NewDirt

The Pilgrimage [closed]

There's no correlation to real world places. I'm definitely taking inspiration from places, but if you want your character to be an Athenian-inspired hoplite, pitch it. We might end up back at your characters hometown.

Ancient Low fantasy RP

https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/195949-the-pilgrimage/ooc

The OOC is posted.

I literally have a Bachelor's in Classics, so, yeah. This is relevant to my interests.

@Aurkanthis

That sounds like you just volunteered to help fix my uneducated, unhistorical, and inaccurate portrayals of the region in 1,000 - 5,00 BC or whenever.

If anyone else has any suggestions or would like to give input, please do.

Enjoy your weekend.

The Pilgrimage [closed]

The Pilgrimage OOC

This is the OOC for The Pilgrimage, an ancient low fantasy roleplay. The setting and some basic information are included below. Things are left sufficiently vague that I will expand on them as they become relevant. I’m trying to provide enough information that you can fill in the gaps for your character background without having to completely make everything up.

The Setting

The Setting

The Land is vast and virgin. Humanity has yet to spread beyond the freeholds. Wild tribes and terrifying monsters roam the wilds and threaten everything that wanders too close. Humanity has made their homes in places like the Mediterranean, Balkan, and Turkish coasts and mountains. Hot and dry summers with wet winters that rarely see snow below the mountains. Forests, grasslands, and rocky mountains cover the land. Nearer the cities and long-standing towns cobblestone and stone roads make their way through the hard terrain and over the many small rivers.

Cities differ from villages and towns specifically because they are founded with a planned design and in tribute to a God whom the people wish to gain the favour of. Because of this, most cities are either circular or square, with wide streets reaching out from the large plazas at the city-centre. There is a gathering of significant infrastructure and public services at these crossroads - a temple, marketplace, garrison house, bath house, and amphitheatre are all commonplace. Expanding outward from the center of the city in rows or blocks are the residential and private industries of the citizens. Homes are constructed of wattle and daub, with a limewash finish. Larger homes and buildings incorporate timber framing and stone foundations. Slums are also commonplace near the gates, walls, or other poor locations. These homes are often shambled together and exist in a labyrinth understood only by those who live in it.

Towns are medium gatherings of people and are commonly found under the protection of a city. Many towns have grown organically from smaller villages and lack the rigid structure of cities. Towns are small economic and urban hubs that provide most of the necessities, skills, and crafts people need. Most of the buildings in towns are small private abodes or businesses, with small and spread-out clusters of public infrastructure like baking ovens, wells, small bathhouses, and communal storage houses.

Villages and hamlets are small gatherings of people and their homes and minimal infrastructure. Most villages are small agricultural areas that specialize in a second industry, such as peat-mining, pottery making, or livestock. Villages may be under the protection of a God, though it is common to find freeholdings further away from cities and their influence. These small communities are wary of travellers and are fond of superstition and rumours. Although villages may not have many people, they often cover large areas and are made up of smaller clusters of family managed farms and land.

Divine Magic is power borrowed from a God, with their permission, to bestow miracles on the people. These miracles take the form of speeding the recovery of wounds and injuries, aiding illnesses, sicknesses, and sometimes even abetting plagues. Priests have always found that the amount of power they can draw depends on whether they are within the dominion of their God and what gifts their God has granted them. Every God and temple have a different method of calling on this power and practice different miracles.

Ritual Magic is magic that draws power from natural spirits that exist in the world. Some places are older than all the Gods and hold their own power. Druids, shamans, witches, and more make these places their home and domain. They may live among freeholds or in isolation, but all ritualistic magic is considered against the divine nature of the Gods. Ritualistic magic focuses on curses, charms, protections, and the control of fate and the weather.

Gods are the great beasts who rule the lands of mortals. They are mighty beasts who mortals cannot hope to resist. As long as man has existed so have the Gods and five commands have been dictated to all mortals by their masters:

Mortals shall obey the commands of their God.

Mortals shall pay proper tribute to their God.

Mortals shall not abandon their God.

Mortals shall not allow their God to be blasphemed.

Mortals shall not allow followers of other Gods into their homes.

Disobeying the commands of a God is punishable by execution in most cities and domains. Gods in the lands of Ahmere may not be omnipotent or all knowing, but they are beasts of divine strength and intellect. Their whims are rarely understood, and mortals strive to never fail, disrespect, or otherwise anger their God. There are stories of Gods laying waste to entire cities, devouring thousands of people, poisoning the land, and many more that serve as a warning – do not anger the Gods.

Initial Roleplay Setting

The roleplay will begin in a smaller town of approximately 600 people or so. The town Gor-Naruk is known for the large sprawling olive orchards and the people’s preference for honeyed wine and cheeses. Gor-Naruk is a few weeks travel to Gor-Deran, the final stop of the pilgrimage, but the path isn’t straight, and other sites need to be visited first. The total trip is expected to take between two and three months with short stops in towns to resupply and rest. Gor-Naruk was the first of many stops.

The pilgrimage, roughly two-hundred strong, is made of people from all walks of life; priests, merchants, travellers, and caravan guards, all huddle in their own small groups discussing what troubles and terrors might exist on the road ahead.

