Dwarves and Humans. The Humans have become the dominate force in the realms mostly just from population as they are generally much more short lived than their two companions and because of it can just outgrow them fielding larger armies and dealing with plagues and famines easier. High racial tensions exist between the humans and their other companions. With humanity holding the top spot considering the other two to be lesser creatures and treated as second class citizens having to live in ghettos and designated quarters of cities. To see a Elven Noble would be a great shock indeed. The abuses that occur also involve vented anger from the failed Elven Revolts in which the Elves with help from the Dwarves and a few enterprising groups of humans tried to star mass revolutions and retake their place as top dogs in the realm, slaughtering many along the way.







M A G I C A N D S O R C E R Y


Magic is the art of bending the Will. The Will is an otherworldly power source that lays beyond the veils of known reality. Sorceress, Cleric, Druids and the like can use this power to perform great feats. The mastery of Magic involves the memorization and knowledge of vast sums of knowledge whose complexities and intricacies mean the difference between a successful spell and instantaneous insanity or worse. Children who show natural skill are often sought out by the many cabales, lodges and colleges that exists in the world for sorcerers.

The power bound in spell formulae may be used for healing, teleportation, destruction, creating illusions, and altering form. Though the will is also affected by the Caster themselves and each magical burst is different from mage to mage, cleric to cleric, druid to druid, sorceress to sorceress. Magic is considered a curse, a blessing, the future, an art and a science all wrapped into one tight bundle. People fear magic users becuase of their independence and their general hotheadedness, their is no governing body that maintains ethical codes and morals for magic users they are owned held back by their own minds and morals. Because of this stories of mad necromancers and warlocks trying to take over towns and cites is not an all uncommon story.

Most kings and queens hold at least one magic user of some kind in their court. They usually serve as a cheif advisor as most are very well versed in the history of the world. Even so to the common man prejudices are held high, as most religions condemn magic as gifts of delivery and the play of tricksters. Righteous inquisitors and witch hunters don't help to stifle those myths either in the long run. When bad things happen and little Jimmy falls down the wall, or the crops fail the sorceress is the first to be blamed and many a poor individual has been burned on a pyre for crimes they did not commit.

It is also important to note that tapping into the Will has certain peculiar side effects, the most notable being the longevity of Magic Users. The Will preserves them and keeps them young and they age at a very slow rate, not long when compared to other creatures like the elves but much longer than the standard human life span.

R E L I G I O N I N T H E R E A L M S


Believers of all kinds populate the realms as a land of sorcery and monsters tend to breed superstitious bunches. Religions small and large dot the known world from the smallest cults to the Celestial Path of the Vorstag Empire, all with their followers and preachers, all contesting over the faith of the populace. While some of these faiths do hold the best interests of the people at heart, serving as places of peace and healing in a collapsing world, most are nothing more than tools. Tools used by Kings, generals and madman using ideology and the blind faith of the followers to do their bidding. In these dark times religion is becoming more and more prominent in the lives of the daily peasant as they need something to cling to in all the chaos, something to point them in the right direction, something they can follow blindly without want or care.







B E S T I A R Y


There are many creatures out in the realms, some more dangerous than others. As we encounter them they will be recorded here so that we can remember them more easily.

T H E A N N A L S


Important GM messages, updates on story progression and anything else that needs to be viewable by all will be posted here.

1/24/16 We are live and now accepting applications! Please post the application to the OOC and not the character sheet tab. Only accepted character sheets can go in that tab. Thank you and have a nice day.

R u l e s


01: I'm not the biggest fan of rules because I like to assume everybody is sane human being so I'll keep this short. If you have to abide by any rules be it these two. Common decency and common sense is something that everybody should strive for. Treat your fellow humans like they are just that your fellow humans and with all the respect that implies. Disputes between players should not be long blown out affairs in the OCC, hell disputes should not happen at all if we are doing this right. If you want to argue have your characters dispute about something mundane like the importance of starch or something.
02: In regards to any roleplay involving the dark depravity of mankind and giant monsters there are mature themes within this story. This is not a very nice world and terrible things happen to good people for no good reason. In that regard I heavily suggest you treat these matters with the weight that they would actually entitle. Romance falls into the same thing, sure it can happen just don't be stupid about it
03: Quality matters people, show me that you care. And remember I'm asking for your best not the best of Shakespeare or the like. I've been doing this shit for about a decade now and I'm still learning things everyday. Just remember Quality over Quantity and always remember Fail Faster.
In The Wolven Storm: A Tale of Fantasy → 10 yrs ago Forum: Advanced Interest Checks
@Rosalind
Indeed we do.

