He'll likely answer when he can as it seems his intent is to start the RP by the end of the week which means he plans on being around. Some do not have has much free time as others even then. He'll come on when he comes on.
Even for your question on why our characters aren't Chimera rank, that one can be assumed to be due to the fact that it requires the actual completion of a hunt and killing of a paranormal creature as well as the presentation of a trophy to prove as such. A Hybrid beast may mean an actual paranormal creature rather than wild fauna larger in size than normal, which I imagine would be the norm for those who actually perform their duties as Swordseekers. So attaining the needed trophy isn't likely to be as simple and clear cut as the other ranks. While the first one is a test of physical strength and the second one a test of mental durability, the third one is a test of finding a true hybrid creature and killing it. Something that, if this is similar to the witcher, would be difficult to any normal person to ever do.
Also, I don't consider the GMs character all that old. He is 32 to which makes plenty of sense. It likely took a long while for him to train to a level to complete the Minotaur rank and a bit of training to complete Sphinx. Unless he was trained to be a warrior or something similar from birth, I'd expect him to be between the ages of 25-35. He is human and doesn't have any physical advantage that an Elf or and Orc would have for either of the challenges. On the topic of why our characters were hired for the mission, I imagine it is also like the Witcher in the aspect that they aren't specifically hired for their missions. They are either assigned the mission or take the mission on themselves. Sort of like accepting a contract.
Now, mind you, this is all speculation but it is speculation that is of a reasonable nature and doesn't break any logical progression of realism. Simply answering questions as I can since it is in our best interest to at least talk about it and provide ideas while the GM is out for work. If he returns and states otherwise then it is fine but I imagine this is the quickest way to move along rather than hang on the fact that we have to wait for our GM who likely has a busy life working and attending to other aspects.
I imagine the GM is busy in the real life with his work as it seems he and I share similar jobs where they tend to work us for days straight. During those times, I only ever check on the Guild before I go to bed and rarely have time to write. I doubt he has ghosted on us.
Na’Shira’s life is far from an epic story, one told in the halls of many Orc towns nor is it a sob story of how she was sold into slavery. Her life was easy compared to those of many of her kind for she lived in a small northern kingdom where Orcs were able to live peacefully with the humans and elves. And thus, that was also where her story begun, in the small kingdom known of Bernholdt. There she was born to a first time mother and a father all too excited to welcome his child into the world, silently hoping for a boy who could take up the family business of serving their king. Unfortunately, he got a daughter. He got Na’Shira who would be his pride, a daughter who would exceed his expectations every time.
Her early life was simple, she was doted on by her Father near every hour of the day when he was home and her Mother watched her grow up. Always was Na’Shira feisty, always on the move and looking to go on an adventure when she learned to crawl and then walk. She played with the village kids, though some avoided her due to her Father’s work with the King of Bernholdt, being his personal hunter. They knew that, in due time, Na’Shira would be groomed to take his position should the man not bear a son. And he never would for his wife soon came down with an illness in the winter, subsequently dying in her sleep.
In the years after her Mother’s death, Na’Shira spent her every waking hour with her Father. He watched her like a hawk, led her on walks through the forests and asked her questions about the scenery. He trained her to observe as much as possible around her, to see what most people would overlook. Such was the way of the hunter after all. He had her memorize landmarks until, at the age of fourteen, she was able to guide them both through the forest and to the lake in its center and back. Soon after, she began the true training with her Father, the training with sword and bow. It was arduous training yet valuable time with her Father, something Na’Shira loathed and looked forward to every day.
Her body changed quickly under her Father’s watch, her workouts, diet, and training leading to the development of a strong body. One could say that it was in her genes, that she would’ve developed that way anyway without the extra work. Either way, she soon was able to match her Father’s moves after nearly six years of training. Of course, she could never beat her old man for he still had many more years of experience over her but Na’Shira certainly wasn’t an untrained fighter. But, her Father was growing older. His body began to ache far too much, his hands shake as he aimed with his bow, and his eyes weren’t what they use to be.
