POOHEAD189

Under The Shadow (Witcher Interest check)

roleplayerguild.com/topics/180815-the…

OOC is up. I will now keel over

The Witcher: Under the Shadow

Simple Character Sheet

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The Witcher: Under the Shadow

The players are set
The game is on
Onward our intrepid vagabonds
From the dark of despair
to rekindled heart
Under the shadow of Nilfgaard
-Dandelion (Jaskier)

So, you're taking the contract by King Foltest, eh? Seems to be a right large group by now. Then again, drinking alone is as bad as shitting in company. I hear the King's own bastard is leading you. Me? Oh no, I'm not going with you. Someone needs to stay behind and keep things in order until this Witcher the King has been talking about shows up again. Not sure the difference between Witchers, as you have some of your own. But far be it from me to argue with a human King. I work for coin so I can live for drinks, as they say. Looks like you'll get a good haul from this if you live to see me again. My advice? Be as wary as an elf in hiding. If you think the war with Nilfgaard is over with, you're as stumped as my fiance's stubbed toe.
-Zoltan Chivay, Temeria 1265

Introductions

Hello everyone. Most of you are friends with me, and to those of you who don't know me, It's nice to roleplay with you. I won't go too much into this, but to give a bit of background. I'm not the end all be all of Witcher Lore, but I've been a fan of the universe and stories for 8 years, ever since I got my copy of Witcher 2 for PC and I'd like to think I'm fairly well informed. For those of you who are new fans to the series, fret not for I will provide information you need. This upcoming weekend I will be busy, but the weekend of the 18th & 19th is probably a good date for you to see about having a character done, so no huge hurry.

Now let's talk about what I expect in the roleplay. I very much enjoyed the netflix show, but it did lack a key element of the series. The Witcher is great because it blends both medieval realism and fairy tales into a well made series, and a lot of the show didn't showcase much of the authentic medieval mindset that's in both the original books and somewhat shown in the games. @Kassarock knows how much I care about medieval realism since he peer reviewed the Medieval arms and armor article I wrote for the site around 2 years ago now. Don't let that intimidate you, but keep it in mind.

Now onto the characters. Make no mistake, this is an expedition. Yes, sleeping with ardent sorceresses and claiming children with the Law of Surprise is great, but if you're a Witcher in this roleplay, your goal first and foremost is killing monsters. If you're a sorcerer/sorceress, you're to guard against magical intrusions, provide protective enchantments, keeping Rakald Keep hidden behind illusions, advising, and various other tasks. If you're a soldier, you guard the keep and fight off intruders. If you're a Knight, you do the same and also aid the Witchers in monster slaying. If you're a prospector, you try to find valuable minerals in the mountain or help get raw materials for construction. If you're a scout, you scout, etc.

I am trusting the roleplayers present with a bit of creative Leeway. I will give adventure seeds, I will give the main quest, and provide the layout for the keep and the surrounding area. But I am allowing you to add small things to the environment for creativity's sake, as long as it's nothing huge and doesn't truly affect the foundations of the roleplay. For example, if you're a Knight and there is a worker near you, you can likely have him run a menial errand because of your station. However, I will monitor this very closely, so take care.

Lore to Know

Continent Map

Long ago, there was merely the Continent. The only known sentient race to have lived there were the Gnomes, and shortly thereafter the Dwarves appeared, around five thousand years ago (roughly four thousand years before humans). They two races met peacefully, as they had a similar way about them and the Dwarves were not looking to expand and conquer. Two thousand years later, the Elves arrived on their white ships from another world. The Elves expanded and grew powerful, and though they weren't war mongering, they were less peaceful and fought various wars against the Dwarves, as well as lesser known races such as the reptilian Vran and the hairy Werebbubbs.

And then, an event known as the Conjunction of the Spheres occurred. A cataclysmic event where various rifts opened between worlds and creatures from other planets and dimensions were transported back and forth between planes. Many, in fact most of the monsters the Witchers hunt appeared during this time (such as Dragons and Vampires), as did humans, who were transported from their homeworld (Earth) that they themselves destroyed. The humans, able to breed far quicker than the Elder races, spread across the Continent, and after a succession of wars against the Elves, became the dominant species this side of the Blue Mountains.

Those Elves that survived became servants, or went into hiding. The Gnomes, introverted as they were, live with the Dwarves or in small communities in the mountains. Lesser known peoples like the Halflings, Vran, and Werebbubbs became nearly extinct, but some of them still live in the current era in small pockets. The Dwarves came out the best (though still second class citizens), integrating into human society easier than the others as they are skilled smiths and bankers.

In the 10th century, a group of Sorcerers and Kings came together and discussed the geopolitical climate of the Continent. The Elder races themselves had been mostly handled, but there were still various beings that had not yet been exterminated, imprisoned in camps, or integrated into human society. These were the monsters. And so, the Witchers were made. Originally meant to be Magic Knights to quell the last bit of resistance this world had left against the humans, little did they know that the monsters would not be exterminated so easily, nor would the Elder races fade peacefully. They also did not realize how grueling and torturous the trials to become a Witcher were, nor what that would do to someone's body, but they also cared little as long as they got the job done.

It has been one thousand, two hundred and sixty five years since the Conjunction of Spheres, and two years since the Battle of Sodden Hill that halted Nilfgaard's advance. Now it is up to you, to help push back Nilfgaard, before they attack once more...