This is actually something I forgot to mention to everybody. I'm not a first come first serve type of person. It doesn't matter to me who poked up first in the interest check, I judge things based on your character sheets to see if they will add something new and interesting to the group et cetra , and I also do a little snooping and look at your other roleplays to see your style. So you can be the first or the tenth person to express interest and you still have equal chances of getting in (Though we don't have enough people yet for me to even really worry about having to cut people). You impress me and you have a spot, you don't impress me and you don't have a spot it is as simple as that. :)
In The Wolven Storm: A Tale of Fantasy → 10 yrs ago Forum: Advanced Interest Checks


@Terminal@Empath@jetipster
Hey look more poor unfortunate souls to come join in on the slaughter, I mean adventure. I hereby welcome you all to TWS and I thank you for expressing your interest. As I told the others work on the OCC is currently in motion and until it is done feel free to post any questions here to me or PM me whatever suits your fancy.

@Lexicon
Mhmm that could be interesting, an elf and a mage? That's like a double dose of terrible racism because people don't understand or want to understand what you are.

Anyway, the OCC is done at this point with all the information that one can need at least at the start. I'm just making some finish edits and touches to some character sheet things. So you should all expect a post telling you the OCC will be up within the day. (You'll all be tagged in it don't worry.)
In The Wolven Storm: A Tale of Fantasy → 10 yrs ago Forum: Advanced Interest Checks
Hey look at all the people. Firstly I must thank you all for showing interest in TWS and giving this little love letter to fantasy a shot. Hmm counting myself we have four people at the current moment and a few more stragglers will proabably step in along the way, but a small group could work as well. But anyway we've reached the threshold for me to complete the rest of the OCC and have it up in a reasonable amount of time. I just have to add a few more bits and pieces of background information and maybe get a map up and running. With that said considering that I'm currently snowed in and well not be going to work tomorrow, you all shouldn't have too much of a wait.

While I'm doing this @DontCallMeZelda@Hank@Lexicon I implore you all to begin consideration of characters or at least ideas of characters. The Company of Wolves being basically my dark fantasy equivalent of what happens if you put blackwater and the French Foreign Legion into a blender and set it to puree take from all walks of life, gender and even more considerably forward of them is that they are one of the only military forces that accept members of all of the Greater Races into their ranks. As long as you can hold a sword and are willing to die in the name of glory and a heavy coin purse, it matters not your origin. From sorcerer, to exile, to warrior, to criminal and drunkard. Soldiers come in all shapes.

And in the meantime if anyone has any questions at all feel free to either tag me in a post in this thread or PM me, whichever suits your fancy.
In The Wolven Storm: A Tale of Fantasy → 10 yrs ago Forum: Advanced Interest Checks

The Wolven Storm


S W O R D S O F F A T E


The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,
And, when he thinks, good easy man, full surely
His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventur'd,
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,
This many summers in a sea of glory,
But far beyond my depth. My high-blown pride
At length broke under me, and now has left me,
Weary and old with service, to the mercy
Of a rude stream that must for ever hide me.
~ William Shakespeare


The heavy mountain winds whip about you in a fevered frenzy as you draw your body more supine against your stead. Night had fallen quickly as it does this time of the year with no remorse or hesitation. The path ahead of you is long and winding, you alone in your journey across the old moutain passess. Somewhere up ahead you see a flicker, growing steadily larger as you approach. As you come closer what turns out to be an old oil lantern of dwarven make casts a scene in front of you. An old man sits on a fur mat. A tent composed of various furs behind him, and a mule with a large pack grazing nearby. The man looks up to you, his wrinkled face worn by years of travel and age, teeth marked yellow with the use of smokesong as he gives you a wide smile. He offers you a seat as he takes off a container that was heating above the small fire, and soon he begins to pour the liquid into two old wooden cups.