It was two years later that she replaced her Father in the King’s Grand Hunt, as the only member of the hunting team younger than 30. She served the King well that year, leading him to not only kill a rare hart that had eluded him and her Father for many years. The creature was comin on eight years of age yet its horns were magnificent, a beauty unlike any other the King had killed in his lifetime. And so, that is where one would think Na’Shira’s story ends. Yet, it is not. She was destined for something more, something she had never thought of. She was destined to be a Swordseeker, a hunter of mythical creatures. That is, at least, if she believed in mythical creatures. Equipment: -A Composite Bow: This weapon has been with Na’Shira for almost four years, a gift from the King of Bernholdt after she helped him kill the exquisite hart. The bow has horn taken from said hart used in it and is made from hickory that grew in the forests around his castle. She has prized the gift since it was presented to her by the King. -A Baselard Dagger: Her dagger ran in the family, a gift as a sign of allegiance to the King of Bernhardt when her family first became his persona hunters. - A Simple Hunting Knife- Just a iron knife that Na’Shira keeps with her, only ever used in hunting. -A Simple Arming Sword: The sword is nothing special, made from high quality iron and crafted only a year ago, well kept by Na’Shira as all her weapons are. -Her Armor: Na’Shira is physically larger than most women and, as such, had to have her armor specially made for her. She wears a simple gambeson and partial plate in the form of a cuirass, faulds, rerebrace, and vambrace. Her plate is attached by sturdy leather straps and was made specifically for her, at the order of the King of Bernhardt. -Clothing: When not readied for combat, Na’Shira wears simple, woolen clothes of brown or light green and has a coat for cold weather made from bear pelt. The bear coat was a gift from her Father to honor her first successful hunt without him. Personality:
One would think that Na’Shira was like her Father, a stoic young person who rarely interacted with others, who was always the outcast in the village. This is rather the opposite of who she really is. She has always been able to interact with people fine, often being very charismatic for a woman whose profession is to hunt and kill for a living. People found it easy to be around her, at least in her home village. Even then the outside word found it easy to accept her for who she is, an orc whose own goal isn’t to make some great epic about herself but to simply help people where they request it.
Na’Shira had always possessed the reputation of completing tasks that most people weren’t able to do in her home village, something that carried over to her time in the Swordseekers. While she does not possess a sense of justice driving her to complete the contracts, she does believe that they must be completed for the good of the people and for them to have peace of mind. Failure to do so is, to her at least, leaving people to essentially die, something she could never stand by due to the teachings by her Father and how she grew up.
She holds a belief that everybody must support each other, no matter of the race, otherwise they will fall apart. A village only flourishes with a farmer shares his crops with the miller and the miller shares his flour with the baker; the same can be said that a people will only grow and live peaceful lives if a hunter completes their tasks. Though, it was quite obvious in her first year with the Swordseekers that her belief as such would be used to manipulate her, to have her ‘help’ other seekers complete a contract only to receive no reward. This nature of hers has also led to turning down legitimate payment if it seems that the people need it more than she did.
Sometimes this leads to problems with other Swordseekers, mostly those who request she help them with a contract, and has led to her being a sort of outcast from the main core of the Swordseekers. Though, she doesn’t quite mind being the outcast as long as she completes her duties. The only thing that ever gets in the way of completing her duties is that she is a tad bit of a drunkard, often drinking too much some nights and passing out only to awake in the morning and realize she was late to meet a person who hired her. That and her rather innocent drive to help others and being roped into helping people who, if there was another seeker, would be realized as bandits.
Skills: -Hunter’s Instinct: Na’Shira’s training with her Father has done her well, instilling in her an instinct that is perfect for a hunter. The ability to notice things those less observant wouldn’t, to remember where she is going and directions simply by the stars and where she has been. All of it was taught to her over and over again for all her years of training, refreshed and branded into her mind every night. She also feels in her gut when something is amiss, when the area around her feels wrong. It is sort of like a sixth sense, feeling something that your mind has yet to process properly. It has saved her life before.
-Weapons Training: Eight years of training, that is what she went through before her Father considered her able to perform as the King’s Grand Hunter. She had to learn how to use the composite bow, how to fight with a dagger and sword, and how to kill a boar with a spear. Afew bits of her training were, of course, unnecessary for anything aside from self-protection. After all, it isn’t like she was going to get in a sword fight with a deer. But it was more than possible to run into a poacher or deserter in the forests and need to protect herself.
