MrDidact

The Outsiders (DC comics based OC Superhero RP)

Unfortunately Juno probably won't get to fight Shiva

Also what kind of weapons/defense systems does the cruiser have?

Dragon Dance : The Frozen North (Hi-Casual) (Action-Adventure and Survival Horror in a Dark Shared Fantasy World) (Always Open)

Posted, sorry for the delay folks.

Dragon Dance : The Frozen North (Hi-Casual) (Action-Adventure and Survival Horror in a Dark Shared Fantasy World) (Always Open)

Winter Watch

Even among the freezing cold and blinding snowfall, Winter Watch was unmistakable. The Nightsguard had cut down all the trees within ten miles of the castle and the stout fortress sat on a high hill commanding a view for miles around. Its' sturdy stones had guarded the North long before dragons had ever flown over the frozen landscape. There were almost a thousand men garrisoned in Winter Watch at all times, minus those black brethren who traveled the countryside. There were just more than hundred night brothers and sisters accounted for, there had been no word from Lord Commander Bofur Fortinbras for more than a month. No ravens had flown back from the castle, no mages had replied on the sending stones, and every messenger had gone missing. The storms had likely contributed to the silence but did not explain the complete lack of communication.

And under the dark clouds and white moon Ser Jennifer and her men saw why. As they approached the castle they could see no torches burning in the night and as they emerged from the thick forest, land surrounding the castle was a killing field. Bodies littered the approach, almost as far as the eye could see. Men, horses, and monsters. Furry frost trolls, giant jotuns, horned ogres and more sprawled dead on the ground next to black brethren. Spears and arrows and blades remained stuck fast or gripped in dead fingers. There a group of black brothers had their throats ripped out or their guts slashed out, the werebear next to them crushed under a boulder. There several bodies were just dried husks surrounding the burned carcass of a robed figure. One spot was just a giant red stain and puree of organs and bones under a twenty foot giant with arrows piercing every inch of his gargantuan body. There were dozens, hundreds, of scenes with the same brand of horror. The carnage was moderately covered with a few inches of snowfall.

The Nightsguard had fought and fought, there were more dead creatures than dead ravens but there must of been more than two hundred black garbed corpses. The Northern Nightsguard had defended their castle against jotuns, svartalves, drow, trolls, ogres, grendlekin, giants, vampyr, werebeasts, and many more kinds of fell creatures and dread beasts. There were other human bodies, without black cloaks or black robes or black armor. There were robed mages, fur-coated archers, and plated warriors, men and women both. And many of them. But none wore a device or emblem, no flags or banners flew on the field besides tattered Nightsguard banners. Who were these mystery men? Mercenaries? Raiders? In league with all manner of beasts?

Ser Jennifer called an end to the march half-way through the killing field. The castle was eerily silent, even as the silent screams of the dead etched every corpse. There were no animals and even the wind seemed to shun this place. The lady knight surveyed her forces and said, "I will lead the main host further on. We will then split into two groups, one to surround the fortress while the other enters through the gates. Another smaller detachment will enter through the underground tunnels the ravens built in case of emergency. Red Snow and Sister Alyss have the command of that detachment. We will all meet near the inner keep. Any black brothers you find alive will be tended to. Anything else will be cut down." Ser Erik, grunted and his large human frame morphed into an even larger furry bulk with the horns of a bull, claws of a wolf, and tusks of a hog. Red Snow drew up his crimson hood as Sister Alyss, the Nightsister who had brought Tori along checked her daggers.

The adventurers had the choice of joining either the clandestine team or the vanguard. Once groups were chosen, the host marched on to the gates while Sister Alyss lead a small group to find the escape tunnel. It was hidden in the nearby forest in the form of an old tree. Alyss knocked a tune on the old wood and the trunk retracted, the roots moving to show stairs leading underground. Alyss drew a dagger while shining a glowstone and walked in, Red Snow with a nocked arrow besides her. Meanwhile, the main host saw the castle clearer. The towers and battlements were heavily damaged, boulders embedded in the walls and the castle partially dismantled. The Nightsguard had a detachment of gargoyles who would awaken at night to defend them as well as golems at the gates. A pair of golems had been reduced to stone piles while all the gargoyle roosts were either empty or sat upon by rubble.