You know his type, your mother warned you of them when you were young. A tinkerer, the traveling merchants that dot the land. Thieves, peddlers, scavengers, storytellers and tricksters. You never trust a tinkerer, they are men of mischief. But are they not also the harbingers of adventure? Do not all the old tales and legends begin with the young heroes finding one such wandering merchant who sets them down the path. Was it not a tinker that give Leofel the rope which he used to capture the Sun? Besides the man looks harmless enough, with his wrinkled skin and milky eyes. So you sit down with him and take the wooden cup he offers from his worn and calloused hands. Tentatively you raise the cup to your mouth and take the first sip. The strong taste of Navariarin Fire Water seeps into your mouth burning its way down your throat bringing warmth on the cold night before it rests as a warm collesed pit in the center of your stomach. He's intrigue if anything by your presence, the roads these days are anything but safe and most stay in the towns at night for fear of the boogeyman and werewolves that haunt the night. You could say the same about him, a lone old man could be a very tasty morsel for any beasts and the contents of his pack a great prize for any enterprising bandit. But none the less he seems glad to have your company on this darkest of nights.

After some time passes he asks if you would like to hear a story. Your interest is peaked as you raise an eyebrow at the man. From what you know of Tinkers they are supposed to be some of the grandest story tellers in all of the lands, collecting tales and legends wherever they go. You've never had a chance to listen to one of their stories, and now seems like as good as an opportunity as ever. Humoring the man you pass five gold crowns over the fire and into the man's outstretched hand. Giving you a more welcoming smile than before, he disappears into his tent the sound of bones cracking and shifting into place as he rises from the ground. He returns a little bit later with a large leatherbound book thick enough to serve as armor against blade or bolt. He tells you that he will tell a tale not that old, per say but important all the same. A tale that shaped the world as the Swords of Fate clashed sending echos across the mountains. The story of the Wolven Storm. As he finishes his introductions with a flick of his hand the flames begin to dim and the rest of the world becomesm muted accept his voice as the smoke of the fire begins to warp and take shape - a wolf running through the forest and so he begins.

"Something ends, something begins."

Something ends, something begins.

Like all good stories this one begins with a death and a resurgence. In the Northern Lands King Arience Tyerial Kadover Estionia Lysteria dies after two months of battling an infection set on by a wound taken in battle. The king died without a legitimate heir to his throne and without a strong claim the Northern Lands fell to chaos. Bastards, and nobles all fought with their own self raised armies for claim over The Throne of The Ironmount. Two hundred of peace that had been established and maintained by the Lysteria destiny ended. The wars of succession were long and bloody and in the end no winner could be decided amongst the dead. The Northern Lands fractured among old territorial boundaries and the remnants of the Lysteria's empire were soon relegated to only old crumbling monuments and broken roadways as a dozen petty kingdoms were formed in the wake, continually plauged by wars of expansion and aggression.

As the North fell into chaos and butchery, in a verdant land far to the south celebration were held in every village and hamlet and every citizen of the capital was dressed in their best finery. On this late spring day, marked the coronation of Emperor Katovier eld Kovari, Otersern tryst Yaught var Neir. Emperor Katovier eld Kovari was the youngest son of the late ruler of the Vorstag Empire. Born from the union of his father the Emperor of Vorstag and his mother Queen Elzya de Sirvell of the Kingdom of Sirvilla. Thier union and Emperor Katovier ascension marking an age old plot to combined two of the greatest nations in all of the known world Sirvilla and Vorstag and marking the creation Greater Vorstag Empire. Katovier was a young man in his mid twenties, charismatic and charming he was a favorite among the complex games and multitudes of plots of the Vorstagian courtiers and nobles, and as a great military officer and accomplished swordsman he also had the heart of the common man safely within his grasp. It was a time of great celebration and bountiful feasts in the lands across Vorstag and Sirvilla. The feasting would continue for two weeks, all the while the Empire's subjects were unaware of the greater plan that lay ahead for them. Katovier eld Kovari had his eyes set on the objective that his father had trained him for since he was still a young boy. He would bring unity to the land. The world would remember him as the Emperor who united the realms.

Thirty years have passed since the death of King Arience and the coronation of Katovier eld Kovari. The Emperor of Vorstag is no longer the young man that took the throne all those years ago. The dreams and ambition of a conqueror are never an easy task. The Wars in the South to secure Vorstagian domination were relatively bloody affairs. Vorstag's borders grew yearly encompassing more and more land through either war or politics. For a time Katovier eld Kovari was considered the greatest emperor Vorstag had ever seen. The lands acquired and the many victories in battle pleased the courts and nobles at least long enough to keep his coffers fueled and his armies armed and ready. The new subjects of the empire were quickly assimilated into the fold of the Empire, their peoples kept complacent with bread and circus, and they quickly learned that while Vorstagian rule was harsh to those who would break it, it was a fair rule that brought civility to a more unified land.