-Survival Training: Sometimes a hunter needs to stay in the forests for a long time, longer than their supplies will last them even, and will need rely on their own knowledge to survive. As such, her father had given her long lectures on this subject of hours almost every day of the week when he was available. She was taught knowledge on starting a fire, what wood burns best and what items would create a decent amount of smoke to ward away wild animals. She also was given the knowledge of how to skin an animal, create a fishing pole and line, and even what kind of berries are safest for consumption. Also encompassed some training in how to bind wounds and make minor poultices, though she didn’t pay as much attention during those lessons it seems.
Physical Conditioning: Na’Shira isn’t some goddess of physical performance, likely far from it considering much of her strength was focused on strength. But, that isn’t to say that she isn’t well conditioned for long journeys and hard battles. She can spend a few hours running through the dense forest vegetation in order to follow her prey and can carry the haul of meat back well enough on her own. She is oddly well suited for the job of a Swordseeker in this case, calling upon her naturally strong body to match the others when the need be.
Low-light Vision: Some Orcs are blessed with the natural ability to see better at night than humans, Na’Shirak is one of those orcs. At night, she can see clearer and further than a human can but only by about twenty feet or so. It doesn’t help when it is pitch black in a cave though as they do not possess any sort of vision allowing them to see in the dark. Extras:
The Kngdom of Bernholdt is a small land to the North which has rarely ever warred with it neighbors let alone involved itself in disputes with them. The land is far from perfect, cold almost all year round with a few months of solid warmth, its people rather distrusting of outsiders and avid drinkers. Yet, it is a peaceful place, harmonic even, where orcs, humans, elves, and dwarves all get along rather well. The King of Bernholdt, Jeremy Bernhodt, is the fifteenth of his line yet the first to ever have a rule so peaceful though. Though the country is calm, it use to be a festering place of hatred and oppression.
Many years ago, long before the rule of Tocratia over the nations of Roviat, Bernholdt was a territory of a larger nation, their now neighbor of Courdale, and was home to nothing but the scum of the nation. The lands of Bernholdt were rich in large forests and it mines to the west were plentiful of gems and metals, the perfect place for Courdale to send its slaves to work. Thousands of orcs, elves, and dwarves were herded off to the land west of Courdale and settled down, told that if they worked then they could attain freedom for their children. Of course, it was a lie and there’d be no freedom but some of them had no choice.
Yet, hope had apparently not been extinguished for the slaves and criminals sent to the land. No, there were men amongst them who talked about overthrowing their masters, seeking a freedom that they would never be granted in any other form. They knew many were likely to die, after all they were planning a rebellion against trained soldiers with men and women who had only pickaxes, hoes, and axes to fight with. But they had one thing more that Courdale hadn’t expected, Allister Bernholdt a former knight who had been stripped of his title, his land, and his wealth after speaking out against the king for his use of slaves.
Within a few years, their plans had formed by the careful work of Allister and a select few slaves from the work teams who could carry the messages. In a few days time, a few workers were to flee into the mines and forests during night, only about a dozen from each area, and wait till the next day in hiding spots. A day after that, during the return to the camps, all slaves were to rush into the forests and mines, specifically running past these points, and funneling the soldiers into tight quarters that made for favorable battles on the parts of the slaves. After several skirmishes like that into the slave held territory, the soldiers had to retreat.
In doing so, the slaves had won the battle and not the war for they had to prepare for a much harder battle. Holding their lands against the armies of Courdale who would likely come to exterminate them. Yet only a small contingent of soldiers came, bearing news that bode well for the slaves. Courdale had been invaded by a neighbor and was fighting a losing war, the soldiers sent were to ask for their help, to negotiate a peace with Bernholdt and allow for the country to avoid being conquered by someone even stronger.
Many weeks were spent negotiating their peace until Courdale agreed to announce the lands as the Kingdom of Bernholdt and supply them with the needed equipment to fight. Bernholdt’s men, about a thousand soldiers, were dedicated to attacking the enemy from the rear and running from the retaliation. Their tactics worked well and the enemy kingdom withdrew, the lands of both Courdale and Bernholdt free from the risk of being conquered.