A frozen moat surrounded the castle and several bodies bobbed in the water, as the cold once again froze it over. However a long icy path had been formed to the gates which were smashed open and clogged with yet more bodies. Drawing her sword, Jennifer lead her men in. The mounted party and foot soldiers entered the courtyards and saw even more devastation and carnage, here the bodies of ravens numbered even greater than outside the walls with even more monstrous corpses besides them. The large tower keep had could be seen farther along. Erik sniffed the air as Jennifer looked around. The mess hall, black smith, and stables were all burnt down. Not a living soul besides them could be heard.

More bodies in anonymous cloaks and armor were espied and Erik finally said, "I smell many things. Elf, dwarf, man, troll. Many kinds of blood have been spilled here." Jennifer nodded, "Yes, we need to find survivors. Split up and-" she never got to finish as suddenly dozens of the mysterious raiders were suddenly not so dead and jumped to their feet brandishing weapons and shouting. Arrows started flying from across the courtyard on the roofs of the surrounding buildings and many kinds of shrieks, roars, and cries echoed as monsters clawed their way from under the snow or burst out of doors leading to the castle's innards.

The gathered mages spread their arms and shielded the host from the arrows in a large dome, but the hostile swords crossed through easily enough, flashing steel. Jennifer shouted, "To arms! For the Empire!" Erik roared and charge as the Imperial Host meet their foe head on. Steel flashed as they fought against monster and man alike, keeping careful to stay within the dome or else be shot by the hail of arrows. For the moment they held fast, but more and more seemed to be coming and they were surrounded. Someone needed to take care of the archers or they would be pinned down and falter. Meanwhile twelve foot frost troll leveled the trunk of a tree and swung it down against the dome, roaring as he tried to smash their protection away.

Down in the tunnel Sister Alyss saw why none had come this way, the passage was absolutely choked with bodies. It seemed as if the secret passage had been compromised. They were under the castle after several minutes when Alyss held up a fist, throwing her glowstone on the path ahead. Red Snow drew his bow, "What is it?" Alyss gritted her teeth, "I know that smell. Draugr." The stench of decay suddenly rose to choke the breath out of them right before they heard an inhuman chorus of howling. Then eyes, eyes bluer than any mortals. And rank upon rank of dead things. Shambling corpses with rotted armor and rusted weapons. Draugr often haunted the barrows in the North, but there should be none here. They saw dozens. Red Snow loosed arrow after arrow, felling many but more kept coming. Alyss slashed her twin daggers in a flurry of slashes and stabs, black blood staining the walls. Above all the rest a seven foot corpse slowly advanced dragging a huge hammer the size of a regular man. Red Snow shouted, "Kill them all! Again! Do you want to be buried here?!?"

Dragon Dance : The Frozen North (Hi-Casual) (Action-Adventure and Survival Horror in a Dark Shared Fantasy World) (Always Open)

I'll wait another night then get a post up.

The Outsiders (DC comics based OC Superhero RP)

The last few weeks have been something of a trial for Juno Hoshi. For her part she thought she had handled the situation as well as she could have, but that didn't matter. The truth was not as important as what people thought. And what the team thought was that she had let her rivalry with Warpath get the better of her. As if she would even consider Adam to be a credible rival! But she had to admit that they might have been right. She had slipped up. Too much power in too little a time, she had lost control for just a moment and Madcap had been hurt badly. Not that Madcap didn't deserve some injuries but not like that. Fenrir had cut more than half the team and now they were saddled with newbies. And if she slipped up like this again she might be next on the chopping block and then this team was well and truly fucked. The majority of the cruiser's repairs were her doing however, being a walking tool box with technical expertise did the trick.

She had to do better. No more games, time to get down to business. Juno had thrown herself into training her powers within the two weeks, creating more numerous and more complex constructs and seeing just how much energy she could project. Every day she was exhausted but she felt her training pay off little by little. It became just a bit easier every time to shape a construct, using a bit less energy, getting a bit more out of it, and keeping a bit more in reserve. She was slowly becoming more economical with her power. In fact she felt stronger now too. She had spent her childhood building up her power level and reining it in but Juno was not a person who believed there was no more room for improvement.

Now she was here on their second mission, hoping this would go much better than the first. By rights she should be co-pilot with Fenrir but he was likely still pissed at her. She would've made a better pilot but right now she needed to keep her head down. Juno created a light knife in her hand before dispelling it. She had trained in martial arts since she was a girl but the League of Shadows was made up of fighters more than her equal, it was a good thing she could fire lasers. She hadn't yet heard of someone dodging an energy lance moving at the speed of light.