But these days public opinion of the Emperor has fallen from the glory days of his peak. The main reason for this sudden turn of events being the war in the North. The Vorstagian people had grown accustomed to quick victories watching their army destroy all those that stood in their way. They were the hammer that forges the raw metal into shape. But the men of the North provided surprising resistance. The once fractured states were unified once more under the rule of one man, King Jaython of Arden. Arden was one of the larger broken kingdoms to have come out of the wars for the Ironmount that came after the death of King Arience. A former grand kingdom in the North in its own right before King Arience beat them in a long and bloody war forcing them into submission. The reformation of the lost kingdom came from one Tehtran Velston, the only surviving member of the Velston Dynasty who held control over Arden before its fall. Jaython his son was a strong military officer and in many ways was a reflection of his adversary Katovier eld Kovari in his youth. The young king lead a decisive campaign called the Red Summer in which he tore a hole through the north crushing all in his way until he sat upon the Iron Mountain retaking control of the North. During the Red Summer, Jaython showed his skills as military officer and his intolerance for those whom he deems less than him. Mass beheadings were held and the north soon became littered with mass graves for the dead, but the young king of Arden held the close ear of many officials both in military, economic and religious spheres retaining his influence and marking those that he killed as Vorstagian traitors.

These two men stand opposed to one another. Katovier eld Kovari the old wolf of the south, with his entire legacy on the line and King Jaython the white wolf of the north, fighting to retain a rule that he only just managed to cement. As they bear their fangs the world trembles beneath their weight. The Vorstagian Invasion makes slow yet steady progress continually pushing ever northward, but ever persistent the Ardenian forces continually push back and as the front crawls forward in one area in another it slowly crawls backwards until the two forces readjusted and the cycle starts again. The people of the North are kept in check through the fear and strong arm of Jaython and his men but at the same time he is the only hope they have in keeping their valued independence. While Katovier fights for his honor, to be remembered as the Emperor that united the Realms and brought generations of Vorstagian peace and rule, even as his coffers began to run dry and the murmurs of the nobles who tire of this tiresome war.

And even so another force moves on the horizon as unnatural weather patterns and large magical disturbance mark the landscape as the monsters become more and more ravenous and aggressive do the chaos and the bloodshed. There are whispers of an ancient prophecy accounting the end of time itself as the world succumbed to frost and fire. A prophecy that speaks of two rulers one in the North and one in the South and a great war between them. The coming of the Wolven Storm.

H A N D S O F D E S T I N Y


Wolves always hunt in packs

Caught in the middle of this terrible conflict are the Wolves. The Company of the Wolf, was a loose confederation of sellswords almost as old as the realms themselves. The wolves took from all walks of life from beggars, to murders, and trained knights. Most give up their old identities upon taking the oath, forgetting whoever they once were and becoming soldiers for hire. It was a hard life if anything, but you were given training to defend yourself, a warm bed and a gurtainee of three meals a night. If you needed a job done and you needed it done with professional service and ability they were the men and women to call. Up to about one year ago they were preoccupied with their most recent job working as the protector of Lord Van of Starly. A job which paid well and was relatively luxurious in its contents having to put down the occasional peasant revolt and killing the foolhardy bandit lord here and there. But, Lord Van in his arrogance did not succumb to the demands of the Vorstagians and instead backed King Jaython as the traditional ruler of the north. As it turns out the small mountainous kingdom though bountiful in its supply of raw materials was not worth the bloodshed and once the going got rough, Jaython made a tactical retreat across the River Tally leaving King Van to his fate.

With Van's head on a pike after a month long siege of his castle, the Wolves beaten and having surrendered and left the Vorstagians in after it became quite obvious that the siege was only going to end with them all end were now unemployed. Luckily for them at least the Vorstagians admired their skill in the defense of Van's castle and as long as the sellswords would considered their contract with Van void all would be forgiven. And soon after the execution the Wolves were approached by a messenger requesting that they come to the Imperial Capital for an audience with Emperor himself. Not one to argue with orders from powerful emperors whose armies surrounded them on all sides and seeing no harm in a friendly meeting they made way to the imperial capital. It was here that the Wolves received their next job. The job was simple with his forces preoccupied with fighting the barbarians in the north, he needed another set of eyes to go investigate something for him.