Bernholdt grew, slowly at first, but with gaining momentum as they brokered another deal with Courdale, one to provide them with lumber and the precious materials from their mines in return for being granted more land. People soon migrated to the kingdom and created a mixed culture that sparked tensions that wouldn’t be settled until years after Tocratia’s rule took over. But they were a happy people, happy with their simply lands and isolated life. Such as it has been since Allister freed them and his ancestors have led on to allow the land to prosper.
Key Points: -Orcs are not, in fact, nomadic. Rather they do settle down but, due to their nature of infighting for glory, are seen as outsiders by most other races. -Orcs are not inherently violent nor stupid, rather there are some intelligent enough to match elves while most are similar to humans. Combat is only done for glory and being a bandit is seen as abandoning their traditions. -Tradition is everything to Orcs, it is what binds them together despite being miles apart from each other. Going against tradition is acceptance of being banished from their societies.
Long ago, Orcs may have been nomadic people who roamed from place to place, seeking glory in unknown lands against foreign peoples. Yet that time was centuries in the past and, as lands grew more widely known and settled, they changed to settle down in regions that most would avoid. Orcs typically live in areas full of mountains or open plains that few would consider able to sustain their villages. Though this has been proven wrong by others through the hard work of the Orcs to hunt and farm for their food, even if it means spending a longer time working on the cultivation of their lands. Many Orcs who are not warriors are known for being stellars hunters and decent farmers, though a few have been known for their works in a forge.
The misunderstanding that Orcs are more violent than others is rather common and easily explained. Due to the unifying nature of their tradition and the belief that the first born of one’s lineage must carry on the story of their parents, to continue the name of their lineage, most male Orcs compete in an annual competitive fight between one and another whenever a village is close enough to compete. The winners are often determined by who last the longests and who has the most knockouts since the fights are done in hand-to-hand combat. Similarly, disavowing their intelligence is another misconception which is proven wrong by the simple fact that they happen to be able to survive in environments others cannot. This is not just due to their inherently durable nature but rather the innovative nature that they possess similar to humans and intelligence on par with Elves, at least for some of their kind.
Orcish tradition isn’t easy for others to understand, it is what binds their culture together and prevents wars between each other. Any who go against the tradition are labelled as outcasts, disavowed by their culture and their names stricken from records. Their traditions are rather simple, in the end, as they are based on the belief that death does not inherently merit glory for the kill. Glory is everything to an orc, at least the first born of a family, for they are to carry on the name of their lineage and continue the story they were handed down. Glory can be attained by combat between other Orc villages in tournaments, winning glory in a war serving one’s people or the nation which one’s people have aligned with, or killing a beast. Killing people isn’t considered glorious to Orcs and is looked down upon as it means the ending of another person’s story, something that cannot be done unless another person is threatening you with a similar end. Any deaths deemed to be heinous and brought up by the family of the dead may be punished for.
Ya know what, you get my interest. Been a while since I've written for an RP but I've always liked darker fantasy. The Witcher setting is nice and would've made for a nice RP were it not to so well fleshed out, thus leaving very little room to have non-canon writings. I'll bite and if this gets started, just hit me up with a ping and I'll appear.
Tacos, they are simple, cheap, and great food. Yes, that is food that I made. 6 small, corn tortilla tacos with beef and cheese as a meal. Total cost of the products to make a meal that can be reproduced about 10-14 times: 24$. Can add lettuce, tomato, and sour cream for about 5$. To sell at a restaurant if you spruce it up a bit: 7$ a meal.
Tacos are literally one of the cheapest and easiest to make foods I've ever made. Not only that, selling it professionally would allow for a wide margin of income. But nah, I don't sell food. Nothing is fun about it to me in restaurants. Gotta open my own if I wanna have fun with food.
The one thing I've always wanted to do, while on the topic of potatoes, is to steam them. I have never had a steamed potato before but it seems like a good idea.
Also, whiskey would be a great food. Though, I don't consume it anymore. Been sober for over a year and a half. But it is good for cooking.
Scrivener seems useful. The way I do it is that I have a private Google Doc where I've set up the Outline System. Each separate header is organized and there are zones for minor headers within those headers. Though, it is also a mess most of the time since I leave a bunch of tick mark notes all over the place when I have random thoughts. It is just a private doc anyway, the actual docs I use are organized to look nice. Any writing for characters is kept in its own place.
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Galavani
duskshine749
Tyler Night