She did however have reservations about this, "Nanda Parbat? Didn't a bunch of capes train there? Like Q and Crimson Avenger? How'd the League of Assholes get it?"

Dragon Dance : The Frozen North (Hi-Casual) (Action-Adventure and Survival Horror in a Dark Shared Fantasy World) (Always Open)

Added an entry for Nightsguard who will probably have their own spin-off at some point.

Planning to write species entries for Vampyr, Werefolk, and Magi.

Dragon Dance : The Frozen North (Hi-Casual) (Action-Adventure and Survival Horror in a Dark Shared Fantasy World) (Always Open)

Oh where have all the posters gone

Dragon Dance : The Frozen North (Hi-Casual) (Action-Adventure and Survival Horror in a Dark Shared Fantasy World) (Always Open)

<Snipped quote by Caits>

Oh yeah, me too. He made a fantastic one for the League where he linked in about twelve different theme songs for each separate NPC as he introduced them. The only problem there is that level of dedication is like my 'bar' now, and no matter how much I try I can never quite reach it.

@BlackSam3091

Aww you're making me blush Sam

Really though you should be glad you're not as obsessed as me when it comes to writing haha

Dragon Dance : The Frozen North (Hi-Casual) (Action-Adventure and Survival Horror in a Dark Shared Fantasy World) (Always Open)

Okay people, I posted the first IC. Just an introduction to the story and I decided to get the ball rolling on the first mission, but feel free to react to the events and to use the lull as downtime to interact.

Dragon Dance : The Frozen North (Hi-Casual) (Action-Adventure and Survival Horror in a Dark Shared Fantasy World) (Always Open)

299 DA

Winter Howl, the seat of House Wolfe in the North

The last gleam of sunlight was starting to wane. The red light of the setting sun grew fainter and fainter as dark clouds gathered and white snow began to blow in earnest. The air was strangely still despite the howling of the wind and the crunching march of the mighty host making its way across the deep snow. The rising snows blanketed everything and shrunk the land, obscuring the majestic mountains and vast forests to replace them with winter as far as the eye could see. Winter, when it should have been Spring. After weeks of marching, the Northerners finally caught sight of Winter Howl. The stout old fortress of House Wolfe was a welcome sight to the weary travelers. Despite the dark and bitter cold, the thousands of gathered Northmen felt hope.

Lord Wiglaf had called this Conclave, sending word to every holdfast, castle, port, and town in the North. Almost the entirety of the Northern nobility answered the call, from House Wolfe's principal bannermen to the lowest petty lord, human, elf, and dwarf alike. Even leaders of the Beserker tribes and Wildmen clans had come. Every major trade guild and merchant family had sent representatives. The captains of the mercenary Icebreakers had gathered, along with every free-rider, sellsword, and hedge knight for hundreds of league around. Both the College of Enchanters and the Faith had sent forth delegates, though the mages and sorcerers and templars and clerics were more than suspicious around each other.

Even the Nightsguard were there, figures wrapped in black cloaks riding black horses that stood out in stark contrast to the overwhelming white. Absent however were the Snow Court, Winter Coven, and Ice Clan. Alexander had brought Vampyr, Magi, and Werebeast into his kingdom but they were still largely not accepted and aloof from politics. And like any large gathering, camp followers, performers, merchants, and ladies of the night were in abundance. Refugees from across the North seeking shelter joined them, those whose homes were no longer safe in light of the dark winter.

The Northerners were not alone. The engagement of the Crown Prince to the Princess of the Rus demanded the involvement of most of Europa's nobility. But Lady White, Lord Beast, Prince Charming, and many others had heard talk of ill omens in the North and sent their own men to investigate. Lady White, Lady Paramount of the Winterlands bordering the Rus, had a vested interest in the affairs of her neighbor and Lord Beast as Alpha of all Were-people sent his men to inquire after his brethren in the North. The Charmings were involved because they very much believed in being involved with everything.

With three Great Houses involved, other nobles and knights had seen this as an opportunity for glory or gain. Ser Erik Villenueve, Beast's second son, had the command but Lady White had sent along her sister's bastard, the youth commonly known as Red Snow and Prince Charming had sent along his cousin young Brandon and some men. Their procession had joined the Northerners and all made their way to Winter Howl. The footprints and hoof-marks of this great procession was the only evidence of their passing and even now the snow was starting to sweep it away.