His spies had continued to bring back disturbing reports from isolated northern cities and villages of mysterious events. Entire villages slaughtered in a single night and the culprits never to be found. The whispers of the Wolven Storm. While not a superstitious man Katovier was not a stupid one either and knew when events ever strange needed to be look into and dealt with. He could not have an unknown element foiling his war. The wolves of course would have no true acknowledgement of their position and would receive no aid from the Vorstagian forces in the north. The Job was simple enough and even if it wasn't the standard affair, checking into baseless legends and the superstitions of the peasantry seemed like an easy task. Little did they know what would follow was how closely the Wolven Storm, the war and everything else was intertwined.

T H E R A C E S O F T H E R E A L M S


Well other races do exist within the Realms, three races make up the so called "Greater Races". The Elves, Dwarves and Humans. The Humans have become the dominate force in the realms mostly just from population as they are generally much more short lived than their two companions and because of it can just outgrow them fielding larger armies and dealing with plagues and famines easier. High racial tensions exist between the humans and their other companions. With humanity holding the top spot considering the other two to be lesser creatures and treated as second class citizens having to live in ghettos and designated quarters of cities. To see a Elven Noble would be a great shock indeed. The abuses that occur also involve vented anger from the failed Elven Revolts in which the Elves with help from the Dwarves and a few enterprising groups of humans tried to star mass revolutions and retake their place as top dogs in the realm, slaughtering many along the way.







M A G I C A N D S O R C E R Y


Magic is the art of bending the Will. The Will is an otherworldly power source that lays beyond the veils of known reality. Sorceress, Cleric, Druids and the like can use this power to perform great feats. The mastery of Magic involves the memorization and knowledge of vast sums of knowledge whose complexities and intricacies mean the difference between a successful spell and instantaneous insanity or worse. Children who show natural adopted are often sought out by the many cabales, lodges and colleges that exists in the world for sorcerers.

The power bound in spell formulae may be used for healing, teleportation, destruction, creating illusions, and altering form. Though the will is also affected by the Caster themselves and each magical burst is different from mage to mage, cleric to cleric, druid to druid, sorceress to sorceress. Magic is considered a curse, a blessing, the future, an art and a science all wrapped into one tight bundle. People fear magic users becuase of their independence and their general hotheadedness, their is no governing body that maintains ethical codes and morals for magic users they are owned held back by their own minds and morals. Because of this stories of mad necromancers and warlocks trying to take over towns and cites is not an all uncommon story.

Most kings and queens hold at least one magic user of some kind in their court. They usually serve as a cheif advisor as most are very well versed in the history of the world. Even so to the common man prejudices are held high, as most religions condemn magic as gifts of delivery and the play of tricksters. Righteous inquisitors and witch hunters don't help to stifle those myths either in the long run. When bad things happen and little Jimmy falls down the wall, or the crops fail the sorceress is the first to be blamed and many a poor individual has been burned on a pyre for crimes they did not commit.

It is also important to note that tapping into the Will has certain peculiar side effects, the most notiabiliy being the longevity of Magic Users. The Will preserves them and keeps them young and they age at a very slow rate, not long when compared to other creatures like the elves but much longer than the standard human life span.

A W E L C O M E

Hello and Welcome to the interest check for The Wolven Storm or TWS for short. TWS is my love letter to fantasy, to the stories presented in works such as The Black Company, Malazan Book of the Fallen, and the Witcher. Of video games such as Baldur's Gate, Pillars of Eternity and Dragon Age. The Realms are a place with a history and I've done my best to make a living breathing world but I'm not done yet. There are many gaps that need to be filled and stories that need to be told. I've always been a fan of fantasy because well Science Fiction is great, you will see no wizards punching dragons in the face there and this is a fantasy world designed to allow players to breath. It's the story of a world on the brink of destruction teetering close to the edge, it's the story of an age old prophecy that may bring with it the end of the world. It's a story of sellswords, mercenaries for hire barely heroes by standard definition. And well it's a story of whatever else you can come up with, TWS is a mold upon which I'm looking for individuals to help craft into something else.

Anyway if you are interested in a good old fantasy adventure with some more mature themes and ideas. Well how about you come and say hi?
In Falling Skies: 7th Mobile Armor Suit Team → 10 yrs ago Forum: Advanced Roleplay
Even rigged a random tree out in the jungle. I should start a pool to see how long before some poor unlucky bastard out on an adventure runs into that tree bomb in the middle of nowhere.


In World War III(?) - Modern Military RP → 10 yrs ago Forum: Advanced Interest Checks
Eh all forward into the breach they say right? I'm always game for a well done modern military RP.

In terms of who we would be? Well I'm really good with anything.