Two people stick out among the pilgrims. Head Priest Amam is clad in a white robe with silver threaded accents. She is in her early seventies, has stark grey hair and has the wrinkles of a life full of hardship. The Guard Captain Ulrik is a short man, bearded and blunt. He wears travelling cloths but carries a short sword and round shield and barks orders at the guards constantly.

As the roleplay begins everyone will be preparing to leave in the morning, and Gor-Naruk is hosting a final meal, complete with wines, cheeses, breads and cured meats.

Character Application Form

Character Application Form

For our character please consider the prompts below. I would prefer if everyone sent their initial character ideas to me through a private message unless you would like everyone to know your characters backstory and personality. I'm not strict in how you organize a character sheet, as long as I have an idea of who your character is I'm all good.

Name:
Age:
Profession:

Physical Traits:
(What does the character look like? Do they walk with a limp, what kind of clothes do they wear, how do they carry themselves in general?)

Personality Traits:
(How does your character act? Are they optimistic problem-solvers, or pessimistic problem-makers? What are their values, ideals, fears, and purpose? What are their flaws?)

Background and History:
(Where did your character come from? What are their motivations and why? Are there any events that are particularly important to your character?)

Orestes - My Character Example

Orestes is a 36-year-old scribe from the small freehold village of Erdium. Early in his childhood a viper bit his leg and Orestes nearly died from the venom. He was moved from the village to the nearby town of Nuxa-Leri where he was miraculously healed by one of the priests. In return, Orestes became an apprentice scribe to repay the temple for saving his life. Orestes doesn’t share what made him begin travelling, though there are rumours whispered among the pilgrims that he was exiled after a large confrontation.

He is a thin man who speaks softly and avoids confrontation. His short brown hair, blue eyes, and solemn looking face all make the man appear frailer than he is. He is dressed in travelling clothes; trousers, leather sandals, and a loose-fitting shirt under his robe to protect him from the harsh sun and winds. A small dagger is hidden inside his clothing.

Ancient Low fantasy RP

Hey all,

Surprised to see anymore interest in this so late after I posted it. I dropped off the site for a bit when some other roleplays didn’t pan out. That being said, I will work on an OOC and background information for this roleplay and get it up and running.

I intend to run this similar to D&D in the sense that I will introduce a region, conflict, or opportunity for everyone to explore. Once the scene feels pretty wrapped up we can set the next and so on. I do not intend to use rolls or stats for anything; there’s no point without an actual system in my opinion.

Feel free to provide suggestions, references, or ideas. I’ll probably need a week to get everything up with real life commitments, so I can try to incorporate them as I get the background info done up.

The Age of Swords and Sorcery

@Kiragan_Natsuki Sounds good. Do you mind teasing the starting quest or the starting location? I'd love to get a character concept working that fits well within the environment and the story.

The Age of Swords and Sorcery

I'll throw my hat into this as well.

How large of a group are you looking for?

Ancient Low fantasy RP

I’m looking for a small group (3 max) to write a story set in an antiquity inspired setting, complete with local gods, great beasts, and heroic tales. Although magic is real and superstitions have their place, no one is slinging fireballs or magic missiles. Most magic is handled through rituals and sacrifice. Curses, charms, and mythical tools lend supernatural power to mortals.

The roleplay would center on a group of wanderers and travellers participating in, guarding, or otherwise following a pilgrimage to Gor-Deran, a circular fort-city protected by a great beast, Gor the Immortal Eagle. The trip is expected to take nearly three months on foot. It ventures through sweeping plains, mountains, and finally a desert.

The setting is based loosely in the ancient Mediterranean regions of the Balkans and nearby. Particularly the regions of Greece, Thrace, the Turkish Riviera, and Egypt. Ancient wonders like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria are all influencing what I envision in the roleplay, although to a much lesser scale. The expectation isn’t to be 100% accurate but influenced by these areas and the long history associated with them.

Gods and the supernatural gain power through faith and sacrifice. If a city were to pray to an eagle to watch over them, construct a massive tower for it to roost on, and sacrifice beasts of burden to feed the bird, it could become Gor, the Immortal Eagle.

I’m looking for the following

Posts should be a few paragraphs long and move the story or scene forward to some degree.
Posting frequency of at least once a week, though more is welcome.
Please contribute to the world and the story. I’m more than happy to hash things out and just world build OOC over a few days to help the story flow and keep everyone interested.

Lastly, I haven’t written in a long time, but I need to get the creative juices flowing again. I appreciate constructive criticism though, so if I do English bad let me know.

If you’re interested hit me up. I’m okay to do this 1x1 as well.

Old Dirt

I've played 3.5 and 5e. Most often I play 5e because of how easy / accessible it was before D&D Beyond was bought by WotC.

The edition didn't nearly matter as much as the DM and players though. Any story can be fun when you're playing with good friends.

Old Dirt

Evening folks.

Just dropping one of those standard introduction threads you read all about.

I'm NewDirt.

I'm trying to get back into writing to scratch that creative itch in my body. I was playing D&D for a while and running games but I haven't played for a while and need something else to scratch my back.

I would like to get back to the casual writing level - a few paragraphs that move the story along and to focus on character interactions or worldbuilding.

That's all I've got for now.