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Factions

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The Northern Kingdoms: A loose collection of germanic-esque kingdoms that warr with one another for power, though they share a common culture and ban together when faced with a larger threat. There is a huge list of Kingdoms, but even big fans of the series sometimes cannot tell them apart as the political landscape changes book by book and game by game.

Nilfgaard: An Empire that was once seen as a backwater laughingstock at the edge of the world, in recent years it's been rightfully feared and has attacked the North, conquering a few of the southern Kingdoms. Rumor has it they are once again preparing for invasion. They worship the Sun.

Witchers: Essentially Super Soldiers with no political affiliation. They are taken as children and mutated through both science and magic to gain superhuman strength, toughness, fortitude, senses, and speed. Though some Witcher hire themselves out exclusively to certain clients like a King, they are beholden first and foremost to their school. There are the Schools of the Wolf, the Viper, the Bear, the Cat, the Manticore, and the Crane.

Scoia'tael: Non-human guerillas also known as the Squirrels, due to the squirrel tails they wear on themselves. They're terrorists to human Kingdoms and freedom fighters to non-humans. Recently employed by Nilfgaard with promises to grant them a Kingdom of their own, they're deadly ruthless in their hatred for humanity.

Blue Stripes: Temeria's Special Forces and Secret Police, lead by Vernon Roche.

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People of Interest

King Foltest

King of Temeria. Has humped his sister and half the women in his Kingdom. Isn't well liked by other nobility and some of his people, but his soldiers adore him and he's known for his military genius and forth-right nature.

Balidvar the Bastard

Oldest son and bastard of Foltest and (apparent) leader of the expedition, he claims he seeks to gain his inheritance by fulfilling his father's wishes here. He's known as an avid fighter, an experienced sailor, and he is a supporter of nonhuman rights.

Triss Merigold

A beautiful and talented Sorceress and Advisor to Foltest, Triss is a skilled healer and battle mage and former lover of Geralt of Rivia. She is called "Fourteenth on the Hill" after the Battle of Sodden Hill, as she was believed to have been one of the thirteen to have died there when she had in fact survived.

Vernon Roche

The ruthless head of the Blue Stripes, Temeria's Special Forces. Vernon Roche is an ardent patriot and loyal to a fault, following his King's orders without hesitation. He's not one to cross, particularly with talk of treason.

Emperor Emhyr Var Emreis

Former Hedge Knight and current Emperor of Nilfgaard. He is an intelligent ruler, a brilliant statesman, but expantionist and power hungry to a fault. He brooks no wound to his pride, and seeks to dominate the North. In contrast to the Northern Kings, nonhumans generally seem to support him.

Main Theme

Post a random fact about yourself.

I was revenge baby.

@HaleyTheRandom

Makes sense

I've learned I'm very calm in life and death situations.

Out on the Rim

There was a sudden grinding noise, and Leyla would see one of the walkway graters get shoved up by a strong hand, and Cleo lifted himself out with ease, as if he was used to lowering into and pulling himself out of vehicles and the like. He took his gloves off, and stepped over to the guns to make sure everything was still in order for his shipment.

"That was far too close," He said aloud, and began locking the crates once more to keep any other prying hands from opening them en route. Hopefully with luck, no one in Bogga's employ would notice or care if anyone had tampered with the guns. He glanced at Leyla. "You think on your feet well," he admitted, unused to having to pay anyone who has stowed aboard his ship any compliments. R5 raced through, scanning the area for any devices the empire might have left behind to bug the place.

"R5, are there any more Stormtroopers in the hanger?" he asked, and the Android halted for a moment and stopped as if lagging, then beeped out a myriad of sounds that told him the coast was clear. "Good. Now let's get this stuff out of here. The sooner we sell this shipment, the sooner we can get paid and leave. Maybe next time we come to this stinkhole, there's less Imperial presence."

R5 let out another binary noise, and Cleo looked at Leyla at the suggestion. "I'm sure she wants to get out of here." He said to the Astromech droid, only for a series of beeps to follow once more. Cleo snorted, and shrugged. He turned to the Pantoran. "We need some help transporting this stuff, and I don't think you want to be trapped on this planet since it's swarming with Imps... Tell you what."

He wasn't in the habit of offering this, but she was useful so far, and he could sympathize with her hating the Empire. What's more, this last shipment had been particularly large and he needed an extra set of hands, both to transport the guns and to keep an eye on any thieves. The irony that she was likely a thief herself wasn't lost on Cleo, but he had little choice.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "You help me transport this to Bogga and I'll let you stick around for a bit until we find a planet more suitable for you." He reached out and held his hand for her to shake, all business. "Deal?"
@Penny

Under The Shadow (Witcher Interest check)

Skellige is the best

How do you feel about the level of character diversity you’ve experienced?

Oh I just thought of something else: almost all characters I’ve seen are classically handsome/beautiful. It makes me wanna create more unconventional looking characters, even straight up ugly characters.

@Raxacoricofallapatorius

If you're beautiful irl though, it's all you know

Under The Shadow (Witcher Interest check)

@Stormflyx Hey! I actually have that art! Glad to see someone riffing off of it :)

What are you reading?

I need to reread The Stand by Stephen King at some point.

Under The Shadow (Witcher Interest check)

@Penny When the page turned, I was going to say exactly this before I saw you wrote it

Yennifer is literally every magic user I have ever played...

@Penny

Wholesome Poo

@Kassarock

I might love Grimdark but I'm also a softy