  • The Wojska Specjalne would be interesting since Poland isn't the first name that comes to mind when you have saving the day,
  • The Foreign Legion and their own standard brand of crazy awesome could be fun.
  • And I'm always a fan of the Brits but really I'm game for whatever.
In Disharmony (An Avatar: The Last Airbender/ Legend of Korra roleplay) → 10 yrs ago Forum: Casual Interest Checks

Disharmony


Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago before the times of my father, the nations of the world lived in harmony. This peace was kept by the Avatar, master of all four elements and the world was kept in peace. Then everything changed thirty years ago. The United Republic of Nations formed in the wake of the hundred years war by Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko began to sagged beneath its own weight. Overpopulation and constricted borders with the Fire Nation to the south and the ever large earth kingdom surrounding them. Out from the despair of this depression arouse a charismatic face of hope, a highly decorated officer in the United Forces. His name was Zalrok, a firebender born in a multicultural family with a proud history of military combat. Zalrok was young and passionate, a face that spoke to the disenfranchised youth and could rally huge crowds to do his bidding. And after the untimely and mysterious death of President Sha Falong, Zalrok was easily elected president. His first years were some of the best the Republic had seen since the times of Avatar Korra as a series of strong economic reforms and government encouragement towards further industrialization and technological development bounded ahead. But President Zalrok did not stop there, he was intent on seeing his vision of a united world come to pass and so in the late spring in the third year of his rule, President Zalrok took his position for life and after having any within his own government who questioned him killed turned his attention to the rest of the world.

The United Republic's military have grown three times in size since Zalrok's industrialization efforts had become a behemoth that even the grand armies of the Earth Kingdom had trouble matching. Modernized weaponry and technology allowed for non-bender forces to combat even the strongest of benders, as these soldiers a fusion of flesh and pure metals to make these men into machines of war. What followed was a long and terrible war almost ten winters in length as the free nations of the world through all they could against the forces of United Republic again and again only to be felled by the Republic's might. Eventually the world was forced into submission with the earth kingdom having been consumed as part of the Greater Republic and Puppet States having been set up in the Fire Nation and the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. Even the Spirit World itself was not safe for the terrors of war as the shockwaves of death and destruction were felt there as well casting the world into disharmony. Angry spirits roam the lands and great storms bash against the coastlines, the world was thrown over the edge.

In all of this chaos and destruction, only one hope remained the Avatar. After the death of Avatar Korra preventing a great tsunami from sweeping Republic City away but using up the last of her energy in her old age, the Avatar had faded from memory. After years of silence, and failed searches by the remnants of the Order of the White Lotus many believed the cycle to have finally been broken. But there are some that still believe that the Avatar will rise again and bring harmony to a broken world.



Welcome one and all to Disharmony, an Avatar: The Last Airbender Roleplay. Disharmony takes place close to three hundred years after the closing events of The Legend of Korra. For a time the world saw a great period of peace and prosperity as the struggles of Team Avatar were able to usher in a new era into the world. Though like all good things, that peace had to come to the end. The breaker of the peace was the charismatic Fire Bender Zalrok who after becoming President of the United Republic of Nations and taking the crumbling nation and building it into a war machine set it loose against the world. The war happened already, the forces of good lost to the forces of evil. Zarlok was able to crush the other nations of the world and rule it all with an iron first. It is now the thirtieth year of his reign, a rule kept alive by a totalitarian police state whose brutal secret police and military forces crush any resistance presented.

This is where you all come in. You are members of the Unagi Front, one of the only remaining resistance movements left in the world. Composed of members of all nations, benders and non-benders the Unagi Front was originally an anti-war movement that started in Republic City petitioning for the immediate end of the ten years war and the stepping down of President Zalrok. Obviously there pleas were not answered and when Zalrok began to use violence to repress their protests. the Unagi Front turned from non-violent resistance to a full blown insurgency. Cells existed all across the land with connections in the highs and lows of society. While the Unagi Front's goal of bringing liberty and freedom back to the people, their means make them no better than Zalrok's men in the eyes of the common man using hostage takings, bombings and other terrorist tactics to keep their enemy on edge.

And so our tale begins with a group of Unagi Front members, strangers in everything except for the mission at hand. They are aboard a stolen United Forces Aircraft flying amongst a night sky dark as pitch over the tumultuous and turbulent South Sea. They are headed for a large metal citadel built above the waves, Lion Turtle Citadel, a political prison where upon only the most feared members of the Republic are stored far away from civilization. Nobody has escape from the prison since its construction at the start of Zalrok's reign. Well there is a first time for everything right?



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