Finally the march arrived on the outskirts of Wolfe land. The fortress overlooked the sprawling city surrounding it, all encircled by a stone wall with a number of farms nearby. And almost immediately a tent city sprang up as the soldiers and servants of the host erected their temporary dwellings, the most important of the delegates would no doubt find room in Wiglaf's vast hall. The was crammed with the local townsfolk as well as smallfolk from the surrounding farms and holdfasts, and travelers across the province and elsewhere who sought shelter from the surprise storms. Soon every inn was full to bursting and every house was crammed. At least here the stillness of the snow was torn by the sheer vivacity of life. The population of Wolftown multiplied rapidly.

With little fanfare, the delegation was shown into the Wolf Hall. Lord Wiglaf, tall and stern, sat at the high seat with his retainers around him and his wife at his side. Already present were representatives of the Grendel clan. Their forebear had been killed by Beowulf but the reptilian family had connections to the Dragon Court and were the de-facto dragon lords of the North though they had no real dragons. The tension in the air between the descendants of the mortal foes was palpable.

However, Wiglaf elected to skip the pleasantries and addressed the crowd, "I gathered you all here today because the winds of winter are holding our land. Blizzards and snowstorms ravage us in the midst of spring, we have lost all contact with our people on the shore and in the east. Entire villages have disappeared and there are reports of mysterious bands of raiders and beasts of sinister nature. There has been no word from the Imperial Navy and Winter Watch remains silent. Even the Aesir have not answered our calls. You are all lucky to have arrived before the worst of the storms." Wiglaf gestured at Ser Erik, Ser Brandon, and Red Snow, "Can we expect any more aid from the Capital?"

Ser Erik shook a massive head, "No. It is with regret that I must report that the Fire Throne cannot send anymore aid than our families have already provided. The King is dead." The shock reverberated across the hall and Wiglaf had to shout for quiet. Erik continued, "The Prince has not yet been wed and the Court in a flurry. There are a thousand stories as to how the King died and Inquisition is struggling to get to the truth. The Chancellor, the Queen, and the Lady Marshall are fighting over regency and none have been permitted to leave the city since the King's death. Red Snow received word from his aunt just yesterday through sending stone." The Lady White was a talented sorcerer, inheriting her gifts from her mother as well as powerful artifacts in the wake of her death, "All the armies of Alexandria and the court mages are unavailable. We are on our own for the foreseeable future."

Wiglaf sighed, "So it is. My council and I fear this to be some sort of fell curse or dark magic, and it could be of any origin. There are monsters and raiders in the country and more of the smallfolk vanish every day. I fear we may be attacked by some foe we cannot readily discern, hence the need to call my banners. I need every resource I can to discover the nature of this dark winter and how we can stop it. With the continued war with Neverland and our uncertainty of the Rus, we must be ready for anything. As such, I decree that the majority of our gathered force will remain here to prepare for a possible incursion and as a position from where we can begin restoring order."

"However, if this be some dark magic then we need Nightsguard. We have a few of the black brothers and sisters here but we have had no word of the main garrison. I need a small force of a thousand or so to ride forth and investigate. The roads are no longer safe and the winter winds make travel all the harder. But it must be done. My daughter will lead the force, I need volunteers to accompany her. Let it be known that any and all skilled adventurers are welcome on this undertaking, and there is a reward. Ser Erik, you and your best men shall accompany my daughter along with whoever among my bannermen are not needed in the defense of the North. We must act quickly for the cold is advancing rapidly." He turned to a dark-haired woman as tall and hard as himself, "Jennifer. Gather your men and march today. Before it is too late."

Ser Jennifer gathered the knights, mages, and rangers who could be spared but soon the word spread throughout Wolftown. Any soul who was brave enough, skilled enough, or fool enough to join was welcome to accompany the knight on her journey. The promise of gold and glory proved just enough to tempt a few souls to leave the comfort of Wolftown while duty compelled others. Through heralds and official postings the word was spread until the whole city knew. The recruits were gathered outside the city gates, an eclectic force with men and women of all races from all walks of life, mages, scholars, sellswords, rogues, clerics, and more were among them. They spent frantic hours preparing before the nobles mounted their horses and lead the march, followed by coaches and wagons full of passengers and marching soldiers. They would reach Winter Watch by nightfall but until then the travelers had time to themselves.